Time and a Word

"...vita ch'è una cosa bella, non è la vita che si conosce, ma quella che non si conosce; non la vita passata, ma la futura." - Giacomo Leopardi

It is December 31, the final day of another year gone by. Time gets labeled with points to indicate its passage. We have dinner at a particular time, we wake in the morning at a particular time, we have to be to work at a particular time. We set an alarm to mark a point in time, we write down events on a calendar, we celebrate each and every moment as it arrives and leaves us.

Time could be considered purposeful only for the marking of those events and to order our lives. But time simply exists and exists only for a fleeting moment, a minute, a second, a nanosecond and then it is gone. It can never be repeated, it can never be captured in a bottle and it can never be undone.

Time leaves us only with the future.

If we were to call this, December 31 the last day would be to say there is no future. And of course we all know that tomorrow will occur. The Sun will rise on January 1, an alarm will go off awakening someone to the new day, others will be peering at their watch in hopes of arriving at work on time.

The future will happen.

You have a grand life laid out in front of you. Time is moving you towards that life which is your's to discover. There will be three-hundred and sixty-five days in a year to pursue and enjoy life. We will be hear again at the end of that "mark in time" to remind ourselves that continues to deliver us a future.

Go after your future with the knowledge that time will forever give us opportunities to live it to our fullest potential. Enjoy your new year, enjoy what lay ahead of you, enjoy your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

The English translation of the quote above is, "...life which is a beautiful thing, is not the life that you know, but what you do not know, not the past life, but the future."

The Road Ahead

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Helen Keller

In a song called "Home" by Phillip Phillips, the opening lyric is "Hold on, to me as we go, as we roll down this unfamiliar road." And as we begin a new year, 2014 will have its share of hills, pot holes and stormy weather. Through each and every twist or triumph, we will be successful together.

I will do my best to motivate you.

I will do my best to inspire you.

I will do my best.

No matter the road we take, if we take it with others the journey will never be lonely. The journey will be exciting and fruitful because of our joined experience. The destination will wait for you so enjoy the road side distractions, the rambling conversations and the unexpected encounters.

Stay inspired throughout the year my friends.

Opportunity Steps Up

"No great man ever complains of want of opportunity." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The following story is from an unknown author but illustrates how problems can be turned into opportunities. We each face obstacles in our lives which can be turned around with focus and persistence. The idea of being 'stubborn as an old mule' will get you results from time to time.

Once upon a time a farmer owned an old mule who tripped and fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule braying and was unable to figure out how to bring up the old animal. It grieved him that he could not pull the animal out. He'd been a good worker around the farm.

Although the farmer sympathized with the mule, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened. He had them help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and quietly put him out of his misery.

At first, the old mule was puzzled, but as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, he had a thought: he ought to shake off the dirt and step up. And he did just that.

"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up." Even though he took painful blows of dirt and fought panic, he just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!

It wasn't long before the old mule stepped up and over the lip of that well. What could have buried him actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

Change the circumstances and change your world. And stay inspired my friends!

After Christmas Returns

“A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.” ― Seneca

A recent news article detailed the five top reasons people return or exchange gifts after Christmas.

1. It is not the recipient’s taste.
    Did you really think I would look good in aqua pink green?
2. It is the wrong size.
    Do I really look that thin to you?
3. It will never be used.
    The chimney umbrella seems like a neat idea!
4. It is too personal.
    Thank you for the thong swimsuit!
5. It suggests you think the recipient should change something about themself.
    Twelve steps to what?

There may have been the odd one or two presents under the tree yesterday, but just remember that most people give from the heart and that was the intent of the "dogs playing poker" velvet tie you received.

Enjoy the after Christmas after-glow.

Stay inspired my friends!

What Is His Name

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” ― Charles Dickens

I wish for you to allow me to indulge my faith this time of year. For you see it is my belief his name is Jesus. And as common as I am in this world, so it is that he came to us.



Stay inspired my friends.

Yes Virginia

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” ― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

I have always enjoyed the message in this story from New York's THE SUN newspaper and as such I share it with you.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus.

Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DEAR EDITOR:
I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a joyous Christmas and Holiday season full of life, love, generosity and devotion. Stay inspired my friends.

Two Days Til Christmas

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ― Mark Twain

Only two days before the Christian observance of Christmas falls upon us. It celebrates the birth not of God but of a man who was the "son of God" in my Christian faith. And while there is debate as to when the actual birth occurred, it has been with us for hundreds of years.

The celebration has also grown into many different variations of celebration, both religious and secular. We have of course the "Twelve Days of Christmas" shopping season that has grown into "Thirty Days of Christmas" as soon as the Thanksgiving Dinner dishes are washed shopping season.

We have the College Football Bowl season in which the very good and the very questionable games get played. There are the office parties in which some reveal themselves a bit more in the company of co-workers then they should. There are vacations to the beach for those that want a mid-winter's escape from the cold.

There are final visits to see Santa Claus and provide him with a few more gift ideas. A walk through the magical lights or a drive to see colorful Christmas displays. There are parades, there are parties and there are presents to be wrapped.

Yet the most important thing to me is that people just seem to get along much better. New connections are made between people that have never known each other. Old connections are renewed and strengthened. It is a much friendlier time of the year. And in many ways, my belief in what mankind should be like gets restored.

Enjoy the holidays, enjoy Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa and Saint Sylvester. More importantly enjoy being kind to others.

Stay inspired my friends.

Our Lives Are Songs

By Thomas Gibbons

Our lives are songs:
God writes the words,
And we set them to music at leisure;
And the song is sad, or the song is glad,
As we choose to fashion the measure.

We must write the song
Whatever the words,
Whatever its rhyme or meter;
And if it is sad, we must make it glad,
And if sweet, we must make it sweeter.

Stay inspired my friends!

Taking Flight

“If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.” ― Coco Chanel

This is the day that our daughter Pareesa takes steps on a stage to take hold of her college degree. The many late nights of studying, writing papers and dreaming of accomplishment are over. The reward of dedication to learning is acknowledgement before a multitude of family, friends and peers.

We are so proud of her in this and all the moments of her life.

With her degree in hand she will take flight to even greater heights. The world awaits all of us to accomplish great things. Pareesa, like all of our children, have and will do so much in their lifetime. The sky is huge and full of possibility to spread her wings wide. She will soar to success unimaginable even by a parents greatest expectations.

There will be great love and pride lifting those wings.

Where the winds of time carry her, we always know those same winds will carry her home to us from time to time. Pareesa will have a life of greatness, of achievement, and of happiness. Life is a wondrous thing to have and she will embark upon it with courage, wisdom and strength. As parents, we will get to watch from our perch, happy and confident in her ability to soar ever higher.

We love you Pareesa and are so proud of you on this grand graduation day!

Stick To It

“The best way out is always through.” ― Robert Frost

Today is about sticking to your belief and vision. The longer you stay on your journey, the more you will learn and begin to see the fruit of that experience. Persistence can be a difficult trait to endure. Many people want a better life but so many of those same people are not willing to 'pay the cost' to achieve it.

This cost is staying with the dream, making the changes and understanding that achievement can take a long time to occur. You make change and you measure success in both small and large steps.

But you keep your eye on the goal. You remain confident in your vision. You 'stick to' the journey.

Stay inspired my friends!

Yield to a Positive Attitude

“Although our inattention can contribute to our lack of total well-being, we also have the power to choose positive behaviors and responses. In that choice we change our every experience of life!” -Greg Anderson

yield; [synonyms: yield, relent, bow, defer, submit, capitulate, succumb]. All of these verbs mean to give in to what one can no longer oppose or resist. They are variations of the word yield and on the surface would seem to mean defeat. You might even think it means to show signs of weakness.

In another definition, yielding can be a term of strength.

If you allow yourself to be the upstanding person and let the small transgressions in life go by without seeking retribution is a hard quality to live by. I am not suggesting we allow ourselves to be tread upon. There is a time to stand up for what is right and correct that which is wrong. What I am suggesting is that we can be the better person.

Yielding means allowing yourself to submit to the power of being positive.

All of us know and have heard that 'evil' (for lack of a better term) is a powerful influence. That we all seem to be drawn to the negative. And do you know why? Because being negative is easy, it doesn't take a whole lot of effort. So the negative draws attention, bad news stories will draw more viewers then a news program filled with stories of bake sales at the local elementary.

People can become lazy to the impact of being positive when you surround yourself with all of the negative news, negative water cooler talk and other forms or downtrodden on life. So many people misunderstand the power in overcoming negativity.

The power of being positive will improve your life.

Yield to the power of positive thinking; the power of having a positive attitude. Will it make you rich? Maybe it will, maybe it won't. What it will do is enrichen your life no matter what your circumstance. It will draw you into a more positive and successful crowd of people. This in turn improves your opportunity to improve your life. You will learn and gain from being in an environment of great people.

Stay with the complainers and you will become one.

Yield to the power that a positive attitude can have on your life. You will be drawn into greatness with others. See the world, see your life from a new perspective. And stay inspired my friends!

Achieving Confidence

"Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings." -Samuel Johnson

In a cartoon strip called Dilbert, one of the characters named Wally tries to coerce his boss into giving him a raise by threatening that he has a job offer from another company. You then see in Wally's thoughts, "..sit back and let the loving begin." But his boss is quietly speaking on the phone to security, "...whack him in the parking lot."

Have you ever had this type of feeling at your job?

The cartoon's creator Scott Adams does a wonderful job of pointing out the truths and misbeliefs of the work place. What I suggest the meaning behind the cartoon is that you can't simply expect things to happen in life. You have to go out and work for those things you want to accomplish. If we choose to merely "expect" things to come to us, that expectation will normally produce unexpected consequences.

Would we want to merely be meek in what we do?

At the same time I must admit the cartoon character named Wally exhibits a great amount of confidence. But we must be careful not to confuse confidence with self-serving ego. There must be work and sincerity behind the effort given in support of our confidence.

Your work ethic creates the boldness.

Be bold in your confidence and back it up with hard work and servitude. Others will be confident in your ability by the proof of the work you have performed. The reward itself will follow. Stay inspired my friends!

Feed Goodness

"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." ~Kahlil Gibran

There is a story in which an old Cherokee tells his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Each of us have the ability to choose a path to follow. You may feel that the choice of paths is limited. But if you see it that way, then you are missing the point. Your attitude will determine the greatness (or not) of the path chosen.

Now do not get me wrong, if your choice is a destructive life-style then the consequences will soon overcome you. I would be surprised if a meth addict eventually enjoys having made the choice they did. Nor a fading porn star, alcoholic or any one of a dozen things.

When you find your life not where you want it to be; complaint will not get you out of it. In fact, the energy you exert in complaint will be wasted. Choosing to take a more positive view will allow you to divert that energy towards finding a better path. You will be more focused on what you can change in your life.

As the wise old man said, "the one you feed" will be the life you get. There are so many changed lives out there based upon this simple principle of life. Feed the positive nature of your life and let it grow to great heights.

Stay inspired my friends!

Argument Resolved

"Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then best you with experience." -Dilbert

There will be those that think the above quote is a harsh statement. Yet we allow ourselves to be pulled into that argument so many times. It causes us to lose ground on what we have achieved when we enter into an argument with our own selves. We struggle to some level of success in life. And than as we try to move even further, we allow the past to pull us back.

One way of looking at this would be to consider the idea of doing something new in your life. You sit and evaluate your past experiences. We do this in order to learn and understand what we have done previously. We will take those past experiences and look at them in two different ways;

1. The things we can change to be successful next time.
2. The things that discourage us from ever trying again.

During this backward look at experiences, they can be positive and supportive in our new efforts to succeed. But then we allow the 'idiot' voice to creep into the argument. This voice is our negative experience which always seems to have a louder voice. And so begins the argument with oneself and the 'idiot' inside draws us down to that level. That voice is saying you will never be successful, or will never do better. Suddenly the voice has won and talked us out of even trying.

Drown out the 'idiot' voice and give center stage to your voice that encourages.

There is a voice inside each of us that encourages and one which teaches you lessons that will give rise to success. It all starts with believing in oneself, in letting the 'smart'voice win the argument inside. Believe in yourself and let the 'idiot'inside go argue with someone else.

Stay inspired my friends!

Get Up and Go

"Time is really the only capital that any human being has and the thing that he can least afford to waste or lose. " -Thomas Edison

Do you waste your time on things that are not productive to your life or others? If so, this is a call for you to get up, do something and not just sit around wishing things were different.

If you sit and do nothing, you will achieve nothing but waste a life time.

When you get up and make a move, your life will begin down a path of living a great life, great achievement and establishing great memories for those you leave behind. As a character in a book by Stephen King (Shawshank Redemption) says, "get busy living or get busy dying."

You can sit and live out your life watching it wash away from you. Or you can begin doing something to live your life before it is over. When you make the move to do something, not everything will go as planned but you will learn, experience and grow. The act of failure is merely a step towards new experiences.

You keep going, you keep trying, you keep living.

Time has a different finite point for each of us. None of us know when that end point will occur. So get busy living it, don't waste a minute of it, live a great life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Keep the Desire

"The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark." -Barbara Hall

Reading the quote above, it makes me wonder why people lose this desire and positive outlook on their future? Is it when they do get lost and have to turn back, they lose the confidence to keep trying? Or do they encounters others that are negative and get dragged down to a more negative view of life?

Don't let it happen - fight it - work at keeping the desire.

Keeping yourself in a positive frame of mind is difficult. You have to work at maintaining your excitement. You also have to help others and keep yourself among others with great attitudes. Life will have its share of disappointment.

The goal is to keep moving towards that success.

Keep believing, remain positive, stay in the company of others that lift -- the above ideal can be maintained. Always remember that it does not matter which road you take, but that you do take a road. Movement causes change, embrace it and life will be great.

Stay inspired my friends!

No More Rocks

"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks." -Tennessee Williams

I have written before that there are people who will try to place their rocks into your wagon. They do this instead of building their own path. These rocks they 'serve up' to you are intended to bring you down to their pain or misery. They are emptying to unload their own troubles into your life.

Think of an encounter at the grocery store, a technical support line or any other number of daily connections. Is the other person really trying to help you? Or by their words and actions, are they handing you their rocks?

Through the years I have been able to listen to different folks from check out lanes to numerous customer assistance support phone calls. In nearly every case, you can tell by the tone of their voice or interest level how their day and sometimes life is going.

This is not a big new revelation I have come up with.

It is age old and most anyone, including yourself can sense these things. All of us deal in customer service in one form or another. We serve customers that are either really business customers, our boss, our community, or our family. Most every thing we do involves service to others in one form or another. In those moments, do you sometimes have other things on your mind.

Do you vaguely try to toss a few stones into some else's wagon?

I am sure there are people that can explain the psychological aspects of how and why people do this. My simplistic version is that people just like to unload their issues (rocks) on other people. In doing so, they hope it will make their life better. But I see it as these people attempting to drag you down to their attitude level.

Dragging you down to their level is much easier than trying to lift themselves.

Try it some time, listen to how the other person is talking. Is the tone of their language effecting your own attitude? Is it depressing, angering or just making you feel lousy? If so, STOP...remember the first rule? You control your own attitude. As Elbert Hubbard, an American philosopher and writer said, "The happiness of this life depends less on what befalls you than the way in which you take it."

Also remember that you can impact the other persons life as well.

Your responses and how you react to another person transcends not only the encounter but the next encounter both people will have. Maybe not in a big impactful way but in small ripples that move out from this one exchange. It is these small ripples which have a big impact eventually.

Do not allow yourself to carry the rocks of another person. Help them unload the rocks to build a new path. No one needs to be carrying a bunch of rocks around if they do not want to. The road to where we want to be can be paved with those rocks instead of struggling to carry them through the dirt and mud.

Unload your wagon, not onto someone else but create a new path on which to travel. And as always, stay inspired my friends!

Winter Preparation

Photography for Collections

"Life has those down days, those 'winter days' of our lives. But even in the worst of times, there is good news." - Dean Sweetman

A large part of my life was spent in the northern climates of the United States as I was born on the plains of Nebraska. I even spent a few years in Fargo, North Dakota. And no, Fargo is not really like the movie with the same name. It is close, but not quite like that.

Each year after the last of autumn leaves fall to the ground, people become shocked by the decreasing temperatures. Just recently, the weather and news reports of the cold and snow made it seem as if the occurrence of winter was a big surprise. But winter comes pretty much like clock work each and every year. So I find it amusing that we are so surprised every time the Earth's northern hemisphere begins to tilt away from the Sun.

I will agree that winter can be very brutal in terms of the sheer cold and wind we have to endure. But winter has purpose in the cycle of nature and our lives. Even in the worst of winter, life proceeds daily and you plod through it knowing we can not simply withdraw from the world.

What always makes this time of year easier is knowing that spring will eventually come. During these winter days, there will be days of sun shine on even the coldest of days to brighten your life. And the thought of summer will creep into your thoughts; wow, what a great season summer will be when it arrives.

The progression of seasons happen in step with our lives.

Just like the seasons, our own life will have 'days of winter' when nothing seems to be going our way. It is during those moments that we have to fight the urge to crawl into a small space and disappear. Hiding from life is merely a misguided hope that our troubles and pain will go away. You know as well as I do that doing so will never solve anything. You have to confront and deal with those things that cause us pain and discomfort.

The good news is that even in the depth of our winter, we can draw warmth and comfort from the light. You can draw strength from your religious beliefs or from what ever form of faith or belief system you use. You can view the light as a reminder that spring will return and flowers will bloom, leaves will cover the trees and renewed hope will fill your life.

Things will improve and you have the strength to overcome anything.

When you build a belief in yourself and in others, the winter of reflection and worry will melt away with the gathering light. You will succeed and those 'winter days' will give way to a greater day.

Stay warm and stay inspired my friends!

Kindness Rocks

“Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world.” -Annie Lennox

The above quote is very simple and actually quite easy to adopt. Everyday is a chance to show kindness. No matter what your mood, work to rise above any negativity and be the better person.

Eventually it becomes habit and you will see a change happen within your world. Things will become easier, success will be more evident and life will be more peaceful. Bad things may still happen, but they will have a much less downside impact upon your life.

Choose to make a change and see what happens. It simply starts with one question; have you been kind today?

Stay inspired my friends!

Watching Time

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” ―William Penn

Time exists for everyone and everyone has a different perception of that time. For some it goes by very quickly with never enough of it. While others believe it drags on and on in slow movement.

I believe though that we should use the time we have to be of good nature. We should be positive in as much as we can. We should attempt to pass goodness onto others.

In all cases, time will pass and there will be none left.

Make your time count for the good things and not the bad. In the end, people will remember your goodness if the majority of that time was spent in goodness. Your goodness will carry on in the lives of others.

Watch the clock if you must, but enjoy each of those ticking moments of your life. And stay inspired my friends.

Time to Accomplish

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” -H. Jackson Brown, Jr

You can start now or at any time to accomplish great things. Paint a picture, write a poem for a loved one, build something new or voice an opinion. Go ahead, you have the time to accomplish great things in your life.

Stay inspired my friends!