Make the best of everything

It's easy to sing in the sunshine.
To support a winning team.
When conditions are right, and life seems to flow easily -
this is the time for gratitude and service.
A time to strengthen good karma.

When times are tough.
And others are less than encouraging -
When the rain is falling and the skies are grey -
This is really your time to shine.
To discover all that you already have inside of yourself.

It won't necessarily be easy or fun,
But you'll reap the benefits of inner strength and fortitude.
And peace is just around the corner, friend.

It really is about making the best of everything.
Not necessarily having the best of everything. ❀

Transformation

Transition brings your strengths and passions alive - 
sometimes we journey through darkness
before we reach light.
Where ever you are on your journey-
remember, you have over come in the past.
You will triumph again.

Damaged goods?

In a throw away society, it is refreshing to come across this type of philosophy.
Reminds me of the following story:

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. 

One of 

the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'

The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?'
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Beacon or a crutch?

                                                      photo:widescreenviews.com




A beacon or a crutch?

Listening to a recorded call this morning, 
the conversation was about relationships.
It's important to identify how we relate to others.
One caller was often asked for advice from his brother.

And his brother never took the good advice,
did things to jeopardize his health,
then asked to be bailed out when the problems grew too big.

I think this scenario sounds familiar to all of us.
It really can be frustrating to be so emotionally involved
in a better outcome for another, especially someone we
are close to.

Part of the solution lies in realizing that we are not responsible for solving other people's problems.
We can support, encourage and love by being a beacon in their darkness.
Your strength is more supportive than any crutch you offer. ❀

Celebrate You!

                                                                photo:signsfunny.com

Celebrate your successes - yes, even the small ones!

We often set big goals for ourselves.

But we overlook the many small steps that add up 

to lead us to those goals.

If you want to lose 25 pounds by Christmas - 

have you congratulated yourself for slimming down 

4 pounds this month?

If you desire a clean, uncluttered home-

have you noticed that you managed to clean out 

drawers or a corner in the garage?

Accomplishments come in so many forms.

We are often exposed to major accomplishments like

Olympic medals, Super Bowls, Biggest Loser, etc.

Spending more time with the kids isn’t exactly 

the next tv sensation,

but it sure makes for important strides

towards a meaningful life.

Take the time to recognize your positive accomplishments.

And don’t forget to celebrate your friends, too!

Circle of Influence

We've all laughed at the circle of trust in the movie 
Meet the Parents.
But did you realize that you have a circle of influence?
You are impacted by the people you hang around with.
Your actions, words, thoughts, inactions, beliefs...
They

're all influenced by the people around you.
I heard of one study that found people are the
average of their 5 closest friends.
They looked at incomes and health among other things.

I remember Dad calling me out on something a teenager.
I said - 'how do you know?"
He said - 'I see who you hang out with.'

Your circle of influence says a lot about who you
are as a person.

Just sayin'...

Feeling small?

                                          photo:sciencesortof.com

Feeling small or hopeless?

Sometimes we fall into the limited thinking of how small
or insignificant we may feel.
After all, we're just one person.
'I'm just a small fish in this big ocean.'

Did you know that the best things in life come from within?
That one plus one isn't two - it's three!
Each individual plus the collective of each.
There is power of one, but as we combine our
strengths with others, we multiply our power. ❀