It happened in the air.

It happened on land.

It also happened on the sea…almost.

And…

In each case it involved either a person, place, or thing…sometimes all three at once.

This briefly sums up what was involved during some of my close calls in life.

When I was 26…it was going in to a spin during an airplane flying lesson over the Everglades Forest in Florida.

Through most of my life…different situations that took place on land with different people I’ve known.

And when I was 3…experiencing what it felt like to almost drown in a swimming pool.

Out of these three the one that’s still relevant in my life…the different situations that take place with people I either know or have known.

Before I get to those…

Think of the different situations throughout your life when you had a close call.

It could have been a near death experience…an important decision you made or didn’t make that changed the course of your life…or perhaps something someone said or didn’t say to you.

How did this impact your life?

What path did it lead you down?

What insights did you get that you didn’t have before?

Many times people associate “close calls” with something that is potentially disastrous.

This can be true.

However…

Much like every other situation in your life it has two sides. In this case disastrous and prosperous.

Case in point…

Let me come back to what I mentioned earlier…about the different “close call” situations that have occurred in my life that are still relevant…which has involved people I’ve known.

Back when I was 18 a friend of mine came over to my house on his moped.

He let me ride it around my housing development.

I just so happened to go this one particular way I rarely if ever went.

As a result…

I came across another kid I knew who was hanging out in front of his house.

We started talking.

I returned my friend’s moped…and then immediately went over to this other kid’s house.

And we’re still friends to this day…31 years later.

A close call.

Because had I gone a different way, most likely I wouldn’t have come across him and not have developed the friendship we still have.

Here’s another one that took place 5 months earlier…

I was in the high school cafeteria.

It was Friday which meant pizza day.

I rarely ate the school pizza. Yet, on this particular day I decided to get the pizza.

Then I went up to get a napkin and came face to face with a girl I had never seen.

We ended up being girlfriend and boyfriend for 4 months.

As a result of this “close call”…

I met some of her friends that helped get me jobs…which led to meeting other people…which led to an entirely new path I went down in my life.

And I’m certain had I not decided on eating pizza that day…I certainly would not have met my eventual girlfriend…along with the other people who came into my life down the road.

This “close call” changed the entire dynamic of my life.

Now let’s take more of a look at you.

Scan back through your life and look for these kinds of situations.

Then…

“Connect the dots” as I like to say.

When you do you’ll discover something you most likely weren’t aware of before.

And that is…

Every situation, person, and event in some way has contributed to your life.

Obviously some will stand out more than others.

Even the ones you first thought weren’t a big deal…when you “connect the dots”…you’ll see that it was a big deal and made a big difference.

Here’s something else to keep in mind…and it has to do with those “close calls” in your life.

When you go about your normal day and just do things “naturally” you’ll create these “close call” moments.

It may not seem like it as first.

Yet, over time they’ll mean more to you…you’ll value them.

Along with this you won’t come from a place of, “if I had done _____ my life would have been better.”

Or…

“If I didn’t do ________ my life would have been better.”

And gratefully…

You’ll just appreciate every moment along the way…even the ones that didn’t end up going your way.

Not only that…

You’ll also appreciate yourself more.

You’ll trust yourself more.

You’ll have greater self confidence.

Because you’ll realize that there are no “mistakes” in your life…only blessings.

And the most important blessings of all…

You’re alive.

And without a doubt…

This means you have a tremendous amount of value to offer the world through the uniqueness of who you are.

It also means that you’re a special person who deserves to be loved and appreciated for who you are.