Welcome to my Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote. See today's daily inspirational quotes below.
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

You`re not as important as you thought you were

A man's pride shall bring him low,
but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.

- Proverbs 29:23

I have some bad news for you, and some good news for you.

The bad news is that you're not as important as you thought you were. The world did just fine before you were born and it will do just fine after you're gone.

The good news is that you aren't as important as you thought you were. Relax. The weight of the world is not on your shoulders. Take a day off. Go for a long silent walk in the woods. The world will still be there tomorrow - as good and as bad as ever.

See other readers' reactions to this post.

(The photo shows my wife Suze holding a sloth in Costa Rica.)

Further reading: George Bernard Shaw: We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing

LtG. Hal Moore: When we step on the battlefield, I will be The First Boots On and the Last Boots Off.

When we step on the battlefield, I will be The First Boots On and the Last Boots Off. - LtG. Hal Moore

This isn't just about military combat, although hands-on leadership is key to victory in war. This isn't just about leadership, although leading by example creates a degree of loyalty and overall success that cannot be achieved through issuing orders from a lofty office. For each of us, life is the battlefield. The key to success, and to happiness, is being fully engaged in life - leading yourself with inspiration and committed action - setting your own fine and honorable example. 

Monday, June 29, 2009

Twitter

You can follow me on Twitter at @jonhuie

Never Quit - unless it's driving you crazy


"Never quit" is another of those very common expressions that contains one aspect of an important larger truth. Persistence is a virtue only when the goal is both desirable and attainable. There is no dishonor in redirecting your energies to a more worthy or achievable goal.

Further reading: Albert Einstein: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Practice makes perfect - sometimes


"Practice makes perfect" is one of the top-ten most common English language expressions. But is it true? In order to achieve the desired result, perfection requires more than just repetition. Repetition of a bad habit (like smoking) can ensure unmatched mastery of that habit, but that's probably not the desired result.

Practice does not make perfect,
perfect practice makes perfect.
- Vince Lombardi


Practice alone is not enough, and may be counterproductive. To achieve your desired result:

1. Be clear of your objective.

2. Visualize your end result as having already been accomplished. Let the image of your success play on the giant screen in full color with surround sound - so real you can smell and taste it.

3. Establish a set of daily practices that will lead to the result you want.

4. Finally, with the first three pillars in place, practice, practice, every day practice.

Do or do not, there is no try.
- Yoda (Star Wars movie)

Further reading: C. S. Lewis: You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

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


today is your day to laugh at life,
laugh loud - laugh often,
laugh at what's funny - laugh at what's sad,
laugh at me - laugh at you - laugh at life.
- jlh

What do I myself have in common with blonds, lawyers, lightbulbs, the pearly gates, rednecks, and of course sex? The answer is that all the above are the butt of good natured humor. Laughter is healing. Enjoy a dose of laughter medicine today.

Further reading:
CELEBRATION - the seventh Point of Simply An Inspired Life

Friday, June 26, 2009

Heaven and Hell story

Here's a humorous little story with a message about Heaven and Hell. Listen...

mary anne radmacher: courage doesn't always roar

courage doesn't always roar.
sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day, saying,
"i will try again tomorrow."
- mary anne radmacher

"I set my own course through the ocean of life." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie


"I set my own course through the ocean of life."
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Have you ever watched a school of fish? They move almost as one. Instantly, they all turn. It doesn't appear that the fish in front turn and then the others follow. Rather, the fish at the back of the school turn together with those in front as if the school were a single organism.

Often, groups of people behave like schools of fish. Beliefs, behaviors, and habits spring up almost organically. Some of these trends are short lived like the latest clothing fashion, while others persist for millennia, yet have no more fundamental significance than a school of fish turning left or right in unison.

Be alert and watchful to avoid basing your own life on the beliefs, behaviors, and habits of those around you, however familiar and expected those habits may be.

Further reading:
John F. Kennedy: Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth

Winston Churchill: You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Sloth - so what?


This is a picture of a sloth. A what? Yes, a sloth, and he's cute isn't he?

A sloth lives a pretty good life, s-l-o-w-l-y. Maybe we have something to learn from him. Some days, being sloth-like may be just what you need to avoid being consumed by urgency.

Affirmation: "I choose never to be a prisoner of urgency"
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: This Above All, To Thine Own Self Be True

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Having a Bad Hair Day?


I call the bird in the photo "Bad Hair Heron." Ever had a bad hair day - a day when everything seemed to be going wrong? Perhaps today is a day to soothe your ruffled feathers, take a deep breath, and reaffirm that the weight of the world is really not on your shoulders, unless you choose to assume that burden.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Aristotle: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.


We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle

You choose what you are by what you do. Are you pleased with the way you spend your time? "Habit" and "diligent practice" both describe the frequent and predictable repetition of activities. The difference lies in whether you consciously choose what you do every day, or you allow your circumstances to control you.

Further reading:
Choose Your Habits, Choose Your Life - 5 Secrets For Breaking Your Bad Habits
Consistent physical structures can allow unbounded intuitive clarity. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Monday, June 22, 2009

Time is my friend


Affirmation: Time is my friend.

Overwhelm is not a pleasant condition. The to-do list overflows, the deadlines appear imminent and immovable. There are too many demands upon too little of your time. Does this sound familiar?

Truly, there is nothing you must do. Stop. Breathe deeply and slowly. Choose to put your own inner peace first. Then choose to work on what is most important to you, rather than that which appears most urgent.

Further reading:
Time, like life itself, has no inherent meaning
How do you want to be remembered?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Does it ever get easier to release the resentment and the anger, and to forgive?


You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
- Matthew 5:43-44


Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
- The Buddha


How I wish that I had the magic potion that would prevent anger. I was reminded yet again this morning how quickly I flare up, and how trivial the cause.

While it doesn't appear to be possible to forestall anger, I have trained myself to shorten what might otherwise have been years of resentment and blame into a few minutes of conversation with myself about my priorities and my commitment to loving and caring for myself.

Anger will always reappear, but yes, it does get much easier to release it each time.

Reading:
Elie Wiesel: The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference
Love even those who hate you
Let me bring peace into moments of chaos - jlh
Moderating the Anger Response Through Training
I forgive everyone, especially myself

Saturday, June 20, 2009

affirmation: I congratulate myself warmly for each accomplishment, then ask, "What's next?" - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

affirmation: I congratulate myself warmly for each accomplishment, then ask, "What's next?"
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Bono: We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong. - Bono

We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong.
- Bono


To continue yesterday's discussion of wrong questions, sometimes we solve a problem or finally answer a question and then find ourselves unsatisfied. We ask ourselves, "Is this all?" When that happens, congratulate yourself on solving the problem you did, and then begin to search for the truly meaningful question or problem who's answer will bring you even greater satisfaction.

Read Bono's quotes

Friday, June 19, 2009

affirmation: I question my questions. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

When you keep getting the wrong answers, try asking better questions - Jonathan Lockwood Huie


When you keep getting the wrong answers, try asking better questions.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

How often we keep banging our head into the same wall, or to use the phrase derived from Cervantes Don Quixote, "tilting at windmills." When a problem seems unsolvable, or a question appears unanswerable, consider that you may not be asking the best question.

Sometimes the way to the pot of gold on the other side of the mountain is to keep fighting up the steep slippery slope, but often it is better to walk around the mountain. Also consider refocusing your attention on another pot of gold that is even larger, shinier, and virtually at hand.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Elie Wiesel: The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference

In response to my quote, Do your best, and always accept life as it comes, I received the objection that I couldn't possibly expect Holocaust survivors to accept what happened to them. I don't expect anything, but I do believe that happiness for each of us lies in freeing ourselves from all resentments of the past - whatever that past.

Acceptance and forgiveness are very similar ... perhaps even the same thing, Reread my message on forgiveness in which two women are dealing with forgiveness of childhood sexual abuse.

Understand that your acceptance of everything that happened in the past and your forgiveness for everything that occurred or failed to occur are gifts you give yourself ... to release your anger and regain your happiness. In the words of A Course in Miracles, "Would you rather be right or happy?" Rape survivors, Holocaust survivors, and each of us need to answer that question for ourselves.

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.
- Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, understood that the meaning of his life lay in the future rather than the past. No atrocity is grounds for abdicating our happiness today and tomorrow. At the same time, don't mistake acceptance of the past with inaction in the present. Today is the day to focus on creating a world free from atrocities in our neighborhoods and around the globe.

As William Shakespeare said, "What's done is done." The path to happiness lies in accepting whatever happened in the past as unchangeable fact, giving up all resentments, and focusing on the present with new eyes.

don Miguel Ruiz: Always do your best


Always do your best - don Miguel Ruiz

Do your best, and always accept life as it comes.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


don Miguel's Fourth Agreement holds a double meaning. Not only is it important to your self-respect never to do less than your best, it is equally important to be fully satisfied having done your best - without suffering regrets over not having done even better.

Consider reading Don Miguel Ruiz: The Four Agreements - The Wisdom of the Ages in Four Sound-Bites

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Be Happy Dont Worry Quotes - Stop Worrying and Be Happy

Here are some Be Happy Dont Worry Quotes to brighten your day. Happiness is a gift that can be yours just by making it so. Break the habit of making yourself unhappy through worry, and choose happiness today. You don't have to regret the past or worry about the future.

Happiness is a choice.
- anonymous

The path to happiness is forgiveness of everyone and gratitude for everything.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
- Dalai Lama

I become happy when I choose to accept and love all of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Would you rather be right or happy?
- A Course in Miracles

Regret, worry, and fear squeeze the juice from life leaving a dry hulk.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

For a happy marriage, love and accept your spouse just the way they are.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Whoever is happy will make others happy, too.
- Anne Frank

Your greatest gift to others is to be happy and to radiate your happiness to the entire world.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

As a happy person, you radiate happiness to the world. Visualize your light radiating throughout the world, passing from person to person until it encircles the globe.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
- Helen Keller

The successful and happy ones dance lightly with life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Training yourself to live in the present - without regretting the past or fearing the future - is a recipe for a happy life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

When you feel worried and depressed, consciously form a smile on your face and act upbeat until the happy feeling becomes genuine.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Angry and happy don't mix. Flush out the angry, and the happy has a place to put down roots.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Don't hurry. Don't worry. You're only here for a short visit. So don't forget to stop and smell the roses.
- Walter Hagen

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.
- Leo Buscaglia

Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.
- Glenn Turner

Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.
- Swedish Proverb

affirmation: I do my best and accept life as it comes.

Affirmation: I shine my light of happiness into the darkness of negativity.


Affirmation: I shine my light of happiness into the darkness of negativity.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


As a happy person, you radiate happiness to the world. Visualize your light radiating throughout the world, passing from person to person until the whole earth is uplifted by your happiness. See yourself carrying a candle into a dark cave. The candle illuminates the darkness rather than the darkness snuffing out the candle.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Native American Proverb - Treat the earth well, It was not given to you by your parents, It was loaned to you by your children.

Treat the earth well,
It was not given to you by your parents,

It was loaned to you by your children.

- Native American Proverb

I give thanks for the bounties of this world.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Jesus own Words about Forgiveness and Unconditional Love

Jesus asks all Christians to forgive and to extend unconditional love to ALL. Are you ready to renounce hatred, vengeance, prejudice, and the fear of those who look different and hold different beliefs?

Love Your Enemies - Matthew 5:43-44

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

Never An Eye for an Eye - Matthew 5:38-39

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Forgive Your Brother from Your Heart - Matthew 18:21-22

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Inspiring video of DJ Gregory, a golfer in spite of Cerebral Palsy, walking all the golf courses of the entire PGA tour.



Inspiring video of DJ Gregory, a golfer in spite of Cerebral Palsy, walking all the golf courses of the entire PGA tour.

Open Mind - Open Heart: A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect

A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


I received an email asking, "I know exactly the kind of man I want. Why am I not finding him?" My answer was, "Perhaps by being so sure that you know what you want in a man you are overlooking some great possible partners. A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect."

The principle of intent is not just applicable to dating, but is universal. Intention is a powerful force, but contains a hidden paradox.

If you have no idea what you want from life, you have no power to call anything important and satisfying into being. Therefore, envision your desire as a full color dream with surround sound. Make your dream very detailed, and so real you can smell and taste it.

However, Spirit has its own idea of what great gifts to give you. Once you have made your request, be open to receiving the bounty of the universe. Most likely, your gift will not look exactly as you visualized it. Be open to every phone call, every knock at the door. Most of us would just walk right past if we saw Jesus himself singing Christmas carols on the street corner.

The secret to accessing the power of intention is to follow two seemingly controdictory paths at the same time:

1. Visualize what you want. Plan and take positive action to achieve your goal.

2. Always be open to receiving the generous gifts of Spirit. Hold no expectations or demands on the form, the timing, or the color of the wrapping on the bountiful gifts of Spirit.

Affirmation: I am open to receiving the bountiful gifts of Spirit. My mind and heart are open.

Consider reviewing Unanswered Prayers and We attract abundance when we ask from a compassionate heart and Where There is Love, Nothing is Missing - a Parable and listening to the Leonard Cohen song "If It Be Your Will"

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Happy Friends - Happy You

Happy people tend to be found in the company of other happy people, while unhappy people are likely to spend time with unhappy people. You are probably saying, "Yes, that's right." You may have thought about this relationship before, or you may just now be scanning through a mental list of people you know and finding the correlation. Either way, it is a matter of personal experience that both happy and unhappy people tend to mingle with others having a similar degree of happiness. Why is this true? Are happiness and unhappiness infectious?

Several factors are at work. First, let's say that I am an unhappy and negative person. I depress the emotions of those with whom I come in contact. As a result, happy positive people try to avoid me as much as they can, while unhappy people, plus any previously happy people who are bound to me through family or career, are further depressed by contact with me. I tend to feel uncomfortable around happy people because I'm jealous of their happiness, while I create a misery-loves-company kind of bond with other unhappy people.

If I am a happy person, all this works in reverse. I uplift the emotions of those I come in contact with. As a result, happy positive people love being in my company. Unhappy people, however, either respond to my joyful positivity, thus beginning their journey toward their own happiness, or they find themselves feeling frustrated and jealous, and sever their relationship with me. I become even happier when I am around other happy people, while I tend to feel uncomfortable around unhappy people, and will tend to avoid them to the extent that doing so does not conflict with my commitment toward those people.

People sort themselves into groups of happy people and unhappy people through two different, but complementary mechanisms, influence and affinity. I influence those around me with my emotional state, either happy or unhappy. At the same time, I feel an affinity for others who are like me in some way - in this case by sharing my emotional outlook on life.

While we can observe the effect of clusters of happy and unhappy people in our lives, quantifying this effect is beyond our personal experience. A large-scale long-term research study published in 2008 by James Fowler of UC San Diego and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School documented the profound effect a happy, or unhappy, person has on their acquaintances. This study showed that you are 15 percent more likely to be happy because you are in contact with someone who is happy; 10 percent if a friend of a friend is happy; and 6 percent if a friend of a friend of a friend is happy. Just think about that - your own happiness has a measurable effect on the happiness of the friends of the friends of your friends. What an amazing power you hold!

In addition, the study revealed that while unhappiness is also infectious, an unhappy person doesn't exert the same influence over large groups as a happy person does. I visualize this difference with the example of a candle being brought into a dark cave. The candle illuminates the darkness rather than the darkness snuffing out the candle.

As a happy person, you radiate happiness to the world. While the study only measured the effect to the third level of acquaintance, visualize your light radiating throughout the world, passing from person to person until the whole earth is uplifted by your happiness.

Affirmation: I shine my light of happiness into the darkness of negativity.

I forgive everyone, especially myself

I forgive everyone, especially myself, for all actions and all inactions throughout my entire life.
- jlh


My article Regrets, Resentments and the Path to Forgiveness has generated several comments and questions that I would like to address. First, a brief summary of the original article...

I forgive everyone for every "wrong" that I believe they have ever inflicted upon me. I forgive them for my own sake, that I may release the venom - the anger and resentment within myself - and regain my joy and serenity. I have compassion for everyone who has ever been a player upon the stage of my life.

Forgiveness is not a reprieve that you give to someone else. Forgiveness for another's act or omission is a gift that you give yourself. You are the one who suffers the upset and the anger when you feel that you have been wronged. It is your own blood pressure that rises when you hold on to resentment.

Forgiving others is a gift to yourself, given not because the other deserves pardon, but because you deserve the serenity and joy that comes from releasing resentment and anger, and from embracing universal forgiveness.

------

Three anonymous comments/questions I received...

Reading this brought tears to my eyes. I have been wronged by the ones I loved all my life and I am not sure how to let go of the anger and to forgive them. I want to let go of the burden I have been carrying for so long.


I have been abused sexually and beaten by my father almost everyday, I stood there while he beat my mother and my sister and brother. He even tried to molest my sister. Well, he committed suicide a few years back and it's very hard to forgive him for what he has done, but after reading this, I guess that I can try. It just hurts. I think about it almost everyday. Then I get very upset.


I was sexually violated by my stepfather many years ago and it continued through my whole childhood. The only reason it stopped is because I ran away at age fourteen. How can I forgive someone who said I was a liar? He did it to my 4 sisters and I have no family because they all turned on me for speaking up. I find myself very alone at times and I wonder "Did I do the right thing?"


------

Thank you for your questions. Life has been very hard on you. I wish it could have been otherwise.

I will attempt to answer your question, "How can I forgive?" The short answer is that your act of forgiveness is for yourself, to enable you to stop suffering.

To expand upon the nature and benefits of forgiveness, let's look first at what it means to forgive. The dictionary tells us that "to forgive" means "to stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone for something they did or failed to do." It does not mean that you believe what the person did was acceptable then, or is now acceptable, or ever could be acceptable.

Forgiveness is about ending your anger. Anger is a destructive human emotion that rots our insides. It causes much of the physical illness in the world as well as untold emotional suffering. Freeing yourself from as much anger as you are holding is like taking a three hundred pound weight off your chest and six daggers out of your ribs.

The better question might be, "How can you NOT forgive?" Forgiveness - forgiveness of all people and all acts - is a sure path to happiness.

So what can you do today to end the resentment and anger, and create forgiveness and happiness? Carrying around three hundred pounds of anger is a little like carrying around three hundred pounds of excess weight. It took years to grow that much anger, and it will take time to shed the anger. Today, hold the intention to be one percent less angry than yesterday. Do the same thing tomorrow. If you can stick to that emotional diet, you will have lost all your anger and resentment, as well as any regrets about anything you yourself did or did not do, in three or four months. I'm rooting for you.

Read my article about anger: Stop Anger Before It Stops You.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. - Anais Nin

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
- Anaïs Nin


There can be no happiness when one lives in fear. Whatever the future holds, fear will not improve tomorrow, and it will destroy your happiness today.

We don't see things as they are,

we see things as we are.

- Anaïs Nin


Don't let one cloud obliterate the whole sky.
- Anaïs Nin

Do not seek the because - in love there is no because, no reason, no explanation, no solutions.

- Anaïs Nin

People living deeply have no fear of death.

- Anaïs Nin

When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow.

- Anaïs Nin

Today's affirmation: I stand in the inspiring vision of my future, boldly taking every step - large and small - with courage and intent.

Today's affirmation: I stand in the inspiring vision of my future, boldly taking every step - large and small - with courage and intent.

Consider reviewing: Living the Unconcerned Life - Choosing to End Worry

Friday, June 12, 2009

I Sing Wild Songs Of Adventure


I Sing Wild Songs Of Adventure
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Life is lived in the living. Set aside convention, caution, and arbitrary "rules" about how life is supposed to be lived. Choose! Explore! Adventure! Live life to the fullest.

Take inspiration about living full out from Mark Twain, Joseph Campbell, and Helen Keller.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Science of Mind: Ernest Holmes: Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.

Ernest Holmes: (1887-1960) Founder: Science of Mind

While reading these quotes, note that when Dr. Holmes speaks of “Mind” and “thinker”, he is referring to far more than ordinary mental activity, and is including what others might term “intent” or “spiritual intent." Thus “Science of Mind” might be better understood as “Science of Spiritual Intent."

Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.
- Ernest Holmes


I am inclined to paraphrase Holmes' quote as “Life is a mirror which reflects my intent back to me.” This has a dual meaning: First - if I feel angry with a person, I will see that person as being an angry person. Second - and the flip side of the same coin - if I see a person as being an angry person, I can be certain that I have been projecting my own anger toward that person.

There is a power for good in the universe greater than you are and you can use it.- Ernest Holmes


In all of his bestsellers, the Divine has told the truth, custom-tailored to the comprehension of the times.
- Ernest Holmes


We live in a spiritual Universe.
- Ernest Holmes


God is in, through, around and for us.
- Ernest Holmes


There is One Infinite Mind, which of necessity includes all that is, whether it be the intelligence in man, the life in the animal, or the invisible Presence which is God.
- Ernest Holmes


The manifest universe is the body of God ... all people are incarnations of the One Spirit.
- Ernest Holmes

Today's affirmation: I have ready access to a power beyond my wildest imagination.

Today's affirmation: I have ready access to a power beyond my wildest imagination.

Consider reviewing : Perspectives on the Nature of God

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

John F. Kennedy:And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
- John F. Kennedy


Whether for your country, your community, your family, or the entire world, perhaps today is a day to put aside personal preferences and step forward to be of service.

When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.
- John F. Kennedy

Consider reviewing: Bono Quotes - the Wisdom of Bono

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Eskimo Saying: Yesterday is ashes. Tomorrow is green wood. Only today does the fire burn brightly.

Yesterday is ashes. Tomorrow is green wood. Only today does the fire burn brightly.
- Eskimo Saying


There are so many ways of saying, "Live in the moment." Life can only be lived in this instant. Why suffer from memories of the past, or agonize over fears regarding the future. This doesn't mean not to plan for tomorrow, just not to fear the future.

Monday, June 8, 2009

The jump is so frightening - Mary Anne Radmacher

The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be … because of all I may become I will close my eyes and leap. - Mary Anne Radmacher

the jump is so frightening - Mary Anne Radmacher

When I was a little girl I would save my money and go to our corner drug store which had, what I thought, was the world’s largest collection of greeting cards. And they were for sale! Bliss. I loved all the images and would take an hour to select one card. Even at eight years old I thought the inside greetings were just plain silly. I would purchase my card, march home and use my dad’s white-strike-out-correcting sheet to set those insides right (had “white out” not yet been invented?). Then it was ready for a personal note and was sent off to some interested family friend or a relative that required a thank you. I was not sure what “precocious” meant but folks always said it in a kind way when they told my mother that’s what I was.

In my early twenties I dreamt of starting my own greeting card company. I would write on the pages of my journal, ”I want to be an artist.” I longed to create a livelihood that had meaning and use my talents and skills in the service of a compelling and inspiring idea. I was certain that I would have to WAIT until I was (eh-hem) really old. Maybe some time in my forties. I thought perhaps by the time I reached the wise age of 45 I would have gotten all the education needed and managed to save up enough money to fund my own company.

The rumblings wouldn’t leave. I felt unwilling to wait almost twenty years before I could manifest my dream I wrote to a man who used to own the kite shop in the small community in which I lived. He knew a lot about how to make things fly…including one’s dreams. I poured my heart out to him in that letter. I told him I realized I didn’t know the first thing about operating a business and I didn’t have a dime to my name. But I KNEW what I wanted to do. And then I wrote, “The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be…because of all I may become I will close my eyes and leap.”

I brought the letter to a close and posted it. Soon a photocopy of that letter came back to me. The jump phrase was circled in RED…with his note on the side. “THIS sentence, these words, are the reason you are ready to start your business now. You know everything you need to know…and these words should go on one of your first products.”

They did.

I have heard stories over the years how that particular sentence has been the motivation to move people along and give them the courage to put wings to their dreams.

Ha! Just today I could fold those words into a letter whispered just after these words, “I am on the cusp of a remarkable journey. All the longings of my life have led me to this amazing transition in my experience.” Ah, yes. Jump.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Life is defined more by its risks than by its samenesses. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Life is defined more by its risks than by its samenesses.
- Mary Anne Radmacher


We tell the real truth of our life by the stories we repeatedly tell. – mar

When families gather around a holiday tale, what are the stories that are told? That lengthy tale that engages everyone’s attention and has each listener wondering, “What next?” We take great joy and satisfaction in the ways we have faced the storms of our lives. Often in the storm we embrace the most significant lessons. Those are the defining narratives we find ways to repeat. What story might you tell today?

Friday, June 5, 2009

Helen Keller: Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.

Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.
- Helen Keller


Helen Keller was both deaf and blind. That might appear to be good cause to feel sorry for oneself, but Keller recognized that her life would be what she made of it, and has left us a great legacy of inspiration.

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
- Helen Keller

Daily Affirmation: I live with enthusiasm, and give thanks for my life.

Daily affirmation: I live with enthusiasm, and give thanks for my life.

Consider reading: Jimmy Yen - My Personal Greatest Hero

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Albert Schweitzer: At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
- Albert Schweitzer


Be thankful to those who have offered us challenges, rather than easy answers.


Today's affirmation: I gratefully accept the light and pay it forward.


You may wish to consider reviewing: Where There is Love, Nothing is Missing - a Parable and Pay It Forward - as an Expression of Universal Gratitude

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Inspiring Picture Quotes collection



I have assembled 176 picture quotes like the one above and made them available for easy viewing. Go to www.dancelightly.com/picture/ to see all 176 picture quotes displayed in random sequence. Just click on the picture when you are ready to see the next quote. It's addictive.

Another Wave Comes, Another Wave Goes

Spend a day at the beach watching the ocean. Settle in with a big umbrella and a tall cool drink. Pay attention to the ocean. What do you see? Waves ... and tides. The level of the water goes up as a wave crests, and down as the wave recedes. Some waves are bigger, some come a little slower, but they all form a repeating pattern. Now add the tides, and you see the waves as small oscillations superimposed on bigger slower repeating patterns. It's all fairly predictable.

Now, imagine that time slows w-a-y d-o-w-n... You see the water rising. It just keeps coming. Will it ever stop? Will I drown? Then, at the last moment, the water recedes. Phew, relief. Oh No, all the water is going away! The fish will die. I'll have no food, no ocean, no pretty beach, I'm losing everything!

After a relaxing day at the beach, let's talk economics. Because the repeating patterns of economic cycles have periods of years and decades, it is oh so easy to forget that prosperity and confidence - personal, corporate, and national - rise and fall like waves and tides. Great times never last, and hard times never last.

But suppose that this wave isn't just part of a cycle? Suppose that this wave is the tsunami? Maybe, but the odds of an economic tsunami are like the odds of rattlesnake bite in Manhattan. Sure it could happen, but...

What do you do when the tide goes out? You get a whiff of that "low tide smell" and you get to wander the seabed harvesting some tasty shellfish from under the sand. You know that the water will return, so you relax and enjoy your day.

Economic prosperity WILL return as surely as the waves and tides. Only the exact timing is uncertain. Nationally, this is a time to spend lavishly creating jobs and restoring personal and business confidence. Spending now does NOT mean we should or will spend when the tide is high. Government spending and taxation also run in long term cycles, hopefully in cycles that mitigate the economic cycles rather that amplifying them.

Personally, this is a time to gather the fruits of the sea that are only available when the tide is out. And, as always, this is a time to relax and enjoy life.

Winston Churchill Quotes

Winston Churchill Quotes:

Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.


Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.


The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.


Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.


You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

Affirmation of courage: I make friends with my fear. I am unstoppable.

Today's affirmation of courage: I make friends with my fear. I am unstoppable.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Sometimes the things you really want sneak in the back door. Notice. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Sometimes the things you really want sneak in the back door. Notice.
- Mary Anne Radmacher


I was training a group of corporate executives in a discovery strategy for creative problem solving. A middle aged executive reluctant expressed what he believed to be his greatest challenge in his career. As we worked the discovery process, he was very surprised. He discovered his real challenge wasn’t anything close to what he originally thought. Once he was able to notice the actual nature of his issue, he quickly created solutions. He just had to first notice.

Monday, June 1, 2009

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone - Bill Cosby

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone.
- Bill Cosby


Sometimes the pressure to please our spouse, our boss, our family and friends, our church, our community can seem overwhelming. Take William Shakespeare's advise, "To thine own self be true." Your life and your choices are yours alone.

Daily Motivation - Today's affirmation: I follow my own star.

Today's affirmation: I follow my own star.
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