Positive Thinkers Journal

An Interesting Funeral

2012-02-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

One day all the employees of a very unusual company reached their office and all saw a big sign on the main door which said this...

'Yesterday, the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.'

In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that person who hindered the growth of their colleagues and the company itself?

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up.

Everyone thought - 'Who is this person who was hindering my progress?'

One by one the intrigued employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it, they suddenly became speechless.

They all got to stand near the coffin, and all ended up shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see themselves! There was also a sign next to the mirror that said. . .

'There is only one person who is capable of setting limits to your growth and IT IS YOU!'

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your husband or wife changes, when your company changes, when your church changes, when your location changes, when your money changes, when your status changes . . .

No, your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs.

Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don't be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses. Be a winner, build yourself and your reality. It's the way you face life itself that makes the difference.

- Author Unknown

Changes

2012-02-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Someone once said that the only thing constant in life is change. With that in mind, I guess you could say I've had a lot of constancy in my life lately. Some of the changes have been anticipated, some not. Some have seemed to be good, some not. But as I now reflect, these changes were needed.

And more changes are to come, I'm sure.

I'm learning not to be afraid of change, to roll with it, and to look for the good in it. Not so easy to do, but it makes transitioning easier. You can't prevent change, you can only alter your attitude towards it.

Some great thoughts on this subject some to mind:

"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn." - Unknown

"Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in good fortune nor too scornful in misfortune." - Socrates

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." - Alan W. Watts

.... so, I'm joining the dance.

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Breather

2012-02-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I woke up with something off balance. I had no motivation and everything seemed wrong. Perhaps it was an emotional reaction to the sum of last month's life challenges, which were not only fairly hefty and draining, but which will continue with some lasting effects.

I got to work and had no desire to be there. Or to do anything, really. So I found a time to take a break and got out of the office. I got in my car and went to a convenience store for a drink and snacks, took a drive, parked the car, read a bit, and took a quick snooze. It was a needed escape, a little breather.

When I got back to the office a while later, I was doing much better. A little time out was all I needed. Every once in a while a little breather helps me to catch up and regain balance.

So here I am again, back on my blog, ready to jump into the pool of positive thinking. Although life at times seems to make me take a step backward, I am convinced that a focus on positive thinking and being grateful will help me take two steps forward. :-)

Each Day is a Gift

2012-01-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

A 92-year-old delicate but well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and his face shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he manoeuvred his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'

'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind.'

'I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.'

'Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.'

'Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.'

'So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.'

Remember these five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred
2. Free your mind from worries
3. Live simply
4. Give more
5. Expect less

- Author Unknown

Triumph

2011-12-20T12:18:00.001-08:00

If you can sing,
When there is no song in your heart;
If you can keep on being loving, lovable, and lovely,
When those who should be loving you are blind;
If you can hold a lifted brow,
Despite the weights your shoulders cannot beat–
There is benediction there
For you to share.

If you can carry on dry-eyed
While your heart is drowning
In a deluge of tears;
If you can keep on going,
When the pain in you is just too great,
And your soul is shaken with hopeless anguish,
And your suffering, ache-filled body wants to slump;
If you can keep on going–
And keep on going…

When nerves and blood and muscle scream and sob
With the injustice and unholy ways
Of those who should be warm and just, but can’t be,
Because the abysmal holds for them more lure
Than the celestial–
Why, God?

But, if you can tilt your cheeks, sunward,
Keeping your eyes filled with spiritual light and message,
And coax a skip of childlike rhythm
Into your lagging walk–
And lift your best foot forward,
As though you had no care–
There is benediction there
For you to share.

- Virginia Stillman

David Archuleta and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Silent Night

2011-12-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

Good Advice from Dr. Laura

2011-12-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Although I haven't agreed with everything she says, I have found Laura Schlessinger to be a fount of good advice for dealing with the struggles of life and choices. Here are some of her good quotes:

1. Don't worry so much about your self-esteem. Worry more about your character. Integrity is its own reward.

2. This is all you have. This is not a dry run. This is your life. If you want to fritter it away with your fears, then you will fritter it away, but you won't get it back later.

3. Values are principles and ideas that bring meaning to the seemingly mundane experience of life. A meaningful life that ultimately brings happiness and pride requires you to respond to temptations as well as challenges with honor, dignity, and courage.

4. Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.

5. The reward for doing right is mostly an internal phenomenon: self-respect, dignity, integrity, and self-esteem.

6. Make decisions from the strong part of you, not the weak.

7. Never do anything that you aren't prepared to face the true consequences of.

8. People with integrity do what they say they are going to do. Others have excuses.

9. Situations reveal who we are, they don't create who we are.

10.The people and circumstances around me do not MAKE me what I am, they REVEAL who I am.

11. We can be negative and cynical or we can be charged and hot wired to find a way through it, over it, around it under it.

If You Should Die

2011-12-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a poem I wrote a few years back:

If you should die, a part of me would die also.
Your life gives meaning and inspiration to mine.
Your love has filled my heart and gives me joy.
If you should leave, you would take with you much
Of what makes my life full.

Although I know that your journey would take you
To a wonderful place where we would meet again,
I would sorrow that you went there before and without me,
And that I would have to continue on
Living life without you.

Your strength has bolstered me through many challenges
And has made facing life an easier task.
Without you by my side, life would be more difficult.
Yet, somehow, I know your strength would still come to me
Through heavenly channels.

I would greatly miss being able to see you, hear you,
And feel the comfort of your embrace.
I would miss your laughter, your friendship, your love.
But these, in memory, I would hold on to until
The day we meet again.

by Ken R. Young

DO MORE THAN

2011-11-30T16:26:00.001-08:00

1.Do more than exist, live.
2.Do more than touch, feel.
3.Do more than look, observe.
4.Do more than read, absorb.
5.Do more than hear, listen.
6.Do more than listen, understand.
7.Do more than think, ponder.
8.Do more than talk, say something.

-John Rhoades

It’s All In the State Of Mind

2011-11-30T16:07:00.001-08:00

If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It’s almost a “cinch” you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost,
For out in the world you find
Success begins with a fellow’s will;
It’s all in the state of mind.

Full many a race is lost
Ere ever a step is run;
And many a coward fails
Ere ever his work’s begun.
Think big and your deeds will grow,
Think small and you’ll fall behind,
Think that you can and you will;
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins,
Is the fellow who thinks he can.

- Walter D. Wintle

The Few

2011-11-30T12:53:00.000-08:00

The easy roads are crowded,
And the level roads are jammed;
The pleasant little rivers
With the drifting folks are crammed.
But off yonder where it’s rocky,
Where you get a better view,
You will find the ranks are thinning
And the travelers are few.

Where the going’s smooth and pleasant
You will always find the throng,
For the man, more’s the pity,
Seem to like to drift along.
But the steeps that call for courage,
And the task that’s hard to do,
In the end result in glory
For the never-wavering few.

- Edgar A Guest

Fly Like an Eagle

2011-11-18T08:36:00.001-08:00

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it up above the storm. While the storm rages on below, the eagle is soaring above it.

How wonderful is that! The eagle does NOT escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we, too, can rise above them by setting our minds and our beliefs towards God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives.

We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them. The Bible says, "but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint". (Isaiah 40:31)

- Unknown Author

"I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free."

- Steve Miller

Focus on What's Inside Your Boat

2011-10-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

“Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.” – Greg Anderson

Charlie Jones is a sportscaster who has covered several Olympic games in his long career. At the 1996 games in Atlanta, he was assigned to announce the rowing, canoeing and kayaking events – a situation that left him less than thrilled, since it was broadcast at 7 a.m. and the venue was an hour’s drive from Atlanta.

What Jones discovered, however, was that it ended up being one the most memorable sports events in his career because he gained a chance to understand the mental workings of these Olympic athletes.

Preparing for the broadcast, Jones interviewed the rowers and asked them about conditions such as rain, strong winds or breaking an oar. Each time the response was the same:
“That’s outside my boat.”

After hearing the same answer again and again, Jones realized that these Olympic athletes had a remarkable focus. In their attempt to win an Olympic medal, he writes:
“They were interested only in what they could control...and that was what was going on inside their boat.”

Everything else was beyond their control and not worth the expense of mental energy that would distract them from their ultimate goal.

Jones writes that this insight made the event “by far the best Olympics of my life,” and it changed his thinking in other parts of his life as well.

There are plenty of distractions and concerns outside our boats, but to win the race we must stay focused on what’s inside our boats.

from Lee J. Colan

Famous Failures

2011-10-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

"If you've never failed, you've never lived."

Great little movie. Check it out.

Finding Happiness

2011-10-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

Everybody, everywhere
seeks happiness, it’s true,
But finding it and keeping it
seem difficult to do.
Difficult because we think
that happiness is found
Only in the places where
wealth and fame abound.
And so we go on searching
in palaces of pleasure
Seeking recognition
and monetary treasure,
Unaware that happiness
is just a state of mind
Within the reach of everyone
who takes time to be kind.
For in making others happy
we will be happy, too.
For the happiness you give away
returns to shine on you.

Helen Steiner Rice

The Garden

2011-10-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this to me recently from the archives.

Something I wrote while a Junior in High School.

The long leaves
of the tropical trees,
Reach down on touch the path
that nobody sees.

Rare and beautiful fruits
are growing with pride
And brilliant wild flowers
who have nothing to hide.

A crack of dawn reaches down
and sparkles on water clear,
In a small bright pool
formed by a stream passing near.

Soft green fern
and multi-colored plants
Are found sitting next to
mushrooms that dance.

A beautiful garden
that waits to be seen
While it holds a feeling
of being safe and serene.

Ken Young
Poetry Winner
Prism Contest
Dixie High School 1975-76

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Woman of Character and Strength

2011-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international author, speaker, politician, and activist for the New Deal coalition. She worked to enhance the status of working women, although she opposed the Equal Rights Amendment because she believed it would adversely affect women.

In the 1940s, Roosevelt supported the formation of the United Nations was a delegate to the UN General Assembly from 1945 and 1952. During her time at the United Nations she chaired the committee that drafted and approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. President Truman called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements.

Active in politics for the rest of her life, she was ranked in the top ten of Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century.

Here are some of Eleanor's great quotes:

A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think.

Anyone who thinks must think of the next war as they would of suicide.

Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.

Friendship with one’s self is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.

I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experience behind him.

I cannot believe that war is the best solution. No one won the last war, and no one will win the next war.

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.

I'm so glad I never feel important, it does complicate life!
If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.

In all our contacts it is probably the sense of being really needed and wanted which gives us the greatest satisfaction and creates the most lasting bond.

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.

It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it.

It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.

Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.

Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.

My experience has been that work is almost the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.

Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.

Only a man's character is the real criterion of worth.

People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.

Perhaps nature is our best assurance of immortality.

Probably the happiest period in life most frequently is in middle age, when the eager passions of youth are cooled, and the infirmities of age not yet begun; as we see that the shadows, which are at morning and evening so large, almost entirely disappear at midday.

Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.
Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

The giving of love is an education in itself.

The only things one can admire at length are those one admires without knowing why.

Understanding is a two-way street.

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

What one has to do usually can be done.

What you don't do can be a destructive force.

When life is too easy for us, we must beware or we may not be ready to meet the blows which sooner or later come to everyone, rich or poor.

When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?

When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.

Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!

You can never really live anyone else's life, not even your child's. The influence you exert is through your own life, and what you've become yourself.

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.

Quotes by Thomas S. Monson

2011-09-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Revered by many to be an earthly mouthpiece for God, Thomas S. Monson has long offered the world many sage words of advice. Serving today as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, many of Thomas S. Monson's quotes are specific to his faith in Jesus Christ, while others are general words to living a good life.

Here are some of his quotes that can benefit any reader:

Amidst the confusion of the times, the conflicts of conscience, and the turmoil of daily living, an abiding faith becomes an anchor to our lives.

Choose your friends with caution; plan your future with purpose, and frame your life with faith.

Choose your love, Love your choice.

Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God's approval.

Each heartfelt prayer, each church meeting attended, each worthy friend, each righteous decision, each act of service performed all precede that goal of eternal life.

Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. Cast out doubt. Cultivate faith.

I acknowledge that I do not understand the processes of creation, but I accept the fact of it.

I forbid you, agnostic, doubting thoughts, to destroy the house of my faith.

I hope that you will learn to take responsibility for your decisions. Don't take counsel of your fears.

I urge you to hold fast to your standards. I plead with you not to waver.

In reality, we are all travelers - even explorers of mortality.

On occasion we need to make a second effort - and a third effort, and a fourth effort, and as many degrees of effort as may be required to accomplish what we strive to achieve.

Perhaps the surest test of an individual's integrity is his refusal to do or say anything that would damage his self-respect.

Should doubt knock at your doorway, just say to those skeptical, disturbing, rebellious thoughts, I propose to stay with my faith, with the faith of my people.

The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility.

The reward of eternal life requires effort.

Though we may not necessarily forfeit our lives in service to our God, we can certainly demonstrate our love for Him by how well we serve Him.

We must not let our passions destroy our dreams.

We tend to become like those whom we admire.

Work will win when wishy washy wishing won't.

The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.

Remember who you are and what God expects you to become.

Don't save something for a special occasion. Every day of your life is a special occasion.

May I share with you a formula that in my judgment will help you and help me to journey well through mortality... First, fill your mind with truth; second, fill your life with service; and third, fill your heart with love.

Never let a problem to be solved, become more important than a person to be loved.

Reading is one of the true pleasures of life. In our age of mass culture, when so much that we encounter is abridged, adapted, adulterated, shredded, and boiled down, it is mind-easing and mind-inspiring to sit down privately with a congenial book.

One day each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is important.

He who gives money gives some, he who gives time gives more, and he who gives of himself gives all.

Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved.

Why is Dickens’ "Christmas Carol" so popular? Why is it ever new? I personally feel it is inspired of God. It brings out the best within human nature. It gives hope. It motivates change. We can turn from the paths which would lead us down and, with a song in our hearts, follow a star and walk toward the light. We can quicken our step, bolster our courage, and bask in the sunlight of truth. We can hear more clearly the laughter of little children. We can dry the tear of the weeping. We can comfort the dying by sharing the promise of eternal life. If we lift one weary hand which hangs down, if we bring peace to one struggling soul, if we give as did the Master, we can—by showing the way—become a guiding star for some lost mariner.

When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes.

Youth need less critics and more models.

Don't forget: one of the saddest things in life is wasted talent.

There will be occasions in each of our lives when we will be called upon to explain or to defend our beliefs. When the time for performance arrives, the time for preparation is past.

Find joy in the journey.

Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present.

To you who are parents, I say, show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well. They are so precious. Let them know. Call upon our Heavenly Father for help as you care for their needs each day and as you deal with the challenges which inevitably come with parenthood. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them.

The good you have done, the kind words you have spoken, the love you have shown to others, can never be fully measured.

There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today, and to live most fully today, we must do that which is of greatest importance. Let us not procrastinate those things which matter most.

Everyone can be discontented if he ignores his blessings and looks only at his burdens.

Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.

Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.

Like the vital rudder of a ship, we have been provided a way to determine the direction we travel. The lighthouse of the Lord beckons to all as we sail the seas of life. Our home port is the celestial kingdom of God. Our purpose is to steer an undeviating course in that direction. A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder—never likely to reach home port. To us comes the signal: Chart your course, set your sail, position your rudder, and proceed.

Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future…If you are still in the process of raising children be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled, will disappear all too soon, and that you will, to your surprise, miss them, profoundly.

The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility.

Along your pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.

Glance backward, look heavenward, reach outward, press onward.

Do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.

Ideals are like the stars - you can't touch them with your hands, but by following them you reach your destination.

The most constant thing is change.

Whatever our calling, regardless of our fears or anxieties, let us pray and then go and do.

When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be.

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.

You have a heritage - honor it. You have posses a testimony - share it. You will face temptation - withstand it. You know the truth - live it.

Your mind is a cupboard and you stock the shelves.

Remember that ofttimes the wisdom of God appears as foolishness to men, but the greatest single lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and a man obeys, that man will always be right.

May each of us remember this truth; 'one cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God.' Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.
Any excuse, no matter how valid, only weakens the character.

Sometimes we let our thoughts of tomorrow take up too much of today. Daydreaming of the past and longing for the future may provide comfort but will not take the place of living in the present. This is the day of our opportunity, and we must grasp it.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Watch your step.

Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty.

We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

Faith precedes the miracle. It has ever been so and shall ever be.

Ancient Chinese Wisdom: Quotes by Lao-tzu

2011-09-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

Lao-tzu, which means "Old Philosopher", is the name given to the founder of Taoism, a religion or philosophy in China. Lao-tzu was born with the name Li Er, in 604 BC. Though he may have been keeper of the royal archives at Loyang, few details are known of his life. Lao-tzu was ‘a hidden wise man’, reluctant to found a school and gather a following.

According to legend, Lao-tzu simply decided to leave society. He would have vanished without trace had not the customs official on the western border asked him to write a book before he retired from the world. So the sage wrote about the proper way to live in the book Tao Te Ching, the most widely translated Chinese work of all time and the classic book of Taoism. Scholars disagree whether Lao-tzu was a real person or a pen name for the writers of Tao Te Ching, which is often called "the Lao-tzu." After writing the book, he went on his western journey. No one knows where he died.

A general history of China from the first century B.C. describes Lao-tzu as an older contemporary and teacher of Confucius. Compared to Confucius, who focuses on right relations in human society, Lao-tzu takes a more mystical approach to tuning into the natural order of things as a way of achieving personal and social harmony.

Many great words of wisdom, used often in today's vernacular, have come from this ancient Chinese man and his book. Here are some highlights in quotes:

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small.

Ambition has one heel nailed in well, though she stretch her fingers to touch the heavens.

An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox.

Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy.

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.

Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

Because of a great love, one is courageous.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.

From caring comes courage.

From wonder into wonder existence opens.

Great acts are made up of small deeds.

He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.

He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

He who does not trust enough, Will not be trusted.

He who is contented is rich.

He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.

He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.

He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.

Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.

How could man rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of men?

I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.

If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.

In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.

It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins.

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.

Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.

Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.

Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.

One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.

One who is too insistent on his own views, finds few to agree with him.

People in their handlings of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure.

Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.

Silence is a source of great strength.

The higher the sun ariseth, the less shadow doth he cast; even so the greater is the goodness, the less doth it covet praise; yet cannot avoid its rewards in honours.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

The power of intuitive understanding will protect you from harm until the end of your days.

The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.

The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.

The words of truth are always paradoxical.

To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.

To lead people walk behind them.

To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; Not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.

To see things in the seed, that is genius.

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.

Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained.

Violence, even well intentioned, always rebounds upon oneself.

When a nation is filled with strife, then do patriots flourish.

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

When the best leader's work is done the people say, "We did it ourselves."

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.

Without stirring abroad, One can know the whole world; Without looking out of the window One can see the way of heaven. The further one goes The less one knows.

Happiness is a Journey

2011-09-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time to still be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time and remember that time waits for no one, so stop waiting...

•until you finish school
•until you go back to school
•until you lose ten pounds
•until you gain ten pounds
•until you have kids
•until your kids leave the house
•until you start work
•until you retire
•until you get married
•until you get divorced
•until Friday night
•until Sunday morning
•until you get a new car or home
•until your car or home is paid off
•until spring
•until summer
•until fall
•until winter
•until you are off welfare
•until the first or fifteenth
•until your song comes on
•until you've had a drink
•until you've sobered up
•until you die
•until you are born again

Decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

by Alfred D. Souza

The Carpenter

2011-09-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer / contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

Author Unknown

Need a Good Quote?

2011-08-29T09:36:00.001-07:00

Check my Archives, especially in 2008 and 2009, for a list of alphabetized categories of great quotes. Here and there throughout this blog I add quotes on certain topics or by certain people. But I am always going back and updating my lists in the alphabetized categories in the 2008 and 2009 postings.

If you know of a good quote that you don't think I have, let me know!

The Heart Makes the Best Decisions

2011-08-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

The heart knows best.

Here are some excerpts from an interview with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

"If I look back at all the decisions that I have made that counted for anything in my own life and in my position as Prime Minister, I have found that it is the heart that makes the best decisions. In addition to logic and the calculation of costs and benefits, there is a computation of the heart, which I think is actually a more trustworthy guide. At a certain point, you feel that something is right and you do it. It's that feeling that will guide me to take such an important step in my life.

There is no guarantee of success in anything you want to accomplish. In fact if you seek the guarantee of success, you will never succeed! If you're not willing to take risks or to fail, you cannot succeed. That is iron-clad.

The true winners are distinguished by the fact that they sometimes lose, but more importantly that they can rise up from defeat. You cannot succeed if you are not prepared to fail."

Are You a Sun or a Laser?

2011-08-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is a great piece that, although has a business focus, has great interpretations into personal life as well:

The sun is an incredibly powerful source of energy. It showers the earth with billions of kilowatts of energy every hour. Yet with minimal protection, say a hat and some sunscreen, you can bask in the sunlight with few negative effects. The sun generates loads of power, but it is diffused over the entire solar system.

On the other hand, a laser is a relatively weak source of energy. It generates only a few kilowatts per hours, but focuses it in a cohesive stream of light, producing intense heat and power. With a laser, you can drill a hole in a diamond or even defeat certain types of cancer.

So, as you think of your personal goals, your team or your family, ask yourself, “Am I a sun or a laser?”

Saying “No” to activities that do not support your goals help maintains a laser-like focus.

Saying “No” helped Walgreens outperform the stock market average 15 times between 1975 and 2000. At one point, Walgreens owned more than 500 restaurants. They decided their future was in convenience drug stores and that they would be out of the restaurant business in five years – they redefined their boat. They courageously stuck to their commitment, which required saying “No” many times to ensure a redirection of resources to their new future.

Saying “No” also applies to the day-to-day decisions we make as leaders. For example, if we spend two hours in a meeting that does not help our team achieve its goals, we pay an opportunity cost by spending time on non-value-added tasks. If we find ourselves saying, “That was a waste of time,” or “Why was I attending that meeting?” – these are signs we need to say “No.”

Meetings are an important way to conduct business, but think about the salaries of each attendee and the potential time they could be working on other important goals instead of being in the meeting. Since leaders decide how to use their employees’ time, they must ensure a good return for their time investment. Meetings can be both necessary and useful, but they can also diffuse our focus.

When we know when to say “No”, we keep a laser-like focus that lights our path to success!

- by Lee J. Colan

Sail On

2011-08-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Many a sailor has been storm-tossed on a windy night in the midst of unfamiliar seas. Brave seafarers know that they must press forward. “Sail on! Sail on! Sail on and on!” they call to their crew. And so must we. When we are tossed and turned by life’s currents, we move forward, we carry on. Difficult though it may be, we set our sail and find our way.

American scholar Oliver Wendell Holmes wisely observed: “I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving … We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it,—but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”

The well-known saying is true: A ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are made for. And neither are we. We are designed to learn and grow—in wisdom and in experience. We are created to sail—sometimes in calm and smooth waters but often through rough storms.

In physics we learn of inertia, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its state of motion or rest. We may feel the same tendency when we have suffered setbacks and experienced heartaches. We may feel defeated. We may want to stop trying in an attempt to protect ourselves from future failures. But by challenging such thoughts and not surrendering to the forces of inertia, we discover new strength. We keep sailing, and we become better at it. We refuse to stagnate, and somehow we find ourselves moving forward.

Yes, mistakes, setbacks, and even disasters happen. But the only way to find growth and happiness is not to give up but to move forward—and keep sailing.

- from "Music and the Spoken Word"
July 31, 2011 Broadcast Number 4272

Beauty

2011-08-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

Nothing of beauty dies without having purified something, nor can aught of beauty be lost. Let us not be afraid of sowing it along the road. It may remain there for weeks or years but, like the diamond, it cannot dissolve, and finally there will pass someone whom its glitter will attract. He will pick it up and go his way rejoicing.

Then why keep back a lofty, beautiful word, for that you doubt others will understand? An instant of higher goodness was impending over you. Why hinder its coming, even though you believe not that those about you will profit thereby? What if you are among the men of the valley? Is that sufficient reason for checking the instinctive movement of your soul toward the mountain peaks?

-Maurice Maeterlinck

FOOTPRINTS

2011-07-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
Other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you!
The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”

by Mary Stevenson

Thomas Jefferson - An Author of Wisdom

2011-07-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States, was key to the formation of our great nation, and the author of the Declaration of Independence. He was also the author of many wise thoughts.

One that has always impressed me as to his courage and desire to stand for good is carved into the interior walls of his monument in Washington, D.C. - a very impressive monument. It says:

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

There are many other great sayings by this great, though imperfect man. He offered us his own list of 10 Commandments:

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have earned it.
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap.
5. Pride costs more than hunger, thirst and cold.
6. We seldom report of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How much pain evils have cost us that have never happened!
9. Take things always by the smooth handle.
10. When angry, count ten before you speak, if very angry, count a hundred.

More quotes by Thomas Jefferson:

It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give happiness.

Peace, prosperity, liberty and morals have an intimate connection.

The order of nature [is] that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue.

Without virtue, happiness cannot be.

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.

The moral sense [is] the first excellence of well organized man.

The greatest honor of a man is in doing good to his fellow men, not in destroying them.

A conviction that we are right accomplishes half the difficulty of correcting wrong.

I have ever deemed it more honorable and more profitable, too, to set a good example than to follow a bad one.

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.

He does best in God's great world who does his best in his own little world.

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.

Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you, and act accordingly.

When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, count a hundred.

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.

In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.

Gandhi - Wisdom from a "Great Soul"

2011-07-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Some of the best words of wisdom commonly used in today's vernacular came from the mouth and soul of the great Mohandas Gandhi, of India. Here are a few of his great words we use and hear often:

"Be the change that you want to see in the world."

"Glory lies in the attempt to reach one's goal and not in reaching it."

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

"Nobody can hurt me without my permission."

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

"Where love is, there God is also."

Mohandas Gandhi was a pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered resistance to tyranny through mass civil resistance. His philosophy was firmly founded upon nonviolence. His philosophy and leadership helped India gain independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

Gandhi is often referred to as Mahatma, or "Great Soul".

Here are some more great quotes by Gandhi:

A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.

A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.

A vow is a purely religious act which cannot be taken in a fit of passion. It can be taken only with a mind purified and composed and with God as witness.

Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.

An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.

Are creeds such simple things like the clothes which a man can change at will and put on at will? Creeds are such for which people live for ages and ages.

Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession.

Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.

Everyone who wills can hear the inner voice. It is within everyone.

Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.

Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living?

Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err.

God is, even though the whole world deny him. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.

God sometimes does try to the uttermost those whom he wishes to bless.

Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress.

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm.

In a gentle way, you can shake the world.

Infinite striving to be the best is man's duty; it is its own reward. Everything else is in God's hands.

It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business.

It is my own firm belief that the strength of the soul grows in proportion as you subdue the flesh.

It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.

Just as the body cannot exist without blood, so the soul needs the matchless and pure strength of faith.

Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.

Man can never be a woman's equal in the spirit of selfless service with which nature has endowed her.

Man should forget his anger before he lies down to sleep.

Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.

Morality is the basis of things and truth is the substance of all morality.

My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents and I lay them both at his feet.

My life is my message.

Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.

Non-violence requires a double faith, faith in God and also faith in man.

Nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed.

Peace is its own reward.

Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.

Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.

Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening.

Purity of personal life is the one indispensable condition for building up a sound education.

Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory.

Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy.

Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

Suffering cheerfully endured, ceases to be suffering and is transmuted into an ineffable joy.

That service is the noblest which is rendered for its own sake.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problem.

The good man is the friend of all living things.

The main purpose of life is to live rightly, think rightly, act rightly. The soul must languish when we give all our thought to the body.

The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within.

The real ornament of woman is her character, her purity.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.

Though we may know Him by a thousand names, He is one and the same to us all.

To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.

To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.

Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.

Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.

Unwearied ceaseless effort is the price that must be paid for turning faith into a rich infallible experience.

We do not need to proselytize either by our speech or by our writing. We can only do so really with our lives. Let our lives be open books for all to study.

We may have our private opinions but why should they be a bar to the meeting of hearts?

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.

When restraint and courtesy are added to strength, the latter becomes irresistible.

Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.

Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected.

Where there is love there is life.

You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.

Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?

2011-07-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and, when all the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, ‘Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?’

A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, ‘Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?’

Then, when the farmer’s son was attempted to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, ‘Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?’

Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?

The Nine Aspects of Life

2011-07-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

The adventure of life is to learn.

The purpose of life is to grow.

The nature of life is to change.

The challenge of life is to overcome.

The essence of life is to care.

The opportunity of life is to serve.

The secret of life is to dare.

The spice of life is to befriend.

The beauty of life is to give.

- William Arthur Ward

The Optimist Creed

2011-07-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Promise Yourself:

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

- Christian D. Larson

The Bank

2011-06-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

A 92-year-old, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. "I love it,"' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.

"It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

"Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away….. Just for this time in my life."

"Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!"

- Author Unknown

Five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

The High Place

2011-06-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

The young man stood beneath the shade of the juniper, staring upward at the sheer face of the cliff. It reared its head above him, stretching nearly a thousand feet upward, to end in a sharp point that the old ones had called The High Place.

The hill had once been considered sacred, he knew, and this was actually the first time he had ever been this close to it. But today was the day he had determined to become a man, today he would ascend the cliff.

He had watched that cliff all his life, fearing it from the day he first realized that one day he must climb it. It wasn't so much the climbing that would make a man of him, he understood that. It was something unknown, something that would occur on The High Place, which would bring about that result.

Of his people, there were but few who had climbed it, and those who had done so refused to say much about it. Yet he and the others respected them tremendously, and more than all else he wished for the same kind of respect that was shown to them. Then too, those who had climbed it experienced a change somehow, and he desperately wanted that change in his life.

He thought of his parents, with whom he argued a great deal lately. He knew they loved him, for such was the way of his people, and he guessed he loved them also, but for some reason they could not get along with each other any longer.

The young man understood the problem very well; his parents were simply over-protective. They refused to trust his judgment, to allow him to make decisions of his own. They still thought of him as a child, little more than a baby, who would not be allowed to make his own way in the world.

It was like climbing this cliff. For years his parents had known he would one day do it, and both had worried themselves sick over it. His mother had pleaded that he not make the attempt, or if he must, to seek counsel from his father before trying. His father, never really against his climbing of the cliff, had adamantly insisted that when the young man decided to try, he involve his father in the climb. What a pathetic idea that was! He needed to do it on his own to gain the respect he desired. If his people found out that his father had helped, they'd laugh at him. There was no way he would allow that to happen.

So this morning he had crept from the house while his parents and little brothers had slept. He had totally fooled them and now he was ready to begin the ascent.

Smiling as he thought of what his friends would say when they learned of his accomplishment, he began climbing. At first it was not so bad, but then the sun appeared, and before long he was perspiring heavily. It also grew increasingly dangerous, and his pace grew slower by the hour. Before long his hands were torn and bloody, and so were his knees. From one handhold or toehold to another he inched his way upward, nearly falling several times and yet always managing, just barely, to cling to the face of the cliff.

At one point, for a hundred feet or so, he had easy going, for he found a chimney or crack in the face of the cliff through which he climbed. At another place he found a narrow ledge that wound its way upward for a short distance, and along that he simply walked. But those were the only easy places, and the remainder of the climb was a dangerous and grueling torture.

It was late afternoon when the young man, exhausted, bloody, and filled with terror at the thought of the descent still before him, finally dragged his battered body over the lip of the cliff to lie spent on the smoothly worn stone of The High Place. He had made it, he knew, but he also knew that he would spend the night there and would likely die the next day trying to get down. He was simply not capable of that descent.

At last he crawled to the edge and stared downward into the dizzy depths, and as he did, he no longer thought of the praise of his friends or of the honor, respect and glory his people would show him. He thought only of his parents and family, and of what his death would do to them.

Why, oh, why hadn't he asked his father for help, for advice? Bitterly he cursed himself, and then tears stained his cheeks as he wept openly, his grief a combination of fear, self pity, and genuine concern for his family.

For a long time he lay there, but at length, his emotion spent, he rose to his knees to move back to the center of The High Place. But he couldn't move! He was so filled with terror that his legs refused to operate, and so at last he had to worm his way back to the center.

As he worked his way around, trying to get as comfortable as possible, he began to think about his accomplishment, and for the first time he realized how proud he was that he had stood on The High Place. Not many could say that, he knew, and at least, should he die tomorrow, he would be remembered as a hero, he who had climbed the...

A flash of white under the edge of a nearby rock caught his attention, and the young man wormed his way to it. It was a torn piece of paper, and as he unfolded it he wondered what great message some previous visitor had left him. At last, hands shaking, he opened the paper, and as he read he felt the change that would take him from boyhood to true manhood. The note said simply:

"Dear Son,
When we awoke this morning and found you gone, I came immediately to The High Place to await your arrival. But you had taken so long that your little sister, who came with me, needed to get home. We have started back. If you had only asked me this morning, I would have told you of the steps of the Old Ones carved on the south end of the cliff. That would have saved you all the grief and agony, and most of the day as well.
My son, the true test of manhood is not that you have climbed to The High Place. Anyone can do that. The true test is how you did it. When a man is humble enough to involve those around him in his climb, then he is a man.
Now hurry down the trail. We'll be going slow, waiting for you.
Love, Your Father"

- Unknown

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I dedicate this to my sons. I hope they read this someday, and understand its message.

Twelve Rules For Happiness

2011-06-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Happiness is a habit, a by product of right thinking and living.

1. Live a simple life. Be temperate in your habits. Avoid self-seeking and selfishness. Make simplicity the keynote of your daily plans. Simple things are best.

2. Spend less than you earn. It may be difficult, but it pays large dividends in contentment. Keep out of debt. Cultivate frugality, prudence and self -denial. Avoid extravagance.

3. Think constructively. Train yourself to think clearly and accurately. Store your Mind with useful thoughts. Stand porter at the door of your mind.

4. Cultivate a yielding disposition. Resist the common tendency to want your own way. See the other’s viewpoint.

5. Be grateful. Begin the day with gratitude for your opportunities. Be glad for the privilege of life and work.

6. Rule your moods. Cultivate a mental attitude of peace and goodwill.

7. Give generously. There is no greater joy in life than to render happiness to others by means of intelligent giving.

8. Work with right motives. The highest purpose of your life should be to grow in spiritual grace and power.

9. Be interested in others. Divert your mind from self-centeredness. In the degree that you give, serve and help, you will experience the by product of happiness.

10. Live in a day tight compartment. That is live one day at a time. Concentrate on your immediate task. Make the most of today.

11. Have a hobby. Nature study, walking, gardening, music, golfing, carpentry, stamp collecting, sketching, voice culture, public speaking, foreign language, chess, books, photography, social service, travel, authorship. Cultivate an avocation to which you can turn for diversion and relaxation.

12. Keep close to God. True and enduring happiness depends primarily upon close alliance with him. It is your privilege to share his thoughts for your spiritual nourishment and to have constant assurance of divine protection and guidance.

- Grenville Kleiser

Dale Carnegie: A Man of Great Thoughts

2011-06-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

Dale Carnegie was a great American writer, lecturer, and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills. Born in poverty on a farm in Missouri, he was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People , a massive bestseller that remains popular today. He also wrote How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, and several other books.

One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people's behavior by changing one's reaction to them.

Many great quotes used in today's vernacular originated from this man of great thoughts. Here are some of his best:

Act enthusiastic and you will be enthusiastic.

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do.

Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.

Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it... that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.

Each nation feels superior to other nations. That breeds patriotism - and wars.

Fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind.

Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.

First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.

Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.

Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.

If only the people who worry about their liabilities would think about the riches they do possess, they would stop worrying.

If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done.

If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.

If you want to conquer fear, don't sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

Instead of worrying about what people say of you, why not spend time trying to accomplish something they will admire.

It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.

Most of us have far more courage than we ever dreamed we possessed.

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.

Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.

Remember happiness doesn't depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.

Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.

Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.

Tell the audience what you're going to say, say it; then tell them what you've said.

The essence of all art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure.

The expression a woman wears on her face is far more important than the clothes she wears on her back.

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.

The person who seeks all their applause from outside has their happiness in another's keeping.

The royal road to a man's heart is to talk to him about the things he treasures most.

The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.

There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.

There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.

Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.

Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.

We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do.

When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.

When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade.

You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing.

The Three Apprentices

2011-06-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Three apprentices were one day making swords for their Master, who had commanded them to do so. The Master also had given specific instructions on how they were to be made.

As the three apprentices worked they debated over what was really the proper procedure and the many secrets of making fine steel. The first apprentice said to the other two, as he pounded on the red hot metal:

"I think I am almost finished with this sword; just as soon as I cool it, I can begin to sharpen and shine it."

"The Master told us to wait until the glow of the metal is white to pound it out," said the third apprentice. "Then he said to fold it over and heat it until it is white again and then pound it out and to repeat it one hundred times. Your metal is only bright orange and you have only pounded it out five times; how can you say are almost done?"

"Mind your own business!" said the first apprentice. "I say it is finished and that we need not do everything the master has told us."

With that, the first apprentice took his newly-forged blade off to sharpen and shine it.

The other two apprentices continued on their own, heating the metal and pounding it out, folding it over and repeating the process until they had done it nearly one hundred times. This had taken several weeks and on the final day of their forging process, the second apprentice said:

"I can't take the heat any longer. I've done this almost a hundred times and I am too hot and tired to do it any longer. It's not fair of the Master to ask us to do this so many times when it is so hot and such a tiring process."

"I agree." said the first apprentice, who was just finishing his newly-shined and sharpened sword. "Look at this," he boasted. "It is sharp and it shines brightly. The Master will be very pleased and very proud, he'll never know that I didn't follow all of his instructions."

The second apprentice finished pounding out his blade for the last time, then he took the blade and stuck it in some very cold water. The third apprentice said:

"No, wait, the Master said that we should watch the metal until it stops glowing and crystals start to form on the crust, before we cool it in water. You cooled your blade while it was still glowing and very hot."

"What difference could that possibly make?" said the second apprentice. "I have applied enough heat and tempering to my sword and I say it will be fine."

With that, the second apprentice joined the first in sharpening and shining his blade.

The third apprentice continued to finish forging his blade until he had completed the process one hundred times. When he had finished pounding the metal for the last time, he held the metal close to his face and watched carefully as the metal turned from a bright orange, to a bright red, then to a dull red and finally the metal went black. After a moment the metal began to crackle and small white crystals began to form on the blackened crust. The apprentice knew the time was right and he thrust the blade deep into the cold water. The metal crackled and hissed as it hit the water, but when the blade was cooled it was hard and strong.

The third apprentice sighed with relief, his face was streaked with sweat and caked on ashes. He also had many blisters from flying sparks during the forging process. But he was glad the metal was now ready for the final touch and he took the blade and joined the other two who were shining and finishing their swords.

The day finally came when the Master arrived to check on their work and to collect their swords. The three apprentices stood side by side anxious to see which sword the Master would choose to be his sword. The Master stood in front of the first apprentice and took the sword from his hand. He then drew it from its sheath.

The first apprentice's jaw dropped open in disbelief, for his sword was no longer bright and shining, but had turned to a dull gray. The Master looked up and said:

"You thought you could fool me, but you have only fooled yourself. It is plain to see that you did not apply enough heat to the metal and therefore you failed to burn off the impurities in the metal and it will not hold it's shine for long."

The Master then took the sword and chopped it into a tree three times. Then he ran his thumb along the edge of the blade. The blade was bent and dulled and the Master said:

"You also have failed to fold the metal over and over one hundred times, therefore the metal is weak and soft." The Master then struck the tree with the flat of the sword and the sword bent almost around the tree.

"Leave me." said the Master. "You have not heeded my words nor did you have the patience to even test my wisdom and see if it was true."

The Master then stood before the second apprentice and took the sword from his hand. The second apprentice, having seen his comrade fail to hide his slothfulness was not so at ease as he was before. The Master drew the sword from its sheath and held it up to the light. The second apprentice let out a sigh of relief, for the blade was smooth, untarnished and it shined beautifully in the sunlight.

The Mast held the sword for a moment and then again did as he had done before by chopping the blade into a tree. When the Master pulled the blade from the tree he again ran his thumb along the edge of the blade. The sword was still sharp, but to the second apprentice's surprise there were small nicks in the edge of the blade where it had struck the tree. The Master looked up as the second apprentice in an inquisitive manner and said:

"You too have deceived yourself. You have done well in heating and folding the metal, but because you thought your wisdom was greater than mine you cooled the metal while it was still much too hot."

When the Master had said this he struck the tree with the flat side of the sword and to the second apprentice's dismay the blade broke into three pieces and scattered across the ground.

"Because you cooled the blade with water while it was still much too hot," said the Master, "the metal has become hard yet very brittle and as you can see it was easily broken. Your blade on the outside was beautiful and bright, but beauty and brightness do not make it strong, effective and useful."

"Leave me also," said the Master to the second apprentice, "for if a man were to use either of these first two swords in battle, they would have surely perished."

The Master then stood before the third apprentice and took his sword also. He then drew it from its sheath. The blade was smooth, brightly shined and there were also many characters and symbols beautifully engraved into the bottom.

The Master was in awe at the sight of the sword he held, but he being angry because of the first two swords, struck the tree with the blade again and again to see if the third had also neglected his council. Upon inspecting the blade the Master found it to still be very sharp and smooth.

The Master then struck the tree with the flat of the blade not once, but five times, each time harder than the others. The sword rang out loudly, but it did not break, bend or blemish in any way.

Humbled by what he had just seen, the Master held the sword out for all to see and said to the third apprentice:

"Come with me. For you have heeded my council and have endured the long hours of heat, pain and tempering and have produced a blade worthy of praise and because you have done this, I will show you even greater things. For you have now learned that through much time, heat, tempering and patience comes the finest metal and then it is ready to be used by the Master's hand."

The Moral
We should ever be mindful that God is continually working with us in an effort to mold us into our greatest potential.

But we must be patient and endure the trials and temptations that he sees fit that we should endure.

Our lives are like metal which need proper tempering.

Hakuna Matata (No worries) !

2011-05-24T10:33:00.001-07:00

"Lauren," Hank scolded, "you really have got to stop worrying so much. You’ve made it a full-time job! You worried about James failing high school. You worried that the girls would marry deadbeat husbands who wouldn’t provide for them. You worried about our flights getting cancelled before our vacation. Last month, when you had that cold, you even worried about getting the whooping cough, of all things. You worried about all these things, and none of them happened!"

"See!" Lauren exclaimed. "It worked!"

How many of us are like Lauren? Sure, she was making a joke, she knew worrying didn’t do any good, but in some situations it seemed to be all she could do. She had long ago fallen into the habit of worrying, and she didn’t know how to fall out of it.

Research studies have revealed that we typically worry five times as much about things that will never happen as about things that actually do occur. That’s a lot of wasted worry! If you’re this distracted, you cannot effectively live up to your potential. Worry will drain your energy and stifle your commitment. Every minute you spend worrying is a minute that you’re not committing. Worry is the opposite of faith, so stop worrying, and deepen your faith.

One good way to combat worry is to commit to memory Reinhold Niebuhr’s "Serenity Prayer": "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Once you’ve accepted the things you cannot change, how do you change the things you can? Simply take a rational approach. Let’s say you have a new job and are worried about making a mistake. The worrying mind quickly jumps to a worst-case — and highly unlikely — scenario: If you make a mistake, you’ll get fired. Rationally, you know this is improbable, but how do you prove it to yourself? It’s simple. First, you break down the chain of events that would lead to your firing. Then you assign a probability to each event; a rough estimate will do.

So what are the real odds of your being fired? Even though each individual probability is just a rough estimate, the total probability, which is the product of all these individual probabilities, is a good ballpark estimate:

Probability of being fired because of a mistake = 0.25 x 0.1 x 0.7 x 0.1 x 0.05 = .0000875, or .00875% (less than one chance in ten thousand).

Now, doesn’t that put things in perspective? This kind of rational approach can help you get a handle on your worries. If the chances of your being fired because of a mistake are less than one in ten thousand, there’s really no reason to worry about it.

I remember the words of the wise baboon, Rafiki (is that an oxymoron?) for the Lion King fans, "Hakuna Matata!", meaning "There are no worries!" Well, that works great if you are living in the jungle ... in a movie.

However, for today’s real world, I say, "No worries, take action!" Life’s rewards go to those whose actions rise above their excuses ... and their worries.

So take positive action today and wash away your worries!

- from Lee J. Colan

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More great "Worry" quotes:

Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. - Swedish proverb

Worry is interest paid on trouble before it come due. - Dean William Ralph Inge

Don't Worry. Be Happy. - Bobby McFerin

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. - Horace

Worry is like a rocking chair, it keeps us busy but gets us nowhere. - Unknown

It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. - Gordon B. Hinckley

Follow Your Dreams

2011-05-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

In following your dreams you must have a plan. But sometimes plans change and the way we deal with the change and vision is what really makes us who we are! Here's some suggestions of how to continue following your dreams as plans change:

1. Drop a Habit That Has Kept You From Reaching Your Potential

We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. – Joseph Campbell

Sometimes the lessons learned along the way teach you that your plan may not be the best for you. The plan is just that, a plan. And usually, when we make a plan, we veer off because circumstances have changed by the time we need to follow through.

2. Act on Your Dreams

Great dreams contain inexhaustible truths, and orient us, like runes, toward our future. One hesitates to try to explain them; one wants to dance them, act them out in living gestures. The more we put ourselves into a great dream, the more we get back. Great dreams are wells that never run dry. – Michael Grosso in Soulmaker

Your personal well will never run dry, if when you veer off, you follow your dream each day that is not necessarily in your plan. Don’t let yourself be limited by the plan. DREAM! If tomorrow you want to be a writer then be a writer! Just because your goal was something else does not mean you cannot still keep that goal while adding a new goal. Clearly, now the goal needs to be tailored with both visions of the plan and the dream.

3. Have the Courage to Live What You Believe

In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience- the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men- each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. - John F. Kennedy

Not only should you not limit yourself by your personal plan but you should not limit yourself in your beliefs because of others. Don’t let your decisions or opinions be overtaken by others, although suggestions should be seen as possible opportunities. The opportunities will each have obstacles that present themselves throughout the way and recognizing and dealing appropriately is the goal for the dream!

4. Have the Courage to Overcome

The world is full of suffering. It is also full of the overcoming of it. We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world…. Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through the experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. – Helen Keller

When your personal plan does not go the way you planned, take it as a learning experience. Just because you are feeling consumed by the impossible and the changes take a second to let it strengthen your dream. Come out a winner!

5. Have the Courage to Endure

Coming out a winner does not necessarily mean winning. Winning is when you endure through the problems, through the bumps, and come out standing tall. The lessons learned throughout are the most important!

Winning means living your goals!

Nothing worthwhile ever happens quickly and easily. You achieve only as you are determined to achieve… and as you keep at it until you have achieved. - Robert H. Lauer

Each vision or goal that you hold is tailored by the way you overcome, how you live in your actions, and what you believe deep inside!

It is only by thinking about great and good things that we come to love them, and it is only by loving them that we come to long for them, and it is only by longing for them that we are impelled to seek after them; and it is only by seeking after them that they become ours. - Henry Van Dyke

- adapted from Shawn Bremner at Happypublishing.com

Never Give Up

2011-05-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Never give up
Never lose hope.

Always have faith,
It allows you to cope.

Trying times will pass,
As they always do.

Just have patience,
Your dreams will come true.

So put on a smile,
You’ll live through your pain,

Know it will pass,
And strength you will gain.

by Charlie Remiggio

How to be Perfectly Miserable

2011-05-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

1. Think about yourself.
2. Talk about yourself.
3. Use “I” as often as possible.
4. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others.
5. Listen greedily to what people say about you.
6. Expect to be appreciated.
7. Be suspicious.
8. Be jealous and envious.
9. Be sensitive to slights.
10. Never forgive a criticism.
11. Trust no one but yourself.
12. Insist on consideration and respect.
13. Demand agreement with your own views on everything.
14. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them.
15. Never forget a service you may have rendered.
16. Be on the lookout for a good time for yourself.
17. Shirk your duties if you can.
18. Do as little as possible for others.
19. Love yourself supremely.
20. Be selfish.

This recipe is guaranteed to be infallible.

- Gospel Herald

Builder or wrecker?

2011-05-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

I watched them tear a building down;
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a mighty heave and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a side wall fell.

I said to the foremen, “Are these men as skilled
As the men you’d hire if you had to build?”
He gave a laugh and said, “No indeed!
Just a common laborer is all I need.
And I can wreck in a day of two
What it took the builder a year to do.”

And I thought to myself as I went my way,
“Just which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with skill and care
Building others up by the rule and square,
Or am I a wrecker as I walk the town
Content with the labor of tearing down?”

-unknown

It Is All About You

2011-05-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

It has been said that the only person who can promote yourself is YOU. There is no one who can make you better other than you. No one will put you into limelight unless you make a concerted effort to do so.

No one will tell your story unless you step forward and narrate it. It is you to make that story and tell it the way you want it told. Think about Oprah Winfrey. She made it happen in her life even in the face vast challenges in her youth. She overcame various kinds of abuse and chose to make a difference not only in her life but also in the lives of men and women worldwide.

Mohammed Ali had to muster the best self-belief, tremendous confidence, and unquenchable desire to win the international boxing bout against Liston. He told the world that he was the greatest. He walked it, he believed it, and acted it.

The only person who can define and determine your destiny is you. You have the responsibility to managing your thoughts. Your positive thinking will spur positive actions and productive habits. Your good habits will shape a fulfilling character in your life. Your life will be fruitful as well.

You must refuse to listen to the voices that preach defeat, impossibility, small dreams, negative attitude, discouragement, and disillusionment. Beware of people who will steal and belittle your dreams. It is your success, dreams, and victory; it not theirs. It cannot be them. The best person to set the goals of your career and life is you. It will never be the duty of your life coach, friends, and parents. It is all about you.

- from Shawn Bremner at Happypublishing.com

You Raise(d) Me Up

2011-05-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

In honor of my Mother for Mother's Day, here are the words to a great Josh Groban song that I dedicated to my mom, Janice Marilyn Powell Young, a handfull of years ago on Mother's Day, and again at her funeral last year. Thanks, Mom, for all you did to raise me up.

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.

You raise me up... To more than I can be.

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I have also added "Mothers" quotes in the alphabetical listing of blogs below.

The Wolves Within

2011-05-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

One evening a Cherokee elder sat with his grandson to tell him about the battle that goes on within people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is evil. This wolf speaks with anger, envy, jealousy, hatred, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. This wolf speaks with joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, and caring, empathy, respect for self and others, generosity, truth and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson listened to his grandfather's words and asked, "Which wolf wins?"

The wise Cherokee elder looked into his grandson's eyes and replied, "The one you feed".

- Old Cherokee Legend

7 Ways to Deal With the Negative People in Your Life

2011-05-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a great article by Lori Radun, CEC

Have you ever been faced with trying to stay positive when others around you are negative? Negative people can be a challenge to be around. They will bring you down and drain your energy. A negative person can throw your best laid plans to be positive right out the window. Whether your child or spouse has an occasional negative day or you deal with a family member, friend or co-worker that is chronically negative, there are things you can do to remain positive in the face of negativity.

Let the Negativity Pass
Whatever you do, do not argue with a negative person. Arguing only adds fuel to the fire. A negative person will feed off any negativity that will strengthen his mood or attitude. I have noticed when my children are in a crabby mood, it is best to avoid trying to convince them to analyze and adjust their attitude. As soon as I take the approach of being in opposition with them, they seize the opportunity to prove to me that life stinks. Their negativity intensifies and the situation gets worse before it gets better. Sometimes the best thing to do is remain silent and let the negativity pass.

Negative People Need Love
You know how difficult it can be to give love and positive attention to negative people. Unfortunately, that is often exactly what they need. Deep inside that mean and critical person is a person that is usually afraid he or she is unlovable. It is our challenge to rise above the negative attitude and love the injured person inside. How do you show love when someone is negative? You must listen to what she is trying to tell you. Acknowledge the feelings she has by saying something like, "You sound very angry right now". Even if you don't quite understand the persons feelings, know that your reality is different than someone else's. Ask how you might help the negative person. This shows legitimate interest in her happiness. Offer a hug even if you get rejected. Remember not to take a rejection of your love personally. A negative person often has difficulty receiving love from others.

Focus on the Positive
If you try really hard, there is always something positive to be found in any situation. Pretend you are on a treasure hunt and search for any gold or jewels you can emphasize. Even a negative person has positive qualities. When a person is drowning in negativity, it can be difficult for them to see the positive. So often my clients focus on the negative aspects of themselves. They forget about all the great things they are doing. I admit that sometimes a negative person doesn't want to see the positive. This might require her to shift her outlook. Negativity can become a habit and habits are hard to break. Be patient and gently remind your grumpy friend or family member to look for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Hopefully, in her down time, she will begin to reflect on what you have said.

Ask Negative People to Elaborate
You may hear a negative person say things like: "Women are fickle." "You cant trust doctors." "My husband makes me miserable." These kinds of statements are a type of cognitive distortion referred to as generalizations. To help a person sort through her distorted thinking, ask for more specifics. Questions like "Which women are fickle?" or "What specifically about your husband is making you miserable?" forces a person to evaluate what he or she is really trying to say. A negative person will either give up because it takes too much effort to explain himself, or he or she will get to the bottom of the issue.

Detach and Avoid Trying to Change the Negative Person
Learning to detach emotionally from a negative person can greatly benefit you and the other person. A negative person will fight you if you try to change them. If you want, you can try a little reverse psychology and agree with everything she says. I once read a great article about a mother who was exasperated with her sons negative mood. Everything she tried to soothe him and make him feel better backfired. She finally gave up and started agreeing with everything he said. When her son told her his friends were mean, she agreed with him. When he complained that his teacher didn't know anything, she couldn't agree more. After several minutes of this kind of dialogue with her son, his mood suddenly shifted. He declared that he was tired and he went to bed with a smile on his face.

Stay Away from Negative People
If you have negative people in your life that are critically affecting your mental and physical health, you need to evaluate whether or not you want these people in your life. Some people are so chronically negative that you have no other choice but to remove them from your life. Its possible to do that with friends. You can find another job if your boss or other co-workers are bringing you down. Other people, such as children and spouses, are difficult to remove from your life. In this instance, professional counseling may be the answer. To protect your well being, you need to enforce very strong boundaries with negative people.

Keep Your Own Negative Thoughts and Behaviors in Check
If you do nothing else but focus on managing your own negative thoughts and behavior, you will come a long way towards remaining positive. A negative attitude is contagious, but a positive attitude is infectious as well. Hang out with positive people that encourage you to be your best self. Use positive affirmations to overcome negative self-talk. Express your gratitude for all the positive things in your life. Take the time everyday to watch all the beautiful things going on around you. Read inspirational material and listen to joyful music. Take care of yourself spiritually. Do whatever you have to do to remain positive and happy despite the negativity you face. The world will be a better place because of you and your attitude. And you never know, you just might help a negative person make a change to a better way of living.

Part Two: Excerpts from "The Greatest Salesman in the World"

2011-04-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is from a great little book by Og Mandino with lots of great inspiration.

From The Scroll Marked II

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.

And most of all I will love myself. For when I do I will zealously inspect all things which enter my body, my mind, my soul, my heart. Never will I overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation. Never will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and despair, rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. Never will I allow my soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather I will feed it with meditation and prayer. Never will I allow my heart to become small and bitter, rather I will share it and it will grow and warm the earth.

Dreams are Whispers From the Soul

2011-04-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Dreams are Whispers From the Soul Movie: There are many different aspects that live inside of us and two of them have respectfully been dubbed the Dreamer and Doubter. When it comes to pursuing your dreams, The Dreamer is often gung ho while the Doubter can provide a laundry list of concerns and issues. This movie can help inspire to follow your dreams.

Sorrow's Gate

2011-04-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

There are things that come through the gates of tribulation. There are traits of character, which seem to find no other mode of entrance into life, such as gentleness, tact, sympathy, and strength. Though we may desire a life of tranquility and joy, it still remains true that few of us would choose for our most valued friend one who has never suffered.

The eyes that have not known tears lack genuine tenderness. The heart that has never been torn with anguish and loss has never sounded its own depths, and cannot measure those of another.

Every life grows strong through storm and conflict, if it ever grows at all. And however sweet by nature we may be, we find it incomplete and unsatisfying if it has never known the softening, hallowing touch of grief.

There are dark pages in our lives where we would gladly have changed the story if we could. There are wounds that still ache, and losses that even yet are hard to bear. But however we feel about the sorrow, there are few of us who would be willing to give up all that it has brought and taught us, or to be just where we were before it touched us.

There are profound gains that come only through Sorrow's Gate.
- S.M.

Walt Disney - The Man Who Helped Us Dream

2011-03-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite quotes by Walt Disney are:
"If you can dream it, you can do it."
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

Through his life and work, these became slogans for his success which ultimately left a huge impact on the world. Who hasn't been affected by the world of Disney? Very few in this world.

Yet things were not so easy for Walt. He explained that Mickey Mouse popped out of my mind at a time when his career and finances were "at the lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner."

He taught us that we can benefit through our struggles. He once said, "All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."

He dreamed, he pursued, he persevered, and he impacted the world for good.

Here are some more great Walt Disney quotes:

A man should never neglect his family for business.

Crowded classrooms and half-day sessions are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource - the minds of our children.

I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.

I believe in being an innovator.

I do not like to repeat successes, I like to go on to other things.

I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it.

I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.

I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.

Laughter is America's most important export.

Of all the things I've done, the most vital is coordinating those who work with me and aiming their efforts at a certain goal.

Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.

The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island.

There's nothing funnier than the human animal.

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.

When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.

You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.

You reach a point where you don't work for money.

A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive.

Helen Keller - Positive In Spite of Life

2011-03-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Helen Keller provides enough inspiration through her writings and quotes for anyone who deals with adversity in life - which is everyone on earth.

Although Helen was not born blind and deaf, at 19 months old that she contracted an illness, perhaps either scarlet fever or meningitis, that left her deaf and blind for the rest of her life. Through many years of struggling through her youth, and with the assistance of her teacher, Helen was able to learn how to not only communicate, but to provide the world with much optimism and positive service, despite her challenges.

Here are some of her great quotes:

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

As selfishness and complaint pervert the mind, so love with its joy clears and sharpens the vision.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see.

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

I do not want the peace which passeth understanding, I want the understanding which bringeth peace.

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.

Instead of comparing our lot with that of those who are more fortunate than we are, we should compare it with the lot of the great majority of our fellow men. It then appears that we are among the privileged.

It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal.

It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui.

It's wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears.

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.

Knowledge is love and light and vision.

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.

Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others.

Life is either a great adventure or nothing.

Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

My share of the work may be limited, but the fact that it is work makes it precious.

Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.

No one has a right to consume happiness without producing it.

No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.

So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

The highest result of education is tolerance.

The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.

The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker.

There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.

To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.

Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle.

Unless we form the habit of going to the Bible in bright moments as well as in trouble, we cannot fully respond to its consolations because we lack equilibrium between light and darkness.

Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained.

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.

We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.

We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.

What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me.

What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.

When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.

While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done.

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.

Walk Your Talk

2011-03-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

There is one statement that validates a person's integrity when stated by another: "He really walks the talk." It's a statement of personal alignment - that your actions match your words. As stated in a recent Chrysler ad, "The strongest statements are made without saying a word."

Modeling ethical, values-based behavior creates an infinitely more positive impact than just talking about it. As a leader or a parent, those you try to influence will not always mimic your words, but they will usually walk in your path.

It is a misperception that leaders and parents must continually present ideas, speak up, direct, and be heard. However, excellent leaders learn to listen up - listen for ideas, problems, concerns, needs. They know why God gave them two ears and one mouth and take it to heart.

St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the gospel always. If necessary, use words." Do the same in your leadership role - whether at work, at home or in the community. Since one of the laws of leadership is that you are always leading, then lead the way for others, and use words only if necessary.

In short, walk the walk.

-adapted from Lee J. Colan

A Refiner and Purifier of Silver

2011-02-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment.

Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'

He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy, when I see my image in it.'

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Core Commitments: What is Most Important to You

2011-01-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

One of the most powerful ways to expand your perspective and re-orient effectively is to reconnect with your core commitments – the values and purpose that mean most to you in life.

Anyone who has watched a triathlon knows that trailing well behind the leaders is an amazing group of physically challenged athletes who compete with the aid of prostheses and modified bikes. These people have chosen to act on their core commitments rather than succumb to a victim mentality. They are quick to let you know that although they may be disadvantaged, they are not disabled.

Many [people] become great leaders because they’ve endured and learned powerful lessons from horrible life experiences. While some people collapse from these situations, leaders find their way and come through them stronger, wiser and more inspiring to others. How? Core commitments are a big part of the answer.

A commitment is a choice. Your core commitments are choices so central to your being that you never release them. Physically challenged athletes have discovered their passion for competing and making the most of opportunities, whatever it takes. Parents have discovered they will sacrifice their lives for their children. [People] who identify and then persistently act on their core commitments tend to stay creative, resilient, engaging, and more successful over time.

The I-Beam
Imagine that someone has securely placed a steel I-beam on the curb, spanning the width of a city street. The beam is but 7 inched off the ground, all traffic has been stopped, and someone offers you $1,000 to walk across the beam to the other corner. Would you do it? Of course.

What if the beam was raised to a height of 10 feet off the ground, and now they offer you $20,000 to walk across it? Some would no doubt consider it.

Finally, the beam is moved to a height of 290 feet, spanning a narrow, 80-foot-wide canyon in southwestern Colorado. Heavy winds blow up and down the canyon all day long. Would you walk across it for the same $20,000? For $50,000? Probably not.

How about if the person offering you the money dangled your young child, or someone dear to you over the edge and threatened to drop them? Would you walk across the I-beam to save them? You bet. Think about the things in your life you would be willing to walk the I-beam for. These are your core commitments.

When you find yourself stuck, disoriented or momentarily knocked on your keister, take time to reflect and then act on your core commitments. They will guide effective choices that leave you fulfilled and encourage those around you.

- excerpts from “Rebooting…Leadership” by Kimbell, Hadden and Catlette

The Surfer

2011-01-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

Our experiences in life and in work could be compared with surfing. Here are some lessons on how we can follow the example of the surfer.

The surfer knows to expect good days and bad. Some waves exhilarate him with the ride of a lifetime, while others leave him disoriented and gasping for air under tons of rushing seawater. The surfer's life is full of chills, spills and occasional thrills. And on most days he goes home with sand in his pants.

The surfer doesn't spend 100% of his time riding great waves. Much of his time is spent swimming to get out past the break line, then sitting astride his board looking seaward to spot and choose his next ride. He anticipates about every seventh wave being a bigger, more interesting challenge. If he chose to ride only little waves, he would get too comfortable and achieve the same old results. Instead, he waits, spots the juicy waves and swims fast to catch them.

When the surfer gets disoriented underwater after being dumped by a big wave, he can't immediately tell up from down. He re-orients himself by relaxing during the uncontrollable period of turbulence. Then as it passes, he exhales slowly to watch which way his air bubbles go, and follows them up to a fresh start.

The surfer will never swim or surf alone, especially when he is in rough water - where the big waves are.

The surfer didn't learn to surf by reading about it. He mastered surfing by practicing regularly and loving the practice, on both good days and bad.

- adapted from "Rebooting...Leadership", by Kimbell, Hadden & Catlette

The Wisdom of Yoda

2011-01-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

Do or do not... there is no try.

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.

Luke: What's in there?
Yoda: Only what you take with you.

Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.

Luke: I can’t believe it.
Yoda: That is why you fail.

Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

May the Force be with you.

Oh. Great warrior. Wars not make one great.

Feel the force!

Happens to every guy sometimes this does.

Named must your fear be before banish it you can.

Always in motion is the future.

Much to learn, you still have.

Yogi Berra Wisdom

2011-01-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.

Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.

He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious.

I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.

I just want to thank everyone who made this day necessary.

I never said most of the things I said.

I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question.

I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.

If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em.

If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be.

If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.

It ain't over till it's over.

It gets late early out there.

It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.

It's like deja-vu, all over again.

Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

Slump? I ain't in no slump... I just ain't hitting.

The future ain't what it used to be.

The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.

There are some people who, if they don't already know, you can't tell 'em.

We made too many wrong mistakes.

When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.

You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.

You can observe a lot by just watching.

You should always go to other people's funerals, otherwise, they won't come to yours.

You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there.

Water

2011-01-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

liquid life
falling from heaven
moisture nourishing earth

seeping, sinking
quenching thirsty roots
droplets soaking the ground

trickling, dripping
bubbling into a spring
forming a crystal-clear pool

glistening, sparkling
glass-smooth and glossy
swirling past the mossy green

flowing, gliding
into a babbling brook
gurgling over rocks and stones

splashing, sloshing
washing fallen leaves
down the mountain stream

falling, leaping
over broken cliffs
cascades spraying in the air

rolling, winding
wending its way
a mighty river finds the sea

buoying, tossing
fishing and sail boats
floating in the open bay

surging, crashing
the high tide comes in
forceful surf pounding shore

swimming, diving
a marine world thrives
in deep mystery called ocean

sailing, cruising
out over the deep blue
sandwiched in sea and sky

warming, evaporating
humid air rises
billowing into great clouds

blowing, moving
over land once again
a wet storm in the making

sprinkling, raining
showers transition
into a torrential downpour

misting, steaming
shimmering colors
of a promising rainbow

drinking, slurping
enjoying the taste
an icy-cold glass of lemonade

laughing, singing
dancing in the rain
a refreshed reason for living

cleansing, purifying
old life becomes new
the essence of life called water

by Ken R. Young

------

Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it. - Lao Tsu

In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it. - Lao Tsu

Even Eagles Need a Push

2011-01-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

George Bernard Shaw Quotes

2011-01-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.

Give a man health and a course to steer, and he'll never stop to trouble about whether he's happy or not.

I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake.

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.

Independence? That's middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.

Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness.

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

Men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience.

Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles.

No man who is occupied in doing a very difficult thing, and doing it very well, ever loses his self-respect.

People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them.

People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to the country and to mankind is to bring up a family.

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.

Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get.

The only service a friend can really render is to keep up your courage by holding up to you a mirror in which you can see a noble image of yourself.

The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them.

The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.

The test of a man or woman's breeding is how they behave in a quarrel.

We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.

What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.

When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work.

You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?"

You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.

Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.

Letting God Build Your House

2011-01-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

- from C S Lewis, "Mere Christianity"

A Farmer Wins the Race

2011-01-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

"They" told Robert Banister he couldn't run the mile in under 4 minutes.

"They" told Elvis Presley he would never become a singer.

They" told Cliff Young he couldn't finish a 6 and half day extreme race!

I love this story of Cliff Young because it reminds me that "They" don't know a thing when it comes to you, me or Cliff Young striving for something we REALLY want.
Watch this video and ask yourself if you are ALLOWING other people's perceptions to discourage you from going after what you really want.

- from Lee J. Colan

Managing Risk, Making a Difference

2011-01-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

Gladys Ingles was a member of a barnstorming troupe called the 13 Black Cats in the 1920's. Ingles was a wing walker. In this film, she shows her fearlessness in a classic barnstorming fashion to save an airplane that has lost one of its main wheels. With a replacement wheel being strapped to her back, off she goes ("Up She Goes," a duet from the era, provides the soundtrack). Watch Ingles transfers herself from the rescue plane to the one missing its main gear tire. She then expertly works herself down to the undercarriage only a few feet from a spinning prop and replaces the missing wheel.

Risky, dangerous?
Absolutely!

Was she prepared and able? Did she make a difference?
Absolutely!

Risk is not meant to be avoided, just managed. So, make your assessment of the actions you need to take (or change) this year along with the potential upside and downside, then step out and make a difference!

Borrowed from Lee J. Colan, Ph.D.

Our Deepest Fear

2011-01-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Quoted in a speech by Nelson Mandela, from Marianne Williamson's "Return to Love"

On Setting Goals

2011-01-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

An excerpt from the article "Ten Ways to a New You" by Steve Edwards

Use a target goal that's qualitative, not quantitative.
Our society loves numbers. Losing X amount of pounds, running X amount of miles, going X number of days without smoking — these are things we dangle in front of ourselves as if they were some Holy Grail. In fact, these things have very little impact, if any, on what we really want, which is to improve our lives. Numbers can be great motivators. They can be nice as signposts on your road to progress. But they can also mislead you and shouldn't be a part of your ultimate goal, because you can't really control them. Shooting for unattainable numbers is one primary way we can sabotage our self-improvement goals.

The adage "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game" isn't just about sports. Live your life well, and in the end, you'll be content, no matter where the numbers fall.

The Second Set of Ten Commandments

2011-01-03T10:52:00.000-08:00

An article by Harvey Mackay printed in the Arizona Republic:

We all know about the original Ten Commandments, but have you ever heard of the Second Ten Commandments? I don't remember who sent them to me - these pearls of wisdom have been often attributed to one Elodie Armstrong - but I sure would like to thank him or her for sharing this wisdom.

Here they are with my spin on them:

1. Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work. People get so busy worrying about yesterday or tomorrow, they forget about today. And today is what you have to work with.

2. Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

Every crisis we face is multiplied when we act out of fear. When we fear something, we empower it. If we refuse to concede to our fear, there is nothing to fear.

3. Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.

Tomorrow's problems may not even be problems when tomorrow comes.

4. Thou shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.

In one of my favorite "Peanuts" comic strips, Linus says to Charlie Brown, "There is no problem so big it cannot be run away from." I chuckle every time I think about it, because it sounds like such a simple solution. Problem-solving is not easy, so don't make it harder than it is.

5. Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.

If I wake up thinking of a problem, I tell myself that it will seem lighter in the morning, and it always is.

6. Thou shall not borrow other people's problems.

They can better care for them than you can. I confess that I have broken this commandment because I wanted to help someone, without being asked, or I thought I was more equipped to handle a situation. But I wouldn't have to deal with the consequences, either.

7. Thou shall not try to relive yesterday. For good or ill, it is forever gone.

Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now. We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get a better job, make more money, get married, have a baby, buy a bigger house and so on. Yet the accomplishment of any of those events may not make any difference at all. The Declaration of Independence says we are endowed "with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." You are responsible for your own happiness.

8. Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own.

You can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth. Hearing is one of the body's five senses, but listening is an art. Your success could hinge on whether you have mastered the skill of listening. Most people won't listen to what you're saying unless they already feel that you have listened to them. When we feel we are being listened to, it makes us feel as if we are being taken seriously and what we say really matters.

9. Thou shall not become bogged down by frustration, for 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.

Seriously, has frustration ever improved a situation? Better to take a break, collect your thoughts, and redirect your attention to a positive first step. Then, go on from there.

10. Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

We all have something to be grateful for, even on the worst days. Hey, you're still on the green side of the grass, aren't you?

Mackay's moral: These may not be chiseled in stone, but try them; they'll make your life less rocky.

Why I Keep This Blog

2010-12-31T15:41:00.000-08:00

The famed motivator Zig Ziglar once said "Motivation doesn't last, bathing doesn't either. That's why I recommend it daily!".

I agree.

Two Seas in Palestine

2010-12-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

There are two seas in Palestine. One is fresh, and fish are in it. Splashes of green adorn its banks. Trees spread their branches over it and stretch out their thirsty roots to sip of its healing waters. Along its shores the children play, as children played when He was there. He loved it. He could look across its silver surface when He spoke His parables. And on a rolling plain not far away He fed five thousand people.

The River Jordan makes this sea with sparkling water from the hills. So it laughs in the sunshine. And men build their houses near to it, and birds their nests; and every kind of life is happier because it is there.

The River Jordan flows on south into another sea. Here is no splash of fish, no fluttering leaf, no song of birds, no children's laughter. Travelers choose another route, unless on urgent business. The air hangs heavy above its water, and neither man nor beast nor fowl will drink.

What makes this mighty difference in these neighbor seas? Not the river Jordan. It empties the same good water into both. Not the soil in which they lie not the country about.

This is the difference. The Sea of Galilee receives but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into it another drop flows out. The giving and receiving go on in equal measure.

The other sea is shrewder, hoarding its income jealously. It will not be tempted into any generous impulse. Every drop it gets, it keeps.

The Sea of Galilee gives and lives. This other sea gives nothing. It is named The Dead. There are two kinds of people in the world. There are two seas in Palestine.

by Gayle D. Erwin

Video: "If you've never failed, you've never lived"

2010-12-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Pancakes

2010-12-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, (and he didn't know how the stove worked!).

Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process.

That's how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend or we can't stand our job or our health goes sour. Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him.

But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying like Brandon to "make pancakes," for God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad we tried.

The Story of Rose

2010-12-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know.

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

(photo by Ken R. Young)

She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me
a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of kids..."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends.

Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.

1) You have to laugh and find humor every day.

2) You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

3) There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.

4) Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets."

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose" (see below). She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

"The Rose" lyrics:

Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger
An endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower
And you, its only seed

It's the heart, afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance
It's the dream, afraid of waking
That never takes the chance
It's the one who won't be taken
Who cannot seem to give
And the soul, afraid of dying
That never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snow
Lies the seed
That with the sun's love, in the spring
Becomes the rose

- Lyrics and music by Amanda Mc Broom

UP

2010-12-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

Being "up" is normally considered to be a positive thing. Here's a poem I wrote several years ago on being
"up".

(photo by Ken R. Young)

Up
In a cloud,
I find myself floating
in peaceful weightlessness,
surrounded by velvety rain
and soothing sunshine.
The sinews and the marrow
are in a joyous rest,
basking
in comatose gratification.

Then,
like a piercing lance
through a fragile bubble,
my suspended animation
is violently disrupted
by a wretched, shrill noise.
The heart somersaults,
the eyelids twitter,
and a familiar yet alien sensation
permeates my body.
Mustering a battle force
strong enough to conquer,
I slowly approach
the monster of my misery.

I churn
with the unsure courage
and unwilling strength
of my newfound awareness.
I stretch forth my noble arm.
My objective: to silence the beast.
Wheezing,
I strike out in one fierce, raging blow.
It is done.
The alarm clock has been shut off.
Groan.
It’s time to get
Up.

by Ken R. Young

The Jabberwocky - Oh Frabjous Day!

2010-12-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

Is this a positive, uplifting thought? I think so! It's a fun nonsense story, with great new words, about meeting and overcoming the monster!

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

by Lewis Carroll

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

2010-12-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

No one can make you serve customers well. That's because great service is a choice.

Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver.
While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card.

It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee?
I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'

My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.'

Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.'

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.

Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts..

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always: In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard on the radio one day that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.''

That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'That was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers.. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal.. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab.
I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

The Race

2010-12-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

"Quit! Give up! You're beaten!"
They shout at me, and plead
"There's just too much against you now.
This time you can't succeed."

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure's face
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race.

And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene
For, just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being.

A children's race, young boys, young men
Now, I remember well,
Excitement, sure! But also fear,
It wasn't hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race,
Or, tie for first, if not that,
At least take second place.

And fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son.
And each boy hoped to show his dad,
that he would be the one.

The whistle blew, and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire
To win, to be the hero there
Was each young boy's desire.

And one boy in particular,
Whose dad was in the crowd,
Was running near the head and thought:
"My dad will be so proud!"

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip
The little boy who thought to win,
Lost his step and slipped.

Trying hard to catch himself,
His hands flew out to brace
And 'mid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face.

So, down he fell, and with him hope
- he couldn't win it now -
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished
To disappear somehow.

But, as he fell, his dad stood up,
And showed his anxious face,
Which to the boy so clearly said:
"Get up and win the race."

He quickly rose, no damage done,
- behind a bit, that's all -
And ran with all his mind and might
To make up for his fall.

So, anxious to restore himself
- to catch up and to win -
His mind went faster than his legs;
He slipped and fell again!

He wished, then, he had quit before
With only one disgrace.
"I'm hopeless as a runner now;
I shouldn't try to race.

But, in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his father's face.
That steady look that said again!
"Get up and win the race."

So, up he jumped, to try again
- ten yards behind the last -
"If I'm to gain those yards," he thought
'I've got to move real fast."

Exceeding everything he had
He gained back eight or ten,
But trying so, to catch the lead,
He slipped and fell again!

Defeat! He lay there silently
- a tear dropped from his eye -
"There is no sense in running more;
Three strikes, I'm out, why try?"

The will to rise had disappeared
All hope had fled away
So far behind; so error prone
A loser all the way.

"I've lost, so what's the use," he thought
"I'll live with my disgrace."
But, then he thought about his dad,
Who, soon, he'd have to face.

"Get up!" an echo sounded low,
"Get up, and take your place
You were not meant for failure here,
Get up, and win the race."

With borrowed will, "Get up," it said
"You haven't lost at all.
For winning is no more than this;
To rise each time you fall."

So, up he rose to run once more,
And with a new commit
He resolved that win, or lose,
At least he wouldn't quit.

So far behind the others now
- the most he'd ever been -
Still, he gave it all he had,
And ran as though to win.

Three times he'd fallen stumbling.
Three times he'd rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner,
As he crossed the line first place,
Head high, and proud, and happy.
No falling, no disgrace.

But, when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer
For finishing the race.

Even though he came in last.
With head bowed head low, unproud,
You would have thought he won the race
To listen to the crowd.

And to his dad, he sadly said,
"I didn't do so well."
"To me, you won!" his father said,
"You rose each time you fell."

And now when things seem dark and hard,
And difficult to face.
The memory of that little boy
Helps me to win my race.

For all of life is like that race
With ups and downs and all,
And all you have to do to win,
Is rise each time you fall.

by Dee Groberg

President George Washington Proclaims A Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer

2010-11-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

By the PRESIDENT of the United States of America, A PROCLAMATION:

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLIC THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the Service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all Sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed)
G. Washington

Imagine if all our current leaders and the majority of us citizens felt, believed and acted this way...

Victory--Victory at All Costs

2010-11-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from a speech by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, former president of Brigham Young University, Provo, quoting inspiring words from Winston Churchill during WWII:

On 10 May 1940, as the specter of Nazi infamy moved relentlessly toward the English Channel, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was summoned to the post of Prime Minister of England. He hastily formed a government and on May 13 went before the House of Commons with his maiden speech.

"I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government: 'I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.'"

"We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and with all our strength that God can give us. . . .That is our policy. You ask, What is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory--victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be." [Churchill: the Life Triumphant, American Heritage, 1965, p. 90]

Six days later he went on radio to speak to the world at large. He said:

"This is one of the most awe-striking periods in the long history of France and Britain. . . . Behind us . . . gather a group of shattered States and bludgeoned races: the Czechs, the Poles, the Norwegians, the Danes, the Dutch, the Belgians--upon all of whom the long night of barbarism will descend, unbroken even by a star of hope, unless we conquer, as conquer we must; as conquer we shall." [Churchill, p. 91]

Then two weeks later he was back before Parliament. "We shall not flag or fail," he vowed.

"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." [Churchill, p. 91]

The Monument

2010-11-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

God,
Before He sent his children to earth
Gave each of them
A very carefully selected package
Of problems,

These,
He promised, smiling,
Are yours alone, No one
Else may have the blessings
These problems will bring you.

And only you
Have the special talents and abilities
That will be needed
To make these problems
Your servants.

Now go down to your birth
And to your forgetfulness, Know that
I love you beyond measure.
These problems that I give you
Are a symbol of that love.

These monuments you make of your life
With the help of your problems
Will be a symbol of your
Love for me,
Your Father.

by Blaine M. Yorgason

Endurance: The Prize is Worth the Price

2010-11-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to you to "endure to the end"?

How dedicated are you to endure to the end?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once said "Nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice and effort and patience on our part."

We all have long, challenging roads to follow in this life that will require much from us. So why is it important to keep trying, persevering? Is it worth it?

I believe in the words of the Lord found in the Doctrine and Covenants 64:33-34 which state "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind..."

Many scriptures and prophets have told us of the blessings of eternal life, and indicated that we cannot comprehend the glory, the beauty and the happiness available to us in the next life. But we are also told that a price has to be paid in order to receive such great blessings.

There are many examples of those who have endured to the end an paid the price to receive their prize. One such example is found in this poem by Douglas Malloch:

Bill Brown

Bill Brown made a million, Bill Brown, think of that!
A boy, you remember, as poor as a rat.
Who hoed for the neighbors, did jobs by the day,
Well Bill's made a million, or near it, they say.
You can't understand it, well, neither could I.
But then I remembered, and now I know why.
The bell might be ringin', the dinner horn blow,
But Bill always hoed to the end of the row.

Bill worked for my father, you maybe recall.
He wasn't a wonder, not that, not at all.
He couldn't out-hoe me, nor cover more ground,
Or hoe any cleaner, or beat me around.
In fact I was better one way that I knew:
One toot from the kitchen, and home I would go,
But Bill always hoed to the end of the row.

We used to get hongry out there in the corn,
You talk about music, what equals a horn?
A horn yellin' dinner, tomatoes and beans,
And pork and potatoes, and gravy and greens.

I ain't blamin' no one, for quittin' on time,
To stop with the whistle, that ain't any crime.
But as for the million, well, this much I know:
That Bill always hoed to the end of the row!

Do we always hoe to the end of our row? Is that the price of great happiness? Sometimes while hoeing in our row we come across big rocks that make us want to quit. These are the rocks of adversity and they are all a part of the package of life given to us to help us grow.

Another example of one who endured, who had quite a difficult row to hoe, is told by a member of the ill-fated Martin Handcart Company, an LDS pioneer group who crossed the plains to Utah under extreme conditions. Frances Webster was sitting in a sunday school class listening to members criticize church authorities for letting the company cross the plains so late in the year, when he arose and said:

"I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter you know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the Hand Cart Company out so late in the season? Yes. But I was in that Company and my wife was in it and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have sited was there too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that Company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that Company ever apostatized or left the church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.

"I have pulled my hand cart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said I can go only that far and there I must give up for I cannot pull the load through it. I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the Angels of God were there.

"Was I sorry that I chose to come by hand cart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Hand Cart Company."

The price to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay. Was his prize worth the price? Evidently so. His was a rugged path that led to a glorious destination.

What God Has Promised

God hath not promised
Skies always blue
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through.

God hath not promised
Sun without rain
Joy without sorrow
Peace without pain.

But God hath promise
Strength for the day
Rest for the labor
Light for the way;

Grace for the trials
Help from above
Unfailing sympathy
Undying love.

by Annie Johnson Flint

God supplies us the strength, the help and the love, but we must supply the faith and the perseverance. For a final example of those who have persevered, paid the price and won the prize, I borrow from a talk given by Elder Jefferey R. Holland, when he was the president of Brigham Young University, Provo. He tells of the trials of the early LDS pioneers in their efforts to build the Salt Lake Temple:

Excerpts from "However Long and Hard the Road"

The work seemed ill-fated from the start. The excavation for the basement required trenches twenty feet wide and sixteen feet deep, much of it through solid gravel. Just digging for the foundation alone required nine thousand man days of labor. Surely someone must have said, "A temple would be fine, but do we really need one this big?" But they kept on digging. Maybe they believed they were "laying the foundation of a great work." In any case they worked on, "not weary in well-doing."

But as Brigham Young also said, "We never began to build [any] temple without the bells of hell beginning to ring" (J.A. Widtsoe [ed.], Discourses of Brigham Young [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1973], p. 410). No sooner was the foundation work finished than Albert Sidney Johnston and his United States troops set out for the Salt Lake Valley intent on war with "the Mormons." In response President Young made elaborate plans to evacuate and, if necessary, destroy the entire city behind them. But what to do about the temple whose massive excavation was already completed and its 8' x 16' foundational walls firmly in place? They did the only thing they could do--they filled it all back in again. Every shovelful. All that soil and gravel that had been so painstakingly removed with those nine thousand man days of labor was filled back in. When they finished, those acres looked like nothing more interesting than a field that had been plowed up and left unplanted.

When the Utah War threat had been removed, the Saints returned to their homes and painfully worked again at uncovering the foundation and removing the material from the excavated basement structure.

But then the apparent masochism of all this seemed most evident when not adobes or sandstone but massive granite boulders were selected for the basic construction material. And they were twenty miles away in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Furthermore the precise design and dimensions of every one of the thousands of stones to be used in that massive structure had to be marked out individually in the architect's office and shaped accordingly. This was a suffocatingly slow process. Just to put one layer of the six hundred hand-sketched, individually squared, and precisely cut stones around the building took nearly three years. That progress was so slow that virtually no one walking by the temple block could ever see any progress at all.

And, of course, getting the stone from mountain to city center was a nightmare...toiling and tugging and struggling to pull from the quarry one monstrous block of granite, or at most two of medium size.

The arrival of the railroad pulled almost all of the working force off the temple for nearly three years, and twice grasshopper invasions sent the workers into full-time summer combat with the pests.

The journals and histories of these teamsters are filled with accounts of broken axles, mud-mired animals, shattered sprockets, and shattered hopes.

...right in the middle of this staggering effort requiring virtually all that the Saints could seem to bear, [President Brigham Young] announced the construction of the St. George, Manti, and Logan Temples.

"Can you accomplish the work, you Latter-day Saints of these several counties?" he asked. And then in his own inimitable way he answered:

Yes; that is a question I can answer readily. You are perfectly able to do it. The question is, have you the necessary faith? Have you sufficient of the Spirit of God in your hearts to say, yes, by the help of God our Father we will erect these buildings to his name? . . . Go to now, with your might and with your means and finish this Temple. [Anderson, Contributor, p. 267]

On 6 April 1892, the Saints as a body were nearly delirious. Now, finally, here in their own valley with their own hands they had cut out of the mountains a granite monument that was to mark, after all they had gone through, the safety of the Saints and the permanence of Christ's true church on earth for this one last dispensation. The central symbol of all that was the completed House of their God. The streets were literally jammed with people. Forty thousand of them fought their way on to the temple grounds. Ten thousand more, unable to gain entrance, scrambled to the tops of nearby buildings in hopes that some glimpse of the activities might be had. Inside the Tabernacle President Wilford Woodruff, visibly moved by the significance of the moment, said:

If there is any scene on the face of this earth that will attract the attention of the God of heaven and the heavenly host, it is the one before us today--the assembling of this people, the shout of 'Hosanna!' the laying of the topstone of this Temple in honor to our God. [Anderson, Contributor, p. 270]

Then, moving outside, he laid the capstone in place exactly at high noon.

In the writing of one who was there, "The scene that followed is beyond the power of language to describe." Lorenzo Snow, beloved President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, came forward leading 40,000 Latter-day Saints in the Hosanna shout. Every hand held a handkerchief every eye was filled with tears. One said the very "ground seemed to tremble with the volume of the sound" which echoed off the tops of the mountains. "A grander or more imposing spectacle than this ceremony of laying the Temple capstone is not recorded in history" (Anderson, Contributor, p. 273). It was finally and forever finished.

Later that year the prestigious Scientific American (1892), referred to this majestic new edifice as a "monument to Mormon perseverance." And so it was. Blood, toil, tears, and sweat. The best things are always worth finishing. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). Most assuredly you are. As long and laborious as the effort may seem, please keep shaping and setting the stones that will make your accomplishment "a grand and imposing spectacle." Take advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow. Dream dreams and see visions. Work toward their realization. Wait patiently when you have no other choice. Lean on your sword and rest a while, but get up and fight again. Perhaps you will not see the full meaning of your effort in your own lifetime. But your children will, or your children's children will, until finally you, with all of them, can give the Hosanna shout.

Let us learn from those before us who have persevered and received the prize for which the paid. Let us look on our lives as a series of problems to be solved, and with faith and perseverance, solve them.

The price is so little for the prize which is so great.

(photo by Ken R. Young)

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

2010-11-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Having a good positive mental attitude has long been a favorite ideal of mine. Promoting a good attitude for a more positive outlook on life is really the whole purpose for this blog. I can't say that I am the best at always allowing the positive to steer my life and thoughts, but like I say, it is an ideal.

Here are some of my favorite "attitude" quotes that I have had for many years:

Your attitude determines your altitude. - Unknown

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it. - Norman Vincent Peale

Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. - Henry Ford

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. - Unknown

Nothing is impossible unless you agree that it is. - Unknown

They can conquer who believe they can. - Virgil

It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. - Eleanor Roosevelt

You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. - ZIGGY, cartoon character

It's not what happens to you that matters, what matters most is how you choose to respond. - Dan Green

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. - Dale Carnegie

-------

I'm not one who really gets into cute rhyming poems, but here's a worthy one because of its message:

If you think you are beaten you are
If you think you dare not you won't
If you like to win but don't think you can
It's almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose you've lost
For out in the world you'll find
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.

For many a game is lost
Ere even a play is run
And many a coward fails
Ere even his work is begun.

Think big and your deeds will grow
Think small and you'll fall behind
Think that you may and you will
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed you are
You've got to think high to rise
You've got to be sure of yourself
Before you can win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the fellow who thinks he can.

- C. W. Longenecker

-------

And, here's some great thoughts on the impact of attitude on life, by Charles Swindoll:

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home.

The remarkable thing is we hvae a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our Attitudes."

Circus Elephants and Limitations

2010-11-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

An elephant can easily pick up a one-ton load with his trunk, but have you visited a circus and watched these huge creatures standing quietly while tied to a small wooden stake?

While they are still young and relatively weak, elephants are tied by a heavy chain to an immovable iron stake. Then, no matter how large and strong the elephant becomes, he continus to believe he cannot move so long as he can see the stake on the ground beside him.

Many intelligent adult humans are like these circus elephants. They are restrained in thoughts, actions and results. They never move out any further than the extent of their own self imposed limitations. The only chain holding them is their own low self-concepts. Because they have said to themselves over and over that they can't do this and they can't do that, they will never accomplish anything significant.

If self-imposed limitations are holding you back, resolve now to uproot the stakes that hold you. Break the chains of hindering habit.

by Paul J. Meyer

5 Pencil Pearls of Wisdom

2010-11-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

A pencil maker told the pencil 5 important lessons just before putting it in the box:

1. Everything you do you will always leave a mark.
2. You can always correct the mistakes you make.
3. What is important is what is inside of you.
4. In life, you will undergo painful sharpening which will only make you better.
5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

We all need to be constantly sharpened. You are a special person, with unique talents and abilities. Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed. Like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are, is what's inside of you... and act accordingly.

- Author Unknown

Good Timber

2010-11-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

(photo by Ken R. Young)

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man that never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil
Who never had to earn his share
Of sun and sky and light and air
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease
The stronger wind, the stronger trees
The further sky, the greater length
The more the storm, the more the strength
By sun and cold, by rain and snow
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both
And they hold council with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much strife
This is the common law of life.

by Douglas Malloch

Who Moved My Cheese?

2010-10-28T17:01:00.001-07:00

Here are some great little excerpts from a great little book, about dealing with life's changes and problems, and moving ahead in a positive way. Two little mice, named Hem and Haw eventually learn these life lessons when their "cheese" had been moved from where they were used to finding it:

The Handwriting on the Wall

Change happens - They keep moving the cheese.

Anticipate change - Get ready for the cheese to move.

What would you do if you were not afraid?

Monitor change - Smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old.

Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.

When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.

Imagining myself enjoying new cheese even before I find it, leads me to it.

Adapt to change quickly - The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.

It is safer to search in the maze than remain in a cheeseless situtation.

Old beliefs do not lead you to new cheese.

Change - Move with the cheese.

When you see that you can find and enjoy new cheese, you can change your course.

Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to bigger changes that are to come.

The biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself, and nothing gets better until you change.

Enjoy Change! Savor the adventure and the taste of new cheese!

Be ready to quickly change again and again - They keep moving the cheese.

Ten Commandments of Success

2010-10-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

1. You must labor each day as if your life hung in the balance.

2. You must learn that with patience you can control your destiny.

3. You must chart your course with care or you will drift forever.

4. You must prepare for darkness while traveling in the sunlight.

5. You must smile in the face of adversity until it surrenders.

6. You must realize that plans are only dreams without action.

7. You must sweep cobwebs from your mind before they imprison you.

8. You must lighten your load if you would reach your destination.

9. You must never forget that it is always later than you think.

10. You must enjoy the journey, find joy and happiness along the way.

THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD

2010-10-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

A Variation on the Children's Story by Watty Piper

I guess I love to hear stories of triumph over a terrific challenge, overcoming, improving, achieving, not giving up. I was reminded the other day of this simple children's story that is so full of wisdom. So, here it is - try reading it with your more experienced, adult eyes and see what you get out of it.

A little steam engine had a long train of cars to pull.

She went along very well till she came to a steep hill. But then, no matter how hard she tried, she could not move the long train of cars.

She pulled and she pulled. She puffed and she puffed. She backed and started off again. Choo! Choo!

But no! the cars would not go up the hill.

At last she left the train and started up the track alone. Do you think she had stopped working? No, indeed! She was going for help.

"Surely I can find someone to help me," she thought.

Over the hill and up the track went the little steam engine. Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo!

Pretty soon she saw a big steam engine standing on a side track. He looked very big and strong. Running alongside, she looked up and said:

"Will you help me over the hill with my train of cars? It is so long and heavy I can't get it over."

The big steam engine looked down at the little steam engine. The he said:

"Don't you see that I am through my day's work? I have been rubbed and scoured ready for my next run. No, I cannot help you,"

The little steam engine was sorry, but she went on, Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo!

Soon she came to a second big steam engine standing on a side track. He was puffing and puffing, as if he were tired.

"That big steam engine may help me," thought the little steam engine. She ran alongside and asked:

"Will you help me bring my train of cars over the hill? It is so long and so heavy that I can't get it over."

The second big steam engine answered:

"I have just come in from a long, long run. Don't you see how tired I am? Can't you get some other engine to help you this time?

"I'll try," said the little steam engine, and off she went. Choo, choo! Choo, choo! Choo, choo!

After a while she came to a little steam engine just like herself. She ran alongside and said:

"Will you help me over the hill with my train of cars? It is so long and so heavy that I can't get it over."

"Yes, indeed!" said this little steam engine. "I'll be glad to help you, if I can."

So the little steam engines started back to where the train of cars had been standing. Both little steam engines went to the head of the train, one behind the other.

Puff, puff! Chug, choo! Off they started!

Slowly the cars began to move. Slowly they climbed the steep hill. As they climbed, each little steam engine began to sing:

"I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can! I-think-I-can!--"

And they did! Very soon they were over the hill and going down the other side.

Now they were on the plain again; and the little steam engine could pull her train herself. So she thanked the little engine who had come to help her, and said good-by.

And she went merrily on her way, singing:

"I-thought-I-could! I-thought-I-could! I-thought-I-could!"

THE END

This version varies somewhat from the original, wherein the Little Engine pulled her load over the hill all by herself, mustering her own strength. There are good lessons from both of these, either way.

Henry Ford Quotes

2010-10-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

1. Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right.

2. Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.

3. Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

4. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.

5. Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.

6. I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about?

7. If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.

8. If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from that person's angle as well as from your own.

9. Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.

10. My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.

11. Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

12. One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do.

13. Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.

14. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.

15. There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.

16. There is no man living that can not do more than he thinks he can.

17. Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.

18. Time and money spent in helping men to do more for themselves is far better than mere giving.

19. When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

20. Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.

21. You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.

22. Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement.

Come On, Get Happy!

2010-10-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

Happiness is what we're all about, right? Almost everything we do is the pursuit of our own (and others') happiness in some way or another.

Why then does it sometimes seem so hard to achieve? So elusive?

I believe the answer lies within each of us. It depends on our approach to achieving happiness. Does happiness mean the absence of conflict, trials and sorrow? Or does it mean a successful way of managing the way we deal with conflict, trials and sorrow? We cannot control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it.

Or does it mean being content with what we have and counting our blessings more often than our problems?

Finding joy in simple things?

Focusing on what really matters?

Taking good care of our physical and spiritual needs?

Loving and giving service to others?

Having realistic expectations from life, ourselves and others?

A combination of all the above?

Easier said than done? Sure it is.

Worth pursuing? Sure it is.

Those who know me know that I am a quote-monger. I love to collect and share them. So here I must share what I think are some of the best quotes on happiness:

------

Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. - Sir James Matthew Barrie

Don’t Worry. Be Happy. - Bobby McFerrin

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. - Abraham Lincoln

Everything you need for a happy life is within yourself. – Unknown

That load becomes light which is cheerfully borne. - Ovid

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. - Margaret Lee Runbeck

The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself. - Benjamin Franklin

The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. - Martha Washington

Health and cheerfulness mutually beget each other. - Joseph Addison

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well being becomes. – Dalai Lama

It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis. - Margaret Bonano

Be happy. It's one way of being wise. - Colette

Happy people plan actions, they don't plan results. - Dennis Wholey

A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness. - Bernard de Fontenelle

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Buddha

Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it. - Fyodor Dostoevsky

May we never let the things we can't have, or don't have, or shouldn't have, spoil our enjoyment of the things we do have and can have. As we value our happiness let us not forget it, for one of the greatest lessons in life is learning to be happy without the things we cannot or should not have. - Richard Paul Evans

If you want to be happy, put your effort into controlling the sail, not the wind. - Unknown

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I found this great quote from a blog by Mormon Guy that I thought worth sharing:

"When I was struggling to see the good things in life, I often listed the good things that God had done for me. I counted my blessings, outlined the talents and gifts He had given me, and named the people who loved me and supported me. I tried to see difficult things in life with an optimistic spin.

But, as time has progressed, I’ve realized that true happiness in life doesn’t come from blessings, talents, gifts, or even people. I could have all those things and feel awful. True happiness is linked to my knowledge of God and my actions in life.

“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it” (Mosiah 2:41).

Today, my life is amazing. I’ve learned the truth about happiness – that it’s based on making good decisions in life. Today I’m truly, sincerely, and completely happy. My life is not amazing due to the things I am given by circumstance or others. Life is amazing because of what I do with what I get. Because of how I think and see the world. Because of the changes I have made. Because of who I am."

------

Those are great insights from someone who has learned well how to be happy. So I say to you and to me:

Come on, get happy!

Inspired at General Conference - Oct 2010

2010-10-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

So much is said in two days during the LDS General Conference that is uplifting, inspiring and instructive. No two people would mention all the same things that touched them or that they felt to be noteworthy.

That being said, here are some things that touched me:

14 Fundamentals in Following the Prophet by Ezra Taft Benson: quoted by two of the speakers separately, Elder Claudio R. M. Costa and Elder Kevin R. Duncan, these points are guideposts for anyone who believes in the latter-day restored gospel.

“First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

“Second: The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.

“Third: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.

“Fourth: The prophet will never lead the Church astray.

“Fifth: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.

“Sixth: The prophet does not have to say ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to give us scripture.

“Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

“Eighth: The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.

“Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.

“Tenth: The prophet may be involved in civic matters.

“Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

“Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.

“Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.

“Fourteenth: [Follow]...the living prophet and the First Presidency...and be blessed; reject them and suffer.”

Elder David M. McConkie:
"How to be Effective in Gospel Teaching"
1. Immerse yourself in the scriptures
2. Apply in your life the things that you learn
3. Seek Heaven's help
4. Act in accordance with spiritual promptings

President Uchtdorf: You gotta love this guy - he always speaks to me:
"Focus your life on things that matter most".
"Reduce your speed when experiencing turbulence"
"We would do well to slow down a little"
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Leonarda da Vinci

"4 Key Relationships:"
1. God - we need to have quality time alone with him
2. Family - family love is spelled T-I-M-E.
3. Fellowmen - serve others
4. Ourselves - get to know yourself better

Pres. Boyd K. Packer: Huh, funny, for some reason his talk wasn't at all explosive or insensitive to me. On the contrary, I was inspired by his forthrightness, and especially took comfort from his promise of how we will be assisted in our life struggles, all in the simple words of:

"Angels will guide you".

I noticed the plural tense. There are many angels, both earthly and heavenly, that are there to guide us. We need to notice them and rely on their assistance.

I have since found some very inspiring messages from those who understand and appreciate the full meaning of Pres. Packer's talk, interestingly, on a blog titled (Gay)Mormon Guy. You should check it out at gaymormonguy.blogspot.com, "President Packer's Talk...", October 7, 2010 entry.

I may not struggle in the same way this guy does, but I also support Pres. Packer.

Elder Richard C. Edgley: "Faith is a choice. It must be sought after and developed."

Elder Richard G. Scott: "When protected through self-control, righteous character will be protected through eternity."

"You get what you pay for in faith and obedience"

Pres. Henry B. Eyring: "Trust God" - so simple, so powerful.

Sis. Mary N. Cook: "Make sure you have both hands on the rod"

Elder Dallin H. Oaks: Re: Joseph Smith - "He could do nothing save he was humble and faithful."

Pres. Monson: "Sincerely giving thanks unlocks the doors of heaven."

"Notice that the Savior gave thanks (when feeding the multitude) and a miracle followed."

Elder David A. Bednar: "Keeping the commandments and performing the holy habits of praying and reading scriptures are pre-requisities tto receiving the Holy Ghost."

Joshua 1:9 - "Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid..."

Elder Per Malm: "Beware of the things that can destroy from the inside out." (example of the hollow tree)

Elder Mervyn B. Arnold told a story of a cow that broke through a fence into a wheat field and died from eating too much and bloating. After so many attempts to keep the cow out of the field, and finding the cow dead, the boy cried out "You stupid cow!" (How many times have I felt that way in trying to prevent my kids from choosing wrong, and yet sometimes to no avail, it seems. I guess we all are stupid cows sometimes...)

Elder Russell M. Ballard: "It begins with prayer. Sincere, fervent and constant communication with the Creator. Fervent prayer is key to finding strength."

Philippians 4:13 (Paul) -"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

As always a great conference. These are messages of strength and guidance from some wonderful, earthly angels. Listen and live.

I Quit!

2010-09-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

I love these messages of how to be a good quitter, from "Winners Always Quit" by Lee J. Colan and David Cottrell.

Sometimes, in order to do the right thing, you have to quit doing the wrong thing:

Quit Taking a Ride . . . and Take the Wheel
"Be the change you want to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

- Be a driver, not a passenger. A Driver has the uncanny ability to deal successfully with the unexpected, the unusual, the extraordinary.
- Positively dealing with the unexpected by looking for solutions, not excuses, is the choice you need to make.

Quit Getting Comfortable . . . and Explore the Edge
"If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living."
- Gail Sheehy

Areas that are most significant to us, and where we have established our most comfortable and successful patterns, might hold the greatest danger when contemplating a change. Yet such areas are where the greatest potential benefits may lie, waiting to be discovered.

Quit Analyzing . . . and Follow Your Intuition
"The primary force is intuition. In that deep force, the last fact behind which analysis cannot go, all things find their origin." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

To make good decisions quickly and intuitively, you need to:
- Avoid obsessing over details,
- Be in tune with your surroundings, and
- Keep a clear focus on your objective.

Quit Managing Your Time . . . and Manage Your Attention
"Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention." - Greg Anderson

- Saying yes to one thing always means saying no to something else.
- Create laser-like clarity by saying no to low-priorities.
- Create a “stop doing” list.

Quit Showing Interest . . . and Commit
"The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor." - Vince Lombardi

- Action converts interest into commitment.
- The antidote to worry is purposeful action.
- People naturally gravitate to those who are committed to achieving a goal.
- Life’s rewards go to those who let their actions rise above their excuses.

Quit Moving . . . and Be Still
"Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen — that stillness becomes a radiance." — Morgan Freeman

- You need to carve out your own mental space in today’s hyperactive world.
- Listening to your inner thoughts is a good way to find out what you’re thinking.
- Getting into your mental space regularly can tell you a lot about how others see you as well, which has a lot to do with whether you will achieve your goals.

Quit Striving for Success . . . and Seek Significance
"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." — Albert Einstein

- Wise people know that true success, and life’s greatest satisfaction, lies in helping others. That is where significance is found.
- Look for ways to invest your 3 T’s — time, talent and treasure — in other people.
- Live in your sweet spot by answering: What am I absolutely passionate about? Which tasks am I really good at?

Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.

2010-09-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Good men always have great things to say. Martin Luther King was a very good man. Here's some of his best quotes:

There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.

True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.

Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated.

I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

I say to you that our goal is freedom, and I believe we are going to get there because however much she strays away from it, the goal of America is freedom.

Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.

I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.

We must combine the toughness of the serpent with the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.

The greatness of our God lies in the fact that He is both toughminded and tenderhearted.

Life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites in fruitful harmony…truth is found neither in the thesis nor the antithesis, but in the emergent synthesis which reconciles the two.

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.

There may be a conflict between softminded religionists and toughminded scientists, but not between science and religion. ... Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary.

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.

The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.

The time is always right to do what’s right.

I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves.

This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind.

When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I am not speaking of that force which is just emotional bosh. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality.

Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.

I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go.

I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.

When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.

We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. ... And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct. It is a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.

Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.

When people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.

Like any man, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Mental Feng Shui

2010-08-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Some great advice here, though I can't figure out how the spelling "Feng Shui" gets pronounced "fung shway". :)

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to . As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

Excerpts from "The Other Side of Heaven" by John H. Groberg

2010-08-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

I love the inspirational messages of this true life experience told by John Groberg. A real primer for how to survive the storms of life!

John's experience of survival begins here as he was thrown off a small motor boat into the stormy open sea:

As I flew through the air, I remember thinking, “This can’t be happening! This isn’t right!”

I remember the sensation of falling, falling, falling through hissing winds and stinging salt spray into the boiling cauldron of an angry sea…As I sank blow the water, I still seemed to be falling, down, down, deeper and deeper. The pressure was almost unbearable; my lungs seemed ready to burst. When would it end? And how?

For a moment I thought again, “This can’t be! This isn’t true! …this isn’t supposed to happen!" But it was true and I was there, and I knew I had better stop complaining and start swimming.

Even as those thoughts filled my mind, another giant wave roared over me and I sank again…As I rose above the surface the second time, I began to swim. It seemed almost useless as the unbridled fury of the sea threw me here and there and pulled and tugged me in every direction and appeared unsatisfied with anything short of tearing me to pieces.

I began to despair …and found myself once again underwater.

As I came to the surface the third time, swimming and actually staying above the water seemed more plausible. There was extra help and I was feeling it. I sensed that if I put forth all the effort I could, things would be all right.

I swam steadily. I knew I must not panic or swim too hard. Land was far away, and I needed to float as much as possible and swim hard only to keep above the surface. The squall was moving on, and I sensed that the waves were gradually lessening in intensity and that the wind was not quite as strong.

After a few hours of exhaustive swimming towards the closest island, John was able to take momentary rest on a rock just below the water's surface. He related that to the bit of support we all need:

We all need assurances from time to time, such as a word of encouragement, an expression of love and confidence, or a rock to stand on in the midst of a sea of trouble. All these things, if heard or felt even for a moment, give us courage to go on, to move forward.

Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms his child.

So often in life we think that because we have done things in a certain way, certain results should follow. But life is like the ocean. Sometimes we get caught in squalls and storms and things don’t go the way we think they should, even when we think we have done right. But God can find us in the eye of a storm and give us courage to swim in rough water. We learn lessons from storms that we cannot learn from calm seas.

“Know… that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7)

The Lord’s promise to us personally is that if we do what is right, He will give us peace no matter what the environment. I know that to be true. That peace may not come in the way we think or how, where, or when we think, but in the eternal scheme of things, it will come in the way best for us and we will yet praise His name for things we do not now understand.

When we find ourselves in these squalls or storms, we should remember we don’t have enough energy to complain and still keep our head above water. Our duty is to swim, not wonder or complain. We need to get to shore and must leave the reasons for the storm with the Lord. If all the effort we put into asking ‘why’ were used in swimming, a lot more of us, with His help, would reach shore.

If we sincerely try to do our duty, and work hard and are patient and prayerful, and, above all, have unrelenting faith in God, we can accomplish whatever He desires, for God always comes through.

Amen.

John Groberg Quotes From “The Fire of Faith”

2010-07-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

These quotes come from a great, inspiring book, written as a sequel to "The Other Side of Heaven", which was made into a movie. A lot of good stuff here.

Warning: These thoughts may cause spiritual stirrings of the heart. :)

PS- I had the opportunity today (8/5/10) to meet the author, Elder John Groberg, and his wife. That was huge for me since I have received much inspiration from this humble man's writings.

More than anything else we should be concerned about meekness, or our standing in God’s sight. If that standing is as it should be, nothing else matters. If it is not, nothing else counts.

Once a decision guided by the Spirit is reached you must not hesitate, but must move forward confidently with all your might.

I doubt there can be happy life without love, and the more honest the love the more fulfilling the life.

Quoting the simple truth: “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity”.

I didn’t want to be in such a hurry to “get things done” that I delayed getting the most important thing done – developing good, trusting, loving relationships with others.

One of the ways of experiencing joy is to be in a turbulent, painful situation, like a rough sea, and then finally have it end as you arrive and come to shore. Then absence of pain and turbulence is real joy.

Neither time nor place nor circumstance is of any consequence – only goodness of heart, pureness of purpose, strength of faith, and tenderness of love.

We teach and in turn are taught; we care for others and in turn are cared for; we love and in turn are loved; we forgive and in turn are forgiven.

Any inconvenience or sacrifice asked of us, if cheerfully given, is always repaid in ways we can not begin to comprehend.

I suppose one of the tests of our faith is to do what we know is right and not have things turn out the way we thought they would. It takes a lot of faith to know that whatever He makes of our feeble efforts is His business, not ours. I am sure that over time every ounce of obedience on our part is used in the best way possible by an all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-loving God.

After we are sure people understand what is expected of them, often our best help is to just leave them alone.

Greatness is sincerely loving others with all your heart.

Eternal beauty is ageless. Only mortal beauty fades. If all we see is mortal beauty, we really see nothing. However, if in mortality we can learn to see eternal beauty – the beauty of purity of character, the beauty of love, trust, and obedience to truth – then we see beauty that does not fade. Such beauty is not diminished with time, for where that beauty is, time is no more.

The fires of trial can consume as well as refine, but the choice is ours. Not the choice of what tests or trials will be thrust on us, but the choice of how we will react to them – the bright fire of faith or the darkness of despair.

Even though there were many problems to solve, the answers seemed clearer and simpler. They centered mostly on being more obedient, having more faith, and thinking of and serving others with more desire.

The only eternal satisfaction in life comes from understanding God’s goals for us, and then with His help, relentlessly and tirelessly pursuing and achieving those goals.

Spiritual success is an inward thing. It is knowing God’s will and doing all we can to achieve it. It is knowing that the Lord will do the rest when we have done our best. It is sincerity of purpose and honesty of effort that counts.

I wondered if anyone could truly enjoy such smoothness without having first experienced roughness. I became a little uneasy as I sensed the danger of actively seeking smoothness rather than letting it come in its own natural cycle.

If we have and assignment to help others find their way to safety, we had better let our lights shine so that others can see and be guided; we must never assume that our light doesn’t matter or that no one will be watching us. Often people need to see our light the most when we least feel like lighting it or when we feel no one will be looking for it.

What we know counts only to the degree of fervor with which we accept and act upon that knowledge.

When we understand the true power of love and faith and prayer, we will be amazed that we weren’t more aware of them and didn’t use them in better ways. They contain powers that cut through the apparent limitations of time and space and allow good to be accomplished and blessings to be given as needed.

I understood that God was pleased with past efforts. The countless voyages, the many storms, the challenges, the repetitions, the triumphs, the disasters, the good times and the tough times – all of these were important parts of a symphony He was creating.

God is the great composer and the great conductor. He orchestrates our life. If we will practice and learn our various parts, especially the deep ones – the ones that are repeated over and over again, the ones that often seem to have little meaning, the ones that at times seem boring, the ones that hold everything else together – He will make a beautiful symphony of it.

Sometimes we might think we are doing these things for others, that no one ever notices, or that our efforts are not important; but the fact is that in everything we do we are but practicing for our symphony. God has composed it and will masterfully conduct it, but we must play it.

Occasionally we may be given a solo part to play, which will be fun, even exciting, but mostly we will be asked to practice the repetitious drones of the basses until we get them just right, for until they are brought into proper tune, the rest – the solos, no matter how dazzling they may seem – cannot reach their full potential.

On Courage: by Rudy Guiliani

2010-06-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Courage doesn't simply materialize out of thin air. Courage begins years before, often in the early days of childhood, as we forge our character. Each choice we make either strengthens or weakens it. Ultimately, it is our character that forms the unshakable, unbreakable foundation for courage.

Seven character traits that courageous people share:

1. Integrity: Go to a Place Beyond Reproach.
The point [is] not to be honest by the barest of margins. [My parents urged] me to go far past that – to a place beyond reproach. They wanted me to value integrity so much that I would be willing to stand up and fight for it.

2. Determination: Stay Strong in Adversity.
Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It is the management of fear. Courage is being afraid but then doing what you have to do anyway.

3. Compassion and Love: Look Beyond Yourself.
Revealing your love and compassion doesn’t weaken your leadership. It makes it stronger. Love – not duty – is what makes a firefighter run into a flaming building to save someone he or she has never met.

4. Wisdom: Learn from Others Wiser Than Yourself.
Our experiences mold and shape our wisdom. However, we can save ourselves some pain by learning from the wisdom of others. King Solomon said, “Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor.”

Courageous people are lifelong learners and apply wisdom from the difficult situations they encounter.

5. Hope: Encourage Optimism.
In the depths of the Depression, during his first inaugural address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to converts retreat into advance.

Fear parlayzes. Hope mobilizes.

6. Composure: Don’t Let Emotion Override Wisdom.
The more emotional things get, the calmer you have to become to figure your way out. As the adage goes, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” If you worry or panic about the small, day-to-day events in your life, you won’t be prepared for the big ones.

7. Faith: Gain Strength from God.
Prayer and faith in God give us a strength that’s impossible to attain any other way. Perhaps that’s why most of us, when the chips are down, stop and pray for guidance and strength.

Choices and Character
No magic formula can completely prepare us for crises in life. However, each choice we make now will impact how we handle those crises in the future. Make your choices count. Dedicate time each day to developing your character. If you do, courage will be there when you need it most.

Quotes by Gordon B. Hinckley

2010-06-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.

Stop looking for the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.

Give expression to the noble desires that lie in your heart.

Forget yourself and get to work.

I am totally in the hands of the Lord.

Be believing, be happy, don't get discouraged. Things will work out.
A prominent judge was asked what we, as citizens of the countries of the world, could do to reduce crime and disobedience to law and to bring peace and contentment into our lives and into our nations. He thoughtfully replied, "I would suggest a return to the old-fashioned practice of family prayer.”

Our kindness may be the most persuasive argument for that which we believe.

If life gets too hard to stand, kneel.

Truly, my dear young friends, you are a chosen generation. I hope you will never forget it. I hope you will never take it for granted. I hope there will grow in your hearts an overpowering sense of gratitude to God, who has made it possible for you to come upon the earth in this marvelous season of the world's history.

Our lives are the only meaningful expression of what we believe and in Whom we believe. And the only real wealth, for any of us, lies in our faith.

Respect for self is the beginning of cultivating virtue in men and women.

You can be smart and happy or stupid and miserable. . . it's your choice.

Good books are as friends, willing to give to us if we are willing to make a little effort.

Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we'll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain.

Try a little harder to be a little better.

Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work. Believe in Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Redeemer, the Son of God, who came to earth and walked the dusty roads of Palestine-the Son of God-to teach us the way of truth and light and salvation, and who, in one great and glorious act offered an atonement for each of us. He opened the way of salvation and exaltation for each of us, under which we may go forward in the Church and kingdom of God. Be not faithless, but believe in the great and wonderful and marvelous blessings of the Atonement.

You have not failed until you quit trying.

True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one's companion.

Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.

Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.

Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble, be prayerful.

Mediocricy will never do. You are capable of something better.

Let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real. He is not only aware of us but cares for us. He is our Father. He is accessible to all who will seek Him.

Aim high, but do not aim so high that you totally miss the target. What really matters is that he will love you, that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you the freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy.

The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.

Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great purpose in heart.

The time has come for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers.

You can't plow a field simply by turning it over in your mind.

Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work.

God has brought us together as families to bring to pass His eternal purposes. We are part of this plan in this marriage relationship. let us love and respect and honor one another. We can do it, and we will be the better for it.

The willingness to forgive is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity. It is one of the great virtues to which we all should aspire. Imagine a world filled with individuals willing both to apologize and to accept an apology. Is there any problem that could not be solved among people who possessed the humility and largeness of spirit and soul to do either -- or both -- when needed?

It is both relaxing and invigorating to occasionally set aside the worries of life, seek the company of a friendly book...from the reading of 'good books' there comes a richness of life that can be obtained in no other way.

Be believing, be happy, don't get discouraged. Things will work out.

Love is the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is not found only at the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arched across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. How rich are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, and neighbors! Love, like faith, is a gift of God. It is also the most enduring and most powerful virtue.

Through all of living have much joy and laughter, life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.

It is not so much the major events as the small day-to-day decisions that map the course of our living. . . Our lives are, in reality, the sum total of our seemingly unimportant decisions and of our capacity to live by those decisions.

How sweet is the assurance, how comforting is the peace that come from the knowledge that if we marry right and live right, our relationship will continue, notwithstanding the certainty of death and the passage of time. Men may write love songs and sing them. They may yearn and hope and dream. But all of this will be only a romantic longing unless there is an exercise of authority that transcends the powers of time and death.

There are four pillars to a happy marriage: respect one another as individuals; give soft answers; practice financial honesty; conduct family prayer.

Do your best, and be a little better than you are.

When I say do your best, I mean your very best. You are capable of so much more.

Marriage in its truest sense, is a partnership of equals, with neither exercising dominion over the other, but, rather, with each encouraging and assisting the other in whatever responsibilities and aspirations he or she might have.

Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others.

You are doing the best you can, and that best results in good to yourself and to others. Do not nag yourself with a sense of failure. Get on your knees and ask for the blessings of the Lord;then stand on your feet and do what you are asked to do."

There is something wonderful about a book. We can pick it up. We can heft it. We can read it. We can set it down. We can think of what we have read. It does something for us. We can share great minds, great actions, and great undertakings in the pages of a book.

Things work out, it isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out, don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in him, if we will pray to him, if we will live worthy of his blessings, he will hear our prayers.

Wisdom on Managing Stress

2010-06-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

Do you realize that if you took the fear, worry, and anxiety out of every stressful situation in your life, the end result of that situation would still occur? You can panic and freak out all you want, but time will still pass and the end of that moment will still happen, whether you freak out or not. So why not choose something different? When do fear, worry, and anxiety ever really help a situation?

So what is stress? It's the inability to move through a situation logically, peacefully, positively, productively, and gracefully. To be stressed out takes lots of energy. Being stressed out can severely affect how well you'll sleep at night. Stress is when you assess blame and don't take responsibility. ("I'm stressed out because of____, and that's why I can't____.") Don't let stress be your scapegoat.

There's a story about 10 people in line at a bank when three armed robbers come flying in, screaming and yelling and pointing guns. They terrorize everyone and steal all their money. The moral of the story is that these 10 people will be affected by this experience in 10 different ways. The two extremes range from one having a wild story to tell at work the next day to another being severely traumatized for the rest of his or her life. Where would you fall in that spectrum?

There's a saying that there are three kinds of business: "God's business"—things that happen in this world that are out of my control; "their business"—the choices other people make based on their life experiences so far; and "my business"—the choices I make that shape my life. If I focus on what I have to do to make my life the best it can be, and NOT on God's and everyone else's business, I will have less stress, which in turn will give me the energy to live the life I've always wanted.

Don't waste your time on gossip, ridicule, envy, self-pity, anger, guilt, arrogance, need, impatience, regret, manipulation, jealousy, fear, worry, and anxiety, because they'll zap your energy and cause you stress!

Choose understanding, truth, clarity, patience, devotion, gratitude, vulnerability, acceptance, wisdom, hope, forgiveness, empathy, discipline, perseverance, community, and peace. Because if you do, you will gladly kiss stress goodbye and say hello to all the energy you'll need.

- Tony Horton

Rocky's Message to His Son

2010-05-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

I love this. It's a quote from the movie Rocky Balboa (2006).

There's a lot of truth here. As a father, I have tried to send this message on to my own kids, as well as try to absorb the full meaning of it in my own heart.

Quoting Rocky Balboa? Yep, truth and wisdom often comes from unlikely sources.

"Let me tell you something you already know.

The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.

Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"

HARRY POTTER QUOTES – The Wisdom of Albus Dumbledore

2010-05-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with caution.

It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.

Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!

It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.

Curiosity is not a sin.... But we should exercise caution with our curiosity... yes, indeed.

The consequences of our actions are so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.

Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.

We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.

Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.

Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young.

The Power

2010-05-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

I received this great inspirational message from a friend at the beginning of my mission, many years ago. It continues to inspire me. It is a message from Our Father in Heaven, letting us know we have the power to make ourselves as good as we desire.

Whether one believes in God or not, the message is still powerful.

The Power

I gave you the power to choose.

With this gift, I placed you even above my angels, for angels are not free to choose sin. I gave you complete control over your destiny. I told you to determine for yourself your own nature in accordance with your own free will.

You have the power to choose to degenerate into the lowest forms of life, or you also have the power to be reborn into the highest forms, which are divine.

I have never withdrawn your great power, the power to choose for yourself. What have you done with this tremendous gift? Think. Look at yourself. What choices have you made in your life that you would do differently, if only you had the opportunity to choose again?

But what is past is past. The sun cannot rise where it sets, and the milk that was spilt is sour. Use wisely your power of choice.

Choose to love, rather than hate.
Choose to laugh, rather than cry.
Choose to create, rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere, rather than quit.
Choose to praise rather than wound.
Choose to give, rather than steal.
Choose to grow, rather than rot.
Choose to pray, rather than curse.
Choose to live, rather than die.

Know that your misfortunes are not my will, for all power is vested in you! The accumulation of thoughts and deeds which have brought you to this point in life are all your own doing, not mine!

You are capable of great wonders. Your potential is unlimited. You are more than a human being, you are a human becoming. Never settle for the crumbs of life. Never hide your talents, from this day hence. You have been “born again”.

But just as before, you can choose failure and despair, or happiness and success. I can only watch – in pride – or sorrow.

This day, you have been notified.