Words

     Words trigger pictures which bring about emotions (feelings).

     I am sure that you would agree that words are powerful tools that can be used for constructive or destructive purposes.  What you may not have realized is that words, when heard or read, can trigger pictures in the minds of anyone hearing or reading those words.  In turn, these pictures can bring about positive or negative emotions that can significantly affect our attitudes, well-being or self-esteem. If you do not think that words can affect someone, stop and think about bullying.  What is the primary weapon used to bully someone...words. 

     Lately, I have been noticing the headlines used in reporting the news, in print, on TV, and on the internet.  Here are some headlines that I have seen in internet newspapers and on TV:

“White House staffers and journalists slam Correspondents’ dinner”

"Trump takes shots at Kushner, Sessions at Gridiron Club dinner"

"Trump attacks European trade partners who criticized tariff plans"

"Politicians fume over Trump's push to cut funds for Gateway project"

"Clinton blasts Trump for ignoring Russia meddling”

     Headlines that use words like “slams”, ”attacks” and “blasts” create pictures in the minds of the reader.  In turn, this may lead to negative attitudes and behavioral patterns.  The use of these words connotes acts of violence.  Is it any wonder that we see increasing acts of violence against those who may not agree with someone?  Also, the use of vile language and profanity on social media, in my opinion, contributes to the inability of our society to debate issues in a civilized manner. 

     So, be careful in your choice of words when communicating with someone in person or via social media.  You just may be contributing to the anger, discourse, and violence we see in our society.

    

Keep Going

It you are going through hell,

keep going.

~ Winston Churchill ~

Exhilaration of Life

Exhilaration of life can be found with an upward look.

This is an exciting world.  It is cram-packed with opportunity.

Great moments await around the corner.

~ Richard De Vos ~

An Adventure

Whatever course you have chosen for yourself,

it will not be a chore but an adventure

if you bring to it a sense of the glory of striving,

if your sights are set far above the merely secure and mediocre.

~ David Sarnoff ~

A Positive Attitude

A positive attitude removes the rust from the mind,

lubricates our inward machinery, and enables us

to do our work with fewer creaks and groans.

State of Mind

Success is a state of mind.

if you want success,

start thinking of yourself as a success.

Measure of Success

Never lose sight of the fact that the most important

yardstick of your success will be how you treat

other people - your family, friends, and coworkers,

and even strangers you meet along the way.

~ Barbara Bush ~

Circumstances

People are always blaming circumstances for what they are.

I don't believe in circumstances.  The people who get

on in this world are the people who get up and

look for the circumstances they want and if

they can't find them, make them.

~ George Bernard Shaw ~

Regrets

At the end of your life, you 

will never regret not having

passed one more test, not winning

one more verdict or not closing

one more deal.  You will regret

time not spent with a husband,

a friend, a child, or a parent.

~ Barbara Bush ~

Rest in Peace

Do What You Cannot Do

You can gain strength, courage, and confidence

by every experience in which you really stop to

look fear in the face...You must do the thing

which you think you cannot do.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~

Service

Service is the rent we pay for being.

It is the very purpose of life,

and not something you do in your spare time.

~ Marion Wright Edelman ~

Courage

Whatever you do, you need courage.

Whatever course you decide upon,

there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.

There are always difficulties arising that tempt you

to believe that your critics are right.  

To map out a course of action and follow it to an end

requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs.

Peace has its victories, but it takes brave

men and women to win them.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Something You Enjoy

To find something you can enjoy is

far better than finding something

you can possess.

~ Glen Holm ~

Get On With It

If we have not achieved our early dreams,

we must either find new ones or see what

we can salvage from the old.  If we have

accomplished what we set out to do in our youth,

then we need not weep like Alexander the Great

that we have no more worlds to conquer.

There is clearly much left to be done,

and whatever else we are going to do,

we had better get on with it.

~ Rosalynn Smith Carter ~

A Fine Cushion

Cherish all your happy moments;

they make a fine cushion for old age.

~ Booth Tarkington ~

Swim

Don't wait for your ship to come in,

swim out to it.

Golf

Success in golf depends less on strength of body

than upon strength of mind and character.

~ Arnold Palmer ~

Smile

Smile in the mirror.  Do that

every morning and you'll 

start to see a big difference

in your life.

~ Yoko Ono ~

Infinite Hope

We must accept finite disappointment,

but never lose infinite hope.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr. ~

Basketball

I have always maintained

that in basketball the

importance of the mental to

the physical is about four to one.

~ Bobby Knight ~

Congratulations to the Villanova Wildcats!

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is not a way of 

getting back to the moral high ground.

Pretending you're moral, saying you're

moral is not the same as acting moral.

~ Alan Dershowitz ~