Zig Zag

Life is rarely linear. There will always be zigzags on the way to your goals. As Henry Ford said: Obstacles are just those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal....

New eyes

One day a wealthy man took his son on a trip to the countryside to live for a few days on a farm with a poor family. His goal was to teach his son a lesson on what it means to be POOR. When they returned, the man asked his son "Son, what did you learn about what it means to be poor?"

The son said, "I learned that we have one dog, they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the end of our garden, bu they have creek with no end. We have imported lanterns, but they have the stars at night. We have a small piece of land, they have fields that go beyond sight. We buy our food, they grow theirs. We have walls around our property but they have friends to protect them."

The man was stunned. "Yes dad, you showed me how poor we truly are!" said the son.

With an open mind, our new eyes creates new reality. "The voyage of true discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes but in seeing with NEW EYES." -- Marcel Proust

Bonsai or Mighty Oak?

Every 7 years, every cell in our body changes completely. Yet every 7 years, you always wake up YOU. Why?

According to Aristotle, it's because YOU is your "entelechy" - your original "you seed". Just as an oak seed is destined to always grow into an oak tree, you too have your internal seed... ensuring you will always grow into a YOU of some variety.

But depending on its environment, an oak seed can grow into a Mighty Oak or a Stunted Bonsai Oak.... so Aristotle warns: You might grow into a Mighty Human Being or a Bonsai Human Being depending on how you weather stormy circumstances in life. Actually, Aristotle believed that stormy events helps humans grow stronger, in the same way trees that endure the stormiest conditions are the ones with the strongest branches.

Aristotle says: Stormy times gives us the opportunity to grow in mighty human beings provided we FOCUS on the big picture rather than our difficulties. It concerns us to know the purposes we seek in life, for then, like archers aiming at a definite mark, we shall be more likely to attain what we want.

--- Today's gems are from Karen Salmansohn ---

Stretch Yourself...

Remember when your mother used to tell you "You won't grow unless you stretch yourself"? She's right! Stretching yourself usually means discomfort. But look...... you're all grown up now and you survived the pain and discomfort!

In life, stretching yourself means you need to deal with the pain of the unknown and working new emotional and mental muscle groups. Why people don't stretch themselves in life?

- They are afraid of the unknown
- They want to feel comfy putting in the least efforts
- They are not willing to put up with short-term pain for long-term gain

But not me.....

During challenging times, remember: NO GROWING PAINS, NO GROWING GAINS!

So, don't forget to stretch!

Anyway.... OR.... Anyways?

This is a word I always hear in conversations with people. Whether it be in Kuala Lumpur, Australia... and even all the way here in Canada! Which is correct?

Anyway means "anyhow" or "in any case." "Anyways" is a strictly colloquial expression, as ungrammatical in written English as "anyhows" because adverbs cannot be plural.

Avoid "Anyways"

by Tina Blue

April 2, 2005

This is going to be short and simple.

Do not say or write "anyways"--not ever. The word is "anyway."

The form "anyways" is found in some dialects in the United States, but it is not standard English, and it should never be used in any situation where you want to be considered reasonably well educated.

That's all there is to it.

Bad day or bad attitude?

People always blame their attitude on the day. "I'm having a bad day." What they are saying is they are letting others get to their attitude. That's a sign of mental weakness. If you tell yourself you're having a bad day, the you're having one for sure. The day is not bad.... unless you name it BAD....

Should I watch the news?

Watching the local news..... what a great use of time **smirk**

Thirty to sixty minutes of useless information, presented in 100% problem-format! If you watch an hour a day of problems, every day for years, you become problem-oriented. Then you drag the news crap to work and begin to negatively affect others "Hey did you watch the news.... "

Apparently, the news is the most popular show on TV! It's popular because most people who watch it lack direction or focus, or are miserable and looking for something/someone more miserable than they are -- I guess to make them feel better.

Need to know the weather? Just poke your head outside... it's a lot more accurate than the weather news!

WAKE UP CALL: Let's say you watch the news for half hour a day for the past year.... that's 7.5 days you spent watching problems. In 5 years, that's 38 days. In terms of a 40-hour work week, that's 23 weeks every five years --- of crap.

Imagine the possibilities if you diverted the energy in a positive direction. Which do you think is more powerful use of your time: watching other people's problems OR investing in yourself and creating plans and solutions?

--- Today's insight is from Jeffrey Gitomer ---