Quote of the day:
“You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” –Author Unknown Reflection: When an elephant is born into captivity, the owner ties the animal to a tree or post with a thick chain to prevent the 250-pound infant from escaping. During the first few weeks of his life, the small elephant tests the chain that binds him, again and again, in an attempt to free himself and wander as his nature urges him to do. His efforts, however, are no match for steel links. Over the course of a few weeks, he eventually learns that his resources are no match for the hardiness of the chain. He gives up any further attempts to free himself, and thus relegates himself to a life within a small circle. As an adult elephant conditioned by a past experience, he can now be tethered to a small tree with the thinnest of ropes or, in some cases, no rope at all. He makes no attempts to wander because he carries with him, for life, the belief that he does not possess the power to break the ties that bind him. The adult elephant could easily snap the rope or uproot the tree to which it is attached, but he makes no such effort, because early in life, he was taught that true freedom was not available to him. For the remainder of his life, he is tame and nothing like the captivating, powerful creature he was born to be. Do you feel your life has been shackled by what you have been conditioned to believe? Break free from your limiting beliefs and live your full potential.
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A quote a day helps you remember what’s important.
Here are this week’s quotes on giving.
Quote of the day:
“Never bear more than one trouble at a time. Some people bear three kinds—all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have.” —Edward Everett Hale Reflection: If we could learn the lesson “live without worry” we will have mastered life, and thus will be a ready to live more productively and effectively. I read somewhere that the electro-dynamo is almost perfect in its conservation of energy. Ninety-five percent of the energy force it generates is utilized going into light or power. Only five percent is wasted. If we could learn to live as such, so that only five percent of our energy is expended in friction or needless wasted energy, we will have learned indeed, in one sense at least, to make the most of our life. Many of us have not learned to live in this economical way. We often waste energy in anxious care when what we ought to focus our energy towards is to lighten the world with peace, or helping to strengthen others. Nothing wastes life's energies more rapidly and more needlessly, than worry. Take a lesson from the electro-dynamo and use your energy on more productive things than worry. Quote of the day:
"In every tear a rainbow hides, but only when the sunshine falls upon the crystal drop is the splendor revealed.” — J.R. Miller Reflection: Many of us find ourselves living in uncongenial conditions in which we must stay, at least for the time being but, whatever the circumstances, we can live an honorable life. It makes no difference what situation we find ourselves in; there is always room to grow. Restraints, when used correctly, only help to make our life more earnest and beautiful. Just like musical string instruments, it is because the strings are tied at both ends, and must vibrate in limited measure of distance, that music comes forth. Cut the string(s), and let it fly loose, and it no longer gives out musical notes. The melody depends upon the restraints. So it is with many human lives; they become capable of giving out sweet notes, only when they are compelled to move in restraint such as misfortune, adversity, or sorrow. The very difficulty in our situation is what brings out the best qualities in us, and produces the finest results in character and achievement. Remember this, and make sweet music out of your adversity. A quote a day helps you remember what is important.
Here are this week’s quotes on making a difference.
Quote of the day:
“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” — Robert Louis Stevenson Reflection: There was a poor, old man who lived in a small village. He owned a beautiful white horse. Kings offered fabulous prices for the horse, but the man would say, “This horse is my friend.” The man was poor, but he never sold the horse. One morning he found the horse was gone from the stable. The whole village gathered and said, “You foolish old man! We knew someday the horse would be stolen. You should have sold it. What a misfortune!” The old man replied, “That’s not necessarily true. The horse is simply not in the stable. This is the fact. Everything else is a judgment. Who knows if it is a misfortune or a blessing?” People laughed at the old man. They knew he was a little crazy. After fifteen days, the horse suddenly returned. He had not been stolen, but had gone visiting. Not only that, a dozen wild horses returned with him. Again the people gathered and said, “Old man, you were right. The disappearance of your horse is not a misfortune. It has indeed proved to be a blessing.” The old man said, “Again you are going too far. Just say the horse came back. Who knows whether its return is a blessing or not? The people did not say much, but they knew he was wrong. After all, twelve beautiful horses had come. The old man’s only son started to train the wild horses. But a week later he fell from a horse and broke his legs. The people gathered and again they judged. “You’re right! Getting twelve horses was a misfortune. Your son, who is your only support, has lost the use of his legs. Now you are poorer than ever.” The old man said, “You are obsessed with judgment. Only say my son has broken his legs. Nobody knows whether this is a misfortune or a blessing. Life comes in fragments and more is never revealed.” After a few weeks the country went to war. All the young men in town were forced into the military. Only the old man’s son was left, because he was crippled. The whole town cried because they knew most of the young men would never return. They said to the old man, “You were right. This is a blessing. Your son may be crippled, but he is still with you. Our sons are gone forever.” The old man said again, “Nobody knows! Say only this: Your sons have entered the army and my son has not. We can’t know whether it is a blessing or a misfortune. Stop judging or you will always be obsessed with fragments and live in faulty conclusions.” We never know if a situation will bring forth a misfortune or blessing. So let us take a lesson from the old man and wait for the outcome before judging a situation. Quote of the day:
“Nature gave us two ends: one to sit on and one to think with. Ever since then, man's success or failure has been dependent on the one he used most.” —Robert Albert Bloch Reflection: Gail Borden was once on board a ship coming home from England, where he saw children die as a result of drinking contaminated milk. The experience so impacted him he dedicated the remainder of his life to finding a way for humans to safely drink milk. His experiments with condensed milk failed, but then one day he saw how the Shakers in New York condensed their maple sugar in a vacuum-sealed pan. His success led to the safety of milk in a non-refrigerated world, began the modern dairy industry, and launched a multibillion dollar company. On Gail Borden’s tombstone are encouraging words of perseverance: “I tried and failed. I tried again and succeeded.” A true story of one man’s not giving up or letting his failures stop him from succeeding in his goals. Vitamins for the Soul
Here are this week’s quotes on love. This week’s words of wisdom are on love in honor of Valentine’s Day. Meditate on one and put its advice into practice. There is one for each day of the week.
Quote of the day:
“Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success” —Henry Ford Reflection: Here’s a story that illustrates this quote by Henry Ford A mother of several children was committed to keeping her family together when her husband died. She worked at several jobs doing menial tasks, everything from cleaning offices to delivering coal. Eventually, she took the civil service exam and became the chief bookkeeper for the city treasurer. She used her strength and love to hold her family together and to raise her children. One of the kids, though small, wanted to play football, but none of the colleges of any size offered him a scholarship. He played for a small college and excelled. His dream was to play in the NFL. He tried out for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was his home team, but he was cut from the team in short order. Next, he found a job in construction and helped build some of the skyscrapers seen today in Pittsburgh, but he held on to his dream. He did not see himself as a victim of circumstances, but as a person that would succeed despite his size. What he did was look at his options and decided he would start anywhere. He played in a little league that paid him $6 a game and was able to improve his already considerable skills. He continued to stay in contact with NFL teams in hopes that somehow he would be noticed. After seven months of trying, he received an invitation to try out for the Baltimore Colts and made the team. His name was Johnny Unitas and he has since been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. The moral of the story is to never give up hope on your dreams, do what you can to get ready while you’re waiting for the opportunity to present itself. Quote of the day:
"The influence of a beautiful, helpful, hopeful character is contagious and may revolutionize a whole town.” — Eleanor Emily Hodgman Porter Reflection: Sometimes we think there is no way we can make a difference in the world. Next time this thought crosses your mind, remember the following account: According to Ken Keyes Jr., the author of The Hundredth Monkey, some natural scientists were observing monkey behavior on the island of Koshima. These monkeys lived primarily on some sort of sweet potato that they dug out of the ground. One day a scientist noticed that instead of just eating the potato fresh from the ground, the monkey washed it in the stream first and then ate it. This was a new behavior—none of the other monkeys did this—but “monkey see, monkey do,” and before long all the monkeys on the island were washing their potatoes first and then eating them. There was no rational explanation for this sudden change of behavior, so the scientists documented it as the Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon. Go ahead and be the first monkeys. Start your project. It does make a difference. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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