Don Bosco in Ireland

Prayer to Don Bosco

The Salesians - Animation

Bi-Centenary of Don Bosco

Da Mihi Animas

A story

Life of Don Bosco - Part 3

Life of Don Bosco - Part 2

Life of Don Bosco - Part 1

Pope to Salesians: be close to youth

Don Bosco in Stony Point, NY

We are Salesians (part IV) - to be Don Bosco Today

We are Salesians (part III) - For the young and the poor

We are Salesians (part II) - Called to Holiness

We are Salesians (Part 1)

Salesian Youth Movement

Salesians of Don Bosco

Don Bosco's Room.

Don Bosco Austria

Salesian Vocation

Live the dream

Our contribution to the celebration of the whole Salesian Family as we celebrate the visit of the relic of our great founder, ST. JOHN BOSCO. This is our way of saying thank you to Don Bosco. This is our way of expressing that despite the fact that we are away from any of the DB settings, we remain true bosconians by heart. Viva Don Bosco! This is dedicated to all Alumni SYM Leaders of DBTI, Victorias, Phillipines

Don Bosco Among us - Celebrate

The song is written by Fr. Steve Schenck and sung by friends of Don Bosco

Rector Major's address on the Bi-centenary of Don Bosco

Live the dream

The song, "Live the Dream," was the entry of Don Bosco Formation Center,
 Social Communications of Talisay City, Cebu for the Don Bosco
Songwriting contest. This is also the official theme song for the visit
of the relic of St. John Bosco to the Philippines.

St. John Bosco, Our Loving Father...

Salesian Youth Movement Song

Don Bosco Song for the Bi-centenary

Salesian Youth Movement presents

Prayer to Don Bosco

Don Bosco's Spirituality (Part 3)

Don Bosco's Spirituality (Part 2)

Don Bosco's spirituality (part 1)

Pope Francis visits the Salesian House of Sacre Cuore in Rome

President Obama on the Bi-centenary of Don Bosco

St. Louis of Toulouse - August 18

Why do sales people fail?

There is a logical order to selling.  The steps have to be followed in a logical sequence, like dialing a telephone number, or you don’t get through. Ask questions, use effective listening skills, and answer any objections the customer may have and you will soon be on your way to closing the sale.

Selling out of sequence kills the sale. You can do all the right things, but if you do them in the wrong order, just like preparing a recipe, you will not be successful.

Your ability to sell more, better, faster, and more efficiently than before is the key not only to your personal success as a salesperson, but to the success of your company, as well.

Watch this short clip from well renowned Speaker, Author and Consultant on how and why most sales people fail.

Feast of the Assumption

Wishing our viewers a very happy feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother.

The perfect moment

By Andy Andrews

I was sitting in a porch swing on a dock watching Austin, my eight-year-old boy, as he fished. There was nowhere I had to be…no one I needed to call. As I look back, it was indeed a peculiar feeling that was about to change me forever. After a few minutes of not catching anything, he said, “The reason I like to fish is because when everything is still and quiet, your whole self is full of hoping. And whether you catch anything or not, you get to hope. It’s a great feeling, isn’t it? Hope, I mean. It’s next best to excitement.” I agreed that it was. The sun was sinking low over the water when he said, “Dad? Let’s throw the football. Stand over there and I’ll stand here. That way the sun won’t be in either of our faces.” We passed the ball back and forth in silence. Then he said, “I’m going long.” “Go!” I answered. He turned, running hard, all elbows and knees as I arched the ball high into the air. It spiraled perfectly, then settling softly over my son’s left shoulder as he caught it and fell dramatically onto the sand. “Touchdown!” he yelled. “Touchdown!” He sat up and said, “Dad! Stop!” I did. “Look!” he insisted as he came closer. He grinned widely. I chuckled as I noticed the gap where his two front teeth used to be. “Dad, don’t you see?” he said. I shook my head, mystified. “No,” I told my boy. I did not see. “Well,” he began, “think about it… The sun went down, so it’s not in anybody’s eyes, but it is still light enough to throw the football. The sand is soft enough to fall on, and the temperature is not too hot and it’s not too cold. And it’s just you and me here together.” “Dad,” he said, “it’s just perfect.” And it was. As I sit here today in what the world calls the “middle age” years of my life, I ask, “How many moments have I missed that were just perfect?” I want to live a happy life, one for which I am grateful and acutely aware of time well spent. From this day forward, I will notice the joy on a child’s face, not the chocolate left on the couch. I will notice clean sheets, the roof over my head, and see opportunities to help or teach. And though I will continue to question, to grow, and to learn, I know now that I must never again let a special moment pass without reminding myself, that…

“WOW! This…right here, right now…is just perfect!”

---

One Choice

One…
One tree can start a forest,
One smile can begin a friendship,
One hand can lift a soul,
One word can frame the goal,
One candle can wipe out darkness,
One laugh can conquer gloom,
One hope can raise our spirits,

And…one choice can change your life.

Think about that. One choice, just one, can change your life forever. Simply put, your life today is what your choices have made it, but with new choices, you can change directions this very moment.

We’re always one choice away from changing our lives.

The Race

This race is not about training. This race is not about a fall. This race is about rising to the challenge. That is what all races are about.

You become what you think about

Some of the most successful people will tell you that their achievement was fast tracked by learning from someone who had already achieved success in what they wanted to do. It is also true that you become your environment, if you surround with people with low aspirations… who moan and complain all the time, then that is what you will become. People like that are toxic to your own happiness and success.

Many successful people will tell you that they found the most benefit by being in a mastermind group of like-minded people they could bounce ideas off and feel inspired by!

Attitude: The Remarkable Power of Optimism!

An Excerpt from
Attitude: The Remarkable Power of Optimism!
by Nido R. Qubein You Can Live Every Day of Your Life

The law of inertia holds that a body at rest tends to remain at rest, and
a body in motion tends to remain in motion, at the same speed and in the
same direction, unless acted upon by an outside force.

With one major difference, that law applies very well to the pattern of our lives.

People who are successful tend to remain successful.
People who are happy tend to remain happy.
People who are respected tend to remain respected.
People who reach their goals tend to go on reaching their goals.
So what’s the major difference?

In physics, inertia is controlled by outside forces; but the real changes in the directions of our lives come from inside us. As William James said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a person can alter his life by altering his attitude of mind.”

You can live every day of your life. You can be alive to the tips of your fingers. You can accomplish virtually any worthwhile goal you set for yourself.

Lunch with God

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase.

He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face.

She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home.

Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." But before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

– Author Unknown (and greatly appreciated!)

Stress is a choice

Stress is a Choice
by David Zerfoss

Several years ago while listening to my pastor give a Sunday sermon, he spoke about how life is made up of a series of choices. It made me realize that my hectic professional and personal life was of my choosing. Therefore, a life of stress had become my choice.

Many of us hurry through life going from one place to the next, focused on conquering the next mountain, making the next deal, running the next errand, and believing we will never have enough time to do all the things we need to get done. Yet, there is all the time in the world if we just realize that we are the creators of this life we choose to live. That's right. Life is a series of choices and being free from stress is one of those choices.

Whether your business life is overly complicated or your personal life (or both), you have chosen this current system of chaos. The world is a tantalizing swirl of getting the next "fix," tempting us to fit more and more things, people and processes into our lives, personally and professionally. And because we are so busy being busy, it's easy to be lured into the fray, with our lengthy to-do lists. Yet, the greatest achievements have often come from the simplest of ideas and in the simplest forms.

To experience a simplified life, we first have to learn to slow down long enough to see through all the clutter. We need to realize that we are powerful magnets that attracted this life to ourselves—no matter what—good or bad.

Little goals add up

Everything Big Starts with Something Little
from An Enemy Called Average
by John Mason

All successful people are faithful in the small things. There is power in taking small steps.

Many people are not moving forward today simply because they were not willing to take the small step placed before them. If you have a dream to go into any particular area, you should leap at the opportunity—no matter how small—to move in the direction of your dream. For example: if you dream of being a college basketball coach and are sitting at home waiting for an invitation from Roy Williams at North Carolina University, you should know that call will never come. You need to find an opportunity to coach somewhere, anywhere. Find a young person, a young team. Jump in and coach with all of your heart, like you would if you were coaching at the highest level.

Don’t be afraid to take small steps. There’s something powerful about momentum…no matter how small. Many times the impossible is simply the untried.

I can remember a time in my life when I was immobilized with fear, consumed with what I was supposed to do. It seemed so huge a task; I was unable to bring myself to face it. A friend came to me and spoke two words that broke that paralysis in my life. He said, “Do something!” I’ll never forget that day…taking some small, seemingly insignificant steps. Momentum began to come into my life.

If you are at a point of paralysis in your life because of what you feel you’re supposed to do, the words today are, “Do something!” Don’t worry about the long-term goal right now; just take the steps that take you past the starting point. Soon you’ll get to a point of no return. As you climb higher, you’ll be able to see much farther.

As you begin, don’t be afraid. Eric Hoffer said, “Fear of becoming a ‘has-been’ keeps some people from becoming anything.” Every great idea is impossible from where you are starting today. But little goals add up, and they add up rapidly. Most people don’t succeed because they are too afraid to even try. As incredible as it sounds, they decide in advance they’re going to fail.

Many times the final goal seems so unreachable we don’t even make an effort. But once you’ve made your decision and have started, it’s like you’re halfway there. Start—no matter what your circumstances. Take that first step!

It’s simple. Grow wherever you’re planted.

The best way out is alway through

If I had to guess, I would bet there have been many roadblocks, potholes, and detours on your journey through life. It is certainly true for me!

Sometimes we just have to hang on while the storms blow through. And that’s what this little 2-minute movie is all about…the amazing power of persistence!

Don’t forget to pay it forward, by sharing this email with your friends, co-workers and family! They’ll thank you for it!

Are you carrots, eggs or coffee

All of us at one time or another have experienced a difficult situation, had setbacks, or dealt with our share of disappointment.

And while most things that happen to us on a daily basis we can't directly control...

My experience has shown me that it is not what happens to us that matters but rather, how we choose to respond.

That is what this 3 minute movie is all about...

Dealing with the current cards that we are dealt.

I know you'll enjoy its message. :)

Even Eagles need a push

The Push
Unleashing the Power of Encouragement
What’s the greatest gift you’ll ever give…or receive? It might surprise you, but you will find out in a beautiful 3-minute movie.

Acts of kindness caught on Camera

Girl Takes a Terrible Fall During a Race - But Wait Til You See What Happens Next!

What is that?

Be Fearless

Why do we fall

Why Me Lord

One of my favorite songs:

It is finished by the Gaither vocal band

Rainbow mountains in China

Yes, we had a hard time believing that this unlikely mountain formation was actually real, because we haven't fallen down the rabbit hole. But, believe it or not, this Technicolor range actually exists.

The mountains are part of the Change Danxia Landform Geological Park in China. Layers of different colored sandstone and minerals were pressed together over 24 million years and then buckled up by tectonic plates, according to the Telegraph.

An Antidote to the News

LAUS DEO Do you know what it means?

LAUS DEO Do you know what it means? One detail that is never mentioned is that in Washington , D.C. there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument ... With all the uproar about removing the ten commandments, etc., this is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of this amazing historical information. On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington , D.C. , are displayed two words: Laus Deo. No one can see these words. In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn't care less. Once you know Laus Deo's history , you will want to share this with everyone you know. These words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched atop the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia , capital of the United States of America Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, unnoticed words. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world. So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply, they say ' Praise be to God!' Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was President of the United States , it was not until 1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public. It took twenty-five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus Deo 'Praise be to God!' From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors may take in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with its division into four major segments. From that vantage point, one can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles L’Enfant .....a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape, with the White House to the north. The Jefferson Memorial is to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west. A cross you ask? Why a cross? What about separation of church and state? Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not, is not, in the Constitution. So, read on. How interesting and, no doubt, intended to carry a profound meaning for those who bother to notice. When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848 deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society. Praise be to God! Such was the discipline, the moral direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy 'One Nation, Under God.' I am awed by George Washington's prayer for America .... Have you ever read it? Well, now is your unique opportunity, so read on! ' Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.' Laus Deo!

Banker and Ducks. This is priceless

You will be glad you watched

The power to overcome

Great Dance routine - James Cagney and Bob Hope

For those old enough to remember here's a rare treat...a "soft shoe" routine from two of the greatest entertainers that ever walked the stage.

James Cagney and Bob Hope at a Friar's Club Meeting back when actors were real performers. Bob Hope was 52 and James Cagney was 56. For the young folks, here is something you probably have never seen before and, unfortunately, you may never see again.

For us older folks, this is the best of the best, and we had it for many years!

This is a side of these two entertainers you hardly ever saw but it shows you their enormous talent. Bob Hope, the best of the comedians, and Jimmy Cagney...mostly cast as the bad guy, gangster in the movies.

The blessing of thorns

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes as she pushed
against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had
been easy, like a spring breeze. Then in the fourth month of
her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her
ease.

During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son.
She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her
husband's company threatened a transfer. Then her sister, whose
annual holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not
come.

What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her
grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to
empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm
feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder.

"Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered aloud. For a
careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-
ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of
her child?

"Good afternoon, can I help you?"

The shop clerk's approach startled her.

"I....I need an arrangement, "stammered Sandra. "For
Thanksgiving?

Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to
challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the
Thanksgiving Special?" asked the shop clerk.

"I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued.

"Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this
Thanksgiving?

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months,
everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. " Sandra
regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk
said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."

Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi
Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself
and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared,
carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed
thorny roses.

Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped...there
were no flowers.

"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.

Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke?
Who would want rose stems with no flowers!?! She waited for
laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara
replied with an appreciative smile.

"You'd think after three years of getting the special, I
wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it
right here, all over again," she said as she gently tapped her
chest.

"Uhh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uhh... she
just left with no flowers!"

"Right...I cut off the flowers. That's the Special... I call
it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet.

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for
that?" exclaimed Sandra.

"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling very much
like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had
very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to
cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs,
and she was facing major surgery."

"That same year I had lost my husband, "continued the clerk,"
and for the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays
alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too
great a debt to allow any travel.

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra. "I learned to be thankful
for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked
God for good things in life and never thought to ask Him why
those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I
ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are
important.

I always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it too
thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the
Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from
His consolation we learn to comfort others.

"Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing
her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't
want comfort.

I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop.

"Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man.

"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement
....twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the
clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the
refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you
mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?

"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my
wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a
real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged
through problem after problem.

He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she
kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from
"thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home
some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one
for a specific "problem" and give thanks to Him for what that
problem taught us."

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend
the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life."
Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me
that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's
providential care more during trouble than at any other time.

Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might
know His love. Don't resent the thorns."
Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the
accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take thosetwelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.

"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them
ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?" asked Sandra.

"Nothing." said the clerk.

"Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The
first year's arrangement is always on me. "The clerk smiled and
handed a card to Sandra.

"I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you'd like
to read it first."

It read:

"Dear God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have
thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my
thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the
value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to you
along the path of pain.
Show me that, through my tears, the colors of your rainbow look
much more brilliant."
~Author Unknown~

Decision making by Dharma Rose

The word "decision" comes from the original Latin word decider - which literally means to "cut off."

That might sound a bit morbid, but think of it this way...

When you make a powerful decision (according to the REAL meaning of the word), you literally cut yourself off from all other ways of thinking and acting that don't align with whatever it is you want to achieve.

You stop procrastinating. You get off the fence. You go both feet in with no second guessing yourself and no looking back. You just move forward.

And there's a lot of freedom in that!

If you find that you sometimes sink into paralysis analysis mode when it comes to making decisions in your life, here are 3 tips designed to help free you from your mental mud and get you into clear, decisive and powerful action:

STEP 1: Get Clear on Why You're Procrastinating
(Name It to Claim It)

I'm all for making big decisions with a clear head, and I'm all for "sleeping on it" if you feel like you have to.

But if there's a big decision to be made and you find yourself waiting longer than 24 hours to make it, chances are you're just procrastinating.

And why is that?

There's usually one reason: Fear of failure.

That fear of failure may be INTERNAL...

Are you afraid of making the wrong decision because you worry you'll end up looking bad? Are you afraid of disappointing someone else? Are you afraid of what Wayne Dyer calls the "good opinion of other people"?

Or that fear of failure may be EXTERNAL...

Or that fear of failure may be external - Are you of making the wrong decision because you'll end up looking bad? Are you afraid of disappointing someone else? Are you afraid of what Wayne Dyer calls the "good opinion of other people"?

Get clear on which type of fear of failure is really holding you back from making your decision.

This doesn't have to take long - just name it and then be willing to stare it in the face.

Like this:

"Hello fear of what other people will think. I see you. Thanks for coming by, and you're not going to stop me from taking action and moving forward."

Step 2: Redefine Your Fear of Failure

One of my mentors, Tony Robbins, says this thing that I love:

"There's no such thing as failure. There are only results. You always produce a result. If it's not the one you desire, just change your actions and you'll produce new results."

Once you start realizing that there are no failures, there are only results, making decisions becomes a lot easier.

If you decide to go down a particular path and you wind up somewhere other than where you'd planned, make a new decision.

Take some new actions.

You'll produce new outcomes.

Think of things in this way, and life becomes a living, breathing choose your own adventure.

Step 3: Tune Into Your Inner Guru

Your brain is an amazing instrument.

It organizes experiences you've had in your life into blocks of information that it files away deep in your subconscious mind...

And when faced with a tough decision, it automatically references these files in order to create some kind of reasoning of what you should do next.

This subconscious reasoning usually shows up like a subtle feeling that you can't quite logically explain that seems to nudge you toward a particular direction.

Most people call this intuition, heart sense or your gut instinct. And it's your wisest counsel.

Anytime you find yourself torn between two decisions, if you really tune in, you'll always find that your gut instinct is nudging you in one direction more than the other.

And if you listen to it, it will rarely lead you astray.

If you have a decision to make that you're sitting on, realize that on the other side of making that decision is a whole new realm of freedom and possibility...

So release your fear, tune into your gut instincts and take action!

The more decisions you make and actions you take, the more results you'll see manifest in your life, and if you create results that you're not happy with, simply take some new action and correct your course.

Life is what you make of it!

Success leaves clues

One of the things about living in today's world of opportunity is that just about everything you want to do has already been done by someone else.

It doesn't matter whether it's starting a business, losing weight, sailing around the world, or moving to an island, someone else has already done it and left clues.

These clues are in books, videos, workshops, and online courses.

Who has already done what you want to do? If you want to learn to meditate or visualize your dreams or you'd just would like to learn how to work from home and be an entrepreneur… someone else has done it.

Check out more about this in Jack Canfields Success Principle #9, Success Leaves Clues.

My Mind Movie by Rikka Zimmerman

There are two things I really like about her video...

(1) It's not often we get to be -inside- a teacher's head and heart

These are the affirmations that she uses to support herself in being the incredible woman she is. And by sharing them, she helps each and every one of us live up to our greatest potential.

Enjoy this opportunity to peek straight inside the gift that she is. :)

(2) The background music is from her album "Be The Change"

This is the first affirmations video I've heard where the person actually used her own music. The song is called "Outshine The Sun" and it alone is worth listening to this video for.

It's a wonderful song, and I just love the lyrics, energy, and essence of it!

Take action

Brian Tracy says, the main difference between successful people and failures is that successful people are action orienteers and failures are not. If you take action, only 2 things can happen: You can either SUCCEED or FAIL. Human beings are trial and failure organisms. We try and fail, try and fail, try and fail, try and fail, and then try and succeed. Phil Knight, the President of Nike Shoes, say, “You only have to succeed the last time.” So you’ll find there’s a direct relationship between the number of times you try and how likely it is you are to triumph. So if you hear a good idea today, resolve to give it a try and the faster you try it, the better.

Acknowledgement

Peace Today

This beautiful movie has been created by the musical artistry of Faith Rivera from her song Peace Today.

 We teach people how to treat us. -TCIM

It is imperative then, that we teach Peace. 

To teach peace, we must be the compassionate, understanding, caring, courageous and kind living examples of what humanity can be.

Please take a few minutes to meditate upon visions of peace and then pass it along to those who will appreciate receiving it from you.

Together we can make a difference...

Dream

I don’t know what that dream is you have. I don’t care how disppointing it might have been as you’ve been working toward that dream. But that dream that you’re holding in your mind… it’s possible. Some of you already know that it’s hard… it’s not easy. But in the process of working on your dreams you will grow stronger.

Connecting with colors

Bob Procter - Repetition is the mother of all learning

We all want to be successful in life, most of us anyways. Success is defined in many ways and looks different from one person to the next, but it is something we all crave and dream about constantly.

With maybe a few exceptions none of us are born into Success. Success is LEARNED!

And since Success is learned, it is something that you must practice and work on every day.

Watch today's video as my good friend Bob Proctor talks about the importance of repetition and then I'll show you a learning system that will get you across your own personal success "Finish Line". 

Paid in full

The strangest secret

It’s a little movie that presents a very, very big idea! It could be the key that unlocks the door to happiness and success.

Watch this movie. If you like it, share it with friends and co-workers.

cup cake

First of all, anybody who know me personally knows that I just LOVE chocolate. Love love LOVE chocolate. :)

Well, last month I found myself in an interesting situation where I felt deeply like God was working through me.

I was at away for the weekend attending a spiritual class and I had just finished lunch. There was a cupcake place nearby, and I found myself really wanting a chocolate cupcake.

Upon arriving at the cupcake shop, there were a lot of cupcakes.

(sort of)

See, the woman head of me bought a couple dozen cupcakes, including the last of the...

Chocolate.

There had been several. Then in a flash right before my eyes, they were gone!

Fortunately there were a few mini cupcakes left, so I bought two: One red velvet, and of course one chocolate. :)

As I walked outside, there was a homeless man sitting on a bench.

Not only was he homeless, he was clearly mentally ill.  He looked up at me as though to ask for change, and though the words didn't quite come out right it was clear he was asking for help.

My heart opened and I felt so much compassion and I wanted to give him a little bit of money.

Except that my hands were full with a cupcake in each.

Rather than ignoring him...

And rather than fumbling with cupcakes and pockets and wallets to get him some change as I initially felt compelled to do...

I looked him heartfully in the eye and simply asked:

"Which one do you want?"

His reply...

"Chocolate."

Without hesitation, I handed it to him.

And the look of wonder in his eye...

And the childlike innocent joyful smile on his face...

Made it all worth it.

I was reminded of something that Nick Vujicic said when I heard him speak in Portland a few years ago:

"When God doesn't grant your miracles, remember you are the miracle he sent for somebody else."

To me, the cupcake was a small thing. To that man, it may have very well been a small miracle.

Overcoming adversity

11 year old girls Lunch Money saves starving kids

The young man and the keys

Heart of stone

Melissa's Lunch money

Can a little girl's lunch money help save the world? Watch this TRUE story about 11-year old Melissa and see for yourself what is possible when passionate changemakers commit to making a difference in other peoples' lives.

The secret of a great relationship

The Secret of Great Relationships Would you like to know a powerful little secret about building relationships?

It may just surprise you...just watch this movie. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to pay it forward, by sharing this e-mail with your friends, co-workers and family! They’ll thank you for it!

Jack Canfield - Don't give up

This best-selling book, Chicken Soup For the Soul, was declined by 144 publishers...this is the ultimate success story about NEVER GIVING UP!

Don’t let negative people run your life.  Positive people and positive self-talk can drastically influence your life.  Change your self-talk to reach your goals.

Turn problems into opportunities

You will be completely surprised at the innovation and outside of the box thinking that reveals itself in this wonderful story. The perfect way to jumpstart creativity within your own life. Paper Airplane is a thought-provoking story about vision, courage and a sixth grader's unique response to a class project.

Get on the freeway of life

Gain insight on some of Brian Tracy’s success tips!  In this short clip, Brian shares his philosophy about finding your fast track to success!

Each of us has unlimited and untapped potential which when properly unleashed, can bring us anything we desire.

The story Brian shares in this clip about driving your fancy car, lost on the back roads, while you watch old beat up jalopies pass you by on the freeway is a great example of how you can have the best intentions, but still never get ahead.  

The power of optimism

Everyone wants to be physically healthy. You want to be mentally healthy as well. The true measure of "mental fitness” is how optimistic you are about yourself and your life.

Learn how to control your thinking so that you feel terrific about yourself and your situation, no matter what happens.

No Excuses

Your life is a matter of choice... you have the power to choose to take action.

It's not what people say or do to you... it's your self-talk that determines how you feel. It's not about them, it's about you.  You have the power to create the life you have always wanted. Choose to listen to yourself, not others! 

Believe in yourself

Words are powerful...be VERY careful what you allow to sink in to your own mental factory and be equally as careful when speaking to others, especially those you care about. Words can destroy just as easily as they can build up.

You can't score a goal sitting on the sidelines

After his first audition, a casting director told actor Sidney Poitier, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?” It was at that moment, recalls Poitier, that he decided to devote his life to acting. He wasn’t going to let someone else decide his life path.

“There’s nothing in the middle of the road, but yellow stripes and dead armadillo,” says Jim Hightower. Decide to do something now to make your life better. The choice is yours.

“My decision is maybe—and that’s final.” Is this you? Being decisive is essential for a successful life. If you deny yourself commitment, what will you do with your life? Every accomplishment, great or small, starts with a decision.

David Ambrose remarked, “If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don’t, you have achieved half your failure.”

The moment you definitely commit yourself, change begins. All sorts of things happen to help you that never would have otherwise occurred. Kenneth Blanchard observed, “There is a difference between interests and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you only do it when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” Lack of decisiveness has caused more failures than lack of intelligence or ability.

Indecision often gives an advantage to the other person because they did their thinking beforehand. Helen Keller said, “Science may have found a cure for most evil; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all—the apathy of human beings.” Don’t leave a decision for tomorrow that needs to be made today.

Remember, don’t be a “middle-of-the-roader” because the middle of the road is the worst place to try to go forward. You can do everything you ought to do once you make a decision. Today, decide on your dream.

If we could see inside people's hearts - wow

Here is a profound look at life, in 4 minutes. This one will have you welling up with tears…

The camera wanders and shows the inner lives of people around us as they do their daily tasks. Most of it is set in a hospital, where there is so much worry, sadness, some joy, bad news, good news, no news, anxiety, fear -- just like our own lives...

Magnified.

We’ve all been there. We've all experienced at least one of these people’s lives, and that's what brings the message of this video so close to home.

We ALL have our stories. Others have theirs.  But we never really know, we don't fully connect, because most of us walk around keeping most of our thoughts and feelings to ourselves.

Still...

If we could see inside other peoples' hearts, this is what we'd see...

 

Saturate your mind

Oil for your lamp

Mother Teresa said, “To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”

“I believe women are a lot like lamps…we need to refill and recharge once in a while to be at our best.” —Lisa Hammond and BJ Gallagher

Take a deep cleansing breath and give yourself three minutes to relax with this short inspirational movie.

Don’t forget to share it with your friends and family. They will be glad you did.

Celebrate working moms

Brian Tracy - Organizing your time

Something a laptop cannot achieve

You will love this. It is something that a laptop cannot achieve!

Chistianity & Islam Medley

Beautiful Islamic and Christianity

duet at a concert in Lebanon -

if only everyone could see its possible for religions to bring peace, rather than violence and hatred..

Women with a mission

Mary Kay Ash banged her head on the corporate glass ceiling one too many times. Working for several direct sales companies from the 1930s until the early 1960s, she achieved considerable success. She climbed the corporate ladder to become the sole woman on the board of directors of the World Gift Company—quite an accomplishment for a woman in the 1950s.

But life wasn’t rosy at the top. Even though Mary Kay had the title and the track record, she was not taken seriously by her male peers. In board meetings, her opinions and suggestions were ignored, dismissed, or even ridiculed. Male board members minced no words in their judgment, pronouncing her guilty of “thinking like a woman.”

Since the sales force was almost entirely female, Mary Kay thought that thinking like a woman was an asset. But her fellow board members disagreed. Finally, in frustration, she retired in 1963, intending to write a book to assist women in the male-dominated business.

Sitting at her kitchen table, she made two lists: one list was all the good things she had seen in the companies where she’d worked, and the other list was all the things she thought could be improved. As she re-read her lists, she realized that what she had in front of her was a marketing plan for her ideal company. In just four weeks, her “book” had become a business plan, and her retirement was over.

Both her accountant and her attorney did their best to discourage her, warning that she would be throwing her money away on this venture. But Mary Kay had heard enough male nay-saying in her corporate years—she ignored her advisors.

Her husband, unlike her accountant and attorney, was very supportive. With his help, Mary Kay developed cosmetic products, designed packaging, wrote promotional materials and recruited and trained her female sales force.

Then the unthinkable happened; her husband of twenty-one years died of a heart attack. Another woman might have dropped her plans, or at least delayed them, but Mary Kay was a strong Texas woman. She stayed on track with the help of her twenty-year-old son, Richard Rogers, and rolled out her new business in September of 1963.

Beginning with a storefront in Dallas and an investment of $5,000, Mary Kay Cosmetics earned close to $200,000 in its first year—quadrupling that amount in its second year. When Mary Kay took her company public in 1968, sales had climbed to more than $10 million.

Mary Kay’s unusual corporate motto, “God first, family second, career third,” was unconventional, to say the least. But she understood the need for women to have balance in their lives, and she was committed to providing unlimited opportunity for women’s financial AND personal success.

Mary Kay authored three books, all of which became best-sellers. Her business model is taught at the Harvard Business School. She received many honors, including the Horatio Alger Award. Fortune magazine has named Mary Kay Cosmetics as one of the Ten Best Companies for Women, as well as one of The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America.

At the time of her death in 2001, Mary Kay Cosmetics had 800,000 independent beauty consultants in 37 countries, with total annual sales of over two billion dollars. Never underestimate the power of a woman with a mission!

Pay it forward

Have you ever been in line to get coffee and the person in front of you pays for your order? It makes you feel pretty great. And it makes you want to pass that feeling on to someone else. The ripple effect of just one small act of kindness can make a positive difference in so many people’s lives!

In honor of small acts of kindness, we’re celebrating Pay It Forward Day! Today, people all over the world will take the time to do something nice for someone else, and the happiness will continue to spread. Join us by doing something small just to make someone’s day.

When you think about a random act of kindness you can do today, remember these 3 things:

1.

Anyone can make a difference. When 8-year-old Katelyn Indelicato heard about a local man who was shot and paralyzed as an innocent bystander in a drive-by shooting, she wanted to help him any way she could. She emptied her own piggy bank and raised money to pay for a physical therapy session for a complete stranger who was going through a tough time. “Anyone can make a difference,” Katelyn said. “You can be more than what you are right now. You can do more than what you’ve already done.” If a 3rd grader can make a difference, you can too.

2.

A single small act of goodwill has the potential to make a huge difference. In 1963, Edward Lorenz presented a hypothesis to the New York Academy of Science: A butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, in turn moving more molecules of air—eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the planet. He was laughed out of the conference, his hypothesis preposterous. More than thirty years later, the butterfly effect was found to be authentic, accurate, and viable. Just like the flap of a butterfly’s wings can cause a hurricane, an act of kindness by one person can make the world a more positive place.

The secret to living is giving

There are certain stories that just get stuck in your head…changing the way you look at life. In the next three minutes, you’re about to experience one of those stories.

It’ll illustrate, more than words can say, the #1 thing you can do to transform your entire life…and the lives of those around you.

God Whispers

Leaning on the Everlasting arms

"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" like you've never heard it before!

This man is so good - listen to his voice & how it changes to

sound like the original singers in each decade.

Sound ON!

Baptist Church Meeting

You'll enjoy this - A Must See!!

THIS IS HILARIOUS BE SURE TO WATCH IT.

This Baptist Minister of Music Is A

"REAL ENTERTAINER"

Enjoy! 

Happy Easter - Jesus is Risen!

The Greatest News that shatters all logic

"JESUS IS RISEN from the DEAD,"
  reverberates through the world.

Receive His blessings!

Happy Easter!

Garden of Gethsemane

Garden of Gethsemane

by Ronald Rolheiser

Several years ago, Mel Gibson produced and directed a movie which enjoyed a spectacular popularity. Entitled, The Passion of the Christ, the movie depicts Jesus' paschal journey from the Garden of Gethsemane to his death on Golgotha, but with a very heavy emphasis on his physical suffering.  The movie shows in graphic detail what someone who was being crucified might have had to endure in terms of being physically beaten, tortured, and humiliated.

While most church groups applauded the film and suggested that, finally, someone made a movie the truly depicted Jesus' suffering, many scripture scholars and spiritual writers were critical of the movie. Why? What's wrong with showing, at length and in graphic detail, the blood and gore of the crucifixion - which, indeed, must have been pretty horrific?

What's wrong (or better, perhaps, amiss) is that this is precisely what the Gospel accounts of Jesus' death don't do. All four Gospels take pains to not focus on the physical sufferings of Jesus. Their descriptions of his physical sufferings are stunningly brief: "They crucified him with the two criminals." "Pilate had Jesus scourged and handed him over to be crucified."  Why the brevity here? Why no detailed description?

The reason that the Evangelists don't focus us on what Jesus was enduring physically is that they want us to focus something else, namely, on what Jesus was enduring emotionally and morally. The passion of Jesus is, in its real depth, a moral drama, not a physical one, the suffering of a lover, not that of an athlete.

Thus we see that, when Jesus is anticipating his passion, the anxiety he expresses is not about the whips that will beat him or the nails that will pierce his hands. He is pained and anxious rather about the aloneness he is facing, how he will be betrayed and abandoned by those who profess to love him, and how he will, in the wonderful phraseology of Gil Bailie, be "unanimity-minus-one".

That the passion of Jesus is a love-drama is also evident in its setting. It begins with him sweating blood in a garden - and ends with him being buried in a garden. Jesus is sweating blood in a garden, not in an arena. What's significant about a garden?

In archetypal symbolism, gardens are not for growing vegetables or even for growing flowers. Gardens are for lovers, the place to experience delight, the place to drink wine, the place where Adam and Eve were naked and didn't know it, the place where one makes love.

And so the Evangelists place the beginning and the end of Jesus' passion in a garden to emphasize that it is Jesus, as lover (not Jesus as King, or Magus, or Prophet) who is undergoing this drama. And what precisely was the drama?  When Jesus is sweating blood in the Garden and begging his Father to spare him having to "drink the cup", the real choice he is facing is not: Will I let myself die or will I invoke divine power and save my life? Rather the choice was: "How will die? Will I die angry, bitter, and unforgiving, or will I die with a warm, forgiving heart?"

Of course, we know how Jesus resolved this drama, how he chose forgiveness and died forgiving his executioners, and how, inside all that darkness, he remained solidly inside the message that he had preached his whole ministry, namely, that ultimately love, community, and forgiveness triumph.

Moreover, what Jesus did in that great moral drama is something we're supposed to imitate rather than simply admire because that drama is also ultimately the drama of love within our own lives, presenting itself to us in countless ways. Namely:

At the end of our lives, how will we die? Will our hearts be angry, clinging, unforgiving, and bitter at the unfairness of life? Or, will our hearts be forgiving, grateful, empathic, warm, as was the heart of Jesus when he said to his Father not my will but yours be done?

Moreover this is not just one, major choice we face at the hour of death; it is also a choice we face daily, many times daily. Countless times in our daily interactions with others, our families, our colleagues, our friends, and with society at large, we suffer moments of coldness, misunderstanding, unfairness, and positive violation. From the indifference of a family member to our enthusiasm, to a sarcastic comment that is intended to hurt us, to a gross unfairness in our workplace, to being the victim of a prejudice or abuse; our kitchen tables, our workplaces, our meeting rooms, and the streets we share with others, are all places where we daily experience, in small and big ways, what Jesus felt in the garden of Gethsemane, unanimity-minus-one. In that darkness will we let go of our light? In the face of hatred will we let go of love?

That's the real drama of the Passion of the Christ - and the ropes, whips, and nails are not the central drama.