Today's Inspiration

Be skeptical, but learn to listen.
- don Miguel Ruiz

don Miguel Ruiz' fifth agreement sounds harsh at first, but the message is crucial to living a conscious and joyful life.

Everyone has an opinion on many subjects and is ready to share those opinions - labeling them as "truth." Sometimes it is relatively easy to filter out these opinions. Upon hearing an ad for the latest weight-loss powder on late-night TV, our skepticism leaps to our defense. However, if we have heard the same opinion for years from our parents, friends, government officials, or religious leaders, we are more likely to believe without questioning than to raise our filter of skepticism and ask the hard questions.

Truth is not defined by how many people believe something. Ask. Question. Think. Decide - for yourself.

Today's Inspiration

Perspective is both a necessary and a sufficient ground for wisdom.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

One cannot have wisdom without perspective, but once gaining perspective, one attains wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to view every situation as each person who is in any way affected by that situation might view it. Wisdom benefits from having a knowledge of history, and therefore a historical perspective, as well from as having the perspective of imagination - the realm of the what-might-be inhabited by futurists and science-fiction writers.

Teamwork

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together becomes reality. - John Lennon

An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.
- Victor Hugo

Imagine what you could accomplish if you enrolled others into your dream. The world changes when people of vision and commitment create an infectious enthusiasm for their ideas. What is your great idea whose time has come?

Believe

Believe in the goodness of life. Believe in the power of time to heal and to renew. Believe in the power of forgiveness and gratitude. Believe in the gift of rainbows and butterflies. Believe in the laughter of children.