January
2008
A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."
The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, "I don't understand."
"It is simple," said the Lord, "It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."
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February
2008
CHALLENGE: The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.
IMAGINATION: Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will.
VISION: Give to us a clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for.
PERSISTENCE: Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find they haven't half the strength you think they have.
TEAMWORK: Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but by doing it.
COURAGE: Courage is when you stare your worst fear or toughest obstacle in the face and beat it.
ATTITUDE: Nothing can stop the person with the right mental attitude from achieving their goal.
FOCUS: Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the target.
BALANCE: Let nothing good or bad upset the balance in your life.
EXCELLENCE: What is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.
RISK: There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
DETERMINATION: Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen.
CHARACTER: Nearly all people can stand adversity, but if you want to test a person's character, give them power.
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March
2008
AUTHENTICITY
The master was never impressed by diplomas or degrees.
He scrutinized the person, not the certificate.
He was once heard to say, "When you have ears to hear a bird in song, you don't need to look at its credentials."
(From: Anthony deMello's One Minute Wisdom)
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April
2008
African Proverb
A sparrow flew merrily through the air, when he heard a clap of thunder.
The sparrow fell to the ground with his two little legs sticking straight up in the air.
An eagle flying nearby saw the sparrow and asked, 'What's happening?" The sparrow replied, "The sky is falling down."
The eagle, mocking the little bird, replied "And what are you going to do, hold it up with those scrawny legs of yours?"
The sparrow looked at the majestic eagle with resignation and replied, "One does what one can, with what one has."
Be like the sparrow. Do your best with what you have. Know and do those things that you ought to do - and avoid those things you ought not to do.
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May
2008
There is no statute of limitations on righting a wrong.
It's the pursuit that screws up happiness. If we drop the pursuit, it's right here.
"Dialogue" . is a conversation with a center, not sides.
Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug .
It is no use to wait for your ship to come in unless you have sent one out.
Never grow a wishbone . where your backbone ought to be.
Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first, the lessons afterward.
If you don't have wrinkles, you haven't laughed enough.
Life is a bumpy road and laughter is your best shock absorber.
Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal.
Good ideas need landing gear as well as wings.
The trouble with life in the fast lane is that you get to the other end in an awful hurry.
Always put off until tomorrow what you shouldn't do at all.
The past and the future are great places to visit, but you don't want to live there.
Happiness sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.
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June
2008
When you clench your fist, no one can put anything in your hand, nor can your hand pick anything up.
The first step toward victory is to position your idea so that your victory is everyone's victory.
Give advice, but share wisdom.
When you're able to tell others what you really want to do, doors will open.
If today you tried and failed, then tomorrow is another day.
If today you failed to try, then tomorrow is only today.
Is it beyond your control? Accept it.
Is it in your control? Optimize it.
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July
2008
Consider this question posed by author Stephen Levine, "If you had an hour
to live and could make only one phone call - who would you call, what would
you say, and why are you waiting?"
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August
2008
Many years ago in a small village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a
large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was old
and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. So he proposed a
bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his
daughter.
Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the
cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter.
He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an
empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.
1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her
father's debt would be forgiven.
2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's
debt would still be forgiven.
3) If she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they
talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them
up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and
put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the
bag.
Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done
if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told
her?
Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1) The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2) The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and
expose the moneylender as a cheat.
3) The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to
save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the
hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and
logical thinking. The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional
logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above
logical answers.
What would you recommend to the girl to do?
Here is what she did .
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without
looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where
it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.
"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind. If you look into the
bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I
picked."
Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked
the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty,
the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely
advantageous one.
MORAL OF THE STORY?
Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don't attempt
to think.
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September
2008
Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those you hold well.
Pessimists calculate the odds. Optimists believe they can overcome them.
Never buy a saddle until you have met the horse.
Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
There are people who wring their hands and people who roll up their sleeves.
Just remember - when you think all is lost, the future remains.
Be who you are and say what you feel because people who mind don't matter
and people who matter don't mind.
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.
A pessimist makes difficulties of his opportunities; an optimist makes
opportunities of his difficulties.
An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against
it.
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it falls due.
Every time I close the door on reality it comes in through the windows.
When it comes to staying young, a mind-lift beats a face-lift any day.
Two monologues do not make a dialogue.
An optimist is a person who looks forward to enjoying the scenery on a
detour.
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October
2008
You can't get the best from people by lighting a fire beneath them; find a
way to light a fire within them.
Remove failure as an option and your chances for success become infinitely
better.
Don't learn the tricks of the trade - learn the trade.
Appreciation is the most neglected - yet most powerful - marketing tool
available.
A company is the sum of what its people understand and know how to do well.
A company has a name, but its people give it a meaning.
You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not
say.
Instead of forcing employees to think outside the box, supply a bigger,
better box.
People want to be good team players, but if they don't see the whole
picture, they can't be.
Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working
together is success.
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November
2008
Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a
thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you
can.
An apology is a good way to have the last word.
It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny.
I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar
of it every month.
The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.
Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.
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December
2008
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
May the teachings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may
call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and who have
touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less
than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more
important than its form.
May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place
immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time in each day to
see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has
limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you
may feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in
the future.
May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn
to view everything as a worthwhile experience.
May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself,
and not be dependent on another's judgment of your accomplishments.
May you always feel loved.
-Sandra Sturtz
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