Compassion Follows

"Compassion brings us to a stop, and for a moment we rise above ourselves." - Mason Cooley

Each of us have witnessed on television the devastating images from Japan when a tsunami hit their shores in 2011. An earthquake and then a large scale tsunami wreaked widespread death and destruction.

One could not help but be moved to compassion for those affected.

The Wednesday before this natural disaster occurred, I was flying through Tokyo on my way home. During my four hour layover an airline club representative told me I had just missed the rumblings of an early morning earthquake.

Little did I or anyone around me know what was about to happen.

As I have written before, the unexpected will happen in life. But it can be in our hearts to spill over with compassion when others are hurt. And compassion not only happens during great disasters, but compassion can be an everyday piece of your heart.

There are people all around us in need.

Some more then others have great needs and others with smaller needs just to help them get through the day. It does not mean we are ranking the needs of people. Just know that everyone has needs which are important to them.

When you rise above yourself, compassion for others will naturally follow.

Individually we can not solve all or even many of the worlds problems. But start small, start with yourself, start by simply having compassion where it is needed. Eventually you will find yourself among others doing great things.

Stay inspired my friends!

The Unexpected Will Always Happen

“It is strange how new and unexpected conditions bring out unguessed ability to meet them.” ― Edgar Rice Burroughs

John Lennon, a member of the 1960's group The Beatles once said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." A subtle but true reminder of how we live our lives as we attempt to control and plan all aspects of life.

Life itself has a tendency to do other things.

It might be attending college working towards a degree, a new girl or boy in your life and suddenly a baby is on the way.

Life changes your plans and now your life is raising a family.

It might be as a child with parents seeing your life ahead of you and then a divorce occurs changing everything.

Life sets you on a course much different then you had imagined.

A job career progressing and than a downturn in the economy and you become a statistic on a balance sheet, no more job.

Life just handed you a new opportunity to embrace.

Each of us plan and chart where our lives are going and want to be. Just remember the unexpected can and probably will occur. Be of good nature and understand it happens to everyone throughout their lifetime. It will happen to you, but knowing this and staying positive will help pull you through once again.

Stay inspired my friends!

Our Inner Attitude

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” – W. Clement Stone

When will all this great stuff happen?

I made a change three weeks ago and things are still the same.

What about me, what about the great life?

These are comments I have heard from folks who have not caught the true essence of what a great attitude is. Achieving success or a great life is not about instant results or even sometimes visible change.

Most of this is about inner change

It is about being different within which allows the outside to take care of itself. Robert Browning said, “The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life: Try to be Shakespeare, leave the rest to fate!”

There will be changes which begin to happen in your life that can not be expected. Time will flow by and all of a sudden there will be a realization that things are good. When you concentrate on the inner self, the rest will begin to take care of itself.

Life will come to you with greater opportunity.

Greater friends, greater success and you will reflect one day and realize life is good. At that moment, what having a great attitude means will become clear to you.

Stay inspired my friends!

The Joy Of It All

"A cheerful spirit is one of the most valuable gifts ever bestowed upon humanity by a kind Creator. It is the sweetest and most fragrant flower of the Spirit, that constantly sends out its beauty and fragrance, and blesses everything within its reach. It will sustain the soul in the darkest and most dreary places of this world. It will hold in check the demons of despair, and stifle the power of discouragement and hopelessness. It is the brightest star that ever cast its radiance over the darkened soul, and one that seldom sets in the gloom of morbid fancies and foreboding imaginations." - James H. Aughey

Every day you rise and go about your day. Each of those days will be different.

Some days will be filled with mundane ordinary events while others will be filled with stress. Days of glee and happiness can be followed by pain and sorrow.

For every one of those days we will have emotional and physical responses to deal with. How you choose to handle these daily changes determines just how good or bad the day will be. The daily effort to move forward with life will be affected by these day-to-day changes.

With some level of cheerfulness in your heart, those days will be made better when all of the world seems upon you. But while you work at living, do not forget to enjoy life along the way.

Even with the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations, the joy and sadness; try to enjoy life along the way for it passes much too quickly.

Stay inspired my friends!