Turtle

“Behold the turtle: He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out.” – James Bryant.

A few months ago a good friend helped to realize that I wasn’t visible. Like the turtle, I sat there, huddled inside my shell afraid to expose myself. So I gave myself permission to open up, reach out, and speak out. And I wasn’t laughed at and I didn’t die of embarrasement and most amazingly people liked hearing what I have to say!

Label

“People who matter are most aware that everyone else does, too.” – Malcolm Forbes

We tend to label people as better than us because they have a money, power or fame. We forget is what makes a person “better” is how they treat other people, not what they have. So when you achieve your fame or fortune goals, don’t forget what really matters is making a difference to another life in whatever way we can.

Success

“Those are a success who have lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who have gained the respect of intelligent people and the love of children, who have filled their niche and accomplished their task, who leave the world better than they found it, whether by a perfect poem or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of the earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best they had.” Emerson

Walls

You Do Make A Difference

“Maybe you can’t change the whole world, but if you have love in your heart you can make small differences every day, which really does change the world, one life at a time.” – Kristina Koncz

The impact that we make on our world is seldom known by us, but it happens just the same. A proverb says a good life is when we cry entering the world and the world cries when we leave it. Even if you don’t think that you have ever made a difference, if one tear is shed for your leaving this world it is proof that you did.

Inaction

“Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” – Norman Vincent Peale

Interesting that inaction is both the cause of and result of fear – I would guess that would be because we fear what we don’t know or understand. So inaction (or my favorite word procrastination) on a new course or way of doing something would cause us to be fearful of the results should we take action, so we procrastinate hoping that someone will come along (where is that fairy godmother when you need her?) so that we don’t have to take the action that we fear. Conversely how many times have you been afraid, taken the action anyway, and then wondered why you were ever afraid in the first place? Which brings us to ask, do we really need a fairy godmother when we can get off our butts and do it ourselves?

Acceptance

“Acceptance heals hurt. It heals the resistance that causes or exacerbates the pain. When you accept, it allows you to move forward in the flow, because what you accept, you naturally let go of.” – Chuck Spezzano

When you accept something it becomes part of the picture – you don’t notice it or judge it, it’s not good or bad, it just is.

Action

“As you move toward a dream, the dream moves toward you.” – Julia Cameron

When we take “action” to bring a dream into reality we show the universe that we really want this to be our reality. The universe then kicks into gear with synchronicity to move people, places, and things into our lives with just what we need to make it happen.

Risk Anything

Kindness

“When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world.” – Harold Kushner

It is kind of funny that so many of us want to change another person, when the only thing we can change is ourselves. Yet when we change ourselves, we change the world around us. Personal and work relationships completely change when we simply change our own attitude about what is bothering us.

Barriers

Forgiveness