Monday, March 31, 2014

Bobsie Story

When I watched Jack Canfield tell this story in the video below...2 things happened for me. I was deeply touched and reminded that there are a lot of remarkable people doing great things in this world. I asked myself, "Why are so many people moved by this story?" To see if it does the same for you...I'll guess you'll have to watch for yourself! 


Sunday, March 30, 2014

What brothers do for each other

Cayden suffers from cerebral palsy, but Conner doesn't let that stop him from playing sports with his brother. The two compete in triathlons together...


Friday, March 28, 2014

Validation

A dear friend sent this movie to me a long time ago, and after I finally took the 20 minutes to watch it I was SO glad that I did.

I still watch it occasionally, and today I thought I'd share it with you. :)

"Validation" is a short film about what happens to people when somebody starts believing in them, even when they don’t believe in themselves. I'm reminded of a quote that was always hanging on a banner in my martial arts studio that said:

"People have gone further than they thought they could… simply because somebody else thought they could."
Sometimes all we need is a little bit of "Validation" to help get us through the day, or perhaps, even to change our lives forever.



Monday, March 24, 2014

Concentration - a Zen Story

After winning several archery contests, the young and rather boastful champion challenged a Zen master who was renowned for his skill as an archer...

The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull's eye on his first try, and then split that arrow with his second shot. "There," he said to the old man, "see if you can match that!"

Undisturbed, the master did not draw his bow, but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain. Curious about the old fellow's intentions, the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log.

Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous bridge, the old master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow, and fired a clean, direct hit. "Now it is your turn," he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground.

Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless and beckoning abyss, the young man could not force himself to step out onto the log, no less shoot at a target.

"You have much skill with your bow," the master said, sensing his challenger's predicament...

"But you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot."

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Squeeze the most out of your day




In the opening scene of a thriller I once read, a small crowd waited to cross a noisy intersection. The sounds of motors honking, the occasional curse word from a driver, radio music, talking, and beckoning calls from hot dog venders filled the air. The pedestrians waited impatiently, but then the light changed and they started across unaware that one of them—a man—had suddenly crumpled to the ground. Dead. One or two pedestrians who noticed the man drop, stopped to help. The killer, a man with poison in a syringe, had quietly and quickly injected the man. No one noticed as he slipped away with the crowd.

When I think about that murderer, I'm reminded that there are silent assassins all around us. Time killers.

Like that murderer with the syringe, time killers look innocent enough. A harmless crossword puzzle in the newspaper. The inviting Sudoku game in the back of the magazine. An informative news feed on the Internet. Phone calls. Emails. Tweets. Facebook messages from friends and clients. Suddenly, your morning's gone. Unnoticed, innocent-looking distractions killed your valuable time.

We are often guilty of doing activities we like to do rather than activities we ought to do. We might actually work but still not accomplish what we need to get done. For example, scholars like to study; they don't like to write the paper. A homemaker may grocery shop but spend so much time reading labels that the house stays cluttered. Athletes like to run the winning play but may not want to meet curfew or do two-a-days. But to get ahead, we can't just do the jobs we like to do; we also have to do the jobs we need to do to succeed.

There's a way to do both. And a wealthy industrialist paid a lot of money to find out the secret.

About one hundred years ago, a man named Ivy Lee went to the president of Bethlehem Steel, Charles Schwab, and made a deal with him. Lee told Schwab he could increase Schwab's productivity as well as the workload of all his managers. What's more, Lee told Schwab he could help Schwab's executives produce a significant amount more if he could just spend fifteen minutes with each of them. To make the offer especially enticing, Lee told Schwab he wouldn't charge anything at all unless his advice worked. "Then, after three months," Lee told Schwab, "if my advice proves profitable, send me a check for whatever you think it's worth."

They struck a deal.

Here's how productive he was—Lee actually spent only ten minutes with each executive. Here's what he told them: "I want you to promise that for the next ninety days, before leaving your office at the end of each day, you'll make a list of the six most important things you have to do the next day and number them in their order of importance."

The executives were shocked that that was all they were asked to do.

"That's it," Lee said. "Scratch off each item after you finish it. Then go on to the next item on your list. If something doesn't get done, put it on the following day's list."

Each Bethlehem executive agreed to follow Lee's instructions. Three months later, Schwab studied the results. He was so pleased, he sent Lee a check for $35,000! (That may or may not seem like a lot of money to you, but this was one hundred years ago. At the time, the average United States worker made $2.00 a day or $4,000 a year. Thirty-five thousand dollars was a LOT of money! Even today, imagine if you spent a few minutes with a group of executives and gave each one the same, simple tip and got $35,000 for it. You'd be thrilled!)

Many people follow Lee's advice today. The founder of the $2.2 billion direct sales cosmetics company Mary Kay praised Lee's idea when she wrote the book You Can Have It All: Lifetime Wisdom from America's Foremost Woman Entrepreneur . Mary Kay Ash boasted that she herself followed Lee's advice. After all, she reasoned, Schwab was one of the smartest business professionals of his day. If he felt that bit of advice was worth paying $35,000, she ought to try it, too. So, each night she made a list of things to do the following day. But, she added a twist to it. She didn't just number the tasks in order of importance. She always put the hardest or most unappealing task at the top. "This way," she wrote, "I tackle the most difficult item first, and once it's out of the way, I feel my day is off to a good start."

Follow Lee's advice! Before you go to sleep tonight, figure out what you need to do tomorrow. Write down the six most important things you need to accomplish. Not only will you start tomorrow ready to go, but subconsciously, you'll also be working on those six projects while you sleep. Then, follow Mary Kay's advice and knock those tasks out from hardest to easiest.

Don't let your time get snuffed out by what appears to be an innocent killer! Stand guard. When you guard your time, you guard your life. For time is the stuff that life is made of.

Friday, March 14, 2014

If I had my child to raise over

We're excited to share with you a short inspirational movie based on the highly acclaimed poem "If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again" by Diana Loomans.
We often say children grow up in a flash - that before you know it, they turn from grinning toddlers to insolent teenagers. Perhaps it isn't about the speed in which they grow, it's about how present we are able to be in each and every moment of their lives. It's about how we cherish the time we spend with them.
Take just 3 minutes now to watch this short movie. Sit back, turn up your speakers and enjoy!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Don't Quit

It seems to me, almost everywhere I look these days, I see people struggling with challenges they are not used to encountering, and, in some cases . . . have never faced in their life. This bothers me! This might make a difference in their day . . and maybe . . . just maybe . . . the rest of the year!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

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.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Second mile

The Second Mile will help you experience in your heart and mind the powerful truth that you can live above “the norm” to accomplish things that change the world for others—and in your own life!
Drawn from a few short words delivered on a hillside by the Greatest Teacher who ever lived, author Paula Fox has crafted one of her trademark poetic narratives that will capture and entertain your imagination—and teach the seven simple principles of walking the second mile: generosity, humility, kindness, gratitude, excellence, choice, and victory.

Monday, March 10, 2014

The video every teen should watch


In 2013, Chris “Ashton” Kutcher’s acceptance speech at the Teen Choice Awards was not what most people would have considered traditional.
He had three things to say, and speaks out about what our teens need to know in order to be successful in life.  Our Superstars aren’t just lucky, and it takes hard work to reach your dreams.  Through his own story, he reminds them that he didn’t just become an actor overnight.
But how did he get from sweeping cheerios off of a warehouse floor to finally getting a chance to be noticed?
Instead of just saying “Thank You,” he took this moment to inspire them with the tools that would help them become their own Superstar.  What did he say that was so powerful to reveal at an awards ceremony to our next generation?
Ashton’s message isn’t just for teens, this applies to all of us no matter where we are in our lives. Make it happen for yourself too!

Friday, March 7, 2014

Things aren't all that it seems

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied:

"Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel: "How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him", she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem."

"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion," continued the older angel, "I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead...."

"Things aren't always what they seem."

– Author Unknown and greatly appreciated!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Clay Buddha

When you were younger didn't you think you could accomplish anything, do anything and become anything you wanted? Shouldn't you still think that?

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Go for the gold

In the real world, great achievements rarely just happen by chance. In fact, they rarely just happen at all.  Instead, they are created and built by people that make them happen...people who SHOW UP (ready for action), SUIT UP (prepared to achieve) and GO FOR THE GOLD!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Cliff Young - Marathon Runner

I love this story of Cliff Young because it reminds me that "They" don't know a thing when it comes down to You, Me or Cliff Young going after something we REALLY want to do.

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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Don't let fear paralyze you.

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must out-run
the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion
wakes up. It knows it must out-run the slowest gazelle or it will
starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle: When the
sun comes up, you'd better be running!