Tag Archives: Monday Morning Inspiration

I Will Not Die an Unlived Life . . .

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I Will Not Die an Unlived Life

BY DAWNA MARKOVA
Living Wide Open:
Landscapes of the Mind
I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible;
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom,
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.

Consider this: Happy New Year! Live wide open in 2017

Who Rekindles Your Light?…

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Who Rekindles Your Light?

An insightful woman, who had lived through numerous dark nights and days, once taught me about getting through difficult times. “I appreciate your outlook on life,” I commented to Mrs. Tucker. I was in my twenties and she was fifty years older. In the short time I knew her she became a significant teacher for me. I learned from her remarkable attitude and her unshakeable strength of character, both of which undoubtedly buoyed her through treacherous waters.

“Well, I have been through a lot of tough times,” she told me. “In fact, sometimes it was awfully hard for me and my husband. He couldn’t always find work. Some days he would come home horribly depressed and say, ‘Things are so bad I don’t know if I can take it.’ And I would say to him, ‘Well, you know, things could be worse.’ And once he said, ‘I’ve heard that so many times I think I’m gonna die!’ I was hurt…but I just hated to see him so depressed. I didn’t know what to say. Later he confessed that if I would have wept in despair, he wouldn’t have been able to make it. He needed me during those times.”

It occurs to me that HOW she responded to her husband’s pain was probably not as important as the simple fact that she was there and cared. He knew he could always count on her to be a ray of light in his darkness and a strong hand to lift him when he stumbled or to soothe his hurts. He needed her…and for similar reasons, she needed him, too.

Albert Schweitzer said so well, “Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.” During those difficult times they rekindled one another’s light.

Who rekindles your light? Who blows your light into flame when it threatens to flicker out? Sometimes this person is a relative, sometimes a teacher, or a pastor, or a close friend. I’ve learned that if I need the light of my spirit rekindled during a bleak time, there are a few special people who can do it.

I admire some people for their brilliance and I respect others for their strength. But I am indebted to those who can rekindle my spirit. I hope I can be such a person for others.

– By Steve Goodier http://www.LifeSupportSystem.com

Consider this: Who rekindles your light?

Gifts From The Heart . . .

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Gifts From The Heart
Michael Josephson

According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?”

The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter.”

I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it’s a ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.

Gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.

Michael Josephson is a nationally known ethicist and radio commentator. For more information, please visit this site: http://www.charactercounts.org

© 2003, Josephson Institute of Ethics

Consider this: Remember to taste the gift!

Look under your feet . . .

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The lesson which life constantly repeats is to ‘look under your feet.’ You are always nearer to the divine and the true sources of your power than you think. The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. Do not despise your own place and hour. Every place is under the stars. Every place is the center of the world.”

– John Burroughs

Consider this: Look under your feet.

‘Cause my cup has overflowed . . .

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‘Cause my cup has overflowed

And as I go along life’s way,

I’m reaping better than I sowed.

I’m drinking from my saucer,

‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven’t got a lot of riches,

and sometimes the going’s tough.

But I’ve got loving ones all around me,

and that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for his blessings,

and the mercies He’s bestowed.

I’m drinking from my saucer,

‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,

My faith wore somewhat thin.

But all at once the dark clouds broke,

and the sun peeped through again.

So Lord, help me not to gripe,

about the tough rows I have hoed.

I’m drinking from my saucer,

‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage,

When the way grows steep and rough.

I’ll not ask for other blessings,

I’m already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy,

to help others bear their loads.

Then I’ll keep drinking from my saucer,

‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

Consider this: Is your cup overflowed?

It Takes Time To Heal . . .

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It Takes Time To Heal
Ted Hibbard

It takes time to heal.

Build a bridge
from now to tomorrow.
Sink the piers
deep into the Earth.
Pour in concrete
day by day,
a little at a time,
and let it set.

It takes time to heal.

It may feel very awkward,
as if you’re making empty promises,
as if you’re simply spanning empty space.

But someday, somehow, somewhere,
you’ll find yourself
upon a brand new shore,
glancing back at the bridge
which you alone have built.

It takes time to heal.

Consider this: What do you need time to heal from?

Never be afraid . . .

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If people offer their help or wisdom as you go through life, accept it gratefully. You can learn much from those who have gone before you.

But never be afraid or hesitant to step off the accepted path and head off in your own direction, if your heart tells you that it’s the right way for you.

Always believe that you will ultimately succeed at whatever you do, and never forget the value of persistence, discipline, and determination.

You are meant to be whatever you dream of becoming.”

Edmund O’Neill

Consider this: What is your heart telling you today?

The Given Light . . .

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The Given Light
Barbara Hug

Once upon a time a man had heard, that in a foreign place, far away, there was a holy flame burning. So he got up and left his home to find the holy flame and bring some of its light back home to his house. He thought: ‘When I have this light, then I will have happiness and life and all the people I love will have it too.’

He travelled far, far away and finally found the holy flame, with which he lit his light. On his way back he had only one worry: ‘That his light could go out.’

On his way home he met someone who was freezing and didn’t have any fire and who begged him to give him some of his fire. The man with the light hesitated for a moment. Wasn’t his light too precious, too holy to be given away for something ordinary like that? Despite these doubts, he decided to give some of his light to the one who was freezing in the darkness.

The man continued his journey home and when he had almost reached his house a terrible thunderstorm started. He tried to protect his light from the rain and the storm, but at the end his light went out.

To return the long way back to the place where the holy flame was burning was impossible, he wouldn’t have had enough strength to go back this far – but he was strong enough to return to the human being whom he had helped on his way home.

………and with his light he could light his own again.

Consider this: Are you sharing your light with others?

25 Simple Things to Give Up If You Want to Succeed . . .

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25 Simple Things to Give Up If You Want to Succeed

The best way to invite good new things into your life is to make room for them.
Just as you declutter your office and home, from time to time do a check and throw out anything that isn’t helping you make your success achievable.

Here are some good places to start.

1. Trying to be perfect. Perfectionism sets us up for failure. It’s not a quest for the best but a way of telling yourself you’ll never be good enough.
2. Playing small. Expand your horizons. Go big. Grow! Sometimes the process is painful, but it’s worth it.
3. Faking it. Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re always strong.
4. Waiting for luck. Luck builds its foundation on preparation. Coming across good opportunities may be partly a matter of luck, but it’s also a matter of knowing where to find them and being prepared to make the most of them.
5. Waiting for anything. We have been fooled into thinking that if we wait for the right time, right place, and right person we will be successful, but opportunity is where you find it, not where it finds you.
6. Needing approval. Don’t let the opinions of others consume you. What a waste of time!
7. Trying to do it alone. Even if you can pull it off, it’s twice as much work and half as much fun when you do it alone.
8. Making empty promises. Make your promises rare and 100 percent reliable.
9. Fixating on your weaknesses. We all have our weak points. Work on them, but focus on your strengths.
10. Blaming others. It’s cowardly and it costs you respect.
11. Overlooking your negative thoughts. You may believe that you are responsible for what you do but not for what you think. The truth is those things can’t be separated.
12. Living in the past. Your future starts now.
13. Trying to please everyone. The surest path to failure is trying to please everyone. Work to please only yourself and those who are important to you.
14. Small goals. Small goals yield small results; big goals, big (and sometimes huge) results.
15. Holding on to grudges. They’re a waste of time and a thief of contentment and happiness.
16. Avoiding change. Change will happen with your permission or not. Manage it when you can and always make the best of it.
17. Trying to never make a mistake. Avoiding risk and never daring is the biggest mistake you can make.
18. Saying “I can’t.” Don’t give up just because things are hard, and don’t talk to yourself in negative terms.
19. Minimizing yourself. Being a shrinking violet doesn’t help you, it doesn’t put anyone else at ease, and it’s a bore.
20. Gossiping. Small people indulge in gossip. Talk about ideas instead — and when you do talk about people, be compassionate and supportive always.
21. Staying down. Failure does not come from falling down. Failure comes from not getting up.
22. Complaining. If you spend time complaining about yesterday, you won’t have time to make tomorrow better.
23. Spending time with negative people. If those around you are trying to bring you down, maybe it’s time to lift yourself up.
24. Comparing yourself with others. Comparison is another thief of your happiness. Don’t worry about what others are doing.
25. Thinking you can’t make a difference. Each of us can make a difference — and together we make a change.

We all have traits and tendencies we need to give up so we can let something great come in. Everyone is entitled for success; we just have to make room for it. Learn to give up what is keeping you stuck and start moving closer to the things you want out of life.

Originally published on Inc.com

About the Author: Lolly Daskal is the founder of Lead from Within, a global leadership, executive coaching, and business consulting firm. You can connect with her on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Google+

Consider this: Where will you start today?

When You Meet A Friend . . .

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When You Meet A Friend
Ted Hibbard

To meet a friend
is to open a book
there is no need to rush
take your time
read the pages
one by one
let the plot unfold
as it will

each page adds a nuance,
a gesture, a word, a scene
what will happen next
you need to know

your lips begin to move
you suddenly realize
you’ve become one of the characters
in an enthralling life story

you can not help yourself
the heroine’s dreams
have become your dreams
your lives have become
completely intertwined

then suddenly
you realize
with a deep sense of dread
you’re coming
to the end of that
wonderful volume

but wait
do not fear
see
over there —
stacked up on those shelves —
an infinite number of books
by the very same author
waiting, ready

more stories to be read

when you meet a friend

Consider this: Keep reading new stories.