Good Morning on this beautiful morning..
It is another beautiful day. The month is coming to an end and so is the year come to think of it . The trees are shedding their leaves and soon the green grass will be brown. There could be a metaphor here reminding us that eventually we will all have to shed our "leaves" , our coverings.. the material things that make us feel beautiful and safe and warm and hide our flaws and crooked limbs. Maybe in the big scheme of things that is why we have Autumn ....a time to make ourselves naked so to speak and free of all that encumbers us so that in December we can quietly assess our paths and where we are going and what our lives are all about and what is the meaning of life to us.
Certainly for me it is a time to reflect what I am all about. I am in that time of my life where I am close to that infamous " ticket window ". My genes tell me that I will probably live a lot longer but I am definitely in the last lap of my "run". So this is why it is even more important to remember this quote because even in the Winter of my life, I still want to keep dreaming and planning and seeing life as a wonderful challenge even as I shed my leaves. And so I smile. Life is good.
I love this quote because it is so true. What makes my life better is how I perceive it. Even in the worst situations, and after living this long, believe me, I have had them, how I perceive life is so important. Even with those bad moments, I cried, sobbed and dealt with all of the nasty stuff, the pain of abandonment and rejection but eventually I had to smile because in spite of all of the darkness there is always the light.
I found out something else about life and smiling. Those who can laugh at themselves have the gift of humility. I think that when we can smile at our own shortcomings and failings, we recognize our own humanity . We are not caught up in the false pride that we are above limitations. This kind of false pride is what brings us down. It feeds arrogance and greed and the inability to empathize and most of all the ability to forgive others. This is sad because what happens is that when we judge others without forgiveness we judge ourselves the same.
So today I want to smile at life . So grab your cup of coffee and let's smile together.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Yes, We can " Just Do It "
"There are people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world and they do." Steve Jobs
I love that quote. It makes me think of all of the times we feel a little timid or fearful perhaps of trying something.. of taking a risk...of forging ahead in some goal or project in spite of the obstacles.. and the criticism we may be getting. I think of the Nike commercial.... "Just do it."
I remember when I went to the annual Chicago book convention and some of the speakers, writers and publishers told me that I would never be able to write and publish my books and run the business too.. too big a challenge.. I went into the ladies room into one of the stalls and yes, cried a little. It was my dream and all of these experts told me it would be impossible. I wiped my eyes and came out and flew home to New Orleans and wrote , published and sold two books and still ran the business with a profit. I dared to dream and make my dream come true. Just do it.
If there is anything thatI I could pass on to my kids it is that message. Like the song.. " I Hope You Dance " there is the same message. Get off of the sidelines and do it. Dance. Make your dreams come true. Just do it..
We can all make a list of the thousands of reasons why we won't achieve something. Anyone can make lists and excuses. Just do it.
And you know what I would tell them. You have to see it first . You have to have your dreams in front of your mind like the old fashioned Drive In Theatre, that constant vision.. William James the psychologist once said that in order to perceive you must first conceive. You are the writer of your own script. Put yourself up on that screen and see yourself already doing that dream. You have to believe in yourself. If you don't , no one else will.
I remember telling that to my my grandson, Brett. He wanted to do better in baseball in hitting the ball when up to bat. I told him to see himself already smashing that ball way out into the sky and out over the fence and to always keep that vision in front of his head. What happens is that when we have those visions, we end up doing whatever it takes to make that dream come true. The body, mind , and will power go into auto pilot. Sure enough Brett started to improve and yes he now hits a mean ball. This is the positive visualization.
But what he also learned is that most people do not achieve their goals and dreams because they are not willing to do what it takes to reach that goal. You do not succeed in anything unless you are willing to do what it takes. So he started working with coaches in learning to hit the ball better and how to run better. and faster .. so many things. Today he is a great athlete in many sports but it started so long ago with that dream and his positive visualization and the willingness to do what it takes to reach the goal..
There are so many metaphors like the little tyke who learns to walk but has to crawl first and keeps getting up and falling but he finally stays up and walks. His dream was that he wanted to walk so much. I wonder if he kept telling himself, "Just do it."
Good luck with your dreams. Only you can make them come true. Just do it.
I love that quote. It makes me think of all of the times we feel a little timid or fearful perhaps of trying something.. of taking a risk...of forging ahead in some goal or project in spite of the obstacles.. and the criticism we may be getting. I think of the Nike commercial.... "Just do it."
I remember when I went to the annual Chicago book convention and some of the speakers, writers and publishers told me that I would never be able to write and publish my books and run the business too.. too big a challenge.. I went into the ladies room into one of the stalls and yes, cried a little. It was my dream and all of these experts told me it would be impossible. I wiped my eyes and came out and flew home to New Orleans and wrote , published and sold two books and still ran the business with a profit. I dared to dream and make my dream come true. Just do it.
If there is anything thatI I could pass on to my kids it is that message. Like the song.. " I Hope You Dance " there is the same message. Get off of the sidelines and do it. Dance. Make your dreams come true. Just do it..
We can all make a list of the thousands of reasons why we won't achieve something. Anyone can make lists and excuses. Just do it.
And you know what I would tell them. You have to see it first . You have to have your dreams in front of your mind like the old fashioned Drive In Theatre, that constant vision.. William James the psychologist once said that in order to perceive you must first conceive. You are the writer of your own script. Put yourself up on that screen and see yourself already doing that dream. You have to believe in yourself. If you don't , no one else will.
I remember telling that to my my grandson, Brett. He wanted to do better in baseball in hitting the ball when up to bat. I told him to see himself already smashing that ball way out into the sky and out over the fence and to always keep that vision in front of his head. What happens is that when we have those visions, we end up doing whatever it takes to make that dream come true. The body, mind , and will power go into auto pilot. Sure enough Brett started to improve and yes he now hits a mean ball. This is the positive visualization.
But what he also learned is that most people do not achieve their goals and dreams because they are not willing to do what it takes to reach that goal. You do not succeed in anything unless you are willing to do what it takes. So he started working with coaches in learning to hit the ball better and how to run better. and faster .. so many things. Today he is a great athlete in many sports but it started so long ago with that dream and his positive visualization and the willingness to do what it takes to reach the goal..
There are so many metaphors like the little tyke who learns to walk but has to crawl first and keeps getting up and falling but he finally stays up and walks. His dream was that he wanted to walk so much. I wonder if he kept telling himself, "Just do it."
Good luck with your dreams. Only you can make them come true. Just do it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
