2015-21 - A lovely little girl...

was holding two apples. Her mum came in and softly asked her little daughter with a smile: “My sweetie, could you give your mum one of your apples?"

The girl looked up at her mum for a few seconds, and suddenly took a quick bite on one apple, and then quickly on the other.

The mum felt the smile on her face freeze. She tried hard not to reveal her disappointment.

Then the little girl handed one of the bitten apples to her mum, and said: “Mummy, here you are. This is the sweeter one”.

No matter who you are, how experienced you are, and how knowledgeable you think you are, always delay judgement. Give others the privilege to explain themselves. What you see may not be the reality. Never conclude for others.

~ Author unknown

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" Never assume, no matter how strong the temptation."

~ Dinesh D'Souza

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2015-20 - How to be happy...

An old man lived in a village. He was one of the most unfortunate people in the world. The whole village was tired of him; he was always gloomy, constantly complained and was always in a bad mood. The longer he lived, the more poisonous were his words. People avoided him, because his misfortune became contagious. It was even unnatural and insulting to be happy next to him. He created a feeling of unhappiness in others.

But the day he turned eighty, an incredible thing happened. Instantly everyone heard the rumour: “The old man is happy today, he isn’t complaining about anything, is all smiles, and even his face has freshened up”. The whole village gathered together. The old man was asked:

– What happened to you?

– Nothing special, he answered. For eighty years I’ve been chasing happiness, and it was useless. And then I decided to live without happiness and just enjoy life. That’s why I’m happy now.

~ Author unknown

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" Happiness must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves."

~ Helen Keller

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2015-19 - Influence

Do you recall when your parents would tell you to stay away from certain people because they were a bad element, or not to go to certain places in order to avoid potential problems? The places we go, things we do, and the people in our lives influence who we are and what we do. Things happen daily that have some level of influence on us. Now along with actions and words influencing us, each one of us possesses the same power to influence through our actions and words.

One very simple form of influence is a smile. When we smile at people, they will smile back the majority of the time. Saying hi to someone influences him or her to say hi back. Berating someone with harsh words typically solicits a hostile response. Someone honks at us traffic, which can influence us to honk back or flip him or her off. No matter the situation or event, influence is in play at some point.

The words you are reading at this very moment are my attempt to influence you to think and act a little different today. We are all products of our environment. There is no way around it. However, we do get to choose how to react to said influence. A quick pause can mean the difference in being spun up or making someone’s day. Happy influencing!

Author unknown

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"The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively."

~ Bob Marley
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2015-18 - Live now

Don't be held back by what has not yet happened or by what is already over. Live now, with all you have.

There's no need to wait for everything to be perfect. Live now in this moment while you have it, before its unique opportunities are gone.

Some things may turn out great, and other things may be disappointing. Live now, when you can do your best with what you have.

You are here right now to enjoy, to experience, to create and achieve, to love, and to live. Live now, for now is the precious moment when life is yours.

~ Ralph Marston

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" Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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