Laugh
“A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder
Greatness
“Human greatness is compelled from within. A magnificent obsession is the way you want to live, the person you want to be, the mind-set that you have, the worldview you claim as your own. It is uniquely yours, like your fingerprint or handwriting. By personalizing your passion, you will experience the unlimited power from within!” – Denis Waitley
When you live your life from this place, it won’t matter if anyone recognizes your greatness, because that isn’t the reason for how you live your life. It is simply brings you the greatest joy by living your passion.
Expand
At 40 the eagle must go through a painful life change. The eagles beak and talons are bent and worn. It must break out its beak against the rocks. Then when the new beak has grown in, it will pull out the old talons and feathers to grow new ones. This takes 5 months. The eagle can live for 30 more years. If the eagle doesn’t do this it will die. Many times in order to grow we need to break, tear or pluck out what no longer serves us. We need to open the space for our lives to expand into new ways of being.
Shelter
“It is in the shelter of each other that the people live” – Irish Proverb
When the storms of life turn on us, it isn’t our physical shelter that keeps us safe. It’s the people we surround ourselves with. We might be flooded with debt, or froze out of a job, or the fire of grief might be burning our soul. Your “house” doesn’t give protection, solace, or a helping hand. You turn to people. So normal times, where is your attention spent; on a lifestyle or on what matters most, your friends?
Soul Mates
“Soul-mates are people who bring out the best in you. They are not perfect, but are always perfect for you.” – Anonymous
Soul mates are not just your life partner. Soul mates are the kindred spirits that you meet; the family that you create. They see past what you are, to what you can be. They listen to you and ask what you are doing about it besides complaining. They cut through your excuses and expose the fears so that you can break through them. They make you a better person.
First Step
“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.” – Vance Havner
A fantasy is when we say “wouldn’t it be nice if”, a dream we create it in our head, then on paper, then a reality. You don’t have to run up 20 flights of stairs at one go, or do it all alone. Just take the first step, build on it, and if you need someone they will be there. Then you’re standing at the top and what a view as you look down and see us applauding your success!
Small Things
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh
Stand close to a painting and you see small dabs of paint. Step back and you see a masterpiece like Starry Night. Amazing that small dabs of color next to another color can bring such beauty to the world. Our gifts are created the same way. Small thing created and another and another. Nothing by itself, but we are amazed. You say it is nothing yet you brought beauty and majesty to our world.
Poppy Seeds
Listening to a CD today about relationships. The story was about a husband who loved to eat a poppy seed bagel every morning that he would toast and put cream cheese on, and then proceed to drop poppy seeds all over the kitchen floor as he ate the bagel.
Each morning his wife would clean the floor, not saying anything. One morning she was having a hard day and was grumbling about the poppy seeds and thought how can I never have to clean up the poppy seeds again? Then it occured to her that fulfillment of that wish might mean her husband had died. This terrified her and she ran to her husband in his home office crying and told him how much she loved him. She then turned around this annoying habit he had into something positive. Now every morning as she wipes up the poppy seeds she smiles to herself because it means that she has one more day with him.
I thought about this story and how it applies not only to our personal family members like my noisy grandchildren when I am trying to concentrate, or having to endure one more sporting event on TV with the guys in my family, when I have a million things to do. It applies to the car that cuts you off; to the rude clerk who doesn’t understand what customer service is; to that coworker who you swear would crack their face if they ever smiled.
The reality is that each and every person in our life would be missed if they weren’t there with their messy lives, living in our messy life.
How many people who have lost loved ones either from death or they just dropped out of their lives wouldn’t give anything to hear their noise again as they played, or yelled when their team made a great play?
Coming from a place of gratitude for the messy life we have turns the mess itself into a wonderful life full of blessings. Isn’t that a better way to live, from a place of blessedness? Tell those special people in your life how grateful you are that they are a part of your life, and go ahead and laugh joyously at the mess that you create together!
Lesson
“I am willing to put myself through anything. Temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level.” – Diana Nyad
I think that I usually see the lesson in life after it has happened, but very seldom before it happens. Think about how much easier it would be if we thought “this is happening for a reason, I can do this and it will take me to the next level” than the drama of “why is this happening, life isn’t fair”, and so on…
Unconditional Love
Unconditional love is something that we can all give to our children (& the other significant people in our lives): Praise them by giving a compliment for any achievements (find something everyday); Encourage them by expressing belief in their abilities & potential; Support them by showing that you are on their side by being present, listening & expressing compassion when they have a bad day; Feedback by helping them to see another perspective on something that they didn’t see.
+ or –
Small changes, big results. What you feed grows. Just as your body needs food and water to grow new cells, what you think is dependent on what you feed your brain. Studies show that thinking new and different thoughts creates new neural pathways. When we change our thinking to support our happiness, the negative pathways shrink and positive pathways widen. This makes it easier to think positively. Notice what your feeding your brain + or – thoughts? Start today to feed the + & shrink the – .
Power of Purpose
“The power of purpose is profound only if you have a desire that stirs the heart.” – Price Pritchett.
Linking this to Carl Jung’s quote, it is the power of the heart that makes great things get accomplished. The power of the heart is passion. If you are passionate you look for any way possible to get want you want. Your creativity looks outside of the box and nothing seems to hard to do if it helps you to reach your goals.