Wednesday Wisdom 12/31/08

Okay, so the following is an old statement, however, isn’t it so true?

The superior man is modest his speech, but exceeds in his action.
– Confucius, 551 BC – 479 BC

Actions do speak so much louder than words. And, they get results! As we begin a new year we easily talk about how different 2009 will be from the previous year. However, what will you DO differently to make it different? Do you even remember your last new year’s resolutions? (Or, was it to lose weight, yet another year?)

How about deciding what, specifically, you want to be different about yourself and your life in December 2009. Then, make a few critical commitments to self rather than a bunch of resolutions you and I both know will last about a week and a half.

Words without action are assassins of ideals. – Herbert Hoover

What do you ideally want? If something is going to change in your life, you need to change something in your life! To become and to have what you desire in the next 12 months, what needs to change? Write it down. Put it somewhere you’ll see it everyday. Then, let’s all take ACTION to create what we desire . . .

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
– Mark Twain

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Wednesday Wisdom 12/24/08

Thank God for poets like Helen Steiner Rice to remind us of things like:

Peace on earth will come to stay,
When we live Christmas every day.

At a time of the year when giving is commonplace, perhaps we can remember Winston Churchill’s words:

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

And, just what is it you give? Religious preferences aside, it seems profound to remember that over two thousand years ago a baby was born as one of the most significant events in all history, because, it meant pouring love as the healing medicine into an ailing world. Love is the antidote to transform all matters of the heart. Underneath the bulging bundles of comparatively meaningless merchandize is the beating heart of Christmas.

The Christmas heart is a giving heart. Perhaps the most significant gift of these financially difficult times is the realization of the liberating presence of love. However, we can’t give what we don’t have. How different would your world be if you chose to live in the presents of love throughout 2009? As a daily choice for 365 days, chances are, it would become a habit.

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
– Roy L. Smith

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Wednesday Wisdom 12/17/08

Although Norman Vincent Peale no longer walks earth, I have fond memories of his presence within an exceptional community we shared, the National Speakers Association. He left behind many things for us earthlings to consider, like this one:

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Some of us are in the midst of the hustle bustle of the season. It’s easy to get caught up in stuff. It’s also easy to feel moments of generosity and the Christmas spirit. How about a pause to ponder the powerful potential of peace – inner peace that extends outwardly. Is my heart truly at peace? Am I able to extend peace in the middle of a moment of frustration or conflict? Am I able to stay calm, with a soft heart when I’m with someone I don’t really care for? Do I make a point of finding beauty in every day life?

A heart at war extends itself to the entire world around it. Is it possible to achieve world peace without an extension of inner peace from a critical mass of humans? Perhaps today you can be one of those who decide to work on your heart. Catch yourself in a moment of regret, angst, anger, resentment, or pride. Pause, and fill yourself with the truth of Christmas. What might happen if enough of us decided to wave the magic wand of softness and beauty over our world in any moment that we mindfully thought of doing so? Sure, it would be a challenge; however, it would certainly be worth the effort.

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Wednesday Wisdom 12/10/08

I looked at my office yesterday and was overwhelmed by how out-of-control it was (yet once again!). As much as I tried to avoid them, the words of Dr. Janet Lapp immediately swirled in my head:

The way we handle anything in our life is the way we handle everything.
– Dr. Janet Lapp

Darn, I don’t even want begin contemplating that! However, I know the dangers of self-deception. So, as I begin to realize I’m winding down one year and looking at a fresh new one in the very near future, I ask myself: Where else am I negligent in my life? In my relationships? With my time? With my health? My finances? My potential wisdom?

At any given moment in your life, you might pause and ask yourself the same. Let me know what insights surface for you! Hey, today’s as good a day as any!

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Wednesday Wisdom 12/03/08

The world’s youngest queen, Queen Rania of Jordan, is a businesswoman, mother of four, international fashion icon and a woman committed to making the world a better place. One of the ways she makes a difference is a commitment to maintain a healthy, stable family. Therefore, although she has the means to do so, she doesn’t easily hand her children everything they want. Even at a young age, they must clean their rooms and do well in school.

The most important thing is to instill them with the right values. I feel that values are the shield that you carry with you throughout life. They protect you from whatever life throws at you.

When people talk of values as being old fashioned, I sigh for the world. And, even though our children may kick, scream, make faces and call us ridiculous, it feels good to hear another mother say she perceives values as the shield you carry with you throughout your life, protecting you from whatever life throws. And, life will throw stuff! So, for the planet’s sake, I pray you are clear about your values. And, in the name of all humanity, I pray harder that they are demonstrated in all you do. How are your values being manifested today?

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