What An Astonishing Thing A Book Is

Eight Cardinal Virtues to Live By - George Washington Carver

 

Be clean both inside and out.

Neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor.

Lose, if need be, without squealing.

Win without bragging.

Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.

Be too brave to lie.

Be too generous to cheat.

Take your share of the world and let others take theirs.

 

 

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these."

 

- G.W. Carver

 

 

 

 

Live Your Dream - It's Never Too Late by Prince Ea

Christmas Presents: Being Grateful

Try Traveling Light

Somewhere between the first step on the floor and the last step out the door, you grabbed some luggage.

You stepped over to the baggage carousel and loaded up. Don't remember doing so? That's because you did it without thinking. Don't remember seeing a baggage terminal? That's because the carousel is not the one in the airport; it's the one in the mind. And the bags we grab are not made of leather; they're made of burdens.

The suitcase of guilt. A sack of discontent. You drape a duffel bag of weariness on one shoulder and a hanging bag of grief on the other. Add on a backpack of doubt, an overnight bag of loneliness, and a trunk of fear. Pretty soon you're pulling more stuff than a skycap. No wonder you're so tired at the end of the day.

Lugging luggage is exhausting.

Traveling light means trusting God with the burdens you were never intended to bear. Why don't you try traveling light?

- Max Lucado

10 Tough Lessons That Make You A Better Person

Advice on Experiencing Grief

An old man’s advice to a woman experiencing grief from the loss of her friend:  

“Alright, here goes. I’m old. What that means is that I’ve survived (so far) and a lot of people I’ve known and loved did not. I’ve lost friends, best friends, acquaintances, co-workers, grandparents, mom, relatives, teachers, mentors, students, neighbors, and a host of other folks. I have no children, and I can’t imagine the pain it must be to lose a child. But here’s my two cents.

I wish I could say you get used to people dying. I never did. I don’t want to. It tears a hole through me whenever somebody I love dies, no matter the circumstances. But I don’t want it to ‘not matter.’ I don’t want it to be something that just passes. My scars are a testament to the love and the relationship that I had for and with that person. And if the scar is deep, so was the love. So be it.

Scars are a testament to life. Scars are a testament that I can love deeply and live deeply and be cut, or even gouged, and that I can heal and continue to live and continue to love. And the scar tissue is stronger than the original flesh ever was. Scars are a testament to life. Scars are only ugly to people who can’t see.

As for grief, you’ll find it comes in waves. When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. And all you can do is float. You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it’s some physical thing. Maybe it’s a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it’s a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float. Stay alive.

In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don’t even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float. After a while, maybe weeks, maybe months, you’ll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out.

But in between, you can breathe, you can function. You never know what’s going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, a street intersection, the smell of a cup of coffee. It can be just about anything…and the wave comes crashing. But in between waves, there is life.

Somewhere down the line, and it’s different for everybody, you find that the waves are only 80 feet tall. Or 50 feet tall. And while they still come, they come further apart. You can see them coming. An anniversary, a birthday, or Christmas, or landing at O’Hare. You can see it coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself.

And when it washes over you, you know that somehow you will, again, come out the other side. Soaking wet, sputtering, still hanging on to some tiny piece of the wreckage, but you’ll come out.

Take it from an old guy. The waves never stop coming, and somehow you don’t really want them to. But you learn that you’ll survive them. And other waves will come. And you’ll survive them too. If you’re lucky, you’ll have lots of scars from lots of loves. And lots of shipwrecks.”

Make Your Own Value

Tough Truths About Life No One Wants to Admit

The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard - Excerpts

THE DECLARATION OF PERSONAL POWER:

Why, having been endowed with the courageous heart of a lion, do we live as mice?
When will we be ready to ascend to another level of existence?
WE SHALL MEET LIFE WITH FULL PRESENCE AND POWER.

A life of greater joy, power, and satisfaction awaits those who consciously design their life.
WE SHALL RECLAIM OUR AGENDA.

Our destiny is decided by how well we know our demons of Doubt and Delay, how well we defend against them, and how many battles we win against them each day of our lives.
WE SHALL DEFEAT OUR DEMONS.

Courage is a choice, and... permission to move forward with boldness is never given by the fearful masses.
Seeking change always requires a touch of insanity.
Bold and disciplined initiative is our savior; it allows us to rise, to leap to soar to the heights of true greatness.
WE SHALL ADVANCE WITH ABANDON.

Our supreme duty must be to rekindle the magic of life.
WE SHALL PRACTICE JOY AND GRATITUDE.

Freedom and victory belong to those who remain true and strong despite temptation.
WE SHALL NOT BREAK OUR INTEGRITY.

But hurt has nothing to do with love, and love is unaffiliated with and unaffected by pain.  Ego was hurt, not love.
We must mature and realize that freeing our mind of ancient hurts and opening once more to love shall give us access to divine strength.  To stand emotionally open before the world and give our hearts without fear of hurt or demand of reciprocity - this is the ultimate act of human courage.
WE SHALL AMPLIFY LOVE.

So many people are afraid to demand more - to dare, as have the great leaders of the past, to incite the directionless with bold challenges to rise and contribute. We must do better.
WE SHALL INSPIRE GREATNESS.

Many can only vaguely remember the last time they laughed so hard it hurt, loved so much it led to a beautiful flood., cheered so loudly it strained the vocal chords, felt so deeply it caused a showering of tears, had such a raucously good time that it became legend - moments fully lived. 
WE SHALL SLOW TIME.

Much of the negative energy that pervades our lives comes from despising the inevitable hardhsips of change.

Humanity's story has ony two perennially recurring themes: struggle and progress. We mustn't wish the end of the former, as the latter would be buried alongside it.

Only two things can change our lives: either something new comes into our lives, or something new comes from within. Let us not hope for mere chance to change our story; let us summon the courage to change it ourselves.

ON FREEDOM:
"I want freedom for the full expression of my personality" - Mahatma Gandhi

All things that make life worthwhile to great men and women - the pursuit of happiness, challenge, progress, creative expression, contribution, hard-won wisdom, and enlightenment - derive from our wanting to ascend higher to higher levels of being and giving.

We will always need to work toward self-mastery and social prowess so that we can authentically express who we are and joyously seek what we desire of life.

SOCIAL OPPRESSIONS:
Some of us can remember dramatic times when...we gave away pieces of our integrity in order to get along with others.

Yet the sense of security people get from conformity cannot be understated.

But what if we chase all that and believe in all that and then one day awake to find those things aren't what matters most?

How many have given up their dreams in order to follow a more secure and profitable and socially accepted path?

We can quickly lose ourselves in others and in our culture.

This is the ultimate misery: living a life that is not our own.

We can be individually free but not entirely apart from our culture and those we love.

The more we are true to ourselves, the more we can connect with and contribute to the world.

SELF-OPPRESSIONS:
It is an inside job, a burdening of our spirit by incessant doubt, worry, fear, and distraction.

It is our own inept thinking, our own bad habits that rip the vibrancy from life.

Quotes by Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who spent 27 years as a political prisoner in South Africa before becoming President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalized racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997.

Quotes:

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.

I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

The greatest glory in living is not in falling, but in rising every time we fall.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.

There is no passion to be found playing small in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

And if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to helping others without expecting anything in return.

What counts is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you have altered.

Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward.

We commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just, and lasting peace.

I never lose. I either win or learn.

Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.

It is what we make out of what we have given, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.

Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely day dreaming, but vision with action can change the world.

If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important, and you do that by being genuine and humble.

Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.

When people are determined they can overcome anything.

Forget the past.

We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.

There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere.

People respond in accordance to how you treat them.

To deny people their human rights is to deny their very humanity.

Give a child love, laughter and peace.

I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.

Quotes by Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. Among his novels are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the latter often called "The Great American Novel".

Quotes:

If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

The lack of money is the root of all evil.

A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.

Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (pause and reflect).

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.

Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.

Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.

Lying is a lot harder than telling the truth in the end.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn't.

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.

History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.

All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.

Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.

The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

Let us endeavor so to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.

 

Quotes by Dag Hammarskjöld

Dag Hammarskjöld was a Swedish economist and diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations. Hammarskjöld was the youngest person to have held the post, at an age of 47 years upon his appointment. His second term was cut short when he was killed in an airplane crash while en route to cease-fire negotiations during the Congo Crisis. He is one of only four people to be awarded a posthumous Nobel Prize.

Hammarskjöld has been referred to as one of the two best secretaries-general of the United Nations, and his appointment has been mentioned as the most notable success for the UN. United States President John F. Kennedy called Hammarskjöld "the greatest statesman of our century."

Quotes:

Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions.

You wake from dreams of doom and--for a moment--you know: beyond all the noise and the gestures, the only real thing, love's calm unwavering flame in the half-light of an early dawn.

For all that has been, Thank you. For all that is to come, Yes!

Friendship needs no words - it is solitude delivered from the anguish of loneliness.

Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who 'forgives' you--out of love--takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice. The price you must pay for your own liberation through another's sacrifice is that you in turn must be willing to liberate in the same way, irrespective of the consequences to yourself.

Forgiveness is the answer to the child’s dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again.

The longest journey is the journey inward.

Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.

Life only demands from you the strength you possess.

He who wants to keep his garden tidy does not reserve a plot for weeds.

It is when we all play safe that we create a world of utmost insecurity.

Is life so wretched? Isn't it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is muddled? You are the one who must grow up.

Never measure the height of a mountain, until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.

God does not die on the day when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illumined by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder the source of which is beyond all reason.

Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road.

Like wind-- In it, with it, of it. Of it just like a sail, so light and strong that, even when it is bent flat, it gathers all the power of the wind without hampering its course. Like light-- In light, lit through by light, transformed into light. Like the lens which disappears in the light it focuses. Like wind. Like light.

The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you, the better you will hear what is sounding outside.

No peace which is not peace for all, no rest until all has been fulfilled.

I am the vessel. The draft is God's. And God is the thirsty one.

Quotes by Björn Borg

Björn Borg is a Swedish former world No. 1 tennis player widely considered to be one of the greatest in the history of the sport.  Between 1974 and 1981 he became the first man in the Open Era to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles (six at the French Open and five consecutive at Wimbledon). He also won three year-end championships and 15 Grand Prix Super Series titles. Overall, he set numerous records that still stand.

Quotes:

If you're afraid of losing, then you daren't win.

You have to find it. No one else can find it for you.

My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.

I wanted to win, even in practice.

I had a great tennis career. I have no regrets. But to find peace with yourself, and to finally be with your family - I'm probably the happiest guy in the world.

Quotes by Thor Heyerdahl

Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in zoology, botany, and geography. He became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000 km (5,000 mi) across the Pacific Ocean in a hand-built raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. The expedition was designed to demonstrate that ancient people could have made long sea voyages, creating contacts between separate cultures. Heyerdahl also proposed that Azerbaijan was the site of an ancient advanced civilization. He believed that natives migrated north through waterways to present-day Scandinavia. He was appointed a government scholar in 1984.

Quotes:

Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.

Some people believe in fate, others don’t. I do, and I don’t. It may seem at times as if invisible fingers move us about like puppets on strings. But for sure, we are not born to be dragged along. We can grab the strings ourselves and adjust our course at every crossroad, or take off at any little trail into the unknown.

Agreement and acceptance rarely stimulate experiments and progress.

Pearls rarely turn up in oysters served to you on a plate; you have to dive for them.

Then we heard, rather faintly, in the receiver: “If all’s well, why worry?"

In my experience, it is rarer to find a really happy person in a circle of millionaires than among vagabonds.

One learns more from listening than speaking. And both the wind and the people who continue to live close to nature still have much to tell us which we cannot hear within university walls.

It is also rarer to find happiness in a man surrounded by the miracles of technology than among people living in the desert of the jungle and who by the standards set by our society would be considered destitute and out of touch.

Circumstances cause us to act the way we do. We should always bear this in mind before judging the actions of others.

It says in the Bible, in plain words, that God made a self-portrait. He created man in His own image - man and woman - for God is Love. Why should we start thinking of a god up in the clouds with wings, if He dwells within us in the spirit of Love?!

A civilized nation can have no enemies, and one cannot draw a line across a map, a line that doesn't even exist in nature and say that the ugly enemy lives on the one side, and good friends live on the other.

I was in uniform for four years, and I know that heroism doesn't occur from taking orders, but rather from people who through their own willpower and strength are willing to sacrifice their lives for an idea.

I have never been able to grasp the meaning of time. I don't believe it exists. I've felt this again and again, when alone and out in nature. On such occasions, time does not exist. Nor does the future exist.

To dream the impossible dream

In the musical "Man of La Mancha", the character Cervantes tells the inspiring story of a man that he impersonates, striving to do and be much more than he is, to make the world a better place:

"His name is Alonso Quijana, a country squire no longer young. Being retired, he has much time for books. He studies them from morn till night and often through the night and morn again, and all he reads oppresses him; fills him with indignation at man's murderous ways toward man. He ponders the problem of how to make better a world where evil brings profit and virtue none at all; where fraud and deceit are mingled with truth and sincerity. He broods and broods and broods and broods and finally his brains dry up. He lays down the melancholy burden of sanity and conceives the strangest project ever imagined.... to become a knight-errant, and sally forth into the world in search of adventures; to mount a crusade; to raise up the weak and those in need. No longer will he be plain Alonso Quijana, but a dauntless knight known as Don Quixote de La Mancha.

I am Don Quixote! The Man of La Mancha!
I come in a world of iron to make a world of gold.
The mission of each true knight, his duty — nay — his privilege…
      To dream the impossible dream
      To fight the unbeatable foe
      To bear with unbearable sorrow
      To run where the brave dare not go     
      To right the unrightable wrong
      To love pure and chaste from afar
      To try when your arms are too weary
      To reach the unreachable star
      This is my quest
      To follow that star
      No matter how hopeless
      No matter how far
      To fight for the right
      Without question or pause
      To be willing to march into Hell
      For a heavenly cause
      And I know if I'll only be true
      To this glorious quest
      That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
      When I'm laid to my rest
      And the world will be better for this
      That one man, scorned and covered with scars
      Still strove with his last ounce of courage
      To reach the unreachable star!"

             - from "Man of La Mancha", music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion

See more dream quotes at:
Quotes on Dreams and Aspiring

Anthony Bourdain’s Best Travel Quotes

If you know me, you know I love to travel...

Here are 10 of Anthony Bourdain’s Best Travel Quotes:

Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks — on your body or on your heart — are beautiful. Often though, they hurt. 

If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel — as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them — wherever you go. 

I wanted adventures. I wanted to go up the Nung river to the heart of darkness in Cambodia. I wanted to ride out into a desert on camelback, sand and dunes in every direction, eat whole roasted lamb with my fingers. I wanted to kick snow off my boots in a Mafiya nightclub in Russia. I wanted to play with automatic weapons in Phnom Penh, recapture the past in a small oyster village in France, step into a seedy neon-lit pulqueria in rural Mexico. I wanted to run roadblocks in the middle of the night, blowing past angry militia with a handful of hurled Marlboro packs, experience fear, excitement, wonder. I wanted kicks – the kind of melodramatic thrills and chills I’d yearned for since childhood, the kind of adventure I’d found as a little boy in the pages of my Tintin comic books. I wanted to see the world – and I wanted the world to be just like the movies. 

There’s almost never a good reason to eat on a plane. You’ll never feel better after airplane food than before it. I don’t understand people who will accept every single meal on a long flight. I’m convinced it’s about breaking up the boredom. You’re much better off avoiding it. Much better to show up in a new place and be hungry and eat at even a little street stall than arrive gassy and bloated, full, flatulent, hungover. So I just avoid airplane food. It’s in no way helpful. 

If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch. Move. 

It’s an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you’ve been and what's happened. In the end, you’re just happy you were there- with your eyes open- and lived to see it. 

It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn. Maybe that’s enlightenment enough – to know that there is no final resting place of the mind, no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom, at least for me, means realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go. 

I think food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable. 

The journey is part of the experience – an expression of the seriousness of one’s intent. One doesn’t take the A train to Mecca. 

When I’m in a city that’s new to me, I try to go to the central market very early in my trip. I’ll go at 6 a.m., when people are shopping for businesses. You get to see what people buy and really eat.

 For more quotes on travel, see: Travel Quotes

Priceless Stones

You Must Let Go to Grow

Trees grow up through their branches, down through their roots and grow wider with each passing year. As growth occurs, trees eventually shed their protective bark to make way for growth. Humans are the same way.

Just as trees need bark as a protective shield while growth occurs, we as humans need boundaries to defend our vulnerabilities as our potential unfolds… but our ongoing growth depends on our ability to shed this “bark” of protection when it is no longer needed. In some cases, an inability to shed this bark will constrict our ability to realize our full potential.

But unlike trees, which shed their bark automatically, we have to determine the right time to adjust our boundaries, to “shed” these protective devices in order to create the space we need to reach the next level. As my friend Byrd Baggett says, “You must let go to grow.”

Letting go of old habits isn’t easy. We must periodically take the time to question our boundaries and to ask ourselves if it is time to soften our defenses and expand these boundaries or do we continue to need this protection.

That said, the forces for the status quo are great. Initiating our own changes is definitely easier said than done. The following historical quotes help illustrate the forces of resistance that still abound today. All of these people said it couldn’t be done:

·         “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”   – Charles H. Duell, Director of the U.S. Patent Office, 1899

·          “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” – Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895

·         “Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.” – Grover Cleveland, U.S. President, 1905

·         “Babe Ruth made a mistake when he gave up pitching.” – Tris Speaker, baseball player, 1921

·         “There is no likelihood that man can ever tap the power of the atom.” – Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize winner, Physics, 1927

·         “Who in the world wants to hear actors talk?”  – Harry Warner, Warner Brothers Pictures, 1927

It’s up to each of us to define our own future and turn a deaf ear to doubt casters, just as those change agents did who ultimately made the above statements humorous and absurd.

Seize the moment to change… and excel.

- Lee J. Colan

One

Getting the best from yourself and others all starts with…              One Thought                                     One Word                                                             One Action. Contrary to the lyrics from a classic Three Dog Night song, one is not the loneliest number.  It’s the most important one!   Your thoughts, words and actions are like individual notes that work in concert to create the power of one person – YOU – to make a difference.  You can harness your power of one if you simply: catch one negative thought and turn it into a positive one, think of one thing for which you are grateful at the beginning of each day, say one “Fantastic!” when a friend asks how you are doing, assume the best in one upcoming situation, keep on moving when you experience adversity, help a friend or colleague during a time when you need help. A single act does make a difference… it creates a ripple effect that can be felt many miles and people away.

Sisu: How to Develop Mental Toughness in the Face of Adversity - James Clear

Without warning, Soviet Union planes came roaring over the city of Helsinki, Finland on November 30, 1939. Finland was about to receive a violent shove into World War II.

The Soviets dropped more than 350 bombs during the raid. Innocent civilians died. Entire buildings were turned to dust. And it was just the beginning. Three hours before the air strike, more than 450,000 Soviet soldiers began marching across the Finnish border. The Soviet soldiers outnumbered the Finnish army almost 3-to-1. That wasn't the worst of it. The Soviets also commanded more than 6,000 armored tanks and almost 4,000 aircraft. Finland, meanwhile, had just 32 tanks and 114 aircraft.

It was the beginning of what became known as the Winter War. For the Finns, there was no question whether some of them would die. The question was whether any of them would survive.

The Winter War
The winter was brutal that year. In January, temperatures dropped to 40 degrees below zero. Furthermore, at that time of the year and with Finland being located so far north, the soldiers were surrounded by darkness for almost 18 hours per day. Vastly outnumbered, fighting in a brutally cold darkness, and facing near certain death, the Finnish soldiers relied on a concept that has been part of Finnish culture for hundreds of years: Sisu.

Sisu is a word that has no direct translation, but it refers to the idea of continuing to act even in the face of repeated failures and extreme odds. It is a way of living life by displaying perseverance even when you have reached the end of your mental and physical capacities. During the Winter War, the extreme mental toughness of Sisu was all the Finnish soldiers could rely on.

The Finns would suffer more than 70,000 casualties during the Winter War. But that number would pale in comparison to the 323,000 Soviet casualties during that same time. By the end of winter, the Soviets had seen enough. The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed in March 1940. In total, the Soviets had attacked with over 900,000 soldiers during the Winter War. By the end, 300,000 Finns had managed to fight them to a standstill.

Sisu
Emilia Lahti, a PhD candidate at Aalto University in Helsinki and former student of Angela Duckworth at University of Pennsylvania, studies the concept of Sisu and how it applies to our lives. According to Lahti, "Sisu is the concept of taking action in the face of significant adversity or challenge. It is not so much about achievement as it is about facing your challenges with valor and determination." She goes on to say, "Sisu provides the final empowering push, when we would otherwise hesitate to act."

In many ways, Sisu is similar to grit, which has been shown to be one of the best predictors of success in the real world. For example, Angela Duckworth's research on grit has shown that...

• West Point cadets who scored highest on the Grit Test were 60% more likely to succeed than their peers.

• Ivy League undergraduate students who had more grit also had higher GPAs than their peers - even though they had lower SAT scores and weren't as "smart."

• When comparing two people who are the same age but have different levels of education, grit (and not intelligence) more accurately predicts which one will be better educated.

• Competitors in the National Spelling Bee outperform their peers not because of IQ, but because of their grit and commitment to more consistent practice.

But Sisu runs even deeper than grit. It is a type of mental toughness that allows you to bear the burden of your responsibilities, whatever they happen to be, with a will and perseverance that is unbreakable. It is the ability to sustain your action and fight against extreme odds. Sisu extends beyond perseverance. It is what you rely on when you feel like you have nothing left.

Failure is an Event, Not an Identity
Joshua Waitzkin, a martial arts competitor and champion chess player, says, "At a high level of competition, success often hinges on who determines the field and tone of battle." It is your mental toughness -your Sisu- that determines the tone of battle.

Most people let their battles define them. They see failure as an indication of who they are. Mentally tough people let their perseverance define them. They see failure as an event. Failure is something that happens to a person, not who a person is. This attitude is what helped carry the Finnish soldiers through the Winter War. Even when surrounded by failure, by death, and by insurmountable odds, their Sisu did not let the soldiers see themselves as failures.

We will all face moments when our physical and mental resources feel tapped out. There will always be times when we are hammered with failure after failure and are called to find a fire within. And perhaps even more frequently, there will be many moments when we want to achieve something, but it feels as if we face incredibly long odds. In those moments, you have to call on your Sisu.

• When you start a business even though you have nobody to look to for guidance. Sisu.

• When you are two miles from finishing your race and it feels as if you can't make it another step. Sisu.

• When you are running on fumes and bleary eyed from caring for your young children, but still need to find the strength to nail your presentation at work. Sisu.

• When you step under the bar and prepare to squat a weight that you have never tried before. Sisu.

• When you're in the middle of a season slump that never seems to end. Sisu.

• When you feel as if you have tried everything you can to achieve your goal and still you haven't made it. Sisu.

We all experience failure, but mentally tough people realize that failure is an event, not their identity. Sisu.


from James Clear - Sisu: Mental Toughness

Obstacles: Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones?

"For a long time it seemed to me that real life was about to begin, but there was always some obstacle in the way. 

Something had to be got through first, some unfinished business; time still to be served, a debt to be paid. 

Then life would begin. 

At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

- Bette Howland


This really made me think. Do I sometimes grumble over obstacles that seem to be in my way for achieving a happy life, when in reality they are stepping stones for growth and meant to be there as part of my life?

Do you, like me sometimes scream at the obstacle in front of you, as if to say "Get out of my way, you helpful stepping stone, you!"

Hmm. Something to think about.


For more great quotes on obstacles, see Obstacles Quotes

A Tale of Two Seas

How To Deal With Stress Like A Lobster

Do it! Take A Chance! Make A Difference!

Having the world's best idea will do you no good unless you act on it. People who want milk shouldn't sit on a stool in the middle of a field in hopes that a cow will back up to them. — Curtis Grant

Don't wait. The time will never be just right. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along. — Napoleon Hill

One of the marks of successful people is that they are action-oriented. One of the marks of average people is that they are talk-oriented. —Brian Tracy

Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is. — Will Rogers

Everyone who has ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference. — Nolan Bushnell

Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do a dare. The "sure-thing" boat never gets far from shore. — Dale Carnegie

Watch your thoughts

Watch your thoughts;

            They become your words.

Watch your words;

            They become your actions.

Watch your actions;

            They become your habits.

Watch your habits;

            They become your character.

Watch your character;

            It becomes your destiny


by Frank Outlaw

Aloha: The Joyful Sharing of Life Energy

Aloha!

It's no secret that I love Hawai'i and everything about the people, the culture, and the paradise of a land that it is. But what would it all be without the Spirit of Aloha?

Just another bunch of pretty islands.

In Hawai'i there is a very palpable feeling of aloha. Not all people feel or exude it. But for those who open their hearts to it, it is real. Some have compared it to the Spirit of God. Excellent comparison. But in an earthly sense, there is much more definition and feeling to it.

Below is an excellent review of what Aloha means. If only we all could sense and share this powerful, loving life energy.

THE DEEPER MEANING OF ALOHA
by Curby Rule

For those who follow the path of Huna, or are fortunate enough to live in Hawai'i, it is common for us to use the word Aloha. We use it in greetings and farewells and in expressing love. But the word means even more, it is a way of life.

Besides these common meanings, the word Aloha holds within itself all one needs to know to interact rightfully in the natural world. These insights describe an attitude or way of life sometimes called "The Aloha Spirit" or "The Way of Aloha".

The spirit of Aloha was an important lesson taught to the children of the past because it was about the world of which they were a part. One early teaching goes like this:

Aloha is being a part of all, and all being a part of me. When there is pain - it is my pain. When there is joy - it is also mine. I respect all that is as part of the Creator and part of me. I will not willfully harm anyone or anything. When food is needed I will take only my need and explain why it is being taken. The earth, the sky, the sea are mine to care for, to cherish and to protect. This is Hawaiian - this is Aloha!

As the child grew, the need for a fundamental code of ethics was taught. This code is found within a deeper layer of the meaning of the word Aloha. The code is derived from one of the acronymic meanings of Aloha.

A, ala, watchful, alertness
L, lokahi, working with unity
O, oia'i'o, truthful honesty
H, ha'aha'a, humility
A, ahonui, patient perseverance

The kahuna David Bray interprets this code as "Come forward, be in unity and harmony with your real self, God, and mankind. Be honest, truthful, patient, kind to all life forms, and humble." He also stated that to the Hawaiian of old, Aloha meant "God in us."

So far, within Aloha, we have found an explanation of our place in the world and a code of ethics to help us with our interactions in the world. The only thing we are missing is our "prime directive" while we are here, and that too can be found within the root words that make up Aloha.

alo, 1. sharing 2. in the present
oha, joyous affection, joy
ha, life energy, life, breath

Using Hawaiian language grammatical rules, we will translate this literally as "The joyful sharing of life energy in the present" or simply "Joyfully sharing life".

But another layer of meaning can be found by factoring in the meanings of the roots words in aloha. "A" means "to burn" (figuratively, to sparkle) and it is also the name of mold found in souring foods. "Lo" is short for lo'o and loa'a which mean "to obtain or procure". Together these indicate a transformation of energy (burning, sparkling, souring food), a product of an energy transformation (the mold), and an effort to get or obtain something. To me this sounds exactly like consciously manifesting or creating. This brings us to another translation of Aloha. "To consciously manifest life joyously in the present." This is our prime directive.

Another translation of Aloha gives us the a prime method of acquiring the Mana or spiritual influence, to use in manifesting. Breathing in the present moment. Awareness of your breath and correct normal breathing increases Mana and concentrated breathing increases mana even more.

I have always had a Big Cosmic Question about our existence, which is much easier to contemplate when broken down into smaller parts. The parts are Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Aloha has answered three of these, so far. Who, of course is you and I. What, is the conscious creation of your Reality. When, is Now, the Present Moment, that place between past and future, which is the only place Reality exists. The answer to Where, is Nature. The answer to Why, is because we are here to cherish, protect and take care of this being we live upon, the Earth.

The Hawaiians have no word for "nature" as in the sense of "being outside in nature", but they do have a word for "world" or "Earth". The word is honua and it also means "background" or "foundation". The ancient Hawaiians did not view nature as being something separate from themselves because nature was their reality. So, Where is in Nature, the foundation of our physical world.

To find the answer to Why, we must look deeper.

If we look at the root words in honua we find the word ho'o-nu a. Some of the meanings of this word are: 1. to give generously and continuously; 2. to indulge as a child; and 3. surging, rising in swells, as the sea. So, a deeper meaning of honua is that the foundation of our physical reality, Nature, is continuously and generously giving to satisfy our needs and fulfill our wishes. But here is also a meaning of give and take. Just as the rising swells of the sea recede to gain renewed energy, Nature must also "recede" to renew Itself and give strength to the foundation of our reality. So, just as Nature gives of itself to us, we must give of ourselves back to Nature.

This truth can be found in one the tellings of the creation story about Papa and Wakea, the prime Earth Mother and Sky Father.

"From the first union of Papa and Wakea, comes a male child who is born prematurely. The child is dead at birth and is buried. From his body grows a shoot that Wakea names Haloa. This shoot becomes the first taro plant. The next male child to be born is also named Haloa in honor of his dead sibling and he becomes the prime ancestor of mankind".

Let me explain the meanings behind this story.

Haloa means "long, waving stem". This first taro plant represents a staple of the Polynesian diet, but also all plants that grow on this earth. Haloa, also means "long breath" and on an esoteric level, "everlasting cycle." The life and death cycle of plants sustain all creatures, including us. Plants are a source of food and medicine, and they produce the oxygen we breathe. The first human is named Haloa in honor of these plants and to remind us to honor and tend the "everlasting cycle." The gift of life passes from a human to the plants and then back to humanity.

This story tells us that the quality of our existence is ultimately tied to Nature. Nature's continuous transformative cycles of water, air and growth are necessary for existence. Nature is an embodiment of the meaning of Aloha, and vice versa. It is no coincidence that Aloha and Haloa are re-spellings of each other. It is in Nature that we can discover the wonder of our existence here on Earth. Where else but in Nature is the spirit of Aloha easier to experience? Its beauty is awe-inspiring and energizing and draws you into the present moment, not unlike the feelings brought on by love and joy.

Nature is also where we can gain the wisdom to make responsible choices if we approach with Aloha in our heart. With an attitude of Aloha we can gain from the wisdom of the wind and the wisdom of the water and the wisdom of the soil and the wisdom of the trees and learn from the truths and revelations presented by the non-human community.

So, we've seen that Aloha is indeed a way of life, an attitude and it even contains guidelines to help us in our lives. It is most definitely a "word to the wise."

In closing, I'd like to bring to mind another old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" and point out that Aloha is a perfect example that in the Hawaiian language sometimes the opposite of this saying is true as well. So, the next time you greet a friend with "Aloha," hold its meanings close to your heart and think of the picture you're painting. 

It is indeed a beautiful world.