Popular author and speaker Ken Blanchard sometimes tells a powerful story about Red, a corporate president who, as a young man, learned an important and life-changing lesson. Red had just graduated from college and was offered an opportunity to interview for a position with a firm in New York City. As the job involved moving his wife and small child from Texas to New York, he wanted to talk the decision over with someone before accepting it, but his father had died and Red did not feel he had anybody to turn to. On impulse, he telephoned an old friend of the family; someone his father had suggested he turn to if he ever needed good advice.
The friend said he would be happy to give Red advice about the job offer under the condition that the young man takes whatever advice he was given. "You might want to think about that for a couple of days before hearing my suggestion," he was told.
Two days later Red called the man back and said he was ready to listen to his counsel. "Go on to New York City and have the interview," the older man said. "But I want you to go up there in a very special way. I want you to go on a train and I want you to get a private compartment. Don't take anything to write with, anything to listen to or anything to read, and don't talk to anybody except to put in your order for dinner with the porter. When you get to New York call me and I will tell you what to do next."
Red followed the advice precisely. The trip took two days. As he had brought along nothing to do and kept entirely to himself, he quickly became bored. It soon dawned on him what was happening. He was being forced into quiet time. He could do nothing but think and meditate. About three hours outside New York City he broke the rules and asked for a pencil and paper. Until the train stopped, he wrote -- the culmination of all his meditation.
Red called the family friend from the train station. "I know what you wanted," he said. "You wanted me to think. And now I know what to do. I don't need anymore help."
"I didn't think you would, Red," came the reply. "Good luck."
Sorry, I don't know if he took the job or not. But Blanchard reports that, years later, Red headed a corporation in California. And he always made it a policy to take a couple of days to be alone. He went where there was no phone, no television, no distractions and no people. He went to be alone, to meditate and to listen.
The French writer and Nobel Prize winner André Gide reminds us to "be faithful to that which exists within yourself." But how can we be faithful when we don't really know what is inside?
The answer for me is to be quiet. To still my mind...and to listen.
I'll soon know what to do.
-- Steve Goodier
Oct 8, 2008
Oct 4, 2008
Bringing Harmony to Discord
I once talked with a couple about their marriage. They completed personality "testing" and were discussing some differences that had frustrated them both over the years. I summarized some of those differences for them.
"You are sensitive," I said to the husband. He nodded affirmatively. "You try to keep harmony in the relationship. It is important to you that you don't have too much conflict, so you tend to give in often in order to keep the peace." He agreed.
"You like affection and will often reach out and hold your wife's hand for no reason at all." He smiled and nodded.
"And you remember birthdays and special days - these are important to you." He continued to smile and nod.
"And you particularly appreciate it when she says, 'I love you.' In fact, you need her to say that at least once a day."
"EXACTLY!" he exclaimed with a broad smile, looking at his wife.
Then I spoke to her. "And you appreciate his sensitivity, but you tend to be more rational and logical." She smiled and nodded.
"You can be more objective than he can about personal criticism and may sometimes be too blunt with him." They both agreed.
"You like affection, but you don't require it like he does. If you hold hands or not, that is unimportant to you." She continued to nod.
"And you also appreciate the fact that he remembers those special days, but if he were to forget one, that would not upset you. In fact, you have to remember to say, 'I love you' to him, not because you don't love him, but because saying it is just something you don't think about often." She agreed, looking at her husband.
"Saying words like 'I love you' does not mean the same thing to you as it does to him. You know you love him. In fact, you looked into his eyes when you got married and said, 'I love you' and figured that, if you ever change your mind, you'll let him know."
"EXACTLY!" she exclaimed, with a smile.
They told me that the discussion helped them to simply understand one another and to accept themselves. Rather than trying to change the other to get their own needs met, they could more easily appreciate their differences and also appreciate themselves as they are.
They found harmony where there used to be discord.
We don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note. Only notes that are different can harmonize. The same is true with people.
-- Steve Goodier
"You are sensitive," I said to the husband. He nodded affirmatively. "You try to keep harmony in the relationship. It is important to you that you don't have too much conflict, so you tend to give in often in order to keep the peace." He agreed.
"You like affection and will often reach out and hold your wife's hand for no reason at all." He smiled and nodded.
"And you remember birthdays and special days - these are important to you." He continued to smile and nod.
"And you particularly appreciate it when she says, 'I love you.' In fact, you need her to say that at least once a day."
"EXACTLY!" he exclaimed with a broad smile, looking at his wife.
Then I spoke to her. "And you appreciate his sensitivity, but you tend to be more rational and logical." She smiled and nodded.
"You can be more objective than he can about personal criticism and may sometimes be too blunt with him." They both agreed.
"You like affection, but you don't require it like he does. If you hold hands or not, that is unimportant to you." She continued to nod.
"And you also appreciate the fact that he remembers those special days, but if he were to forget one, that would not upset you. In fact, you have to remember to say, 'I love you' to him, not because you don't love him, but because saying it is just something you don't think about often." She agreed, looking at her husband.
"Saying words like 'I love you' does not mean the same thing to you as it does to him. You know you love him. In fact, you looked into his eyes when you got married and said, 'I love you' and figured that, if you ever change your mind, you'll let him know."
"EXACTLY!" she exclaimed, with a smile.
They told me that the discussion helped them to simply understand one another and to accept themselves. Rather than trying to change the other to get their own needs met, they could more easily appreciate their differences and also appreciate themselves as they are.
They found harmony where there used to be discord.
We don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note. Only notes that are different can harmonize. The same is true with people.
-- Steve Goodier
Sep 6, 2008
Unstoppable
When a group of two hundred executives were asked what makes a person successful, eighty percent listed enthusiasm as the most important quality. More important than skill. More important than training. Even more important than experience.
Before water will produce enough steam to power an engine, it must boil. The steam engine won't move a train an inch until the steam gauge registers 212 degrees. Likewise, the person without enthusiasm is trying to move the machinery of life with lukewarm water. Only one thing will happen: that person will stall.
A. B. Zu Tavern asserts that enthusiasm is electricity in the battery. It's the vigor in the air. It's the warmth in the fire. It's the breath in all things alive. Successful people are enthusiastic about what they do. "Good work is never done in cold blood," he says, "Heat is needed to forge anything. Every great achievement is the
story of a flaming heart."
You may have all of the skill, training and experience you've ever need. Add enthusiasm to those assets and you will be truly unstoppable!
-- Steve Goodier
Before water will produce enough steam to power an engine, it must boil. The steam engine won't move a train an inch until the steam gauge registers 212 degrees. Likewise, the person without enthusiasm is trying to move the machinery of life with lukewarm water. Only one thing will happen: that person will stall.
A. B. Zu Tavern asserts that enthusiasm is electricity in the battery. It's the vigor in the air. It's the warmth in the fire. It's the breath in all things alive. Successful people are enthusiastic about what they do. "Good work is never done in cold blood," he says, "Heat is needed to forge anything. Every great achievement is the
story of a flaming heart."
You may have all of the skill, training and experience you've ever need. Add enthusiasm to those assets and you will be truly unstoppable!
-- Steve Goodier
Sep 4, 2008
Google Chrome - New open source browser by Google
On 2 Sep 2008, Google announces their new open source browser, Google Chrome.
And i must say at first glance and use, "Wow! Not bad sia"
I'm using mainly Firefox, sometimes Microsoft Internet Explorer and also tried Safari, too. But Google Chrome really takes my breath away literally.
I salute the team at Google! Inc, they always managed to come up with new innovations and surprises. And best of all, it is open source, that means software/web developers can use the browser source code to design websites/applications, all up to their imagination and creativity.
Learn more about the story behind Google Chrome and the technology in their comic book.
This is just the beginning of Google Chrome and we can expect more improvements along the way as more users adopt the new browser. Best is to try it yourself, download it and test as much as you like.
Lastly ... Of course, I'm posting this using Google Chrome! Hee hee ;)
Sep 1, 2008
Be thankful for what you have
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet.
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind.
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.
Invite others towards good with wisdom.
Great men say, "Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.
He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help."
There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by.
He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat.
He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.
He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up.
A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.
That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.
The boy recognized his footsteps and asked,"Were you the one! who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it."
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it."
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind.
But the first sign simply said the boy was blind.
The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind.
Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.
Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.
Invite others towards good with wisdom.
Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets.
When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.
Face your past without regret.
Handle your present with confidence.
Prepare for the future without fear.
Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Great men say, "Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness.
In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience."
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.
And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!
Moments to Remember
Have you ever noticed that you do not remember days, you remember moments?
A strange story about immortalizing moments comes from the book SPIRITUAL LITERACY (Touchstone Books) by authors Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. It is about a Brooklyn cigar store manager named Oggie Rand. Oggie has an unusual habit -- at precisely eight o'clock each morning, he photographs the front of the store. Always at exactly the same time and from exactly the same spot. Every morning. Oggie collects his daily snapshots in photograph albums, each labeled by date. He calls his project his "life's work."
One day Oggie showed his albums to a friend. He had not told his friend about his unusual hobby. Flipping the pages of the albums, the man noticed in amazement that the pictures were all the same.
Oggie watched him skim through the pictures and finally replied, "You'll never get it if you don't slow down, my friend. The pictures are all of the same spot, but each one is different from every other one. The differences are in the detail. In the way people's clothes change according to season and weather. In the way the light hits the street. Some days the corner is almost empty. Other times it is filled with people, bikes, cars and trucks. It's just one little part of the world, but things take place there, too, just like everywhere else."
This time Oggie's friend looked more carefully at each picture. No two were alike. Every picture was unique, just as every moment is unique. Through a series of photographs, he became conscious of one of life's great truths -- that each minute that passes is special, even sacred.
I'm reminded of something writer Henry Miller said, "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." And those are the moments we'll remember; the ones for which we stopped everything else long enough to pay close attention.
The advice for me is this: to pay as close attention to each moment as I can, as if I were carefully observing a series of snapshots. I would like to take time to study the moments. If I look closely enough, I know I'll see that each is unique. Each is sacred. And each holds a special place in time.
I suspect it will be these moments -- not whole days, weeks, months or years -- that I will finally remember. And much of the happiness and joy I will find in life will be because I took care of the moments.
-- Steve Goodier
A strange story about immortalizing moments comes from the book SPIRITUAL LITERACY (Touchstone Books) by authors Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. It is about a Brooklyn cigar store manager named Oggie Rand. Oggie has an unusual habit -- at precisely eight o'clock each morning, he photographs the front of the store. Always at exactly the same time and from exactly the same spot. Every morning. Oggie collects his daily snapshots in photograph albums, each labeled by date. He calls his project his "life's work."
One day Oggie showed his albums to a friend. He had not told his friend about his unusual hobby. Flipping the pages of the albums, the man noticed in amazement that the pictures were all the same.
Oggie watched him skim through the pictures and finally replied, "You'll never get it if you don't slow down, my friend. The pictures are all of the same spot, but each one is different from every other one. The differences are in the detail. In the way people's clothes change according to season and weather. In the way the light hits the street. Some days the corner is almost empty. Other times it is filled with people, bikes, cars and trucks. It's just one little part of the world, but things take place there, too, just like everywhere else."
This time Oggie's friend looked more carefully at each picture. No two were alike. Every picture was unique, just as every moment is unique. Through a series of photographs, he became conscious of one of life's great truths -- that each minute that passes is special, even sacred.
I'm reminded of something writer Henry Miller said, "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." And those are the moments we'll remember; the ones for which we stopped everything else long enough to pay close attention.
The advice for me is this: to pay as close attention to each moment as I can, as if I were carefully observing a series of snapshots. I would like to take time to study the moments. If I look closely enough, I know I'll see that each is unique. Each is sacred. And each holds a special place in time.
I suspect it will be these moments -- not whole days, weeks, months or years -- that I will finally remember. And much of the happiness and joy I will find in life will be because I took care of the moments.
-- Steve Goodier
Aug 19, 2008
Dreams of Flying
Dreams of Flying by Jan von Holleben
Crossing the desert on the back of a dog, or searching for lost treasures on the bottom of the ocean. Jan von Holleben’s photographs make nostalgic dreams come true.
Jan brings the influences of his parents – a cinematographer and child therapist – to his work. His focus on the visual representation of childhood, 'Child-History' and concepts of 'Playing', come from his teacher training course and he combines these theories with his personal experience and childhood memories. Inspired by classic childhood books as well as modern superheroes, he produces ‘Dreams of Flying’ since 2002 with children from his local neighbourhood in South West Germany – ongoing!
Click here to view them
Crossing the desert on the back of a dog, or searching for lost treasures on the bottom of the ocean. Jan von Holleben’s photographs make nostalgic dreams come true.
Jan brings the influences of his parents – a cinematographer and child therapist – to his work. His focus on the visual representation of childhood, 'Child-History' and concepts of 'Playing', come from his teacher training course and he combines these theories with his personal experience and childhood memories. Inspired by classic childhood books as well as modern superheroes, he produces ‘Dreams of Flying’ since 2002 with children from his local neighbourhood in South West Germany – ongoing!
Click here to view them
Counting Marbles
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind. He sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business.
He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well, but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital," he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities. And that's when he began to explain his theory of 'a thousand marbles.'"
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on. "And by that time, I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So, I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."
"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now, let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday, I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."
"It was nice to meet you, Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75-year-old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon, honey. I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special. It's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles!"
--Unknown
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind. He sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business.
He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well, but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital," he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities. And that's when he began to explain his theory of 'a thousand marbles.'"
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on. "And by that time, I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So, I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."
"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now, let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday, I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."
"It was nice to meet you, Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75-year-old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon, honey. I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special. It's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles!"
--Unknown
Getting Ready for Tomorrow
You heard about the sign posted on a rancher's fence? On the other side of the fence resides the biggest, meanest looking bull you can imagine. The sign is intended to strike fear into the hearts of would-be trespassers. It reads: "Don't attempt to cross this field unless you can do it in 9.9 seconds. The bull can do it in 10 flat!"
Don't try to cross that field unless you are prepared! And isn't that the way it is in life? We have to be ready when the opportunity arises or else we will have little chance of success.
Sixth-grade schoolteacher Ms. Shelton believed in readiness. Students remember how she walked in on the first day of class and began writing words of an eighth-grade caliber on the chalkboard. They quickly protested that the words were not on their level and they couldn't learn them.
Their teacher insisted that the students could and would learn these words. She said that she would never teach down to them. Ms. Shelton ended by saying that one of the students in that classroom could go on to greatness, maybe even be president some day, and she wanted to prepare them for that day.
Ms. Shelton spoke those words many years ago. Little did she know that someday one of her students - Jesse Jackson - would take them seriously ("Leadership," Summer 1992). She believed that if they were well prepared, they could achieve high goals.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "People only see what they are prepared to see." If that's true, then it is also true that they only become what they are prepared to become. And a lot of life is just about getting ready.
"I want to be doing something more significant with my life than what I am doing now," a young man once said to me. He felt like what he was doing was just not that important. Other people have said things to me such as, "I only wish I had a meaningful relationship." And, "I'd really like to get a better job, but I just don't see how."
You fill in the blanks. What is it you would like to happen that isn't happening? Perhaps the answer is that you are not yet ready. Maybe you need more time to prepare before you are truly ready for that which you desire.
Think of today as another chance to prepare yourself for that exciting future you are looking for. Today is not wasted. If you desire more from life, then you can use today as training. For you will experience only what you are prepared to experience. Something wonderful can happen. And you can use today to get ready for tomorrow.
-- Steve Goodier
Don't try to cross that field unless you are prepared! And isn't that the way it is in life? We have to be ready when the opportunity arises or else we will have little chance of success.
Sixth-grade schoolteacher Ms. Shelton believed in readiness. Students remember how she walked in on the first day of class and began writing words of an eighth-grade caliber on the chalkboard. They quickly protested that the words were not on their level and they couldn't learn them.
Their teacher insisted that the students could and would learn these words. She said that she would never teach down to them. Ms. Shelton ended by saying that one of the students in that classroom could go on to greatness, maybe even be president some day, and she wanted to prepare them for that day.
Ms. Shelton spoke those words many years ago. Little did she know that someday one of her students - Jesse Jackson - would take them seriously ("Leadership," Summer 1992). She believed that if they were well prepared, they could achieve high goals.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "People only see what they are prepared to see." If that's true, then it is also true that they only become what they are prepared to become. And a lot of life is just about getting ready.
"I want to be doing something more significant with my life than what I am doing now," a young man once said to me. He felt like what he was doing was just not that important. Other people have said things to me such as, "I only wish I had a meaningful relationship." And, "I'd really like to get a better job, but I just don't see how."
You fill in the blanks. What is it you would like to happen that isn't happening? Perhaps the answer is that you are not yet ready. Maybe you need more time to prepare before you are truly ready for that which you desire.
Think of today as another chance to prepare yourself for that exciting future you are looking for. Today is not wasted. If you desire more from life, then you can use today as training. For you will experience only what you are prepared to experience. Something wonderful can happen. And you can use today to get ready for tomorrow.
-- Steve Goodier
Aug 12, 2008
Put Your Behind in Your Past
I like what Miguel de Cervantes, the author of DON QUIXOTE, said, "Love not what you are, but what you may become." There is hope that I can always change for the better. I can become more self confident, more in charge of my life, healthier, happier -- you get the idea. And there is hope that I can change a situation -- like finding a new career or going after a new life-style.
If you're like me, making any big changes can be scary. We will have to COMMIT. And we may have to take a risk.
Let me illustrate what I mean:
Consider a performer on a trapeze. She swings back and forth. And then she encounters another trapeze bar. It is swinging toward her and it is empty. Now she has a decision to make. She may continue to hang onto her present bar, or let go and grasp the new one. But she can't do both! She can't hang onto the old and grasp the new with her other hand. She HAS to decide which she wants.
If she chooses to let go of the past and grasp the future, she finds herself suspended for a moment in mid-air. Scary! It's too late to go back and she has not yet latched onto the other bar. She is vulnerable and at risk. But she has decided to take that risk in order to move forward.
Life is like that. Sometimes you have let go of something if you want to latch onto something else. Maybe you will need to let go of an old job in order to take a new one. Or you may have to let go of an old relationship before fitting a new one into your life. You have to let go of other priorities on your time or money before grasping that new opportunity.
And for a while you may feel suspended in mid-air. You've committed to something new and let go of the past, but you have not yet grasped what is ahead. You feel vulnerable and you may be frightened. But you know that the only way you can reach the new "bar" is to let go of the old one.
But like Pumba (from "The Lion King") says, "Ya gotta put your behind in your past." Then you're ready for whatever comes next.
-- Steve Goodier
If you're like me, making any big changes can be scary. We will have to COMMIT. And we may have to take a risk.
Let me illustrate what I mean:
Consider a performer on a trapeze. She swings back and forth. And then she encounters another trapeze bar. It is swinging toward her and it is empty. Now she has a decision to make. She may continue to hang onto her present bar, or let go and grasp the new one. But she can't do both! She can't hang onto the old and grasp the new with her other hand. She HAS to decide which she wants.
If she chooses to let go of the past and grasp the future, she finds herself suspended for a moment in mid-air. Scary! It's too late to go back and she has not yet latched onto the other bar. She is vulnerable and at risk. But she has decided to take that risk in order to move forward.
Life is like that. Sometimes you have let go of something if you want to latch onto something else. Maybe you will need to let go of an old job in order to take a new one. Or you may have to let go of an old relationship before fitting a new one into your life. You have to let go of other priorities on your time or money before grasping that new opportunity.
And for a while you may feel suspended in mid-air. You've committed to something new and let go of the past, but you have not yet grasped what is ahead. You feel vulnerable and you may be frightened. But you know that the only way you can reach the new "bar" is to let go of the old one.
But like Pumba (from "The Lion King") says, "Ya gotta put your behind in your past." Then you're ready for whatever comes next.
-- Steve Goodier
Father Forgets
Father Forgets
by W. Livingston Larned
Listen, son; I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily, I came to your bedside.
There are things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.
At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, "Goodbye, Daddy!" and I frowned, and said in reply, "Hold your shoulders back!"
Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came up the road, I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before your friends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive - and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father!
Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. "What is it you want?" I snapped.
You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither. And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs.
Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding - this was my reward to you for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too much of youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.
And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!
It is a feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: "He is nothing but a boy - a little boy!"
I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother's arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much.
by W. Livingston Larned
Listen, son; I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily, I came to your bedside.
There are things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.
At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, "Goodbye, Daddy!" and I frowned, and said in reply, "Hold your shoulders back!"
Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came up the road, I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before your friends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive - and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father!
Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. "What is it you want?" I snapped.
You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither. And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs.
Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding - this was my reward to you for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too much of youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.
And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!
It is a feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: "He is nothing but a boy - a little boy!"
I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother's arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much.
Aug 11, 2008
Happy 43rd Birthday to Singapore - National Day Parade Preview 2008
Here are some photos that i took during the Preview on 2 Aug 2008
View of the stage, floating platform
Red Lions coming in to land and the performance on the waterfront
Contigents forming up outside, preparing to march in
Parade formed up and ready for inspection, Sir
Singapore Flag Flypast
The Finale - Fireworks
Cheers to Singapore
Jul 27, 2008
Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
"Almost all of us have childhood dreams; for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don’t achieve theirs, and I think that’s a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I’ve actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams."
- Randy Pausch
With equal parts humor and heart, Carnegie Mellon professor and alumnus Randy Pausch delivered a one-of-a-kind last lecture that moved an overflow crowd at the university — and went on to move audiences around the globe.
Randy died July 25 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.
Watch online or order a DVD
- Randy Pausch
With equal parts humor and heart, Carnegie Mellon professor and alumnus Randy Pausch delivered a one-of-a-kind last lecture that moved an overflow crowd at the university — and went on to move audiences around the globe.
Randy died July 25 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.
Watch online or order a DVD
Jul 26, 2008
Inspirational Story - Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak’s first big goal wasn’t big by today’s standards. All he wanted was his own computer.
But Steve was in high school when he had that big goal, and it was the 1960’s. His dad scoffed at Steve’s goal. A computer cost as much as a downpayment on a house, Steve’s dad said. Steve was undaunted. He said, “Then I’ll live in an apartment.”
By the time he reached his 20’s, Steve still hadn’t reached his goal. By then, he was a shy young man working at Hewlett-Packard. He still didn’t have enough money for a computer.
He had the skills to build one (he was an engineer and had had an aptitude for tinkering with electronics since he was a kid). But even though he had the skills, he didn’t have the money for parts.
So Steve designed computers on paper.
Finally, though, prices came down enough so he could move his ideas from paper to reality. He built a small computer, and since he couldn’t afford a display (what we now call a monitor), he used his TV.
At the time, a computer small enough to fit on a desk was a novelty. His peers were fascinated. One of his friends, Steve Jobs, suggested they build a PC board, a device that allowed others to build their own small computer.
Steve then went to his bosses at Hewlett-Packard and suggested the company build a small computer that worked with a home TV. The company rejected the idea.
So Steve and Steve decided to go out on their own. Jobs sold a van and Steve Wozniak sold his prized calculator , and they used the few hundred dollars they raised to finance their computer company, which they called Apple Computer. Their first computer was Apple I.
With the bank account nearly dry, Steve and Steve got 30 days credits on parts and then went into overdrive. They subcontracted the basic manufacturing, but then they had to do all the quality testing, which they did in Steve Jobs’ garage.
From these meager beginnings, Apple Computer was born. In 1980, the company went public, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Steve turned his little idea into a big success. That’s being bodacious.
If you have an idea, what are you waiting for?
But Steve was in high school when he had that big goal, and it was the 1960’s. His dad scoffed at Steve’s goal. A computer cost as much as a downpayment on a house, Steve’s dad said. Steve was undaunted. He said, “Then I’ll live in an apartment.”
By the time he reached his 20’s, Steve still hadn’t reached his goal. By then, he was a shy young man working at Hewlett-Packard. He still didn’t have enough money for a computer.
He had the skills to build one (he was an engineer and had had an aptitude for tinkering with electronics since he was a kid). But even though he had the skills, he didn’t have the money for parts.
So Steve designed computers on paper.
Finally, though, prices came down enough so he could move his ideas from paper to reality. He built a small computer, and since he couldn’t afford a display (what we now call a monitor), he used his TV.
At the time, a computer small enough to fit on a desk was a novelty. His peers were fascinated. One of his friends, Steve Jobs, suggested they build a PC board, a device that allowed others to build their own small computer.
Steve then went to his bosses at Hewlett-Packard and suggested the company build a small computer that worked with a home TV. The company rejected the idea.
So Steve and Steve decided to go out on their own. Jobs sold a van and Steve Wozniak sold his prized calculator , and they used the few hundred dollars they raised to finance their computer company, which they called Apple Computer. Their first computer was Apple I.
With the bank account nearly dry, Steve and Steve got 30 days credits on parts and then went into overdrive. They subcontracted the basic manufacturing, but then they had to do all the quality testing, which they did in Steve Jobs’ garage.
From these meager beginnings, Apple Computer was born. In 1980, the company went public, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Steve turned his little idea into a big success. That’s being bodacious.
If you have an idea, what are you waiting for?
Jul 23, 2008
Everything Counts
Early 20th Century African-American poet Countee Cullen spent the summer of his eighth year in Baltimore, Maryland. Shortly after he arrived he noticed a little white boy staring at him. Countee smiled, but the little boy did not smile back. Instead, he stuck out his tongue and called him a hurtful, racial slur.
Cullen later wrote a poem that included his recollection of the summer when he was eight. In it, he says this:
"I saw the whole of Baltimore
from May until September.
Of everything that happened there
that's all I can remember."
The white child likely soon forgot the episode. And he probably never was aware of the pain he inflicted on the young stranger. But the truth is... everything counts. EVERYTHING. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else.
Educator and writer Leo Buscaglia put it like this: "The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no tickertape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our encouragement, who will need our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt."
How truly amazing life can be when we know that... EVERYTHING COUNTS.
-- Steve Goodier
Cullen later wrote a poem that included his recollection of the summer when he was eight. In it, he says this:
"I saw the whole of Baltimore
from May until September.
Of everything that happened there
that's all I can remember."
The white child likely soon forgot the episode. And he probably never was aware of the pain he inflicted on the young stranger. But the truth is... everything counts. EVERYTHING. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else.
Educator and writer Leo Buscaglia put it like this: "The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no tickertape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our encouragement, who will need our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt."
How truly amazing life can be when we know that... EVERYTHING COUNTS.
-- Steve Goodier
Jul 20, 2008
The Way We See It
The eye doctor instructed her patient to read a chart on the wall. He looked at it and read, "A, B, F, N, L and G."
The doctor turned the light back on and wrote in her notebook.
"How'd I do, Doc?" the patient wondered.
She replied, "Let's put it this way -- they're numbers."
"But Doc," he argued, "this is the way I see it!"
Much of my happiness or unhappiness is a result of my perception. "This is the way I see it," I tell myself.
I see some problems as challenges that energize me to action and others as obstacles that stop further progress. It's just the way I see it.
And sometimes I see new situations as fun, and other times I see them as fearful.
The busyness of my life can be OK if I see it that way, or it can be a major source of stress. And an unexpected intrusion in my schedule can be an irritant or, if I see it that way, possibly the most important thing I could do that day.
Even an embarrassing mistake can be the beginning of a new learning or an occasion to berate myself. It's in the way I see it.
One of the greatest blocks to my happiness is forgetting that it is not always about what is happening to me -- it's more about the way I see it.
Like Marcel Proust said, "The real voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." It's in the way we see it.
-- Steve Goodier
The doctor turned the light back on and wrote in her notebook.
"How'd I do, Doc?" the patient wondered.
She replied, "Let's put it this way -- they're numbers."
"But Doc," he argued, "this is the way I see it!"
Much of my happiness or unhappiness is a result of my perception. "This is the way I see it," I tell myself.
I see some problems as challenges that energize me to action and others as obstacles that stop further progress. It's just the way I see it.
And sometimes I see new situations as fun, and other times I see them as fearful.
The busyness of my life can be OK if I see it that way, or it can be a major source of stress. And an unexpected intrusion in my schedule can be an irritant or, if I see it that way, possibly the most important thing I could do that day.
Even an embarrassing mistake can be the beginning of a new learning or an occasion to berate myself. It's in the way I see it.
One of the greatest blocks to my happiness is forgetting that it is not always about what is happening to me -- it's more about the way I see it.
Like Marcel Proust said, "The real voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." It's in the way we see it.
-- Steve Goodier
Jul 18, 2008
Free Hugs
"Do you want a hug?" the young man asked Ginny.
He held a sign in his hand that said "Free Hugs." I looked around. There were other people with him. They held their handmade signs high. The message was the same on all of them: "Free Hugs!"
"Sure!" Ginny smiled and walked up to him. She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her level, and hugged him with all the love she had in her heart.
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "That was the best hug I've had all day!"
"I'm a hugger," Ginny smiled at him.
He looked at me. "How about a hug?"
"You got it!" I walked into his open arms. We held briefly and parted.
A young lady walked up and hugged Ginny. She turned to me, opened her arms, and hugged me too.
Ginny and I stepped back and watched the "free huggers" work their magic with those who accepted them. They offered hugs to anyone and everyone.
---
Juan Mann returned to Sydney, Australia in 2004, after living in Europe for several years. He was depressed over his parent's divorce. Most of his friends had moved on. It was just him. He sat for months.
Alone and depressed, Juan decided to make a difference and reach out. He made a sign that read, "Free Hugs," and stood at the Pitt Street Mall, one of the busiest streets in the center of Sydney. He put his arms around anyone who accepted his offer.
At first, he left his wallet at home, had a friend watch over him, and expected to be ridiculed. After fifteen minutes, a woman approached him.
"My dog died today," she said. "It's also the first anniversary of my only daughter's death. I could use a hug."
Juan was quoted as saying, "That first woman, it was more than a hug. It meant something to her."
Others joined Mann. They opened their arms to others. His message spread across the city. Afraid of lawsuits, officials banned the free hug movement, but the people protested and more than 10,000 people signed a petition to allow him to continue his mission.
Shimon Moore, the lead singer of "The Sick Puppies" happened to see Juan. They hugged and became friends. Moore borrowed a video camera and filmed Juan giving hugs. When Mann's grandmother died, Moore put the video together with his band's song called, All the Same, and posted the video on YouTube with the following caption:
"Sometimes a hug is all we need. Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, a man whose sole purpose mission was to reach out and hug a stranger, to brighten up their lives."
The video was a hit. It spread around the world. Juan has appeared on Oprah and several other major television shows. His idea continues to gain support and grow.
After his first day on Pitt Street, Juan wondered if others were doing the same. He found Amma, The Hugging Saint of India. Jason Hunter in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jayson Littman in New York.
Jayson started his hugging campaign the same year as Juan. They both felt a need to reach out to humanity. A financial analyst in Manhattan, Jayson believed New Yorkers could use a hug. From 2004 to 2006, he spent one weekend afternoon a month holding his "Free Hugs" sign in his hands and opened his arms to anyone who needed human comfort.
Since then, Jayson's mission has been taken over by others who believe. Hugs for all!
On the last Saturday afternoon of the month, you'll find them gathered in Union Square in Lower Manhattan. They hold their signs high and offer their open arms to all who need a human touch.
---
The huggers worked the crowd. Most people ignored them or shook their heads to indicate they were not interested. Those who opened their arms in return, walked away with a smile on their face.
I felt a warmth, a glow, fill my heart. Ginny and I were going through rough times. Money was scarce, bill collectors called on a regular basis. We were stressed and worried, but on that afternoon, for a brief moment, it was all forgotten.
It took a simple hug to make everything better.
--Michael T. Smith
He held a sign in his hand that said "Free Hugs." I looked around. There were other people with him. They held their handmade signs high. The message was the same on all of them: "Free Hugs!"
"Sure!" Ginny smiled and walked up to him. She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her level, and hugged him with all the love she had in her heart.
"Wow!" he exclaimed. "That was the best hug I've had all day!"
"I'm a hugger," Ginny smiled at him.
He looked at me. "How about a hug?"
"You got it!" I walked into his open arms. We held briefly and parted.
A young lady walked up and hugged Ginny. She turned to me, opened her arms, and hugged me too.
Ginny and I stepped back and watched the "free huggers" work their magic with those who accepted them. They offered hugs to anyone and everyone.
---
Juan Mann returned to Sydney, Australia in 2004, after living in Europe for several years. He was depressed over his parent's divorce. Most of his friends had moved on. It was just him. He sat for months.
Alone and depressed, Juan decided to make a difference and reach out. He made a sign that read, "Free Hugs," and stood at the Pitt Street Mall, one of the busiest streets in the center of Sydney. He put his arms around anyone who accepted his offer.
At first, he left his wallet at home, had a friend watch over him, and expected to be ridiculed. After fifteen minutes, a woman approached him.
"My dog died today," she said. "It's also the first anniversary of my only daughter's death. I could use a hug."
Juan was quoted as saying, "That first woman, it was more than a hug. It meant something to her."
Others joined Mann. They opened their arms to others. His message spread across the city. Afraid of lawsuits, officials banned the free hug movement, but the people protested and more than 10,000 people signed a petition to allow him to continue his mission.
Shimon Moore, the lead singer of "The Sick Puppies" happened to see Juan. They hugged and became friends. Moore borrowed a video camera and filmed Juan giving hugs. When Mann's grandmother died, Moore put the video together with his band's song called, All the Same, and posted the video on YouTube with the following caption:
"Sometimes a hug is all we need. Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, a man whose sole purpose mission was to reach out and hug a stranger, to brighten up their lives."
The video was a hit. It spread around the world. Juan has appeared on Oprah and several other major television shows. His idea continues to gain support and grow.
After his first day on Pitt Street, Juan wondered if others were doing the same. He found Amma, The Hugging Saint of India. Jason Hunter in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jayson Littman in New York.
Jayson started his hugging campaign the same year as Juan. They both felt a need to reach out to humanity. A financial analyst in Manhattan, Jayson believed New Yorkers could use a hug. From 2004 to 2006, he spent one weekend afternoon a month holding his "Free Hugs" sign in his hands and opened his arms to anyone who needed human comfort.
Since then, Jayson's mission has been taken over by others who believe. Hugs for all!
On the last Saturday afternoon of the month, you'll find them gathered in Union Square in Lower Manhattan. They hold their signs high and offer their open arms to all who need a human touch.
---
The huggers worked the crowd. Most people ignored them or shook their heads to indicate they were not interested. Those who opened their arms in return, walked away with a smile on their face.
I felt a warmth, a glow, fill my heart. Ginny and I were going through rough times. Money was scarce, bill collectors called on a regular basis. We were stressed and worried, but on that afternoon, for a brief moment, it was all forgotten.
It took a simple hug to make everything better.
--Michael T. Smith
Jul 6, 2008
Awaken to A Beautiful New Day
Awaken
by Ralph S. Marston, Jr.
In your life
A new day is dawning
Awaken and touch the beauty
Wherever you've come from
Whatever you've been
New possibilities beckon
Right here and now
Awaken and make them real
There was a time when you held in your heart
The most magnificent of dreams
A time when life seemed to carry
Endless promises and possibilities
Those dreams are still with you
Awaken and bring them to life
What you long for
Is longing for you
What you dream of
Is what you are meant to create
The doubts you have exist only in your mind
The anxieties that seem so burdensome are of your own making
Now is the moment to awaken,
and allow those doubts to melt away
Awaken, and dive deeply into the beauty of this moment
Allow your spirit to fully experience the richness of it all
Awaken
Allow peace to fill you completely
Let it touch your deepest longings
Let it bring those longings to life
Your most treasured possibilities are real,
If you will simply let them live through you
Awaken to this moment, and life begins anew
Reach inside, and allow
your most treasured
dreams to awaken with you
Into a bright and shining new day
Remind yourself again and again
Of how beautiful life can be
Remind yourself again and again
That you can make it so
Awaken
Step boldly and lovingly forward
Into this day
You've already come
So very far
You're stronger, more experienced
and more determined than ever
To fulfill those longings
That tell you who you are
Now is your moment to create real meaning
Now is your moment to awaken
And to truly and fully live
by Ralph S. Marston, Jr.
In your life
A new day is dawning
Awaken and touch the beauty
Wherever you've come from
Whatever you've been
New possibilities beckon
Right here and now
Awaken and make them real
There was a time when you held in your heart
The most magnificent of dreams
A time when life seemed to carry
Endless promises and possibilities
Those dreams are still with you
Awaken and bring them to life
What you long for
Is longing for you
What you dream of
Is what you are meant to create
The doubts you have exist only in your mind
The anxieties that seem so burdensome are of your own making
Now is the moment to awaken,
and allow those doubts to melt away
Awaken, and dive deeply into the beauty of this moment
Allow your spirit to fully experience the richness of it all
Awaken
Allow peace to fill you completely
Let it touch your deepest longings
Let it bring those longings to life
Your most treasured possibilities are real,
If you will simply let them live through you
Awaken to this moment, and life begins anew
Reach inside, and allow
your most treasured
dreams to awaken with you
Into a bright and shining new day
Remind yourself again and again
Of how beautiful life can be
Remind yourself again and again
That you can make it so
Awaken
Step boldly and lovingly forward
Into this day
You've already come
So very far
You're stronger, more experienced
and more determined than ever
To fulfill those longings
That tell you who you are
Now is your moment to create real meaning
Now is your moment to awaken
And to truly and fully live
Jun 29, 2008
Resisting Discouragement
Resisting Discouragement
by Rick Warren
*** *** *** ***
So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
*** *** *** ***
There are many things that work to keep us from completing our life-missions. Over the years, I’ve debated whether the worst enemy is procrastination or discouragement. If Satan can’t get us to put off our life missions, then he’ll try to get us to quit altogether.
The apostle Paul teaches that we need to resist discouragement: “So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up …” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).
Do you ever get tired of doing what’s right? I think we all do. Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.
When we’re discouraged, we become ineffective. When we’re discouraged, we work against our own faith.
When I’m discouraged, I’m saying, “It can’t be done.” That’s the exact opposite of saying, “I know God can do it because he said ….”
Ask yourself these questions:
· How do I handle failure?
· When things don’t go my way, do I get grumpy?
· When things don’t go my way, do I get frustrated?
· When things don’t go my way, do I start complaining?
· Do I finish what I start?
· How would I rate on persistence?
If you’re discouraged, don’t give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy.
When an artist starts to create a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn’t hit the chisel with the hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting it and hitting it, chipping away at the stone.
And that’s true of life, too: Nothing really worthwhile ever comes easy in life. You keep hitting it and going after it, and little-by-little your life becomes a masterpiece of God’s grace.
The fact is, great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Great people don’t know how to quit.
by Rick Warren
*** *** *** ***
So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
*** *** *** ***
There are many things that work to keep us from completing our life-missions. Over the years, I’ve debated whether the worst enemy is procrastination or discouragement. If Satan can’t get us to put off our life missions, then he’ll try to get us to quit altogether.
The apostle Paul teaches that we need to resist discouragement: “So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up …” (Galatians 6:9 NLT).
Do you ever get tired of doing what’s right? I think we all do. Sometimes it seems easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.
When we’re discouraged, we become ineffective. When we’re discouraged, we work against our own faith.
When I’m discouraged, I’m saying, “It can’t be done.” That’s the exact opposite of saying, “I know God can do it because he said ….”
Ask yourself these questions:
· How do I handle failure?
· When things don’t go my way, do I get grumpy?
· When things don’t go my way, do I get frustrated?
· When things don’t go my way, do I start complaining?
· Do I finish what I start?
· How would I rate on persistence?
If you’re discouraged, don’t give up without a fight. Nothing worthwhile ever happens without endurance and energy.
When an artist starts to create a sculpture, he has to keep chipping away. He doesn’t hit the chisel with the hammer once, and suddenly all the excess stone falls away revealing a beautiful masterpiece. He keeps hitting it and hitting it, chipping away at the stone.
And that’s true of life, too: Nothing really worthwhile ever comes easy in life. You keep hitting it and going after it, and little-by-little your life becomes a masterpiece of God’s grace.
The fact is, great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Great people don’t know how to quit.
Jun 27, 2008
Real Liberation
I had a remarkable conversation with a woman about physical limitations. Nancy was a sufferer of M.S. She could no longer walk and spent her waking hours in a wheelchair.
"I'm not 'confined' to the wheelchair," she insisted one day. "It doesn't confine me. It sets me free."
I had never thought of it that way. And I have never referred to someone in a wheelchair since as being "confined."
She asked me, "Do you want to know my reason for living?" It seemed like an abrupt change of subject, but I went with it.
"What is it?"
"To liberate people. To set them free."
She must have studied my face and figured I needed more help. "It's like me...before I got my wheelchair, I had trouble getting around," she explained. "Now I can go places. But other people may be trapped in different ways. So however I can free people, I want to do it."
"People speak of being 'shut in,'" she continued. "People who have difficulty leaving a room or a house or a bed are not 'shut in.' They're 'shut out' -- shut out of activities and shut out of people's lives. So I try to help people find some freedom, however I can."
I wonder how she'd handle my limitations, though. I can get around all right, but I hold myself back by my thinking. I say, "We'll never do that!" or "I just don't believe that is possible" and later find that somebody proved me wrong. It's my beliefs and attitudes that cause some of my biggest problems. They are as limiting to me as Nancy's
disease is to her.
"Almost everybody walks around with a vast burden of imaginary limitations inside his head," says author J. H. Brennan. "While the burden remains, personal success is as difficult to achieve as the conquest of Everest with a sack of rocks tied to your back."
It IS a burden, isn't it? Like a sack of rocks. Some people carry the burden that they will never be able to pursue a passion or achieve a cherished dream. And some tote around the idea that other people can experience good things of life, or simply be happy, but they never will. Our thinking itself can be as much a burden as climbing a mountain with a sack of rocks tied to our backs.
When I feel "confined" by my thinking, I sometimes ponder these words from Darwin P. Kingsley, past president of New York Life Insurance Company:
"You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind."
Now THAT sets me free! Free to live. Free to risk. Free to move forward. Free to be...me.
It's real liberation.
-- Steve Goodier
"I'm not 'confined' to the wheelchair," she insisted one day. "It doesn't confine me. It sets me free."
I had never thought of it that way. And I have never referred to someone in a wheelchair since as being "confined."
She asked me, "Do you want to know my reason for living?" It seemed like an abrupt change of subject, but I went with it.
"What is it?"
"To liberate people. To set them free."
She must have studied my face and figured I needed more help. "It's like me...before I got my wheelchair, I had trouble getting around," she explained. "Now I can go places. But other people may be trapped in different ways. So however I can free people, I want to do it."
"People speak of being 'shut in,'" she continued. "People who have difficulty leaving a room or a house or a bed are not 'shut in.' They're 'shut out' -- shut out of activities and shut out of people's lives. So I try to help people find some freedom, however I can."
I wonder how she'd handle my limitations, though. I can get around all right, but I hold myself back by my thinking. I say, "We'll never do that!" or "I just don't believe that is possible" and later find that somebody proved me wrong. It's my beliefs and attitudes that cause some of my biggest problems. They are as limiting to me as Nancy's
disease is to her.
"Almost everybody walks around with a vast burden of imaginary limitations inside his head," says author J. H. Brennan. "While the burden remains, personal success is as difficult to achieve as the conquest of Everest with a sack of rocks tied to your back."
It IS a burden, isn't it? Like a sack of rocks. Some people carry the burden that they will never be able to pursue a passion or achieve a cherished dream. And some tote around the idea that other people can experience good things of life, or simply be happy, but they never will. Our thinking itself can be as much a burden as climbing a mountain with a sack of rocks tied to our backs.
When I feel "confined" by my thinking, I sometimes ponder these words from Darwin P. Kingsley, past president of New York Life Insurance Company:
"You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind."
Now THAT sets me free! Free to live. Free to risk. Free to move forward. Free to be...me.
It's real liberation.
-- Steve Goodier
Jun 7, 2008
Ten Other Commandments to Live By
1. You shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.
2. You shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.
3. You shall not carry grudges, for they are the heaviest of all life's burdens.
4. You shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.
5. You shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.
6. You shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care for them than you.
7. You shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now.
8. You shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own.
9. You shall not become bogged down by frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.
10. You shall count your blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.
~ Author Unknown
2. You shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.
3. You shall not carry grudges, for they are the heaviest of all life's burdens.
4. You shall face each problem as it comes. You can only handle one at a time anyway.
5. You shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.
6. You shall not borrow other people's problems. They can better care for them than you.
7. You shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now.
8. You shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own.
9. You shall not become bogged down by frustration, for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.
10. You shall count your blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.
~ Author Unknown
May 14, 2008
Get Out of Your Funk
You're feeling less than inspired today. You look at your to-do list and discover you don't feel much like doing any of it.
Some days you wake energetic and raring to go. You tackle one item after another, after another, on your to-do list. Each opportunity to cross something off the list giving you a boost of energy and a sense of being productive, of accomplishing something, of forward momentum.
Then there are days when despite your best efforts, you can't seem to get into that zone. Your energy is dragging, your thoughts are unfocused, your mood less than enthusiastic. It's what one of my closest friends and I call a funk. It's a bad case of the blahs that you can't quite seem to shake. Sometimes it's easy to identify what brought it on, other times it seems to come out of nowhere for no particular reason.
Whether you can identify the source of your funk or not, there are steps you can take to attempt to snap yourself out of it:
1. Let the sunshine in. Living and/or working in a dark cave with all the blinds closed is depressing. Open the blinds or drapes and flood the room with sunlight. If it's warm enough to open the windows to let in some fresh air, even better.
2. Crank up the tunes. Put on some uplifting, energizing tunes. Something with a beat that you can hardly resist moving to and then...
3. Get up and move. Exercise, dance around your living room, wrestle with the dog, go for a walk. Anything that gets your blood pumping.
4. Light a candle or diffuse an essential oil with an uplifting scent. Orange and lemon oils are two of my favorites.
5. Get out of the house. Go for a drive, go to a park, go to your local coffee house, have lunch at your favorite neighborhood cafe. Your funk just might be a bad case of cabin fever.
6. Read something inspiring. Keep some inspirational reading handy for days like these.
7. Talk to a friend. Preferably one who knows you well and knows just how best to help you...with empathetic words, a good joke or a swift kick in the ass. My girlfriend and I do this for one another with the understanding that we are NOT allowed to be in a funk at the same time.
If you've tried all of the above and are still feeling in a funk...
8. Take a nap or meditate. Either can serve as a way to reboot. Ever wish you could crawl back into bed and start over...sometimes that's just what you need to do.
If upon rising, the funk is still with you...
9. Just DO it! Pick something, anything, on your to-do list and Just DO it.
That's not working either?
10. Take a mental health day and go see a good movie, get a pedicure, enjoy a latte, soak in a bubble bath, read a novel, get a massage ...whatever... the idea is to give yourself a break, to pamper yourself, to renew your energy.
And remember...this too shall pass, and tomorrow is a new day.
Some days you wake energetic and raring to go. You tackle one item after another, after another, on your to-do list. Each opportunity to cross something off the list giving you a boost of energy and a sense of being productive, of accomplishing something, of forward momentum.
Then there are days when despite your best efforts, you can't seem to get into that zone. Your energy is dragging, your thoughts are unfocused, your mood less than enthusiastic. It's what one of my closest friends and I call a funk. It's a bad case of the blahs that you can't quite seem to shake. Sometimes it's easy to identify what brought it on, other times it seems to come out of nowhere for no particular reason.
Whether you can identify the source of your funk or not, there are steps you can take to attempt to snap yourself out of it:
1. Let the sunshine in. Living and/or working in a dark cave with all the blinds closed is depressing. Open the blinds or drapes and flood the room with sunlight. If it's warm enough to open the windows to let in some fresh air, even better.
2. Crank up the tunes. Put on some uplifting, energizing tunes. Something with a beat that you can hardly resist moving to and then...
3. Get up and move. Exercise, dance around your living room, wrestle with the dog, go for a walk. Anything that gets your blood pumping.
4. Light a candle or diffuse an essential oil with an uplifting scent. Orange and lemon oils are two of my favorites.
5. Get out of the house. Go for a drive, go to a park, go to your local coffee house, have lunch at your favorite neighborhood cafe. Your funk just might be a bad case of cabin fever.
6. Read something inspiring. Keep some inspirational reading handy for days like these.
7. Talk to a friend. Preferably one who knows you well and knows just how best to help you...with empathetic words, a good joke or a swift kick in the ass. My girlfriend and I do this for one another with the understanding that we are NOT allowed to be in a funk at the same time.
If you've tried all of the above and are still feeling in a funk...
8. Take a nap or meditate. Either can serve as a way to reboot. Ever wish you could crawl back into bed and start over...sometimes that's just what you need to do.
If upon rising, the funk is still with you...
9. Just DO it! Pick something, anything, on your to-do list and Just DO it.
That's not working either?
10. Take a mental health day and go see a good movie, get a pedicure, enjoy a latte, soak in a bubble bath, read a novel, get a massage ...whatever... the idea is to give yourself a break, to pamper yourself, to renew your energy.
And remember...this too shall pass, and tomorrow is a new day.
Apr 29, 2008
Joy Along the Way
A senator once took Will Rogers to the White House to meet President Coolidge. He warned the humorist that Coolidge never smiled. Rogers replied, "I'll make him smile." Inside the Oval Office, the senator introduced the two men.
"Will Rogers," he said, "I'd like you to meet President Coolidge."
Deadpan, Rogers quipped, "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch the name."
Coolidge smiled.
A sense of humor is a marvelous gift to have. It is one of the most important means we possess to face the difficulties of life. And sometimes life can be difficult.
I deal professionally with issues which are critical: relationships breaking apart, people losing jobs, people facing serious illness or agonizing with someone close who is suffering, addictions, grief and heartache. Without a sense of humor about my own life, I don't know if I could survive! I take what I do seriously, but I try not to take myself too seriously. Like the New York City cab driver who said, "It's not the work that I enjoy so much, but the people I run into!"
Here is an experiment: look for and find as much joy as possible for one full day. Try to enjoy the people you run into, the work you do, your leisure time and your relationships. Don't forget to enjoy yourself - and take enough time to enjoy God. I believe that if you try this experiment for one full day, by evening you will bask in the glow of a rekindled spirit.
It just takes a day to find joy along the way.
-- Steve Goodier
"Will Rogers," he said, "I'd like you to meet President Coolidge."
Deadpan, Rogers quipped, "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch the name."
Coolidge smiled.
A sense of humor is a marvelous gift to have. It is one of the most important means we possess to face the difficulties of life. And sometimes life can be difficult.
I deal professionally with issues which are critical: relationships breaking apart, people losing jobs, people facing serious illness or agonizing with someone close who is suffering, addictions, grief and heartache. Without a sense of humor about my own life, I don't know if I could survive! I take what I do seriously, but I try not to take myself too seriously. Like the New York City cab driver who said, "It's not the work that I enjoy so much, but the people I run into!"
Here is an experiment: look for and find as much joy as possible for one full day. Try to enjoy the people you run into, the work you do, your leisure time and your relationships. Don't forget to enjoy yourself - and take enough time to enjoy God. I believe that if you try this experiment for one full day, by evening you will bask in the glow of a rekindled spirit.
It just takes a day to find joy along the way.
-- Steve Goodier
Apr 15, 2008
Making Choices
Joseph Henry was an American scientist who served as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He used to tell a rather strange story about his childhood. His grandmother, who raised him, once paid a cobbler to make him a pair of shoes.
The man measured his feet and told Joseph that he could choose between two styles: a rounded toe or a square toe. Little Joseph couldn't decide. It seemed to be such a huge decision; after all, they would become his only pair of shoes for a long time.
The cobbler allowed him to take a couple of days to make up his mind. Day after day, Joseph went into the shop, sometimes three or four times a day! Each time he looked over the cobbler's shoes and tried to decide. The round-toed shoes were more practical, but the square toes looked more fashionable. He continued to procrastinate. He wanted to make up his mind, but he just couldn't decide!
Finally, one day he went into the shop and the cobbler handed him a parcel wrapped in brown paper. His new shoes! He raced home. He tore off the wrapping and found a beautiful pair of leather shoes - one with a rounded toe and the other with a square toe.
I can learn a lesson here...a lesson about decisions: if I don't make decisions myself, others will probably make them for me. Better that I make them myself.
And if I choose poorly from time to time, that's okay, too. At least I won't have to wear shoes that don't match. Besides, I'll probably do better the next time.
-- Steve Goodier
The man measured his feet and told Joseph that he could choose between two styles: a rounded toe or a square toe. Little Joseph couldn't decide. It seemed to be such a huge decision; after all, they would become his only pair of shoes for a long time.
The cobbler allowed him to take a couple of days to make up his mind. Day after day, Joseph went into the shop, sometimes three or four times a day! Each time he looked over the cobbler's shoes and tried to decide. The round-toed shoes were more practical, but the square toes looked more fashionable. He continued to procrastinate. He wanted to make up his mind, but he just couldn't decide!
Finally, one day he went into the shop and the cobbler handed him a parcel wrapped in brown paper. His new shoes! He raced home. He tore off the wrapping and found a beautiful pair of leather shoes - one with a rounded toe and the other with a square toe.
I can learn a lesson here...a lesson about decisions: if I don't make decisions myself, others will probably make them for me. Better that I make them myself.
And if I choose poorly from time to time, that's okay, too. At least I won't have to wear shoes that don't match. Besides, I'll probably do better the next time.
-- Steve Goodier
Apr 8, 2008
A Day at Work
Some folks have a tendency to believe a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. Then along comes a day like today. The two inch snow that was predicted had turned into a six incher, and more in some of the drifts. And at three in the morning, it made for a pretty interesting trip to work. A half-hour later, I had the windshield cleared and backed up to the door to load. By five, the bread was loaded and ready to roll.
Everything went pretty well, considering the parking lots were far from being cleared. Everything that was taken in was either packed or dragged. Around seven o'clock, it started getting light. I was headed down a two-lane highway, going to the "country" part of the route, and just starting to see the beauty of the first snowfall. Just a few more stops, then I'd turn and head north, to the top end of the route.
Just a few miles out of town, the countryside started changing. The rolling hills and valleys are considered to be the foothills of the Ozarks. With the snowfall fresh on the landscape, it was quite a sight. The hilltops were capped with snow, and the valleys were blanketed with a deep white layer, drifting sometimes even deeper. The trees were laden with snow, their limbs drooping under the weight. As I topped the highpoint, I stopped the truck just to look out over the landscape. The winter scene spread out before me like a giant painting. With the white trees, and everything covered, and the gray sky background, it gave everything a quiet and peaceful setting.
I was surprised to see a beam of sunshine break through the clouds, and shine in to the crystals of ice and snow. The light broke into thousands of tiny rainbows from the natural prisms. A small stream wound its way down and around the hills, its crystal water bubbling over the stones and gravel, and ran by close to the road. Just down and off to the right, a deer had stopped for a drink from the stream, and was staring, unafraid. The whole scene was like a moment suspended in time, not moving. Just there to be appreciated, savored.
At that particular moment, it was easy to feel very small, almost insignificant. And I realized that all of this, no matter how large or small, is God's creation and nothing he created is insignificant or unimportant to Him. Everything has its space and reason for being, a purpose. A snowflake, an ice crystal, a rainbow that dances like the laughter of a child. Everything.
--Bob G. Shaw
Everything went pretty well, considering the parking lots were far from being cleared. Everything that was taken in was either packed or dragged. Around seven o'clock, it started getting light. I was headed down a two-lane highway, going to the "country" part of the route, and just starting to see the beauty of the first snowfall. Just a few more stops, then I'd turn and head north, to the top end of the route.
Just a few miles out of town, the countryside started changing. The rolling hills and valleys are considered to be the foothills of the Ozarks. With the snowfall fresh on the landscape, it was quite a sight. The hilltops were capped with snow, and the valleys were blanketed with a deep white layer, drifting sometimes even deeper. The trees were laden with snow, their limbs drooping under the weight. As I topped the highpoint, I stopped the truck just to look out over the landscape. The winter scene spread out before me like a giant painting. With the white trees, and everything covered, and the gray sky background, it gave everything a quiet and peaceful setting.
I was surprised to see a beam of sunshine break through the clouds, and shine in to the crystals of ice and snow. The light broke into thousands of tiny rainbows from the natural prisms. A small stream wound its way down and around the hills, its crystal water bubbling over the stones and gravel, and ran by close to the road. Just down and off to the right, a deer had stopped for a drink from the stream, and was staring, unafraid. The whole scene was like a moment suspended in time, not moving. Just there to be appreciated, savored.
At that particular moment, it was easy to feel very small, almost insignificant. And I realized that all of this, no matter how large or small, is God's creation and nothing he created is insignificant or unimportant to Him. Everything has its space and reason for being, a purpose. A snowflake, an ice crystal, a rainbow that dances like the laughter of a child. Everything.
--Bob G. Shaw
Mar 28, 2008
Stroke of Insight
Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.
Mar 23, 2008
A Lighted World
One grandfather asked his two granddaughters what they wanted for their birthdays. "Give us a world," they responded.
Soon he deduced that what they were asking for was a globe. So Granddad happily shopped for a nice large, spinning globe that he was sure would make an attractive addition to their room.
He waited for the inevitable sounds of pleasure as they unwrapped a beautiful globe he had selected. He sensed, however, that their enthusiasm for the gift was not as heart-felt as he had expected. "What is the matter?" he asked. "I thought this is what you wanted."
"Well, yes," said one of them, "but we were kind of hoping for a lighted world." Immediately he understood that what they wanted was a globe with a light inside.
"I can fix that," he said. "Let me take it back and exchange it for a lighted one."
Unfortunately the store where he bought the globe did not sell lighted ones. They refunded his money and he set out in search of a "lighted world." He eventually located a globe with a light in it, bought it and presented it to his delighted granddaughters.
When asked by a friend if he had learned anything from this experience, he made sage observation: "Oh, yes, I learned one thing. I learned that a lighted world costs more."
Light is a powerful metaphor. An enlightened world might be one in which education is valued.
But it can also mean that what was hidden in darkness can now be seen. Destructive attitudes and behaviors will never stand the scrutiny of light.
We become better people, and we become a better world, as we move toward the light. But a lighted world costs more. Thank goodness for those who are willing to help pay the cost.
You?
-- Steve Goodier
Soon he deduced that what they were asking for was a globe. So Granddad happily shopped for a nice large, spinning globe that he was sure would make an attractive addition to their room.
He waited for the inevitable sounds of pleasure as they unwrapped a beautiful globe he had selected. He sensed, however, that their enthusiasm for the gift was not as heart-felt as he had expected. "What is the matter?" he asked. "I thought this is what you wanted."
"Well, yes," said one of them, "but we were kind of hoping for a lighted world." Immediately he understood that what they wanted was a globe with a light inside.
"I can fix that," he said. "Let me take it back and exchange it for a lighted one."
Unfortunately the store where he bought the globe did not sell lighted ones. They refunded his money and he set out in search of a "lighted world." He eventually located a globe with a light in it, bought it and presented it to his delighted granddaughters.
When asked by a friend if he had learned anything from this experience, he made sage observation: "Oh, yes, I learned one thing. I learned that a lighted world costs more."
Light is a powerful metaphor. An enlightened world might be one in which education is valued.
But it can also mean that what was hidden in darkness can now be seen. Destructive attitudes and behaviors will never stand the scrutiny of light.
We become better people, and we become a better world, as we move toward the light. But a lighted world costs more. Thank goodness for those who are willing to help pay the cost.
You?
-- Steve Goodier
Mar 20, 2008
Got a Problem?
Do you have a problem? Does it seem like it just won't go away?
Perhaps a little more creativity is all that is needed. Let me explain.
Thomas Edison has been credited with inventing the first half of the twentieth century. And certainly one of his greatest inventions was the incandescent electric light bulb. But Edison takes no credit for making the light bulb available to the world. He was simply an inventor.
Edison's bulb did not burn for long; it gave off little light and it was too expensive. A man named William David Coolidge spent seven years improving the light bulb to make it more practical. Largely because of his work, electric light eventually came into common use.
When Coolidge finally succeeded in his efforts, he was questioned about how he was able to make tungsten work. He said, "It was because I was not a metallurgist. Had I been a metallurgist, I would have known that the task was impossible."
Henry Ford, too, built his success largely on his ability to "think outside the box." He used to say that he was looking to employ a lot of people "who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done." Sometimes, unconventional thinking and a belief that anything is possible are required to solve problems.
You may not be setting out to build a huge company or market a new invention, but you still face difficult problems that beg for creativity. Perhaps you are worried about financing an education. Or you are caring for a loved one with a long-term illness. Or maybe you simply cannot seem to get along with that difficult person you work alongside everyday. These problems, and countless others, just don't seem to go away. Most of us struggle with similar "impossible" situations. If your problem seems impossible, then your usual thinking is probably not working. How can you look at your situation differently? Who can help you consider other solutions and will never tell you that it can't be done? And most important, what would you do if you believed that anything were possible? Anything!
You may not have succeeded yet because you have become discouraged searching for a solution to your problem. Or perhaps you are not convinced that an answer can be found, somehow...somewhere. But a creative and wonderful solution might be just ahead. Look in a different direction. Find it! You can.if you believe it is there and
if you believe it can be found.
Today, what would happen if you approached your problem in a new way?
Do you want to find out?
-- Steve Goodier
Perhaps a little more creativity is all that is needed. Let me explain.
Thomas Edison has been credited with inventing the first half of the twentieth century. And certainly one of his greatest inventions was the incandescent electric light bulb. But Edison takes no credit for making the light bulb available to the world. He was simply an inventor.
Edison's bulb did not burn for long; it gave off little light and it was too expensive. A man named William David Coolidge spent seven years improving the light bulb to make it more practical. Largely because of his work, electric light eventually came into common use.
When Coolidge finally succeeded in his efforts, he was questioned about how he was able to make tungsten work. He said, "It was because I was not a metallurgist. Had I been a metallurgist, I would have known that the task was impossible."
Henry Ford, too, built his success largely on his ability to "think outside the box." He used to say that he was looking to employ a lot of people "who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done." Sometimes, unconventional thinking and a belief that anything is possible are required to solve problems.
You may not be setting out to build a huge company or market a new invention, but you still face difficult problems that beg for creativity. Perhaps you are worried about financing an education. Or you are caring for a loved one with a long-term illness. Or maybe you simply cannot seem to get along with that difficult person you work alongside everyday. These problems, and countless others, just don't seem to go away. Most of us struggle with similar "impossible" situations. If your problem seems impossible, then your usual thinking is probably not working. How can you look at your situation differently? Who can help you consider other solutions and will never tell you that it can't be done? And most important, what would you do if you believed that anything were possible? Anything!
You may not have succeeded yet because you have become discouraged searching for a solution to your problem. Or perhaps you are not convinced that an answer can be found, somehow...somewhere. But a creative and wonderful solution might be just ahead. Look in a different direction. Find it! You can.if you believe it is there and
if you believe it can be found.
Today, what would happen if you approached your problem in a new way?
Do you want to find out?
-- Steve Goodier
Mar 8, 2008
Success Tax
I have learned something about success: I have learned that it comes with a tax.
There are those who will tell you that you can earn a six-figure income in just months. There's nothing to it, they say. Just follow a simple system and your financial success will skyrocket! Not so. There is a tax in order to achieve what you want; it is called dedication.
Orson Welles once said, "My doctor has advised me to give up those intimate little dinners for four, unless, of course, there are three other people eating with me." Some people will tell you that you can lose 25 or 50 pounds in just weeks. It's easy, they say. Not so. Andy Rooney observed that the two biggest sellers in any bookstore are cookbooks and diet books. Cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and diet books tell you how not to eat any of it.
And others will tell you that you can have the body of Charles Atlas, or the Incredible Hulk, or Cindy Crawford. It's quick and simple, they say. Not so - it is never easy to succeed at difficult goals. There is a tax, and that tax is called dedication.
Do you want to excel in a sport, play a musical instrument well or become an accomplished artist? One man was lost in New York City. He poked his head into a taxi cab and asked the driver, "How do you get to Yankee Stadium?" The driver responded, "Practice, practice, practice." You want to become really good at something you enjoy? You can! But there is a tax to pay and that tax is called dedication.
Do you want better relationships with a spouse or a child or with friends? There are never guarantees, but I promise that those relationships will suffer without dedication. I wanted better relationships with my boys, and never felt I had the time. So I decided when they were little that I would spend time alone with one at breakfast every week. I kept this up for years. It was a time for listening and talking, but never a time for correcting and persuading. I made plenty of mistakes as a father, but if I had it to do over again, I would do the breakfasts.
We pay a tax to succeed at anything worthwhile. That success tax is called dedication, and here's the most wonderful part. Once you pay it, you'll find the price was worth it.
-- Steve Goodier
There are those who will tell you that you can earn a six-figure income in just months. There's nothing to it, they say. Just follow a simple system and your financial success will skyrocket! Not so. There is a tax in order to achieve what you want; it is called dedication.
Orson Welles once said, "My doctor has advised me to give up those intimate little dinners for four, unless, of course, there are three other people eating with me." Some people will tell you that you can lose 25 or 50 pounds in just weeks. It's easy, they say. Not so. Andy Rooney observed that the two biggest sellers in any bookstore are cookbooks and diet books. Cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and diet books tell you how not to eat any of it.
And others will tell you that you can have the body of Charles Atlas, or the Incredible Hulk, or Cindy Crawford. It's quick and simple, they say. Not so - it is never easy to succeed at difficult goals. There is a tax, and that tax is called dedication.
Do you want to excel in a sport, play a musical instrument well or become an accomplished artist? One man was lost in New York City. He poked his head into a taxi cab and asked the driver, "How do you get to Yankee Stadium?" The driver responded, "Practice, practice, practice." You want to become really good at something you enjoy? You can! But there is a tax to pay and that tax is called dedication.
Do you want better relationships with a spouse or a child or with friends? There are never guarantees, but I promise that those relationships will suffer without dedication. I wanted better relationships with my boys, and never felt I had the time. So I decided when they were little that I would spend time alone with one at breakfast every week. I kept this up for years. It was a time for listening and talking, but never a time for correcting and persuading. I made plenty of mistakes as a father, but if I had it to do over again, I would do the breakfasts.
We pay a tax to succeed at anything worthwhile. That success tax is called dedication, and here's the most wonderful part. Once you pay it, you'll find the price was worth it.
-- Steve Goodier
Mar 6, 2008
All the Joy You Need
Thomas Aquinas once said, "No one can live without joy." But many people try. And the reason is often simply because they don't know how to be happy! They are so intent on the three P's - power, prosperity and prestige - that they miss out on joy.
Try to imagine this picture. It is a photograph taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson, who pioneered modern photography as an art form during the early decades of the 20th Century. He became known for his photographs of apparent contradictions: pictures that left mysteries unexplained.
One of his famous photographs was shot in a poor section of Spain in the 1930s. The picture depicts a run-down alley surrounded by decaying walls, strewn with rubble randomly stacked in thick piles lying on the street, and riddled with bullet holes dotting gray walls. The setting alone evokes feelings of sadness and despair.
But then...the contradiction. Within the grim alley children are playing. They wear dirty and tattered clothes, as one might expect in such a setting, but like playing children everywhere, they laugh with carefree joy. In the foreground, a tiny boy on crutches hobbles away from two other boys, his face lit up with a broad grin. One boy is laughing so hard he has to hold his side. Others lean on the cracked walls, beaming with delight.
It is easy to spot the contrast - and the point. Joy amidst the rubble of life. Laughter amongst life's ruins.
We cannot avoid pain, however hard we try. But we can avoid joy. We cannot escape hardship and trouble, but we can miss out on much of life's peace and laughter.
If you feel as if you could use more joy, try this:
* Spend time daily doing something you enjoy.
* Do those things that bring inner peace.
* Learn to laugh heartily and frequently.
* Cultivate an attitude of hope.
* Fill each day with as much love as it can possibly hold.
You'll still have plenty of problems, but through it all, you'll find all you joy you will ever need.
-- Steve Goodier
Try to imagine this picture. It is a photograph taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson, who pioneered modern photography as an art form during the early decades of the 20th Century. He became known for his photographs of apparent contradictions: pictures that left mysteries unexplained.
One of his famous photographs was shot in a poor section of Spain in the 1930s. The picture depicts a run-down alley surrounded by decaying walls, strewn with rubble randomly stacked in thick piles lying on the street, and riddled with bullet holes dotting gray walls. The setting alone evokes feelings of sadness and despair.
But then...the contradiction. Within the grim alley children are playing. They wear dirty and tattered clothes, as one might expect in such a setting, but like playing children everywhere, they laugh with carefree joy. In the foreground, a tiny boy on crutches hobbles away from two other boys, his face lit up with a broad grin. One boy is laughing so hard he has to hold his side. Others lean on the cracked walls, beaming with delight.
It is easy to spot the contrast - and the point. Joy amidst the rubble of life. Laughter amongst life's ruins.
We cannot avoid pain, however hard we try. But we can avoid joy. We cannot escape hardship and trouble, but we can miss out on much of life's peace and laughter.
If you feel as if you could use more joy, try this:
* Spend time daily doing something you enjoy.
* Do those things that bring inner peace.
* Learn to laugh heartily and frequently.
* Cultivate an attitude of hope.
* Fill each day with as much love as it can possibly hold.
You'll still have plenty of problems, but through it all, you'll find all you joy you will ever need.
-- Steve Goodier
Mar 3, 2008
We Are The World
The song "We are the world" on a Japanese variety show ... And it's amazing, can you tell the difference?
Here are the lyrics ...
There comes a time when we heed a certain call (Lionel Richie)
When the world must come together as one (Lionel Richie & Stevie Wonder)
There are people dying (Stevie Wonder)
Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life (Paul Simon)
The greatest gift of all (Paul Simon/Kenny Rogers)
We can't go on pretending day by day (Kenny Rogers)
That someone, somehow will soon make a change (James Ingram)
We're all a part of God's great big family (Tina Turner)
And the truth (Billy Joel)
You know love is all we need (Tina Turner/Billy Joel)
( CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Michael Jackson)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Diana Ross)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Michael Jackson/Diana Ross)
Well, send'em your heart so they know that someone cares (Dionne Warwick)
And their lives will be stronger and free (Dionne Warwick/Willie Nelson)
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread (Willie Nelson)
And so we all must lend a helping hand (Al Jurreau)
( REPEAT CHORUS )
We are the world, we are the children (Bruce Springsteen)
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving (Kenny Logins)
There's a choice we're making we're saving our own lives (Steve Perry)
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me (Daryl Hall)
When you're down and out there seems no hope at all (Michael Jackson)
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall (Huey Lewis)
Well, well, well, let's realize that a change can only come (Cyndi Lauper)
When we (Kim Carnes)
stand together as one (Kim Carnes/Cyndi Lauper/Huey Lewis)
Mar 2, 2008
Feeling More Thankful
A man lay in a hospital bed worried about whether he would live or die. He called his pastor to come pray for him. He told her that if he got well, he'd donate $20,000 to the church.
The pastor prayed and the man eventually DID get well and returned home. But no check came to the church. So the pastor paid him a visit.
"I see you're doing quite well now," she observed. "I was just wondering about the promise you made."
"What promise?" he asked.
"You said you'd give $20,000 to the church if you recovered."
"I did?" he exclaimed. "That goes to show you just how sick I really was!"
It is easy to give thanks -- or to show it -- when we feel grateful. But gratitude is not a feeling we can manufacture. Nor are we born feeling grateful.
Children are not thankful by nature. We teach them to say thanks and, in time, they develop stronger feelings of gratitude. My children could talk before they were weaned from diapers, but one thing they never said was, "Thank your for changing my dirty diapers. Dad, I know that is a messy job. I appreciate all you are doing for me." Too bad. Sometimes I deserved a BIG thank you.
When they were sick, they never thanked us for sitting up with them at night. And when they became car sick at the beginning of a road trip, they never said thanks for cleaning it up. Even though their mother and I spent almost a half hour scrubbing the carpet in a convenience store parking lot at seven degrees below zero (our metric system readers will recognize that as -22 degrees Celsius), they never did said, "Gosh, guys, you're the greatest parents ever! We are SO lucky to be part of this family."
Naturally, we wouldn't expect small children to thank their parents for being parents. And for most people, feelings of gratitude come with empathy as we mature.
But can we learn to feel more thankful? Here are three simple steps to help anybody live more thankfully and to respond more authentically.
First, recognize WHEN a thankful response is appropriate. We take for granted too many of the things that we should be giving thanks for.
Second, spend a moment reflecting on how another's thoughtfulness makes you feel. Be intentional about this.
Then third, from a sincere feeling of gratitude, give thanks. When you do, you will also discover that you are becoming a happier person.
-- Steve Goodier
The pastor prayed and the man eventually DID get well and returned home. But no check came to the church. So the pastor paid him a visit.
"I see you're doing quite well now," she observed. "I was just wondering about the promise you made."
"What promise?" he asked.
"You said you'd give $20,000 to the church if you recovered."
"I did?" he exclaimed. "That goes to show you just how sick I really was!"
It is easy to give thanks -- or to show it -- when we feel grateful. But gratitude is not a feeling we can manufacture. Nor are we born feeling grateful.
Children are not thankful by nature. We teach them to say thanks and, in time, they develop stronger feelings of gratitude. My children could talk before they were weaned from diapers, but one thing they never said was, "Thank your for changing my dirty diapers. Dad, I know that is a messy job. I appreciate all you are doing for me." Too bad. Sometimes I deserved a BIG thank you.
When they were sick, they never thanked us for sitting up with them at night. And when they became car sick at the beginning of a road trip, they never said thanks for cleaning it up. Even though their mother and I spent almost a half hour scrubbing the carpet in a convenience store parking lot at seven degrees below zero (our metric system readers will recognize that as -22 degrees Celsius), they never did said, "Gosh, guys, you're the greatest parents ever! We are SO lucky to be part of this family."
Naturally, we wouldn't expect small children to thank their parents for being parents. And for most people, feelings of gratitude come with empathy as we mature.
But can we learn to feel more thankful? Here are three simple steps to help anybody live more thankfully and to respond more authentically.
First, recognize WHEN a thankful response is appropriate. We take for granted too many of the things that we should be giving thanks for.
Second, spend a moment reflecting on how another's thoughtfulness makes you feel. Be intentional about this.
Then third, from a sincere feeling of gratitude, give thanks. When you do, you will also discover that you are becoming a happier person.
-- Steve Goodier
Feb 28, 2008
More than one job offer?
The tight candidate market has many people now with a problem of having more than one job offer, each equally promising and enticing. Most of the time, you may have an instinctive preference for one. But you also have some doubts and find it difficult to make a comparison. This issue arises because there are many variables that make an individual happy and satisfied at work.
A quick read of this article may help you pick the right job offer.
A quick read of this article may help you pick the right job offer.
The Second Best Time to Begin
Philosopher and economist Friedrich Engels said, "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." Perhaps it is easier to talk about what to do than to do it.
U.S. District court judge Woodrow Seal was active in a philanthropic organization known as The Society of St. Stephen. It is an internationally recognized organization with the sole purpose of helping people in need.
One day a church invited Mr. Seal to speak to their congregation and explain to them how they might begin a Society of St. Stephen. The plan was for the him to speak on the various programs of the society, then follow up with a time for discussion.
The people took their seat and the minister introduced the featured speaker. The judge helped himself to cookies and poured a cup of coffee. When the introduction was completed, Judge Seal walked over to the piano, put his coffee cup on top of it, and began to fumble in his coat pockets. Finally, he pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper and from it read the name of a mother and her four children, including their ages and clothing sizes.
He noted several other unmet needs of the family and mentioned that their address was on the paper which he carefully laid on top of the piano. The judge then said, "If you want to start a Society of St. Stephen, then you should contact this woman by 11:30 tomorrow morning. If you are not able to help her, don't worry, I'll be in contact with her tomorrow and I'll get her help by mid-afternoon."
With that, the judge turned to leave. "Now, forgive me," he said, "but I really must be going. Thank you for inviting me and for the coffee and the cookies."
Before anyone could respond he walked out the door. It all took less than five minutes.
Here was a group of people who thought they were going to spend an hour listening to a program on how to help others in need, and maybe discuss its merits for a while. Instead they spent an hour deciding how to help one family - and the next day they did it.
Judge Seal wasn't content to sit around helplessly waiting for people to make a decision. The problem for most of us is not lack of knowledge but lack of action. When all is said and done ... more will have been said than done. But like the Chinese proverb teaches, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."
What are you trying to plant? The second best time to do it is now.
-- Steve Goodier
U.S. District court judge Woodrow Seal was active in a philanthropic organization known as The Society of St. Stephen. It is an internationally recognized organization with the sole purpose of helping people in need.
One day a church invited Mr. Seal to speak to their congregation and explain to them how they might begin a Society of St. Stephen. The plan was for the him to speak on the various programs of the society, then follow up with a time for discussion.
The people took their seat and the minister introduced the featured speaker. The judge helped himself to cookies and poured a cup of coffee. When the introduction was completed, Judge Seal walked over to the piano, put his coffee cup on top of it, and began to fumble in his coat pockets. Finally, he pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper and from it read the name of a mother and her four children, including their ages and clothing sizes.
He noted several other unmet needs of the family and mentioned that their address was on the paper which he carefully laid on top of the piano. The judge then said, "If you want to start a Society of St. Stephen, then you should contact this woman by 11:30 tomorrow morning. If you are not able to help her, don't worry, I'll be in contact with her tomorrow and I'll get her help by mid-afternoon."
With that, the judge turned to leave. "Now, forgive me," he said, "but I really must be going. Thank you for inviting me and for the coffee and the cookies."
Before anyone could respond he walked out the door. It all took less than five minutes.
Here was a group of people who thought they were going to spend an hour listening to a program on how to help others in need, and maybe discuss its merits for a while. Instead they spent an hour deciding how to help one family - and the next day they did it.
Judge Seal wasn't content to sit around helplessly waiting for people to make a decision. The problem for most of us is not lack of knowledge but lack of action. When all is said and done ... more will have been said than done. But like the Chinese proverb teaches, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."
What are you trying to plant? The second best time to do it is now.
-- Steve Goodier
Feb 12, 2008
A Mountaintop View
A police car pulled up in front of an older woman's house, and her husband climbed out. The polite policeman explained that "this elderly gentleman" said that he was lost in the park and couldn't find his way home.
"How could it happen?" asked his wife. "You've been going to that park for over 30 years! How could you get lost?"
Leaning close to her ear so that the policeman couldn't hear, he whispered, "I wasn't lost - I was just too tired to walk home."
These bodies become less cooperative as we age. For some, work becomes less fun and fun becomes more work. One older friend commented, "I've reached the age where the warranty has expired on my remaining teeth and internal organs."
But I like the spirit of Charles Marowitz. "Old age is like climbing a mountain," he says. "The higher you get, the more tired and breathless you become. But your view becomes much more extensive."
Atop the mountain, one has a better view of the world. One can see above the differences that divide people. One can better see beyond petty hurts and human fragility. Atop the mountain, one has a longer view of the past and can therefore understand the future with more clarity. Atop the mountain, one looks down on dark clouds of gloom and despair and fear and notices that they are neither as large nor as ominous as those beneath them would believe. It is also clearer that however dark they may appear, they too, are fleeting and will someday pass.
George Bernard Shaw said, "Some are younger at seventy than most at seventeen." I think it is because they have a broader outlook.
It will take a lifetime to climb the mountain, but, for me, the view will be worth the journey.
-- Steve Goodier
"How could it happen?" asked his wife. "You've been going to that park for over 30 years! How could you get lost?"
Leaning close to her ear so that the policeman couldn't hear, he whispered, "I wasn't lost - I was just too tired to walk home."
These bodies become less cooperative as we age. For some, work becomes less fun and fun becomes more work. One older friend commented, "I've reached the age where the warranty has expired on my remaining teeth and internal organs."
But I like the spirit of Charles Marowitz. "Old age is like climbing a mountain," he says. "The higher you get, the more tired and breathless you become. But your view becomes much more extensive."
Atop the mountain, one has a better view of the world. One can see above the differences that divide people. One can better see beyond petty hurts and human fragility. Atop the mountain, one has a longer view of the past and can therefore understand the future with more clarity. Atop the mountain, one looks down on dark clouds of gloom and despair and fear and notices that they are neither as large nor as ominous as those beneath them would believe. It is also clearer that however dark they may appear, they too, are fleeting and will someday pass.
George Bernard Shaw said, "Some are younger at seventy than most at seventeen." I think it is because they have a broader outlook.
It will take a lifetime to climb the mountain, but, for me, the view will be worth the journey.
-- Steve Goodier
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)