Quote of the day:
“Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”--Henry David Thoreau Think about it: British writer Bernard Hare tells the true story of an incident that changed his life, transforming him, as he described it, “from a selfish, potentially violent hedonist into a decent human being.” Back in 1982 when he was a student living in London, he was informed that his mother had been taken to the hospital and was unlikely to survive the night. He left immediately to make the journey up to the north of the country. The trip would require a change of trains, and he realized from the timetable that he would be twenty minutes too late for the connection. It was late evening and these were the last trains of the day. The chances of getting all the way to the hospital without resorting to hitchhiking or car theft were slim. He was in such a state of anxiety and distress that he did not welcome the gentle inquiries from the train conductor, who was trying to find out what was the matter with this obviously distraught young man. He discovered a little later, however, that the same conductor to whom he had responded so curtly radioed ahead and arranged for the connecting train to be delayed to give Bernard time to catch it. This unexpected act of kindness made it possible for him to be at his mother’s side when she died. When Bernard realized what the conductor had done, he sought him out on the train to offer his heartfelt thanks. The conductor replied, “Not a problem. If you feel the need to thank me, the next time you see someone in trouble, you help them out. That will pay me back amply. Tell them to pay you back the same way and soon the world will be a better place.” Bernard continued, “Even now, I can’t think of [my mother] without remembering the Good Conductor on that late-night train to Peterborough. … [I’ll] give you the same advice the Good Conductor gave me. Pass it down the line.”
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By Alice D. Domar, PhD
Can’t remember the last time you did something just because it made you smile? This exercise will help you find room in your overloaded schedule for small but powerful doses of bliss. Step 1—Map a typical day Create a pie chart that represents how you spend the 24 hours in an average day. If you sleep eight hours, draw a slice that occupies one-third of the pie. Then calculate how much time you spend doing other things—working, caretaking, cooking, and so on. No need to be exact; rough estimates will do. Step 2—List what you love Complete each sentence with a different activity. Don’t spend too much time thinking: Jot down the first answers that come to mind because those will typically be the truest. I could spend an entire rainy afternoon… When I was a kid, I used to love … I’ve always wanted to become really good at…. If I could do one thing every day of my life, it would be… I can lose track of time when I’m… Nothing clears my head like… When I’m feeling drained, all I want to do is… I feel most connected to my body when I’m… In my daydreams, I imagine myself…. I get a shot of energy when I… Step 3—Pencil in fun Redraw your time pie, including at least a few activities from your list; some might not be practical on a daily basis, but others may be more doable than you think. Look back at your typical day and identify time spent on unrewarding or unnecessary activities (think watching TV and chores you could be delegating). Then redirect those minutes to activities that make you light up. Step 4—Tell someone Call a trusted friend and share the details of your new schedule. Explain what you intend to do less of and what you aim to do more of, and ask her to check in with you from time to time. Studies have shown that people who share their resolutions are more motivated and more likely to achieve their goals. “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” — John Wooden
“Every day is another chance to get things right.” — Lauren Hill “I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” — J. B. Priestly “I am not a has-been. I am a will be.” — Lauren Bacall “It is never too late to be who you might have been.” — George Eliot “Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.”--Robert Louis Stevenson "Your potential lies ahead of you—whether you’re 8, 18, 48, or 80. You still have room to improve yourself. You can become better tomorrow than you are today." — John C. Maxwell “Do first things first, and second things not at all.” — Peter Drucker “Don't find fault, find a remedy.” — Henry Ford “When a person finds themselves predisposed to complaining about how little they are regarded by others, let them reflect how little they have contributed to the happiness of others.” — Author Unknown Quote of the day:
“Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to go to his class.” -- Bruce Lee Think about it: Some years ago, I showed the old Disney movie Old Yeller to some of my young grandchildren. Old Yeller is a 1957 American family tragedy film directed by Robert Stevenson. It is about a boy who adopts a stray dog in post-Civil War Texas. At the end of the movie, the heroic and loyal pet contracts rabies, and posing a danger, has to be put down by his grieving owner. The grandkids didn’t like the sad ending, of course, but talking about it afterwards presented a perfect teachable moment to point out that not everything in life has a happy ending. Interestingly, while preparing this issue on the topic of overcoming adversity, I ran across this quote from the same movie: “Life’s like that sometimes... Now and then for no good reason a man can figure out, life will just haul off and knock him flat, slam him against the ground so hard it seems like all his insides is busted. But it’s not all like that. A lot of it is mighty fine, and you can’t afford to waste the good part frettin’ about the bad. That makes it all bad... “Sure, I know—sayin’ it’s one thing and feelin’ it’s another. But I’ll tell you a trick that’s sometimes a big help. When you start lookin’ around for something good to take the place of the bad, as a general rule you can find it.” We all face adversity of some sort at different times in life. Some troubles are more difficult to overcome than others are. Still, looking for the good in challenging circumstances can make a big difference. (By Christina Lane, from Motivated Magazine) The Orchestra
By Katherine Kehler, adapted Someone told me once that we influence at least 250 people during our lifetime. Today, with the Internet connecting us with more people, I believe our influence is much greater. I recently watched a true story featured on the video, Paradise Road. It told of a woman who used her influence and training to give a group of women hope, courage, peace, unity, and a reason to keep living. The women were prisoners of war. They came from diverse backgrounds—high society and farmers. They were from different countries. At first, they didn’t trust each other, but as life became more difficult for them, they began to work together. One woman in particular became a positive force in an amazing way. With her music and organizational abilities, she united the women to form an orchestra. She patiently taught them how to use their voices to sound like instruments. Soon they were able to create a beautiful concert. She gave them something beautiful to focus on besides their own misery and their horrific surroundings. Every day women died at the hands of their captors or from disease, but the group was able to keep going because of her courage. Of course, some women wouldn’t join the choir and watched from afar, but most followed her lead. Over half the women in the choir died. One day, when they were having yet another funeral procession, one of the guards asked her, “Where is your orchestra now?” Instead of letting his remark discourage her, she picked up two rocks and began banging out a rhythm. Soon others followed her example, using sticks, shoes—whatever they could find. They were an orchestra again and were encouraged. Even those who usually sat and watched joined in the music. Finally, the war was over and they were set free. This woman had given them hope, courage, and even joy by inspiring them to make something beautiful in dire circumstances. Now think for a moment about the people we influence. The ones we meet at our local coffee shop, at the supermarket, clothing store, or online, as well as our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family. We too, can help people see something beautiful in life, no matter the circumstances, and be a shining light in their world. If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire—then you got a problem. Everything else is inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. Learn to separate the inconveniences from the real problems. You will live longer.—Sigmund Wollman
If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.—Frank A. Clark Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.—Arthur Golden A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn.—Author Unknown The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.—Harry Golden Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.—Garrison Keillor Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort that life implies.—Erich Fromm Count the garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your life with smiles and not the tears that roll.—Author Unknown Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? —Rose F. Kennedy Quote of the day:
“The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.”—Napoleon Hill Think about it: Very few people ask for trouble. But maybe we should. I received an interesting note once from a friend who visited the Biosphere Two, a man-made living habitat in Arizona. During the tour, the guide explained that one oversight of the designers was their failure to create wind within the structure. No wind to blow the trees back and forth created a problem: The trees would grow to a certain height and then topple over from their own weight. Lack of wind resulted in the trees not having a deeply extended root system. My friend explained that this thought made him realize that without the winds of adversity we cannot grow and become the people we are designed to be without toppling over. I agree. You cannot raise champions on a feather bed. The percentage of people who overcome adversity to go to great heights is legendary. From time to time when the weather doesn’t suit us, all of us are inclined to say things like we wish we could make it rain or stop raining, the wind to blow more or less, that it would get cooler or warmer, etc. The biosphere clearly demonstrates to us that we are likely to “forget” some things, as the designers forgot to let the wind blow to give the trees those roots. Remembering this can help us to be grateful that God is in control of the bigger picture, and while we might not understand everything that happens to us, we can trust that the winds of life will make us stronger. (By Zig Ziglar adapted) Adapted from Motivated Magazine
Charles and Carla Coonradt tell the story of an immense, 19,000-pound whale, Shama, that is taught in Sea World, Florida, to jump 22 feet out of the water and perform tricks. How do you suppose they teach the whale to do that? A typical managerial approach would be to mount a rope at 22 feet high out of the water, and encourage the whale to sail over it. “Jump, whale!” Maybe get a bucket of fish up there, reward the whale when it does the right thing. Set goals! Aim high! And you and I know the whale would stay right where it was. The Coonradts say, “So how do the trainers at Sea World do it? Their number-one priority is to reinforce the behavior that they want repeated—in this case, to get a whale or porpoise to go over the rope. They influence the environment every way they can so that it supports the principle of making sure that the whale can’t fail. They start with the rope below the surface of the water, in a position where the whale can’t help but do what’s expected of it. Every time the whale goes over the rope, it gets positive reinforcement. It gets fed fish, patted, played with, and most important, it gets that reinforcement. “But what happens when the whale goes under the rope? Nothing—no electric shock, no constructive criticism, no developmental feedback, and no warnings in the personnel file. Whales are taught that their negative behavior will not be acknowledged. “Positive reinforcement is the cornerstone of that simple principle that produces such spectacular results. And as the whale begins to go over the rope more often than under, the trainers begin to raise the rope. It must be raised slowly enough so that the whale doesn’t starve, either physically or emotionally. “The simple lesson to be learned from the whale trainers is to over-celebrate. Make a big deal out of the good and little stuff that we want consistently. “Secondly, under-criticize. People know when they screw up. What they need is help. If we under-criticize, punish and discipline less than is expected, people will not forget the event and usually will not repeat it.” We need to make it difficult for people to fail, so there can be less criticism and more celebrations. Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.—Thich Nhat Hanh
To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.—Mark Twain Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Joy and sorrow are inseparable… together they come and when one sits alone with you… remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.—Kahlil Gibran Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.—Marianne Williamson I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy. —Kahlil Gibran Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.—Henri J.M. Nouwen Beauty is whatever gives joy.—Edna St. Vincent Millay There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.—Jean Calvin Joy multiplies when it is shared among friends, but grief diminishes with every division. That is life.—R.A. Salvatore We could all do with a bit more joy in our lives, couldn’t we? The wonderful thing is that when we start spreading joy, we begin to actually experience more joy in our lives too!—Steve Goodier Scatter joy!—Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote of the day:
“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” -- Marianne Williamson Think about it: Joy! We don’t hear that word used very much anymore. More and more people seem to get stuck in the doldrums of the daily drudge, and seeing people smile is rare these days. So what is joy, and where do we find it? Recently, I was stuck in the doldrums a little myself, and I was wondering how to regain my usual “joie de vivre.” I decided to do a bit of research. First, I looked up the definition of joy. One dictionary defines it as: 1. The emotion of happiness 2. To experience elation 3. Great pleasure or delight 4. A supreme feeling of happiness Then I found an article that suggested taking some time to think about what usually makes me happy, and to make a list of all the things that give me joy. All through the day, as I thought about those little things that cheer me up, I jotted them down on “My Joy List.” By the end of the day, as I reviewed my list, I felt genuinely happy and I was in a great mood. Just thinking about my list now, cheers me up again! I suggest you try it! Once you have your list drawn up, I heartily recommend that you share it with as many people as you can. After all, the world could use a little more joy! (By Christina Lane adapted from Motivated Magazine.) |
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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