2020-16 - Making the Best of You…

They say 'make the best of a bad situation.' But I believe the bad situation makes the best of you. Even the irritations of life can be useful. President Abraham Lincoln showed us how this is so.
One of his cabinet appointees, Edwin Stanton, frequently found flaws with the president and criticized him - sometimes in public. Lincoln seemed to show excessive patience with him. The president was asked why he kept such a man in a high level position.
Lincoln characteristically responded with a story. He told about a time he was visiting with an old farmer. He noticed a big horsefly biting the flank of the farmer's horse. Lincoln said he reached over to brush the fly away. As he did so, the farmer stopped him and cautioned, 'Don't do that, friend. That horsefly is the only thing keeping this old horse moving.'
Even life's many irritations and problems have their place. They may cause us to change directions. Or prod us to greater achievement. Or keep us moving along when it's easier to go nowhere.
Are you simply making the best of a bad situation, or will it make the best of you?
~ Steve Goodier

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“The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.”
~ Tom Bradley
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2009-46 - Approaching Each Day...

Approaching Each Day…
I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.
Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.
Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.
Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.
Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.
Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.
Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new job relationships.
Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to go to!
Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with knowledge and adventure.
Today I can dejectedly murmur because I have housework to do or I can feel grateful for shelter for my mind, body and soul.
Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped, and here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.
What today will be like is up to me. And I shall decide what kind of day I shall have!"
How will you live THIS DAY?
~ Author unknown
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“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
~ Robert Brault
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2020-12 - Winners Never Quit!

A little girl - the 20th of 22 children, was born prematurely, with polio, and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4 years old, she contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever. All these ailments contributed to a bad leg that some said would prevent her from ever walking.

At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and began to walk without it.

By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last.

For the next few years every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running.

One day she actually won a race, and then another. From then on she won every race she entered. Eventually this little girl - Wilma Rudolph, went on to win three Olympic gold medals.

Winners never quit!

~ Author Unknown

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" Winners never quit and quitters never win."

~ Vince Lombardi

2020-11 - Don't Rest on Laurels

One day a field marshal requested an audience with Napoleon. As every good leader must, Napoleon agreed to hear him out. The field marshal brought news of a great victory he had achieved. He talked for a long time about his accomplishment, piling detail upon detail.

Napoleon listened closely throughout the entire narration, but said nothing. As the officer rambled on, Napoleon continued to listen politely, and the marshal interpreted this as encouragement. Surely, he thought, Napoleon will now give me the praise I so richly deserve.

When the marshal finally stopped talking, Napoleon asked him one question: "What did you do the next day?"

The field marshal was speechless. But the lesson was not lost on him. From then on, the officer understood that he should never rest on his laurels. So he left it to others to bestow the praise.

~ Brian Cavanaugh

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Nothing wilts faster than laurels that have been rested upon.

~ Percy Shelley

2020-10 - Value…

This story is attributed to Swami Vivekananda.

A young man who hailed from a rich family and had completed his education, approached the Saint and said, "Swamiji, every young man only wants to earn, grab and get more and more. I wish to give to society instead of taking from it. I need your guidance how to give to society."  

The youth was shocked when Vivekananda told him, "Fine. First go out and start earning some money."

He protested, "I didn't expect you, a sage, to say this to me."

Swami Vivekananda replied, "You can never give away anything unless you have earned it. Learn how difficult it is to earn, and then decide whether you will give away even a part of it."

~ Author Unknown

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“The value of a principle is the number of things it will explain.”
 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson