Oh, Thank Goodness It's Not Just Me!
by BJ Gallagher and Lisa Hammond
It was October, so it was time for me to start talking about having a Halloween party - something I have done for at least half a dozen years. I don't actually end up having a Halloween party; I just talk about having one. It has become a running joke around our house.
Entertaining and having friends over for dinner always seems like such a good idea but the truth is, I just never feel like I am good enough to actually do it.
I have ongoing chatter in my head that goes something like this: What are you going to make? Who are you going to invite? You don't have the time. You will say you are going to do this and then you won't get out of the office in time.
I have plenty of friends who seem to be able to manage both a successful career and entertaining frequently. They race home from work, whip up three course meals, and serve the perfect wine. They look calm, cool and collected when guests arrive. I am both impressed - and depressed - by this.
Recently, I wanted to be a thoughtful dinner guest at a friend's home so I decided to at least bring dessert. Although I had a jam-packed day at work, I didn't want to be a slacker, and figured I could handle making a cake. I did what I have done countless times - I decided to make a favorite family recipe, Raspberry Cream Cake.
Once I started to make the cake, I remembered why I don't do it very often - half of the ingredients can only be found in the state where the recipe came from! So I had to wing it and substitute ingredients. Then the mixer fell apart as I was using it and whipped cream went flying all over the kitchen. Then the cake burned while I was stuck on a conference call. When I finally got the cake into the fridge for the mandatory five hours of chilling prior to being served, I decided to rename it the Raspberry Curse Cake and vowed never to make it again.
When my husband and I arrived at the dinner party - crappy Curse Cake in hand, our gracious hostess was looking relaxed as she put together a simple salad. And there I was - frazzled, with raspberry juice still in my hair. As we sat down to dinner I asked her for the recipe for the delicious rice dish she was serving. She laughed and handed me her phone as she said, "Are you kidding me? I didn't have time to cook all of this - it's take-out!"
Oh, I have so much to learn from other women! I had been stressing out all day, trying to simultaneously work and bake a cake, juggling mixers and conference calls and cursing like a sailor - while my wise friend had been at work phoning in take-out!
The entire episode made me realize how much pressure women are under to be all and do all - almost all of it self-imposed! How much are we missing out on because of our insecurity and fear?
By the time you read this I will have invited friends over for margaritas and dinner at our place - paper plates, take-out food, and fun will be had by all!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.
-- Rabindranath Tagore
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Looking back, I have this to regret, that
too often when I loved, I did not say so.
--David Grayson
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Our favourite holding period is forever.
--Warren Buffett
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
--Buddha
An Excerpt from
The Best Way Out is Always Through
by BJ Gallagher
Mary Kay Ash banged her head on the corporate glass ceiling one too many times. Working for several direct sales companies from the 1930's until the early 1960's, she achieved considerable success. She climbed the corporate ladder to become the sole woman on the board of directors of the World Gift Company - quite an accomplishment for a woman in the 1950's.
But life wasn't rosy at the top. Even though Mary Kay had the title and the track record, she was not taken seriously by her male peers. In board meetings, her opinions and suggestions were ignored, dismissed, or even ridiculed. Male board members minced no words in their judgment - pronouncing her guilty of "thinking like a woman."
Since the sales force was almost entirely female, Mary Kay thought that thinking like a woman was an asset. But her fellow board members disagreed. Finally, in frustration, she retired in 1963, intending to write a book to assist women in the male-dominated business.
Sitting at her kitchen table, she made two lists: one list was all the good things she had seen in the companies where she'd worked, and the other list was all the things she thought could be improved. As she re-read her lists, she realized that what she had in front of her was a marketing plan for her ideal company. In just four weeks, her "book" had become a business plan, and her retirement was over.
Both her accountant and her attorney did their best to discourage her, warning that she would be throwing her money away on this venture. But Mary Kay had heard enough male nay-saying in her corporate years - she ignored her advisors.
Her husband, unlike her accountant and attorney, was very supportive. With his help, Mary Kay developed the cosmetic products, designed packaging, wrote promotional materials and recruited and trained her female sales force.
Then the unthinkable happened; her husband of twenty-one years died of a heart attack. Another woman might have dropped her plans, or at least delayed them, but Mary Kay was a strong Texas woman. She stayed on track with the help of her twenty-year-old son, Richard Rogers and rolled out her new business in September of 1963.
Beginning with a storefront in Dallas and an investment of $5,000, Mary Kay Cosmetics earned close to $200,000 in its first year - quadrupling that amount in its second year. When Mary Kay took her company public in 1968, sales had climbed to more than $10 million.
Mary Kay's unusual corporate motto, "God first, family second, career third," was unconventional, to say the least. But she understood the need for women to have balance in their lives, and she was committed to providing unlimited opportunity for women's financial AND personal success.
Mary Kay authored three books, all of which became best-sellers. Her business model is taught at the Harvard Business School. She received many honors, including the Horatio Alger Award. Fortune magazine has named Mary Kay Cosmetics as one of the Ten Best Companies for Women, as well as one of The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America.
At the time of her death in 2001, Mary Kay Cosmetics had 800,000 independent beauty consultants in 37 countries, with total annual sales of over two billion dollars. Never underestimate the power of a woman with a mission!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves."
-Dale Carnegie
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSEVERANCE DEFINED
Persist no matter what.
Endure discomfort.
Request help.
Steadfastly hold on to your beliefs and values.
Envision triumph.
Very consistently keep at it.
Embrace adversity as your teacher.
Refuse to give up.
Enjoy and celebrate every tiny bit of progress!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged,
sympathetic with the striving,
and tolerant with the weak...because in your life you will have been all of these."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard."
~Unknown
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Children reflect the light of their parents long before
they acknowledge they have their own light.
--Forrest Carter
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Never turn your back on enthusiasm!
--Buddy Ebsen
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
When a man cares he is unafraid.
When he is fair, he leaves enough for others.
When he is humble, he can grow.
--Lao-Tzu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to
hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.
--Marian Anderson
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so?
Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live.
Before they know it, time runs out.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve
over the past, for it is gone: and do not be troubled about the
future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make
it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.
--Ida Scott Taylor
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale
George Bernard Shaw said, "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, they make them."
Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing... he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make the decision.
We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.
Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand- one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.
As it's written in the Bible, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
Remember the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants - one corn, one poison.
The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are You Open?
by Kay Richae
No matter where we are in life or what we have achieved or understood it behooves us to always be open to accepting new things for this is the way of GOD. The Universe is always expanding and we are microcosms of the macrocosm meaning that we have all of GOD’s creation to enlighten us to the truth about ourselves.
If we truly want to be our best selves we must always be open to embracing the new. Now, I am not saying that we should drift whichever way a current trend takes us, but rather we should always be open to new ways of thinking and being.
To state the matter differently; I am not saying that we should be influenced by society, the media, or things outside of ourselves to change but I am saying we should always remain open and receptive to what the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us is sharing to take us to our next level of greatness. And believe me, the guidance from within is being broadcast; it is only a matter of if we are willing to be receptive to it.
When we are not receptive or when we have not attuned to the inner voice of our Counselor, life can seem boring and unexciting. Sometimes we can even feel stuck.
There may be times when we may not be able pinpoint anything that is really ‘wrong’ so to speak, but we just feel unfulfilled. This is because it is our true nature to constantly expand from one level of completeness to another.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce.
The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage.
--Robert Anderson
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure
an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness.
--John Dewey
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Ya gots to work with what you gots to work with.
--Stevie Wonder
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
Anything that is not growing is dead and because of the Eternal nature of our souls (which are constantly growing and expanding whether we like it or not) when we try to house our newly expanded selves in a body temple that is still operating under the mind and heart-sets of who we used to be, the result is often the negative emotions outlined above.
Sometimes fear of losing who we really are can keep us from being willing to say yes to our expansion. The voice of the ego may tell us that if we change how we think and feel we may not remain true to who we really are. We may be afraid of what those close to us will think about our new selves.
In reality, being open and receptive to growth and change is the only way for us to be true to the best version of ourselves and is the way we embrace our true freedom. When we give an inner yes to our best yet to be we allow GOD greater expression in and as our lives because we have attuned ourselves to the guidance of the still, small Voice inside of us that is the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things.
When we live from this place of awareness life is fun, exciting, and fulfilling! We are happy and inspired in our actions and/or inaction for we know that they are right actions with great purpose guided by Spirit.
Life becomes a fun adventure guided from within each of us where we are free and no longer bound by the imaginary shackles of obligation, habit, and expectation of others.
We will no longer feel that we need to conform to our current world but will know that we are free to be transformed by the renewing of our minds toward the unfoldment of our best selves. What a great place to be!!!
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2Corinthians 3:17
Will you say yes to your best self, the self you came here to be for GOD, by being open and receptive to the Eternal broadcast of good?
I invite you to share your thoughts and experiences with me on my blog at ASpeakerforGod.com
I love you and GOD adores you!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Give people a fact or an idea and you enlighten their minds; tell them a story and you touch their souls."
~Hasidic Proverb
Kids communicate with no inhibitions.
They speak from the heart.
Strive to communicate person-to-person, heart-to-heart in everything we do.
Stories create intimacy and relationships. And that's the essence of a strong brand.
Have everyone share stories and listen to stories. Especially stories from our customers.
~Tom Asacker
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them -- that only creates sorrow. . . Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
-- Lao-tzu
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Conflict cannot survive without your participation.
--Wayne Dyer
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Nothing will work unless you do.
--Maya Angelou
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Always remember that the future comes one day at a time.
--Dean Acheson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You cannot judge what should bring others joy, and others cannot judge what should bring you joy.
-- Alan Cohen
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~Ralph Waldo EmersoN
"William Henley said, 'I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.' Once you believe this (I mean, really believe it,) nothing will hold you back. Something unexplainable happens when we accept complete responsibility for our behavior and our results. But it's not an easy thing to do."
~Mac Anderson
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
I cannot always control what goes on outside.
But I can always control what goes on inside.
--Wayne Dyer
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Far and away the best prize that life has to offer
is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
--Theodore Roosevelt
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.
--Henry David Thoreau
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We could change the world tomorrow if all the millions of people around the world acted the way they believe."
-Jane Goodall
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you must raise your voice, do it to cheer your students on."
~Author Unknown
"It's not easy being a Teacher...
and this Heart takes a beating each day
Sometimes it breaks for a hurting child
and a piece is given away.
But there's strength in the Heart of a Teacher
and a special vision to see
the difference you make in the heart of a child
...can affect eternity!"
~Paula J. Fox
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Rabindranath Tagore
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Looking back, I have this to regret, that
too often when I loved, I did not say so.
--David Grayson
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Our favourite holding period is forever.
--Warren Buffett
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
--Buddha
An Excerpt from
The Best Way Out is Always Through
by BJ Gallagher
Mary Kay Ash banged her head on the corporate glass ceiling one too many times. Working for several direct sales companies from the 1930's until the early 1960's, she achieved considerable success. She climbed the corporate ladder to become the sole woman on the board of directors of the World Gift Company - quite an accomplishment for a woman in the 1950's.
But life wasn't rosy at the top. Even though Mary Kay had the title and the track record, she was not taken seriously by her male peers. In board meetings, her opinions and suggestions were ignored, dismissed, or even ridiculed. Male board members minced no words in their judgment - pronouncing her guilty of "thinking like a woman."
Since the sales force was almost entirely female, Mary Kay thought that thinking like a woman was an asset. But her fellow board members disagreed. Finally, in frustration, she retired in 1963, intending to write a book to assist women in the male-dominated business.
Sitting at her kitchen table, she made two lists: one list was all the good things she had seen in the companies where she'd worked, and the other list was all the things she thought could be improved. As she re-read her lists, she realized that what she had in front of her was a marketing plan for her ideal company. In just four weeks, her "book" had become a business plan, and her retirement was over.
Both her accountant and her attorney did their best to discourage her, warning that she would be throwing her money away on this venture. But Mary Kay had heard enough male nay-saying in her corporate years - she ignored her advisors.
Her husband, unlike her accountant and attorney, was very supportive. With his help, Mary Kay developed the cosmetic products, designed packaging, wrote promotional materials and recruited and trained her female sales force.
Then the unthinkable happened; her husband of twenty-one years died of a heart attack. Another woman might have dropped her plans, or at least delayed them, but Mary Kay was a strong Texas woman. She stayed on track with the help of her twenty-year-old son, Richard Rogers and rolled out her new business in September of 1963.
Beginning with a storefront in Dallas and an investment of $5,000, Mary Kay Cosmetics earned close to $200,000 in its first year - quadrupling that amount in its second year. When Mary Kay took her company public in 1968, sales had climbed to more than $10 million.
Mary Kay's unusual corporate motto, "God first, family second, career third," was unconventional, to say the least. But she understood the need for women to have balance in their lives, and she was committed to providing unlimited opportunity for women's financial AND personal success.
Mary Kay authored three books, all of which became best-sellers. Her business model is taught at the Harvard Business School. She received many honors, including the Horatio Alger Award. Fortune magazine has named Mary Kay Cosmetics as one of the Ten Best Companies for Women, as well as one of The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America.
At the time of her death in 2001, Mary Kay Cosmetics had 800,000 independent beauty consultants in 37 countries, with total annual sales of over two billion dollars. Never underestimate the power of a woman with a mission!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves."
-Dale Carnegie
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSEVERANCE DEFINED
Persist no matter what.
Endure discomfort.
Request help.
Steadfastly hold on to your beliefs and values.
Envision triumph.
Very consistently keep at it.
Embrace adversity as your teacher.
Refuse to give up.
Enjoy and celebrate every tiny bit of progress!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged,
sympathetic with the striving,
and tolerant with the weak...because in your life you will have been all of these."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard."
~Unknown
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Children reflect the light of their parents long before
they acknowledge they have their own light.
--Forrest Carter
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Never turn your back on enthusiasm!
--Buddy Ebsen
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
When a man cares he is unafraid.
When he is fair, he leaves enough for others.
When he is humble, he can grow.
--Lao-Tzu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to
hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.
--Marian Anderson
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so?
Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live.
Before they know it, time runs out.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve
over the past, for it is gone: and do not be troubled about the
future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make
it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.
--Ida Scott Taylor
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale
George Bernard Shaw said, "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, they make them."
Well, it's pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety and worry - his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing... he becomes nothing.
How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I'll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.
Suppose a farmer has some land, and it's good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn't care. It's up to the farmer to make the decision.
We're comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn't care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn't care what you plant.
Now, let's say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand- one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds-one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land...and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.
As it's written in the Bible, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
Remember the land doesn't care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the two plants - one corn, one poison.
The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn't care what we plant...success...or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal...or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety and so on. But what we plant must return to us.
You see, the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are You Open?
by Kay Richae
No matter where we are in life or what we have achieved or understood it behooves us to always be open to accepting new things for this is the way of GOD. The Universe is always expanding and we are microcosms of the macrocosm meaning that we have all of GOD’s creation to enlighten us to the truth about ourselves.
If we truly want to be our best selves we must always be open to embracing the new. Now, I am not saying that we should drift whichever way a current trend takes us, but rather we should always be open to new ways of thinking and being.
To state the matter differently; I am not saying that we should be influenced by society, the media, or things outside of ourselves to change but I am saying we should always remain open and receptive to what the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us is sharing to take us to our next level of greatness. And believe me, the guidance from within is being broadcast; it is only a matter of if we are willing to be receptive to it.
When we are not receptive or when we have not attuned to the inner voice of our Counselor, life can seem boring and unexciting. Sometimes we can even feel stuck.
There may be times when we may not be able pinpoint anything that is really ‘wrong’ so to speak, but we just feel unfulfilled. This is because it is our true nature to constantly expand from one level of completeness to another.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce.
The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage.
--Robert Anderson
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure
an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness.
--John Dewey
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Ya gots to work with what you gots to work with.
--Stevie Wonder
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
Anything that is not growing is dead and because of the Eternal nature of our souls (which are constantly growing and expanding whether we like it or not) when we try to house our newly expanded selves in a body temple that is still operating under the mind and heart-sets of who we used to be, the result is often the negative emotions outlined above.
Sometimes fear of losing who we really are can keep us from being willing to say yes to our expansion. The voice of the ego may tell us that if we change how we think and feel we may not remain true to who we really are. We may be afraid of what those close to us will think about our new selves.
In reality, being open and receptive to growth and change is the only way for us to be true to the best version of ourselves and is the way we embrace our true freedom. When we give an inner yes to our best yet to be we allow GOD greater expression in and as our lives because we have attuned ourselves to the guidance of the still, small Voice inside of us that is the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things.
When we live from this place of awareness life is fun, exciting, and fulfilling! We are happy and inspired in our actions and/or inaction for we know that they are right actions with great purpose guided by Spirit.
Life becomes a fun adventure guided from within each of us where we are free and no longer bound by the imaginary shackles of obligation, habit, and expectation of others.
We will no longer feel that we need to conform to our current world but will know that we are free to be transformed by the renewing of our minds toward the unfoldment of our best selves. What a great place to be!!!
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2Corinthians 3:17
Will you say yes to your best self, the self you came here to be for GOD, by being open and receptive to the Eternal broadcast of good?
I invite you to share your thoughts and experiences with me on my blog at ASpeakerforGod.com
I love you and GOD adores you!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Give people a fact or an idea and you enlighten their minds; tell them a story and you touch their souls."
~Hasidic Proverb
Kids communicate with no inhibitions.
They speak from the heart.
Strive to communicate person-to-person, heart-to-heart in everything we do.
Stories create intimacy and relationships. And that's the essence of a strong brand.
Have everyone share stories and listen to stories. Especially stories from our customers.
~Tom Asacker
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them -- that only creates sorrow. . . Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
-- Lao-tzu
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Conflict cannot survive without your participation.
--Wayne Dyer
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Nothing will work unless you do.
--Maya Angelou
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Always remember that the future comes one day at a time.
--Dean Acheson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You cannot judge what should bring others joy, and others cannot judge what should bring you joy.
-- Alan Cohen
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~Ralph Waldo EmersoN
"William Henley said, 'I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.' Once you believe this (I mean, really believe it,) nothing will hold you back. Something unexplainable happens when we accept complete responsibility for our behavior and our results. But it's not an easy thing to do."
~Mac Anderson
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
I cannot always control what goes on outside.
But I can always control what goes on inside.
--Wayne Dyer
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Far and away the best prize that life has to offer
is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
--Theodore Roosevelt
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.
--Henry David Thoreau
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"We could change the world tomorrow if all the millions of people around the world acted the way they believe."
-Jane Goodall
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you must raise your voice, do it to cheer your students on."
~Author Unknown
"It's not easy being a Teacher...
and this Heart takes a beating each day
Sometimes it breaks for a hurting child
and a piece is given away.
But there's strength in the Heart of a Teacher
and a special vision to see
the difference you make in the heart of a child
...can affect eternity!"
~Paula J. Fox
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
leadership
Dear shamugam,
"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. They are much like eagles...They don't flock, you find them one at a time."
-Mac Anderson
Leadership is a complicated topic, because there are probably as many definitions as there are leaders in the world.
That's because a leader is a person with many roles...CEO, soldier, coach, entrepreneur, department head, politician, teacher, minister...as well as parent, spouse, and other personal roles.
Stay Motivated,
Motivation in a Minute
A Simple Truths Company
"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. They are much like eagles...They don't flock, you find them one at a time."
-Mac Anderson
Leadership is a complicated topic, because there are probably as many definitions as there are leaders in the world.
That's because a leader is a person with many roles...CEO, soldier, coach, entrepreneur, department head, politician, teacher, minister...as well as parent, spouse, and other personal roles.
Stay Motivated,
Motivation in a Minute
A Simple Truths Company
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
some thots
"Always look for opportunities to challenge your best people because many of them are like sticks of dynamite; the power's on the inside, but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit."
~Mac Anderson
You Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School
"Have you ever wondered why so many people work so hard and honestly without ever achieving anything in particular, and others don't seem to work hard, yet seem to get everything? They seem to have the magic touch. You've heard people say, 'Everything he touches turns to gold.' And have you ever noticed that a person who becomes successful tends to continue to become more successful - and, on the other hand, have you noticed how someone who's a failure tends to continue to fail? Well, it's because of goals. People with goals succeed because they know where they're going. It's that simple."
~Earl Nightingale
The Strangest Secret
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
With each decision, we should be convinced that we're
doing the best we can under the circumstances -- best
for ourselves, best for our family, best for our loved
ones, and, possibly, best for society as well.
--Alexandra Stoddard
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to practice peace.
--Morihei Ueshiba
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
The mind is its own place, and in itself
can make a heaven of Hell,
and a hell of Heaven.
--John Milton
Do not make assumptions
Just because you failed many times, do not assume that you will never succeed.
Just because there is so much wrong in the world, do not assume that nothing is right here.
Just because someone has a different accent than yours, do not assume that he or she is ignorant.
Just because you cannot see God, do not assume that God does not exist.
Just because a man or woman is overweight, do not assume that he or she is lazy.
Just because a young man has long hair, do not assume that he is into drugs.
Just because a child is difficult to teach, do not assume that she will never learn.
Just because you have not yet realized your dream, do not assume that you never will.
Just because you do not how to do banking, do not assume that you cannot learn.
Just because the road ahead is difficult, do not assume that you will never reach the destination.
Change is Good...You Go First
by Mac Anderson and Tom Feltenstein
As a leader, however, deciding to make changes is the easy part. Getting your people on board is much more difficult. Why is that? Quite simply, change is an emotional process. We are all creatures of habit who usually resist it, and welcome routine. Uncharted waters are scary!
In the long run, however, sameness is the fast tract to mediocrity. And, mediocre companies won't survive. Tuli Kupferburg said it best..."When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." And, that is your challenge...to convince your team that the new world you are trying to create is better than the one you're in. Is it easy? Of course not. It takes planning, commitment, patience and courage.
The truth, of course, is that change can be a wonderful gift. In fact, it is the key that unlocks the doors to growth and excitement in any organization. And, most importantly, without it...your competition will pass you by. A big part of success, as a leader, will be your ability to inspire your team to get out of their comfort zones; to assure them that even though they are on a new path, it's the right path, for the right reasons.
Learn From Old Warwick- THE SPIRIT OF TEAM WORK
Fostering a spirit of teamwork is critical in times of change. The key element is trust. Trust for the leader and trust for each other.
There is a wonderful story from the play, Some Folks Feel the Rain; Others Just Get Wet; and I think it's worth sharing again to shed some light on how people think about teamwork...
A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.
"Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating.
"Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted,
"Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!"
And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch.
The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, "Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"
The farmer grinned and said, "Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling."
The biggest enemies we have to overcome on the road to success are not a lack of ability and a lack of opportunity but fears of failure and rejection and the doubts that they trigger."
~Brian Tracy
Eat That Frog
"Habits are those actions that get us through our day without a whole lot of conscious thought on our part. It's our habits, those actions that flow from our thoughts, beliefs and words that distinguish winners from everyone else."
~Vince Lombardi Jr.
What it Takes to be Number One
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt. --Max Lerner
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.
--Tom Brokaw
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Like what you do, if you don't like it, do something else.
--Paul Harvey
"Wolves do not aimlessly run around their intended victims, yipping and yapping. They have a strategic plan and execute it through constant communication. When the moment of truth arrives, each understands his role and understands exactly what the pack expects of him."
~Twyman Towery
Wisdom of Wolves
The more you see yourself as a valuable and important person, the more positive and optimistic you will be. When you consider yourself to be important, you will treat other people as if they are important as well."
~Brian Tracy
The Power of Discipline
"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."
~Charles Kingsley
Motivational Quote
"Gratitude is not a fair weather virtue. True gratitude means appreciating your life no matter what the storms may bring. Is simply being alive gift enough for you to feel grateful?"
~Mac Anderson
Learning to Dance in the Rain
~Mac Anderson
You Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School
"Have you ever wondered why so many people work so hard and honestly without ever achieving anything in particular, and others don't seem to work hard, yet seem to get everything? They seem to have the magic touch. You've heard people say, 'Everything he touches turns to gold.' And have you ever noticed that a person who becomes successful tends to continue to become more successful - and, on the other hand, have you noticed how someone who's a failure tends to continue to fail? Well, it's because of goals. People with goals succeed because they know where they're going. It's that simple."
~Earl Nightingale
The Strangest Secret
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
With each decision, we should be convinced that we're
doing the best we can under the circumstances -- best
for ourselves, best for our family, best for our loved
ones, and, possibly, best for society as well.
--Alexandra Stoddard
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to practice peace.
--Morihei Ueshiba
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
The mind is its own place, and in itself
can make a heaven of Hell,
and a hell of Heaven.
--John Milton
Do not make assumptions
Just because you failed many times, do not assume that you will never succeed.
Just because there is so much wrong in the world, do not assume that nothing is right here.
Just because someone has a different accent than yours, do not assume that he or she is ignorant.
Just because you cannot see God, do not assume that God does not exist.
Just because a man or woman is overweight, do not assume that he or she is lazy.
Just because a young man has long hair, do not assume that he is into drugs.
Just because a child is difficult to teach, do not assume that she will never learn.
Just because you have not yet realized your dream, do not assume that you never will.
Just because you do not how to do banking, do not assume that you cannot learn.
Just because the road ahead is difficult, do not assume that you will never reach the destination.
Change is Good...You Go First
by Mac Anderson and Tom Feltenstein
As a leader, however, deciding to make changes is the easy part. Getting your people on board is much more difficult. Why is that? Quite simply, change is an emotional process. We are all creatures of habit who usually resist it, and welcome routine. Uncharted waters are scary!
In the long run, however, sameness is the fast tract to mediocrity. And, mediocre companies won't survive. Tuli Kupferburg said it best..."When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." And, that is your challenge...to convince your team that the new world you are trying to create is better than the one you're in. Is it easy? Of course not. It takes planning, commitment, patience and courage.
The truth, of course, is that change can be a wonderful gift. In fact, it is the key that unlocks the doors to growth and excitement in any organization. And, most importantly, without it...your competition will pass you by. A big part of success, as a leader, will be your ability to inspire your team to get out of their comfort zones; to assure them that even though they are on a new path, it's the right path, for the right reasons.
Learn From Old Warwick- THE SPIRIT OF TEAM WORK
Fostering a spirit of teamwork is critical in times of change. The key element is trust. Trust for the leader and trust for each other.
There is a wonderful story from the play, Some Folks Feel the Rain; Others Just Get Wet; and I think it's worth sharing again to shed some light on how people think about teamwork...
A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.
"Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating.
"Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted,
"Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!"
And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch.
The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, "Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"
The farmer grinned and said, "Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling."
The biggest enemies we have to overcome on the road to success are not a lack of ability and a lack of opportunity but fears of failure and rejection and the doubts that they trigger."
~Brian Tracy
Eat That Frog
"Habits are those actions that get us through our day without a whole lot of conscious thought on our part. It's our habits, those actions that flow from our thoughts, beliefs and words that distinguish winners from everyone else."
~Vince Lombardi Jr.
What it Takes to be Number One
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt. --Max Lerner
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.
--Tom Brokaw
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Like what you do, if you don't like it, do something else.
--Paul Harvey
"Wolves do not aimlessly run around their intended victims, yipping and yapping. They have a strategic plan and execute it through constant communication. When the moment of truth arrives, each understands his role and understands exactly what the pack expects of him."
~Twyman Towery
Wisdom of Wolves
The more you see yourself as a valuable and important person, the more positive and optimistic you will be. When you consider yourself to be important, you will treat other people as if they are important as well."
~Brian Tracy
The Power of Discipline
"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."
~Charles Kingsley
Motivational Quote
"Gratitude is not a fair weather virtue. True gratitude means appreciating your life no matter what the storms may bring. Is simply being alive gift enough for you to feel grateful?"
~Mac Anderson
Learning to Dance in the Rain
happy administrative professionals day
One of my all-time favorite quotes is..."Customer service is not a department, it's an attitude."
How true it is! As much as we try to complicate what great service is...it's really pretty simple: It is giving more than the customer expects...consistently. You notice I said simple, not easy. There is a big difference.
I'm a big fan of Nordstrom. My wife is a bigger fan! For many years we've been impressed with the "Nordstrom attitude" when it comes to serving their customers. A few years ago, we were in Nordstrom doing some last minute Christmas shopping. As we were walking through the men's department, an employee came out of nowhere and said, "Sir, wait right here, I'll be right back." I watched him run over to the next counter about 100 feet away, grab something and start running back. When he got back, he said, "Sir, I think you've been trying on sweaters." I said, "How'd you know?" He said, "The back of your black shirt looks like it's been snowed on, and it's not snowing in here!"
We both laughed and he proceeded to remove the fuzz with his lint roller. After about 10 seconds, he said, "That's it...You're free to buy more stuff! I hope you and your wife have a wonderful Christmas!"
After spending about one hour in the store, we each had 3 Nordstrom bags, and as we were walking out the exit into the rest of the mall, another employee ran over and said, "Let me keep all these bags here while you do the rest of your shopping. They'll be right here, just ask for me." He introduced himself, as did we, and he handed me his card.
About one hour later, with more packages from the mall, we came back. As we walked into the store, I saw the gentleman who had taken our bags walking towards us and with a big smile, "Welcome back Mr. and Mrs. Anderson." He then looked at our new shopping bags and said, "My goodness, you're going to have a load. Can I help you take these bags to the car?" Now please understand, it's Christmas, the store is full of people, it's cold outside, the parking lot is full...and this gentleman is asking if he can help take our bags to the car! And even though I said, "No thanks" I knew his intentions were 100% sincere. I have to tell you the whole service experience on that day blew me away, but I've learned over the years, it's business as unusual at Nordstrom!
How true it is! As much as we try to complicate what great service is...it's really pretty simple: It is giving more than the customer expects...consistently. You notice I said simple, not easy. There is a big difference.
I'm a big fan of Nordstrom. My wife is a bigger fan! For many years we've been impressed with the "Nordstrom attitude" when it comes to serving their customers. A few years ago, we were in Nordstrom doing some last minute Christmas shopping. As we were walking through the men's department, an employee came out of nowhere and said, "Sir, wait right here, I'll be right back." I watched him run over to the next counter about 100 feet away, grab something and start running back. When he got back, he said, "Sir, I think you've been trying on sweaters." I said, "How'd you know?" He said, "The back of your black shirt looks like it's been snowed on, and it's not snowing in here!"
We both laughed and he proceeded to remove the fuzz with his lint roller. After about 10 seconds, he said, "That's it...You're free to buy more stuff! I hope you and your wife have a wonderful Christmas!"
After spending about one hour in the store, we each had 3 Nordstrom bags, and as we were walking out the exit into the rest of the mall, another employee ran over and said, "Let me keep all these bags here while you do the rest of your shopping. They'll be right here, just ask for me." He introduced himself, as did we, and he handed me his card.
About one hour later, with more packages from the mall, we came back. As we walked into the store, I saw the gentleman who had taken our bags walking towards us and with a big smile, "Welcome back Mr. and Mrs. Anderson." He then looked at our new shopping bags and said, "My goodness, you're going to have a load. Can I help you take these bags to the car?" Now please understand, it's Christmas, the store is full of people, it's cold outside, the parking lot is full...and this gentleman is asking if he can help take our bags to the car! And even though I said, "No thanks" I knew his intentions were 100% sincere. I have to tell you the whole service experience on that day blew me away, but I've learned over the years, it's business as unusual at Nordstrom!
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
U R GREATTTTT
A $100 Dollar Bill
Author Unknown
A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $100 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. "Who would like this $100 bill?"
Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $100 to one of you - but first, let me do this."
He proceeded to crumple the 100 dollar note up. He then asked. "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.
"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?" He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson.
No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $100.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to God and to those who love you.
The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do, what we have or who we know, but by...WHO WE ARE.
You are so special in all the world there is only one you -- don't ever forget it.
Remember, you may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
Author Unknown
A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $100 bill. In the room of 200, he asked. "Who would like this $100 bill?"
Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $100 to one of you - but first, let me do this."
He proceeded to crumple the 100 dollar note up. He then asked. "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.
"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?" He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson.
No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $100.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to God and to those who love you.
The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do, what we have or who we know, but by...WHO WE ARE.
You are so special in all the world there is only one you -- don't ever forget it.
Remember, you may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
some thots
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday
but never remembers her age.
--Robert Frost
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the
things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.
--Laurence J. Peter
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
If everyone is thinking alike,
then somebody isn't thinking.
--George S. Patton
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child.
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
--Buddha
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished:
if you're alive, it isn't. --Richard Bach
Vision - The Indispensable Quality of Leadership
All effective leaders have a vision of what they must accomplish. That vision becomes the energy behind every effort and the force that pushes through all the problems. With vision, a leader is on a mission. His or her contagious spirit is felt among the crowd until others begin to rise alongside.
One of the most common questions from people in leadership positions is, "How do I get a vision for my organization?" That is a crucial question, because until it is answered, a person will be a leader in name only.
Although I cannot give you a vision, I can share the process for finding one:
Look Within You - What Do You Feel?
You can't borrow somebody else's vision. It must come from inside of you. The thing that brings it out is passion.
Look Behind You - What Have You Learned?
Every leader's vision is based on his or her own personal experience. What does your past tell you about your future?
Look Around You - What Is Happening to Others?
As a leader, you must always take into account other people. If others aren't with you, you aren't leading.
Look Ahead of You - What Is the Big Picture?
Leaders don't get bogged down in the moment. They see everything from the vantagepoint of the mountaintop. That's why their goals are called vision.
Look Beside You - What Resources Are Available to You?
Your vision must be bigger than you. The greater it is, the more resources it will require. The best leaders bring all of the resources in their world into play to accomplish something great.
A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday
but never remembers her age.
--Robert Frost
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the
things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.
--Laurence J. Peter
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
If everyone is thinking alike,
then somebody isn't thinking.
--George S. Patton
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child.
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
--Buddha
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished:
if you're alive, it isn't. --Richard Bach
Vision - The Indispensable Quality of Leadership
All effective leaders have a vision of what they must accomplish. That vision becomes the energy behind every effort and the force that pushes through all the problems. With vision, a leader is on a mission. His or her contagious spirit is felt among the crowd until others begin to rise alongside.
One of the most common questions from people in leadership positions is, "How do I get a vision for my organization?" That is a crucial question, because until it is answered, a person will be a leader in name only.
Although I cannot give you a vision, I can share the process for finding one:
Look Within You - What Do You Feel?
You can't borrow somebody else's vision. It must come from inside of you. The thing that brings it out is passion.
Look Behind You - What Have You Learned?
Every leader's vision is based on his or her own personal experience. What does your past tell you about your future?
Look Around You - What Is Happening to Others?
As a leader, you must always take into account other people. If others aren't with you, you aren't leading.
Look Ahead of You - What Is the Big Picture?
Leaders don't get bogged down in the moment. They see everything from the vantagepoint of the mountaintop. That's why their goals are called vision.
Look Beside You - What Resources Are Available to You?
Your vision must be bigger than you. The greater it is, the more resources it will require. The best leaders bring all of the resources in their world into play to accomplish something great.
a dedication to all women
The One Flaw In Women
Author Unknown
Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.
However, if there is one flaw in women, it is this;
they forget their worth and how remarkable they truly are!
P
Author Unknown
Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what
makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.
However, if there is one flaw in women, it is this;
they forget their worth and how remarkable they truly are!
P
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
You will never be happy if you continue to search for
what happiness consists of. You will never live if
you are looking for the meaning of life.
--Albert Camus
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of
preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.
--Colin Powell
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
--Colin Powell
"There will always be tension between your enthusiasm for your goal and the fear of failing to achieve it. Quite frankly, you want it that way. The trick is learning how not to surrender to fear but to thrive on its tension."
~Gary Ryan Blair
Goals: The 10 Rules for Achieving Success
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow,
but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work.
--Author Unknown
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Never make a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Tomorrow never comes and yesterday never comes back, so live today
to it's fullest so that your yesterdays will be remembered with
happiness and your tomorrows will be full of brightness and hope.
--Nick Smith
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Nothing but heaven itself is better than
a friend who is really a friend.
--Plautus
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.
--Auguste Rodin
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
To me faith means not worrying.
--John Dewey
"Life without dreams is no life at all. When our existence gets reduced to a list of problems to solve or things to check off, passion dries up. Imagine a different list, one comprised of projects and activities that are the expression of your heart and soul. Reconnect to what makes you happy. Do you know what that is?"
~Marcia Wieder
Dreams are Whispers from the Soul
Excerpt from:
Goals...The 10 Rules for Achieving Success,
by Gary Ryan Blair
On everyone's short list of things to do during their lifetime are the accomplishment of worthy goals and the fulfillment of one's purpose.
Achieving a goal is like opening a combination lock. You need the correct numbers in the correct right, left, right sequence. There are thousands of possible combinations; and if you are aware of the settings but not the sequence, your efforts will prove futile.
The Ten Rules of Goal Setting is the combination that opens the lock of success. Each rule is one piece of the combination; each seamlessly integrates with the other nine; each one counts!
This book provides the goal setting information you need in a straightforward and systematic manner. You will be hard pressed to find a goal that does not require each of these ten rules.
Not all goals are equal, but all goals contain the same foundational elements. When it comes to setting goals, we often don't know what we don't know. And, what you don't know can - and most likely will - hurt you by limiting or compromising your success. Each rule calls for and requires know-how of multiple disciplines. No one is born with all the talents to achieve a goal - you learn as you go on the fly!
If I could carve ten rules for achieving a goal into the walls of your mind, they would be the ones contained in this book. The ten rules work because they are simple, and they are simple because they work.
Success, of course, is individual. Your definition of "the good life" may be very different from mine. Yet the underlying steps toward that end are the same. That similarity helps you to understand what success really is.
Success is the ability, first, to recognize opportunity; second, to form plans and strategies that leverage opportunity; and, third, to develop the necessary skills needed to execute those strategies. The ten rules, like anything else in life, operate best if they are self-enforced!
Success is beautiful because of how it looks to you, how it works, how it feels and how it represents the fulfillment of goals pursued. Grow accustomed to prosperity and confident in the process of achieving a goal. Embrace these ten rules of goal setting and give witness to a powerful transition in your life.
And finally, my goal for this book is to simply...help you reach yours.
(Gary Ryan Blair)
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without
and know we cannot live within.
--James A. Baldwin
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing
in life is to keep your mind young.
--Henry Ford
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable,
and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
--Christopher Reeve
Sometimes when life is not giving you what you think you want, it is helping you to not settle for less than what you really want.
-- Alan Cohen
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.
--Audrey Hepburn
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Growing old is no more than a bad habit which
a busy person has no time to form.
--Andre Maurois
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.
--Carl Jung
I have a rabbit's foot, a four leaf clover, and a lucky charm -- only problem is, none of them become effective until I do.
-- Ziggy
Shake it off and take a step up
author unknown
One day a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway; so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. Realising what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly. Then, a few shovelfuls later, he quieted down completely.
The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovelful of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing some thing amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of dirt. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.
Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off, to the shock and astonishment of all the neighbours. Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to not let it bury you, but to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.
We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!
++++++++++++++++++
The moral to the story is very simple. Life is going to shovel dirt at you. You have two choices:
You can be buried alive by the dirt life throws at you
or
You can shake it off and step up
+++++++++++++++++++
What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him… All because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
If we face our problems and respond to them positively and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity… the adversities that come along in life usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us!
Introduction from:
Secrets of the World Class,
by Steve Siebold
I have had the privilege of competing against, coaching, being coached by and observing world-class performers since I was six years old. As a junior tennis player competing throughout the United States from ages 7 - 18, I became fascinated with what it takes to become a champion. My dream was to be ranked among the Top 10 players in the world, but I fell short. At my best, I hovered around the Top 500 in the world, and that's as high as I could seem to reach. Deep down, I knew I had the talent to make my dream a reality, and I knew the missing link was mental. After I hung up my racquet for the last time, I became obsessed with uncovering the mental toughness secrets of champions.
Starting in 1984, I spent every free moment conducting interviews with champions, reading their books and studying everything I could get my hands on about the psychology of peak performance. My friends said I was obsessed. They were right. This book is the result of my 20-year obsession.
When I started to implement the ideas in this book, my whole life changed. It wasn't overnight, but sometimes it seemed like it. There's no magic here, just practical thought processes, habits and philosophies drawn from the greatest performers in the world.
This book contains no theories. Every secret comes straight from the street of experience, either my own or that of our clients. This book is loaded with ideas you can implement immediately. Some will be familiar and some new. All of them have the power to catapult your results, no matter how high you're flying. It's been said that speakers and writers espouse wisdom on the very topic they need most. Now that you know my story, you know this is true for me. After 20 years of studying and teaching mental toughness to people throughout the United States, Canada and 10 other countries, I can honestly tell you that many times I still think like a complete amateur, operating out of the same middle-class consciousness that I ridicule in this book. After all these years, my mental toughness growth is still a work in progress. The good news is that mental toughness is a skill that can be learned, and the tougher you get, the bigger you'll dream and the more fun you'll have.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.
--Antoine De Saint-Exupery
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities.
In the expert's mind there are few.
--Shunryu Suzuki
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts
into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and
make his dreams come true.
--Napoleon Hill
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Energy, mental clarity, and positive regard for others are the
three most important benchmarks of well-being.
--Jeanne Segal Ph.D
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Live a balanced life--learn some and think some and draw and
paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
--Robert Fulghum
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Very little is needed to make a happy life. It is
all within yourself, in your way of thinking.
--Marcus Aurelius
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
I've always thought that people need to feel good about themselves and I see
my role as offering support to them, to provide some light along the way.
--Leo Buscaglia
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Everything Counts!
--Gary Ryan Blair
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
We sometimes feel that what we do is just a drop in the ocean,
but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
--Mother Teresa
An Excerpt from
Good to the Core
by John Blumberg
I was in Honolulu to speak at a large national conference. I scheduled an extra day onto the trip since I had never been to Honolulu and because a few great friends were also at the conference. The day after the conference, we awoke at the crack of dawn to visit Pearl Harbor. As we stood above and looked down upon the sunken USS Arizona, the depth of our experience came to life. It was moving and humbling.
Upon our return to the hotel, I had some time to spare before departing to the airport. A couple of my friends and I decided to rent a raft large enough to hold three adults. We targeted the white-capped waves, out in the distance, as our destination. With the incoming waves, we had a hard time getting away from the shore. At first, there seemed to be enormous momentum keeping us "grounded." Slowly, but surely, we began to make progress. It seemed to get easier. We eventually got within a few feet of the whitecaps and decided to board our raft and relax as a celebration of our efforts. It was in our moment of pause that we felt the reality of our situation. Drifting two feet out and one foot in. Again, two feet out and one foot in. We all felt the unsettling formula of our ever-so-gentle drift out to sea. We immediately abandoned the raft and grasped for safety, with one arm holding the raft and the other arm aggressively swimming. I have never scissor-kicked so hard in my life.
Twenty minutes later we had made minimal progress. Out of nowhere, a lifeguard on a kayak appeared on the scene asking why we were so far out. Feeling the comfort of his presence, we laughed for a moment, lightly commenting about our distance from the shore. He wasn't laughing.
The orange balls had warned us, and we unknowingly ignored them. Infrequently placed across the ocean's surface, they created an invisible line on the ocean's floor. They silently warned us not to drift beyond them regardless of our vision or mission. "You see those big orange balls on top of the water?" the lifeguard inquired. We could see them, but they didn't look very big from where we were still struggling in the water. They did, however, give us the insight that we were basically five times farther out than we should be. I think the lifeguard was trying to teach us a lesson. He didn't leave us, but he didn't assist us either. Forty-five minutes later we walked up on the shore. I was shaking from exhaustion. I began, for the first time, to feel the numerous cuts on my legs and feet from the sharp coral rocks lining the ocean floor.
We had briefly noticed the orange balls on our way out. We had paid little attention to them and certainly had not given any thought to their significance. We had been too focused on our mission to get to the white-capped waves in the distance!
We don't go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
There can be no friendship when there is no freedom.
Friendship loves the free air, and will not be
fenced up in straight and narrow enclosures.
--William Penn
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
I don't know the key to success, but the key
to failure is trying to please everybody.
--Bill Cosby
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
--Helen Keller
You will never be happy if you continue to search for
what happiness consists of. You will never live if
you are looking for the meaning of life.
--Albert Camus
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of
preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.
--Colin Powell
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
--Colin Powell
"There will always be tension between your enthusiasm for your goal and the fear of failing to achieve it. Quite frankly, you want it that way. The trick is learning how not to surrender to fear but to thrive on its tension."
~Gary Ryan Blair
Goals: The 10 Rules for Achieving Success
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow,
but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work.
--Author Unknown
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Never make a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Tomorrow never comes and yesterday never comes back, so live today
to it's fullest so that your yesterdays will be remembered with
happiness and your tomorrows will be full of brightness and hope.
--Nick Smith
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Nothing but heaven itself is better than
a friend who is really a friend.
--Plautus
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.
--Auguste Rodin
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
To me faith means not worrying.
--John Dewey
"Life without dreams is no life at all. When our existence gets reduced to a list of problems to solve or things to check off, passion dries up. Imagine a different list, one comprised of projects and activities that are the expression of your heart and soul. Reconnect to what makes you happy. Do you know what that is?"
~Marcia Wieder
Dreams are Whispers from the Soul
Excerpt from:
Goals...The 10 Rules for Achieving Success,
by Gary Ryan Blair
On everyone's short list of things to do during their lifetime are the accomplishment of worthy goals and the fulfillment of one's purpose.
Achieving a goal is like opening a combination lock. You need the correct numbers in the correct right, left, right sequence. There are thousands of possible combinations; and if you are aware of the settings but not the sequence, your efforts will prove futile.
The Ten Rules of Goal Setting is the combination that opens the lock of success. Each rule is one piece of the combination; each seamlessly integrates with the other nine; each one counts!
This book provides the goal setting information you need in a straightforward and systematic manner. You will be hard pressed to find a goal that does not require each of these ten rules.
Not all goals are equal, but all goals contain the same foundational elements. When it comes to setting goals, we often don't know what we don't know. And, what you don't know can - and most likely will - hurt you by limiting or compromising your success. Each rule calls for and requires know-how of multiple disciplines. No one is born with all the talents to achieve a goal - you learn as you go on the fly!
If I could carve ten rules for achieving a goal into the walls of your mind, they would be the ones contained in this book. The ten rules work because they are simple, and they are simple because they work.
Success, of course, is individual. Your definition of "the good life" may be very different from mine. Yet the underlying steps toward that end are the same. That similarity helps you to understand what success really is.
Success is the ability, first, to recognize opportunity; second, to form plans and strategies that leverage opportunity; and, third, to develop the necessary skills needed to execute those strategies. The ten rules, like anything else in life, operate best if they are self-enforced!
Success is beautiful because of how it looks to you, how it works, how it feels and how it represents the fulfillment of goals pursued. Grow accustomed to prosperity and confident in the process of achieving a goal. Embrace these ten rules of goal setting and give witness to a powerful transition in your life.
And finally, my goal for this book is to simply...help you reach yours.
(Gary Ryan Blair)
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without
and know we cannot live within.
--James A. Baldwin
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing
in life is to keep your mind young.
--Henry Ford
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable,
and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
--Christopher Reeve
Sometimes when life is not giving you what you think you want, it is helping you to not settle for less than what you really want.
-- Alan Cohen
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.
--Audrey Hepburn
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Growing old is no more than a bad habit which
a busy person has no time to form.
--Andre Maurois
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.
--Carl Jung
I have a rabbit's foot, a four leaf clover, and a lucky charm -- only problem is, none of them become effective until I do.
-- Ziggy
Shake it off and take a step up
author unknown
One day a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway; so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. Realising what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly. Then, a few shovelfuls later, he quieted down completely.
The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovelful of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing some thing amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of dirt. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.
Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off, to the shock and astonishment of all the neighbours. Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to not let it bury you, but to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.
We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!
++++++++++++++++++
The moral to the story is very simple. Life is going to shovel dirt at you. You have two choices:
You can be buried alive by the dirt life throws at you
or
You can shake it off and step up
+++++++++++++++++++
What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him… All because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
If we face our problems and respond to them positively and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity… the adversities that come along in life usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us!
Introduction from:
Secrets of the World Class,
by Steve Siebold
I have had the privilege of competing against, coaching, being coached by and observing world-class performers since I was six years old. As a junior tennis player competing throughout the United States from ages 7 - 18, I became fascinated with what it takes to become a champion. My dream was to be ranked among the Top 10 players in the world, but I fell short. At my best, I hovered around the Top 500 in the world, and that's as high as I could seem to reach. Deep down, I knew I had the talent to make my dream a reality, and I knew the missing link was mental. After I hung up my racquet for the last time, I became obsessed with uncovering the mental toughness secrets of champions.
Starting in 1984, I spent every free moment conducting interviews with champions, reading their books and studying everything I could get my hands on about the psychology of peak performance. My friends said I was obsessed. They were right. This book is the result of my 20-year obsession.
When I started to implement the ideas in this book, my whole life changed. It wasn't overnight, but sometimes it seemed like it. There's no magic here, just practical thought processes, habits and philosophies drawn from the greatest performers in the world.
This book contains no theories. Every secret comes straight from the street of experience, either my own or that of our clients. This book is loaded with ideas you can implement immediately. Some will be familiar and some new. All of them have the power to catapult your results, no matter how high you're flying. It's been said that speakers and writers espouse wisdom on the very topic they need most. Now that you know my story, you know this is true for me. After 20 years of studying and teaching mental toughness to people throughout the United States, Canada and 10 other countries, I can honestly tell you that many times I still think like a complete amateur, operating out of the same middle-class consciousness that I ridicule in this book. After all these years, my mental toughness growth is still a work in progress. The good news is that mental toughness is a skill that can be learned, and the tougher you get, the bigger you'll dream and the more fun you'll have.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.
--Antoine De Saint-Exupery
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities.
In the expert's mind there are few.
--Shunryu Suzuki
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts
into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and
make his dreams come true.
--Napoleon Hill
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Energy, mental clarity, and positive regard for others are the
three most important benchmarks of well-being.
--Jeanne Segal Ph.D
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Live a balanced life--learn some and think some and draw and
paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
--Robert Fulghum
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Very little is needed to make a happy life. It is
all within yourself, in your way of thinking.
--Marcus Aurelius
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
I've always thought that people need to feel good about themselves and I see
my role as offering support to them, to provide some light along the way.
--Leo Buscaglia
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Everything Counts!
--Gary Ryan Blair
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
We sometimes feel that what we do is just a drop in the ocean,
but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.
--Mother Teresa
An Excerpt from
Good to the Core
by John Blumberg
I was in Honolulu to speak at a large national conference. I scheduled an extra day onto the trip since I had never been to Honolulu and because a few great friends were also at the conference. The day after the conference, we awoke at the crack of dawn to visit Pearl Harbor. As we stood above and looked down upon the sunken USS Arizona, the depth of our experience came to life. It was moving and humbling.
Upon our return to the hotel, I had some time to spare before departing to the airport. A couple of my friends and I decided to rent a raft large enough to hold three adults. We targeted the white-capped waves, out in the distance, as our destination. With the incoming waves, we had a hard time getting away from the shore. At first, there seemed to be enormous momentum keeping us "grounded." Slowly, but surely, we began to make progress. It seemed to get easier. We eventually got within a few feet of the whitecaps and decided to board our raft and relax as a celebration of our efforts. It was in our moment of pause that we felt the reality of our situation. Drifting two feet out and one foot in. Again, two feet out and one foot in. We all felt the unsettling formula of our ever-so-gentle drift out to sea. We immediately abandoned the raft and grasped for safety, with one arm holding the raft and the other arm aggressively swimming. I have never scissor-kicked so hard in my life.
Twenty minutes later we had made minimal progress. Out of nowhere, a lifeguard on a kayak appeared on the scene asking why we were so far out. Feeling the comfort of his presence, we laughed for a moment, lightly commenting about our distance from the shore. He wasn't laughing.
The orange balls had warned us, and we unknowingly ignored them. Infrequently placed across the ocean's surface, they created an invisible line on the ocean's floor. They silently warned us not to drift beyond them regardless of our vision or mission. "You see those big orange balls on top of the water?" the lifeguard inquired. We could see them, but they didn't look very big from where we were still struggling in the water. They did, however, give us the insight that we were basically five times farther out than we should be. I think the lifeguard was trying to teach us a lesson. He didn't leave us, but he didn't assist us either. Forty-five minutes later we walked up on the shore. I was shaking from exhaustion. I began, for the first time, to feel the numerous cuts on my legs and feet from the sharp coral rocks lining the ocean floor.
We had briefly noticed the orange balls on our way out. We had paid little attention to them and certainly had not given any thought to their significance. We had been too focused on our mission to get to the white-capped waves in the distance!
We don't go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
There can be no friendship when there is no freedom.
Friendship loves the free air, and will not be
fenced up in straight and narrow enclosures.
--William Penn
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
I don't know the key to success, but the key
to failure is trying to please everybody.
--Bill Cosby
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
--Helen Keller
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE WOLVES????
Excerpt from:
Wisdom of Wolves, by Twyman Towery
No other mammal shows more spirited devotion to its family, organization or social group than the wolf. The members of the wolf pack hunt together to insure survival of the group, but they also play, sing, sleep, scuffle and protect each other. A wolf's purpose for existing is to insure the survival of the pack.
A wolf pack is made up of parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, half brothers and half sisters - it is truly an extended family organization. And though generally only the Alpha male and Alpha female produce pups, every member of the pack participates in the nurturing and education of the young. Each pack member assumes responsibility for the food, shelter, training, protection and play where the pups are concerned, for the pack realizes that the young are their future.
The loyalty exhibited between wolves is well known and documented. But a Montana man who has used his summers for years to study wolves in Alaska gave me a different view of wolf loyalty. He told about a couple he knew who lived in an extremely remote area with their two sons in a log cabin they had made by hand. This family also included two wolves they had raised from earliest puppyhood, rescuing them from their den after their mother had been indiscriminately shot and the pups left to die. This was the only family the wolves had ever known, having only lived with humans as their pack mates.
One day the parents were cutting wood about a mile from home when one of the boys accidentally turned over a kerosene lamp (there was no electricity), and a raging fire began to consume the wooden structure. The two wolves immediately dashed toward the flaming cabin where the two boys were trapped inside, immobilized by smoke and fear. The parents were far behind, so the wolves gnawed and fought their way into the cabin and pulled the boys outside to safety. Though both wolves were badly burned, their loyalty to their "pack" meant the difference between life and death for these two members of their "pack."
The Wolf Credo written by Del Goetz truly captures what the wolf is all about:
Respect the elders
Teach the young
Cooperate with the pack.
Play when you can
Hunt when you must
Rest in between.
Share your affections
Voice your feelings
Leave your mark.
© Del Goetz
Wisdom of Wolves, by Twyman Towery
No other mammal shows more spirited devotion to its family, organization or social group than the wolf. The members of the wolf pack hunt together to insure survival of the group, but they also play, sing, sleep, scuffle and protect each other. A wolf's purpose for existing is to insure the survival of the pack.
A wolf pack is made up of parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, half brothers and half sisters - it is truly an extended family organization. And though generally only the Alpha male and Alpha female produce pups, every member of the pack participates in the nurturing and education of the young. Each pack member assumes responsibility for the food, shelter, training, protection and play where the pups are concerned, for the pack realizes that the young are their future.
The loyalty exhibited between wolves is well known and documented. But a Montana man who has used his summers for years to study wolves in Alaska gave me a different view of wolf loyalty. He told about a couple he knew who lived in an extremely remote area with their two sons in a log cabin they had made by hand. This family also included two wolves they had raised from earliest puppyhood, rescuing them from their den after their mother had been indiscriminately shot and the pups left to die. This was the only family the wolves had ever known, having only lived with humans as their pack mates.
One day the parents were cutting wood about a mile from home when one of the boys accidentally turned over a kerosene lamp (there was no electricity), and a raging fire began to consume the wooden structure. The two wolves immediately dashed toward the flaming cabin where the two boys were trapped inside, immobilized by smoke and fear. The parents were far behind, so the wolves gnawed and fought their way into the cabin and pulled the boys outside to safety. Though both wolves were badly burned, their loyalty to their "pack" meant the difference between life and death for these two members of their "pack."
The Wolf Credo written by Del Goetz truly captures what the wolf is all about:
Respect the elders
Teach the young
Cooperate with the pack.
Play when you can
Hunt when you must
Rest in between.
Share your affections
Voice your feelings
Leave your mark.
© Del Goetz
Thursday, March 04, 2010
food for thot
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
There can be no friendship when there is no freedom.
Friendship loves the free air, and will not be
fenced up in straight and narrow enclosures.
--William Penn
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
I don't know the key to success, but the key
to failure is trying to please everybody.
--Bill Cosby
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
--Helen Keller
Our Deepest Fear
by Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were all born to manifest the glory of God within us. It’s not just some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson from her bestselling book A Return to Love
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action
of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
--Mother Teresa
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end.
It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's
when you've had everything to do, and you've done it.
--Lord Acton
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Live out of your imagination, not your history.
--Stephen Covey
"Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time."
~Marion Edelman
Finding Joy
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.
--Anthony J. D'Angelo
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do.
Where there is love and inspiration,
I don't think you can go wrong.
--Ella Fitzgerald
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to
start a thing. Action always generates inspiration.
Inspiration seldom generates action.
--Frank Tibolt
There can be no friendship when there is no freedom.
Friendship loves the free air, and will not be
fenced up in straight and narrow enclosures.
--William Penn
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
I don't know the key to success, but the key
to failure is trying to please everybody.
--Bill Cosby
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
--Helen Keller
Our Deepest Fear
by Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were all born to manifest the glory of God within us. It’s not just some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson from her bestselling book A Return to Love
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action
of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
--Mother Teresa
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end.
It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's
when you've had everything to do, and you've done it.
--Lord Acton
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Live out of your imagination, not your history.
--Stephen Covey
"Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time."
~Marion Edelman
Finding Joy
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.
--Anthony J. D'Angelo
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do.
Where there is love and inspiration,
I don't think you can go wrong.
--Ella Fitzgerald
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to
start a thing. Action always generates inspiration.
Inspiration seldom generates action.
--Frank Tibolt
food for thot
Say Something Nice
Recently I witnessed something unusual. A few high school students were sitting in a circle with their teacher. The teacher pointed to a student and asked everybody to say something nice about him. Everybody was quiet. The going was slow initially. People had a hard time articulating what they wanted to say and the person was getting embarrassed. But soon the atmosphere began to change. There were raised hands, laughter as people recounted funny memories, and friendly leg pulling. The atmosphere had started to lighten up and camaraderie was starting to build.
During our daily interactions, we witness positive as well as negative attributes of others. While we do not hesitate to provide negative feedback, we seldom make time to say something nice.
Imagine what would happen if every once in a while people got together with those who matter to them and said something nice to them.
There is a potential that the positive characteristics and attributes of a child would get reinforced and her self esteem would increase. Perhaps, the dad would learn that the time spent on the floor roughhousing with the kids is what the kids appreciate most, and perhaps the mom would come to realize that not everything she does is unappreciated after all. A boss may find out that her encouraging words did not go unnoticed and a subordinate may actually realize the impact of his hard work on the company. A teacher may realize that the hours spent grading and providing feedback are actually beneficial to the student, and the student may come to know that it is his tenacity and determination that are more important to the teacher than his grades.
Next time you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative about somebody, make sure to finish the conversation on a positive note, highlighting a particular characteristic that you appreciate about him.
The positive effect that it will have on both of you will be amazing.
Yours,Didi Ji
Recently I witnessed something unusual. A few high school students were sitting in a circle with their teacher. The teacher pointed to a student and asked everybody to say something nice about him. Everybody was quiet. The going was slow initially. People had a hard time articulating what they wanted to say and the person was getting embarrassed. But soon the atmosphere began to change. There were raised hands, laughter as people recounted funny memories, and friendly leg pulling. The atmosphere had started to lighten up and camaraderie was starting to build.
During our daily interactions, we witness positive as well as negative attributes of others. While we do not hesitate to provide negative feedback, we seldom make time to say something nice.
Imagine what would happen if every once in a while people got together with those who matter to them and said something nice to them.
There is a potential that the positive characteristics and attributes of a child would get reinforced and her self esteem would increase. Perhaps, the dad would learn that the time spent on the floor roughhousing with the kids is what the kids appreciate most, and perhaps the mom would come to realize that not everything she does is unappreciated after all. A boss may find out that her encouraging words did not go unnoticed and a subordinate may actually realize the impact of his hard work on the company. A teacher may realize that the hours spent grading and providing feedback are actually beneficial to the student, and the student may come to know that it is his tenacity and determination that are more important to the teacher than his grades.
Next time you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative about somebody, make sure to finish the conversation on a positive note, highlighting a particular characteristic that you appreciate about him.
The positive effect that it will have on both of you will be amazing.
Yours,Didi Ji
Saturday, February 27, 2010
food for thot
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge
over which he himself must pass.
--George Herbert
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
One of the secrets of success is to refuse
to let temporary setbacks defeat us.
--Mary Kay
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness.
It is not attained through self-gratification but through
fidelity to a worthy purpose. --Helen Keller
"Happiness is not a when or a where; it can be a here and a now. But until you are happy with who you are you will never be happy because of what you have."
~Zig Ziglar
Inspiration 365 Days a Year
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Who wishes perfect and complete happiness will never be
completely happy; who conforms with relative happiness
will be much happier!
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Do the right thing...especially when no one's watching.
--Cherie Carter-Scott Ph.D.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
The Universe rearranges itself to fit your perception of reality.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
When we blame, we give away our power.
--Greg Anderson
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
When you play it too safe, you're taking
the biggest risk of your life...Time is
the only wealth we're given.
--Barbara Sher
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
You have to accept whatever comes and the
only important thing is that you meet it
with the best you have to give.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
"Many of us who are great team members at work take off our teamwork hats when we walk in the door at home. We do not seem to realize that our spouse and children are not nearly as interested in our job title as our taking time to relate to them as equals. Are you guilty of this? How would they want you to act differently?"
~Twyman Towery
Wisdom of Wolves
"Amateur performers habitually play not to lose and procrastinate because they fear making a mistake. The great ones know mistakes will be made and can be corrected."
~Steve Siebold
Secrets of the World Class
He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge
over which he himself must pass.
--George Herbert
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
One of the secrets of success is to refuse
to let temporary setbacks defeat us.
--Mary Kay
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness.
It is not attained through self-gratification but through
fidelity to a worthy purpose. --Helen Keller
"Happiness is not a when or a where; it can be a here and a now. But until you are happy with who you are you will never be happy because of what you have."
~Zig Ziglar
Inspiration 365 Days a Year
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Who wishes perfect and complete happiness will never be
completely happy; who conforms with relative happiness
will be much happier!
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Do the right thing...especially when no one's watching.
--Cherie Carter-Scott Ph.D.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
The Universe rearranges itself to fit your perception of reality.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
When we blame, we give away our power.
--Greg Anderson
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
When you play it too safe, you're taking
the biggest risk of your life...Time is
the only wealth we're given.
--Barbara Sher
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
You have to accept whatever comes and the
only important thing is that you meet it
with the best you have to give.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
"Many of us who are great team members at work take off our teamwork hats when we walk in the door at home. We do not seem to realize that our spouse and children are not nearly as interested in our job title as our taking time to relate to them as equals. Are you guilty of this? How would they want you to act differently?"
~Twyman Towery
Wisdom of Wolves
"Amateur performers habitually play not to lose and procrastinate because they fear making a mistake. The great ones know mistakes will be made and can be corrected."
~Steve Siebold
Secrets of the World Class
some thots
The Derrick Redmond Story from
The Power of Attitude
by Mac Anderson
August 1992.
Derrick Redmond from Great Britain was favored to win the 400-meter race during the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, but as he powered around the backstretch his hamstring snapped. Derrick tried desperately to finish the race, but he still had half the distance to go. Because he couldn't walk, he began to hop. One step-a grimace. Two steps-a yell.
Jim Redmond had to get to his struggling son. He doesn't remember all the steps down from Section 131, Row 22, Seat 25 of the Olympic Stadium. He doesn't really remember leaping over the railing or pushing off security guards who were too stunned to stop him. He was not just a spectator at the Olympics anymore; Jim Redmond was a father, and he had to get to his son.
"Dad," Derrick said, "Dad...Get me back to lane five. I want to finish."
And leaning on each other, father and son made their way around the track as the crowd, with the whole world watching, rose to their feet cheering. Olympic Organizers can light the skies with fireworks, they can invite kings and queens...but this was the magic of real life.
That day people saw an example of great courage, but they witnessed an even greater story about love.
Love, simply stated, is the essence of life. It can put the smile on your face, the bounce in your step, and most importantly, the joy in your heart. Even when your whole world is crumbling around you, one person holding your hand, looking into your eyes, saying "I love you" is enough to get you through.
Love is to attitude as the rain is to flowers. Surround yourself with people who love you, and whom you can love back. This, more than anything else you can do, will provide the music for your life and the fuel for your soul.
Just recently a friend included a wonderful poem by Robert Ward in her letter to me. I hope you like it as much as I did.
I wish you the courage to be warm when the world
Would prefer that you be cool.
I wish you successes sufficient to your needs;
I wish you failure to temper that success.
I wish you joy in all your days; I wish you sadness
So that you may better measure that joy.
I wish you gladness to overbalance grief.
I wish you humor and a twinkle in the eye.
I wish you glory and the strength to bear its burdens.
I wish you sunshine on your path and storms to season
Your journey.
I wish you peace in the world in which you live and in the
Smallest corner of the heart where truth is kept.
I wish you faith to help define your living and your life.
More I cannot wish you, except perhaps love, to make
All the rest worthwhile.
The Power of Attitude
by Mac Anderson
August 1992.
Derrick Redmond from Great Britain was favored to win the 400-meter race during the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, but as he powered around the backstretch his hamstring snapped. Derrick tried desperately to finish the race, but he still had half the distance to go. Because he couldn't walk, he began to hop. One step-a grimace. Two steps-a yell.
Jim Redmond had to get to his struggling son. He doesn't remember all the steps down from Section 131, Row 22, Seat 25 of the Olympic Stadium. He doesn't really remember leaping over the railing or pushing off security guards who were too stunned to stop him. He was not just a spectator at the Olympics anymore; Jim Redmond was a father, and he had to get to his son.
"Dad," Derrick said, "Dad...Get me back to lane five. I want to finish."
And leaning on each other, father and son made their way around the track as the crowd, with the whole world watching, rose to their feet cheering. Olympic Organizers can light the skies with fireworks, they can invite kings and queens...but this was the magic of real life.
That day people saw an example of great courage, but they witnessed an even greater story about love.
Love, simply stated, is the essence of life. It can put the smile on your face, the bounce in your step, and most importantly, the joy in your heart. Even when your whole world is crumbling around you, one person holding your hand, looking into your eyes, saying "I love you" is enough to get you through.
Love is to attitude as the rain is to flowers. Surround yourself with people who love you, and whom you can love back. This, more than anything else you can do, will provide the music for your life and the fuel for your soul.
Just recently a friend included a wonderful poem by Robert Ward in her letter to me. I hope you like it as much as I did.
I wish you the courage to be warm when the world
Would prefer that you be cool.
I wish you successes sufficient to your needs;
I wish you failure to temper that success.
I wish you joy in all your days; I wish you sadness
So that you may better measure that joy.
I wish you gladness to overbalance grief.
I wish you humor and a twinkle in the eye.
I wish you glory and the strength to bear its burdens.
I wish you sunshine on your path and storms to season
Your journey.
I wish you peace in the world in which you live and in the
Smallest corner of the heart where truth is kept.
I wish you faith to help define your living and your life.
More I cannot wish you, except perhaps love, to make
All the rest worthwhile.
some thots
"Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted."
David Bly
Nobody Owes You Anything: From Gardener to Entrepreneur
The average Nicaraguan is born in a shack with a dirt floor. He earns less than $15 a week.
"E," my gardener in Nicaragua, does much better than that. But he is still, by U.S. standards, poor. Since I am in daily contact with E when I'm there, I often think about how I can help him earn more money. He wants more material goods -- and who can blame him, when he sees how "well" we gringos live (in person and on television)?
Several years ago, I was tempted to give him the few thousand dollars it would have taken to make his house one of the nicest in the hamlet where he lives. But I knew from experience that it would do him no good. It would go as quickly as it came. Given money always does.
Worse, it would reinforce the very bad idea that money comes from me to him, instead of from his own labor and ingenuity.
Because I wanted E to have a nicer house and because I wanted him to understand that money represents something of value (hard work, enterprise, etc.), I gave him the opportunity to do some extra work for me.
Since he was already being paid for gardening, I told him I'd pay him considerably more on a per-hour basis than what he was making on a salary -- but to earn it, he had to work in his spare time and develop more valuable skills.
He began by learning to paint and do a little carpentry. Then he learned how to do a bit of plumbing and electrical work.
About two years ago, we switched from hourly pay to job-related pay. This gave him the chance to learn how to estimate his time and write up bills and keep receipts and even to negotiate (with me!).
Today, he has the house I would have liked to give him years ago, but he got it with his own efforts. It wasn't a gift, and he knows it.
He's also used some of his extra earnings to build and stock a little store that sits in front of his house. His wife works there. It provides his family with a second income.
In his transformation from gardener to entrepreneur, E faced an obstacle that was greater than his lack of skills.
E went to grammar school (the only school they had) during the Sandinista years. The Sandinistas, to remind you, were Communists -- so E was taught two very dumb ideas about wealth:
Everyone is entitled to an equal share of it. ("To each according to his needs.")
Those who have more than others should give it up. ("From each according to his means.")
These ideas move very quickly into thoughts like:
"It is the responsibility of my government to take care of me."
"It is the responsibility of my boss and the business I work for to make me secure and financially successful."
When E met me, the path to wealth was through Michael Masterson because Michael Masterson, his boss, had the money that E wanted. He didn't want to have money like me. He wanted to have my money.
He saw money as a static thing. He believed that there was just so much of it in the world, and the only way to get some for himself was to get it from someone else. Since I was the only wealthy guy he knew, it made perfect sense for him to base his strategy for growing rich on "101 ways to talk Michael Masterson into giving me money."
It is a very good feeling to know that E doesn't feel like that anymore. I am still his biggest client, but he has done fix-it jobs for other homeowners in our community -- and he has the extra income from his store.
Wrongheaded ideas about wealth are not unique to Communist countries. They exist in every country of the world, including the United States.
Some people think they are entitled to be taken care of by the government. The result: They spend their time applying for government handouts.
Others think that all the profits of a company should be distributed to its workers. The result: They're never happy with what they earn.
Still others think that no one is entitled to have more money than they have. The result: They keep trying to get people they know to give them some of theirs.
None of that will make you wealthy. In fact, it will make it harder for you to acquire wealth. Every minute you spend thinking about or asking for money you didn't earn is a minute wasted and a bad habit reinforced.
Becoming wealthy in America s not difficult if you are willing to work for it. Anyone who is willing to do what E did can enjoy a much higher income and, eventually, financial independence.
It starts with recognizing that you are responsible for your own future. You must reject every idea that is about acquiring wealth for free. That includes blaming others for your situation -- however bad it may be.
The next step, as E learned, is to acquire financially valuable skills. For him, that meant painting and carpentry at first -- and later, the basics of owning a business. You probably already have a financially valuable skill -- something you know how to do better than just about anyone else you know. You can build on that by acquiring marketing skills. And then management, negotiating, and the other skills that made E the successful entrepreneur he is today.
But to begin, you must overcome inertia. Inertia is the enemy of every worthwhile goal.
Inertia is the reason you can't find the time to start developing the skills that will bring you financial independence. Or the reason you start, get busy... and then forget about it. Inertia is every excuse I have ever heard from people who return to ETR's wealth-building bootcamps year after year and tell me why they haven't yet started turning their dreams into reality.
Inertia is the problem, and there is only one way to overcome it. That way is to take action. Some significant, positive action that will get you going, even if you are not now sure exactly where you want to go.
The Internet abounds with self-help and wealth-building programs that can guide you along the way. (At ETR, we like to think that we offer some of the best.) If you have done nothing else so far, invest in one of these services today and get started on applying the lessons you learn.
And here is where the circle connects: Action is the key, but action won't happen until you decide that you are responsible for your success.
So repeat after me:
"My parents owe me nothing."
"My children owe me nothing."
"My friends owe me nothing."
"The world owes me nothing."
"I -- and no one else -- am responsible for my success."
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson welcomes your questions and comments. Send him a message at AskMichael@ETRFeedback.com.]
David Bly
Nobody Owes You Anything: From Gardener to Entrepreneur
The average Nicaraguan is born in a shack with a dirt floor. He earns less than $15 a week.
"E," my gardener in Nicaragua, does much better than that. But he is still, by U.S. standards, poor. Since I am in daily contact with E when I'm there, I often think about how I can help him earn more money. He wants more material goods -- and who can blame him, when he sees how "well" we gringos live (in person and on television)?
Several years ago, I was tempted to give him the few thousand dollars it would have taken to make his house one of the nicest in the hamlet where he lives. But I knew from experience that it would do him no good. It would go as quickly as it came. Given money always does.
Worse, it would reinforce the very bad idea that money comes from me to him, instead of from his own labor and ingenuity.
Because I wanted E to have a nicer house and because I wanted him to understand that money represents something of value (hard work, enterprise, etc.), I gave him the opportunity to do some extra work for me.
Since he was already being paid for gardening, I told him I'd pay him considerably more on a per-hour basis than what he was making on a salary -- but to earn it, he had to work in his spare time and develop more valuable skills.
He began by learning to paint and do a little carpentry. Then he learned how to do a bit of plumbing and electrical work.
About two years ago, we switched from hourly pay to job-related pay. This gave him the chance to learn how to estimate his time and write up bills and keep receipts and even to negotiate (with me!).
Today, he has the house I would have liked to give him years ago, but he got it with his own efforts. It wasn't a gift, and he knows it.
He's also used some of his extra earnings to build and stock a little store that sits in front of his house. His wife works there. It provides his family with a second income.
In his transformation from gardener to entrepreneur, E faced an obstacle that was greater than his lack of skills.
E went to grammar school (the only school they had) during the Sandinista years. The Sandinistas, to remind you, were Communists -- so E was taught two very dumb ideas about wealth:
Everyone is entitled to an equal share of it. ("To each according to his needs.")
Those who have more than others should give it up. ("From each according to his means.")
These ideas move very quickly into thoughts like:
"It is the responsibility of my government to take care of me."
"It is the responsibility of my boss and the business I work for to make me secure and financially successful."
When E met me, the path to wealth was through Michael Masterson because Michael Masterson, his boss, had the money that E wanted. He didn't want to have money like me. He wanted to have my money.
He saw money as a static thing. He believed that there was just so much of it in the world, and the only way to get some for himself was to get it from someone else. Since I was the only wealthy guy he knew, it made perfect sense for him to base his strategy for growing rich on "101 ways to talk Michael Masterson into giving me money."
It is a very good feeling to know that E doesn't feel like that anymore. I am still his biggest client, but he has done fix-it jobs for other homeowners in our community -- and he has the extra income from his store.
Wrongheaded ideas about wealth are not unique to Communist countries. They exist in every country of the world, including the United States.
Some people think they are entitled to be taken care of by the government. The result: They spend their time applying for government handouts.
Others think that all the profits of a company should be distributed to its workers. The result: They're never happy with what they earn.
Still others think that no one is entitled to have more money than they have. The result: They keep trying to get people they know to give them some of theirs.
None of that will make you wealthy. In fact, it will make it harder for you to acquire wealth. Every minute you spend thinking about or asking for money you didn't earn is a minute wasted and a bad habit reinforced.
Becoming wealthy in America s not difficult if you are willing to work for it. Anyone who is willing to do what E did can enjoy a much higher income and, eventually, financial independence.
It starts with recognizing that you are responsible for your own future. You must reject every idea that is about acquiring wealth for free. That includes blaming others for your situation -- however bad it may be.
The next step, as E learned, is to acquire financially valuable skills. For him, that meant painting and carpentry at first -- and later, the basics of owning a business. You probably already have a financially valuable skill -- something you know how to do better than just about anyone else you know. You can build on that by acquiring marketing skills. And then management, negotiating, and the other skills that made E the successful entrepreneur he is today.
But to begin, you must overcome inertia. Inertia is the enemy of every worthwhile goal.
Inertia is the reason you can't find the time to start developing the skills that will bring you financial independence. Or the reason you start, get busy... and then forget about it. Inertia is every excuse I have ever heard from people who return to ETR's wealth-building bootcamps year after year and tell me why they haven't yet started turning their dreams into reality.
Inertia is the problem, and there is only one way to overcome it. That way is to take action. Some significant, positive action that will get you going, even if you are not now sure exactly where you want to go.
The Internet abounds with self-help and wealth-building programs that can guide you along the way. (At ETR, we like to think that we offer some of the best.) If you have done nothing else so far, invest in one of these services today and get started on applying the lessons you learn.
And here is where the circle connects: Action is the key, but action won't happen until you decide that you are responsible for your success.
So repeat after me:
"My parents owe me nothing."
"My children owe me nothing."
"My friends owe me nothing."
"The world owes me nothing."
"I -- and no one else -- am responsible for my success."
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson welcomes your questions and comments. Send him a message at AskMichael@ETRFeedback.com.]
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love is metaphysical gravity.
--Buckminster Fuller
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Don't go around saying the world owes you a living.
The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
--Mark Twain
Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more
than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
--George Bernard Shaw
"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."
~Pericles
Love is metaphysical gravity.
--Buckminster Fuller
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Don't go around saying the world owes you a living.
The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
--Mark Twain
Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more
than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
--George Bernard Shaw
"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."
~Pericles
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Numerous scientific studies show that acts of kindness result in significant health benefits, both physical and mental
It's not what happens to you that matters, what matters most is how you choose to respond. Always choose to Finish Strong!
OVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love is love's reward.
--John Dryden
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Action is the foundational key to all success.
--Pablo Picasso
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Turn your wounds into wisdom.
--Oprah Winfrey
It's not what happens to you that matters, what matters most is how you choose to respond. Always choose to Finish Strong!
OVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love is love's reward.
--John Dryden
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Action is the foundational key to all success.
--Pablo Picasso
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Turn your wounds into wisdom.
--Oprah Winfrey
Health Benefits of Kindness
Health Benefits of Kindness
from The Random Acts of Kindness Website
Numerous scientific studies show that acts of kindness result in significant health benefits, both physical and mental. Here are some key points:
Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders serious and minor, psychological and physical.
A rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act is often referred to as a “helper’s high,” involving physical sensations and the release of the body’s natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.
Stress-related health problems improve after performing kind acts. Helping reverses feelings of depression, supplies social contact, and decreases feelings of hostility and isolation that can cause stress, overeating, ulcers, etc. A drop in stress may, for some people, decrease the constriction within the lungs that leads to asthma attacks.
Helping can enhance our feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience, and vigor, and can reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation.
A decrease in both the intensity and the awareness of physical pain can occur.
The incidence of attitudes, such as chronic hostility, that negatively arouse and damage the body is reduced.
The health benefits and sense of well-being return for hours or even days whenever the helping act is remembered.
An increased sense of self-worth, greater happiness, and optimism, as well as a decrease in feelings of helplessness and depression, is achieved.
Once we establish an “affiliative connection” with someone – a relationship of friendship, love, or some sort of positive bonding – we feel emotions that can strengthen the immune system.
Adopting an altruistic lifestyle is a critical component of mental health.
The practice of caring for strangers translates to immense immune and healing benefits.
Regular club attendance, volunteering, entertaining, or faith group attendance is the happiness equivalent of getting a college degree or more than doubling your income.
Source: Luks, Allan. The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. New York: iUniverse.com, 2001. Our thanks to the Niagara Wellness Council, Niagara Fall, NY, for compiling this list from Luks’ book. The Niagara Wellness Council may be reached by email at niagwellness@opticlick.com.
Random Acts of Kindness Week, Feb 15-21, more info - http://www.actsofkindness.org
from The Random Acts of Kindness Website
Numerous scientific studies show that acts of kindness result in significant health benefits, both physical and mental. Here are some key points:
Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders serious and minor, psychological and physical.
A rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act is often referred to as a “helper’s high,” involving physical sensations and the release of the body’s natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.
Stress-related health problems improve after performing kind acts. Helping reverses feelings of depression, supplies social contact, and decreases feelings of hostility and isolation that can cause stress, overeating, ulcers, etc. A drop in stress may, for some people, decrease the constriction within the lungs that leads to asthma attacks.
Helping can enhance our feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience, and vigor, and can reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation.
A decrease in both the intensity and the awareness of physical pain can occur.
The incidence of attitudes, such as chronic hostility, that negatively arouse and damage the body is reduced.
The health benefits and sense of well-being return for hours or even days whenever the helping act is remembered.
An increased sense of self-worth, greater happiness, and optimism, as well as a decrease in feelings of helplessness and depression, is achieved.
Once we establish an “affiliative connection” with someone – a relationship of friendship, love, or some sort of positive bonding – we feel emotions that can strengthen the immune system.
Adopting an altruistic lifestyle is a critical component of mental health.
The practice of caring for strangers translates to immense immune and healing benefits.
Regular club attendance, volunteering, entertaining, or faith group attendance is the happiness equivalent of getting a college degree or more than doubling your income.
Source: Luks, Allan. The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. New York: iUniverse.com, 2001. Our thanks to the Niagara Wellness Council, Niagara Fall, NY, for compiling this list from Luks’ book. The Niagara Wellness Council may be reached by email at niagwellness@opticlick.com.
Random Acts of Kindness Week, Feb 15-21, more info - http://www.actsofkindness.org
Monday, February 01, 2010
Not Giving Up
by Kip Davis
I can remember a period in my life when I was unemployed and money was running short. I needed a job very badly and it seemed as if no one was hiring.
A very good friend of mine approached me one day with an offer. "I'm going to have to let this job go and I was wondering if you would like to take it over?"
"That would be great," I replied.
I went to speak with the manager and he said he could use me, but never gave me a start date. Really needing the job, I made it a point to go and check in with him every day.
I knew he would eventually get tired of me and give me a starting period. Finally one day he said, "You can start Monday morning."
Come Monday morning, I showed up for work extra early. I was ready to do my best. When I went inside I was informed that I would be buffing the floors. My friend was there to show me how to operate the buffer.
"It's real easy," he said, running the machine very smoothly.He handed it over to me and said, "Here, you give it a try." I grabbed the handles with a "no problem" attitude and gave it some gas. To my surprise, the buffer whipped around in a big circle, running over my friend's brand new pair of boots, and sending him jumping up on a check-out counter.
Several times, I tried to run it again and failed. I really had to fight that thing to make it go.
"What am I going to do?" I thought to myself. "I finally found a job and I can't do it. Am I going to have to tell them I have to quit?"
After several rough days of buffing, I finally made up my mind that I was going to do this. For about a week, I struggled with the buffer, putting all my weight and strength into it.
Eventually, I learned the trick was not to struggle with it at all, just go with the flow of it, and by the second week, I was showing off and running it with one hand.
A few months later, I thought back and wondered what would have happened if I had given up that first week. I certainly would not have had the newfound confidence or a paycheck.
Sometime after that experience, I started a new job that required the use of a buffer. I even had to train others to use it, and I always got a kick out of seeing them run it for the first time. I knew, though, if they stuck with it, they would do just fine; they just needed a little encouragement and a lot of practice.
Michael Jordan said, "Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
"LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Don't be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before
you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or
lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.
--Richard Bach
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Avoid problems, and you'll never be the one who overcame them.
--Richard Bach
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Here is the test to find whether your mission on
Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't.
--Richard Bach
At 211 degrees...water is hot.
At 212 degrees...it boils.
And with boiling water, comes steam.
And steam can power a locomotive.
And, it's that one extra degree that...
Makes all the difference.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.
--Richard Bach
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
I don't want to do business with those who don't make
a profit, because they can't give the best service.
--Richard Bach
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth it?
--Richard Bach
The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. The moment it arises, all your irritations and resentments slip away and the sunny spirit takes their place."
http://www.thelaughtermovie.com/?cm_mmc=Responsys-_-WK-_-1.22.10-_-LVACmovie1a
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
If you love someone, set them free. If they come back
they're yours; if they don't they never were.
--Richard Bach
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
If it's never our fault, we can't take responsibility for it. If we
can't take responsibility for it, we'll always be its victim.
--Richard Bach
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Listen to what you know instead of what you fear.
--Richard Bach
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love is the reason all of us are here now.
--Mr. Positive!
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Things turn out best for those who make
the best of the way things turn out.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
I never failed; I just discovered 1,000 ways in which the light bulb
would not work. And every attempt brought me closer to the knowledge
of how it would. --Thomas Edison
by Kip Davis
I can remember a period in my life when I was unemployed and money was running short. I needed a job very badly and it seemed as if no one was hiring.
A very good friend of mine approached me one day with an offer. "I'm going to have to let this job go and I was wondering if you would like to take it over?"
"That would be great," I replied.
I went to speak with the manager and he said he could use me, but never gave me a start date. Really needing the job, I made it a point to go and check in with him every day.
I knew he would eventually get tired of me and give me a starting period. Finally one day he said, "You can start Monday morning."
Come Monday morning, I showed up for work extra early. I was ready to do my best. When I went inside I was informed that I would be buffing the floors. My friend was there to show me how to operate the buffer.
"It's real easy," he said, running the machine very smoothly.He handed it over to me and said, "Here, you give it a try." I grabbed the handles with a "no problem" attitude and gave it some gas. To my surprise, the buffer whipped around in a big circle, running over my friend's brand new pair of boots, and sending him jumping up on a check-out counter.
Several times, I tried to run it again and failed. I really had to fight that thing to make it go.
"What am I going to do?" I thought to myself. "I finally found a job and I can't do it. Am I going to have to tell them I have to quit?"
After several rough days of buffing, I finally made up my mind that I was going to do this. For about a week, I struggled with the buffer, putting all my weight and strength into it.
Eventually, I learned the trick was not to struggle with it at all, just go with the flow of it, and by the second week, I was showing off and running it with one hand.
A few months later, I thought back and wondered what would have happened if I had given up that first week. I certainly would not have had the newfound confidence or a paycheck.
Sometime after that experience, I started a new job that required the use of a buffer. I even had to train others to use it, and I always got a kick out of seeing them run it for the first time. I knew, though, if they stuck with it, they would do just fine; they just needed a little encouragement and a lot of practice.
Michael Jordan said, "Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
"LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Don't be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before
you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or
lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.
--Richard Bach
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Avoid problems, and you'll never be the one who overcame them.
--Richard Bach
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Here is the test to find whether your mission on
Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't.
--Richard Bach
At 211 degrees...water is hot.
At 212 degrees...it boils.
And with boiling water, comes steam.
And steam can power a locomotive.
And, it's that one extra degree that...
Makes all the difference.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness.
--Richard Bach
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
I don't want to do business with those who don't make
a profit, because they can't give the best service.
--Richard Bach
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth it?
--Richard Bach
The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. The moment it arises, all your irritations and resentments slip away and the sunny spirit takes their place."
http://www.thelaughtermovie.com/?cm_mmc=Responsys-_-WK-_-1.22.10-_-LVACmovie1a
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
If you love someone, set them free. If they come back
they're yours; if they don't they never were.
--Richard Bach
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
If it's never our fault, we can't take responsibility for it. If we
can't take responsibility for it, we'll always be its victim.
--Richard Bach
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Listen to what you know instead of what you fear.
--Richard Bach
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love is the reason all of us are here now.
--Mr. Positive!
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Things turn out best for those who make
the best of the way things turn out.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
I never failed; I just discovered 1,000 ways in which the light bulb
would not work. And every attempt brought me closer to the knowledge
of how it would. --Thomas Edison
SOME THOTS FOR U
"Don’t be afraid to ask dumb questions. They’re more easily handled than dumb mistakes."
~William Wister Haines
how to seek forgiveness after spreading rumours?
One day a man named Chit Chat went to the village sage feeling terrible about all the gossip and the wicked things that he had said about other people.
He said to the elder, “I feel terrible about all the rumors I have spread all my life. What can I do to make amends to the good people of the village?” The wise elder thought for a moment and then he said, “Go to the market and purchase the finest chicken you can find. Then pluck all the feathers from the chicken and bring it to me just as fast as you possibly can."
Chit Chat ran to the market and spent some time looking for the finest chicken. When he was satisfied that this was the best chicken in all the marketplace he returned at a full run while plucking feathers from the chicken along the way. By the time he got to the elders hut all the feathers were gone from the chicken.
He handed the chicken to the old sage who carefully turned it over and over until he was finally satisfied that there were no feathers on it. Then he said to Chit Chat, “Now go get me all the feathers you have plucked from the chicken."
Exasperated, the Chit Chat exclaimed, “How can I do that? The wind must've carried them a long way off and scattered them all across the land!" The old sage, looking at Chit Chat with great compassion said, "Yes that is true, and it is the same with rumors you have spread, they have gone so far and wide you can never retrieve them. I would suggest that you go and apologize to the people that you have dishonored, that is how you may gain forgivenes
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.
--Zelda Fitzgerald
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.
--John Randolph
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.
--Gilbert K. Chesterton
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing
that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to
have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.
--Margaret Thatcher
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.
--Les Brown
Be Decisive:
Success is the intentional, pre-meditated use of choice and decision. Unless you choose - with certainty - what it is you want, you accept table scraps by default!
The world is plump with opportunity. With boldness and conviction, stick a fork into the goals you want by being decisive.
You are born with great capabilities, but you will not achieve your potential until you call upon yourself to fulfill it. You will rise to the occasion when it presents itself; yet, to assure self-fulfillment, you must provide occasions to rise to. Clearly defined goals allow you to travel toward another horizon that represents the end of one experience and the transition to a new and better existence. The objective is to choose the right goals, and then to create the necessary causes - the effects will follow!
The difference between what one person and another achieves depends more on goal choices than on abilities. The profound differences between successful people and others are the goals they choose to pursue. Individuals with smaller talents, intelligence, and abilities will achieve different results because they select and pursue different goals.
Each decision affects what you become. We form our decisions and our decisions form us. There is no escaping this; the smallest choices are important because - over time - their cumulative effect is enormous.
Never overlook the obvious: The nature and direction of your life change the instant you decide what goals you want to pursue.
Once you make a decision, you start down a path to a new destination. At the moment the decision is made, your decision to pursue a goal alters what you are becoming. Just one spin of the lock's dial - a single choice - can alter your life, your destiny, your legacy.
Think about it - your goal decisions represent and express your individuality. You seal your fate with the choices you make. You define yourself by your decisions.
Your dialogue with success is ultimately a solo one. Decisions and goals made must be your own if you are to call your life a success.
Always establish the best goals you can. Goals are the seeds of success - you become only what you plant. The quality of your harvest is a direct reflection of the quality of your seeds-your decisions!
Indecision is the big eraser of opportunity and potential. Risks and costs accompany every decision; however, the price of decision is far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. When it comes to decisiveness, squatters have no rights.
Everyone has an official wish list of things they think are "reasonable". What about the unofficial wish list? The one that common sense tells you to ignore? The list that exists deep in your mind, the list that keeps you up at night, that makes your toes wiggle when you think of it? Why not choose that list for a change?
How long have you dreamed of being, having, and doing what you really want? Think big, as when it comes to your goals, the size of your ambition does matter.
"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins . . . not through strength but by perseverance."
~H. Jackson Brown
"A person struggles. You help. A door needs to be opened. You open it. A piece of trash is in your path. You pick it up and throw it away. A child needs some extra attention. You give it. A job needs to be completed. You do it.
"One more act of kindness a week will add 52 moments of inspiration to your year. Push it to two a week and you add more than 100. Imagine the possibilities."
~Sam Parker and Mac Anderson
212: The Extra Degre
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love is the immortal flow of energy that nourishes,
extends and preserves. Its eternal goal is life.
--Smiley Blanton
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it
with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.
--Henry Ward Beecher
n Excerpt from
Charging the Human Battery
by Mac Anderson
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday morning. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital," he continued; "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.
Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.
There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.
Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.
It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
~William Wister Haines
how to seek forgiveness after spreading rumours?
One day a man named Chit Chat went to the village sage feeling terrible about all the gossip and the wicked things that he had said about other people.
He said to the elder, “I feel terrible about all the rumors I have spread all my life. What can I do to make amends to the good people of the village?” The wise elder thought for a moment and then he said, “Go to the market and purchase the finest chicken you can find. Then pluck all the feathers from the chicken and bring it to me just as fast as you possibly can."
Chit Chat ran to the market and spent some time looking for the finest chicken. When he was satisfied that this was the best chicken in all the marketplace he returned at a full run while plucking feathers from the chicken along the way. By the time he got to the elders hut all the feathers were gone from the chicken.
He handed the chicken to the old sage who carefully turned it over and over until he was finally satisfied that there were no feathers on it. Then he said to Chit Chat, “Now go get me all the feathers you have plucked from the chicken."
Exasperated, the Chit Chat exclaimed, “How can I do that? The wind must've carried them a long way off and scattered them all across the land!" The old sage, looking at Chit Chat with great compassion said, "Yes that is true, and it is the same with rumors you have spread, they have gone so far and wide you can never retrieve them. I would suggest that you go and apologize to the people that you have dishonored, that is how you may gain forgivenes
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.
--Zelda Fitzgerald
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.
--John Randolph
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.
--Gilbert K. Chesterton
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing
that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to
have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.
--Margaret Thatcher
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.
--Les Brown
Be Decisive:
Success is the intentional, pre-meditated use of choice and decision. Unless you choose - with certainty - what it is you want, you accept table scraps by default!
The world is plump with opportunity. With boldness and conviction, stick a fork into the goals you want by being decisive.
You are born with great capabilities, but you will not achieve your potential until you call upon yourself to fulfill it. You will rise to the occasion when it presents itself; yet, to assure self-fulfillment, you must provide occasions to rise to. Clearly defined goals allow you to travel toward another horizon that represents the end of one experience and the transition to a new and better existence. The objective is to choose the right goals, and then to create the necessary causes - the effects will follow!
The difference between what one person and another achieves depends more on goal choices than on abilities. The profound differences between successful people and others are the goals they choose to pursue. Individuals with smaller talents, intelligence, and abilities will achieve different results because they select and pursue different goals.
Each decision affects what you become. We form our decisions and our decisions form us. There is no escaping this; the smallest choices are important because - over time - their cumulative effect is enormous.
Never overlook the obvious: The nature and direction of your life change the instant you decide what goals you want to pursue.
Once you make a decision, you start down a path to a new destination. At the moment the decision is made, your decision to pursue a goal alters what you are becoming. Just one spin of the lock's dial - a single choice - can alter your life, your destiny, your legacy.
Think about it - your goal decisions represent and express your individuality. You seal your fate with the choices you make. You define yourself by your decisions.
Your dialogue with success is ultimately a solo one. Decisions and goals made must be your own if you are to call your life a success.
Always establish the best goals you can. Goals are the seeds of success - you become only what you plant. The quality of your harvest is a direct reflection of the quality of your seeds-your decisions!
Indecision is the big eraser of opportunity and potential. Risks and costs accompany every decision; however, the price of decision is far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. When it comes to decisiveness, squatters have no rights.
Everyone has an official wish list of things they think are "reasonable". What about the unofficial wish list? The one that common sense tells you to ignore? The list that exists deep in your mind, the list that keeps you up at night, that makes your toes wiggle when you think of it? Why not choose that list for a change?
How long have you dreamed of being, having, and doing what you really want? Think big, as when it comes to your goals, the size of your ambition does matter.
"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins . . . not through strength but by perseverance."
~H. Jackson Brown
"A person struggles. You help. A door needs to be opened. You open it. A piece of trash is in your path. You pick it up and throw it away. A child needs some extra attention. You give it. A job needs to be completed. You do it.
"One more act of kindness a week will add 52 moments of inspiration to your year. Push it to two a week and you add more than 100. Imagine the possibilities."
~Sam Parker and Mac Anderson
212: The Extra Degre
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Love is the immortal flow of energy that nourishes,
extends and preserves. Its eternal goal is life.
--Smiley Blanton
LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION
Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it
with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.
--Henry Ward Beecher
n Excerpt from
Charging the Human Battery
by Mac Anderson
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday morning. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital," he continued; "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.
Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.
There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.
Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.
It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
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