Quote of the day:
"Life is like a camera -- focus on what’s important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't work out, take another shot.” – Author Unknown Think about it: I love photography. When I got my first camera—a cheap point and shoot—I thrilled to the new world of possibilities. I took it everywhere and captured a lot of memories, till the day it fell against a hillside rock and failed me forever after. Then I upgraded to a bridge camera with more options and a much greater built-in zoom. This was my pride and joy for years, though eventually my skills outgrew it as well. I wanted something that took the photo as soon as I pressed the button. Eventually, I got a DSLR. It was good quality, fast, and presented a huge learning curve. Just what I wanted. No more missed moments. Or so I thought. As I learned more, I became ultra concerned about getting perfectly in-focus photos. I kept searching for ways to always get sharp photos. I’d frantically change settings hoping for a better result, often taking my eyes off the events unfolding in front of me. I’d be frustrated even if I captured what I wanted but the result was anything less than perfectly sharp. Then one day I read an article by an eminent photographer. He said something profound: “Photography is about feelings, not technical perfection. It’s about showing the emotion you felt at a scene to your viewers, not just showing your skill at controlling the camera.” Suddenly I understood that it’s really not about the settings, the sharpness, or even my skill. It’s about telling the story. Amateurs want their images to be perfect. Professionals want their images to be poignant, to make an impression. In our lives, we strive to get our hair, bodies, phone, car, job, food, relationships (and the list goes on) in perfect shape. In the process, we often overlook the joy of life itself. We should use our skills to improve our and others’ lives. But we don’t have to become so focused on overcoming life’s imperfections that we don’t savor the moments all around us. Life is a massive collage of innumerable moments every day. Does it matter if every moment is perfect? Does it matter if any moment is perfect? Not really. They’re all a part of the big picture, and it wouldn't be complete without even one. So don’t hurry through life, purging moments from attention or memory because they’re “lacking” in some way. Let’s take time to stop when “we don’t have time.” Let’s take deep breaths when we’re stressed. Let’s live lovingly even when we’re treated badly. Let’s create a life that others will look at and be encouraged by. We can’t always impress those around us, but we can leave an impression. We can be poignant. -- Chris Mizrany
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By Joyce Suttin
I was watching an interview last Sunday, and the guest was asked, “What’s the greatest need in the world today?” Without hesitation, he responded, “Empathy. The world needs more empathy.” I probably would have responded, without thinking, that the world needs more love. But I liked his answer. It was much more specific to say that the world needs more empathy. Empathy is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Empathy is giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Empathy is realizing that everyone has their story. Empathy helps us to listen more and advise less. Empathy helps us to strive for understanding and eschew judgment. Then I remembered another friend I had gotten to know named Judy. When I first saw her in my neighborhood, I tried to be friendly. She barely responded or spoke to me. After months of trying to interact with her, she finally talked with me and explained that she had severe back problems, and walking was so painful she could hardly speak. After her surgery and recovery, we have come to be good friends. She taught me not to make judgments about people. They are often going through things we could not even imagine. Judy taught me a good lesson about empathy. In today’s world, in which people are quick to comment and judge situations that are flashed across their computers, we need more empathy. When it is common to condemn, bully, and badmouth people we do not take time to understand, we need more empathy. When we allow fear to build walls between us, we need more em There will always be those who will tell you it can’t be done, but throughout history, progress has always come from those who said it could be done. —Author unknown
The people who accomplish the most do so not because they never run into problems, but because they believe there is a solution for everyone. —Author unknown The great men and women of history are remembered not because they never failed, but because they didn’t let their failures stop them. They kept on until they succeeded. —Author unknown No one can harvest glory on a bed of feathers. —Author unknown A single stroke of an axe won’t bring down an oak, but many will. —Spanish proverb The creative spirit demands persistence. —Author unknown Success is like buried treasure: Only the most believing and persevering find it. Defeat is simply a signal to press onward. —Helen Keller Good luck is another name for tenacity of purpose. —Ralph Waldo Emerson Patience and perseverance surmount every difficulty. —Author unknown Success should be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles one overcame. —B. T. Washington Whoever follows patience, success will follow him. —Author unknown Quote of the day:
The “how” thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with futile “ifs” but goes right to work on the creative “how.”--Norman Vincent Peale Think about it: Some friends and I were helping to prepare a beauty salon for opening, and my part involved setting up the in-house entertainment system. The salon’s setup included individual TV sets for each of the stations, complete with sound, etc. I was excited to work on this project, but soon realized there were some aspects to it that were outside my realm of expertise. For a while, I tried unsuccessfully to solve the rather complex problem of wiring the individual sets to the main set, making the individualized sound work, etc. I hashed and rehashed the problem in my mind, eventually throwing my hands up in frustration and admitting that I needed help. I made an appointment to meet up with someone who specializes in this kind of engineering to see if I could get some advice. The result was that I not only got help with my project, but I learned something valuable at the same time. This young man was vibrant and full of life. He relished the challenge and refused to take no for an answer. Every time I threw out what I thought was an obstacle, he found a solution. Sometimes that meant going back and changing something we had originally thought would work, but eventually, we found solutions to each problem. It wasn't long before the updated blueprints we’d worked on were before me, making perfect sense. I was able to implement all the solutions we’d come up with, and the salon now has working individual entertainment centers. I got to wondering how I too could make life easier for others in the areas I’m proficient in. If everyone made the effort to discover, analyze, and solve issues, how much easier and more positive our journey through life would be. -- Sunil Kum I recently reread the touching story of a wealthy man and his son who loved to collect works of art. (The story appears in several sermons and books, but the original author is unknown.) It goes like this:
When war broke out, the son went to fight and died while rescuing another soldier. Not long after, there was a knock at the father’s door. He opened to find a young man holding a large package. “Sir, you don’t know me,” the young man said, “but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him and he died instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art.” The young man held out his package. “I know this isn't much, but I wanted you to have this.” The package contained a portrait of the son, painted by the young man. The father hung the portrait over his mantle, and thereafter, he always showed visitors the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the masterpieces in his collection. When the father died, an auction was organized to dispose of his art collection. On an easel next to the platform was the portrait of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?” Silence. Then a shout came. “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one!” The auctioneer was unmoved. “The son. Who will take the son?” Finally the family’s longtime gardener spoke from the back of the room. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” He felt embarrassed offering so little, but it was all he could afford. “We have $10. Will someone bid $20?” “Give it to him for $10, and let’s get on with it!” “Going once, going twice, sold for $10!” The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “The auction is ended,” he announced. “When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the man’s will: only the painting of the son would be auctioned, and whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate. The man who took the son gets everything!” Like the auctioneer, God’s question today is, “Who’ll take the Son?” Because, you see, whoever takes the Son receives everything. God’s Son died for us nearly 2,000 years ago. This Easter, let’s remember Him together. You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.—Jim Rohn
We can each define ambition and progress for ourselves. The goal is to work toward a world where expectations are not set by the stereotypes that hold us back, but by our personal passion, talents and interests.—Sheryl Sandberg Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.—Bo Bennett Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem, and personal satisfaction.—Margaret Thatcher Intelligent, successful, attractive people can be intimidating. They force us to hold a mirror to ourselves; we can be disappointed, jealous or inspired toward personal growth. —Ian K. Smith Sometimes, in order to follow our moral compass and/or our hearts, we have to make unpopular decisions or stand up for what we believe in. It can be difficult and even frightening to go against the grain, whether it’s a personal disagreement with a friend, partner, or family member or a professional decision that affects coworkers and colleagues.—Tabatha Coffey The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want. —Ben Stein If you want to feel proud of yourself, you’ve got to do things you can be proud of. Feelings follow actions. —Oseola McCarty Quote of the day:
Love never reasons, but profusely gives; gives, like a thoughtless prodigal, its all, and trembles then lest it has done too little.—Hannah More Think about it: In the city of Weimar, Germany, there is a statue that was set up in 1857. It is of two of Germany’s great writers, who were also good friends—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) and Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (1759–1805). While both men were still living, critics and the public often raised the question of which was the greater writer. If Goethe heard people say, “Sir, you are the master poet of the Germans,” he was quick to rejoin, “You must not forget Schiller!” And when they praised Schiller as the finest German poet, Schiller would say, “But there is my friend Goethe.” The sculptor of the statue of Weimar expressed their mutual love and admiration beautifully. Goethe has a wreath of laurel leaves in his hand, which he is raising to place on Schiller’s head. But Schiller does not want the crown. He thinks Goethe deserves it more, and is thrusting it back, as if to say, “No, it is more fitting for you to wear it than me.” Thus the two friends nobly disagree, each refusing to be crowned, for they appreciated each other’s talent and valued their friendship more than acclaim. Author unknown
The day before Easter, a man named George Thomas was taking a walk when he saw a boy coming toward him swinging an old rusty birdcage. He stopped the boy and asked what was in the cage. "Just three old birds," the boy said. "I'm going to take them home and have some fun--tease them and pull out their feathers to make them fight." "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later," Thomas said. "What will you do with them then?" "Oh, I have some cats," said the boy. "They like birds. I'll feed them to my cats." Thomas was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?" "What?" the boy said in disbelief. "You don't want them, mister. They're just plain field birds. They don't sing and they aren't even pretty." "How much?" Thomas asked again. The boy sized up Thomas as if he were crazy and said, "$10." Thomas reached into his pocket, took out a $10 bill, put it in the boy's hand, and took the birdcage. In a flash, the boy was gone. Thomas carried the cage to a grassy spot where there was a tree. Then he opened the door and set the birds free. The next morning--Easter Day--Thomas showed the now empty cage to a group of friends and told them about the boy and the birds. Then he told the following allegory: One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. "Yes, sir," Satan gloated. "I just caught a whole world full of people! I set a trap and got them all!" "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. "I'm going to have some fun!" Satan replied with glee. "I'm going to teach them how to lie and cheat and steal and kill. This is going to be great!" "And what will you do when you're through with them?" Jesus asked. "Then I'll kill them," Satan said proudly. "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, you don't want those people! They aren't any good. They'll just hate you. They'll cause you nothing but misery and heartbreak, and they'll kill you in the end. You don't want those people!" "How much?" Jesus asked again. Satan looked at Him and sneered. "Your LIFE!" "DONE!" Then Jesus paid the price. The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t. —Henry Ward Beecher
Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing until it gets there. —Josh Billings Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. —Newt Gingrich If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again. —Flavia Weedn It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. —Albert Einstein People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. 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. —George Bernard Shaw The drops of rain make a hole in the stone not by violence but by oft falling. —Lucretius Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock. —Author Unknown You learn you can do your best even when it’s hard, even when you’re tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage. —Joe Namath With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable. —Thomas Foxwell Buxton Quote of the day:
“All men have fears, but the brave put down their fears and go forward, sometimes to death, but always to victory.” -- The King’s Guard of ancient Greece motto Think about it: The Hobbit, a fantasy novel by J. R. R. Tolkien, is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving hobbit who is thrust into an unwanted quest for dragon treasure with a wizard and a group of dwarves. On the way, he faces all manner of hardships, from goblins to hostile elves to giant spiders. Finally, the adventurers reach their destination: the mountain lair of the dragon Smaug. Bilbo enters through a secret door in the mountainside to face the dragon alone, while the dwarves wait outside. As he makes his way through the dark tunnel, he hears what sounds like a kettle bubbling on the stove. That noise grows into what seems like a giant cat purring. Suddenly Bilbo realizes that he’s hearing the sound of the dragon snoring deep in the cave. Bilbo is petrified. He wants nothing more than to turn back, and he nearly does, but instead he decides to press on. Tolkien writes, “Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterward were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait.” We all face challenges where we want to run away before we've even had a chance to see what’s ahead. Dealing with dragons (or other scary obstacles) takes a whole lot of courage, and not always in the way we’d imagine. Bilbo’s testing point came in the tunnel. He had to face his fear and self-doubt even before he had to face the dragon. These “dragons” in our lives don’t always seem like a big deal to anyone but us, and as a result, we often have to find the key to victory within ourselves. C. S. Lewis wrote, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point.” Sometimes we have to simply not give ourselves room to wiggle out of doing what’s right. If you don’t have a ton of courage right now, that’s okay. Often, courage is simply putting one foot in front of the other, taking small, sometimes even tiny, steps forward. Every time you make a brave choice, you’re strengthening your courage and preparing for the bigger challenges ahead. Courage begins as a decision and grows as you consistently use it. Bilbo had been building up his courage little by little throughout his journey. He fought fearsome enemies and won. He tackled difficult problems and found solutions. Each time he faced a challenge bravely, it was an investment in courage; and those investments paid off when it came time to face the dragon. So face your dragons boldly. -- Marie Story |
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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