It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. -Seneca
It’s easier than you think to do what needs to be done. Anticipation and worry are terrible and usually make this thing to be worse than what it actually will be like.
Perhaps you want to tell your father that you love him. Perhaps it’s been a very long time since you have. Perhaps you’ve had a fight and haven’t spoken in a while, but you want to put that behind you. What’s the worst that could happen? He won’t say it back? He’ll mock you for being such a sissy as to say such a thing? He’ll say he loves you, too? Sometimes this last is scariest of all for some people. You can go and see him face to face and tell him then. But that may be too difficult for you. You can call him up and say it to him over the phone. But that may be too difficult for you. Then you can write him and say it to him in a letter. You won’t have to deal with him directly, and the response from him will be delayed. Perhaps that’s too difficult, too, and so you don’t do anything. You feel like it’s important for you to tell your father that you love him, that he doesn’t have much longer to live, to hear you say the words or read them off the page. But you feel it’s too difficult. It’ll be easier than you think. It’s the worry that keeps you from doing what needs to be done. It’s the negative anticipation that is barring you from making this supposedly-huge leap. But once you get it over with, once you sit down and do it, you’ll be amazed that you thought it so difficult later. It’s the worry that is beating you down.
Get out a piece of paper and put a pen next to it. That’s it. Just do that. You’re done for now. Tomorrow, address an envelope to your father. That’s it. The next day, put your own address as the return address and add a stamp. You’ve done this to hundreds if not thousands of envelopes in your life. You can do this. It’s not that difficult a thing. It’s only when you tie it up with the emotions, the worry, the anticipation, the dread of telling your father you love him that you find yourself paralyzed and unable to put a stamp on an envelope. So separate it. Tell your father you love him later, not the same day. Take this simple task that you’ve done countless times and do it. Just that. Separate out what is to come, and what you fear will come after that, away from this one task that you can do. The next day, write “Dear Dad” on the paper and leave it alone. The next day, write “I love you” on the same piece of paper and leave it alone. You’ve written “Dear Dad” before, just as you’ve put a stamp on an envelope before. You’ve (probably) written “I love you” on a piece of paper before, and you’re doing it again one more time. Don’t let your worry and fear and dread prevent you from doing the simple task of putting 8 letters onto paper. The next day, sign it. How many things have you signed in the past week? Checks, birthday cards, credit card receipts, and so on. You can sign a piece of paper, even if it does have “Dear Dad, I love you” on it. The next day, fold up the paper and seal it in your envelope. The next day, mail it. Now, this last step is incredibly hard. After actually starting with the piece of paper and pen, this is the second hardest step, but don’t be discouraged. You’ve mailed things before. You can mail this, too. And if you can’t, give it to someone else to mail. Or ask them to mail it and tell them where it is – you don’t even have to physically hand it to them. Just be sure it gets mailed.
There, in one week, you’ve managed to do something that you’ve been dreading for years. You’ve told your father that you loved him. Congratulations. That is less worry and fear within you to hold you back, to tie up your energy and life force in something that doesn’t serve you. And that’s how you birth the Future into something you want. You free up your energy, time, and life force from the things that are holding you back so that you can intentionally shape the Future.
If you are like most people I know, you have many regrets and wishes and “ought to”’s and “should have”’s. And they’re taking up too much of your time and energy. Even if you only think about them once in a while, that’s too often. Clean up each of them that you can. Do what you can that doesn’t hurt others and do what you can for yourself about the rest. Release the things that are holding you back, holding you down, tying up your life. You can be free of all that. You can direct your Future. You can direct the Future of the world, when you have the room in your life to look around and see where you want to go. Free yourself and birth the Future. You can do it. You are amazing, and you’ll be stunned what your life will be like when you free your heart and mind. You can do it. You’re too worth it not to.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Be the first
After “It’s too late”, “no one else is doing it” is one of the lousiest excuses ever. At one point in time, everyone ate their meat raw. Someone was the first one to cook meat. There had to have been a first person. And now most people eat it that way. At one point in time, everyone lived in caves rather than in man-made structures. Someone was the first person to create a home. There had to be a first person. And now most people live that way.
There is always a first person. There is always somebody who decides that this has to change, that it should change, that it shall change, and the change will start with them.
Be the first person. I assure you, in many cases, you just don’t see the others already doing their part. You don’t know how many people are volunteering at the food pantry until you volunteer there yourself. You don’t know how many people are cleaning up the trash along the road until you’re out there doing it yourself and you meet someone else doing the exact same thing.
Or perhaps you will be the first person. But there will soon enough be a second. And a third. You will not be alone for long. But do. What you can, where you can. Just do. Because it needs to be done and because you can. Good luck.
There is always a first person. There is always somebody who decides that this has to change, that it should change, that it shall change, and the change will start with them.
Be the first person. I assure you, in many cases, you just don’t see the others already doing their part. You don’t know how many people are volunteering at the food pantry until you volunteer there yourself. You don’t know how many people are cleaning up the trash along the road until you’re out there doing it yourself and you meet someone else doing the exact same thing.
Or perhaps you will be the first person. But there will soon enough be a second. And a third. You will not be alone for long. But do. What you can, where you can. Just do. Because it needs to be done and because you can. Good luck.
It's Never Too Late
It is never too late to be what you might have been.-George Eliot
Of all the excuses for not doing what you can, this is one of the worst. “It’s too late.” It may be too late to have the full effect, but having any effect is better than having an unintended negative effect. Because that’s what it is. You don’t do anything because you’re too old or it’s too late because you should have done it months ago if you wanted it to have any effect or it’s been so long since the “perfect time”. And then others see no one else doing anything, and they use that as their excuse. “Well, no one else was doing anything.” Good golly, I dislike that excuse, too.
There are few things which are permanent, for which there is a certain point of time when you can no longer be of help. Death is one of those things. Once a person is dead, you cannot bring them back to life. Bandages, antidotes to poisons, and pushing them out of the way of the speeding car will do them no good once they’re dead. Neither will telling them that you love them or want to read them the story or write them that letter. Death is one of the things for which there is a “too late”.
But there are so many other things for which there is no “too late”. Telling the survivors that the dearly departed was a wonderful person is something that you can do after death. It helps the survivors, not the dead, but it helps someone. It can help you, as well.
You can write that letter, you can apologize, you can tell someone you love them, and you can forgive, even for things that happened years ago or are years past what you may have thought was “too late”. Sometimes, when it’s too late for someone else, making the effort is right in time for you.
You can donate the money or food or clothing or time to the charity that needs it, even if you haven’t done so in the past several years. Even one-time donations can help quite a bit. You can go back to school and get the degree you’ve regretted never getting, even if you are 30, 40, 50, 75, whatever. Perhaps your degree won’t net you a fabulous job (since you’re past retirement age, or will be once you graduate), but you can still make use of the knowledge and serve as inspiration to others. You can learn that foreign language, take that trip, end the miserable relationship, mend the family rift that’s been going on since you were in diapers. You can do all that, or at the very least you can try. Because this excuse “It’s too late” is more about you not wanting to do something or being embarrassed about waiting, and it’ll eat inside you, the regret and the resentment and the anger and the fear of what you haven’t done. And it’ll keep you from being the whole and magnificent person you can be.
You can still be the magnificent person you were planning on being when you were a kid. You can still have the magnificent life you’ve always felt was your right, your destiny. Even if you cannot make it to its completion, your life will be better just for having started.
So many cancer victims and others who learn they have a death sentence health-wise go out and do things that they’ve always wanted to do, that they’d always planned on doing but had never gotten around to it. They realized that you can’t put off till tomorrow when you don’t have a tomorrow. Don’t make Life give you an ultimatum before you do what you need to do, what you want to do. Be who you can be, and be it now.
You are amazing, and it’s not too late to be even more magnificent still. It’s not too late. Start today.
Of all the excuses for not doing what you can, this is one of the worst. “It’s too late.” It may be too late to have the full effect, but having any effect is better than having an unintended negative effect. Because that’s what it is. You don’t do anything because you’re too old or it’s too late because you should have done it months ago if you wanted it to have any effect or it’s been so long since the “perfect time”. And then others see no one else doing anything, and they use that as their excuse. “Well, no one else was doing anything.” Good golly, I dislike that excuse, too.
There are few things which are permanent, for which there is a certain point of time when you can no longer be of help. Death is one of those things. Once a person is dead, you cannot bring them back to life. Bandages, antidotes to poisons, and pushing them out of the way of the speeding car will do them no good once they’re dead. Neither will telling them that you love them or want to read them the story or write them that letter. Death is one of the things for which there is a “too late”.
But there are so many other things for which there is no “too late”. Telling the survivors that the dearly departed was a wonderful person is something that you can do after death. It helps the survivors, not the dead, but it helps someone. It can help you, as well.
You can write that letter, you can apologize, you can tell someone you love them, and you can forgive, even for things that happened years ago or are years past what you may have thought was “too late”. Sometimes, when it’s too late for someone else, making the effort is right in time for you.
You can donate the money or food or clothing or time to the charity that needs it, even if you haven’t done so in the past several years. Even one-time donations can help quite a bit. You can go back to school and get the degree you’ve regretted never getting, even if you are 30, 40, 50, 75, whatever. Perhaps your degree won’t net you a fabulous job (since you’re past retirement age, or will be once you graduate), but you can still make use of the knowledge and serve as inspiration to others. You can learn that foreign language, take that trip, end the miserable relationship, mend the family rift that’s been going on since you were in diapers. You can do all that, or at the very least you can try. Because this excuse “It’s too late” is more about you not wanting to do something or being embarrassed about waiting, and it’ll eat inside you, the regret and the resentment and the anger and the fear of what you haven’t done. And it’ll keep you from being the whole and magnificent person you can be.
You can still be the magnificent person you were planning on being when you were a kid. You can still have the magnificent life you’ve always felt was your right, your destiny. Even if you cannot make it to its completion, your life will be better just for having started.
So many cancer victims and others who learn they have a death sentence health-wise go out and do things that they’ve always wanted to do, that they’d always planned on doing but had never gotten around to it. They realized that you can’t put off till tomorrow when you don’t have a tomorrow. Don’t make Life give you an ultimatum before you do what you need to do, what you want to do. Be who you can be, and be it now.
You are amazing, and it’s not too late to be even more magnificent still. It’s not too late. Start today.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
What Kind of Future?
What kind of future are you looking for? What kind of future do you want to create? Is it one of peace? Is it one without wars or crime or hate? What is in the future you are birthing?
My future is one of love. The future, as I shape it, will be more filled with love than the present. It will be more about love than the present. Love of the Deities, love of the earth, love of humanity, and love of self. These are the things that I will be using to shape the future. I also want contentment, peace, no wars, no crimes, but moreso than all of those things, I want the Future to be filled with love.
Love is the basis of so many things. It is difficult to be content if you do not have love. It is difficult to have peace if you do not have love. Love is the opposite of hate and will eradicate it. Crimes and wars are born from hate and desperation, both of which can be softened or eliminated by love. Love is the basis of all that I want for the Future. Without love, the Future would be hollow and allow too many of the evils into it.
Love of the Deities
Do you believe in a Higher Power? However you see him, her, or it, do you love the Higher Power(s)? Are you loved by the Higher Power? Strengthen your love, and allow his/her/its love to fill you.
Do you see the Higher Power as vengeful and condemning? Why? When there is so much good in this world, I cannot believe in a Higher Power that wishes me evil. But your religious beliefs are you own, and I will not dictate to you what you should believe.
Do you not believe in a Higher Power? That’s fine, too. You can love the universe, if you wish. There are forces that permeate throughout our earth, our lives, our universe – electromagnetic forces, gravity, among others.
Love of the Earth
Some people believe that when we use up the Earth, we’ll have enough advancement in technology that we can simply move on to the next planet. I find that a horrible and horrifying thought. To find the Earth so disposable is disgusting and disturbing to me. The Earth sustains us. It gave humankind life long ago and sustains the life now. I did not discard my parents when I was done with them. I do not eat from a plate and then toss it into the trash. I do not buy a new car each time I drive one. I understand that most people do not believe that the Earth is a living being, a spiritual being, or even a being at all. Many people see the Earth as minerals and a factory for reprocessing waste into usable components. I do not see that, and I dislike that thought. To turn the Earth into just a chemical process is similar to turning conception into just a chemical process. Many people still consider it a miracle that sperm meets egg, that life is sustained within the womb for nine months, and that a human being is born at the end, usually healthy and whole. I still consider it a miracle. But these same people - who see the mother turning food and drink into sustenance for the child, removing its waste and giving it warmth and protection – see the Earth doing the same thing as merely a bunch of molecules being put to different use. I don’t know if the Earth is a spiritual being, a living being, or even a being at all. But I respect what it has given us throughout these millions of years, and I love it for that. I want to take care of it, and I do so with recycling, reducing, and reusing as much as possible. I birth the Future so that we can choose to leave the Earth if we wish, but so we won’t have to leave it.
Love of humanity
I do love my fellow humans. As a whole. There are a lot of individuals that I have issue with. But as a whole, humanity is a good thing. And it is for those people that are good, kind, loving, or at least not malicious, that I do good things for humanity, that I love humanity with my actions. I donate to charities when I can. I compliment people when they deserve it. I vote for people who have humanity at the forefront of their thoughts and actions. I am not in a position to do much for humanity as a whole, but I can affect individuals and have a ripple effect that will spread throughout humanity. If I affect three people positively tomorrow, and they each affect three more positively, and so on, then within a week over 2,000 people will have a slightly better life because of the ripples that I started. If that continues for an entire month, all of humanity will be affected (over 200 billion). I can affect all of humanity by my actions towards individuals, because I can affect individuals and make the Future better for them and give them the freedom to make the Future better for others. Hate, fear, and anger tie us down and constrict us. Love can free us. And if I can give a little bit of love and positive energy to others, free them a little from their constrictions, then they will be free to pass along the love and energy to others, and free them a bit more. Love is like information. You can pass it along without diminishing it any within yourself. Your store of love can diminish only if you allow it.
Love of self
I love myself. I’m not talking about masturbation. I’m talking about feeling love for myself and treating myself with the love and respect I deserve. No matter what others say to me or treat me as, I have the knowledge within me that I am a worthwhile human being, that I deserve respect and love, and that I am wonderful, and I have this knowledge because I love myself. Love is an emotion, but it is also a verb. It is an action. And if you do not love yourself now, you may need to act as if you love yourself before you will feel it. Treat yourself with respect. Wear clothes that flatter you. Hang around people that also respect you or at least do not actively disrespect you. Limit the phone conversations you have with people who berate you. Treat your body with respect. Say no when you mean no. Say yes when you mean yes. See the doctor, if you need to. See the dentist, if you need to. Buy yourself shoes that do not hurt and get rid of the ones that do. If you have trouble falling asleep, try repeating the phrase “I love myself” over and over to yourself instead of the negative voices that try to cloud into your thoughts. Give negativity no room in your life. Give yourself the life and love you deserve.
Love is an amazing thing. You don’t even have to tell people that you feel love for them to recognize it. They don’t even have to realize that they recognize it for them to do so at some level. When you love, amazing things happen. My Future will have love in it. Will yours?
My future is one of love. The future, as I shape it, will be more filled with love than the present. It will be more about love than the present. Love of the Deities, love of the earth, love of humanity, and love of self. These are the things that I will be using to shape the future. I also want contentment, peace, no wars, no crimes, but moreso than all of those things, I want the Future to be filled with love.
Love is the basis of so many things. It is difficult to be content if you do not have love. It is difficult to have peace if you do not have love. Love is the opposite of hate and will eradicate it. Crimes and wars are born from hate and desperation, both of which can be softened or eliminated by love. Love is the basis of all that I want for the Future. Without love, the Future would be hollow and allow too many of the evils into it.
Love of the Deities
Do you believe in a Higher Power? However you see him, her, or it, do you love the Higher Power(s)? Are you loved by the Higher Power? Strengthen your love, and allow his/her/its love to fill you.
Do you see the Higher Power as vengeful and condemning? Why? When there is so much good in this world, I cannot believe in a Higher Power that wishes me evil. But your religious beliefs are you own, and I will not dictate to you what you should believe.
Do you not believe in a Higher Power? That’s fine, too. You can love the universe, if you wish. There are forces that permeate throughout our earth, our lives, our universe – electromagnetic forces, gravity, among others.
Love of the Earth
Some people believe that when we use up the Earth, we’ll have enough advancement in technology that we can simply move on to the next planet. I find that a horrible and horrifying thought. To find the Earth so disposable is disgusting and disturbing to me. The Earth sustains us. It gave humankind life long ago and sustains the life now. I did not discard my parents when I was done with them. I do not eat from a plate and then toss it into the trash. I do not buy a new car each time I drive one. I understand that most people do not believe that the Earth is a living being, a spiritual being, or even a being at all. Many people see the Earth as minerals and a factory for reprocessing waste into usable components. I do not see that, and I dislike that thought. To turn the Earth into just a chemical process is similar to turning conception into just a chemical process. Many people still consider it a miracle that sperm meets egg, that life is sustained within the womb for nine months, and that a human being is born at the end, usually healthy and whole. I still consider it a miracle. But these same people - who see the mother turning food and drink into sustenance for the child, removing its waste and giving it warmth and protection – see the Earth doing the same thing as merely a bunch of molecules being put to different use. I don’t know if the Earth is a spiritual being, a living being, or even a being at all. But I respect what it has given us throughout these millions of years, and I love it for that. I want to take care of it, and I do so with recycling, reducing, and reusing as much as possible. I birth the Future so that we can choose to leave the Earth if we wish, but so we won’t have to leave it.
Love of humanity
I do love my fellow humans. As a whole. There are a lot of individuals that I have issue with. But as a whole, humanity is a good thing. And it is for those people that are good, kind, loving, or at least not malicious, that I do good things for humanity, that I love humanity with my actions. I donate to charities when I can. I compliment people when they deserve it. I vote for people who have humanity at the forefront of their thoughts and actions. I am not in a position to do much for humanity as a whole, but I can affect individuals and have a ripple effect that will spread throughout humanity. If I affect three people positively tomorrow, and they each affect three more positively, and so on, then within a week over 2,000 people will have a slightly better life because of the ripples that I started. If that continues for an entire month, all of humanity will be affected (over 200 billion). I can affect all of humanity by my actions towards individuals, because I can affect individuals and make the Future better for them and give them the freedom to make the Future better for others. Hate, fear, and anger tie us down and constrict us. Love can free us. And if I can give a little bit of love and positive energy to others, free them a little from their constrictions, then they will be free to pass along the love and energy to others, and free them a bit more. Love is like information. You can pass it along without diminishing it any within yourself. Your store of love can diminish only if you allow it.
Love of self
I love myself. I’m not talking about masturbation. I’m talking about feeling love for myself and treating myself with the love and respect I deserve. No matter what others say to me or treat me as, I have the knowledge within me that I am a worthwhile human being, that I deserve respect and love, and that I am wonderful, and I have this knowledge because I love myself. Love is an emotion, but it is also a verb. It is an action. And if you do not love yourself now, you may need to act as if you love yourself before you will feel it. Treat yourself with respect. Wear clothes that flatter you. Hang around people that also respect you or at least do not actively disrespect you. Limit the phone conversations you have with people who berate you. Treat your body with respect. Say no when you mean no. Say yes when you mean yes. See the doctor, if you need to. See the dentist, if you need to. Buy yourself shoes that do not hurt and get rid of the ones that do. If you have trouble falling asleep, try repeating the phrase “I love myself” over and over to yourself instead of the negative voices that try to cloud into your thoughts. Give negativity no room in your life. Give yourself the life and love you deserve.
Love is an amazing thing. You don’t even have to tell people that you feel love for them to recognize it. They don’t even have to realize that they recognize it for them to do so at some level. When you love, amazing things happen. My Future will have love in it. Will yours?
Sunday, October 15, 2006
You are amazing
You are enough. There's no need to waste your energy, in trying to be someone else. No one is better than you. And what you do best, is being you. Wishing or pretending you're something that you're not, robs precious time and energy from being the best you can be. There's plenty of cause for joy, in the person that you are. To be your best, be yourself. No one sees the world, in quite the same way as you. No one cares, or loves, or gives, like you. You have something very special to offer. There are things you were meant to do. Be the best that you can be, by finding and mastering the art of being you.-Ralph Marston
You are amazing, quite simply incredible. If you're lucky or blessed, you've been told this. You grew up in a home where this was an acknowledged fact, or perhaps not acknowledged but simply known and felt. Keep that in your heart.
If you were not lucky or blessed enough to be told this as a child, then hear me now. You are amazing and incredible. There is no one like you. Even if you are an identical twin, there are still differences between you enough for you to be a unique individual.
Too many people compare themselves to others. "I couldn't be as good a writer as Stephen King." "I couldn't paint nearly as well as Georgia O'Keefe." "I can't bake as well as Mary down the street." "I'm not as good a salesperson as Bob." Or any of a number of other statements, comparisons. And what usually follows those statements is "so I may as well not try."
BULL!
No, you might not sell as many books as Stephen King, but you will not write the same books as Stephen King. You have something else to say, something different from what he is writing. There are many horror writers throughout time, none of which are exactly alike, but all very good. Do you think that the existence of H.P. Lovecraft stopped Stephen King from writing? Do you think he said, "Oh, there's already been an excellent horror writer. I won't bother trying."? NO! He obviously didn't. And you shouldn't either.
So you can't paint as well as Georgia O'Keefe. So what? Can Georgia O'Keefe paint as well as Picasso? Can Picasso paint as well as Rembrandt? And how do the three of them compare to Andy Warhol? There is so much for the human heart to say that it will never all be said. Paint, create, write, be amazing, and bring into the world some of the most wonderful stuff that ever has been - your perspective, unique and wonderful.
Perhaps Mary is the better baker. So what? She is not you. Do not try to be her. There is more to you than your baking. There is your attitude, there is your actions, there is your relationships with others. Was there a dish that your mother or aunt or uncle or neighbor made that was nothing like anyone else ever made? Perhaps a stew or brownies or some special something that made the pot roast so completely unique that you never found it anywhere else? Have you found better stews, brownies, or roasts elsewhere? Are you going to stop eating your loved one's food? There is room enough in this world for more than one excellent bakers, cooks, salespersons, mothers, radicals, etc. There is room enough for more than one excellent one, but you will forever be compared to the "better" one if you are constantly trying to be/act/sell like that person. Be yourself. There will be no need for comparison if you are yourself, because you are unique, and you bring something to this world that no one else ever has and no one else ever will. Be yourself. You are amazing, and the world needs you.
You are amazing, quite simply incredible. If you're lucky or blessed, you've been told this. You grew up in a home where this was an acknowledged fact, or perhaps not acknowledged but simply known and felt. Keep that in your heart.
If you were not lucky or blessed enough to be told this as a child, then hear me now. You are amazing and incredible. There is no one like you. Even if you are an identical twin, there are still differences between you enough for you to be a unique individual.
Too many people compare themselves to others. "I couldn't be as good a writer as Stephen King." "I couldn't paint nearly as well as Georgia O'Keefe." "I can't bake as well as Mary down the street." "I'm not as good a salesperson as Bob." Or any of a number of other statements, comparisons. And what usually follows those statements is "so I may as well not try."
BULL!
No, you might not sell as many books as Stephen King, but you will not write the same books as Stephen King. You have something else to say, something different from what he is writing. There are many horror writers throughout time, none of which are exactly alike, but all very good. Do you think that the existence of H.P. Lovecraft stopped Stephen King from writing? Do you think he said, "Oh, there's already been an excellent horror writer. I won't bother trying."? NO! He obviously didn't. And you shouldn't either.
So you can't paint as well as Georgia O'Keefe. So what? Can Georgia O'Keefe paint as well as Picasso? Can Picasso paint as well as Rembrandt? And how do the three of them compare to Andy Warhol? There is so much for the human heart to say that it will never all be said. Paint, create, write, be amazing, and bring into the world some of the most wonderful stuff that ever has been - your perspective, unique and wonderful.
Perhaps Mary is the better baker. So what? She is not you. Do not try to be her. There is more to you than your baking. There is your attitude, there is your actions, there is your relationships with others. Was there a dish that your mother or aunt or uncle or neighbor made that was nothing like anyone else ever made? Perhaps a stew or brownies or some special something that made the pot roast so completely unique that you never found it anywhere else? Have you found better stews, brownies, or roasts elsewhere? Are you going to stop eating your loved one's food? There is room enough in this world for more than one excellent bakers, cooks, salespersons, mothers, radicals, etc. There is room enough for more than one excellent one, but you will forever be compared to the "better" one if you are constantly trying to be/act/sell like that person. Be yourself. There will be no need for comparison if you are yourself, because you are unique, and you bring something to this world that no one else ever has and no one else ever will. Be yourself. You are amazing, and the world needs you.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Fear
Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile...initially scared me to death. -Betty Bender
I'm scared of change. I admit it. I've been accused of it. I've seen it at work in my own life. At this time, I have told one person that I've started a blog, and I haven't even told him what it's about. It was a big step for me to start this blog, and to change the anonymity, the secrecy that I have with it is difficult. I will do it today, but I started this blog two weeks ago, and today is when I am making the change in my life of exposing this blog to others.
You can try to comfort me by saying that it's a part of blogger.com and thus it's out there, but I've checked blogger.com, and I am well aware that my blog can easily be overlooked in the mass of blogs that are on that website. But I'm going to tell one e-mail list I'm on, and I'm going to tell them today. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what they will say, of the criticisms that they will make, of the taunts that may come from them. But I'm going to do it anyway.
Is there something in your life that you'd like to do or change, but you're afraid? That's okay. In time, you'll do it anyway. But, you're going to have to change something first - your attitude. You will have to care more about making this change than about what others will say about it. You can do this. You have to, in fact, if you're going to life a life free from fear, and don't you want a life, a Future, free from fear? We all do. Fear can seem very comforting compared to change, but you can change that. Change your attitude a little at a time. Ask yourself what is the worst that could happen. And make plans to deal with it. Will someone no longer be your friend? Do you want to be friends with someone who wants to control your life so much that if you do this thing they will leave you for it? Are you afraid of the comments people will make? Would they echo the tapes in your head, the tapes that we all have that tell us what we should and shouldn't do, what kind of person we are or are not? Get rid of the tapes first, and then the comments of the others will no longer hurt you, because they will not have friends inside you, and you will have your own belief and confidence as armor around your heart from the nastiness others try to give you. Change yourself to become strong enough to make the change you want in your life, to try the thing you want to try. You are strong enough inside, there are just many things weighing you down. Change yourself, change your life. Become an example for others, and change the world. You can do this.
I'm scared of change. I admit it. I've been accused of it. I've seen it at work in my own life. At this time, I have told one person that I've started a blog, and I haven't even told him what it's about. It was a big step for me to start this blog, and to change the anonymity, the secrecy that I have with it is difficult. I will do it today, but I started this blog two weeks ago, and today is when I am making the change in my life of exposing this blog to others.
You can try to comfort me by saying that it's a part of blogger.com and thus it's out there, but I've checked blogger.com, and I am well aware that my blog can easily be overlooked in the mass of blogs that are on that website. But I'm going to tell one e-mail list I'm on, and I'm going to tell them today. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what they will say, of the criticisms that they will make, of the taunts that may come from them. But I'm going to do it anyway.
Is there something in your life that you'd like to do or change, but you're afraid? That's okay. In time, you'll do it anyway. But, you're going to have to change something first - your attitude. You will have to care more about making this change than about what others will say about it. You can do this. You have to, in fact, if you're going to life a life free from fear, and don't you want a life, a Future, free from fear? We all do. Fear can seem very comforting compared to change, but you can change that. Change your attitude a little at a time. Ask yourself what is the worst that could happen. And make plans to deal with it. Will someone no longer be your friend? Do you want to be friends with someone who wants to control your life so much that if you do this thing they will leave you for it? Are you afraid of the comments people will make? Would they echo the tapes in your head, the tapes that we all have that tell us what we should and shouldn't do, what kind of person we are or are not? Get rid of the tapes first, and then the comments of the others will no longer hurt you, because they will not have friends inside you, and you will have your own belief and confidence as armor around your heart from the nastiness others try to give you. Change yourself to become strong enough to make the change you want in your life, to try the thing you want to try. You are strong enough inside, there are just many things weighing you down. Change yourself, change your life. Become an example for others, and change the world. You can do this.
Growing slowly
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still. -Chinese Proverb
Too many people in my society want it all now. They don't want to have to wait, to work for what they want. They want to buy now and pay later. They want to go on a crash diet and lose the weight in two months that took them ten years to build up. They want the lifestyle that goes with the jobs that they want and are very upset when they have to "demean" themselves by taking the steps necessary to get where they want to go. Don't be like that. Don't be afraid to change slowly. Don't be afraid to work at what you want.
Lasting change can take time. With the exception of sudden tragedies, change takes time. It takes nine months to give birth to a baby, and it takes a lifetime to give birth to the future. But you are doing it constantly. Just as a pregnant woman is pregnant for those entire nine months, so, too, are you birthing the Future throughout your entire life. You make the choices that shape the Future at all times. Not actions, choices. For choosing not to act is still a choice. It still affects the future.
Some people don't want to change. They think that they and their lives are fine just as they are and they want to keep them that way. Will they never lose a loved one? A family member or friend? Will they never change jobs, move to a new home, have a child, take on a pet, become ill, or recover their health? Will nothing ever change in their lives? Change will happen to them, whether they want it or not. Change is inevitable.
Some people are so afraid of change, despite how horrible their lives are, that they spend a great deal of energy making certain nothing ever changes, and in doing so they sacrifice themselves. Change will happen to them, too. In time, others around them will change, and they will have to deal with it. In time, they will run out of energy or patience, and they will have to deal with it. Change will also happen to them, and it will also happen to you.
Radical change can be scary, and the fear may push you back to how things were before. Radical change is also difficult at times to maintain. To change the time you awake to an hour before your current waking time is a very large change and will be very difficult at first. If you have the time, change your waking time by five minutes each day. Gradually and slowly change, and it will be more lasting.
It's not just you who would be afraid of radical change. Others in your life are also afraid of change, and they may sabotage you, though they do not realize that they are doing so. A hurt expression combined with "You've changed. You're no longer the person I knew." can do amazingly damaging things to you, if you let it. And if the change was rushed, if you made a large change, then if you take a step back, you will step very far back. If the change was gradual, if you took small steps to get where you were when they noticed, then if you take a step back, you will not go very far. You will still have changed greatly, and you will have learned about yourself and the person who said that to you. You will have to decide if you're going to continue your changes in that manner or if you will change elsewhere or if you will let yourself stagnate. Do not let yourself stagnate. You are too wonderful, too much an amazing person, to deny the world the being you are, the being you can be. You are amazing, and you can become even more amazing, and you deserve to be, and we - the rest of the world - deserve to have this even-more-amazing person in our midst. Slow change is less threatening and longer lasting, and it does get the job done.
I have a change jar. Each day that I pay for something in cash, I take the coins I get in change, and I put it in the jar. I don't touch the jar otherwise, except for once a year. At that time, I take it into the bank, and I have them count it up, so I can use it for something special. I usually have more than $50 in the jar. Every time I add to it, I add less than $1. A good number of days, I don't add to it at all. But every little bit of "change" adds up, and I have a nice sum at the end of the year. If I went into the jar now and again for money for a pizza or a new book, then I wouldn't have the money saved up. I would be sabotaging myself by undoing the change I made. But I don't. I save a little at a time, and I do so consistently. And if something comes up where I desperately need the change for some reason, then I use a little bit of it and go right back to my consistent saving. I pick myself up and dust myself off. No recriminations, no bad mouthing, no negative voices in my head. I get back on track, and continue the change. If I tried to save more each day, if I put in a $5 bill in the jar, then I would feel it. It would be $5 less that I would not have to buy groceries or gasoline. I would feel that. But the coins, the less than $1, that is easy, and that I can do. The small changes done consistently make a world of difference.
The same is true of many changes, of many things in your life that you would like to alter, improve, remove. Do not rush yourself, trying to get everything right now, for it works for a very few people. You do not need to have your entire life "fixed" right now. You do not need to completely change your life right now. Giving birth to the Future will take time, and you want to have the energy to enjoy it when it happens. Do not rush, but do not stand still. Change slowly, so that the change will last.
Too many people in my society want it all now. They don't want to have to wait, to work for what they want. They want to buy now and pay later. They want to go on a crash diet and lose the weight in two months that took them ten years to build up. They want the lifestyle that goes with the jobs that they want and are very upset when they have to "demean" themselves by taking the steps necessary to get where they want to go. Don't be like that. Don't be afraid to change slowly. Don't be afraid to work at what you want.
Lasting change can take time. With the exception of sudden tragedies, change takes time. It takes nine months to give birth to a baby, and it takes a lifetime to give birth to the future. But you are doing it constantly. Just as a pregnant woman is pregnant for those entire nine months, so, too, are you birthing the Future throughout your entire life. You make the choices that shape the Future at all times. Not actions, choices. For choosing not to act is still a choice. It still affects the future.
Some people don't want to change. They think that they and their lives are fine just as they are and they want to keep them that way. Will they never lose a loved one? A family member or friend? Will they never change jobs, move to a new home, have a child, take on a pet, become ill, or recover their health? Will nothing ever change in their lives? Change will happen to them, whether they want it or not. Change is inevitable.
Some people are so afraid of change, despite how horrible their lives are, that they spend a great deal of energy making certain nothing ever changes, and in doing so they sacrifice themselves. Change will happen to them, too. In time, others around them will change, and they will have to deal with it. In time, they will run out of energy or patience, and they will have to deal with it. Change will also happen to them, and it will also happen to you.
Radical change can be scary, and the fear may push you back to how things were before. Radical change is also difficult at times to maintain. To change the time you awake to an hour before your current waking time is a very large change and will be very difficult at first. If you have the time, change your waking time by five minutes each day. Gradually and slowly change, and it will be more lasting.
It's not just you who would be afraid of radical change. Others in your life are also afraid of change, and they may sabotage you, though they do not realize that they are doing so. A hurt expression combined with "You've changed. You're no longer the person I knew." can do amazingly damaging things to you, if you let it. And if the change was rushed, if you made a large change, then if you take a step back, you will step very far back. If the change was gradual, if you took small steps to get where you were when they noticed, then if you take a step back, you will not go very far. You will still have changed greatly, and you will have learned about yourself and the person who said that to you. You will have to decide if you're going to continue your changes in that manner or if you will change elsewhere or if you will let yourself stagnate. Do not let yourself stagnate. You are too wonderful, too much an amazing person, to deny the world the being you are, the being you can be. You are amazing, and you can become even more amazing, and you deserve to be, and we - the rest of the world - deserve to have this even-more-amazing person in our midst. Slow change is less threatening and longer lasting, and it does get the job done.
I have a change jar. Each day that I pay for something in cash, I take the coins I get in change, and I put it in the jar. I don't touch the jar otherwise, except for once a year. At that time, I take it into the bank, and I have them count it up, so I can use it for something special. I usually have more than $50 in the jar. Every time I add to it, I add less than $1. A good number of days, I don't add to it at all. But every little bit of "change" adds up, and I have a nice sum at the end of the year. If I went into the jar now and again for money for a pizza or a new book, then I wouldn't have the money saved up. I would be sabotaging myself by undoing the change I made. But I don't. I save a little at a time, and I do so consistently. And if something comes up where I desperately need the change for some reason, then I use a little bit of it and go right back to my consistent saving. I pick myself up and dust myself off. No recriminations, no bad mouthing, no negative voices in my head. I get back on track, and continue the change. If I tried to save more each day, if I put in a $5 bill in the jar, then I would feel it. It would be $5 less that I would not have to buy groceries or gasoline. I would feel that. But the coins, the less than $1, that is easy, and that I can do. The small changes done consistently make a world of difference.
The same is true of many changes, of many things in your life that you would like to alter, improve, remove. Do not rush yourself, trying to get everything right now, for it works for a very few people. You do not need to have your entire life "fixed" right now. You do not need to completely change your life right now. Giving birth to the Future will take time, and you want to have the energy to enjoy it when it happens. Do not rush, but do not stand still. Change slowly, so that the change will last.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Heroes
"I believe it is the nature of people to be heroes given a chance." James A. Autry
I also believe this is true, and I believe that we are all heroes inside. There are many different heroes. There are firefighters, policemen, shelter volunteers, emergency room personnel, people who dive in after a drowning person, but there are other heroes, too. There is the person who provides a kind word to someone who has given up hope that anyone cares. There is the person who takes their extra blankets and gives them to a shelter so that those who have nothing can at least be warmer in the winter. There are those who teach not just subjects but children. Heroes shape the Future and give birth to a Future where people are kinder, where hurts are eased, where there is enough for everyone. And you can be a hero. You are a hero inside yourself, whether you want to believe it or not. You may think that you're not strong enough or that you don't have enough time or enough money to make a difference, but you're wrong. We are all enough, as we are, right now.
Have you ever known someone you just don't want to be around? You can't put your finger on it (or perhaps you can), but there's something about that person that bugs you, and you'd rather not spend time with them. It irritates you when you're forced to be with them for whatever reason. It lessens the fun you have. It dampens your mood. You'd just rather they not be in your life. Almost everyone has known someone like this.
On the flip side, have you ever known someone you enjoy being around? Seeing them brightens your day, makes you smile no matter what else is going on? They lift your mood just with their presence. They lighten your burden by giving you a reprieve from all the negativity and problems in your life. These people are heroes. They make the world a better place through their actions, through their words, and sometimes merely by their presence. But how? How do they do this? And how can you become one of these people?
You do want to become one of the people, right? A person that others enjoy being around? A person that someone will cross the street to say hi to rather than a person they'll cross the street to avoid? A person that brings smiles to others' faces? A person that inspires? You can be that person. That person exists, right now, inside you, whether you believe it or not.
These are not people who have no problems. There are no people who have no problems. Everyone has problems, but not everyone handles them in the same way. There are people who will complain to you about how they stubbed their toe and the light was against them when they tried to cross the street and their toast was soggy at breakfast this morning. This is not the sort of person people enjoy being around.
Then, there are other people who may have had soggy toast and stubbed toes and waits at the crosswalks, but they'd rather talk about how beautiful their flower beds looked this morning and how they're looking forward to the weekend because then they get to see their grandkids and how wonderful the weather is (because it's sunny, because it's rainy and the farmers need it, because it's windy and the breeze feels good after the oppresive heat lately, or whatever). These are people who enjoy life. These are people who make your life better because they are in it. These are heroes because they are improving the world.
There is another type of heroes who improve your life, too. They are fewer in number, but no less in impact. They are quiet, but they are content, and their inner peace radiates from them and seeps into you. They are the people you'd like to sit next to and enjoy a quiet afternoon, watch a sunset, or listen to the birds and children playing down the street. They spread peace.
You can be one of these heroes. You are one of these heroes, inside, and you can help shape the future by bringing the hero inside you to the surface, by birthing your heroic nature and affecting others as they affect you. You can do this. It may be tough. After a lifetime of complaining and whining, it's easier to continue. And perhaps you do have a very harsh life. There may be many things that are hurting you, causing you pain, destroying your life and your peace, but that is also true for some of the heroes, both the bright ones and the quiet ones. It is not what goes on in your life but how you face it. You don't have to be happy all the time. You don't have to pretend that everything is all right. You do get to complain now and again. You have that right. But you can complain less. You can whine less. You can improve your own mood. Your attitude affects nearly everything in your life, including the people around you.
Just start small. It takes a long time to birth a Future, but it is going on constantly. You are giving birth to the Future now, whether you like it or not, and you may as well make the conscious choice of how you want that Future to appear. Choose, this week, just once, to not complain when you normally would. Just once. Will others notice? Not right away. But in time. Choose, next week, to not complain just one less time than you do this week. Just once. That's all it takes. And if you cannot give up every single instance of your complaining, then increase the amount of times you smile or compliment or comment on the beauty of the day. Reduce your negative. Increase your positive. Slowly, but surely, you will bring your hero to the surface, and you will shape the Future into a happier place. You are a hero.
I also believe this is true, and I believe that we are all heroes inside. There are many different heroes. There are firefighters, policemen, shelter volunteers, emergency room personnel, people who dive in after a drowning person, but there are other heroes, too. There is the person who provides a kind word to someone who has given up hope that anyone cares. There is the person who takes their extra blankets and gives them to a shelter so that those who have nothing can at least be warmer in the winter. There are those who teach not just subjects but children. Heroes shape the Future and give birth to a Future where people are kinder, where hurts are eased, where there is enough for everyone. And you can be a hero. You are a hero inside yourself, whether you want to believe it or not. You may think that you're not strong enough or that you don't have enough time or enough money to make a difference, but you're wrong. We are all enough, as we are, right now.
Have you ever known someone you just don't want to be around? You can't put your finger on it (or perhaps you can), but there's something about that person that bugs you, and you'd rather not spend time with them. It irritates you when you're forced to be with them for whatever reason. It lessens the fun you have. It dampens your mood. You'd just rather they not be in your life. Almost everyone has known someone like this.
On the flip side, have you ever known someone you enjoy being around? Seeing them brightens your day, makes you smile no matter what else is going on? They lift your mood just with their presence. They lighten your burden by giving you a reprieve from all the negativity and problems in your life. These people are heroes. They make the world a better place through their actions, through their words, and sometimes merely by their presence. But how? How do they do this? And how can you become one of these people?
You do want to become one of the people, right? A person that others enjoy being around? A person that someone will cross the street to say hi to rather than a person they'll cross the street to avoid? A person that brings smiles to others' faces? A person that inspires? You can be that person. That person exists, right now, inside you, whether you believe it or not.
These are not people who have no problems. There are no people who have no problems. Everyone has problems, but not everyone handles them in the same way. There are people who will complain to you about how they stubbed their toe and the light was against them when they tried to cross the street and their toast was soggy at breakfast this morning. This is not the sort of person people enjoy being around.
Then, there are other people who may have had soggy toast and stubbed toes and waits at the crosswalks, but they'd rather talk about how beautiful their flower beds looked this morning and how they're looking forward to the weekend because then they get to see their grandkids and how wonderful the weather is (because it's sunny, because it's rainy and the farmers need it, because it's windy and the breeze feels good after the oppresive heat lately, or whatever). These are people who enjoy life. These are people who make your life better because they are in it. These are heroes because they are improving the world.
There is another type of heroes who improve your life, too. They are fewer in number, but no less in impact. They are quiet, but they are content, and their inner peace radiates from them and seeps into you. They are the people you'd like to sit next to and enjoy a quiet afternoon, watch a sunset, or listen to the birds and children playing down the street. They spread peace.
You can be one of these heroes. You are one of these heroes, inside, and you can help shape the future by bringing the hero inside you to the surface, by birthing your heroic nature and affecting others as they affect you. You can do this. It may be tough. After a lifetime of complaining and whining, it's easier to continue. And perhaps you do have a very harsh life. There may be many things that are hurting you, causing you pain, destroying your life and your peace, but that is also true for some of the heroes, both the bright ones and the quiet ones. It is not what goes on in your life but how you face it. You don't have to be happy all the time. You don't have to pretend that everything is all right. You do get to complain now and again. You have that right. But you can complain less. You can whine less. You can improve your own mood. Your attitude affects nearly everything in your life, including the people around you.
Just start small. It takes a long time to birth a Future, but it is going on constantly. You are giving birth to the Future now, whether you like it or not, and you may as well make the conscious choice of how you want that Future to appear. Choose, this week, just once, to not complain when you normally would. Just once. Will others notice? Not right away. But in time. Choose, next week, to not complain just one less time than you do this week. Just once. That's all it takes. And if you cannot give up every single instance of your complaining, then increase the amount of times you smile or compliment or comment on the beauty of the day. Reduce your negative. Increase your positive. Slowly, but surely, you will bring your hero to the surface, and you will shape the Future into a happier place. You are a hero.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Quotes to help us give birth
Here are some quotes to help us birth the Future. If you have others you'd like to add, please let me know. When this post goes off my front page, I will put a link to it on the front page, because these are wise words that can help us, and between you and me, we will be updating this post often.
I believe it is the nature of people to be heroes given a chance.
- James A. Autry
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
-Chinese Proverb
Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile...initially scared me to death.
-Betty Bender
You are enough. There's no need to waste your energy, in trying to be someone else. No one is better than you. And what you do best, is being you. Wishing or pretending you're something that you're not, robs precious time and energy from being the best you can be. There's plenty of cause for joy, in the person that you are. To be your best, be yourself. No one sees the world, in quite the same way as you. No one cares, or loves, or gives, like you. You have something very special to offer. There are things you were meant to do. Be the best that you can be, by finding and mastering the art of being you.
-Ralph Marston
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
-George Eliot
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
-Seneca
Each of us is a unique, creative individual. But we often blur that uniqueness with sugar, alcohol, drugs, overwork, underplay, bad relations, toxic sex, underexercise, over-TV, undersleep – many and varied forms of junk food for the soul.
-Julia Cameron
Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
- Samuel Beckett
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe
You must once and for all give up being worried about successes and failures. Don't let that concern you. It's your duty to go on working steadily day by day, quite steadily, to be prepared for mistakes, which are inevitable, and for failures.
- Anton Chekhov
Did you ever consider that God puts longings in our hearts in order that we execute them?
- Anonymous
God has promised forgiveness to your repentence; but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.
- St. Augustine
When you come to the edge of all that you know, you must believe one of two things: There will be earth to stand on , or you will be given wings to fly.
- Unknown
Sometimes the only thing we do to avoid success is refuse to be energetic on our own behalf.
- Barbara Sher
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more commonplace than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge
Writing is like driving at night. You cannot see beyond your headlights…but you can make the whole trip that way.
- E.L. Doctorow
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
- Helen Keller
Why be content to crawl, when we were born with wings. It's time we learn to fly.
- Daniel Whiteside
Our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasure.
- Rainer Maria Rilke
It does not matter if today's results do not show. They will in time.
- Tracy from Flylady
Added November 18, 2006
I realize that making myself a better, strong, more aware person will affect those around me and perhaps others through them.
- Rebecca Latimer
I learned this at least by my experiment that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
- Henry David Thoreau
Added December 2, 2006:
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. - Anais Nin
We are, perhaps, uniquely among the earth's creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing the future, discontent with the present, unable to take in the idea of dying, unable to sit still. - Lewis Thomas
The mind is its own place, and in itself can make heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven. - Milton
Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. - Bertrand Russell
Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand. - Hippocrates
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. – William Jennings Bryan
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genus, power and magic in it.” – W. H. Murray, the Scottish Himalayan Expedition
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. – Nietzsche
Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. – Will Rogers
I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. – John Wesley
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. – Thoreau
Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little. – Putarch
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them. – George Bernard Shaw
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for? – Robert Browning
The tendency of man’s nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downwards. – Mencius
Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much. – Oscar Wilde
I believe it is the nature of people to be heroes given a chance.
- James A. Autry
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
-Chinese Proverb
Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile...initially scared me to death.
-Betty Bender
You are enough. There's no need to waste your energy, in trying to be someone else. No one is better than you. And what you do best, is being you. Wishing or pretending you're something that you're not, robs precious time and energy from being the best you can be. There's plenty of cause for joy, in the person that you are. To be your best, be yourself. No one sees the world, in quite the same way as you. No one cares, or loves, or gives, like you. You have something very special to offer. There are things you were meant to do. Be the best that you can be, by finding and mastering the art of being you.
-Ralph Marston
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
-George Eliot
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
-Seneca
Each of us is a unique, creative individual. But we often blur that uniqueness with sugar, alcohol, drugs, overwork, underplay, bad relations, toxic sex, underexercise, over-TV, undersleep – many and varied forms of junk food for the soul.
-Julia Cameron
Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
- Samuel Beckett
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe
You must once and for all give up being worried about successes and failures. Don't let that concern you. It's your duty to go on working steadily day by day, quite steadily, to be prepared for mistakes, which are inevitable, and for failures.
- Anton Chekhov
Did you ever consider that God puts longings in our hearts in order that we execute them?
- Anonymous
God has promised forgiveness to your repentence; but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.
- St. Augustine
When you come to the edge of all that you know, you must believe one of two things: There will be earth to stand on , or you will be given wings to fly.
- Unknown
Sometimes the only thing we do to avoid success is refuse to be energetic on our own behalf.
- Barbara Sher
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more commonplace than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge
Writing is like driving at night. You cannot see beyond your headlights…but you can make the whole trip that way.
- E.L. Doctorow
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
- Helen Keller
Why be content to crawl, when we were born with wings. It's time we learn to fly.
- Daniel Whiteside
Our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasure.
- Rainer Maria Rilke
It does not matter if today's results do not show. They will in time.
- Tracy from Flylady
Added November 18, 2006
I realize that making myself a better, strong, more aware person will affect those around me and perhaps others through them.
- Rebecca Latimer
I learned this at least by my experiment that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
- Henry David Thoreau
Added December 2, 2006:
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. - Anais Nin
We are, perhaps, uniquely among the earth's creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing the future, discontent with the present, unable to take in the idea of dying, unable to sit still. - Lewis Thomas
The mind is its own place, and in itself can make heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven. - Milton
Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. - Bertrand Russell
Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand. - Hippocrates
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. – William Jennings Bryan
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genus, power and magic in it.” – W. H. Murray, the Scottish Himalayan Expedition
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. – Nietzsche
Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. – Will Rogers
I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. – John Wesley
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. – Thoreau
Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little. – Putarch
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them. – George Bernard Shaw
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for? – Robert Browning
The tendency of man’s nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downwards. – Mencius
Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much. – Oscar Wilde
Sunday, October 01, 2006
How to stop racism
The Future I want is free from racism. Is that true for you as well? But it seems so overwhelming, to end racism. How could one possibly do it?
I have learned from Flylady that you don't need to see the entire staircase in order to take the first step. What does that mean? It means you don't need to know everything in order to do anything. Take me, for example. I don't know everything about how to create a blog. I don't know how to get readers, how to add a side list of links to places I find of interest, how to do many of the cool and nifty things that I see on other blogs. But that hasn't stopped me. I started up a blog anyway. Is my blog the way I want it to be? Not completely, but that hasn't stopped me. Does my blog look the way I want it to look? No, but that hasn't stopped me. Have I gotten any readers or any comments yet? No, but that hasn't stopped me. And it shouldn't stop you, either. You don't need to know everything to do anything. You just need to take a step in the right direction.
But how? What is that step? How do you take the step towards ending racism? Do you go out and start dating someone of a different race? Do you join the protest marches and the militant groups? Do you lay into your father, your coworkers, your spouse about their racist jokes? Eventually, perhaps. Or perhaps not. Perhaps those particular steps are not on your journey, not on your staircase. But I do know one that is.
To end racism in the world, you must end it in yourself first. To give birth to the Future free from racism, you must free yourself of it. Politics, society, and the people you know are not your first step. You are.
It's even easier than that. It has to be, for changing yourself completely is a difficult and daunting task.
I have learned from Flylady that you don't need to see the entire staircase in order to take the first step. What does that mean? It means you don't need to know everything in order to do anything. Take me, for example. I don't know everything about how to create a blog. I don't know how to get readers, how to add a side list of links to places I find of interest, how to do many of the cool and nifty things that I see on other blogs. But that hasn't stopped me. I started up a blog anyway. Is my blog the way I want it to be? Not completely, but that hasn't stopped me. Does my blog look the way I want it to look? No, but that hasn't stopped me. Have I gotten any readers or any comments yet? No, but that hasn't stopped me. And it shouldn't stop you, either. You don't need to know everything to do anything. You just need to take a step in the right direction.
But how? What is that step? How do you take the step towards ending racism? Do you go out and start dating someone of a different race? Do you join the protest marches and the militant groups? Do you lay into your father, your coworkers, your spouse about their racist jokes? Eventually, perhaps. Or perhaps not. Perhaps those particular steps are not on your journey, not on your staircase. But I do know one that is.
To end racism in the world, you must end it in yourself first. To give birth to the Future free from racism, you must free yourself of it. Politics, society, and the people you know are not your first step. You are.
It's even easier than that. It has to be, for changing yourself completely is a difficult and daunting task.
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