Average is awesome

“The virtues which keep this world sweet and the faithfulness which keeps it steadfast are chiefly those of the average man.”

~ W. Russell Bowie

Perhaps the sweetest thing in this world is being true to those you love the most and them loving you in return. The ability to love is within each of us and belongs to everyone. You don’t have to be educated at an Ivy League school, be a churchgoer at a popular church, have perfect parents, or have a large circle of friends to know how to show your affection and appreciation for the people closest to you. The only requirement needed to manifest your love for someone is with words, action, touch — all done with sincere desire. This is something the average person can do any day of the week and at any time of the day. In being average, we give life to everything around us which gives life to the world in which we live. So, it’s OK to be average as long as you love with all your being and do it faithfully. Doing this makes you awesome!

The rainbow rule

The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you finish the work.

~ Pat Clifford

If you have a child(ren) in your life, then be sensitive to the fact that time won’t wait for you to find time to spend with them. Make a daily effort to spend time with your offspring so they can grow up in a way that you want them to grow up. Children are directly effected by how much effort we put into their lives. This effort comes from your commitment to make the time to help them become people you will be proud of and who will be proud of you for all the time you give to them. The best use of your time is the time you give to others; so make sure you give more time to the ones you bring into this world than those who don’t matter as much to you in the end. Put children before your work so they can enjoy the many colors of the rainbow and more importantly, your colors.

What religion are you?

“True religion is the life we lead, not the creed we profess.”

~ Louis Nizer (1902-1994) American Lawyer

Religious Symbols

Religion is many things to many people. It’s what you want it to be no matter what god you believe in. The most important religion is the one that leaves a good impression on others. One that motivates people from any ethnicity to listen to their soul instead of their flesh.  If your religion makes you a better person who serves others, is concerned for others, cares for others and desires to make the world a better place, then that is the best religion. As long as you don’t hurt yourself or anyone else, then you are living an honorable life that is moralistic and humane. Go live your life with love and honor, because it’s a gift. Share it with someone today!

Happily-ever-after forever

“It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis.”

~ Margaret Bonnano

Be Happy

Living a happy life requires a daily devotion to it. This means going to bed with the hope of a better tomorrow and acting on having a better day as you go through the motions of your daily routine. It also means waking up with joy for the chance to live another day that can make your world better and the world around you better. Life is a gift, so we must make the choice to live it with happiness, hope, health and harmony. As you live your happy life, be sure and tell all those around you how happy you are and you will soon see their happiness shine back at you. This is something that lasts forever if you give your happy attitude away for free to everyone. Being high on happiness is the best kind of high for all of us. Remember, happiness is only real when shared.

Your life or lips?

Oliver Goldsmith

“You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.”

~ Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Irish Writer

Lip service never did any good for anyone except those who like to hear only what they want to hear. It’s easy to say something to someone and act like you mean it, but without action behind the words they only tickle the ears. Words are powerful but they cannot match the power of action. If you want to touch someone’s heart with your words, then you must accompany the words with liveliness to push them from your lips into the essence of their being. True friendship requires doing whatever is necessary to convince each other’s soul that you will do anything to preserve the friendship or love between you and them. Do more than tell someone you love them or like them — show them! A little action goes a long way. And a lot of action generates remarkable results.

Wanting what you can’t see

“Beauty, truth, friendship, love, creation – these are the great values of life. We can’t prove them, or explain them, yet they are the most stable things in our lives.”

~ Jesse Herman Holmes

Beauty in Nature

Have you ever stopped to realize that the things we desire and chase the most in life are things that we can’t even see. Real beauty is only found within us. Truth is never known. Love, creation and friendship are manifested only when acted out in a physical presense. All of them are abstract and really left to individual interpretation. Regardless of what we think of them, they are truly the most important things in our lives. So, as you live your life seeking material things that you can touch, see, smell and feel, you must realize that they won’t bring any real lasting satisfaction. Remember that sometimes it’s the things you can’t see in life that matter the most.

Psst…I have something to tell you.

Psst...I have something to tell you.

“I praise loudly; I blame softly.”

~ Catherine the Second (1729-1796) Russian Empress

When was the last time you made sure someone heard you loudly when you displayed your anger towards them or said something destructive to them? Can you think of the last time you raised your voice loudly to tell someone how much you care for them, to encourage them, compliment them, desire them, or how much you enjoy being with them? If you answered “recently” to the first question and “never” to second question, then today, you should tell someone you sincerely love or like that you really appreciate their friendship and love. And when you have something mean or negative to say to someone you really care about, make sure you do it quietly. Words can be very destructive. Shhh!

How much is life worth?

Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, said:

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

Live each day to its fullest and never be a slave to money or anything else that sacrifices friendships, health, love and life’s simple pleasures. These are the very things you will remember the most at the end of your life – NOT how much money you have or how popular you are. Live and love for today and in the moment!

What it means to be “A Man”

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master,
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

The Love Gun

Og Mandino

“I will make love my greatest weapon and none on who I call can defend against its force…My love will melt all hearts liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest day.”

~ Og Mandino

Many people are so interested in owning a powerful gun that shoots big bullets or fires many bullets rapidly all in an effort to kill a living being. I want to own a gun that could never kill anyone nor cause any fear when pointing it at them. No weapon or shield could prevent it from penetrating all life forms. My gun would soften the hardest of hearts, lighten the darkest of souls, and warm the coldest of minds. All I need to do to get one of these guns is to enter dreamland where all things can be pretty, possible, and permeable. In my dream, I’m going on a shooting spree to shoot my love gun at everyone I see. Let’s make love, not war!

Little, small, tiny = BIG

Give 'til it hurts!

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

~ Robert Brault

You’ve probably heard the phrase: “Don’t sweat the small stuff, because life is full of small stuff.” The same applies to enjoying all the small things in life because life is full of small things. In fact, in life, it’s all the small things that add up to be the biggest things we cherish and remember the most. When you receive many small gifts over time from someone you care for, it always means more to you than if you received one large gift at once. The reason is that you have more memories from all the moments you received those small gifts which leave a pleasant thought in your mind. If you receive one big gift, the memory is short-lived even though it might be a very special gift. So, as you live your life, learn to enjoy the little things and attach a nice memory to them so that you can relish all of them as if it were the biggest thing that ever happened to you in your life. The secret to this is to be able to recognize when the little things come into your life, otherwise they could become unhappy big things. Give freely and give often!

Changing me, changing you

“You cannot add to the peace and good will of the world if you fail to create an atmosphere of harmony and love right where you live and work.”

~ Thomas Dreier

The only way to change the world is to change yourself – either with your attitude towards it or by affecting others to change according to what you want changed. We are only able to create changes if we can multiply our intellectual, spiritual, and physical powers. If you’re not able to do this, then you will only end up changing yourself which is probably the most important and difficult person to change of all. Remember, we are but a single being among billions from all walks of life, so changing the world must be accomplished by influencing millions of people. 

Does being “In Love” last forever?

“The difference between ‘Like’, ‘Love’ & ‘In Love’ is the same difference between ‘For Now’, ‘For A While’ & ‘Forever’”

~ Unknown

Everything is temporary in life – life itself, friendship, good times, bad times, memories, and even love.  All we can try to do is to prolong the inevitability of losing what we cherish the most in life. Concerning love, it’s important to understand what love means to you and that your partner understands it too. Two people who are “in love” is much different than loving each other. The difference stems from the commitment, desire, and action put forth to keep the love alive between them. So be sure and recognize the difference between liking someone, loving someone and being “in love” with someone and more importantly, make sure the one you are “in love” with does too. If you can do this successfully, you can obtain something that most only dream of having — true love. Have you done something special for the one you are “in love” with today? If not, do so. Let love reign!

Love is all you need

“Everything is clearer when you’re in love.”

~ John Lennon

There’s no doubt that being in love makes you feel more certain about yourself as a person. You have more confidence, more ambition, more happiness, even more emotional clarity, all of which make you feel stronger. It’s a beautiful feeling when you’re in love but love can be blind and we can lose sight of the path we intended to travel with the one we fell in love with. When you’re with someone who doesn’t cloud your vision and/or steer you off your desired path, then you know you’re in love with the right person. Just always remember to always make sure you’re in love for all the right reasons so that your path is defined and clear and not clouded with uncertain emotions. Lucidity is key while in love.

John & Yoko

John Lennon

John and Yoko

Mommy dearest

“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while,
but their hearts forever.”

~ Unknown

Mother's Day flower

Today is the day that mothers from all over the world are recognized for their unending love and care for us all. Make sure and tell your mother or guardian that you appreciate all they have done for you. It’s the least we can do to those who brought us into the world and raised us so that we can enjoy this thing called life.  Happy Mother’s Day Mom. I love you! 

“I look so beautiful and lovely”

“When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.”

~ Wayne Dyer

If you want to know the real you, then write down all the remarks you have made when making judgments about someone. Whether you say something negative or positive, silently or out loud about someone, you are essentially looking at a mirror and telling yourself what kind of person you are. If you think about it, the real reason we judge others is so we can feel better about ourselves. Knocking others down builds us up but in a destructive manner. Start looking at people as if you’re looking at yourself in the mirror, then you’ll be sure and say nice things about them.

What are you capable of doing?

Mahatma Gandhi

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Think about this statement for awhile and then think about what sort of things you can do to make the world around you a better place for yourself and for others. For example, give more of your time, energy, money and knowledge to those who need it. It could be your neighbor, colleague, friend, family member or someone you don’t even know. There are many good charities, churches, and well-run organizations like the Red Cross who you can donate any or all of the above personal resources to. Make a change today to do what you’re truly capable of doing and you’ll eventually see a better world around you.

Attitude matters!

“Our attitude towards others determines their attitude towards us.”

~ Earl Nightingale

Next time you say or write something to somebody, remember that they will think of you much in the same way that you think about them through your words – be them verbal or non-verbal. If you want someone to show you grace and love for example, then give them these via your words, actions and thoughts. Also remember that your intentions are not easily or fully appreciated nor interpreted exactly as you want or expect, so continue with the attitude you want others to have of you until they see your true intention(s).

The diet to die for

“A healthy soul needs a steady diet of dreaming, adventure, creativity, friendship, pleasure, and love.”

~ James Filbird

If you want to have a healthy soul that will enable you to truly enjoy all that life can bring you, then follow this diet plan: 
1) A daily dose of dreams that inspire and motivate you
2) An adventure or two each year to someplace exotic and exciting
3) A mixture of creativity, i.e., writing, drawing, painting, singing, dancing, etc.
4)  A batch of friends who will always support and criticize you when you need it
5) An endless amount of pleasure as long as it doesn’t hurt you or anyone else 
6) Sweet love that is shared with all and is never taken for granted 

Instructions: Mix together vigorously each and everyday with passion, purpose, pride and with playful people who enjoy feeding their soul just as much as you do.

Note: This diet is not fattening, but will cause spiritual obesity. Followed properly, this diet will add more years to your life!

Guard these gifts

“The greatest gift you will ever receive is the gift of loving and believing in yourself. Guard this gift with your life. It is the only thing that will ever truly be yours.”

~ Tiffany Loren Rowe

Not only is the ability to love and believe in yourself one of the greatest gifts you will ever receive but they are also ones that cannot be taken from you. So, although there is no need to guard them from being stolen, it is important to guard yourself from letting them fade from your being. Always keep them active and alive in your life and you will manifest more love and self-belief which will make you impervious from losing them.