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Posts tagged ‘Miscellaneous’

Sep 24

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Test Your Mettle

“In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm… in the real world all rests on perseverance.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson

You are stronger than you think. Test your mettle by doing something that challenges you. With hard work, determination, perseverence and enthusiasm, you will pass the test every time.

I participate in half marathons, duathalons and other events to have a goal, stay in shape and to spend time with friends as we cheer each other on.  And it’s not about being the fastest or first, but rather about the preparation, showing up and finishing, especially when it’s hard.

And in starting and finishing, we build depth of character. So when life tests us with challenges outside of our control, we know that we have the strength to get through. We have taken the test and passed.

Sep 20

5 Comments

Let It Slide

“The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” – Henry Miller

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” - Lao Tzu

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu

What we choose to pay attention to defines our day and our life. We spend way too much time in destructive chatter – gossiping, talking about people instead of to people, competing with each other, being offended and petty.

Spend your energy on productive, positive and relevant activities and time with people who are living life with joy instead of complaint.

Let it slide, enjoy the ride!

“Be Impeccable With Your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.” – Miguel Angel Ruiz

Sep 18

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You First

“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.” – Winston Churchill

As we race from one thing to the next with speed and velocity, yielding is not natural, especially in a “get their fast and first world.” The real win is not just about crossing the finish line, but in how we get there. Open a door, step to the side, make way, hold back, listen, be patient, lend a hand, let others by. Yield and yield a good life, beyond your own.

Sep 13

Balance

“Our goal while on this earth is to transcend our illusions and discover the innate power of our spirit. We are responsible for what we create, and we must therefore learn to act and think with love and wisdom and to live in service to others and all of life.” – Caroline Myss, PhD, Anatomy of the Spirit

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” - Thomas Merton

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” – Thomas Merton

We live the illusion that we will achieve balance “someday” when our circumstances change. True balance is achieved from within, despite the chaos around us.

The world will never be balanced. Be grounded and anchored in defining your own view, insulating yourself from the world view.

What we let in and what we give out will define the quality of our life and our contribution to the world.

Sep 5

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Bear Fruit

“The entire fruit is already present in the seed.” – Tertullian

“Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes.” - Carl Friedrich Gauss

“Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes.” – Carl Friedrich Gauss

Early Fall brings the gift of Jeanne’s labor when she generously shares fresh tomatoes from her garden, sweeter than candy. Reminding me that our life’s purpose is to bear fruit by sharing our gifts, by adding bold flavor, by lighting up a room, by planting seeds of hope. To leave more behind than what we were given. To multiply our gifts by giving them away.

Our fruit – gentleness, compassion, patience, generosity, civility, peace. In a word, love. Bear fruit.

Sep 3

5 Comments

Change

“Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress.” – Charles Dickens

“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower” - Albert Camus

“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus

It’s all in your perspective – the end of summer or the beginning of a new season of harvest. End or begin – we choose. Each season offers something new, reminding us the constancy of change. Dive into Fall with the same vigor you did when Summer arrived.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”  – Seneca

Aug 28

4 Comments

Drift

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
– John Lubbock

I am just wrapping up a six day vacation of merely drifting. Hanging out, resting and “preparing” for a busy Fall. Although six days won’t make up for two months of chaos, it does help to get realigned. I’ve also been thinking too much about Fall, in essense living it twice. While I may not be in complete control of my schedule, I do have control of my perspective of it. So instead of surviving the next two months, I am going to drift a little bit each day to stay engaged and fresh. Now, back into the waves.

Aug 9

Now

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.”
– Henry David Thoreau

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.“ - Wayne Dyer

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” – Wayne Dyer

We will long for this day tomorrow – our youth, our health, our family and friends. More often, we focus on what’s missing than what we have in our grasp. So be here, live now.

Aug 1

1 Comment

Soak It Up

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
– Buddha

Each season has its own gifts. I can’t ever remember a “slow” summer. So as we dive into August, enjoy the summer days that remain, not lamenting their passing. We have this very moment. Drink it in, soak it up and be satisfied.

“Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....

“Then followed that beautiful season… Summer….
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.” - Celia Thaxter

“There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.” – Celia Thaxter

Jul 28

6 Comments

Just When You Think…

“If I had my life to live over, I would perhaps have more actual troubles but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.” – Don Herold

Just when you think you’ve had it tough, you get a whack to the head on how blessed you really are. This morning, I joined my “sole sisters” – Jeanne and Linda at the Challenge Cancer run. Jeanne is celebrating almost 10 years breast cancer free and 13+ years melamona free for me. Other survivors stepped forward to get recognized. A nine year old boy – 6 years cancer free, diagnosed at 18 months old. And then a young woman who was just diagnosed in April with brain cancer, still going through chemo.

We often focus on our burdens, instead of our blessings. Many times our burdens are our blessings. They teach us to accept what we can’t control and let the rest go for God to handle. We may not have the choice on what we go through, but we do have the choice of how we go through it.

Celebrate your life today, tomorrow and next week – burdens, blessings and the whole darn mess.

“If things go wrong, don’t go with them.” – Roger Babson

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