Tuesday, November 24, 2015

2015-47 - Please listen to me…

When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving advice, you have not done what I have asked for.

When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problems, you have failed me, strange as that may seem.

All I ask is that you listen. Not talk or do, just hear me out. Advice is cheap: 50 cents will get you Dorothy Dix and Dr Spock in the same newspaper. And I can do for myself; I'm not helpless. Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.

When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and weakness. But when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, I quit trying to convince you and can get about the business of understanding what’s behind this irrational feeling.

And when that's clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice. So, please listen and just hear me out, and if you want to talk, wait for your turn; and I'll listen to you.

~ Author Unknown
____________________________________________________

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what
it takes to sit down and listen.”


~ Winston Churchill
____________________________________________________

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

2015-46 - Living life and having fun

A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture. I can't tell you how many countless hours I have spent cleaning. I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect, 'in case someone came over.' Then I realized one day that no one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!

Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the condition of my home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't quite figured this out as yet, please heed this advice.

Life is short, so enjoy it! Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, or even ponder the difference between want and need? Dust if you must, but there's not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb, music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the world’s out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. And when you go and go you must, you, yourself will make more dust! It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived... and remember, a layer of dust protects the wood beneath it.

~ Author Unknown
_____________________________________________________

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it 
is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

~ Marcus Aurelius
_____________________________________________________


Tuesday, November 10, 2015

2015-45 - The Balloon Story

There was a man who made a living selling balloons at a fair. He had all colors of balloons - red, yellow, blue, and green. Whenever business was slow, he would release a helium-filled balloon into the air and when the children saw it go up, they all wanted to buy one. They would come up to him, buy a balloon, and his sales would go up again. He continued this process all day.

One day, he felt someone tugging at his jacket. He turned around and saw a little boy who asked, "If you release a black balloon, would that also fly?"

Moved by the boy's concern, the man replied with empathy, "Son, it is not the color of the balloon, but what is inside that makes it go up."

The same thing applies to our lives. What is on the inside is what counts. The thing inside us that makes us go up is our attitude. Have you ever wondered why some individuals, organizations, or countries are more successful than others? It is not a secret. These people simply think and act more effectively. They have learned how to do so by investing in their most valuable asset - people.

~ Author Unknown

____________________________________________________

“The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total 
responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up.”


~ John C. Maxwell
____________________________________________________

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

2015-44 - The man who sold very good hot dogs

There was once a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs. He was hard of hearing so he had no radio; he had trouble with his eyes, so he read no newspapers and of course he didn't look at television. But he sold very good hot dogs. He put up signs on the highway telling everyone how good they were, he stood on the side of the road and cried out to all that passed 'buy a hot dog, they are the best in town'.

And people bought his hot dogs and he increased his meat and bun orders. He bought a bigger stove to take care of all the extra business. He finally got his son to come and help him out with his business.

But then something happen, his son who had been well educated said… 'Father, haven't you been listening to the radio or reading the newspapers or watching television? There's a big recession happening right now. The current business situation is terrible in this country - we have problems with unemployment, high living costs, strikes, pollution, the influence of minorities and majorities, the rich, the poor, drugs, alcohol, capitalism and communism'.
Where upon his father thought, 'well my son's been well educated, he reads the papers, listens to the radio and watches television, so he ought to know'.

So his father cut down on his meat and bun orders, took down all his advertising signs and no longer bothered to stand by the side of the road to promote and sell his hot dogs, …and his hot dog sales fell almost overnight.

'You're right, son' the father said 'we certainly are in the middle of a recession'

~ Author Unknown
_____________________________________________________

 “Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you 
lose yours.”

~ Ronald Reagan
_____________________________________________________