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7 August
2007
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We
have a new week this week, with the same old things in it.
Does that mean that the world is the "same old
place"? Not at all.
The value in what we see in the world is how we see the things of
the world, and it's our choice to see things as we have seen them,
or to choose new ways to look at everything around us. |
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Hope
is like a road in the country; there never was a road,
but when many people walk on it,
the road comes into existence.
Lin
Yutang
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One
must never lose time in vainly regretting the past
or in complaining against the changes which cause us discomfort,
for change is the essence of life.
Anatole
France
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There are two things to
aim at in life:
first, to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it.
Only the wisest of people achieve the second.
Logan Pearsall Smith
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Nitty-Gritty
Reasons
Jim Rohn
(excerpted from the book Seven Strategies
for Wealth and
Happiness)
Wouldn't it be wonderful to be motivated to achievement by such
a lofty goal as benevolence? I must confess, however, that
in the early years of my struggle to succeed, my motivation was
a lot more down-to-earth. My reason for succeeding was more
basic. In fact, it fell into the category of what I like
to call "nitty-gritty reasons." A nitty-gritty
reason is the kind that any one of us can have -- at any time,
on any day -- and it can cause our lives to change. Let me tell
you what happened to me.
Shortly before I met Mr. Schoaff, I was lounging at home one day
when I heard a knock at the door. It was a timid, hesitant
knock. When I opened the door I looked down to see a pair
of big brown eyes staring up at me. There stood a frail
little girl of about ten. She told me, with all the courage and
determination her little heart could muster, that she was
selling Girl Scout cookies. It was a masterful
presentation -- several flavors, a special deal, and only two
dollars per box. How could anyone refuse? Finally, with a
big smile and ever-so politely, she asked me to buy. And I
wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to!
Except for one thing. I didn't have two dollars!
Boy, was I embarrassed! Here I was -- a father, had been to
college, was gainfully employed -- and yet I didn't have two
dollars to my name.
Naturally I couldn't tell this to the little girl with the big
brown eyes. So I did the next best thing. I lied to
her. I said, "Thanks, but I've already bought Girl
Scout cookies this year. And I've still got plenty stacked
in the house."
Now that simply wasn't true. But it was the only thing I
could think of to get me off the hook. And it did.
The little girl said, "That's okay, sir. Thank you
very much." And with that she turned around and went
on her way.
I stared after her for what seemed like a very long time.
Finally, I closed the door behind me and, leaning my back to it,
cried out, "I don't want to live like this anymore.
I've had it with being broke, and I've had it with lying. I'll
never be embarrassed again by not having any money in my
pocket." That day I promised myself to earn enough to
always have several hundred dollars in my pocket at all times.
This is what I mean by a nitty-gritty reason. It may not
win me any prize for greatness, but it was enough to have a
permanent effect on the rest of my life. |
My
Girl-Scout-cookie story does have a happy ending. Several
years later, as I was walking out of my bank where I had just made
a hefty deposit and was crossing the street to get into my car, I
saw two little girls who were selling candy for some girls'
organization. One of them approached me, saying,
"Mister, would you like to buy some candy?"
"I probably would," I said playfully. "What
kind of candy do you have?" "It's almond roca."
"Almond roca. That's my favorite. How much is it?"
"It's only two dollars." Two dollars. It couldn't
be! I was excited. "How many boxes of candy have you
got?" "I've got five."
Looking at her friend, I said, "And how many boxes do you
have left?"
"I've
got four."
"That's
nine. Okay, I'll take them all."
At this, both girls' mouths fell open as they exclaimed in unison,
"Really?"
"Sure," I said. "I've got some friends that I'll
pass some around to."
Excitedly, they scurried to stack all the boxes together. I
reached into my pocket and gave them eighteen dollars. As I
was about to leave, the boxes tucked under my arm, one of the
girls looked up and said, "Mister, you're really
something!" How about that! Can you imagine spending
only eighteen dollars and having someone look you in the face and
say, "You're really something!"
Now you know why I always carry a few hundred dollars on me.
I'm not about to miss chances like that ever again.
And to think it all resulted from my own embarrassment, that when
properly channeled, acted as a powerful motivator to help me
achieve.
How about you? What nitty-gritty reasons do you have waiting
to challenging and provoke you into change for the better?
Look for them, they are there. Sometimes it can be as simple
as a brown-eyed girl selling Girl Scott cookies.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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Reproduced
with permission from the Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine.
All contents Copyright (c) 2003 Jim Rohn International except
where indicated otherwise.
All rights reserved worldwide. |
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Eyes
Wide Open
a column by tom walsh
Doing vs.
Being
I've
been reading a lot lately about the idea of being versus doing,
the concept that we can get so caught up in the things that we
have to do that we stop simply being, that we stop growing and
changing as human beings. Yes, we learn more information
and we learn more ways to do things and we learn more strategies
for success in material ways and at work, but what do we learn
about who we are and how we fit in on this planet? What do
we learn about our relationship to God and life and love, and
how do we grow as the spiritual beings that we are?
I
believe that we get caught up in this trap because doing is so
much easier. We can quantify what we do--the results are
right there to see and count and judge. We can count how
many sales we've made, we can measure how much of the yard we've
landscaped, and we can count the number of times that we've
driven to the store. We can also see the results of not
doing, such as the dishes on the kitchen counter, the full
"to-do" list of things that still need to be done, or
the bed that hasn't been made or the clothes that haven't been
washed. There's a lot of value in doing, of course, for
doing allows us to keep things clean and to take care of
problems, often before they even come up.
But
there has to be time for being in there, also.
"Being" doesn't consist of sitting in front of a
screen, be it television, computer, games, of movie, for that is
a form of passive consumerism, taking in something that someone
else has done. And while this can be valuable for
unwinding after a long and stressful day, it still isn't a way
of being.
It's
hard for me to define "being" as I'm using the term
here. No one has taught me what it means, though I have
read many books that address the idea. It seems that being
is getting in touch with that deeper part of ourselves, that
inner power that many people call "spirit," that many
others call "God." I'm not sure what I'd call
it, but I do know that I don't let it out nearly enough, and my
outward behavior and actions aren't guided nearly often enough
by its power. this is the part of me that can help me
define who I am in this world, as opposed to what I do in this
world, yet I keep it under wraps, buried beneath all of the
activities and tasks and chores that keep me running seemingly
all the days of my life.
Finding
the time to nurture this part of me--even to find it--is very
difficult. Time for prayer and reflection are hard to come
by, especially since I seem to have been conditioned throughout
my life to do things, to search out accomplishments, for they
are what I'll be judged on by others (or so I've been led to
believe).
But
have you ever met one of those people who are calm and peaceful
and loving and caring? They seem to have a radiance that
the rest of us would love to have, and it's a result of their
being able to get in touch with who they are rather than what
they do. These tend to be people who are more interested
in working at being more caring, more compassionate, and more
loving rather that filling their time with more things to
do. These are the people you would love to talk to, for
they've learned to see life with clarity and to listen without
judgment, as opposed to the people who always have suggestions
for what you should do to make things better. These are
the people that I personally would like to emulate, for that
peace of mind and peace of spirit will go much further towards
making me a happy, fulfilled person than any accomplishments
can. After all, when we accomplish something, our next
thought tends to be "what next?" When we find
peace of heart and peace of mind, we also find that "what
next?" doesn't really matter. It will come of its own
accord.
I
believe things are getting worse rather than better, for I see
the way many kids are being raised these days. Between
soccer and football and little league and choir and homework and
skiing and all of the many, many tasks that are part of their
lives, they are much, much busier doing things than members of
my generation were as kids. Children these days often have
very little time for playing, for having fun, for just being
kids, and that's both sad and frightening. As they grow
up, they can't help but develop a nagging sense of having missed
something very important.
Where
is your focus--on "being" or on
"doing"? Both are very important, but they must
be maintained in a careful balance. If we go too far over
on the doing side, we're definitely risking missing one of the
most important aspects of who we are, and we're risking never
getting in touch with that deeper part of ourselves that can
bring us fulfillment and peace. When we ask ourselves why
we're here on this planet, I'm pretty sure that the answer is
closer to "finding out who I am" than it is
"accomplishing more things than my neighbor."
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Proverbs
For Abundant Living
Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, TOR
In life we are to encourage and build up each other;
not to discourage and tear down one another.
In life we are to add, not subtract;
to multiply, not divide.
In life we are to leave an enduring impression;
not a careless dent.
In life we are to smooth out the rough roads along the journey;
not create new potholes.
In life we are to sing a joyful song;
not just drone a groan.
In life we are to add our harmonious strains to life's symphony;
not strain the symphony with clatter and clang.
In life we are to soar on eagles' wings;
not to peck and cluck with our beaks in the dirt like chickens.
In life we are to radiate light into unseen places;
not permit unknown fears to dim our radiance.
In life we are to leap in faith;
not to limp with doubt.
In life we are to give freely of our time, our love, our
resources;
not to cling on to them greedily.
In life we are to lift up others;
not push them down.
In life we are to open our hands to those in need;
not to clutch our hands in fists of distrust.
In life we are to lend a helping hand to make loads lighter;
not use heavy hands to hold others back.
In life we are to be messengers of peace, signs of joy;
not Chicken Little portents of gloom-n-doom.
In life we are to enjoy, to savor, to remember, to reflect;
not to overlook, to forget, to ignore, to reject.
In life we are to seek conscious awareness;
not doze in the doldrums of half-awake.
In life we are to dare mighty things;
not to fear things gravely.
In life we are to show up, stand up, step forward and speak up;
not to cringe in fear, choosing to sit down, to step back,
allowing the voices of silence to speak so loudly.
In life we are to exercise proper stewardship of earth's
resources;
not pillage the heritage of future generations.
In life we are to move forward through forgiveness;
not grind to a halt mired in bitterness and resentment.
In life we are to be wacky, weird, and wonderful in our own
unique God-given way; not to be staid-n-proper lemmings, stuck
on life's treadmill.
In life we are to reach, to stretch, and to soar;
not to slink in fear, held back by mistrust and doubt.
In life we are to realize: "I am a remarkable
Somebody!";
not listen to other's jabs: "You're a Nobody, an Everybody,
an Anybody."
In life we are to comprehend, "I am worthwhile";
not tremble with feelings of worthlessness.
In life we are to create, to laugh, and to live life nobly;
not to despair, to moan, or to live life less.
Fr. Brian
began collecting quotations, anecdotes and stories in 1977 as a
form of journal-writing therapy, which blossomed into a fruitful
hobby. Over the years he has compiled an anthology in excess of
30 hand-written journals of quotations and ten composition books
of stories. From this collection he edits "Apple
Seeds," a monthly quoteletter of motivation and inspiration
for students, faculty, and a growing mailing list. To
review the online version of Apple Seeds and additional works of
Fr. Brian go to www.appleseeds.org. |
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New
from Living Life Fully Publications!
Over a year of "Just for today" passages from our
popular e-mail daily quotations. Thoughts and ideas that you
can use to help to make your day brighter and more fulfilling as
you focus on different ways of giving and awareness of the
blessings in your life!
Also available, Motivational
Classics, Volume 1. Great classics from James Allen,
Emerson, Thoreau, Trine, Wilcox, and Marden, all in one volume.
You'll also find inspirational poetry from Wordsworth, Longfellow,
Frost, Dickinson, and Browning. Either of these books will
make a wonderful gift for someone you love!
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Put
a Cork in It
Gail Pursell Elliott
A chemistry
set. What a great present to get when you’re ten years old and
dreaming of becoming either an astronaut or a mad scientist.
The parents
were out visiting neighbors. All alone in the kitchen with the
table cleared off, the metal folding box with its chemicals, test
tubes, and other equipment was spread out for inspection.
Oh yeah, there
was an instruction book with experiments. It seemed much more
interesting to combine several chemicals with a bit of water, put
a cork in the top of the test tube and heat it gently over a
candle.
There was no
warning when the cork shot out from the test tube. The build up of
vapors was unseen even though the test tube was clear.
As surprising
as the color of the spray that dotted the ceiling of the kitchen,
which had to be repainted along with the rest of the room, was how
much of it there was and how far it traveled. There seemed to be
so little in the test tube yet so much on the walls and the
ceiling. The pattern was random and extensive.
If you’ve
ever told anyone to "put a cork in it" or wished they
would, while the person was trying to express feelings that you
found disquieting, you may not have realized what you were asking.
Whenever we
put a cork on releasing pent up feelings or frustrations we may
not see the build up that is occurring as a result.
When the cork
finally is released, the resulting spray can be far-reaching and
more colorfully extensive than we ever imagined it could be. It
can affect more people and situations than it ever would have, had
it been allowed to be released in a controlled and trusting
environment.
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Sometimes we have
to put a cork on our feelings and frustrations in certain
situations because it is not appropriate to do otherwise.
Sometimes we
forget to remove the cork and release the build up of negative
vapors in some positive way.
Not taking
things personally that are simply a build up of someone else’s
stress is one way to gently release the pressure on our own cork.
Giving others
a chance to vent without taking the situation or statements
personally is a way to help others release their own pressure.
Doing this without judging the person is how to do this with
dignity and respect.
Depending on
the situation, sometimes we may feel that we do not have much of a
chance to release some of the pressure.
If the cork in
the test tube had been left off, the vapors would have been able
to mix with the air and the aftereffects would probably not been
so surprising.
This is an
interesting point to think about. More air would have helped.
Perhaps it would have been better to leave the cork off of the
tube. Perhaps it also is better for us not to put a cork on
ourselves but to keep ourselves open and to breathe deeply to mix
those frustrations literally with more air.
If you’ve
ever felt the pressure of stress rising you may find that you’ve
forgotten either to breathe or that you’ve been practicing
shallow breathing.
The next time
you’re tempted to tell someone to "put a cork in it"
or someone says that to you, try taking a few deep breaths. You
may be amazed at the results.
Have a great
day and be good to yourself. You deserve it!
Gail |
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©2004
Gail Pursell Elliott All rights reserved. Food for Thought is part
of the Dignity and Respect message that is Innovations. If you
enjoyed this Food For Thought message, please share it with people
you know. Honor the copyright and forward this email in its
entirety. For permission to reprint in a newsletter or
publication, to use in your classroom, or to reproduce on your
website, contact Gail at info@innovations-training.com
or 515.388.9600
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Never
undertake anything for which you wouldn't have
the courage to ask the blessings of heaven.
Georg
Christoph Lichtenberg
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The key to
independence lies in knowing that at every moment, in every instance,
we are creating our life.
The more we acknowledge this truth, the more power
and freedom we experience.
Rather than blaming ourselves for the things we do
not like in our life, we now realize
we are manifesting our reality and have the power to change it.
Our life is a reflection of what we believe we
deserve. As we deepen our acceptance of
and open ourselves to the Infinite love of the universe, a new power
flows through us,
releasing us from the bondage of our old way of life.
Shakti Gawain |
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