Pressing the Launch Button

"Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off." - Author Unknown

I have always wondered what it would be like having control of the "LAUNCH" button. There it would be, right in front of me as I sat in a spaceship, ready to head out into space. I know that all of this is computer controlled, but wouldn't it be cool to have the big green button to push.

Could I wait long enough?

Ten, nine, eight....hit the button!

Would patience on my part prevail on such an important occasion?

It is in patience that wise decisions and successful accomplishment are rewarded. It seems the excitement in getting on with life breeds most of our impatience. When we start our journey towards a goal or new place in life, it starts with a first step and then many more.

The number of steps we need to take fuels that impatience. We want to jump past steps two through nine hundred ninety-nine and go directly to step one thousand.

But if we skip those steps, we skip the most enthralling piece; the journey. For you see it is in the journey we learn, grow and live. It is in the journey we find our greatness.

So patience with the "LAUNCH" button; lift off will occur soon enough. Have patience with the ride because the journey is going to be great.

Stay inspired my friends!

Menu Change

“I will continue my path, but I will keep a memory always.” ― Rosie Thomas

It has been 15 years of culinary appreciation we have had with our own cafeteria where I work. The breakfast biscuit and gravy and early morning starters helped set the tone for a great day. During the noon lunch break, there was always something to please the pallet and pleasing conversation.

And through those years has been our friend Bekki.

The changing times of the workplace and more people working from home did this. The need for less office space created a change which I am not fully certain of regarding the missed daily interactions among people. The work environment can create close teams and great accomplishments.

And through those years has been our friend Bekki.

Bekki was a part of that team as well. She was a part of all we did here in our corner of the working world. From the laughter and Wednesday joke to listening as one spoke of their children, parents or grandkids; her ear was always a willing participant to the conversation. As a friend does.

How many of us get to work in an environment, surrounded by people who care for you and miss you when you are gone? While a rhetorical question, it is the kind of work place we had here and Bekki was a large part of it. A workplace family that each of us are a part of.

And now that the time has passed, we will miss our friend Bekki.

There was Terrence, Melissa and many of the other folks who worked with Bekki in that cafeteria. Each of them brought a special kindness to the counter. Melissa scurrying about with the daily planning and a kind word for you. And I am going to miss my sports talk with Terence and his culinary greatness.

Without them, the vending machine only whirs and clunks in response.

Things change, that is inevitable. Another office cafeteria will get to know Bekki and the others who have passed through. All of us will move further along the path in our lives. But the memories of some great people, of friendly people, of Ms. Bekki will endure.

Thank you Bekki for bringing a smile and kind word to the day.

Stay inspired my friends!

No More Grudge

“To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.” - William H. Walton

As we go through life, it is inevitable that we are going to be wronged by someone. There will be someone who says something about you which is not true or takes a prized possession from you. These wrongs that occur can be real acts of being wronged or simply perceived wrongs. Perceived wrongs are many times harder to handle because there is no proof.

Only the aching pain you force upon yourself is evident.

The word grudge is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as; a feeling of ill will or resentment. Synonyms include the words bitterness, rancor, malevolence, enmity, hatred, malice or spite. All of these words are quite unpleasant to hold inside.

To hold a grudge hurts nobody but yourself.

The American actor and comedian Buddy Hackett once said, “I've had a few arguments with people, but I never carry a grudge. You know why? While you're carrying a grudge, they're out dancing.” This is so true for a couple of reasons.

First, if the hurt was real and the person who perpetrated it doesn't care; your grudge means nothing to that person. If the person really had made a mistake and is a friend; then you are missing out on having a great relationship.

Secondly, if the hurt is perceived and the other person is not aware of it, then isn't holding a grudge much like talking to a wall? It gets you no where and the wall simply remains bored with you!

The point remains, holding a grudge means you are only holding yourself back.

It is not productive, it wastes your time and hinders your ability to move on in life. I have heard it said that a grudge is like a slow leak, a small hole through which your energy continually seeps. Think about it and see if it is consuming too much of your time and energy; you might be surprised.

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The following ideas for letting go from Cope Lines

- It helps to let go through a personal ritual that symbolizes letting go of a grudge.
Although your serious side may say you're being silly, have a little ceremony that will evoke positive, empowering feelings whenever you think of your grudge.

- Banish your grudge from your life.
After writing out your feelings about what happened to you, address an envelope to some fictional address in Siberia. Don't put a return address on the envelope so it can't come back. Mail it and imagine it ending up on the other side of the world. Granted, it will never actually make it to Siberia, but it will get lost forever in the U.S. postal system. What counts is that it won't find its way back into your life.

- Talk your feelings through while recording them on a cassette.
Fill both sides of the cassette if you need to. Yell, curse or cry, but get it all out. When you've finished, drop the tape in a recycling bin for plastics. Imagine your useless grudge feelings being transformed into something functional but harmless, like a plastic jug. Or imagine your grudge turning into something very positive and constructive, like sturdy playground equipment for children.

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The above are only a couple of ideas, but you get the idea which is to let it go. Enjoy your life and don't be weighed down by grudge.

Get on with it and do yourself a good thing.

Stay inspired my friends!

Keep Moving Forward

"Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement comes apparent failure and discouragement." - Florence Scovel Shinn

Living without a vision for what you want to accomplish is similar to walking on a treadmill. You are constantly walking and running in one place. Even if you run faster, you remain in the same place.

The view of a wall in front of you remains the same.

With a vision for tomorrow and a positive attitude to accompany it, you can break loose from that same view. You can move out into a new world towards your goal. Your vision becomes more clear.

Create and hang on to your vision for something great in your life.

Walk forward on a path to achievement and leave the treadmill behind.

Stay inspired my friends.