Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on taking time to reflect.
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Quote of the day:
"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Consider: The word "worry" is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or to choke. How well-named the emotion. It has been demonstrated time and again in persons who have lost their effectiveness due to the stultifying effect of anxiety and apprehension. A certain well-controlled care-freeness may well be an asset. Normal sensible concern is an important attribute of the mature person. But worry frustrates one's best functioning. Millions of people have worries every day. Nobody is immune. Instead of holding onto nagging worry forever, use hesitations in a positive way. Employ worry to propel you forward. When faced with worry, ask yourself, “Why do I have this feeling?” See it as a sign that something needs your attention. Take a moment for constructive thought. As you look for the answer to what is causing your worry. Don’t stop until the reason for your worry is clear. After you discover it, you can take action. Only then can you let go of worry and worry can let go of you! Quote of the day:
“My learning disability gave me certain advantages, because I was able to live in the moment and capitalize on opportunities I spotted.” — Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko’s Reflection: Have you ever heard of Kinko? If not it is a chain of photo copying shops in the US. Here is the story behind the shop. When Paul Orfalea was a kid he acquired the nickname “Kinko” referring to his head of wild, curly, red hair. But teasing about his kinky hair was the least of his problems as Paul Orfalea struggled with severe dyslexia and ADHD—flunking second grade twice, graduated from high school at the bottom of his class, and eked through college with a “C” average. He had a hard time sitting still, and could barely read or write. No one ever voted him “most likely to succeed.” Paul applied for jobs and managed to get hired twice—but neither job lasted longer than a day. It was clear he wasn’t cut out for traditional employment in a 9 to 5 world. He knew he was different and that somehow he’d have to find his own way in the world. In 1970, living in a small college town near Santa Barbara, California, Paul noticed that there were always long lines at the copy machines. “Too many students and not enough copiers,” he thought to himself. So he borrowed $5000 and opened his own copier business in a tiny little 9×12 foot storefront close to campus. His space was so small that he had to move the copy machine out to the sidewalk to use it. He hawked pens and pencils from his backpack as he stood outside drumming up business. People told him that he was crazy, but he’d been hearing that his whole life so he just ignored them. He knew his idea was a good one—he had the determination, energy, and persistence to pursue it despite what anyone said. He worked long and hard, and within a year, he had made enough money to expand. Ten years later, there were 80 Kinko’s stores in college towns all around the country. And in another ten years (1990) that number expanded exponentially to 420 stores—and doubled in another seven years to 840 stores! This curly-headed kid with severe learning disabilities had built himself a hugely successful business simply by seeing a need and filling it. He understood his limitations, so he hired great people to do all the things he couldn’t. He was the idea man—he hired others to execute his plans. Finally, in 2004, Paul sold Kinko’s to FedEx for $2.4 billion. Paul didn’t let his disabilities stop him from doing something. Take a lesson from this story and don’t let your circumstances stop you from doing what you can. Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on thinking positively.
Quote of the day:
“The best things in life are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.” – Robert Louis Stevenson Reflection: The following article is from Amanda White taken from Activated Magazine. The other day I was listening to a Christian radio program on the way to the gym. Each day they ask a question for their listeners to respond to, either via phone or their Facebook page. The topic that day was: “What do you look forward to?” The answers that listeners were sending in were simple, yet refreshing. For example, one woman said she looked forward to having a cup of tea at night once her children were in bed. It got me thinking about the simple things in life. Essentially, that’s what we all generally look forward to—the little things—a hug after a long day, a cup of something hot in the morning, the sun shining again after a rainy patch enabling us to finally hang our laundry, a comfortable bed to slide into at night, a refreshing shower, a freshly mowed lawn, a meal out. I like to see these small things as being as much a part of God’s love for me as the bigger gifts He sometimes sends my way. Sure, sometimes we look forward to big and exciting things, like an upcoming vacation. But more often than not, it’s the simple day-to-day things that bring us joy and put a smile on our face. I’m reminding myself that I need to think more about those things, appreciate them more, as they get so easily lost amidst the craziness of life. It’s not a new realization by any means. It’s just one of those principles of life and happiness that easily fade out of focus when so many bigger and more stressful things are obstructing my view or weighing me down. I decided to start small. I took that woman’s advice on the radio. I set aside a few minutes to relax with a cup of tea that night after the kids were in bed, and I enjoyed every sip! Are you thankful for the simple things in life? Why not start a praise journal and see how many simple things make you happy. Quote of the day:
“The vocation of every man and woman is to serve other people.” — Leo Tolstoy Reflection: One of the central questions that philosophers and theologians have struggled with for millennia is the mystery of what gives life meaning. Everyone wants to be happy and fulfilled, but how can we tell what true happiness is and where it comes from? The ancient Greeks believed that the source of happiness was internal and could be cultivated by living a worthwhile life. They called this state eudaimonia. Aristotle described it as taking part in activities that draw on our talents and challenge our abilities, acting in ways that benefit others, and guiding our lives by principles and virtues. It isn’t enough to simply possess an ability or disposition--eudaimonia requires it to be put into action with deeds. The more we learn to put others at the center of our thoughts and actions, the more meaning and purpose our lives will have. Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on no impossibilities.
Quote of the day: "Sometimes it’s not the pain that makes you suffer it’s your own negative thoughts that make things seem worse.” – Author Unknown Reflection Once upon a time there was a little girl who spent her days sitting beside a pond, watching a frog on a lily pad. The little girl knew that the frog was probably a prince, and the frog—who was indeed a prince—knew that the little girl could kiss his nose and break the magic spell that a wicked witch had cast on him. But the little girl on the bank of the pond was too shy to begin a conversation with the frog, and the frog simply could not bring himself to tell her how badly he wanted her to kiss him. So the little girl went on sitting there, watching the frog. And that is the end of the story. Sadly, this sort of thing happens all the time in real life. Think of all the beautiful relationships that could have blossomed but never did, the Romeos that never embraced their Juliets because both of them were too afraid to make the first move. No one wants to be met by a cold stare of rejection, but if you spend your life listening to your own negative self chatter and trying to avoid rejection, you will never accomplish much or get very far in life. Some people are naturally open and can talk a blue streak, while others are more introverted, withdrawn, and reticent and suffer from negative self-chatter. They don’t want to be that way. They would like to be able to interact with others more freely, but it is very hard for them to break away from their negative thoughts about themselves or what might happen. Don’t be like the couple in the story. Combat your negative thoughts and step out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Quote of the day:
“A man’s bank account doesn’t indicate whether he is rich or poor. It is the heart that makes a man rich. A man is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has.” — Henry Ward Beecher Reflection: Here is a thought provoking article by Peter van Gorder, which was published in Activated Magazine some years back. Knowing that I am actively involved in several charitable projects here in India, an acquaintance introduced me to some of his friends from the business community at a party we all attended. They happened to be discussing The Giving Pledge, an initiative headed by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Those three had challenged 400 American billionaires to commit to donating at least 50% of their net worth to charity and social causes in their lifetimes. “This is really taking on in India as well,” one of the men at the party said with the excitement of a child announcing that the circus was coming to town. As it happened, there was an article in that day’s newspaper that quoted social commentator Santosh Desai. “Indians have always been generous people. Corporations can take a lead from Tata [India’s largest business group] who have institutionalized philanthropy, making it an act of corporate social responsibility and not charity.” An insert calculated that if India’s 100 richest individuals took up The Giving Pledge, a total of over 250 billion dollars—a quarter of the Indian GDP—would be raised. It’s hard to grasp those kinds of figures, or to imagine ourselves in the position to be so generous. The wealthy can afford to give, while we sometimes struggle to make ends meet. But where there is a will, there is a way. For example: A 24-year-old London man named Jack Diamond biked through India for two weeks to raise funds for a Goa-based charity that helps street and slum children like those he had gotten to know on a previous visit. “It never crossed my mind to do something like this before,” he explained, “but I wanted to make a difference.” I’m not suggesting you bike across your country to raise money. This is, however, an example of where there is a will there is a way. There are many creative ways to give, even when we don’t have much cash ourselves. See what you can come up with and share your ideas in the comments. Vitamins for the Soul
A quote a day helps you remember what’s important. Here are this week’s quotes on enjoying moments.
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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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