“To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch heaven.” - - Johannes A. Gaertner
Perfect for this day... "I cherish my freedom to act, think, feel, and choose as I wish. I celebrate the choice which lies before me in every moment.... I accept the responsibility which comes with freedom. I embrace my liberty and use it to create an abundant and meaningful life." Julie Cameron On this Veterans Day - thank you to all those who sacrifice so much to make continuing freedom possible!
When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins ~ To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among brothers, To make music in the heart. by Dr. Howard Thurman
How can smart, busy people maintain balance as they put in long hours to achieve their career goals? Is it alright to live for a time unbalanced while pursuing your goals? Here are 7 ways to help maintain balance: Identify your core values, those inner aspects of yourself that mean the most to you. These are the core of who you are; the values that help you identify what you want to be about; your goals and dreams. Share these with your spouse or partner; listen to each other’s dreams, goals, and commitments. Clarify action steps and a plan. Don’t let life just happen. If you do, your most important dreams (and people) will be pushed out of the way by the “tyranny of the urgent.” Make choices: What can be adjusted and what is non-negotiable? Communicate: Be honest with yourself, and those you love. Learn to communicate with the significant people in your life, this means the people at work also, so that they can understand your challenges. No one should have to ...
I don’t particularly like networking events because I’m an introvert by nature. I typically feel self-conscious and awkward. So when I read Peter Bregman’s Harvard Business Review post this week, and found out he feels the same way (who would have known?), I could so relate. Here is a wonderful take away for this last Friday in March: “People will trust you if you trust yourself. And to trust yourself you have to step out from behind the curtain. You have to expose yourself, free of titles and status. When you allow people to see you — as impressive and vulnerable as you are — then they will trust you. Because they will know you.” — Peter Bregman Thank you Peter for putting it so well! Image: istockphoto
“The year rotates through the seasons like a wheel of fortune. Being present to each one, possessing its bounty and taking its inconveniences in stride, means living to the fullest every day of the life you get.” Victoria Moran Enjoy! Image: istockphoto
“ If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life.” Thich Nhat Hanh (1926 – ) Take pen in hand and list ten things, large or small, you are grateful for today. My list: Good health A warm house My husband - who just brought me a vanilla latte! My two daughters, their wonderful husbands and beautiful children Close friends Etc.... “Each day unfolds as a gift. We build daily on a solid foundation of appreciation. Comparing ourselves to ourselves alone, we track a gentle and steady improvement.” Julia Cameron Photo credit: http://www.istockphoto.com/
Aging is at times emotionally and physically challenging..... On the other hand, I would not trade all that I have now, the people, experiences and maturity, to go back.
I remind myself of this every day - "In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet... Some will test you, some will use you, and some will teach you. But most importantly some will bring out the best in you." ( from Marc and Angel Hack Life - Practical Tips for Productive Living )
“The year rotates through the seasons like a wheel of fortune. Being present in each one, possessing its bounty and taking its inconveniences in stride, means living to the fullest every day of the life you get.” —Victoria Moran Life is lived in seasons, and I am slowly learning to appreciate and live fully in each season. Too much time spent reminiscing about what has passed, or waiting for what is to come is squandered time that doesn’t yield a positive outcome. Can you imagine spending your summer moping around and wishing for winter, or spending the beauty of spring worrying about fall? Granted, brief moments of: “I can’t wait to go skiing” or “The beach next summer is going to be wonderful,” are normal but living in a season one isn’t in at the expense of where you are is a sad waste of time. Honestly, each season has its golden moments, and I’m learning to notice those moments as well as enjoy them. This concept is always brought home to me after I spend time with family. Ou...
Love this quote - life is too short to become hung-up on the small things! “Often we allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. We lose many irreplaceable hours brooding over grievances that, in a year’s time, will be forgotten by us and by everybody. No, let us devote our life to worthwhile actions and feelings, to great thoughts, real affections and enduring undertakings.” Andre Maurois 1885-1967, Writer
"Each of us is unique... Each of us is important... Each of us brings to the world a specific treasure box of talents and gifts that we are charged with bringing to fruition." Julia Cameron What talents and gifts you are focusing on in 2011? For help: Learn From the Past and Move Into the Future .
Chronologically we’re at the end of the year but the beginning of the journey. Sarah Ban Breathnach One of my favorite weeks of the year is this week between Christmas and the New Year. For some reason it seems the perfect time to take a “time out” to pause and reflect. I’m spending this week thinking about the past year, successes and challenges, and then shifting my focus to the coming year and identifying what my theme for the New Year will be. Then on January 1st I will sit in quiet reflection and record all of my thoughts..... Perfect! If you don’t start, You won’t arrive… Anonymous Use the questions below to map your course for 2011 2010 For the past year what was your overall theme? What were your three biggest wins personally? What were your three biggest wins professionally? What were the three top lessons you learned? What was the one personal quality that you developed in 2010? List the ways this quality helped you both personally and professionally. 2011 Lo...
“' A' earned his angel wings at 12:56 a.m. Fly high sweet boy…mommy will love you forever.” Today I read these words and they set me remembering my brief volunteer time with little A , rocking him while he fell asleep in my arms. I was at Children’s Hospital Seattle as a part of a Side by Side support team to his parents. Our goal was to help provide some normalcy in their lives during A’ s boring and sometimes terrifying hospital treatments. Looking back, it was actually a year ago this month. I remember one of the things the family wanted to do was take their other small children out to the pumpkin patch to pick out Halloween pumpkins. What they really needed was the comfort of knowing that someone was with their little A while they were away from the hospital. The nurses at Children's Hospital are excellent, but must divide their time among several patients, therefore, having volunteers who will come and support families with children going through treatmen...
Fog can distort and hide the most familiar and obvious. When our vision is clouded and we can't make out which way to turn, we must rely on our heart's anchor….. When it's all been said and done There is just one thing that matters Did I do my best to live for truth? Did I live my life for you? When it's all been said and done All my treasures will mean nothing Only what I have done For love's rewards Will stand the test of time (* Jim Cowan) Trust that the sky will clear and once again your vision will become clear…. (photos taken on my morning walk - via iPhone and Cannon Elph)
I’m currently re-reading (actually skimming) the book The Procrastinator’s Handbook – Mastering the Art of Doing It Now by Rita Emmett . It’s not a book I have ever read straight through, but it’s one that I pick up from time to time and use as a refresher whenever I feel like I’m beginning to be pulled away from what matters most to me. Life can sometimes feel like a constant balancing act of fulfilling opportunities — or dare I say: “I want you to like me” moments — that compete for my time. When this happens I find it healthy to stop for a moment and ask myself, how much can I really take on, enjoy and handle well? Here’s a pop quiz from the book to help evaluate the tendency to over commit: Do I put off things important to my life because other people’s priorities always come first? YES / NO Do I commit to so many things that there’s not enough time to do any of them and I always feel overwhelmed? YES / NO Do I think I don’t need to do all the things others need to do to manage th...
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my inner circle of both professional and personal influencers and friends and I came across this excellent post by Dan Schawbel. Here is how to break down people who should and shouldn’t be part of your inner circle: Who should be in your inner circle? People that you admire and wish to build a mutual relationship with. People that you see yourself working with, whether at a company, your own company or side projects. People that you have enough shared interests with so you can easily keep in touch with them, without appearing fake. People that have complementary strengths. People who understand the principles of networking and won’t use you and abuse you. People who are passionate, caring and seek to help others. Who shouldn’t be in your inner circle? People that have nothing in commo...
“A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.” William Arthur Ward
This my friends, is a stand alone: "The supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office. If his associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other." “The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose." —Dwight D. Eisenhower