Failure

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again,

this time more intelligently.

~ Henry Ford ~

Honesty

We must make the world honest

before we can honestly say to our children

that honesty is the best policy.

~ George Bernard Shaw ~

Reading

Reading is to the mind

what exercise is to the body.

~ Joseph Addison ~

The Dash

The Dash

by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on their tombstone from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. 

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars...the house...the cash.  What matters most is how we live and love and how we lived our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.  Are there things you'd like to change?  For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life's actions to rehash...would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?

© 1996-2018, Inspire Kindness, LLC

www.TheDashPoem.com

Memorial Day

Memorial Day isn't just about honoring veterans,

its honoring those who lost their lives.

Veterans had the fortune of coming home.

For us, that's a reminder of when we come home

we still have a responsibility to serve.  It's

a continuation of service that honors our country

and those who fell defending it.

~ Pete Hegseth ~

Happy Memorial Day!

Positive Goals

Set goals in life; set them 

high and persist until they are achieved.

Once they are achieved, set bigger and better goals.

You will soon find that your life will become happier

and more purposeful by working toward positive goals.

~ Raymond Floyd ~

Opportunities

Opportunities are like sunrises.

If you wait too long, you miss them.

~ William Arthur Ward ~

A Healthy Attitude

A healthy attitude is contagious,

but don't wait to catch it from

others.  Be a carrier!

John Wesley's Rule

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,

in all the ways you can, in all places you can,

at all times you can, to all people you can,

as long as ever you can.

~ John Wesley ~

Ignore Everything Else

You try to do the best with

what you've got and ignore

everything else.  That's why

horses get blinders in horse racing:

You look at the horse next to you,

and you lose a step.

~ Jimmy Lovine ~

Truly Live Life

When we are motivated by goals

that have deep meaning, by dreams

that need completion, by pure

love that needs expressing,

than we truly live life.

~ Greg Anderson ~

Ultimate Expression

Love is the ultimate expression

of the will to live.

~ Tom Wolfe ~

R.I.P.

Most Significant Change

The most significant change 

in a person's life is a change of

attitude - right attitudes produce

right actions.

~ William J. Johnston ~

Sharing

     I have often wondered what one purpose there may be for life and I have concluded that the purpose is to share.  Life is created because of sharing...the sharing of the male sperm with the female egg.  Without the sharing of the genetic material found in both the sperm and egg, we would not exist.
   
     And while we would like to think that human life is created because of love and caring, we know that in many instances, these feelings are not the reason for conception.  Many people are conceived out of lust, rape, or just plain sexual satisfaction.  However, there can be no denying, that no matter what feelings led to conception, the male and female created life by sharing something that each had that was vital to create a new life.

     So, since we were created because of a sharing experience, I feel that this should be the foremost purpose of our life here on earth.  Think of all the things we can and should share with others.  There is love, kindness, happiness, understanding, knowledge, time, talents, our financial incomes, and all the other qualities of life that will make this world a better place for all of us.  None of these things can be done between two individuals without the act of sharing.

     Although animal species are also on this earth because of the act of "creative sharing", the stronger feelings of competition to survive and the process of survival of the fittest overrides most opportunities to share outside of the parent/child relationship that assists in the continuation of the species.  Humans have the God-given capability to share with those outside our immediate family unit and by so doing improve the lives of others without the fear that in some way, we are jeopardizing the existence of the family unit or the human species.  This may be the single most important thing that makes humans distinct from the other animal species of the world.

     So for me, I want to have sharing as the central theme that influences all that I am and all that I do.  I hope you do not mind that I have "shared" this thought with you.

Mothers

Mother's love is peace.

It need not be acquired,

it need not be deserved.

~ Eric Fromm ~

Happy Mother's Day

Conquers You

He who angers you

conquers you.

~ Elizabeth Kenny ~

Think a Picture

When you think something,

you think in picture.  You don't

think a thought in words.  You

think a picture that expresses

 your thought.  Working with this

picture will produce it into your experience.

~ Grace Speare ~

A Possibilitarian

Become a possibilitarian.

No matter how dark things seem to be

or actually are, raise your sights 

and see the possibilities - always see them,

for they're always there.

~ Norman Vincent Peale ~

What Would Life Be?

What would life be if we had

no courage to attempt anything?

~ Vincent Van Gogh ~

It's Time

It's time to start living the life we've imagined.

~ Henry James ~

Find a Place

Find a place inside where there's joy,

and the joy will burn out the pain.

~ Joseph Campbell ~

Being Honest

I have found that being honest

is the best technique I can use.

Right up front, tell people what

you're trying to accomplish and

what you're willing to sacrifice

to accomplish it.

~ Lee Iacocca ~

Look Ahead

Nobody gets to live life backward.

Look ahead - that's where your future lies.

~ Ann Landers ~