Inspiring Reminders to Think, Live and Love Well

Inspiring Reminders to Think and Live Well

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Your Right to Be Wrong


Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make yourself a happier and more productive person.
       - Dr. David M. Burns

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Use Your Talent


Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.
       - Henry Van Dyke

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Way to Succeed


The way to succeed is to double your error rate.
       - Thomas J. Watson

Thursday, July 28, 2011

No One is Perfect


No one is perfect..that’s why pencils have erasers
     
- Author Unknown

Monday, July 25, 2011

What You Don't Say


"Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say." 
-unknown

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Most Important Ingredient


"Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life."  
 Dior Yamasaki

Friday, July 22, 2011

Becoming Your Best


"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being."
-Goethe

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Kaizen Way


I just learned a new word today:  KAIZEN.   It's a Japanese business management term that refers to Gradual, Continuous Change and Improvement.  It is all about breaking tasks down into the smallest, most manageable steps, so that the big jobs are not only easier, but more efficient, productive and enjoyable to accomplish.  The Kaizen Way ultimately leads to bigger business success, but also humanizes the workplace.

What about applying the Kaizen way to our own personal life goals?
  • What do you want to change?
  • Sometimes change seems so overwhelming, so far from reach, so...... Realize the best change will be
  • GRADUAL:
  • Break it down into the very smallest of steps.  You'll know the step is small enough if it seems easy... Oh yeah, I can do that!  If you're trying to get motivated to get back to the gymn, a baby step might be to simply take your running shoes out of the closet on "Change Day #1.  Day # 2 might be finding shorts and a t-shirt.  By Day #4, you might actually get to the gymn, but your goal may simply be to do a super short walk on the treadmill.  Get the picture?  If you forced yourself to do a full workout on Day #1, the excuses would come running, right?  However, once you're actually on that treadmill, the momentum might capture you.  
  • Another key concept in the Kaizen way, is to make changes: 
  • CONTINUAL:
  • Every day, make a step forward.  Remember, the steps need only be tiny, but every increment counts.  In the fitness example, that might simply include looking up the information for a class to take, doing a couple of stretches at home while watching tv, acknowledging that a rest day is an important part of your progress, or maybe just doing your laundry so you've got a clean shirt to wear next time.  It doesn't mean you have to work out every day!
I'd love to hear about your Kaizen Way plans and successes

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

I'm Getting Closer


I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.  ~Author Unknown

Monday, July 18, 2011

Don't Be Discouraged

 Don't be discouraged.  It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.  ~Author Unknown

Sunday, July 17, 2011

The Limits of Your Stubborness


Stubbornly persist, and you will find that the limits of your stubbornness go well beyond the stubbornness of your limits.  ~Robert Brault,

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Stick to It

 Consider the postage stamp:  its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.  ~Josh Billings

Friday, July 15, 2011

Nobody Trips Over Mountains

 Nobody trips over mountains.  It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble.  Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.  ~Author Unknown

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Do the Little Jobs Well


Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs.  Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger.  If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.  ~Dale Carnegie

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Try it One More Time

 When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."

~Author Unknown

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Enjoy Your Ride


 “Sit tall in the saddle hold your
head up high, keep your eyes fixed
where the trail meets the sky and live
like you ain't afraid to die, don't be scared
just enjoy your ride”

Chris LeDoux song

Monday, July 11, 2011

Saddle Back Up


“Its not how many times you
get bucked off that counts, its
how many times you saddle
back up.”

RanchandFarmworld.com

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Understanding More to Fear Less


Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
- Marie Curie

Saturday, July 9, 2011

The Strength may be in Letting Go


Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.
- Hermann Hesse

Friday, July 8, 2011

Say No to No


Never allow a person to tell you No who doesn't have the power to say Yes.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Beauty of Your Dreams


The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A Hero


A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
- Christopher Reeve

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Our True Strength


Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Monday, July 4, 2011

Change Your Thinking

  Change Your Thinking
It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking..


Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.



The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.


The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..



Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.


The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.



The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.




As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.


Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone..




0A Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.


The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'



Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.


'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .'

The origin of this letter is unknown