Today's Inspiration

Where fear is, happiness is not. - Seneca

Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them.
- Rabindranath Tagore

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

The world is not ending in 2012 or any other time soon. Our civilization is not disintegrating. History is composed of cycles within cycles. Some years are better than others, but across the ages life just goes on.

Individually, we do have our crises - mostly from unexpected directions, but so have all people from all ages.

We can choose to face life with courage or with fear, and this determines our choice for happiness or for emotional suffering.

Remembering the good times, learning from the bad:

Memory can be used for good or for evil. If you use your past as a source of learning, it's worth remembering. If, however, all you do is mull over your mistakes and punish yourself for your failures, it's a waste of time. Rehashing failure can paralyze you in mortal fear of making another mistake, which, of course, just makes the feeling worse and practically guarantees future letdowns. The key to making meaningful changes is to pay more attention to the future than to the past. Have you ever noticed that the best athletes also have the shortest and most selective memories? Instead of dwelling on a missed shot or a flawed dive, they concentrate on making corrections and getting the next one right. It's as if the failed attempt never happened. It's forgotten and they don't fear trying again. If you mess up, even in an epic, life-altering way, work hard to leave it behind and concentrate on the possibilities yet to come. Tomorrow is much brighter when it's not smeared with a fixation on yesterday.

Quote:

Shut out all of your past except that which will help you weather your tomorrows.

- William Osler, Canadian physician

Giving your body and mind a break:

For 16 hours a day, you drive your body hard. You put pressure on joints for hours on end, you expose it to who knows what kinds of germs and bacteria, you put it under major strain and stress, you demand everything it can do and some things that it can't. Let your body have the other 8 hours to itself. It's earned it. After a long day, your body needs to heal and recover. Let your muscles and joints take a break. Your immune system needs strengthened and cannot always be stretched to its limits. Your body has a way of letting you know when it's not getting the rest it needs--it wears down and feels fatigued. And eventually it breaks down. So do everything you can to pay your body back by getting a good dose of sleep. It will love you for it.

Quote:

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.

- Irish Proverb

Loneliness

Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone. - Paul Tillich

The holiday season is a time when we are especially conscious of missing those we have lost due to death, distance, or family conflict.

What do you do to motivate yourself?

Makes sense doesn't it? The secret to staying consistent with your goals is to stay motivated. That means finding ways to fire yourself up on a daily basis. Being inspired at a seminar, by reading a book, or while talking to a dynamic speaker is easy. But what happens when you're on your own? To follow through on that burst of motivation and reach the finish line, you need regular booster shots. Give yourself those little positive reminders that you have an important job to do and a good reason for doing it. What's pushing you? Surround yourself with visual, verbal, and physical "pep talks" that trigger that motive. It doesn't take long for dust to gather on your momentum, making your goals turn stale. A daily dose of motivation kicks off the dust before it can settle and gives you a fresh, clean start.

Quote:

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing--that's why we recommend it daily.

- Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker

Finding fault with everything you see:

We all know people who just like to complain. It seems that no matter how good they have it, they're always spreading negative energy. Even the best, most painstaking listener can have trouble with someone who finds fault with everything around them. You can shine even in the worst situations if your character is strong. If you're starting to see the "dark side" too often and find yourself blaming your circumstances on other people, take another look. If you think a change of scenery will solve all your problems, think again. Change can be good. Moving on to new things can be an exciting chance to stretch yourself and break a rut. But it's important to start with yourself when you're finding things to improve. No matter where you live, work or play, the only constant is you. You can't escape yourself. Change on the outside will have no effect on your happiness or fulfillment unless you change on the inside, too.

Quote:

No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer

Today's Inspiration

From wonder into wonder existence opens.
- Lao Tzu 

Knowing your role in the world:

Here we have one of the smartest people who ever lived, accepting the fact that he couldn't do anything alone. He understood that he could not know what he knew or do what he did without the help of others. Greatness happens when people get together and pool their strengths for each other's benefit. It happens when lessons are passed down and taken even further. Who do you know in your life that you could learn from? Do you have a hero? How can you build on the opportunities that are given to you? How will you pass your knowledge down to the coming generation? Learn your strengths and the strengths of the people around you. Find out how you can help each other achieve what you never could alone. Right now, you can be the one "seeing farther." Be the "giant with shoulders" for someone else. Either way, you'll be part of something big.

Quote:

If I have seen farther than other men it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

- Isaac Newton, physicist

Today's Inspiration

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
- Mark Twain

Life's burdens are lighter when I laugh at myself.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Laugh when you can,
apologize when you should,
and let go of what you can't change.
Life's too short to be anything... but happy.
- Anonymous

These are the keys to a great life... taking oneself lightly, forgiveness, and acceptance.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

People have a funny way of rising up to meet the challenge of their responsibilities when they're given a chance and the right motivation. They already know what needs done, and that it's their job to make sure it happens. Parenthood, for one, can make people grow up pretty quickly. The thing is, you don't have to wait for a young 'un to appear before you have responsibilities like this. We all have them. You have goals that need to happen, a difference you need to make. At home, at the office, in the community, with your friends--wherever you are, whatever your role, there's something that needs to be done. Who's going to drive it forward if not you? Who else is going to take it upon themselves to see it through? Can you rely on yourself to be there when it counts the most? Yes you can--by doing what you know is right.

Quote:

The value of marriage is not that adults produce children but that children produce adults.

- Peter de Vries, novelist and editor

Daily Inspiration

Margaret Mead: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.

To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.
- Kofi Annan

We must become the change we wish to see in the world.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Healthy Reflections

Are you a good friend to yourself?

If you met yourself, would you want to stick around and talk? Are you the kind of person others can be proud of? Hopefully you are, because that's who will be with you for your entire life. Your values and beliefs create a pretty good picture of what you want to see in the mirror. To be proud of yourself, do everything you can to make real life look like that vision. Find people that have the qualities you want and learn from them. Becoming a person you like gives you the confidence that you're someone worth being friends with. There's also a flip side to the friendship coin--you also need to cut yourself as much slack as you do your friends. You have friends because you see the good in them, not the flaws. You like them the way they are, warts and all. You enjoy their company and root for them to be happy and do their best. Look at yourself the same way. To be a good friend to yourself, accept your blemishes, while still pushing yourself to reach your full potential. Don't harp on your weaknesses. Take another look in the mirror and be kinder this time.

Quote:

Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else.

- Eleanor Roosevelt, human rights activist