August 2, 2013

Bringing Peace

"First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others."
     ~Thomas A Kepmis~

     We tell our friends to calm down, stop worrying, remember that life is good. But the admonitions don't mean much unless we can follow them ourselves.
     Finding a way to be peaceful, to accept our worries and our problems without fretting, is a constant challenge for all of us. Peacefulness is contagious, though. Once we find it, it has a way of spreading on its own to others.

I can create a moment of peace for myself every day, just sitting quietly and letting myself relax.

My thoughts: I think this society is really lacking an emphasis on loving who you are and that you are GOOD ENOUGH. You are enough just as you are. Knowing that will bring you so much peace that everything else will fall in place. It can be very hard to remember, though. Try to find things that make you feel good enough and keep them in your life because they will lift you higher. Have an amazing day, everybody!

July 31, 2013

In The Race

"I've got something inside of me, peasantlike and stubborn, and I'm in it till the end of the race."
     ~Truman Capote~


     We don't have to make elaborately detailed plans about how we're going to lead our lives (although it's good to do some planning along the way). We can simply set a course and pledge to hang in there, whatever comes. This, in the end, is the most courageous and powerful thing we can say.

I am here and I'm staying. Whatever life throws at me, I will not be stopped.

My thoughts: This is so important for many people. Too many people give up on things and it eventually leads to their unhappiness, whether they blame it on something else or not. You are responsible for your situation. Take control of the wheel and never let go. As long as you can see where you're going, you don't have to be able to see the final destination. :) Make today count! :D

July 30, 2013

Small Differences

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences we often cannot foresee."
     ~Marian Wright Edelman~

     There are so many problems in the world, how do we bigin to make a dent in fixing them? It's so easy to become discouraged when we think about how much there is to do and how little there is to do it with.
     But we can do something. If we can't afford to give $100 to a charity, $10 is better than nothing. If we can't volunteer our time every week, even a few hours a year helps. And if enough of us act this way, we can change the world.

Every day, I can do something to better the world, even if it's just offering a kind word to someone who needs it.

My thoughts: We're all in this together. Lend a helping hand, and do the best you can. Don't set out to build a wall. No, don't start there. Just lay one brick, just one, as perfectly as a brick can be laid. If you do that every day, eventually you will have a wall. 

July 29, 2013

Waiting For Success

"I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it."
     ~Jonathan Winters~


     Too often we try to postpone our lives while we wait to reach one goal or another. We put off dating until we've lost a certain amount of weight. We wait to have people over for dinner until we can afford nicer furniture. We delay having children until we're more successful in our career.
     But life doesn't wait. It just keeps going, whether we're where we want to be or not.

I like the idea of throwing myself into life - success or no success.

My thoughts: I agree wholeheartedly with this. The moment will never be quite right, so whatever you wanna do, just go DO IT! Time is always ticking down, so you gotta take advantage of every moment you've got! Have an amazing day, everyone! :)

July 26, 2013

Being with children

"The soul is healed by being with children."
     ~Fyodor Dostoyevski~


     A good cure for being bored, frustrated, or depressed is to spend some time with children. Everything is new to them - and this fresh outlook can be catching. Walking with a child, we can see again. as if for the first time, the bright beauty of the flowers, the relentless diligence of insencts, the myriad shapes of clouds. 
     Children make us slow down, to match their gait. They ask questions - questions we may have forgotten we know the answers to. Their young eyes notice things we have not really looked at for years.

When I am with children - my own or someone else's - I'll pay attention to them and to what they bring into my life.

My thoughts: Children are so full of energy, hope, and blind trust! Be more like them! If you spend time with children, you WILL feel younger. Go be with them and enjoy that time! Have an amazing day!

July 24, 2013

Giving of Ourselves

"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."
     ~Kahlil Gibran~


     When a charity asks for our help, it's easy to write a check. When a friend is ill, it's easy to send a card or gift.
     But it would mean a lot more - to the charity and to our friend - if we gave of ourselves instead of our money. It would also mean a lot more to us. We waste so much time in meaningless activities: watching television, gossiping, fretting about things we can't change. If we could devote just part of this time to helping others, we'd all be better off.

I tell myself I"m too busy to volunteer or to volunteer more than I do. But if I look at my schedule carefully, I can find the time.

My thoughts: Get out there and help someone! It truly is helpful to people to have someone there to rely on and help them, even if it's just for one day. Being a volunteer in any community is worthwhile. It'll make you feel better, too, not just the other person! Have an amazing day, my friends! Stay positive !! :D

July 23, 2013

Looking Around

"Do not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but around in awareness."
     ~James Thurber~


     We look back in anger at the people who've hurt us, the furstrations we've felt, the bad luck we've endured. We look forward in fear at the possiblilty that we might lose our job, contract a disease, or suffer the death of a loved one.
     The place we need to be is right here, right now - not looking anxiously at what has been or what might be, but fully aware of what is.

I take a deep breath, knowing that I'm lucky to be alive. I have survived challenges in the past and will survive challenges in the future. Nothing need distract me from living my life today.