Greatest Love of All

 Have you ever listened closely to the words of the the song, "Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston?  If not, I have included the words to the song below.  There is such a powerful message in this song.  Love can be a difficult emotion, especially when it comes to loving ourselves.  When we love someone, we often love them in spite of their faults or flaws.  And yet when it comes to loving ourselves, we allow our perceived shortcomings to block our ability to love ourselves.  The phrase, "Love thy neighbor as thyself", is indicative of many of the problems we see in our world today.  We treat our neighbors like ourselves; with scorn, disrespect and intolerance.  We do not love ourselves and this is reflected in our lack of love for others.  The song reminds us that we must learn to love ourselves before we can truly share our love with others.  "Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all."

"Greatest Love Of All"

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

Everybody's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
And so I learned to depend on me

[Chorus:]
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

[Chorus]

And if, by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love

Hope for the Best

If you are anticipating the worst while

hoping for the best, you will usually get the worst.  Turn it around!

Imagine the best, expect the best - and you'll

usually get the best.

~ Dan Zadra ~

Astound Ourselves

If we did all the things

we are capable of, we would literally

astound ourselves.

~ Thomas Edison ~

Success

Success is never the result of 

spontaneous combustion.  You must 

set yourself on fire.

~ Arnold Glasow ~

Your BFF

If I asked you who is your BFF (Best Friend Forever), how would you respond?  Some of you might say a classmate, a neighbor, a sibling, a spouse, or a co-worker.  But how many of you would think to say that your BFF is yourself?  We rely on BFFs to give us compliments, praise, encouragement, emotional support and many other things.  However, for most of us, our BFF does not last forever.  Our BFF from our childhood may have been lost as we became adults and moved away because of marriage or our job.  Similarly, our adult BFF does not always last forever for a variety of reasons.  Who best knows us, our strengths and weaknesses and who best will be a BFF for a lifetime...YOU!  If we depend on an outside BFF or others to improve our self-image and help us through difficult times, you will find that it can be a lonely existence.  It is YOU, through your positive self-talk, that has the ability to give yourself praise, confidence, determination, and desire to tackle anything you want.  Our inner BFF can also improve our attitude and bring greater happiness into our lives.  So, continue developing friends because they do add joy and stability to our lives.  But consider giving YOURSELF an important responsibility...being your BFF.

Be Good To Yourself

Be good to yourself.

If you don't take care of your body,

where will you live?

~ Kobi Yamada ~

Thinking

It is neither good nor bad,

but thinking makes it so.

~ William Shakespeare ~

Self Talk

     Do you talk to yourself?  Some of you reading this are thinking, "No I don't think I do".  The fact is we all talk to ourselves and we have the ability to affect, in a positive or negative way, our attitudes, self-esteem, and how we approach our day to day activities.  Words are a powerful tool.  They trigger pictures which bring about emotions (feelings).  How do you use words?  Do they build or destroy?  The way you talk to yourself, the words you use, trigger pictures which result in an attitude about yourself (your self image).  This is why self-talk can be so important.

     Today, practice self-talk that is positive.  Don't let negative thoughts about yourself or outside events be the focus of your self-talk.  Give yourself a positive pep-talk and see if your attitude  doesn't improve.  What have you got to lose?

                                    “Your self-talk is the channel of behavior change”
                                                         ~ Gino Norris ~

Doubt

Doubt who you will,

but never yourself.

 ~ Christine Boyce ~

You Decide

Your mind can focus on fear, worry, problems, negativity or despair.  Or it can focus on confidence, opportunity, solutions, optimism and success.  You decide.

                                                  ~ Don Ward ~

Happiness Day

Today (March 20th) is International Happiness Day.  I hope you are happy; however, if you have the blues, that sometimes happens to all of us.  It is normal for being human.  The important thing is to be able to chase the blues as quickly as possible.  Do you know of something you can do that makes you happy?  For me it is music.  If I feel down, I know that I can play certain songs that will immediately make me smile and lighten my mood.  I have made a playlist of songs that make me happy whenever I hear them.  Anytime I need a pick-me-up, I play those songs.  It works for me every time!  If you like music and know your "happiness songs", I suggest that you make a playlist of these songs and keep it handy for those days that you need a smile.  See if it is not a remedy for the blues!

Make this a happy day!

"Happiness is not something that comes ready made.  It comes from your own actions."

                                                        ~ The Dalai Lama ~

Happy St. Patrick's Day

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Have to Do

     There are only two things you "have to" do in life.  You "have to" die and you "have to" live until you die.  You make up all the rest.  ~ Marilyn Grey ~

A Dream

                           A dream without a goal is just a wish. 

                                          ~ Bill Cole ~

What Do You Want To Do?

     What do you want to do?  What do you want to be?  What do you want to have?  Where do you want to go?  Who do you want to go with?  How the hell do you plan to get there?  Write it down.  Go do it.  Enjoy it.  Share it.  It doesn't get much simpler or better than that. 
                                                  ~ Lee Iacocca ~

Limitations

     Most of our limitations are self-imposed.  Roger Bannister was the first human to run a sub-four-minute mile - a barrier that was previously deemed insurmountable.  Immediately after Bannister proved it was "possible", runners all over the world repeated his feat. ~ Bob Moawad ~

Consent

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

                        ~Eleanor Roosevelt~

Want To Do

Most of us are so busy doing what we think we have to do, that we do not think about what we really want to do.  ~ Robert Percival ~

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Do you worry about things...the past, the future, the present?  I think worrying is a waste of mental energy that saps the positive energy we need to lead happy and productive lives.  People worry about things that happened in the past, that we cannot change, or things that may happen in the future.  Rarely do the things that we worry could happen, actually do happen. 

 So why not put our mental energy to better use and keep our thoughts positive and eliminate the negative energy that worry causes.  Do not live in a "I shoulda, coulda, woulda, world".  Bobby McFerrin was right when he sang, "Don't worry, be happy". 

Welcome

Hi and welcome to my Make This a Great Day Blog.  I plan to post items that are uplifting, funny, positive, thought-provoking, and hopefully enjoyable.  This blog will not be political, so if you are looking for political posts you will have to go someplace else.  Also, the things I post will not be religion-specific, although I do hope to post items that are spiritual in nature.  I hope that your posts will equally follow these guidelines.  I plan to post items to this blog that give me a pick-me-up that currently in this world is desperately needed.  So, I encourage you to join me in Making this a Great Day!