I will miss you.

Its only when we lose something that we suddenly remember how dear it was.

As long as it is handy and available, we are so careless about it.

We know its always there, anyway.

We can always get back to it anytime we want.

'Let me finish just these few things and then I will get back to it later' is what we think....
But that getting back to it never happens....

..and now it is slowly disappearing right in front of us.

Oh, no.... 

Dog Lessons

DOG LESSONS

By Jo Ann Brown

It is amazing to me how God communicates certain lessons. Apparently, I must not listen in a traditional way because He always seems to use nature, my children, or my dogs to teach me things about myself.

As I was walking my dog, Chelsea, today, I noticed she was worse than usual about pulling. She was practically choking herself. She has a 25-foot leash that allows her 25 feet in just about any direction to enjoy without feeling uncomfortable. However, Chelsea seemed to always want to pull the leash as tightly as possible to get to the next "spot" in the road. Keep in mind that we are walking that direction and will be at that "spot" in just a matter of minutes.

Chelsea was so busy looking at the next place, the next moment that she failed to enjoy the place where she was. With 25 feet in any direction, she could only concentrate on the one foot that she could not reach in front of her. All the while we were moving forward, she wanted to be someplace different, further ahead. Her eyes were always one step further than where we were.

When I thought about how ridiculous she was, I realized how ridiculous I am as well. God has been trying to teach me to enjoy the moment while continuing to move forward. Why do I practically choke myself to get to the next place that I fail to enjoy the beauty of the place where I am. As long as I am moving forward, why can't I enjoy the trip?

I made a decision to enjoy things I usually would take for granted. That day, I found myself enjoying even the small things in my life more. I did not just take a shower that day thinking about what I needed to do during my day. I enjoyed my shower, thought about the warm water and how grateful I was that in our country I could take a shower anytime I want. That was probably the best shower I have had in a long time.

I can honestly tell you that I experienced more pleasure from everyday chores than I can ever remember. What a wonderful lesson I learned from my sweet Chelsea. I pray that I can continue to enjoy the place where I am, while continuing to move forward to the place I want to be.

So much joy can lie in the journey if I can be content with where I am and not continually pull to be where I am not quite ready to be. I wish I could say that Chelsea learned her lesson but that would be a lie. She still kills herself to get to that next place in the pavement when everything she needs is right under her nose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jo Ann Brown is an MDI subscriber and the mother of two wonderful teens, Brian and Danny and two dogs, Lucky and Chelsea. She can be reached at blessedwtwoboys@yahoo.com

Sent to you as a courtesy of..My Daily Insights

People and things

Came across this image on one of the sites that I visited sometime in the past.  Does it sound too cliched? It definitely sounds familiar! 

We tend to remember forever the times when we were being used. How about the times when we used others? Intentionally or otherwise? That would be rather difficult to remember, right? 


When I sit back and recollect such instances, and when I visualise myself in such a situation, I can't help but get an overwhelming feeling of being helpless. May not have been exactly mean or manipulative or even aggressive but essentially helpless. It's almost like an excuse, a factor that justifies putting someone else on the block. We use others. In simple unobtrusive ways. Not debating whether it is right or wrong. Only wondering what it does to oneself.It definitely leaves a very bad taste. 

I don't want to be used, but what can I do about it? Try not to do this to anyone else, maybe.                                                                                                                                                        

My hut is burning

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.

The worst had happened ~everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. God, how could you do this to me he cried. Early the next day, however, he was wakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.

It had come to rescue him. How did you know I was here asked the weary man of his rescuers. We saw your smoke signal, they replied.

Creativity with Courage

Its another wonderful new  year beginning. The usual review of last year and anticipation. It's life, cycled once more. There is one question on top of everything - how different is this year going to be?

This Jim Ron's article is a potential fuel for all the fires planned this year:

CREATING OPPORTUNITY

By Jim Rohn

An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.

To be enterprising is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It's to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves... regardless of the economy.

A person with an enterprising attitude says, "Find out what you can before action is taken." Do your homework. Do the research. Be prepared. Be resourceful. Do all you can in preparation of what's to come.

Enterprising people always see the future in the present. Enterprising people always find a way to take advantage of a situation, not be burdened by it. And enterprising people aren't lazy. They don't wait for opportunities to come to them, they go after the opportunities. Enterprise means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.

Enterprise is two things. The first is creativity. You need creativity to see what's out there and to shape it to your advantage. You need creativity to look at the world a little differently. You need creativity to take a different approach, to be different.

What goes hand-in-hand with the creativity of enterprise is the second requirement: the courage to be creative. You need courage to see things differently, courage to go against the crowd, courage to take a different approach, courage to stand alone if you have to, courage to choose activity over inactivity.

And lastly, being enterprising doesn't just relate to the ability to make money. Being enterprising also means feeling good enough about yourself, having enough self worth to want to seek advantages and opportunities that will make a difference in your future. And by doing so you will increase your confidence, your courage, your creativity and your self-worth, your enterprising nature.

Wisdom of wolves - a glimpse

The attitude of the wolf can be summed up simply: it is a constant visualization of success. The collective wisdom of wolves has been progressively programmed into their genetic makeup throughout the centuries. Wolves have mastered the technique of focusing their energies toward the activities that will lead to the accomplishment of their goals.

Wolves do not aimlessly run around their intended victims, yipping and yapping. They have a strategic plan and execute it through constant communication. When the moment of truth arrives, each understands his role and understands exactly what the pack expects of him.

The wolf does not depend on luck. The cohesion, teamwork and training of the pack determines whether the pack lives or dies.

There is a silly maxim in some organizations that everyone, to be a valuable member, must aspire to be the leader. This is personified by the misguided CEO who says he only hires people who say they want to take his job. Evidently, this is supposed to ensure that the person has ambition, courage, spunk, honesty, drive - whatever. In reality, it is simply a contrived situation, with the interviewee jumping through the boss's hoops. It sends warnings of competition and one-upsmanship throughout the organization rather than signals of cooperation, teamwork and loyalty.

Everyone does not strive to be the leader in the wolf pack. Some are consummate hunters or caregivers or jokesters, but each seems to gravitate to the role he does best. This is not to say there are not challenges to authority, position and status - there are. But each wolf's role begins emerging from playtime as a pup and refines itself through the rest of its years. The wolf's attitude is always based upon the question, "What is best for the pack?" This is in marked contrast to us humans, who will often sabotage our organizations, families or businesses, if we do not get what we want.

Wolves are seldom truly threatened by other animals. By constantly engaging their senses and skills, they are practically unassailable. They are masters of planning for the moment of opportunity to present itself, and when it does, they are ready to act.

Because of training, preparation, planning, communication and a preference for action, the wolf's expectation is always to be victorious. While in actuality this is true only 10 percent of the time or less, the wolf's attitude is always that success will come-and it does.

from simpletruths

The Rocks of Life

A reminder for right prioritization:

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz?”, and he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him.


He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?”.

Everyone in the class yelled, Yes! The time management expert replied, “Really?”. He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

He then asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not”, one of them answered. Good! he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.

Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, Good! Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.


He looked at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?” One eager student raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!”.

“No”, the speaker replied, that’s not the point. “The truth is, this illustration teaches us that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”


“What are the ‘big rocks’ in your life, time with your loved ones, your faith, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others. Remember to put these ‘big rocks’ in first or you’ll never get them in at all.”


So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question - What are the ‘big rocks’ in my life Then, put those in your jar first.


 
 

Perennialist

Learnt a new (actually it is very old!) word - Perennialist 

 from finerminds at facebook. Putting it here for reference.

Perennialists believe you should learn -- and pass along to your children and students -- those things that are of everlasting importance to all people everywhere.

What are those things? Humanity's best ideas about how to live.

Some will insist, of course, that we've hit a snag right out of the gate. After all, the world is full of divergent views. People simply don't agree on these matters.

But perennialists counter that enlightened people everywhere agree on certain core principles. These are handed down from generation to generation, through the ages, and across nations and cultures.

The phrase Philosophia Perennis -- the Perennial Philosophy -- was coined by the German mathematician, philosopher and polymath Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716). In more recent years, Aldous Huxley, Mortimer Adler, and Huston Smith, among other writers, have carried the perennialist torch, beckoning us to take part in what they call "The Great Conversation." 

It's a broad discussion about what constitutes the best life, one that encompasses everything from the Analects of Confucius to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics -- the sound, practical and undogmatic ethics of common sense -- to the mystical truths of the world's great religious traditions. 

The conversation is ongoing and evolving, never static. The best ideas about how to live are hardly new, of course. But discoveries are sometimes made and old ideas are enlarged or restated for a modern audience.

Recent books that touch on the perennial philosophy include Roger Walsh's Essential Spirituality, Karen Armstrong's The Great Transformation, and Robert Wright's The Evolution of God. 

Perennialists understand the connection between compassion and successful living. They offer, for example, that: 

* Everything worthwhile in life is created as the result of love and concern for others. 

* Humanity is one great family. Our similarities are deep, our differences superficial. 

* The Golden Rule, expressed in some way in every society, is the cornerstone of human understanding.

* The giving of time, money, support and encouragement can never be detrimental to the giver.

* Character development -- the path from self-absorption to caring and consciousness -- is paramount. 

* Problems are life's way of getting the best out of us. They are opportunities to grow. 

* It is important to nourish your mind with the thoughts of history's wisest thinkers. 

* Courage and self-awareness are required to live fully and follow your heart. 

* You should develop the ability to reason accurately and independently rather than accepting ideas based solely on authority or tradition. 

* Our egos cause us to cherish opinions, judge others and rationalize our beliefs. Perennialists ask "would you rather be right or be happy?"

* We should exercise humility. Not because others find it attractive -- although they do -- but because, if we are honest with ourselves, we have much to be humble about. 

* We should practice forgiveness. When we forgive others, we find that others forgive us -- and that we forgive ourselves.

* Moral development comes from strengthening our impulse control, prioritizing personal relationships and fostering social responsibility.

* Our lives are immeasurably improved by expressing gratitude and generosity.

* Development of the heart is essential. Our actions are the mirror of our inner selves. 

* Whenever we act, we are never just doing. We are always becoming. If we aren't growing, we are diminishing.

* Integrity is everything.

Rather than quarreling over sectarian differences, perennialists are interested in the nuggets of truth at the heart of every great tradition.

Perennialists seek enlightenment wherever they can find it. It doesn't matter whether the source is ancient, modern, mythical, foreign, mystical or verified by the latest scientific findings. It only matters that it's true - and that it has some practical application for more skillful living. 

As the historian Will Durant wrote in The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time,

"We are born animals; we become human. We have humanity thrust upon us through the hundred channels whereby the past pours down into the present that mental and cultural inheritance whose preservation, accumulation and transmission place mankind today, with all its defectives and illiterates, on a higher plane than any generation has ever reached before."

What is that higher plane? An upward spiral of caring -- from me to us to all of us. 

It doesn't always come naturally. And for some, unfortunately, it doesn't come at all.

But perennialists try to absorb as much as they can of our three-thousand-year heritage and take an occasional moment from their hectic lives to ask, "Am I becoming the kind of person I want to be?"




.

Attitude

You have brains in your head;
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself

in any direction you choose.

You're on your own. 
And you know what you know.

You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

                                                                                                                         --Dr. Seuss

7 steps to...yes, being mediocre

This grabbed me by the ears. Thanks

Here's 7 tips to get you started down the path of mediocrity.

1. Worry About What Others Think
Live for the approval of others. Do what you think they want--or won't notice. Check each of your decisions by the benchmark of group acceptance.

2. See the Finished Product
Be overwhelmed by success. See only the clean and shiny after-pictures instead of the small steps that made it possible.

3. Do Safe
Don't take risks. Small, medium, or large. Instead, live safely in the cocoon of seeming comfort. If you've done it before, keep doing it. And only it.

4. Think 'Forever'
Treat each opportunity--or life overall--as infinite. Put things off today because, hey, you can always do it tomorrow. Don't rush. Don't hustle. Wait. Wait until it feels just right. Then keep waiting.

5. Compare Down
Compare yourself with people who have less, give less, do less. This will make you instantly feel better. It will also keep the pressure off. As long as you're not drowning, there's no need to kick hard.

6. Keep It Fuzzy
Don't mess with your fears. Keep them just how they are: fuzzy and heavy. Let that vague feeling hold you back and scare you. Let those unclear doubts make your stomach twist and legs freeze. Don't reduce your fears to their facts. Keep 'em fuzzy.

7. Make Failure Permanent
Always, always, always see failing as a final fall. If you mess up--game over. You can't get back up, you can't brush yourself off. You are done, and you look like a fool for trying.

Follow these simple tips and you too can be average! 

(Or do their opposites and start to live a better, more exciting life.)

The Killer

This one is from Motivation123.com

::Routine is a killer.

Years ago, before starting the Motivation123 Web site, I had pockets full of plans and ideas. My mind was in a constant state of activity.

As for my reality, nothing ever changed. Nothing in my life went in the directions I had hoped for. It got to the point that I began to doubt whether or not a better life was even possible. Could I change?

Then, while paging through a magazine at the doctor's office, I came across a question, just a short team of words that gripped my attention.

It was simple--as most powerful truths are--but it made an immediate impact. And from that day I possessed a key to progress that has served me ever since.

Before we get to that answer, however, we need to pin down the problem.

The Killer

In a word, it's routine.

It's the pattern of living that, like molten lava, slowly crawls into adulthood, covering and consuming our hopes, dreams, and ambitions.

It's doing the same thing every day because that's what you've always done. It's a vicious circle of repeating actions and events that leads to nowhere.

The reason nothing was changing in my life was because I was stuck in a routine. Every day I followed the same basic outline of living: wake, work, sleep, repeat.

I had new ideas, to be sure, but my actions were old.

Then I was hit with the truth while waiting - for what seemed like weeks - in my doctor's waiting room.

- - -

At this point you might be thinking to yourself that the most important question to answer is 'What do I want?' If you don't yet have clearly defined goals, you're right.

For a series of insightful exercises designed to help you uncover the goals and life purpose that are right for you, visit:

http://www.motivation123.com/prd-gdc.html

The Question I Took with Me

The sad reality is that most people never realize what is happening until it's too late. That is the skill and cunning of habit and routine.

It wraps its arms around the minutes and hours of your life, distracting and luring you into autopilot, into a dazed mode of living.

All the while, the little time you have to construct your ideal experiences is being sucked away, stolen.

Routine is a murderer. It kills hope and the chance for change. It blinds us to the truth and with a scalpel cuts away our goals and ideas. Routine puts a hand in the face of growth and  improvement, leaving room for nothing but the same.

You need a way out of the routine. And for me, the way out came in the form of a question:

'If you continue to follow the same patterns, what are the chances you'll ever experience the things you want to do and ever become the person you hope to be?'

I read the sentence again. What would my chances be? Things hadn't worked out so far, so why would doing the same thing result in anything different?

My Realization

I had my answer. My chances were none.

I would never do the things I had always thought about, never grow into the character I hoped for. If I followed the same routines, the same patterns, I could expect pretty much what I had been getting.

For some, this is the perfect scenario. But for me, I wanted more. I knew how much life had to offer and I wanted to dive in head first. I wanted to experience it all and live a life worth living again.

I looked around the office, looked at the people next to me. None of us would reach that place without a change in pattern. We were all trapped in a circle of habit.

This brings us face to face with a truth that most men and women would rather avoid.

It's relieving to let our goals live in 'someday.' We don't have to worry about never attaining them.
Instead, we can put them off and fool ourselves.

'It will happen someday.' No, it won't.

The truth is, if you don't change your routine now, you will never reach those goals. You will never wake up to a life that matches the one in your mind. Never.

Don't hide from this. Accept it. Embrace it. Use it to smash through the chains of routine and drive you into a new way of life, into a new pattern of progress.

This is the first step. Realizing a change is needed is the beginning of something amazing - but it is only the beginning.

Would you like to continue the process?

If so, visit the address below. It will show you a new way to think about motivation - the key to changing your patterns and your life.

Believe it or not, inner drive (that feeling that makes you want to get up and do what it takes) is a switch that can be turned on and off at will.

All you need to know are six simple steps to make it happen. To discover what they are and to begin using them today, visit:

http://www.motivation123.com/prd-tmm.html

Routine may be a killer, but it can only work in the shadows. Now that you know it's there, you can stop the damage, stop the patterns, and start something new.

My Best,

Jason

- - -

Jason M. Gracia
Founder & President
www.motivation123.com

Living a Five Star Life

 

Excerpt from: Living a Five Star Life,
by Betty Mahalik

Chapter : "My Life Would be Perfect If..."

In this day and age, we are surrounded by messages that virtually scream, "Your life would be perfect if..." My life would be perfect if I had a different job, a different house, car, nose, spouse, bank account (fill in the blank). Or my life would be perfect if I could be like some celebrity whose life appears so well-ordered and perfect-o. This week I encourage you to stop playing "my life would be perfect if," and start playing "my perfect life." What's the difference? Three things: being in the present, an attitude of gratitude, taking action with what's available now.

When we're caught up in the "my life would be perfect if" trap, we've lost touch with the present. And the moment we detach from the present, we can no longer practice gratitude. Think about it:  it's difficult to be grateful for what you don't have...and what you don't have is always somewhere out in future-ville.

Look around you right now. Think of 10 things you're grateful for. Do you have a roof over your head and food to eat? I'm guessing the answer is yes. Do you have at least a few good friends or close relationships? Then appreciate them too, right now. Keep going, and practice being in the present and being grateful for what is here and now at least a couple times a day.

You're also probably sitting there thinking "yes but." Yes, but I want more money, a better relationship, more time to travel, to be thinner, happier or whatever. It's one of the great mysteries I'll never figure out. The minute you stop focusing on what you lack, start focusing on what you've already got, and add the "magic" ingredient of action, you actually begin to attract more of what you want. It's an amazing formula for really living your perfect life!

Let's say you want to lose weight or get in better shape, but you don't have an hour a day to spend exercising at the gym. Therefore, you've pretty well resigned yourself to not losing weight or getting in shape. What if you had five minutes though...just about everyone can find five minutes to exercise, stretch, walk around the block or walk the dog. Would you be willing to be grateful for five minutes and make the best possible use of it? Therein lies the beginning of your perfect life!

A simple formula may help you remember how to apply this principle:

• The present
• + an attitude of gratitude
• + positive action
• = my perfect life.

Try it for a day.

Each time you start dreaming about how perfect your life would be if...come back to this moment, give thanks for what is, and do one thing to perfect what you have and who you are right now. There's a saying that "when the student is ready, the teacher appears." If you're ready to start perfecting your life, your teachers are all around you.

from Simple Truths

The 100/0 approach

Excerpt from The 100/0 Principle, by Al Ritter

What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It's The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return.

Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent.

The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.

STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.

STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.

STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait.

STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.

At times (usually few), the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the "Knower" and shift to being the "Learner." Avoid Knower statements/ thoughts like "that won't work," "I'm right, you are wrong," "I know it and you don't," "I'll teach you," "that's just the way it is," "I need to tell you what I know," etc.
 

Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like "Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation," "I could be wrong," "I wonder if there is anything of value here," "I wonder if..." etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious!

Principle Paradox

This may strike you as strange, but here's the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.

The Cycle of Completion

I got this from Josh Hinds, http://www.GetMotivation.com

Do you live in a state of mental and physical clutter? Do you have a bunch of unfinished business lurking around every corner?

Incomplete projects, unfinished business, and piles of cluttered messes can weigh you down and take away from the energy you have to move forward toward your goals.

Cycle of Completion...

When you don't complete tasks, you can't be fully prepared to move into the present, let alone your new future. When your brain is keeping track of all the unfinished business you still have at hand, you simply can't be effective in embracing new tasks that are in line with your vision.

Old incompletes can show up in your life in lots of different ways... like not having clarity, procrastination, emotional energy blocks and even illness. Blocked energy is wasted, and a build up of that energy can really leave you stymied!

Throw out all the clutter and feel how much easier it is to think! Make a list of areas in your life (both personal and professional) where you have incompletes and messes, then develop a plan to deal with them once and for all.

Fix and organize the things that annoy you. Take your final steps in bringing closure to outstanding projects. Make that difficult phone call. Delegate time-wasting tasks that you've let build up.

When you free yourself from the mental burden of incompletes and messes, you'll be amazed at how quickly the things you do want in life arrive.

Another area where you'll find incompletes in your life is in your emotions. Are you holding on to old hurts, resentments, and pain? Just like the physical clutter and incompletes, your energy is being drained by holding on to and reliving past pain and anger.

Remember, you'll attract whatever feelings you're experiencing. So, if you're stuck in revengeful thinking and angered in muck, you can't possibly be directing energy toward a positive future. You need to let go of the past in order to embrace the future. Letting go involves forgiveness
and moving on.

By forgiving you aren't releasing the other person from their transgression as much as you're freeing yourself from their transgression. You don't have to condone their behavior, trust them, or even maintain a relationship with them. However, you do have to free yourself from the anger,
from the pain, and from the resentment once and for all!

When learning to forgive, make sure to complete the cycle. Acknowledge your anger, your pain, and your fear. But also own up to any part you've played in allowing it to happen or
continue.

Make sure to express whatever it was that you wanted from that person, and then see the whole event from the other's point of view. Allow yourself to wonder what that person was going through and what kind of needs he/she was trying to fulfill at the time.

Finally, let go and move on. Every time you go through this process you're learning how to avoid letting it happen again!

-Jack Canfield
______________
Jack Canfield, is the founder and co-creator of book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, go to http://getmotivation.com/qk.cgi/jack-canfield
 

Tracking Personal Accountability

It gets really painful to review ourselves, say over the last one year and see that there were so many things that could have been done but were missed out for no reason at all. I am not talking about any huge goals like buying a house or a change of job. It's about very simple and basic things that could have been easily done but we either took it easy or thought it could be done on any day...particularly those simple things that made our lives so enjoyable and joyous....

It could be reading, exercise, developing a habit or even getting in touch with friends. The thought crosses our mind but then gets drowned in the cacophony of so many other internal dialogues. Eventually, it never gets done. And we look back and regret that. The consequence of not doing it may range from negligible to slightly regretful to even painful. 

One such activity (from a really long list) for me was reading books. I was wondering why I missed out and then realized that over the years I have started to look at reading as an activity rather than a habit. I still remember those days when I used to compete with friends in reading maximum number of books. Time & years have really stolen this excellent habit and here I am setting goals for that! A lousy way to lose a good habit, isn't it?


This is just one example. I have many more in my life and so would anyone... Somebody quoted that if we did everything that we are capable of doing, then we will produce amazing results. I was wondering how to get back those good old simple habits...and start some new ones and sustain the initial momentum without losing focus...The best option looked like to start doing it on a regular basis till it becomes a habit again.

And I came across Joe's Goals, a free online tool. that could add some fun and method to doing exactly that.


Here, we can set up such simple activities that we want to do on a regular basis..and one can back there and give +ve marks for having done that or -ve marks for not doing it.


So I promptly set up a set of goals - typically things that I want to start doing, things that I want to continue doing and things that I want to stop doing. Now, scoring +marks & -ve marks makes real sense and what more, I am my own evaluator. All I have to do is to work it on a regular basis. Ten positive things (Start or Continue what is already being done) and five negative things (to stop / never to be repeated - like getting up late etc) and I am ready to score daily.

It gets even more cool that I can tag each of these under categories like Health, Exercise, Habit, Productivity etc. and review them. I can also run reports for a period and I get my score. 

I have decided to put up a graph on this blog (another cool feature) so I can track my progress as an average score over a period. Talking about commitment, huh?

Simple, powerful and amazing! 

Video review here

Book: For One More Day - Mitch Albom

"Have you ever lost someone you love and wanted one more conversation, one more chance to make up for the time when you thought they would be here forever? What if you got it back?" 

The book in a single line would be - A suicidal former baseball player is granted one more day with his dead mother.


It's a gripping story of a shattered family that's superbly written. Mingled with moments that wring the heart, it is in a fluid style where a broken Charles 'Chick' Benetto narrates the story of his life. 


The book is about Chick's failure to build a a professional career and his even more serious failure with his family, job and finance. It's about his failure to discern what is right and what is wrong, failure in realising the most important people & things of his life. It's about his blind faith in his father that leads him to do so many irresponsible things like dropping out of college and lie to his mother. One day he leaves home for a game, he leaves her birthday party, without declaring the real reason of course...he shuts the car door as his mother speaks to him...that's the last he sees her alive. She dies as timely medical help is not available. And our Benetto lives in regret of all those times he didn't stand up for his mother. 



The book starts with a shocking question about why he wanted to commit suicide. As he takes us along his life one cannot help but feel sorry for him. One can actually empathise with the kid for the shallow ambitions without any preparation.


As a father, as a husband, as an individual he manages to become a pathetic loser in all of these aspects. He plans his suicide and is not able to go about it the way he wanted. He meets with a road accident from where the story leads us to his meeting with his mother. And then he returns, loaded with the lessons from his mother that he got during the one day that he spends with her in his town. 

The moments they spend together is very insightful and touching. This results in patching up the broken bond between the two. Their discussion about lives of different people they visit, the final moments of people known to them and finally their discussion about the one woman who would have drawn the utmost hatred....an amazing trip about people and relationships.



The mother. She towers above all the chaos. Incidents of times when the mother stood up for him...and times when he didn't stand up for her  that dot the book are amazing. We take our parents for granted. Particularly the mother. But she comes out of it all much stronger than anyone else in this book. And gives him one more day in his life to realise what he had done with his life. And then, magically, he gets to live on...to correct his mistakes and earn back the faith and trust of his daughter. The revelation of the listener's identity in the end is a pleasant surprise and proves that he actually succeeds in getting his daughter back.



The transformation he undergoes after meeting his mother is nicely captured. After all, not every one gets to learn from one's mother after her death. It's one thing to remember what she stood for but it is another to live one full day again with her to learn from her and get a lot of issues clarified in person. The plot develops in a captivating way, capturing the different aspects of relationships beautifully.

A wonderful lesson that ends with a longing statement  "I would like to make things right again with those I love". 

Of course yes, we would all love to do just that, but have never found the time to do so. 

How far will I go?

Here is a wonderful story I received from simpletruths.com
Great to keep up our spirits post-Diwali lull

The nest of young eagles hung on every word as the Master Eagle described his exploits. This was an important day for the eaglets. They were preparing for their first solo flight from the nest. It was the confidence builder many of them needed to fulfill their destiny.

"How far can I travel?" asked one of the eaglets.
"How far can you see?" responded the Master Eagle.
"How high can I fly?" quizzed the young eaglet.
"How far can you stretch your wings?" asked the old eagle.
"How long can I fly?" the eaglet persisted.
"How far is the horizon?" the mentor rebounded.
"How much should I dream?" asked the eaglet.
"How much can you dream?" smiled the older, wiser eagle.
"How much can I achieve?" the young eagle continued.
"How much can you believe?" the old eagle challenged.

Frustrated by the banter, the young eagle demanded, "Why don't you answer my questions?"
"I did."
"Yes. But you answered them with questions."

"I answered them the best I could."
"But you're the Master Eagle. You're supposed to know everything. If you can't answer these questions, who can?"
"You." The old wise eagle reassured.
"Me? How?" the young eagle was confused.
"No one can tell you how high to fly or how much to dream. It's different for each eagle. Only God and you know how far you'll go. No one on this earth knows your potential or what's in your heart. You alone will answer that. The only thing that limits you is the edge of your imagination."

The young eagle puzzled by this asked, "What should I do?"

"Look to the horizon, spread your wings, and fly."
Copyright 2001, Tom Reilly

Simplicity

Today is his day. His strength was simplicity but his plans were far more than just being simple. He had the whole world at his feet...he still gets them there.

I don't know much about him. There is another person who is closer to me than him. This person wears a shirt, yes. He wears a pair of slippers while going out and his goals are not as grand as that of our nation's father...And to me, he is the simplest person on this earth. I haven't met a more simpler, down to earth person than him. I am talking about my father.

I know two simple people.
One is of course the Mahatma.
The other one is someone who can give his life for me.

Today, I am glad to have reached my native place and am thoroughly enjoying his company. The more time I spend with him, the more I am getting convinced that I have complicated my life due to the numerous wants & wishes and have complicated my life over the years.

Here is raising a toast to the two simple humans I know...one not so well...and specially to the other one, who is such a major part of my life but from whom I have mentally drifted away over these years.

I am determined to take a goal or two...back with me to Bangalore...and make my life more meaningful.

No Surrender

When you believe in yourself, in your personal potential, in your own future,

you have no choice - surrender is not an option. There's nothing to do but continue.

Sometimes you want to give up, but you can't - something deep inside you won't let you.

No white flags, no bailing out, no throwing in the towel for you.

You have to keep going; you must carry on; you just take the next step...and the next...and the next...

...a poem by BJ Gallagher

Staying the course

Recently there were a lot of things happening on the professional front. Huge demands meant 24 hours per day are not sufficient..at the end of each day it was the same feeling that something more could have been done...in short, it is like "Hey God, can I have one more me please?" Difficult times, indeed.

And then, when I stopped working for an hour in the night to catch up on personal mails, I had the regular mail from simpletruths.com. Well, I call it regular because I get such mails regularly but the content of that mail was nothing regular; it seemed like it was written specially for me, considering the messed up state of mind I was having at that time.

The mail was talking about BJ Gallagher's book The Best Way Out is Always Through. It had a poem excerpt from the book that seemed to fit in so well...

Our journey of life is about progress,
not perfection.
It's not about doing one thing
100% better -
it's a matter of doing 100 things,
1% better each day.

Progress is evolutionary
not revolutionary,
and most days we measure our progress
in inches,
not miles.

What matters most
is showing up for your life
whether you feel like it
or not.

Ask yourself,
"What two or three little things
can I do today
that would move me forward?"

You'll be amazed
at how much distance
you can cover
by taking it in increments.

The little things add up;
the inches turn to miles;
and we string together our efforts
like so many pearls.
Before long,
look what you have -
a whole strand!

It was definitely a WOW! moment.

We should never forget what we all have in common. That is...at some point in our life, we will face adversity. It's not a matter of if, but...when. And when adversity strikes, it's not about what happens that will determine our destiny, it's about how we react to what happens. And so many times, it'll be about...staying the course

- Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths