2012-07 - Needing Others...

Many living things need each other to survive.

If you have ever seen an aspen tree, you may have noticed that it does not grow alone. Aspens are found in clusters, or groves. The reason is that the aspen sends up new shoots from the roots. In a small grove, all of the trees may actually be connected by their roots!

Giant California redwood trees may tower 300 feet into the sky. It would seem that they would require extremely deep roots to anchor them against strong winds. But we're told that their roots are actually quite shallow - in order to capture as much surface water as possible. And they spread in all directions, intertwining with other redwoods. Locked together in this way, all the trees support each other in wind and storms. Like the aspen, they never stand-alone. They need one another to survive.

People, too, are connected by a system of roots. We are born to family and learn early to make friends. We are not meant to survive long without others. And like the redwood, we need to hold one another up. When pounded by the sometimes vicious storms of life, we need others to support and sustain us.

Have you been going it alone? Maybe it's time to let someone else help hold you up for a while. Or perhaps someone needs to hang on to you.

~ Author Unknown
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"We are not put on earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are there always for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you."

~ Author Unknown
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2012-06 - Are you willing to change...?

Your life right now is the result of the things you have done up until this point in time. If you want your life to be different, you will need to make changes.

Wishing for a better life won't make it so. In order for 'things' to change, you must be willing to change. That means getting out of your comfort zone. It means facing your fears. It means you may need to change your career, your friends, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, where you live, your daily schedule.

You are remarkably adaptable. If you've made it this far, you have already gone through many major changes in all aspects of your life. From being an infant to a toddler to a child to a teen to an adult, the first few years of your life were filled with constant change. You are certainly up to the task.

Almost always, the fear of change, the fear of the unknown, is worse than the change itself. Once you understand this, then you realize that it is easier to change than to resist change.

There are things you need to do, changes you need to make. Go ahead with them. Don't waste your energy fearing them or resisting them. Dive right in and do what needs to be done. Change is a constant part of life. When you fear it, it will happen anyway, out of your control. When you embrace change, it will enable you to reach your goals.

~ Ralph Marston

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"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."

~ Author Unknown

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2012-04 - Expect the Best...

Expect the best from life and you'll generally get it.

Your expectations play a key role in the reality of your life. Your mind is a powerful goal-seeking device. When you point it in the right direction, with positive expectations, it will do whatever is necessary to get you where you want to go. The more consistently you keep your mind on your positive expectations, the faster they will become a reality.

Expect the best of those around you, and you generally will get it. Think for a moment what would happen if you bought something at the store and later found out it was defective. When you return to the store for a refund or a replacement, you have two choices. You could choose to expect a hard time. That is, you could go into the store with the expectation that you're going to have to fight with them to get a refund. And if you approach them with that attitude, you probably will have to exchange some harsh words with the store clerk. Your other choice is to expect the best. Assume that they will be eager to satisfy you. Approach them with that attitude. And when you do that, they probably will be very eager to set you straight and issue a refund.

Learn to expect the best from yourself. In the way you talk to yourself, in the way you plan for the future, in the choices you make. Ask yourself, as often as possible, what you would do if you were truly headed in the direction of your goals. And then just do it.

~ Ralph Marston
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"Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon."

~ Denis Waitley
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2012-03 - A Pot of Petunias...

Just like roses, if you want more blooms to occur on your petunias, you need to snap off the dried up buds. So here I was working with this big pot of petunias which are a beautiful deep purple. As I was standing on one side of the pot I picked all the dead ones I could see, and thought I was through. However as I began to move around the pot I began to see more and more of them. For awhile I thought I would never finish. I began to lift up the stems to discover more underneath. A few days of laziness had got me to this place and I was paying the price.

The thought that came to me is that if we procrastinate, we pay a price or even worse. We may have to do something over and over to keep the beauty of what we want to accomplish.

In other words, change your perception, your view. Heck, stand at a different spot if you have to. There are times that you feel you're going around in circles picking off old dried blooms, but what you are really doing is clearing up old negative garbage and being persistent trying out new ideas.

If you want your life to look and feel great there are times that you may have to do something over and over while you're looking under your old beliefs and picking them off to bring forth new and vibrant ones.

Ideas with right action equal a great life, but if you don't feel you're there yet then go back to the pot of petunias and start over again. You will then find your life enriched with new vibrant blooms.

~ Tony Masiello
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"Until you value yourself, you will not value your time."

~ M Scott Peck
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2012-01 - Time for new beginnings...

This is a time for reflection as well as celebration.

As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life,

Remember each experience for the good that has come of it and for the knowledge you have gained.

Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached.

Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought.

Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears.

And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come.

Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and the celebration of life.

~ Taylor Addison

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"Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be."

~ Marsha Petrie Sue
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