2013-07 - Opportunity of your life

Today you have an opportunity, the likes of which cannot be equalled. You have the opportunity to live. Think for a moment about what that means. Though the day may include some pain, loss, discomfort and disappointment, it is also full of life. You can sense. You can think. You can act. You can build. You can grow. You can create

You are alive and the possibilities are endless. How will you make use of your good fortune at being alive today? There are so many ways to make a positive and lasting difference in your own life and in the world around you. Which of these will you choose to pursue on this day that is filled with opportunity?
 
Take a deep breath of fresh air and feel your body fill with the energy of being alive. Hold your head high and put a smile on your face. Though troubles surround you they cannot defeat you. Stay in touch with what it means to be alive as you move forward through the beautiful living blessing of today. 

~ Ralph Marston
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" A second ago is gone, and a second from now might be. Now is all you've got. Go for it!"
 
~ Lyn St. James
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2013-06 - From weakness to strength

When you admit to yourself that you have a particular weakness, you've taken an important step in getting beyond it. For once you see the weakness clearly, you will come up with many ways to work on it.

When you've discovered a weakness, you've identified a pathway to strength. Working to get just a single weakness out of the way can add increased power and effectiveness to everything you do.

For every weakness that you have, there is a strength with which you can replace it. From every weakness, there is something of value to be learned.

Weakness is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, it is something to be worked on.

What if the very same factors that now work against you could be changed into forces that propel you forward? By having the courage to face your own weaknesses, you can make that happen.

See your weaknesses for what they are. And you'll see that they are filled with opportunity.

~ Author Unknown
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" A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

~ Winston Churchill
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2013-05 - Stay in the game if you want to win…

The more you try, the greater your chance of succeeding. The law of averages is on your side.

Taking a risk is often your first necessary step toward success. If you don’t take some risks, you won’t get the chance to succeed. While you are trying, you are winning.

Never get discouraged.

Every wrong attempt is another step forward. People that make no mistakes usually don’t make anything.

Make up your mind not merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand defeats. Your mistakes are stepping stones to success and your instalment payments to victory.

You can’t be a winner and be afraid to lose.

~ Anonymous
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" Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

~ Robert Collier
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2013-04 - The importance of repeating the same thing

An action is a thought that manifests itself.

A small gesture denounces us, so we have to make everything perfect, think about the details, learn the technique so that it becomes intuitive.

Intuition has nothing to do with routine but rather with a state of spirit that lies beyond technique.

So, after practicing a lot, we no longer think about all the necessary movements: they become part of our very existence. But for this to happen, you have to train and repeat.

And as if that were not enough, you have to repeat and train.

Watch a good blacksmith working the steel. To the untrained eye he is repeating the same hammer blows over and over again.

But those who know the importance of training know that each time the hammer is raised and then lowered, the intensity of the blow is different. The hand repeats the same gesture but as it approaches the iron it knows whether to touch it harder or softer.

Look at the windmill. Whoever sees its vanes just once imagines that it always turns with the same speed, always repeating the same movement. But those who know windmills know that they are conditioned to the wind and change their direction whenever necessary.

The hand of the ironsmith was trained after the gesture of hammering was repeated thousands of times.

Windmill vanes can move fast after the wind has blown a lot and polished their gears.

The archer lets many an arrow pass far from the target because he knows that he will only learn the importance of the bow, posture, the string and the target after he repeats his gestures thousands of times without being afraid of making a mistake.

Training is NOT routine. It is essential 

~ Paulo Coelho
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" You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset."

~ Tom Hopkins
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2013-03 - One Can Make a Difference

I always believed that one man could always make a difference; little did I know I will have a story to back this age long saying.

 It happened on a bright Saturday morning, which was the last for the month, which we observed the environmental sanitation exercise. 

Our compound was full of weeds and in dire need of a cutting but the challenge was who was going to bell the cat, which simply meant who was going to take the lead in cutting the weeds with five youthful men in the house.

I got a cutlass and began cutting and then the most profound thing happened. While I was cutting the other young men came out with other working implements and jumped on the bandwagon which I had earlier kick started. In minutes, the whole compound was sparkling clean. 

The older men were proud of us as; they congratulated me - their team leader on a job well done. One of them, Mr Francis of blessed memory gave me an undisclosed amount of money telling me how grateful they all were. I felt like I had been given the Medal of Freedom for I was on cloud nine. The peak of it all was when I was about stepping out my father called me and gave me even a higher denomination of money telling me that he was proud of me and I had earned it. 

"You displayed the spirit of a leader and I am proud of you" he said as I walked away with my head held high.

I would always remember that fateful Saturday when I was a living example that one man could indeed make a difference. 

~ Author Unknown
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"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do."

~ Helen Keller
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