Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Inspiration’ Category

Jun 25

4 Comments

Mission Accomplished

“If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings.” – Brian Tracy

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon Hill

There’s nothing quite like achieving a personal goal after months of work and effort. Each day, through repetition, consistency and seemingly small steps, the goal becomes real with time and patience.

This past weekend, my brother John finished his first marathon and my niece Emily finished her first half marathon. I’ve done dozens of half marathons and am training this summer for my second marathon in Fall. It was refreshing to see the event through their fresh eyes.

When I was running with Emily, she kept telling me to go ahead. I would have finished earlier but I would have missed the joy of watching her goal unfold to fruition 13.1 miles later. Our victories aren’t always in being first or fast but in showing up, doing the work and finishing. And the victories are always sweeter when shared.

Jun 19

15 Comments

Let Go of the Rope

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond the winning.” – Lao Tzu

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” – Havelock Ellis

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” – Havelock Ellis

Summer reminds me of waterskiing the beautiful lakes and rivers in Minnesota. Walking out of work after another thick day, “let go of the rope” came to mind. When you start losing your balance waterskiing, you naturally let go of the rope so you don’t get pulled under and dragged along. A vivid reminder of releasing and letting go of the day, finding a renewed balance.

We think that we should hold tight no matter what, even if it drags us under. There’s no heroism or strength in stupidity and stubbornness. When you get off balance and start to fall, let go of the rope. You’ll float.

Jun 15

2 Comments

Stand Out

“No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.” – George Washington Carver

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2

Do not merely blend in, go along to get along, fit into the pack. Conformity dulls and mutes beautiful color. Define yourself and live it without hesitation, leaving more behind because you passed by. We are here to be salt and light, to stand out. Be bold and transform yourself and in turn the world.

Jun 11

2 Comments

Magnify

“There’s no enlightenment outside of daily life.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Put down the binoculars, searching in the distance. Pick up a magnifying glass to this day, to now. Surely amidst the daily routine and rush, you can find but one good thing, then another and another. You are not where you’ve been and you are going where you need to. Look through the glass with awe, surprise and delight.

Do the work, find the joy in it, then put it down. Rest, reflect and do it again. The rhythm of daily life. The outcomes come whether we worry about them or not. Let life unfold without pushing. Magnify each moment.

Jun 9

4 Comments

Breeze

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius

“What you really want for yourself is always trying to break through, just as a cooling breeze flows through an open window on a hot day. Your part is to open the windows of your mind.” – Vernon Howard

“What you really want for yourself is always trying to break through, just as a cooling breeze flows through an open window on a hot day. Your part is to open the windows of your mind.” – Vernon Howard

Heads up and heads out the window – notice the day and simply enjoy it. Don’t overcomplicate, just accept the moment.

Jun 6

8 Comments

Untether

“It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather, our concern must be to live while we’re alive – to release our inner selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Growing up, we would play tetherball on the playground. Hitting the tied ball back and forth until it would wrap around the pole to win the game. What we tether to, binds us in the same way, holding us back from good days, a good life. Assumptions, attitudes, ideas, judgments, biases, the past… Cut the cords and watch those heavy balls turn into balloons, floating away. Untether, lighten up.

Jun 4

4 Comments

Attain

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” – Marie Curie

“The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

“The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

The graduation season is in full swing. My niece Emily graduated from high school last week. High school, like teenagers, is filled with a mix of emotions, ups, downs, some drama and a lot of diffused energy. An important transition into young adulthood to be sure. While it’s time for more focus and to come into your own in college, don’t lose your wide-eyed enthusiasm and back it up with hard work and confidence.

In particular for young women, it’s so important to believe in yourself, regardless of the noise around you, and there’s a lot of it. Trust and listen to your instinct (God’s voice). You have so much to offer and gifts to develop to give to the world. And in all that you do, do it with passion, compassion and heart. And when you find your place and fully engage, you’ll soon discover that it’s not so much what you do in life but how you do it, with character and kindness.

Jun 3

This Day

“This day will not come again.” – Thomas Merton

Give to it and receive from it.

Jun 2

8 Comments

Sliver of Shade

“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” – Lao Tzu

“Who seeks shall find.” – Sophocles

“Who seeks shall find.” – Sophocles

As I was cutting the grass today caught up in the weight of the week ahead, I glanced up and Lily was laying under a sliver of shade of the new tree. Some would say the tree is too small. Be it ever so narrow, she found the gift of shade and opened it up. We get distracted by assumptions and attitudes that blind us to the slivers that provide real joy and lasting comfort.

Make the most of what’s present in the moment and a sliver of shade is more than enough. Gratitude through all seasons makes the winters warmer and the summers cooler. We do find what we seek, so seek goodness and each day will be overflowing with enough.

May 30

2 Comments

The Field

“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.” – Vince Lombardi

There are some weeks that are so intense and exhausting, it’s easy to lose perspective, to go numb and negative. Don’t. And when given the choice to lay it all on the field or to sit on the sidelines as a spectator, muster the courage to pick the field every time. It’s in you, lay it down. And then celebrate the victories.

“Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.” – Swami Vivekananda

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »