Monday, September 30, 2013

Somebody


Somebody is very proud of you.


Somebody is thinking of you.


Somebody misses you.


Somebody wants you to be happy.


Somebody is celebrating your successes.


Somebody admires your strength.


Somebody is thinking of you and smiling.


Somebody wants to be your shoulder to cry on.


Somebody wants to protect you.


Somebody wants to be forgiven.


Somebody wants to laugh with you.


Somebody wants to share their dreams with you.


Somebody treasures your spirit.


Somebody praises God for your friendship and love.


Somebody can't wait to see you.


Somebody loves you for who you are.


Somebody loves the way you make them feel.


Somebody misses your guidance and/or advice.


Somebody has faith in you.


Somebody trusts you.


Somebody hears a song that reminds them of you

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

15 Things That Matters

Life's Greatest Lessons:
15 Things That Matters
TV screens changed from black & white to colour to digital to plasma to 3D in less than 100 years, mobile network changed from 2G to 3G to 3.5G to 4G in less than 15 years…… Everything in life seems to be changing at an ever increasing rate and with an ever increasing complexity. Caught up in this web of constant and complex changes, sometimes we forget that a good life requires just a few fundamental lessons. According to Hal Urban, there are only 20 lessons we need to know in order to live a fulfilling and happy life.
1.   Success is more than making money
 
Money is not the root of all evil; the love of money is. Success is ‘Let each become all that he was created capable of being’.
 
2.   Life is hard…and not always fair
 
M. Scott Peck says, life is difficult. The first one of the Four Noble Truths written by Buddha is ‘Life is suffering’. Hence, pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. Those things that hurt, instruct (Benjamin Franklin).
 
3.   Life is also fun…and incredibly funny
 
One of the best diversions to distract us from the ordeals of life is humour. While working hard, Thomas Edison also had several notebooks filled with jokes to provide comic relief for himself and his staff. Laugh and be well (Matthew Green).
 
4.   We live by choice, not by chance
 
Life is a series of choices. We are free to choose our character, our values, how to treat other people, how to handle adversity, and how much we’ll learn.
 
5.   Attitude is a choice—the most important one you’ll ever make
 
We usually get what we expect because the thoughts we choose set the wheels in motion and then move us in a particular direction—law of attraction. Think with an open mind, and don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold (Romans 12:2).
 
6.   Habits are the key to all success
 
The power of habit is strong, as Stephen R. Covey writes in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, hence, is not an act, but a habit (Aristotle).
 
7.   Being thankful is a habit—the best one you’ll ever have
 
We seldom think of what we have but always think of what we lack. However, it is not how much we have but how much we enjoy (Charles Spurgeon). Have you said ‘thank you’ today?
 
8.   Good people build their lives on a foundation of respect
 
Treat other people exactly as you would like to be treated by them (Matthew 7:12). Our rewards in life will always be in exact proportion to the amount of consideration we show toward others (Earl Nightingale).
 
9.   Honesty is still the best policy
 
This above all, to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man (Shakespeare). Honesty is a choice. Be authentic. Be real.
 
        10.   Kind words cost little but accomplish much
Sometimes all that is needed to get over an obstacle is a positive push. There is a lot more good in people than there is bad. Building people up is more effective than tearing them down. We increase whatever we praise. The whole creation responds to praise and is glad (Charles Fillmore). 
    
        11.   Real motivation comes from within
    Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself (Robert Collier). 
12.   Goals are dreams with deadlines
 
People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going (Earl Nightingale). 
 
13.   There’s no substitute for hard work
        The best prize life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing (Theodore Roosevelt). 

        14.   You have to give up something to get something
            Discipline means choices. Every time you say yes to a goal or objective, you say no to many more (Sybil Stanton). 

 
15.   Successful people don’t find time—they make time

Friday, September 20, 2013

How old are you?

How old am I?
Well, let me explain it this way -

I'm old enough to feel an occasional twist of muscle, but young enough to tap my toes at the first sound of music.

I'm old enough to accept life's twists and turns, but young enough to challenge apathy or defeat.

I'm old enough to cherish memories, yet young enough to promote new experiences.

I'm old enough to value tradition, yet young enough to sponsor change.

I'm old enough to savor quiet hours, yet young enough to seek laughter and joy.

I'm old enough to have a few regrets, but young enough to use them as stepping stones toward progress.

I'm old enough to respect the accomplishment of science,  yet young enough to accept the simplicity of God.

Now let me ask you the same question, How old are you?

Friday, September 13, 2013

It's not enough


By Bob Perks

It's not enough to want better things for yourself. You must find ways to make things better.

It's not enough to say the world is in turmoil. You must find ways to bring peace into it.

It's not enough to point at someone else and blame them for what is wrong. You must welcome them in and ask how you can help them make it right.

It's not enough to say "Someone ought to do something about it!" You are someone, do it!

It's not enough to pray and ask for God's help. You must thank him for the challenge and the opportunity to learn from it.

It's not enough to tell a child what is right. You must be what is right so they learn from your example.

It's not enough to blame your government for what is wrong. You must participate in the process to make it right.

It's not enough to wish. You must work to make it so.

It's not enough to ask. You must give to earn the right.

It's not enough to say "I tried!" You must try and try again.

It's not enough to want to be loved. You must learn how to love first.

It's not enough say "I care." You must show how much and why.

It's not enough to wake up. You must thank God you did.

It's not enough to just earn a living. You must create a life.

It's not enough to begin. You must always follow through.

It's not enough to have a friend. You must learn to be one, too.

It's not enough to believe in someone. You must tell them so.


Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Why?


Why do we feel sleepy in Prayer,


But stay awake through a 3 hour movie?

Why are we so bored when we look at the HOLY BOOK,

But find it easy to read other books?

Why is it so easy to ignore a message about God,

Yet we forward the nasty ones?

Why are Prayers getting smaller,

But bars and clubs are expanding?

Why is it so easy to worship a celebrity,

But very difficult to engage with God?

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Touch of wonder


By Arthur Gordon
When I was about 13 and my brother 10, our father promised to take us to the circus. 

But then at lunchtime there was a phone call--some urgent business that required his attention downtown--and we braced ourselves for disappointment. 

But then we heard him say, "No, I won't be able to come down. It's going to have to wait."

He came back to the table and mother smiled, "The circus keeps coming back, you know."

"I know," he said, "but childhood doesn't."

After all these years I remember that moment.  


And I knew from the sudden glow of warmth that no kindness is ever really wasted or completely lost. 

Because the only thing you take with you to heaven is your family.

Saturday, September 07, 2013

How to live well

By Leo Babauta
'Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.' ~Seneca

I'm not a rich man, nor do I fly around the world and drink champagne with famous people in exotic locales, nor do I own a sports car or SUV or a yacht.

And yet, I'm very happy.
Much happier than seven years ago when I ate fried foods and sweets all time time and felt unhealthy and overweight, when I watched television and was out of shape, when I shopped a lot and was in debt, when I worked a job that paid fairly well and had no time for myself or my loved ones.
How have I accomplished this? With small tricks. The truth is, you don't need a lot to live well - you just need the right mindset.
Here's what I've learned about living well on little:

1. You need very little to be happy. Some simple plant food, modest shelter, a couple changes of clothes, a good book, a notebook, some meaningful work, and some loved ones.

2. Want little, and you are not poor. You can have a lot of money and possessions, but if you always want more, you are poorer than the guy who has little and wants nothing.

3. Focus on the present. Stop worrying about the future and holding onto the past. How much of your day is spent thinking about things other than where you are and what you're doing, physically, at this moment? How often are we living as opposed to stuck thinking about other things? Live now and you live fully.

4. Be happy with what you have and where you are. Too often we want to be somewhere else, doing something else, with other people than whoever we're with right now, getting things other than what we already have. But where we are is great! Who we're with (including just ourselves) is already perfect. What we have is enough. What we're doing already is amazing.

5. Be grateful for the small pleasures in life. Berries, a square of dark chocolate, tea - simple pleasures that are so much better than rich desserts, sugary drinks, fried foods if you learn to enjoy them fully. A good book borrowed from the library, a walk with a loved one in the park, the fine exertion of a short hard workout, the crazy things your child says, the smile of a stranger, walking barefoot on grass, a moment of quiet as the morning wakens and the world still rests. These little pleasures are living well, without needing much.

6. Be driven by joy and not fear. People are driven by the fear of missing out, or the fear of change, or the fear of losing something. These are not good reasons to do things. Instead, do things because they give you or others joy. Let your work be driven not because you need to support a lifestyle and are afraid of changing it, but by the joy of doing something creative, meaningful, valuable.

7. Practice compassion. Compassion for others creates loving, rewarding relationships. Compassion for yourself means forgiving yourself for past mistakes, treating yourself well (including eating well and exercising), loving yourself as you are.

8. Forget about productivity and numbers. They matter not at all. If you are driven to do things to reach certain numbers (goals), you have probably lost sight of what's important. If you are striving to be productive, you are filling your days with things just to be productive, which is a waste of a day. This day is a gift, and shouldn't be crammed with every possible thing - spend time enjoying it and what you're doing.