{"id":1004,"date":"2013-08-11T14:54:50","date_gmt":"2013-08-11T14:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004"},"modified":"2014-09-02T17:53:55","modified_gmt":"2014-09-02T21:53:55","slug":"words-of-advice-setting-intention-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004","title":{"rendered":"Words of Advice. Setting Intention, Again."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A number of weeks ago, when my father was still able to share words of wisdom, he looked at me and saw that my smile was not natural. He said to me, &#8220;Don&#8217;t let your job get the best of you.&#8221; I understood what he meant immediately.<\/p>\n<p>What I immediately understood was, when your work is a natural way for you to express who you naturally are, your work will naturally be a way for you to give your best; when your work forces you to act in a manner that is in conflict with who you naturally are, your work will not get the best you.<\/p>\n<p>During my dad&#8217;s eulogy yesterday, I spoke about who I am and how much I was my father&#8217;s son. I ended my talk with the following:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am Bob Speck Jr, son of Bob Speck Sr. I come from the green hills of New England, the blue shores of the Atlantic, the golden fields of New York, and have found my spirit in the white peaks of the Wasatch. I serve my villages, and plant seeds of learning and joy, with wisdom and integrity, with humility and humor. I spend my days in this world of dreams; my father walks in the land of strawberries. And it is all SO BEAUTIFUL.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I had referenced the Divine in my talk, God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Universe, Mother Earth, the Great Spirit. In my mind, I was also thinking, &#8220;I am Kokopelli. I am Hanuman. I am Bhudda.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I believe in the Oneness of all. Everything is connected. We spend too much time living under a guise of separation and division, competition and comparison, self-promotion. I believe we are our best selves when we act for the betterment of all things.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/429745_336828913025471_1901651558_n.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-411\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/429745_336828913025471_1901651558_n.jpg?resize=300%2C199\" alt=\"429745_336828913025471_1901651558_n\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/429745_336828913025471_1901651558_n.jpg?resize=300%2C199 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/429745_336828913025471_1901651558_n.jpg?resize=452%2C300 452w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/429745_336828913025471_1901651558_n.jpg?w=960 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In my future actions, I will set my intention to be who I naturally am. I will tune into the energy and memories of the mentors who have guided me (my father, my uncle, my wounded warrior friends, my yoga teachers, my coaches and teachers, my mother) and connect with them through daily rituals and practices.<\/p>\n<p>I will set my daily intentions to be who I naturally am, in order that I am able to give my best to the work of my life. And I will take full responsibility for who I am.<\/p>\n<p>I will live by my father&#8217;s example to be me (as best I can), to accept others for who they are, to do good work on the behalf of others, and to do it with a sense of humility, togetherness, dignity, and joy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/cropped-2012-05-09-AMentor-Logo.m1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/cropped-2012-05-09-AMentor-Logo.m1.jpg?resize=300%2C86\" alt=\"cropped-2012-05-09-AMentor-Logo.m1.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"86\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/cropped-2012-05-09-AMentor-Logo.m1.jpg?resize=300%2C86 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/cropped-2012-05-09-AMentor-Logo.m1.jpg?resize=500%2C144 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/cropped-2012-05-09-AMentor-Logo.m1.jpg?w=1000 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-1004\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004&amp;share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-email\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-email sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004&amp;share=email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to email this to a friend\"><span>Email<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-print\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-print sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to print\"><span>Print<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-linkedin\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-linkedin-1004\" class=\"share-linkedin sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004&amp;share=linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on LinkedIn\"><span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A number of weeks ago, when my father was still able to share words of wisdom, he looked at me and saw that my smile was not natural. He said to me, &#8220;Don&#8217;t let your job get the best of &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-1004\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004&amp;share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-email\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-email sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004&amp;share=email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to email this to a friend\"><span>Email<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-print\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-print sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to print\"><span>Print<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-linkedin\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-linkedin-1004\" class=\"share-linkedin sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1004&amp;share=linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on LinkedIn\"><span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Xnru-gc","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1351,"url":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1351","url_meta":{"origin":1004,"position":0},"title":"AbilityPLUS at Mount Snow","date":"September 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It's official. I'll be returning to Mount Snow! I'll be doing some coaching, training, and special program coordination work with AbilityPLUS, a couple days per week, starting now. Anyone want to be a volunteer adaptive ski or snowboard instructor at Mount Snow? PRESS RELEASE: West Dover, VT-- Bob Speck, an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Adaptive Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1236,"url":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1236","url_meta":{"origin":1004,"position":1},"title":"65 Years Ago","date":"July 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"65 years ago today my parents were married in Rockport, Massachusetts. 51 weeks ago today my father passed away near is home in Burnt Hills, NY. They had beautiful times together. I am blessed to be their child. Memories help form the foundation of my identity and remind me who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Tributes&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Tetons-Maggies-Pictures-143-300x224.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":983,"url":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=983","url_meta":{"origin":1004,"position":2},"title":"My Dad&#8217;s Obituary. This Mentor Will Always Walk With Me.","date":"August 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Dateline: Burnt Hills, NY Robert S. \u201cBob\u201d Speck, 87, of Wendy Lane, died on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at the Maplewood Manor Nursing Home in Ballston Spa.\u00a0 He was born on July 7, 1926 in Gloucester, MA and was the son of the late Reinhard and Gertrude (Marshall) Speck. Bob\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Tributes&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Robert-S.-Speck-2-1-237x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1174,"url":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1174","url_meta":{"origin":1004,"position":3},"title":"Training Myself to Be Me","date":"November 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Practicing mindfulness is like training your muscles to be stronger. I know that if I give attention to my physical body by focusing on my intention to make it stronger and more athletic, it takes effort (energy) and repetition. As my training changes, my body learns to adapt. My physical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fitness and Wellness&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/photo1-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1388,"url":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1388","url_meta":{"origin":1004,"position":4},"title":"One Perspective. One Poem. 2014-10-18","date":"October 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I wrote this while spending a week of Yin Yoga, poetry, and music with Biff Mithoefer and Prema Mayi. It comes from a place of personal vision that, with mindful perspective and feelings of loving-kindness and connectedness, I am my natural me. It also comes from a place of tribute\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Tributes&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1665,"url":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/?p=1665","url_meta":{"origin":1004,"position":5},"title":"Happy 88th Birthday, Mom!","date":"December 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, I had lunch with my mother, celebrating her 88th birthday two days early. Our conversation ranged back to her birthday memories of 75 years ago, December 7, 1941. Of course, that day, two days before her 13th birthday, the world changed. She spoke about how her family all gathered\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;One Perspective&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_7011.jpg?fit=632%2C464&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1004"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1292,"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004\/revisions\/1292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/amentorwalkswithme.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}