...........1glasslipper............
Friday, April 29, 2011
45 LIFE Lessons (& 5 to Grow On)
Written By: Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
Lovely Advice
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s - Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in 2010.
7. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
8. Sleep for 7 hours.
9.Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
1. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
3. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
6. Dream more while you are awake.
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
8. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more.
14. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society:
1. Call your family often.
2. Each day give something good to others.
3. Forgive everyone for everything.
4. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
5. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
6. What other people think of you is none of your business.
7. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
1. Do the right thing!
2. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
3. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
4. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
5. The best is yet to come.
6. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s - Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in 2010.
7. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
8. Sleep for 7 hours.
9.Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
1. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
3. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
6. Dream more while you are awake.
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
8. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more.
14. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society:
1. Call your family often.
2. Each day give something good to others.
3. Forgive everyone for everything.
4. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
5. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
6. What other people think of you is none of your business.
7. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
1. Do the right thing!
2. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
3. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
4. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
5. The best is yet to come.
6. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
40 Extraordinary Things Happening Right Now
Right now is a phenomenon. Right now extraordinary things are happening.
Right now…
01.A soldier of sorts is diligently fighting the fight so you don’t have to.
02.Someone who suffered from a severe injury last year is back on their feet.
03.A small group of people are building something that will soon make the impossible possible.
04.Somewhere on Earth a double rainbow is stretched from one end of the horizon to the other.
05.One of the next Billboard-chart-topping musical artists is patiently rehearsing in her garage.
06.A piece of literature is being written that will eventually change your perspective on life.
07.Young children all over the world are singing and dancing before they even realize there is anything that isn’t music.
08.A friend is helping a friend rise above thoughts of suicide.
09.Someone is thinking what you’re thinking, but hasn’t said anything yet either.
10.Two people in your hometown are falling in love.
11.Somewhere someone is admiring a breathtaking sunrise, and somewhere else a surreal sunset.
12.People of various religious backgrounds are in temples, churches, mosques and other places of worship praying, wholeheartedly, for world peace.
13.Someone who has struggled with their weight for the last several years is standing on a scale and smiling.
14.Hundreds of cute elderly couples are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.
15.A baby girl just took her first few steps without falling.
16.Two best friends are laughing so hard they aren’t even making any noise.
17.A future world leader is in grade school at recess.
18.Someone is in the process of sincerely forgiving a seemingly unforgivable act.
19.There’s a kid studying hard somewhere who aspires to get to where you are in life.
20.A firefighter is running into a burning building to rescue a perfect stranger.
21.Someone in your vicinity genuinely wants to be your friend.
22.A young mom is lying in a hospital bed and holding her newborn baby twins for the very first time.
23.Someone is taking a shower and singing happily at the top of their lungs.
24.There is someone out there who smiles when they think of a specific moment they once shared with you.
25.An alcoholic just celebrated one full year of sobriety.
26.Volunteers in major cities all over the world are working at homeless shelters caring for those who are less fortunate than themselves.
27.A young man is pulled over on the side of the road helping a young woman change a flat tire.
28.A high school athlete just broke her own personal record.
29.Two teenagers just received their very first kiss ever from each other.
30.A husband and wife who were drowning in debt five years ago proudly hold a balance of zero on their credit cards.
31.Someone is hugging a friend who desperately needs it.
32.A new small business owner just wrapped up his first profitable yearworking for himself.
33.A grandfather is holding his granddaughter’s hand and they’re both smiling from ear to ear.
34.Someone just placed their spare change in the charity collection cup at the grocery store.
35.A small group of friends are sitting around a table sharing funny stories and cheerfully reminiscing about the good old days.
36.A breast cancer patient just found out her cancer is in complete remission.
37.Someone out there is missing you and looking forward to your next visit.
38.Honest people are working for various government entities to help protect your basic human rights and civil liberties.
39.An emergency room surgeon is in the middle of saving his patient’s life.
40.Someone is holding the door open for the person behind them.
Right now is a new beginning. Right now is an opportunity.
Do something extraordinary
Right now…
01.A soldier of sorts is diligently fighting the fight so you don’t have to.
02.Someone who suffered from a severe injury last year is back on their feet.
03.A small group of people are building something that will soon make the impossible possible.
04.Somewhere on Earth a double rainbow is stretched from one end of the horizon to the other.
05.One of the next Billboard-chart-topping musical artists is patiently rehearsing in her garage.
06.A piece of literature is being written that will eventually change your perspective on life.
07.Young children all over the world are singing and dancing before they even realize there is anything that isn’t music.
08.A friend is helping a friend rise above thoughts of suicide.
09.Someone is thinking what you’re thinking, but hasn’t said anything yet either.
10.Two people in your hometown are falling in love.
11.Somewhere someone is admiring a breathtaking sunrise, and somewhere else a surreal sunset.
12.People of various religious backgrounds are in temples, churches, mosques and other places of worship praying, wholeheartedly, for world peace.
13.Someone who has struggled with their weight for the last several years is standing on a scale and smiling.
14.Hundreds of cute elderly couples are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.
15.A baby girl just took her first few steps without falling.
16.Two best friends are laughing so hard they aren’t even making any noise.
17.A future world leader is in grade school at recess.
18.Someone is in the process of sincerely forgiving a seemingly unforgivable act.
19.There’s a kid studying hard somewhere who aspires to get to where you are in life.
20.A firefighter is running into a burning building to rescue a perfect stranger.
21.Someone in your vicinity genuinely wants to be your friend.
22.A young mom is lying in a hospital bed and holding her newborn baby twins for the very first time.
23.Someone is taking a shower and singing happily at the top of their lungs.
24.There is someone out there who smiles when they think of a specific moment they once shared with you.
25.An alcoholic just celebrated one full year of sobriety.
26.Volunteers in major cities all over the world are working at homeless shelters caring for those who are less fortunate than themselves.
27.A young man is pulled over on the side of the road helping a young woman change a flat tire.
28.A high school athlete just broke her own personal record.
29.Two teenagers just received their very first kiss ever from each other.
30.A husband and wife who were drowning in debt five years ago proudly hold a balance of zero on their credit cards.
31.Someone is hugging a friend who desperately needs it.
32.A new small business owner just wrapped up his first profitable yearworking for himself.
33.A grandfather is holding his granddaughter’s hand and they’re both smiling from ear to ear.
34.Someone just placed their spare change in the charity collection cup at the grocery store.
35.A small group of friends are sitting around a table sharing funny stories and cheerfully reminiscing about the good old days.
36.A breast cancer patient just found out her cancer is in complete remission.
37.Someone out there is missing you and looking forward to your next visit.
38.Honest people are working for various government entities to help protect your basic human rights and civil liberties.
39.An emergency room surgeon is in the middle of saving his patient’s life.
40.Someone is holding the door open for the person behind them.
Right now is a new beginning. Right now is an opportunity.
Do something extraordinary
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Depression Inspiration
All of us go through depression sometime in life,but we are not alone. Find a shoulder to cry on. Find a hand that holds out. Find a way out of the dumps. The most famous reveal how to handle depression positively.....
Whenever someone sorrows, I do not say, "forget it," or "it will pass," or "it could be worse" -- all of which deny the integrity of the painful experience. But I say, to the contrary, "It is worse than you may allow yourself to think. Delve into the depth. Stay with the feeling. Think of it as a precious source of knowledge and guidance. Then and only then will you be ready to face it and be transformed in the process.
Peter Koestenbaum
You are searching for the magic key that will unlock the door to the source of power, and yet you have the key in your own hands, and you may make use of it the moment you learn to control your thoughts.
Napoleon Hill
With borrowed will,
"Get Up," she said
You haven't lost at all
For winning is not more than this:
To rise each time you fall.
DH Groberg
If you're feeling low, don't despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back up every morning. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton
I want to help people with depression understand that there is hope, so that they can get the help they need to live rich, fulfilling lives.
Tom Bosley
At times of the severest depression, humor is what binds people together.
Robert Carlyle
The simple solution for disappointment depression: Get up and get moving. Physically move. Do. Act. Get going.
Peter McWilliams
Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
Anonymous
So often we dwell on the things that seem impossible rather than on the things that are possible.
So often we are depressed by what remains to be done and forget to be thankful for all that has been done.
Marian Wright Edelman
We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know that just to be alive is a grand thing.
Agatha Christie
Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.
Dodie Smith
Whenever someone sorrows, I do not say, "forget it," or "it will pass," or "it could be worse" -- all of which deny the integrity of the painful experience. But I say, to the contrary, "It is worse than you may allow yourself to think. Delve into the depth. Stay with the feeling. Think of it as a precious source of knowledge and guidance. Then and only then will you be ready to face it and be transformed in the process.
Peter Koestenbaum
You are searching for the magic key that will unlock the door to the source of power, and yet you have the key in your own hands, and you may make use of it the moment you learn to control your thoughts.
Napoleon Hill
With borrowed will,
"Get Up," she said
You haven't lost at all
For winning is not more than this:
To rise each time you fall.
DH Groberg
If you're feeling low, don't despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back up every morning. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton
I want to help people with depression understand that there is hope, so that they can get the help they need to live rich, fulfilling lives.
Tom Bosley
At times of the severest depression, humor is what binds people together.
Robert Carlyle
The simple solution for disappointment depression: Get up and get moving. Physically move. Do. Act. Get going.
Peter McWilliams
Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
Anonymous
So often we dwell on the things that seem impossible rather than on the things that are possible.
So often we are depressed by what remains to be done and forget to be thankful for all that has been done.
Marian Wright Edelman
We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know that just to be alive is a grand thing.
Agatha Christie
Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.
Dodie Smith
A MOTHERS LOVE By unknown Author
A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:
For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00
For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00
Total owed: $14.75
Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me:
No Charge
For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you:
No Charge
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years:
No Charge
For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead:
No Charge
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose:
No Charge
Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is:
No Charge.
When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".
Lessons:
You will never how much your parents worth till you become a parent
Be a giver not an asker, especially with your parents. there is a lot to give, besides money.
Advice: IF your mom is alive and close to you, give her a big kiss and ask her for forgiveness. If she is far away, call her. if she passed away, pray for her.
For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00
For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00
Total owed: $14.75
Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me:
No Charge
For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you:
No Charge
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years:
No Charge
For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead:
No Charge
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose:
No Charge
Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is:
No Charge.
When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".
Lessons:
You will never how much your parents worth till you become a parent
Be a giver not an asker, especially with your parents. there is a lot to give, besides money.
Advice: IF your mom is alive and close to you, give her a big kiss and ask her for forgiveness. If she is far away, call her. if she passed away, pray for her.
DREAM
In that dark lonesome place
between a dream dreamed
and a dream realized,
I have left a little light for you
so you will know that someone cares
and believes in your dream.
Just where it becomes the most dark
and difficult to find your way,
there is the light I left for you.
It will light your way,
through the doubt, the confusion,
and the fears,
It will stay with you
all the way to the realization
of your dream.
And when your dream has come true,
please go back to that darkest place
where you have been,
And set the little light there to give heart
to the next sweet soul that braves the path
to his or her dreams.
Dreamers are the architects of greatness.
There wisdom lies within their souls.
Dream long enough and hard enough
and your dream can be attained.
--- Unknown Author
between a dream dreamed
and a dream realized,
I have left a little light for you
so you will know that someone cares
and believes in your dream.
Just where it becomes the most dark
and difficult to find your way,
there is the light I left for you.
It will light your way,
through the doubt, the confusion,
and the fears,
It will stay with you
all the way to the realization
of your dream.
And when your dream has come true,
please go back to that darkest place
where you have been,
And set the little light there to give heart
to the next sweet soul that braves the path
to his or her dreams.
Dreamers are the architects of greatness.
There wisdom lies within their souls.
Dream long enough and hard enough
and your dream can be attained.
--- Unknown Author
Inspiring Quotes and Good Advice....
" Promise a lot but deliver even more "
The wind of change is always blowing
Become an agent of change
You create your life with your thoughts
Give freely and willingly and watch your blessings increase
Be a blessing by blessing others
I know you can't help everyone but there's nothing wrong with wanting to
Wisdom lies with the poor and neglected
People often ask me what I'm doing today? I often respond "I'm shaking trees and grabbing whatever falls out." Meaning I'm doing whatever to get my business going, to get the job done. I'm marketing myself or whatever you chose to call it. Whatever it takes....
Inspiration is a beautiful thing
A heart that aches is a heart that once loved
Struggles produce beautiful things
The first one at the top isn't always the best person
Don't ever deny, prevent, discourage, or not help an enthusiastic person. Especially an enthusiastic and goal-oriented person such as "MYSELF."
Do a good deed
Aim High
Love is beautiful
Dust off your dreams
Be creative, set goals, and don't let your peers determine your level of success.
If you wish to be great - you will be great.
Getting fired can be a very good thing.
All of my obstacles turned out to be pieces of me. They have helped form the person I am today.
Work hard and be patient - there's a season and time for everything.
Whoever has desire, faith and belief - Succeeding is not the question. Time is.
Believe it first, picture it second, faith it third, and receive it fourth.
Untie those ropes that hold you down -- Practice forgiving.
Become a student of success
A single idea can open a whole new world for you
Continue in spite of opposition you'll meet.
Give to the poor - you will be blessed.
Integrity - The ground a person walks on.
The more you write things down the more likely they will be.
A diamond in the rough is where most people start.
The mind is a wonderful gift.
My Dad use to always tell me " There are four words on a dollar bill you need to know - IN GOD WE TRUST. "
Some people don't get help because they have never been any help.
Start living and stop existing.
Love is a universal force.
Everybody needs a coach.
Lend a hand and help someone.
There's nothing like dreaming.
You can do it if you try.
See IT - Seek IT - Get IT.
Ask for help through PRAYER.
Make a commitment to self-development.
The Few, The Proud, YOU.
Attitude, Belief, and Confidence are the keys to winning and your best defense.
" The Strangest Secret is You become what you THINK about "
Don't let bad credit get you down.
Use Your Mind.
Carry a pen with you at all times.
I would rather win than lose but losing doesn't mean I've failed.
The road ahead is full of risks but someone has to travel it -- Why not YOU.
Vision yourself living a life of financial freedom.
Listening is one hard task that I must learn to conquer.
Start a library in your home.
When doubt surfaces put a blanket over it.
Be a leader but learn how to follow.
Love is a healer and a motivator.
Don't depend on memory, write things down.
Life is an obstacle course -- beat it.
You only live once so please FOLLOW your DREAMS.
"Aim at nothing and you'll hit it every time."
REVENGE - however sweet, let God handle it.
Everyone needs a little motivation sometimes - including motivators.
"Help Someone Else and You Simply Help Yourself"
Believe in God, Believe in yourself, and have faith in your abilities.
Success is probably one of your best ways to get revenge.
How will I pay my bills? FAITH, Belief and of course labor.
Life is interesting at times.
Some people despise another person's drive.
Life is about living and learning and making mistakes and growing.
Think Very BIG - Don't settle for less - Dream - Set goals.
Read a book called " Life's Little Treasure Book" by H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Read the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.
Read the book "Think and Grow Rich-a black choice" by Dennis Kimbro.
A failure is an opportunity to try something else or do it a different way.
Those people that you think doesn't want to help you are the tests that you must endure to see if you really want what you are trying to pursue.
At least ONCE a WEEK - help someone you don't know.
My goal is to have a "Think Very BIG day" or a "Think Very BIG week" for schools throughout the nation. This day schools will help students learn about setting goals, dreaming, planning their future etc.
Unity is a whole lot better than DIVISION.
Love one another.
REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, INDEPENDENT, GREEN PARTY = Can't we ALL JUST GET ALONG.
Judge a person from the heart and not from what party he or she belongs to.
Start believing in yourself TODAY.
Strive to be a good person.
God is a FORGIVING God.
Everybody makes mistakes - TRY Forgiving. It's tough sometimes but well worth the effort.
Forgiving clears the mind and body of debris, sickness and many other poisons.
"To MUCH is GIVEN - much is REQUIRED."
If you have never been poor you can never know what being poor is like.
It only takes one person with the courage and desire to influence someone or to make a difference in someone's life. Could that someone be you? Start today and make a difference in someone's life. Help someone else and you simply help yourself.
There are many Pharoh's living in this world today. God heartened their hearts to prove that with God, nothing is impossible.
An inspired individual is a catalyst for others to see.
Life is too precious not to love every single day.
Love is the centerpiece of life itself.
The wind of change is always blowing
Become an agent of change
You create your life with your thoughts
Give freely and willingly and watch your blessings increase
Be a blessing by blessing others
I know you can't help everyone but there's nothing wrong with wanting to
Wisdom lies with the poor and neglected
People often ask me what I'm doing today? I often respond "I'm shaking trees and grabbing whatever falls out." Meaning I'm doing whatever to get my business going, to get the job done. I'm marketing myself or whatever you chose to call it. Whatever it takes....
Inspiration is a beautiful thing
A heart that aches is a heart that once loved
Struggles produce beautiful things
The first one at the top isn't always the best person
Don't ever deny, prevent, discourage, or not help an enthusiastic person. Especially an enthusiastic and goal-oriented person such as "MYSELF."
Do a good deed
Aim High
Love is beautiful
Dust off your dreams
Be creative, set goals, and don't let your peers determine your level of success.
If you wish to be great - you will be great.
Getting fired can be a very good thing.
All of my obstacles turned out to be pieces of me. They have helped form the person I am today.
Work hard and be patient - there's a season and time for everything.
Whoever has desire, faith and belief - Succeeding is not the question. Time is.
Believe it first, picture it second, faith it third, and receive it fourth.
Untie those ropes that hold you down -- Practice forgiving.
Become a student of success
A single idea can open a whole new world for you
Continue in spite of opposition you'll meet.
Give to the poor - you will be blessed.
Integrity - The ground a person walks on.
The more you write things down the more likely they will be.
A diamond in the rough is where most people start.
The mind is a wonderful gift.
My Dad use to always tell me " There are four words on a dollar bill you need to know - IN GOD WE TRUST. "
Some people don't get help because they have never been any help.
Start living and stop existing.
Love is a universal force.
Everybody needs a coach.
Lend a hand and help someone.
There's nothing like dreaming.
You can do it if you try.
See IT - Seek IT - Get IT.
Ask for help through PRAYER.
Make a commitment to self-development.
The Few, The Proud, YOU.
Attitude, Belief, and Confidence are the keys to winning and your best defense.
" The Strangest Secret is You become what you THINK about "
Don't let bad credit get you down.
Use Your Mind.
Carry a pen with you at all times.
I would rather win than lose but losing doesn't mean I've failed.
The road ahead is full of risks but someone has to travel it -- Why not YOU.
Vision yourself living a life of financial freedom.
Listening is one hard task that I must learn to conquer.
Start a library in your home.
When doubt surfaces put a blanket over it.
Be a leader but learn how to follow.
Love is a healer and a motivator.
Don't depend on memory, write things down.
Life is an obstacle course -- beat it.
You only live once so please FOLLOW your DREAMS.
"Aim at nothing and you'll hit it every time."
REVENGE - however sweet, let God handle it.
Everyone needs a little motivation sometimes - including motivators.
"Help Someone Else and You Simply Help Yourself"
Believe in God, Believe in yourself, and have faith in your abilities.
Success is probably one of your best ways to get revenge.
How will I pay my bills? FAITH, Belief and of course labor.
Life is interesting at times.
Some people despise another person's drive.
Life is about living and learning and making mistakes and growing.
Think Very BIG - Don't settle for less - Dream - Set goals.
Read a book called " Life's Little Treasure Book" by H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Read the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill.
Read the book "Think and Grow Rich-a black choice" by Dennis Kimbro.
A failure is an opportunity to try something else or do it a different way.
Those people that you think doesn't want to help you are the tests that you must endure to see if you really want what you are trying to pursue.
At least ONCE a WEEK - help someone you don't know.
My goal is to have a "Think Very BIG day" or a "Think Very BIG week" for schools throughout the nation. This day schools will help students learn about setting goals, dreaming, planning their future etc.
Unity is a whole lot better than DIVISION.
Love one another.
REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, INDEPENDENT, GREEN PARTY = Can't we ALL JUST GET ALONG.
Judge a person from the heart and not from what party he or she belongs to.
Start believing in yourself TODAY.
Strive to be a good person.
God is a FORGIVING God.
Everybody makes mistakes - TRY Forgiving. It's tough sometimes but well worth the effort.
Forgiving clears the mind and body of debris, sickness and many other poisons.
"To MUCH is GIVEN - much is REQUIRED."
If you have never been poor you can never know what being poor is like.
It only takes one person with the courage and desire to influence someone or to make a difference in someone's life. Could that someone be you? Start today and make a difference in someone's life. Help someone else and you simply help yourself.
There are many Pharoh's living in this world today. God heartened their hearts to prove that with God, nothing is impossible.
An inspired individual is a catalyst for others to see.
Life is too precious not to love every single day.
Love is the centerpiece of life itself.
Monday, April 25, 2011
If
I discovered this poem while going through a time in my life when I was as low as a person could be. Or, at least, as low as I (as a person) had ever been. The words herein challenged me to use my difficulties as stepping stones by giving me the imagery with which to conceptualize my personal victory over the situations I was facing. Occasionally, I find myself resorting back to these words of wisdom and finding new courage to boldly go through what I sincerely wish I did not have to.
Lesson learned? Life is not about winning or losing. It's about learning how to do both with honor.
If - By Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Lesson learned? Life is not about winning or losing. It's about learning how to do both with honor.
If - By Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
I STILL FIND EACH DAY TOO SHORT FOR ALL THE THOUGHTS I WANT TO THINK, ALL THE WALKS I WANT TO TAKE, ALL THE BOOKS I WANT TO READ, AND ALL THE FRIENDS I WANT TO SEE.
-JOHN BURROUGHS
"if i didn't define myself for myself, i would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive." -audra lorde
"everybody has difficult years, but a lot of times the difficult years end up being the greatest years of your entire life." -brittany murphy
"Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
-Rumi
"If you're lucky enough to be different
from everyone else, don't change."
-Taylor Swift
"It's your gift to see the beauty and the horror in ordinary things. It doesn't make you crazy - just different. There's nothing wrong with being different."
-Cassandra Clare; City of Bones
"You've got one life; live it. Follow your dreams, quit your job, drop out of school, tell your boyfriend that he is lousy, and walk out the door. This is your time. This is your life.
You know what? Dream as big as you want to,
it's the cheapest thing you'll ever do.
-Jared Leto
"Looking back on what I said all those years ago - all the hopes and dreams I had, I've come to the conclusion that if having things turn out the way you wanted them to is a measure of successful life - then some would say I'm a failure. The important thing is not to be bitter over life's disappointments. Learn to let go of the past and recognize that not every day is going to be sunny. And when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember it is only in the black of night that you see the stars and those stars will lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble and fall, because most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most - so maybe you'll get everything you wished for. Maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you - the road is long and in the end, the journey is the destination."
-One Tree Hill
"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, dispairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know - quite certainly - that just to be alive is a grand thing."
-Agatha Christy
After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. You learn that love does not mean leaning and company doesn't always mean security. You begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't always promises and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and eyes ahead with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child. You learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much so you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers. You learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong, and that you really do have worth, and you learn. You learn.
With every good-bye, you learn.
-Veronica A. Shoffstall
"Big gates swing on small hinges"
-JOHN BURROUGHS
"if i didn't define myself for myself, i would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive." -audra lorde
"everybody has difficult years, but a lot of times the difficult years end up being the greatest years of your entire life." -brittany murphy
"Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
-Rumi
"If you're lucky enough to be different
from everyone else, don't change."
-Taylor Swift
"It's your gift to see the beauty and the horror in ordinary things. It doesn't make you crazy - just different. There's nothing wrong with being different."
-Cassandra Clare; City of Bones
"You've got one life; live it. Follow your dreams, quit your job, drop out of school, tell your boyfriend that he is lousy, and walk out the door. This is your time. This is your life.
You know what? Dream as big as you want to,
it's the cheapest thing you'll ever do.
-Jared Leto
"Looking back on what I said all those years ago - all the hopes and dreams I had, I've come to the conclusion that if having things turn out the way you wanted them to is a measure of successful life - then some would say I'm a failure. The important thing is not to be bitter over life's disappointments. Learn to let go of the past and recognize that not every day is going to be sunny. And when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember it is only in the black of night that you see the stars and those stars will lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble and fall, because most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most - so maybe you'll get everything you wished for. Maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you - the road is long and in the end, the journey is the destination."
-One Tree Hill
"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, dispairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know - quite certainly - that just to be alive is a grand thing."
-Agatha Christy
After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. You learn that love does not mean leaning and company doesn't always mean security. You begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't always promises and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and eyes ahead with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child. You learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much so you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers. You learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong, and that you really do have worth, and you learn. You learn.
With every good-bye, you learn.
-Veronica A. Shoffstall
Our Saviour
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had been quietly living for many years at His father's home in Nazareth when John the Baptist began to preach and prepare the people for His coming, as it had been foretold by an Angel before His birth that he should do, and we are told that all the land of Judea, and the people of Jerusalem, roused by his preaching, went to be baptized by him in the river Jordan, after confessing their sins.
John told them that One much greater than he was to come after him, One whose shoes he was not worthy to unloose, for he could only baptize them with water and exhort them to repent of their sins while there was yet time, but He who was to come after would baptize them with the Holy Ghost. This he did till Jesus Himself came from Nazareth to the Jordan, and desired John, the companion of His childhood, to baptize Him also. John objected, saying that he himself had need to be baptized of Jesus, and was not worthy to perform the office for Him, but our gracious Saviour insisted till John led Him into the river and baptized Him.
As they returned to the land a very wonderful thing happened, for the heavens opened above, and the Spirit of God, in the form of a dove, descended, and alighted upon Jesus, whilst a voice was heard saying "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Then John went on his way, preaching more and more to the people, and telling every one who would listen to him of the marvellous thing he had seen; whilst Christ went away by Himself into a lonely place called a wilderness, where, for forty days, and forty nights, He was tempted by the devil in all manner of ways, but finding that, by the help of God His Father, Jesus was enabled to resist all temptation to sin, and would worship and serve none but the true God, the devil at length left Him, and "Angels came and ministered unto Him."
From that time, Jesus being then about thirty years of age, He began to preach, and exhort to repentance as John had done before Him. One day as He walked beside the sea of Galilee He saw two brothers named Simon-Peter and Andrew, fishing by the shore. These men He called to Him and bade them follow Him for He would make them fishers of men, and they immediately left their nets and followed Him. Presently, as they walked along the shore, they saw two other fishermen brothers - James and John, the sons of Zebedee, in a boat with their father, mending the great, brown nets with which they caught fish on the Syrian coasts, and called them also, and they too left their nets and their father and followed Him. They were the first four of the twelve disciples whom Jesus by degrees gathered about Him, and who were His companions and assistants in His future work. With His disciples Christ travelled over the whole land of Syria, now called the Holy Land, teaching in the churches and preaching about the Kingdom of His Father, and healing all manner of diseases and sicknesses amongst the people, until the fame of His sayings and doings spread every where, and the sick and suffering and diseased were brought to Him from all quarters that He might heal them. This He never refused to do, for His heart was so overflowing with divine love and pity for mankind that He could not see suffering or misery without healing it.
But so immense grew the multitude of people who began to follow and press about Him, that He had no room to teach or to preach, no opportunity to rest and talk quietly with His disciples either night or day.
Seeing this He went up a mountain side, and sat down, and His disciples came to Him, and there He began to instruct the people by preaching to them that most grand and beautiful sermon called the Sermon on the Mount, which contains not only the lessons taught by the series of blessings called "The Beatitudes", at the commencement, but that prayer of prayers known to every child as the "Lord's Prayer", because it is the only one which Christ Himself taught word for word with His own lips, and which has remained unaltered through the nineteen hundred years which have gone by since He lived on earth.
The people were very much astonished, not only at what Christ preached to them, but because He spoke as if He had direct authority for what He said, and this they could not understand, because they had not forgotten that He was the Son of Joseph the Carpenter of Nazareth.
When Jesus came down from the mountain side, great multitudes followed Him, many of whom were sick and entreated Him to heal them, and He not only did so, but performed many yet greater miracles, such as making the blind to see and the deaf to hear, and even restoring to life some that were dead, always however, impressing on those about Him, that it was not by His own power that He did these things, but by faith in the Spirit of God His Father who moved within Him.
After having sufficiently taught His disciples by quiet talks, by speaking to them through parables and letting them behold the miracles He Himself performed, until they thoroughly believed in His Divine power, Christ called the whole twelve around Him and gave them also the power to perform miracles, to heal all manner of sickness and disease, and then sent them forth to teach and preach in all the cities of Israel. He laid upon them many injunctions as to their conduct as they travelled, how they were to give offence to no one, and to teach brotherly love and the forgiveness of injuries between man and man as freely as God had promised to forgive them.
Now and then, by twos and threes, some of the disciples came back to Jesus to report to Him what they had done and how they had been received, and how the fame of His Name and teaching was spreading far and wide; and so it happened that He was seldom without one or two of these loved and trusted followers about Him as He journeyed, sometimes stopping a few days in one place, sometimes crossing the inland sea of Galilee, or going from city to city along the coast in a boat or ship, but always doing good wherever He went, preaching the Gospel of his Father, and winning men, women, and children to follow Him.
Our Saviour had no comfortable home such as you have; often and often He had nowhere to lay His head at night, but weary and hungry after a long day's ministry, He would stretch Himself on the ground wherever He might be at the time, and sleep with the grass for His bed, and the starry sky for His curtains.
All through His life, which He spent in loving service towards men, our Saviour was specially kind and tender to little children. One day He was so much inconvenienced by the number of women with children in their arms pressing upon Him, and entreating Him to bless their little ones, that the disciples who were with Him rebuked the mothers; but Jesus said to them "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Then He told those about Him that if only they would receive His teaching of the Kingdom of God, and believe in Him as simply and entirely as little children did, they would inherit Eternal Life; and He would take the little ones who clustered round His feet into His loving arms and bless them.
On another occasion when His disciples were disputing as to who should be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus called a little child and set him in the midst of them, and said whoever should be as meek and humble as a little child should be the greatest; and whoever received a little child with love and reverence in His Name, received Him, and then He warned them to take heed and not despise little children, and never to say or do anything that should stain the innocency of their minds because "In Heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father." Little children must remember that they are just as much in the care of their Good Shepherd now, as were those privileged ones of old who actually saw Him face to face, they must have faith in Him as they had, and believe that though you cannot see Him now, He is still, and always at your side, seeing all you do, hearing all you say, watching over you, and, if you will only let Him, willing to guide you safely to the Home in Heaven which He has gone to prepare for those that love Him and try to do His will.
Feeling that He must go through Samaria, where He had not yet preached, our Saviour travelled on alone and came to a well which is called Jacob's well; being very weary He seated Himself on the edge to rest. He was very thirsty also, and on a woman coming up with a pitcher, He asked her to draw Him some water: when He had drunk, He said that if she knew who He was she would have asked Him for water instead, for He could give her the Living Water of Everlasting Life. Then He told her who He was, and she went away to the city telling every one she met Whom she had seen: some of the disciples then joined Him, and Jesus remained two days in the city preaching so that many believed in Him, and on the way back into Galilee He healed a nobleman's son of a mortal sickness.
On returning to Bethany, Jesus heard that Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, two sisters whom He loved, had died during His absence. Martha met Him weeping, and told Him of their grief saying "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died," for she knew Jesus would have saved him. Jesus Himself wept to see their sorrow, and going to the grave ordered the stone to be rolled away and called Lazarus to come forth; Lazarus did so, and many of those present believed in Jesus, but others went away and told the High Priests and rulers, who were much troubled, for they said "If we let this man go many will believe in Him, and His adherents will become too powerful, and will take our nation away from us."
The people of Bethany made a supper for our Lord, and Lazarus and Martha and Mary were there, together with the disciples; the Feast of the Passover was near, and Jerusalem was crowded, and the Chief Priests became still more uneasy for more and more of the people every day believed in Christ, and when they heard He was coming to Jerusalem went out to meet Him with branches of palm, crying "Hosannah - Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord," and the people said "Behold, the world is gone after Him."
Jesus knew that the time was now come when He should depart from this world and go to His Father, and told His disciples so, saying they must not be troubled, for there were many mansions in His Father's House and He was but going before to prepare a place there for them. Then, being sorrowful at heart, our Lord went up to a garden called Gethsemane, and prayed to His Father that the souls of all mankind might be saved and come at last to share the glory of Heaven. Whilst He prayed, one of His disciples, who knew where He was, wickedly betrayed Him to the Chief Priests, and guided a band of soldiers to the garden, who bound Him and led Him to the High Priest Caiaphas, who in turn sent Him to be judged by Pontius Pilate the Governor.
Pilate, when he had heard of what the people accused Jesus, knew that it was for envy they were excited against Him, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying he found no fault in Him, and he would have nothing to do with shedding the blood of an innocent man. "His blood be on us and our children" cried the people and they roughly dragged Him away, and beat Him, and made Him carry a heavy cross of wood up Mount Calvary where they crucified Him, by nailing Him to the cross. Now Mary the Mother of Jesus, and another woman, also named Mary, and many of the disciples had followed in the crowd; they could not save our Lord from His cruel death, but when He was dead, they, together with a good man called Joseph, were allowed to take His body down from the cross, and lay it in a tomb belonging to Joseph, hewn out of a rock in a garden, and they set a great stone upon it. It had been foretold that Jesus should rise again on the third day, so, fearing that His disciples should steal away the body, and pretend that He had risen, the Chief Priests set keepers to guard the tomb.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the other Mary, went to visit the tomb early in the morning of the third day, and there was a great earthquake and the Angel of God descended and rolled back the stone and sat upon it, so that the keepers shook with afright, but the Angel said "Fear not, for Jesus is not here, He is risen, as He, said." so the two Marys ran to tell His disciples the great news, and on their way met Jesus Himself, and they fell at His feet and worshipped Him. He told them to go and tell His disciples to go into Galilee and He would meet them there. This He did, and for the last time He met them on a hill side in Bethany, and again taught them, telling them still to go out into the world and preach repentance and the remission of sins in His Name. Then He lifted up His hands, and blessed them, and even as He did so, He was suddenly carried up into Heaven and hidden from their sight.
John told them that One much greater than he was to come after him, One whose shoes he was not worthy to unloose, for he could only baptize them with water and exhort them to repent of their sins while there was yet time, but He who was to come after would baptize them with the Holy Ghost. This he did till Jesus Himself came from Nazareth to the Jordan, and desired John, the companion of His childhood, to baptize Him also. John objected, saying that he himself had need to be baptized of Jesus, and was not worthy to perform the office for Him, but our gracious Saviour insisted till John led Him into the river and baptized Him.
As they returned to the land a very wonderful thing happened, for the heavens opened above, and the Spirit of God, in the form of a dove, descended, and alighted upon Jesus, whilst a voice was heard saying "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Then John went on his way, preaching more and more to the people, and telling every one who would listen to him of the marvellous thing he had seen; whilst Christ went away by Himself into a lonely place called a wilderness, where, for forty days, and forty nights, He was tempted by the devil in all manner of ways, but finding that, by the help of God His Father, Jesus was enabled to resist all temptation to sin, and would worship and serve none but the true God, the devil at length left Him, and "Angels came and ministered unto Him."
From that time, Jesus being then about thirty years of age, He began to preach, and exhort to repentance as John had done before Him. One day as He walked beside the sea of Galilee He saw two brothers named Simon-Peter and Andrew, fishing by the shore. These men He called to Him and bade them follow Him for He would make them fishers of men, and they immediately left their nets and followed Him. Presently, as they walked along the shore, they saw two other fishermen brothers - James and John, the sons of Zebedee, in a boat with their father, mending the great, brown nets with which they caught fish on the Syrian coasts, and called them also, and they too left their nets and their father and followed Him. They were the first four of the twelve disciples whom Jesus by degrees gathered about Him, and who were His companions and assistants in His future work. With His disciples Christ travelled over the whole land of Syria, now called the Holy Land, teaching in the churches and preaching about the Kingdom of His Father, and healing all manner of diseases and sicknesses amongst the people, until the fame of His sayings and doings spread every where, and the sick and suffering and diseased were brought to Him from all quarters that He might heal them. This He never refused to do, for His heart was so overflowing with divine love and pity for mankind that He could not see suffering or misery without healing it.
But so immense grew the multitude of people who began to follow and press about Him, that He had no room to teach or to preach, no opportunity to rest and talk quietly with His disciples either night or day.
Seeing this He went up a mountain side, and sat down, and His disciples came to Him, and there He began to instruct the people by preaching to them that most grand and beautiful sermon called the Sermon on the Mount, which contains not only the lessons taught by the series of blessings called "The Beatitudes", at the commencement, but that prayer of prayers known to every child as the "Lord's Prayer", because it is the only one which Christ Himself taught word for word with His own lips, and which has remained unaltered through the nineteen hundred years which have gone by since He lived on earth.
The people were very much astonished, not only at what Christ preached to them, but because He spoke as if He had direct authority for what He said, and this they could not understand, because they had not forgotten that He was the Son of Joseph the Carpenter of Nazareth.
When Jesus came down from the mountain side, great multitudes followed Him, many of whom were sick and entreated Him to heal them, and He not only did so, but performed many yet greater miracles, such as making the blind to see and the deaf to hear, and even restoring to life some that were dead, always however, impressing on those about Him, that it was not by His own power that He did these things, but by faith in the Spirit of God His Father who moved within Him.
After having sufficiently taught His disciples by quiet talks, by speaking to them through parables and letting them behold the miracles He Himself performed, until they thoroughly believed in His Divine power, Christ called the whole twelve around Him and gave them also the power to perform miracles, to heal all manner of sickness and disease, and then sent them forth to teach and preach in all the cities of Israel. He laid upon them many injunctions as to their conduct as they travelled, how they were to give offence to no one, and to teach brotherly love and the forgiveness of injuries between man and man as freely as God had promised to forgive them.
Now and then, by twos and threes, some of the disciples came back to Jesus to report to Him what they had done and how they had been received, and how the fame of His Name and teaching was spreading far and wide; and so it happened that He was seldom without one or two of these loved and trusted followers about Him as He journeyed, sometimes stopping a few days in one place, sometimes crossing the inland sea of Galilee, or going from city to city along the coast in a boat or ship, but always doing good wherever He went, preaching the Gospel of his Father, and winning men, women, and children to follow Him.
Our Saviour had no comfortable home such as you have; often and often He had nowhere to lay His head at night, but weary and hungry after a long day's ministry, He would stretch Himself on the ground wherever He might be at the time, and sleep with the grass for His bed, and the starry sky for His curtains.
All through His life, which He spent in loving service towards men, our Saviour was specially kind and tender to little children. One day He was so much inconvenienced by the number of women with children in their arms pressing upon Him, and entreating Him to bless their little ones, that the disciples who were with Him rebuked the mothers; but Jesus said to them "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Then He told those about Him that if only they would receive His teaching of the Kingdom of God, and believe in Him as simply and entirely as little children did, they would inherit Eternal Life; and He would take the little ones who clustered round His feet into His loving arms and bless them.
On another occasion when His disciples were disputing as to who should be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus called a little child and set him in the midst of them, and said whoever should be as meek and humble as a little child should be the greatest; and whoever received a little child with love and reverence in His Name, received Him, and then He warned them to take heed and not despise little children, and never to say or do anything that should stain the innocency of their minds because "In Heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father." Little children must remember that they are just as much in the care of their Good Shepherd now, as were those privileged ones of old who actually saw Him face to face, they must have faith in Him as they had, and believe that though you cannot see Him now, He is still, and always at your side, seeing all you do, hearing all you say, watching over you, and, if you will only let Him, willing to guide you safely to the Home in Heaven which He has gone to prepare for those that love Him and try to do His will.
Feeling that He must go through Samaria, where He had not yet preached, our Saviour travelled on alone and came to a well which is called Jacob's well; being very weary He seated Himself on the edge to rest. He was very thirsty also, and on a woman coming up with a pitcher, He asked her to draw Him some water: when He had drunk, He said that if she knew who He was she would have asked Him for water instead, for He could give her the Living Water of Everlasting Life. Then He told her who He was, and she went away to the city telling every one she met Whom she had seen: some of the disciples then joined Him, and Jesus remained two days in the city preaching so that many believed in Him, and on the way back into Galilee He healed a nobleman's son of a mortal sickness.
On returning to Bethany, Jesus heard that Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, two sisters whom He loved, had died during His absence. Martha met Him weeping, and told Him of their grief saying "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died," for she knew Jesus would have saved him. Jesus Himself wept to see their sorrow, and going to the grave ordered the stone to be rolled away and called Lazarus to come forth; Lazarus did so, and many of those present believed in Jesus, but others went away and told the High Priests and rulers, who were much troubled, for they said "If we let this man go many will believe in Him, and His adherents will become too powerful, and will take our nation away from us."
The people of Bethany made a supper for our Lord, and Lazarus and Martha and Mary were there, together with the disciples; the Feast of the Passover was near, and Jerusalem was crowded, and the Chief Priests became still more uneasy for more and more of the people every day believed in Christ, and when they heard He was coming to Jerusalem went out to meet Him with branches of palm, crying "Hosannah - Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord," and the people said "Behold, the world is gone after Him."
Jesus knew that the time was now come when He should depart from this world and go to His Father, and told His disciples so, saying they must not be troubled, for there were many mansions in His Father's House and He was but going before to prepare a place there for them. Then, being sorrowful at heart, our Lord went up to a garden called Gethsemane, and prayed to His Father that the souls of all mankind might be saved and come at last to share the glory of Heaven. Whilst He prayed, one of His disciples, who knew where He was, wickedly betrayed Him to the Chief Priests, and guided a band of soldiers to the garden, who bound Him and led Him to the High Priest Caiaphas, who in turn sent Him to be judged by Pontius Pilate the Governor.
Pilate, when he had heard of what the people accused Jesus, knew that it was for envy they were excited against Him, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying he found no fault in Him, and he would have nothing to do with shedding the blood of an innocent man. "His blood be on us and our children" cried the people and they roughly dragged Him away, and beat Him, and made Him carry a heavy cross of wood up Mount Calvary where they crucified Him, by nailing Him to the cross. Now Mary the Mother of Jesus, and another woman, also named Mary, and many of the disciples had followed in the crowd; they could not save our Lord from His cruel death, but when He was dead, they, together with a good man called Joseph, were allowed to take His body down from the cross, and lay it in a tomb belonging to Joseph, hewn out of a rock in a garden, and they set a great stone upon it. It had been foretold that Jesus should rise again on the third day, so, fearing that His disciples should steal away the body, and pretend that He had risen, the Chief Priests set keepers to guard the tomb.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the other Mary, went to visit the tomb early in the morning of the third day, and there was a great earthquake and the Angel of God descended and rolled back the stone and sat upon it, so that the keepers shook with afright, but the Angel said "Fear not, for Jesus is not here, He is risen, as He, said." so the two Marys ran to tell His disciples the great news, and on their way met Jesus Himself, and they fell at His feet and worshipped Him. He told them to go and tell His disciples to go into Galilee and He would meet them there. This He did, and for the last time He met them on a hill side in Bethany, and again taught them, telling them still to go out into the world and preach repentance and the remission of sins in His Name. Then He lifted up His hands, and blessed them, and even as He did so, He was suddenly carried up into Heaven and hidden from their sight.
Friday, April 22, 2011
An Easter Story By Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards
What an awfully sad day it had been for the friends of Jesus! They had stood watching sorrowfully, as Jesus hung on the cross dying. They didn't fully understand why it had to happen.
They believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and they remembered how He had healed the sick and made blind people see. They remembered how He had fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and fish. They even remembered how He had caused dead people to come back to life. He was such a good, kind man; why did He have to die?
Just before the sun was beginning to sink into the west, Joseph, one of Jesus' friends, noticed that Jesus was no longer breathing. He hurriedly went to ask Pilate if he could have the body of Jesus so he could bury Him. When Pilate agreed, Joseph and Nicodemus (another friend) carefully wrapped Jesus' body in clean cloths. Then they took Him to a tomb to bury Him.
Mary and some other women had decided to get up very early in the morning and go to visit the tomb where Jesus was placed. While walking down the road, they were discussing how they were going to get inside the tomb. They had brought along some spices and perfume that they wanted to place on Jesus' body. They knew the huge stone had been placed in the doorway and they had no idea how they were going to move it.
What a SURPRISE they found when they reached the tomb! The stone had already been moved! And . . . there was an ANGEL sitting on the stone! The women were quite afraid, but the angel spoke gently to them:
"Don't be afraid. I know that you have come to see Jesus. He is not here; for he is risen just as he said. Come inside and see the place where he lay."
The women went inside the tomb and found it empty, just as the angel had told them.
The angel spoke to the women one more time:
"Go quickly and tell the other disciples that Jesus has risen from the dead; and he is going into Galilee where
you will see him."
The women did just as the angel had told them. They ran quickly from the tomb, with fear and great joy, to tell the good news to the other disciples. But . . . when the women found Peter and their other friends and tried to tell them the good news, . . . no one believed them!
When the women persisted, Peter decided that he needed to find out for himself.
He ran all the way to the tomb.
He went inside.
He saw the cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus, but the body was not there.
He wondered if it could possibly be true. Did Jesus really raise from the dead? Was Jesus really alive?
Two of Jesus' other friends were going on a journey to a village called Emmaus. As they walked and talked, they discussed all the things that had happened over the past few days. A man came along and joined the group. He walked along with them and wanted to join their discussion. Cleopas began telling the man about how Jesus was crucified on the cross. They talked about how the women found the empty tomb.
As they continued their journey, they invited the man to come in with them and have dinner. When they sat down to eat their meal, the man picked up a loaf of bread and broke it in pieces. Then he prayed for the meal and gave the bread to the men. At that very moment they realized that the man was JESUS! They had been talking to Jesus the whole time and didn't even know it!
Then . . . ANOTHER strange thing happened. As soon as they realized who it really was that sat at the table with them . . . Jesus disappeared! They talked about the wonderful time they had talking with Jesus down the road, and they just couldn't help talking about his strange disappearance. They got up from their meal and returned to Jerusalem where they told all the other disciples the good news that Jesus REALLY DID raise from the dead and had talked with them.
As they were talking, Jesus again appeared to them. They were afraid and thought they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus told them not to be afraid. He showed them His hands and feet where He had been nailed to the cross, so they would believe that it was really Him.
When they saw the nail holes in His hands and feet, they finally believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, just like He said He would. They were soooo happy and joyful to have their friend with them again. They were soooo excited that they had to tell EVERYBODY the good news that JESUS IS ALIVE!
"He is not here, but is risen" (Luke 24:6).
They believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and they remembered how He had healed the sick and made blind people see. They remembered how He had fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and fish. They even remembered how He had caused dead people to come back to life. He was such a good, kind man; why did He have to die?
Just before the sun was beginning to sink into the west, Joseph, one of Jesus' friends, noticed that Jesus was no longer breathing. He hurriedly went to ask Pilate if he could have the body of Jesus so he could bury Him. When Pilate agreed, Joseph and Nicodemus (another friend) carefully wrapped Jesus' body in clean cloths. Then they took Him to a tomb to bury Him.
The next day, the Pharisees started thinking about Jesus. They were the people that had wanted to kill Jesus. They remembered how He had taught them, saying that He would rise again after three days. They were worried that it might be true! They also thought that Jesus' disciples would remember and might try to steal the body from the tomb just so they could say that Jesus rose again. They went to Pilate, suggesting that the tomb be closed up with a huge stone and that guards be placed all around the tomb.
Just before daylight the next day, the most amazing thing happened! There was a GREAT EARTHQUAKE! An ANGEL from the Lord came down from heaven, moved the gigantic stone away from the door of the tomb and sat on it. The guards began to shake with fear! They fell down to the ground as if they were dead! Mary and some other women had decided to get up very early in the morning and go to visit the tomb where Jesus was placed. While walking down the road, they were discussing how they were going to get inside the tomb. They had brought along some spices and perfume that they wanted to place on Jesus' body. They knew the huge stone had been placed in the doorway and they had no idea how they were going to move it.
What a SURPRISE they found when they reached the tomb! The stone had already been moved! And . . . there was an ANGEL sitting on the stone! The women were quite afraid, but the angel spoke gently to them:
"Don't be afraid. I know that you have come to see Jesus. He is not here; for he is risen just as he said. Come inside and see the place where he lay."
The women went inside the tomb and found it empty, just as the angel had told them.
The angel spoke to the women one more time:
"Go quickly and tell the other disciples that Jesus has risen from the dead; and he is going into Galilee where
you will see him."
The women did just as the angel had told them. They ran quickly from the tomb, with fear and great joy, to tell the good news to the other disciples. But . . . when the women found Peter and their other friends and tried to tell them the good news, . . . no one believed them!
When the women persisted, Peter decided that he needed to find out for himself.
He ran all the way to the tomb.
He went inside.
He saw the cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus, but the body was not there.
He wondered if it could possibly be true. Did Jesus really raise from the dead? Was Jesus really alive?
Two of Jesus' other friends were going on a journey to a village called Emmaus. As they walked and talked, they discussed all the things that had happened over the past few days. A man came along and joined the group. He walked along with them and wanted to join their discussion. Cleopas began telling the man about how Jesus was crucified on the cross. They talked about how the women found the empty tomb.
As they continued their journey, they invited the man to come in with them and have dinner. When they sat down to eat their meal, the man picked up a loaf of bread and broke it in pieces. Then he prayed for the meal and gave the bread to the men. At that very moment they realized that the man was JESUS! They had been talking to Jesus the whole time and didn't even know it!
Then . . . ANOTHER strange thing happened. As soon as they realized who it really was that sat at the table with them . . . Jesus disappeared! They talked about the wonderful time they had talking with Jesus down the road, and they just couldn't help talking about his strange disappearance. They got up from their meal and returned to Jerusalem where they told all the other disciples the good news that Jesus REALLY DID raise from the dead and had talked with them.
As they were talking, Jesus again appeared to them. They were afraid and thought they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus told them not to be afraid. He showed them His hands and feet where He had been nailed to the cross, so they would believe that it was really Him.
When they saw the nail holes in His hands and feet, they finally believed that Jesus had risen from the dead, just like He said He would. They were soooo happy and joyful to have their friend with them again. They were soooo excited that they had to tell EVERYBODY the good news that JESUS IS ALIVE!
"He is not here, but is risen" (Luke 24:6).
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
25 Ways to Be Happy
To be or not to be happy, that is the decision. One of the best ways to be happy is to understand that happiness is ALWAYS your choice and it ALWAYS your decision.
I wish I understood this when I was younger. This knowledge has been the greatest gift to me. Knowing that happiness was a choice and totally in my control was so liberating for me and has changed my life and the way that I live.
These 25 ways to be happy are known and lived by thriving women 40 plus all around the world. They really apply to anyone, but I think women 40 plus are especially ready to hear them. We’ve lived a lot of life, but we still have a lot of life left to live. Make it happy.
Make being happy your number one priority and watch what happens!
I keep a little sign on my desk to remind me of this. (M-O-J-I-TO: Be Happy - My Only Job Is To: Be Happy). When you find a way to believe this, your whole life will change. You’ll look at everything in a new way.
1-Stop pursuing happiness. You can't get happy this way – You cannot pursue something that’s within you. Everyone wants it; everyone’s trying to “find it” as if it were out there somewhere if you could just get your hands on it.
2-Change your beliefs if they're not working for you. A belief is just a thought you keep thinking, so if your belief in any subject is preventing you from being happy, just change it. You can unlearn any thought or belief that’s not serving you right now. Really!
3-Be a Giver - Givers Get. This is one of the easiest ways to be happy. If you want happiness, spread it! Give to charity or just perform simple acts of kindness. When you give to others it not only benefits them, but it helps you as well - spiritually, emotionally, financially and physically.
4-Don't Judge Others. We live in a time when judging others is getting to be the norm. We’re bombarded with Reality TV whose sole premise is to judge others. We judge instantly if something is “good” or “bad” which only limits us.
5-The happier you are, the happier you’ll get – IT’S THE LAW. The Secret brought the law of attraction to our attention several years ago. Understanding this Universal law is the most powerful ways to be happy.
6-Know your Happy Triggers. It’s easy to be happy when everything’s going your way. The trick is to be happy even when the dog throws up on your new shoes, you’re stuck in traffic for hours, or you get chewed out by your boss. What are happy triggers? Knowing this is one of the easiest ways to be happy.
7-Get off the couch and turn off the TV. You probably don’t want to hear this, but if you really want to be happy, TURN OFF THE TV. Television is not only full of negativity and bad news, but it also sucks time away from actually living your life.
8-Be Quiet. It’s impossible to have peace of mind without quieting the chaos in your mind. One of the best ways to do this is through meditation. Turn off all the electronic devices in your life and just be. Turn off all the useless busy chatter in your mind for a while and you'll be amazed at the results.
9-Be grateful. If you can't think of something to be thankful for, you're just not looking. Gratitude is one of the easiest and fastest ways to be happy.
10-Embrace Change. Understand that change and being open to change is real living. Step away from your perceived safety net and shake things up a bit. Change is inevitable, so embrace it. This is one of the most effective ways to be happy.
11-Stop Resisting. Everyone has so called “bad” things happen. How do you handle these things? The old saying “what you resist persists” is very true.
12-Don’t be a victim. “I can explain why I’m not happy, it’s not my fault”. Have you ever thought that? Don’t make your excuses and the desire to be right more important than your happiness.
13-You are not a super hero. Where did we learn that it was our job to save the world or the planet or our community or our children? How can we be happy with that kind of burden?
14-Great Support Systems. Maybe your friends don’t know everything. Your friends and family mean well, but they’re dealing with their own stuff and it’s not their job to make you happy. Why would you listen to your friends when they’re even more screwed up than you are?
15-Stop caring so much about what others think. This may be the hardest of all the ways to be happy. How many of us limit ourselves because we're afraid of being judged by others or disappointing others? When you stop caring about what others think it is truly liberating.
16-Laugh til it hurts. Play, lighten up and make fun and laughter a priority. Surround yourself with happy people and find the humor in every situation. Live life as if you were on vacation. On vacation it’s all about the experience, the fun, the joy, the adventure, the rejuvenation. This is definitely the most enjoyable of all the ways to be happy.
Stop right now and check out you-can-be-funny.com. I guarantee you'll find plenty of laughs at this very funny site.
17-Don’t worry about failure - Go easy on yourself. You really can’t fail at this thing called life. It’s only your labeling things as failures that makes it so. Anything that others might label as failures are tremendous growing and learning experiences.
18 - Forget History. Your past DOES NOT have to be an indicator of your future. Just because you did it before doesn't mean you have to keep doing it. Your history starts this minute. Give yourself a break. Whatever happened yesterday is irrelevant. Start today, you can’t change the past.
19 - Learn new things. Learn from mistakes, learn from your past, learn from life’s challenges, or learn from your dog. Never, never, never stop the desire to learn new things. This is one of my favorite ways to be happy.
20 - Diversify. Make sure you fill your life with interesting people from all walks of life. This is a magnificent world full of people from all different races, cultures, religions, economic backgrounds, ages, geographical locations and knowledge. Enjoy our sameness AND our uniqueness.
21 – Keep busy. Fill your life with purpose and activities that add value to your life. Keep busy with things that uplift you and eliminate as many things from your “to do” list that don’t. Have you noticed that people who are not busy with an active and meaningful life have more time for worry and anxiety over the smallest things?
22-Be selfish. Do things that make you happy; make being happy your purpose in life. Remember your only job is to be happy. Some people think it's selfish when you put yourself first, but really if everyone put themselves first EVERYONE would benefit. Discover how the most worthwhile way of spending time is by fulfilling your passions at ChoosingLifeMyWay.com.
23- Do it Now. Somehow if you put off whatever makes you happy until tomorrow, it will never come.
There’s a sign on the way to Key West, Florida that says Free Beer Tomorrow.
No matter when you see the sign you will always be a day away from a free beer. Don’t put off your life dreams until tomorrow or it will always be a day away.
24- Learn from your dog. If you want to know how to be happy, learn from a dog. Dogs are pure unconditional love. They are non-judgmental, content, affectionate, and don’t over analyze anything.
Dogs just simply accept what is. They don’t question their worthiness or purpose in life. They just are.
Dogs have simple needs. They are happy if you give them a little ball or a dirty stick.
Dogs don’t blame others for anything lacking in their lives and they love you even when you are not your best.
25- Be the editor of your own life. Delete the painful useless things that don’t serve you and highlight the things that lift you up. If everyone told you they loved your orange polka dot shirt and one person hated it, just delete the polka-dot-hater. Maybe the polka-dot-hater had a bad day and couldn’t fully appreciate the beauty of your polka dots. Edit him out.
I wish I understood this when I was younger. This knowledge has been the greatest gift to me. Knowing that happiness was a choice and totally in my control was so liberating for me and has changed my life and the way that I live.
These 25 ways to be happy are known and lived by thriving women 40 plus all around the world. They really apply to anyone, but I think women 40 plus are especially ready to hear them. We’ve lived a lot of life, but we still have a lot of life left to live. Make it happy.
Make being happy your number one priority and watch what happens!
I keep a little sign on my desk to remind me of this. (M-O-J-I-TO: Be Happy - My Only Job Is To: Be Happy). When you find a way to believe this, your whole life will change. You’ll look at everything in a new way.
1-Stop pursuing happiness. You can't get happy this way – You cannot pursue something that’s within you. Everyone wants it; everyone’s trying to “find it” as if it were out there somewhere if you could just get your hands on it.
2-Change your beliefs if they're not working for you. A belief is just a thought you keep thinking, so if your belief in any subject is preventing you from being happy, just change it. You can unlearn any thought or belief that’s not serving you right now. Really!
3-Be a Giver - Givers Get. This is one of the easiest ways to be happy. If you want happiness, spread it! Give to charity or just perform simple acts of kindness. When you give to others it not only benefits them, but it helps you as well - spiritually, emotionally, financially and physically.
4-Don't Judge Others. We live in a time when judging others is getting to be the norm. We’re bombarded with Reality TV whose sole premise is to judge others. We judge instantly if something is “good” or “bad” which only limits us.
5-The happier you are, the happier you’ll get – IT’S THE LAW. The Secret brought the law of attraction to our attention several years ago. Understanding this Universal law is the most powerful ways to be happy.
6-Know your Happy Triggers. It’s easy to be happy when everything’s going your way. The trick is to be happy even when the dog throws up on your new shoes, you’re stuck in traffic for hours, or you get chewed out by your boss. What are happy triggers? Knowing this is one of the easiest ways to be happy.
7-Get off the couch and turn off the TV. You probably don’t want to hear this, but if you really want to be happy, TURN OFF THE TV. Television is not only full of negativity and bad news, but it also sucks time away from actually living your life.
8-Be Quiet. It’s impossible to have peace of mind without quieting the chaos in your mind. One of the best ways to do this is through meditation. Turn off all the electronic devices in your life and just be. Turn off all the useless busy chatter in your mind for a while and you'll be amazed at the results.
9-Be grateful. If you can't think of something to be thankful for, you're just not looking. Gratitude is one of the easiest and fastest ways to be happy.
10-Embrace Change. Understand that change and being open to change is real living. Step away from your perceived safety net and shake things up a bit. Change is inevitable, so embrace it. This is one of the most effective ways to be happy.
11-Stop Resisting. Everyone has so called “bad” things happen. How do you handle these things? The old saying “what you resist persists” is very true.
12-Don’t be a victim. “I can explain why I’m not happy, it’s not my fault”. Have you ever thought that? Don’t make your excuses and the desire to be right more important than your happiness.
13-You are not a super hero. Where did we learn that it was our job to save the world or the planet or our community or our children? How can we be happy with that kind of burden?
14-Great Support Systems. Maybe your friends don’t know everything. Your friends and family mean well, but they’re dealing with their own stuff and it’s not their job to make you happy. Why would you listen to your friends when they’re even more screwed up than you are?
15-Stop caring so much about what others think. This may be the hardest of all the ways to be happy. How many of us limit ourselves because we're afraid of being judged by others or disappointing others? When you stop caring about what others think it is truly liberating.
16-Laugh til it hurts. Play, lighten up and make fun and laughter a priority. Surround yourself with happy people and find the humor in every situation. Live life as if you were on vacation. On vacation it’s all about the experience, the fun, the joy, the adventure, the rejuvenation. This is definitely the most enjoyable of all the ways to be happy.
Stop right now and check out you-can-be-funny.com. I guarantee you'll find plenty of laughs at this very funny site.
17-Don’t worry about failure - Go easy on yourself. You really can’t fail at this thing called life. It’s only your labeling things as failures that makes it so. Anything that others might label as failures are tremendous growing and learning experiences.
18 - Forget History. Your past DOES NOT have to be an indicator of your future. Just because you did it before doesn't mean you have to keep doing it. Your history starts this minute. Give yourself a break. Whatever happened yesterday is irrelevant. Start today, you can’t change the past.
19 - Learn new things. Learn from mistakes, learn from your past, learn from life’s challenges, or learn from your dog. Never, never, never stop the desire to learn new things. This is one of my favorite ways to be happy.
20 - Diversify. Make sure you fill your life with interesting people from all walks of life. This is a magnificent world full of people from all different races, cultures, religions, economic backgrounds, ages, geographical locations and knowledge. Enjoy our sameness AND our uniqueness.
21 – Keep busy. Fill your life with purpose and activities that add value to your life. Keep busy with things that uplift you and eliminate as many things from your “to do” list that don’t. Have you noticed that people who are not busy with an active and meaningful life have more time for worry and anxiety over the smallest things?
22-Be selfish. Do things that make you happy; make being happy your purpose in life. Remember your only job is to be happy. Some people think it's selfish when you put yourself first, but really if everyone put themselves first EVERYONE would benefit. Discover how the most worthwhile way of spending time is by fulfilling your passions at ChoosingLifeMyWay.com.
23- Do it Now. Somehow if you put off whatever makes you happy until tomorrow, it will never come.
There’s a sign on the way to Key West, Florida that says Free Beer Tomorrow.
No matter when you see the sign you will always be a day away from a free beer. Don’t put off your life dreams until tomorrow or it will always be a day away.
24- Learn from your dog. If you want to know how to be happy, learn from a dog. Dogs are pure unconditional love. They are non-judgmental, content, affectionate, and don’t over analyze anything.
Dogs just simply accept what is. They don’t question their worthiness or purpose in life. They just are.
Dogs have simple needs. They are happy if you give them a little ball or a dirty stick.
Dogs don’t blame others for anything lacking in their lives and they love you even when you are not your best.
25- Be the editor of your own life. Delete the painful useless things that don’t serve you and highlight the things that lift you up. If everyone told you they loved your orange polka dot shirt and one person hated it, just delete the polka-dot-hater. Maybe the polka-dot-hater had a bad day and couldn’t fully appreciate the beauty of your polka dots. Edit him out.
Use these 25 ways to be happy as a tool to help you remember that there's really ONLY ONE WAY to be happy and that's to make it your number one priority; your purpose in life.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Change
Just like everyone else, I am afraid of change. I am trying to work through this fear because it is one of those things that really holds you back. It brings to mind this quote from Ephram Brown from 'Everwood' ...."The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm not sure who the first person was who said that. Probably Shakespeare. Or maybe Sting. But right now, it's the sentence that best explains my tragic flaw, my inability to change. I don't think I'm alone in this. The more I get to know other people, the more I realize it's kind of everyone's flaw. Staying exactly the same for as long as possible, standing perfectly still... It feels safer somehow. And if you are suffering, at least the pain is familiar. Because if you took that leap of faith, went outside the box, did something unexpected... Who knows what other pain might be out there, waiting for you. Chances are it could be even worse. So you maintain the status quo. Choose the road already traveled and it doesn't seem that bad. Not as far as flaws go. You're not killing anyone... Except maybe yourself a little. When we finally do change, I don't think it happens like an earthquake or an explosion, where all of a sudden we're like this different person. I think it's smaller than that. The kind of thing most people wouldn't even notice unless they looked at us really close. Which, thank God, they never do. But you notice it. Inside you that change feels like a world of difference. And you hope this is it. This is the person you get to be forever... that you'll never have to change again."
We're so afraid of change that we stay still for as long as possible. If there is something in your life you don't like, change it. Change is always possible. So get out there and change. Chances are you'll be glad you did. There is always that possibility that change could bring something worse, but at least you tried and you learned, and now you're ready for another change. So change until it brings you joy and happiness.
You must welcome change as the rule but not as your ruler.
Denis Waitley
Change is the end result of all true learning.
Leo Buscaglia
If you want your life to be more rewarding, you have to change the way you think.
Oprah Winfrey
The best way to change another person is to change yourself.
Wally Amos
Things do not change; we change.
Henry David Thoreau
Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.
Sydney J. Harris
Being ready isn't enough; you have to be prepared for a promotion or any other significant change.
Pat Riley
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people
can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
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