1. Inspirational
Quotes
2. THE GIFT OF JOY by
Joe
Mazzella
3. Find of
the week
4. Wild Trivia
5. Metaphor
6. Ken Warren- Time to confront
7. Jokes
8. Motivational
9. Gratitude
exercise
10. On a personal note
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large number of electrons were significantly inconvenienced
1. Inspirational Quotes
It is better to lose a love, than to have loved a
loser!!!
"To
laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure
the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in
others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a
garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"More men fail through lack of purpose
than lack of talent." ~ William Ashley Sunday
Service
to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth!
Each of life's challenges is a lesson in some aspect of
love.....To be healed means to be fully self-contained, always positive, always
happy, always sure of oneself and never needing anyone. ~ Caroline Myss
Our first responsibility is to heal ourselves...not others.
You can't give what you don't have. ~ Brian Sheen
Life is like a mirror, if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile,
it returns the greeting.
I am still determined
to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also
learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery
depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
~ Martha Washington
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2. THE GIFT OF JOY
By: Joseph J. Mazzella
I had another birthday recently and as always got some wonderful gifts
from my family. Of all of them, though, I think the best one was the
simple joy that they all gave me so freely. Seeing the light in their
eyes, the smiles on their faces, and their enjoyment in giving me a happy birthday
was more priceless than any present in the world. It was a beautiful
moment that I will remember and cherish the rest of my life.
Joy is such a wonderful gift to give another. It brightens their
day, lightens their heart, and warms their soul. Joy is also a glorious
gift to give ourselves. What does everyone in this world want more than a
healthy and happy life, after all? Joy gives you both. A merry
heart lengthens your days, strengthens your body, and blesses you with health
and goodness. A joyous soul gives you the happiness you always dreamed of
and always pursued. All you have to do is choose it moment by precious
moment.
Joy is what we are all meant for. God created us to live in,
choose, and share love and joy. It is why we are here. It is what
we seek. It is what we want. It is what we need. The good
news is that God gives it to us all freely. All we need to do is welcome
it into our hearts and souls and share it with the world.
Give the gift of joy today and everyday of your life then. Give
it to yourself, give it to others, and give it to God. Remember,
everyday, moment by precious moment you can give yourself the gifts of love and
joy. Everyday, moment by precious moment you can share these gifts of
love and joy with the entire world. Everyday, moment by precious moment
you can make your life a glorious gift to God by living it the way you were
meant to live it: in limitless love and joy.
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3. Find of the week
MIDDLE-EARTH MULTI-NAME GENERATORS
Have you ever wondered what your name would be if
you were a character in one of the "Lord of the Rings" movies? Now's your chance.
http://www.barrowdowns.com/middleearthname.asp
_______________________________________________________
Neil Eskelin's Daily Jump Start
Every parent, educator and salesperson wants people to agree with them.
But how is that accomplished? Here’s a plan that will almost guarantee a
positive response.
Memorize this rule and put it into practice: Let people choose between
two “yesses.”
Here’s an example. If you’re trying to schedule an important
appointment, ask the person (or a secretary), “Can we meet this afternoon, or
will tomorrow morning be better?” The choice is not whether or not you will
meet, but when.
If you’re selling cars and you’ve shown two models, never ask, “Do you
like either of these?” Instead ask, “Do you want the white convertible or the
red hardtop?”
Perhaps you are tying to get your kids to pick up their toys, try, “Do
you want to tidy up your room before we have ice cream or after?” Regardless of
the answer, they’ve agreed to your wishes.
Today, try your own experiment. Before you phrase a question, ask
yourself, “Am I giving a choice between two “yesses?”
–
Neil Eskelin
Neil Eskelin's Daily Jump Start
A top corporate recruiting firm surveyed executives making over $250,000
a year. The men and women were asked to rank the factors believed helped them
reach their high status. Here are the top ten factors:
(1) Communication skills, 71%, (2) Intelligence, 64%, (3) Integrity,
54%, (4) Experience, 50%, (5) Enthusiasm, positive attitude, 46%, (6)
Self-esteem, confidence, 37%, (7) Risk-taking, attitude, 35%, (8) Formal
education, 29%, (9) Ambition, 25%, (10) Emotional maturity, 16%.
That may come as a shock to those who have long believed that
preparation and experience will propel them to the top. That’s no longer the
case. Top organizations are looking for people who can communicate and motivate
– they go hand in hand.
You see, they expect people have a positive attitude, self-esteem,
ambition and intelligence. But all things being equal, the person who knows how
to communicate will get the top job.
Today, start working on your ability to communicate. It’s a valuable
commodity.
– Neil Eskelin
_______________________________________________________
5 Terrific Tips for
Students
A very ancient saying we made up just a couple of years ago:
"Anyone, even a fool, can learn from someone wise. But it takes someone pretty wise to be able to learn even from fools."
If you have a wise teacher, make the most of it. If you have someone teaching, or a school, which is somewhat less than wise, as most of us do, still make the most of it. Along the way, just in case, make careful note of the things which would, by example or by contrast, eventually enable you to become a wise teacher should you choose to become so. It's easier to discard options than to gain or build them — give yourself some room. Keep your options open and make more of them.
No.
1 Key to Effective Learning:
What you learn is wholly up to you. A few of us have been blessed somewhere along the way with a wonderful, wise teacher. Most of us have not. But people can learn usefully from a rock, a cocked eyebrow, someone's pause or hesitation, the word not said — indeed, from anything that you notice.
Notice things. See things for yourself. One picture seen can sometimes outweigh a million teachings. Pay attention to your own awarenesses — there's more there than you think! The people who have learned the best: they were their own best teacher.
Part of you already knows the stuff you're trying to learn. The trick is, to make enough of the matter conscious for you to resonate with where your understanding is, to bring THAT conscious for you.
Question A: What are some of the things you can do with what's in front of you, to make more of the matter more conscious for you, toward making that resonance happen?
Question B: What are some of the things you can do inside of yourself, to build more of the matter into your conscious mind to make that resonance happen?
Question C: How much of Question A can be answered by answering the question, "What are some of the ways you can use your physical senses, to make more of the matter more conscious for you?" Are there any parts of Question A which can't be answered directly through your physical senses? — If so, what?
How much of Question B can be answered by answering the question, "What are some ways to use your imagination to make more of the matter conscious for you, to make more of that resonance happen?"
No.
2 Key to Effective Learning:
Turn "dry facts" into memorable experiences. Use your imagination and involve all your senses.
Never settle for a situation in which you are staring at the information you're supposed to be learning and it's staring back at you, nothing communicated between. That just puts your intelligence asleep in that context. Imagine your way through as one of the participants in those historical events. Use your own body as a way to measure off diameter, radius, pi, other mathematical quantities and formula relationships. Imagine being the person who discovered the information you are now dealing with, and what that discovering experience must have been for him or her.
No.
3 Key to Successful Learning:
Success tip: "You get more of what you reinforce." Do more of what you do well, you'll do more well. Build from your strengths. Discovering your strengths — often we take these so much for granted that we don't even notice them, but you have some. What is it in yourself you'd like to see more of? How can you reinforce it when it happens?
Rising to a challenge is also something you want to be able to do more of. But while that sometimes meets with success, sometimes things go other than intended. How can we gain more benefit from, and learn from, our mistakes without giving them the kinds of attention which reinforces us into more mistakes? Past mistakes, we've already "paid our tuition for," can we get our money's worth of learning from that tuition, without punishing ourselves or otherwise reinforcing in us what went wrong instead of what went right? (Even punishment is reinforcement, not only rewards. The main natural law of behaviour and psychology is the law of effect: "you get more of what you reinforce.")
No.
4 Key to Successful Classroom Learning:
This classroom tip is also a reflection of the law that "you get more of what you reinforce" — Everyone likes to be heard and listened to.
The listener can be very powerful. Just by listening a little more intently in one direction than another, he steers the person talking into one direction rather than another. The person talking often talks himself into something.
By your apparently listening intently, the teacher soon finds himself or herself talking more to you when he or she is teaching the class. By your listening intently more in one direction than another, you can steer the teacher's discussion without his or her noticing. By you giving the teacher the feeling — subtly, not in CAPITAL LETTERS! — that you are listening intently, the teacher will respond to you much more, without even knowing he or she is doing so! And give you more of the attention that assures, from his or her end, which you really do get to understand the point of the lesson.
Among your friends, your intent listening — more in one direction than in another will let you control events much more than if you were overtly the leader of the pack.
Not everyone who gets such special attention from teacher or classmates knows this consciously. Somewhere along the way, unconsciously, they've learned that to listen in a certain way gets results that they find pleasing.
To listen is not necessarily to obey. You are still your own person. If you've appeared to listen intently, then followed your own path, and appear to have good reasons for your choice, you will win respect — which will get you better listened to.
No.
5 Key, a Major Tip for Learning and for Life:
Talk your way through the key points or issues, WITH someone. The more you describe, the more you will see. Especially if you describe more of what you are actually seeing, less of what you "know." You know both more and less about the matter than you think.
Talk problems through with a pal, whether these are math problems, science problems, problems of the school, at-home or personal problems. Many of those crucial little things people miss, no one discovers until he or she has actually said it aloud, to a listener. You'll be amazed at what you pick up this way, that you had no hint or realization before that you were missing.
Take turns. Going through the problem, one of you describes everything that's going through your awareness as you do that, not just what you're "supposed" to be talking about. This gives the rest of your mind the chance to relate in its own way to the problem or issue.
Your pal is listener, not interrupting, just listening and urging you on if and when need be, until you hit your "a-HA!" instead of letting on how he's already figured things out. In your turn, if you see an obvious answer to your partner's problem, resist your urge to blurt it out, even if he's missing the overwhelmingly obvious. The more he wrestles with it himself, the more likely it is that he will not only find the answer that is best for him, but will become able to answer all such further questions of that type. He may even think of that answer days later, while doing or thinking about other things, thanks to having truly wrestled with the matter.
When it's your turn to describe freely and to have a go at solving the problem, allow your own ideas and perceptions, and descriptions of your ideas and perceptions, to surprise you — because often the best answer comes from unexpected directions if you let it. Nearly all of your brain thinks in sensory images at the back of your mind, very little of that fits readily and immediately into words. It's when we can bring conscious words and back-of-the-mind impressions/associations into one focus that our understanding flowers.
Your understanding can indeed flower — indeed the sheer JOY of your understanding can flower. The beauty you see in a diamond or a dew drop or a flower, you can also discover in an idea of how things fit together — and sometimes that understanding is useful, not only beautiful.
You are brighter than you think. Much brighter. That idea of how things fit together, go together, work together, combine into something new together, is a perceptual act, and not an act of rote memorizing of information. Schools and many teachers can't appreciate that.
We opened this by observing it takes someone pretty wise to be able to learn even from fools, which is what we all have to do at least a little of the time, in a world whose provisions for your generation are something less than perfect. It's wonderful when you HAVE a wonderful teacher, but you can't expect to have that all the time. Only YOU can make sure your learning is rewarding and effective. You can do that by making your learning mean something. These have been some of the many ways you can do that.
4. Wild Trivia
'Feed a cold and starve a fever'
Medical research
has now discovered that one of the oldest old wives' tales is true. A study
conducted by the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam in January this year
found that eating helps the body destroy cold viruses, while fasting can fight
against the bacterial infections that cause flu and fevers.
Dutch researchers
asked volunteers to fast overnight and in the morning some of the volunteers
were fed either a liquid meal and some were only given water.
The testers later
found that in those volunteers that had eaten, the levels of an immune response
chemical called gamma interferon - which fights viral infections - had
increased more than 400 per cent! This chemical had fallen in those patients
who had only had water. However, another chemical called interleukin 4, which
tackles bacterial infections, had increased, helping to fight off the flu.
Chew cloves for toothache
Dulcie Lewis, an
expert in old English folk cures, says: 'Oil of cloves has always been applied
to the gums for toothache or gumboils. All we knew then was that it worked by
dulling the pain, but now medical research tell us Cloves are a traditional cure
for toothac, that the anaesthetic affect is attributed to the eugenol in the
oil.'
Eugenol, which is
the active natural chemical found in cloves, works as both a mild painkiller
and an antiseptic, so it also helps to treat any infection you may have in your
gums.
The antiseptic
and anaesthetic properties of cloves are so powerful that the British Dental
Association says that clove oil is now a key ingredient in many sedative dental
preparations. Extract of cloves can also be found in a wide range of herbal
toothpastes.
'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'
The health-giving
properties of fresh fruit have long been recognised by ancient societies, but
it is only recently that science has managed to find the facts behind this old
wives' tale.
'Apples are rich
in phytochemicals, a plant's natural self-defence system' says Catherine
Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital in London. 'Phytochemicals
work as antioxidants in the body, helping to protect it against cancer and
keeping the immune system healthy to help fight off infections.'
Apples actually
contain more antioxidants than an orange, but not as much vitamin C. However,
cooking apples and Granny Smiths contain slightly more vitamin C than sweeter
apples such as Golden Delicious.
Catherine says
that apples are also a good source of soluble fibre. 'Soluble fibre keeps the
bacteria in your gut nice and healthy, helping it to function properly,' she
advises. 'More of this fibre is found just underneath the skin, so try not to
peel apples before eating them.'
Soluble fibre can
also survive when it is cooked, so baked or stewed apples make an ideal healthy
winter pudding.
_______________________________________________________
FORGIVENESS PART
OF SPINAL CORD REHAB
People recover
from spinal cord injuries far better if they take a forgiving attitude toward
life. In a preliminary study supported by the Eastern Paralysed Veterans
Association and a National Institutes of Health grant, researchers surveyed the
role of forgiveness and related positive mental outlooks in combating
injury-related stress and behavioural disorders among people with spinal
injuries.
_______________________________________________________
Really good tips from
Irene Colville
Flies or bees bothering you? Spray them with hairspray and they will take a quick
dive.
For icy doorsteps in freezing temperatures:
get warm water and put dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps.
They won't refreeze.
Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A
damp rag dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that
is)!
Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like
store receipt BLUE)! Rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
Whenever I purchase a box of steel wool pads, I
immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years
of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided
that this would be much more economical. And now a box of box of steel wool pads
lasts me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened
this way!
Opening brand new jars can be a feat in itself.
Well, I have found a way to make it the easiest thing to do. Instead of banging
a jar of jam, pickles, etc., with a knife until it loosens up, simply reach
into the drawer and pull out the handy nutcracker. It adjusts to the size of
the jar and I simply give it a good twist and off pops the lid!
Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a
little peroxide on cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Work
every time!
Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside
and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the
streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash
windows on sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any
room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and
your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this
with towels and linen.
Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the
freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a
paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the
dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a
charm!
Spray your Tupperware with nonstick
cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any
stains.
Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said
too never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the
floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good
job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
Hilarious Definitions:
ADULT: A person who has stopped growing at both
ends and is now growing in the middle.
BEAUTY PARLOR: A place where women curl up and dye.
CANNIBAL: Someone who is fed up with people.
CHICKENS: The only creatures you eat before they
are born and after they are dead.
COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes
hours.
DUST: Mud with the juice squeezed out.
EGOTIST: Someone who is usually me-deep in
conversation.
GOSSIP: A person who will never tell a lie if the
truth will do more damage.
HANDKERCHIEF: Cold Storage.
INFLATION: Cutting money in half without damaging
the paper.
MOSQUITO: An insect that makes you like flies
better.
RAISIN: Grape with sunburn.
SECRET: Something you tell to one person at a time.
TOOTHACHE: The pain that drives you to extraction.
TOMORROW: One of the greatest labour saving devices
of today.
YAWN: An honest opinion openly expressed.
WRINKLES: Something other people have. You have
character lines!
6. Ken
Warren and Associates ~ Time to
confront
Have you ever had the experience of working
with someone who just didn’t like you? Perhaps this person ignores you, or even
worse, finds ways to insult you and your ideas. It’s not something you can just
ignore, is it? So, even if you hate confrontation, this is one of those times
when you have no other choice. When
dealing with difficult people we are faced with the choices of confronting the
person and hoping they will change, coping with them, or leaving the situation.
Now, as with so many challenges, it’s not
so much what you do, but how you do it that counts. According to US trainer,
Doni Tamblyn, living inside most of us are two
opposing ‘experts’ who give us advice. On one side is Dr Bizarro
who advises us on elaborate revenge strategies. He is the expert whose voice
reigns supreme when you’re muttering to yourself at 2am. Here’s what Dr Bizarro would advise us to say.
“Mr or Mrs Brown, I’d like to ask you a
question in all sincerity. What the flaming heck is your problem? Were you
dropped a lot as an infant perhaps? I suggest you see a therapist. To motivate
you in that direction, I will be happy to make you suffer for everything you
have put me through. From now on, Mr or Mrs Brown, the name of the game is watch your back. Have I made myself clear? Good. I’m glad we
had this little talk.”
If you took Dr Bizarro’s
advice and confronted a colleague like this, It is likely the conflict would
escalate or, if they did back down, they would continue to sabotage you in
private. Fortunately, there is another expert living inside your head, Dr
Judicious, who has a model for handling confrontation well.
A better way to start is to describe the
positive future you hope for as a result of the confrontation. In this case,
you might say something like, “I’d like us to have a better relationship and
feel more comfortable working together.”
Describe the problem specifically. Let’s
say you feel your colleague puts you down in front of other people. You could
say something like, “Three times in our staff meeting, you rolled your eyes
when I spoke, and you described my ideas as stupid.”
State why this behaviour
is a problem, on the assumption that the person really doesn’t know. You could add to your statement and say, “When you do this, I feel
insulted and put down. We seem to spend so much of our energy fighting each
other instead of working on the project.”
Offer a solution, such as, “When you
disagree with my ideas, I’d like you to tell me so in a respectful way so I can
hear your objections fairly. I would like you to do so respectfully, and to think about
my ideas carefully before labelling them as wrong.
Always end on a positive note. “If you can
do that, I think I’ll be in a better position to help support your goals and
ideas.”
Maybe Dr Judicious’ voice isn’t perhaps as loud or interesting as Dr Bizarro’s, but this approach has a far better likelihood for success. Although it can help to vent what we feel like saying with a supportive friend, it is also helpful to develop a confrontation script according to the steps above so we can handle the confrontation well.
Upcoming professional
development opportunities
Families, Life and
Conundrums: The Modern Face of Counselling
Australian Counselling
Association National Conference -
The Australian
Counselling Association will be holding it's inaugural
National Conference in
For full details on
speakers, subjects, costs and accommodation, please click the Workshops page of
www.counsel.com.au which will take you to a copy of
the conference brochure. Further information about the Australian Counselling
Association can be gained by telephoning toll-free 1300 784 333, emailing aca@theaca.net.au ,
by post to PO Box 33 Kedron Qld 4031, or through www.theaca.net.au
Building a Successful
Practice is an essential workshop for anyone who is considering starting or has
just started a private practice. Learn what really works and what doesn't.
Don't become a part of the 95% who don't make it. Comes with
a comprehensive workbook.
Managing and Resolving
Conflict
Do you want to have
less conflict in your personal relationships? Or do you have to help others
work through their differences? If so, then this practical one-day workshop is
for you. You will develop a greater understanding as to why people conflict as
well as practical strategies for working through differences. This workshop is
a great help at both a professional and a personal level. Though targeted at
helping professionals, the workshop is also open to the general public.
Contact details Ken
Warren BA, M Soc Sc, CPC, MACA (clinical)
Counsellor and Trainer,
Email: kenwarren@counsel.com.au Website:
www.counsel.com.au
Counselling for
individuals, couples and families, Mediation and workplace conflict resolution,
Workshops and in-house training, Supervision for helping professionals, Court
reports and assessments, Free weekly email newsletter
Further information about the Australian
Counselling Association can be gained by telephoning toll-free 1300 784 333,
emailing aca@theaca.net.au
, by post to PO Box 33 Kedron Qld 4031, or through www.theaca.net.au
7. Jokes
Who Should Make
the Coffee? Thanks Lyn MacIntosh
A
man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each
morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and
then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee." The husband
said, "You are in charge of the cooking around here so you should do it,
because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
Wife
replies, "No, you should do it, and besides it says in the Bible that the
man should do the coffee."
Husband
replies, "I can't believe that! Show me."
So
she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top
of several pages, that it indeed says,
"HEBREWS."
_______________________________________________________
Here's something that you may enjoy:
Have you ever wondered if your mind is normal or different?? Well, do this
little mind exercise and find out at the end!! Free will or
synaptic wiring? You be the judge. Check out the following exercise,
guaranteed to raise an eyebrow. There's no trick or surprise. Just follow these
instructions, and answer the questions one at a time and as quickly as you can.
Again, as quickly as you can but don't advance until you've
done each of them...really. Now, scroll down (but not too fast, you
might miss something)........
What is:
1+5
2+4
3+3
4+2
5+1
Now repeat saying the number 6 to yourself as fast as you can for 15 seconds.
Then scroll down.
QUICK!!! THINK
OF A VEGETABLE!
Keep going.
You're thinking
of carrot, right?
If not, you're
among the 2% of the population whose minds are different enough to think of
something else.
98% of people will answer with carrot when given this exercise.
Freaky, huh?
8. Motivational
Children Are Amazing...
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to
judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a
four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had
recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the
old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother
asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing,
I just helped him cry."
Teacher Debbie Moon's first
graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture
had different color hair than the other family members. One child suggested
that he was adopted and a little girl said, "I know all about adoptions,
because I was adopted."
"What does it mean to
be adopted?" asked another child.
"It means," said
the girl, "that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy."
A four-year-old was at the
pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I'll find Big Bird
in here?" The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue
depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find
the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent. Then
the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he
asked, "Do you think I'll hear Barney in there?"
"Oh, no!" the
little girl replied. "Jesus is in my heart. Barney's on my
underpants."
As I was driving home from
work one day, I stopped to watch a local little League baseball game that was
being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the
first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was.
"We're behind 14 to
nothing," he answered with a smile.
"Really," I said.
"I have to say you don't look very discouraged."
"Discouraged?"
the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Why should we be
discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."
Whenever I'm disappointed
with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott. Jamie was
trying out for a part in a school play. His mother told me that he'd set his
heart on being in it, though she learned he would not be chosen. On the day the
parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed
up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement.
"Guess what Mom,"
he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me:
"I've been chosen to clap and cheer."
A lesson in
"heart" is my little 10-year-old daughter, Sarah, who was born with a
muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful
spring day to tell me she had competed in "field day." That's where
they have lots of races and other competitive events. Because of her leg
support, my mind raced as I tried to think of encouragement for my Sarah,
things I could say to her about not letting this get her down, but before I
could get a word out, she said "Daddy, I won two of the races!" I
couldn't believe it! And then Sarah said, "I had an advantage." Ah. I
knew it. I thought she must have been given a head start... some kind of
physical advantage. But again, before I could say anything, she said,
"Daddy, I didn't get a head start...My advantage was I had to try
harder!"
An Eye Witness Account from
A little boy about 10 years
old was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through
the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the boy and said,
"My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?"
"I was asking God to
give me a pair of shoes," was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the
hand, went into the store and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of
socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a
towel. He quickly brought them to her. She took the little fellow to the back
part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet
and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the
socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him
on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable
now?" As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and
looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these
words: "Are you God's Wife?"
3. Gratitude
Exercise
THE HAPPY
FORMULA
In the actor Kirk Douglas' book 'My Stroke of
Luck', where he recounts his battle and victory over a stroke; he shares the
following powerful truth:
'The world is filled with people who have suffered
from one misfortune or another. The only thing that sets one apart from the rest
is the desire and the attempt to help others. People who reach out beyond their
pain, out into the world in a trusting way - they are the ones who make a
difference. Nietzsche said, 'He who has a why to live for can bear with almost
any how.'
Happiness is not found with the acquisition of
stuff. Nor is it found in the list of past achievements. It is the now and what
we do with the now that makes all the difference.
It is through the process of helping others that
you will help yourself.
For in giving on a consistent basis to others you
will keep the floodgates of your life open. Love will continue to flow without
stoppage into your life and make your days a joy to behold.
Stop giving and it won't be long before drought
will strangle the very life out of your existence.
If you wish to maintain a flow of happiness in your
life, then make it your number one priority to be a giver. A
giver of money. A giver of your time. A giver of your talent. A giver of smiles.
A giver of the word thank you.
A giver of respect.
At every opportunity turn it into a moment to give.
Even in your times of pain, choose to give. Selfish people, who hold on to everything that they have, live and
die as lonely and bitter people.
Don't be bitter. Become better. Be a giver.
In the Seattle Special Olympics some years ago
there were nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at
the starting line for the hundred-yard dash.
At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a
dash, but with a desire for running the race to the finish and winning. All,
that is, except one little boy, who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a
couple of times, and began to cry.
The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down
and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back. Every
single one of them.
One girl with Down's Syndrome
bent down and kissed him and said, 'This will make it better.' It was then that
all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the
stadium stood to their feet and gave them a standing ovation.
Why? Because deep down all humans understand that
there is more to life than just winning ourselves. It is helping others to win
where the greatest satisfaction is gained, even if we have to put some of our
own personal ambitions on hold for a time.
TRUE HAPPINESS COMES WHEN WE SEEK THE HAPPINESS OF
OTHERS
It is to do your very best in all you do. To be
proud of who you are. To be
satisfied with your efforts. This brings happiness.
Personally, throughout my life, some of my happiest
moments have been found doing the most menial of tasks. I suppose that it is
all to do with learning to live in a constant state of satisfaction, no matter
what state you find yourself in at the time.
It is dreaming big dreams, but at the same time
enjoying the journey that is carrying you towards the dream's final fulfilment.
Benjamin Franklin explained it this way. 'Human
felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom
happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.'
Don't delay living as you await the dreams arrival.
Grab each moment and live it to the max.
WHEN YOU KNOW THE WHY, THE HOW DOESN'T MATTER
But don't search for happiness. In
doing so you will become miserable. The unending search by mankind for
happiness can only bring one thing: unhappiness.
Choose simply to be happy, for happiness is a
choice. It is a clear cut decision, that no matter what life you are served up
with, you are going to make the very best of it.
As I look at the life of Helen Keller, who was both
deaf and blind, and see how she transcended far beyond her disabilities to a
point where she interacted with presidents, travelled the world as an
ambassador for her nation, learnt numerous languages and even learnt how to
speak before thousands of people, I am reminded of what she said when she was
asked, 'Are you happy?'
Her response, 'Yes, because I have confidence in
God.'