The Rule of Three

The United States Marine Corps believes strongly in what they call “The Rule of Three.” They've found that implementing this rule saves lives, gets more done faster and more efficiently.

An article on The Corps in INC. magazine says, “The rule dictates that a person should limit his or her attention to three tasks or goals. When applied to strategizing, the rule prescribes boiling a world of infinite possibilities down to three alternative courses of action. Anything more and a marine can become overextended and confused. The marines experimented with a rule of four and found that effectiveness plummeted.”

I've always believed that three is a powerful number. We find it in some very significant places. The most powerful physical structure is a triangle or pyramid. In fact, it's the building block of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. For Christians—it's the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And then, of course, we have Mind, Body, Spirit. Three is a powerful number metaphysically—a number of completion.

As we become immersed in the ocean of information, possibilities, directions and the like, it becomes even more important for us to focus on the things that are truly important to us—the things that will make a difference in the quality of our lives.

Three things can easily be remembered. Any more than that and retention suffers. We can all sharpen our focus and get better results by using the Rule of Three in our daily lives.

List the three most important values in your life. What's really important to you? If you make this list, you'll place yourself in the top one percent of all the people on the planet because very few ever do this. Your decisions will become infinitely easier because your values are clear.

What are your three primary missions? These are different than goals. Goals can be measured. They can be completed. A mission is your vision of something that you'll never say is done—at least not in this lifetime.

Make a list of your three most important goals. It's great to have lots of goals but which ones are worthy of your best attention and efforts? Remember, you can have anything you want in your life. You just can't have EVERYTHING you want.

What three things would you like to master? Three things at which you want to become an expert. Maybe it's speaking in public. Perhaps you want to learn another language. Or maybe you want to become a masterful parent. It's your life and you get to decide.

By making good use of the Rule of Three, you'll sharpen your focus, increase your effectiveness and experience greater fulfillment in all that you do.

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world. Someone to love, something to do and something to hope for."

Rejoice!

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live you’re live so that when you die, the world will cry and you will rejoice.

When In Need Of God's Presence

Whatever your circumstances, be sure that God watches over you. Because He loves you, and since God Himself is love, you can be confident that you are never out of His sight, nor His loving concern.

How can you make yourself believe this? First, repeat it to yourself. Repetition is a powerful method of persuading the mind to accept a truth. Epictetus called it the most classical of all studies. It brings about acceptance.

Thank God constantly for watching over you and protecting you. After every journey, thank Him for His protecting care. In every difficult situation, thank Him for seeing you through.

Visualize your loved ones as always being protected by the everlasting arms, and supported by the great hand of God. In this way, you will be sending out protecting and guiding thoughts that God will use for their protection. Help God to protect your loved ones and yourself.

A final technique is to commit to memory many of the following Bible passages that deal with the protective love of God. Every day, repeat them to yourself, meditating upon them with gratitude.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. (Psalm145:18)

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. (Psalm 56:11)

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. (I Peter 5:6,7)

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:9,10)

How To Become A Positive Thinker

The world in which you live is not determined by outward circumstances as much as it is by the thoughts that occupy your mind. You can think and believe your way to misery or to a life of joy, satisfaction, and abundance. You have the power to choose. THE CONCEPT OF POSITIVE THINKING is a philosophy, an expression of faith. It doesn’t ignore life’s problems, but explains a practical approach to deal with, and overcome, them.

Anyone interested in seeking a better, promise-filled way of life, can find it through positive thinking and faith in God. To become a successful positive thinker, here are some ideas to think about:

1. To every disadvantage, there usually is a corresponding advantage. Consider the old truism that behind the darkest clouds the sun is shining. In the toughest situations there is always some value that is inherently good. The positive thinker will look for the good, for the advantage, and will therefore do far better with the difficulty than the negative thinker will. What you deeply think and visualize has a strong tendency to happen. So always think positively, believingly, expectantly, hopefully.

2. It isn’t what is happening but your attitude toward what is happening. Let’s assume a big, hard fact, and here are two men of equal intelligence facing it. One man says. “This is an overwhelming difficulty, more than I can handle.” So he is defeated by the fact. The other man says, “This is a tough situation, but with God’s help, I can handle it.” And he proceeds to do so successfully. It is the attitude toward the fact that is crucial—more so than the fact itself.

3. Develop a positive mental attitude toward the bottom. I have often had to deal with glum and discouraged people who have said, “I’ve hit bottom and there is no hope.” To one such man I replied, “Congratulations. Having hit bottom, you can go no lower; the only direction is up. So start thinking up.” He did, and after a time new ideas came that helped him to move up well above the bottom.

4. Put thoughts of God up against your trouble. A friend of mine, at 84, had her leg amputated. Even so, she does all her housework from a wheelchair. When asked if she ever becomes discouraged, she answered, “Certainly I do.” Then I asked, “What do you do when you get discouraged?” She replied, “What is there to do but get over it? I simply take the attitude that, with the Lord helping me, I can sweep all dark shadows from my mind, as I do the dust in my house.”

Becoming The Right Thing

Are 'You' a gardener? Yes you are...!

A man wanted to make an investment. An idea struck him: "Why don't I plant a small mango sapling and enjoy the benefits when it grows into a big tree?" So he went to the market, bought a small sapling and took it home. To the pride of his family, he planted it in the center of his garden.

He read everything about raising a mango tree. He got up early every morning, for he was determined to supply the sapling with all the necessary nutrients. He watered it, he supplied it with manure, and he took good care of its leaves by removing those that withered. He made sure the sapling received ample care.

Many times he sat and admired the beauty of the growing tree while dreaming about the tasty mangoes that the tree would bear. His mind was always filled with the wish to taste the first fruit of the tree.

Years rolled by... now, he had a big tree… glorious… with its leaves shining and healthy, its bark healthy and hard. It was a big attraction because it decorated his whole garden.

Then one day he noticed a small bud, which in a couple of days bloomed into a beautiful flower. Now he could hardly wait for the fruit so he started to increase his supply of nutrients and care. Then one day the tree let out its first product - a small green fruit. The man was so happy.

He waited for a few more weeks till the fruit grew in size. The day came when he decided to taste the first fruit of the tree. He climbed the tree, plucked the fruit and then came his disappointment. The fruit that he plucked from the tree was not like what he expected. It was hard, big and round. He was baffled. He was sad.

Seeing this, his neighbours came and asked him what happened. He told them that the fruit from his tree was not what he wanted. When the neighbours heard this, they did not know whether to laugh or console him for what he planted years ago was a guava sapling.

This story teaches us one simple thing. We all already know it, from our early years. "If we want to raise mangoes then we have to plant mango saplings. There is no other alternative."

Similarly, how then can we expect to become what we want to become if we are not willing to sow the right seed?

How many times do we think that we can achieve what we want, even after dividing our focus and attention on diverse/multiple things?

How many times are we tempted to think that even after compromising our time on non-essential stuff, we can still manage to reach our goal?

1. If a girl wants to become a physician, she has to read and try to get through biology, otherwise how can she realize her dream?

2. If a boy wants to become a soccer player, he most certainly has to spend his time sweating on the ground (even when his friends are out, partying).

3. If a man wants to become a writer, there is no other way than to read and practice writing. What other way will do?

4. If a woman wants to become a painter, will having chats with her loved ones help? We know what should be done instead; taking up the brush and paint.

5. Does anyone want to change his attitude from negative to positive? He should be willing to sow the seeds of rigorous training of his mind.

This applies to every goal in life, be it big or small, personal or social. How can we expect mangoes if we are not planting mango saplings in the first place?

We can really become all that we want… truly all that we want. These are the words spoken by great people throughout the centuries. If we want to achieve what we want, then we have to seriously invest in the things that will lead us to that particular destination. It is wrong seeds, in the first place, that change the future fruit.

Our thoughts are the first seeds that we sow in any endeavour. The Bible also affirms this in the book of proverbs - "As a man thinks, so he becomes."

The only thing needed to become what we want, is the realization that we harvest what we sow; therefore sowing the right seed and investing our efforts in it would be the sensible thing to do…ONLY THE RIGHT SEED WILL WORK! Let us sow the right seeds into our daily lives.

Following our thoughts, the next key things are our words and actions. They too are seeds.

George Washington said, "Bad seed is a robbery of the worst kind: for your pocket-book not only suffers by it, but your preparations are lost and a season passes away unimproved."

If we plant a bad seed (action/word), we are the ones who are unfortunately the ones to reap it. We lose an opportunity… a season. Hence, let us decide to plant and water the correct seed, of which we want to enjoy the benefits, even when other seeds are enticing or distracting.

We all know what the right seed is for each of our ventures; it is just a matter of sowing them with diligence. It is simple - Let us sow what we want to reap and we are automatically on the right track, whatever the track might be.

By Sam Vijay Kumar

SHMILY

By Laura Jeanne Allen

My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game from the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word "shmily" in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving "shmily" around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more.

They wrote "shmily" with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever would open the container next.

They wrote in the condensation on the windows overlooking the patio where my grandma always fed us warm, homemade pudding with blue food coloring. "Shmily" was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would re-appear bath after bath. At one point, my grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper to leave shmily on the very last sheet.

There was no end to the places "shmily" would pop up. Little notes with "shmily" scribbled hurriedly were found on dashboards and car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows. "Shmily" was written in the dust on the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents' house as the furniture.

It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents' game. Skepticism had kept me from believing in true love--one that is pure and enduring. However, I never doubted my grandparents' relationship. They had love down pat. It was more than their little games; it was a way of life. Their relationship was based on a devotion and adoring affection which not everyone is blessed enough to experience.

Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other's sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble. My grandma whispered to me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome an old man he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew "how to pick 'em."

Before every meal they bowed heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune, and each other.

But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents' life: my grandmother had cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that color so she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside.

Now the cancer was once again attacking her body. With the help of a cane and my grandfather's steady hand, they still took a little walk outside every morning. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore.

For a while, Grandpa would take his morning walk alone, praying to God to watch over his wife. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.

"Shmily!" It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother's funeral bouquet. As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time. Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother's casket and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came, a deep and throaty lullaby.

S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You!

Shaking with my own sorrow, I will never forget that moment, because I knew then that, although I couldn't begin to fathom the depth of their love, I had been privileged to witness its unmatched beauty.

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for letting me see.

THE LAST SUPPER

Leonardo Da Vinci, a noted Italian artist painted the Last Supper; and the time engaged for it's completion was seven years. The figures representing the twelve Apostles and Christ himself were painted from living persons. The life-model for the painting of the figure of Jesus was chosen first. When it was decided that Da Vinci would paint this great picture, hundreds and hundreds of young men were carefully viewed in an endeavor to find a face and personality exhibiting innocence and beauty, free from the scars and signs of dissipation caused by sin.

Finally, after weeks of laborious search, a young man nineteen years of age, was selected as a model for the portrayal of Christ. For six months DaVinci worked on the production of this leading character of his famous painting.

During the next six years DaVinci continued his labors on this sublime work of art. One by one fitting persons were chosen to represent each of the eleven Apostles; space being left for the painting of the figure representing Judas Iscariot as the final task of this masterpiece. This was the Apostle, you remember, who betrayed his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, worth in our present day currency $16.96.

For weeks Da Vinci searched for a man with a hard, callous face, with a countenance marked by scars of avarice, deceit, hypocrisy, and crime; a face that would delineate a character who would betray his best friend.

After many discouraging experiences in searching for the type of person required to represent Judas, word came to Da Vinci that a man whose appearance fully met his requirements had been found in a dungeon in Rome, sentenced to die for a life of crime and murder.

Da Vinci made the trip to Rome at once, and this man was brought out from his imprisonment in the dungeon and led out into the light of the sun. There DaVinci saw before him a dark, swarthy man; his long shaggy and unkempt hair sprawled over his face, which betrayed a character of viciousness and complete ruin. At last the famous painter had found the person he wanted to represent the character of Judas in his painting.

By special permission from the king, this prisoner was carried to Milan where the picture was being painted. For months he sat before Da Vinci at appointed hours each day as the gifted artist diligently continued his task of transmitting, to his painting, this base character representing the traitor and betrayer of our Savior. As he finished his last stroke, he turned to the guards and said, "I have finished. You may take the prisoner away."

As the guards were leading their prisoner away, he suddenly broke loose from their control and rushed up to Da Vinci, crying as he did so, "O, Da Vinci, look at me! Do you not know who I am?"

Da Vinci, with the trained eyes of a great character student, carefully scrutinized the man upon whose face he had constantly gazed for six months and replied, "No, I have never seen you in my life until you were brought before me out of the dungeon in Rome."

Then, lifting his eyes toward heaven, the prisoner said, "Oh, God, have I fallen so low?" Then turning his face to the painter he cried, "Leonardo DaVinci! Look at me again for I am the same man you painted just seven years ago as the figure of Christ."

This is the true story of the painting of The Last Supper. It teaches so strongly the lesson of the effects of right or wrong thinking on the life of an individual. Here was a young man whose character was so pure, unspoiled by the sins of the world, that he represented a countenance of innocence and beauty fit to be used for the painting of a representation of Christ.

But within seven years, following the thoughts of sin and a life of crime, he was changed into a perfect picture of the most traitorous character ever known in the history of the world.

Roadside Assistance

By Joan Beck, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

The sun was just coming up when I headed out to work last May at 6 a.m. as an administrator for the federal Farm Service Agency in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Not quite dark, but dark enough to need my headlights. I turned onto one of the lonely, rural country roads that dot our county.

Maybe it was because I was listening to the radio, maybe it was because I was already thinking about some projects at work, but I didn’t spot the dark object in the road until it was too late. I ran over it and felt the back left tire pull, and then sag. I steered to the apron of the two-lane road and stopped.
I got out of the car. No mystery here—my left rear was sliced like a loaf of bread. Back 50 yards was a piece of scrap iron I’d run over.

I’ve never changed a tire. I peered up the road. Not a car in either direction. The nearest service station was miles away. I threw up my hands.

Then I remembered—my cell phone! I powered it up before realizing, I don’t know who to call. “Lord,” I need your help,” I prayed.

Wouldn’t you know it, I spotted a car coming from the opposite direction. The driver slowed as he approached. I guess he could see I was in trouble. He stopped his car, got out and immediately saw the trouble. “M’am, would you like me to change that tire for you?” he asked.

The man couldn’t have been more friendly. I was so frightened out there and he put me completely at ease. “There,” he said, after putting on the spare, “You’re all set to go.”

“Good thing for me that you were driving this way,” I told him, as I climbed back into my car.

“Funny you should say that,” he said. “Just like you, I was headed to work, but my job’s in the opposite direction. I made a wrong turn at some point. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Then he looked at me and smiled. “I guess this is the real job the Lord had in mind for me today."

LIFE AND JUGGLING

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them Work, Family, Health, Friends, Spirit – and you are keeping them all in the air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same.

You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?

1.Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

2.Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

3.Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

4.Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

5.Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

6.Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us together.

7.Don’t be afraid to take risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

8.Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

9.Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

10.Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

11.Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless – a treasure that you can always carry easily.

12.Don’t use words or time carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is why we call it “the present.”

Learn To Be Happy

By Eduardo Dominguez

How does our history become sad or happy? How and why do our experiences affect the way we think and feel? Are human beings born to be miserable? NO! We are born to be human and to evolve through experiences. We are born to win!

There is no doubt that we all have a big variety of situations or experiences during our existence that we allow to affect the way we think and therefore the way we feel. There are people, objects and intangibles things that we meet and they become part of our experiences and therefore our history.

We all make choices, every day, every moment. The reason we are happy or unhappy is not our experiences but the way we deal with our experiences; what we think about them, therefore the attitude we take. Everything we do either makes us successful or unsuccessful, moves us forward or backward, every day, every moment.

Being miserable or happy is personal; it is a matter of choice and this choice has to do with the attitude each of us has.

Attitude is everything! Things are the way they are, they cannot be otherwise. The problem starts when we label our experiences with our own beliefs. Our attitude is the outcome of how we feel and how we will respond. Sadly and ironically, many of us build such an attitude that instead of solving the problems we already have, we create even more problems. Ironically again, this is the history of the so-called more intelligent being on the planet.

So, what we can do to be happy? How can move forward instead of backward?

First we have to consider cause and effect…

Our mind stores our experiences as thoughts, thoughts create feelings or emotions, and what we feel is the way we act. Our attitude is a reaction to our thoughts, feelings and actions; it is positive or negative based not on what we think, but how we think, and how we think is related to our level of awareness.

So, the roots of our misery, problems, disillusions, worries and sadness are in our thoughts; how we think about things. When we have negative thoughts, we are creating misery in our lives and if it's something that we don't want for our life, it is time to take control and put our brain to work to form a new attitude by creating new positive thoughts.

You will only be happy, move forward, be the champion you are meant to be when you are honest and take action. Start to motivate your mind with positive thoughts. Start with thoughts of love, optimism, and creativity. Start by appreciating and valuing every second of life, everything you are and have, and become passionate about everything you do.

Stop labeling! Things are the way they are but if you decide to label them, then label your experiences, with your fellow human beings and with your environment, in a positive and optimistic way. Regardless of what happens, paint your life, daily, with a smile in everything you experience. The more you do this, the happier you will become.

Move with the flow. Things are the way they are, they cannot be otherwise. If you row in the direction the river is flowing, its energy assists you. But, if you row against the river's flow, it is only a matter of time before you become exhausted, overwhelmed and defeated.

It is super important to be clear; to understand that happiness is not dependent on the outside world. Nobody can make you happy or unhappy. Be responsible for your life. You and only you have the power to control the way you feel.

When your desire to be happy becomes as strong as the need to breathe, you will be happy. If you want to be happy, make happiness part of your daily thoughts, emotions and actions.

So, be happy, it is not only your choice but also your right! Be happy, regardless; you definitively deserve it. Remember, sixty seconds of sadness is one minute less of happiness!

I Learned To Live

"You know I almost died once," he said.

"Really? What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing!" he said. "Except I learned to live."

We create what we want in our lives. I am sure you've heard it all before. "What you think about the most manifests in your life." "You reap what you sow." "If you believe it you can achieve it."

Out of all the principles of success and happiness, that one singular concept is the absolute truth. It is the key to all success in life.

But it can also be the key to failure and even death.

Pete is a friend of mine. One of those people you call "friend" but you really don't know everything about them. Just when you think you have him figured out, he tells you something completely surprising. Something even brilliant.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I thought I was going to die?" he asked.

"No, I don't think I heard that one," I replied.

"In reality I almost caused my death. You see I went through a period in my life when it seemed everything went wrong physically. It seemed to be one thing after another. Some of the things were identifiable. The doctor knew just what to do and he did it. But he had "concerns", as he put it. It was those concerns that nearly killed me," he said.

Pete is one of those people who are rarely serious. I mean, it's not that he tells jokes all the time, he's just happy. So hearing and seeing this side really caught my attention.

"Bob, I went through a series of tests that started me on a down hill slide. One after another revealed more and more possibilities. It was like when you take your car in because you hear a noise and the mechanic tells you, "It could be any number of things. It could cost you fifty bucks or we may need to drop your engine. Now you're talk big bucks." What is it that always happens? It costs you big bucks."

"Boy I can relate to that," I told him.

"Well, because of that belief system, the facts were staring me in the face. This was the end of my life," he said.

"What do you think happened to me? My whole world came to a halt. I became depressed. The world looked dark and gloomy. The more I thought that way, the more it became a reality. I was in fact creating the world I imagined. I became so physically sick and mentally depressed thinking that I was going to die, that I was in fact dying. My body suffered terribly. So much so that I ended up in the hospital malnourished and depressed."

"So what changed you? What did you do to turn things around?" I asked.

"A young man. A teen who had been in a car accident. He must of had every bone in his body broken. His face was so badly damaged that they operated on him at least a dozen times. When I was in the hospital I met him. One day he asked me what was wrong with me and I couldn't explain it. I kept saying "they aren't sure."

He said, "Well that's stupid. How can you fix something that isn't broken? Now me, I had a lot of fixing 'cause everything was broken. The only thing that wasn't broken was my will to live."

Pete stopped for a moment and just looked around.

"That's what was broken on me. My will to live. I had chosen to believe that I was dying and so I created it. I made it a reality. It was the one thing that all the doctors in the world couldn't fix. It was the one thing, the ultimate thing, that only I was in control of. It was the answer."

"So what happened to this young man?" I asked.

"He went on to college, graduated and owns his own company. He teaches safety in the work place to large corporations around the world. And from what I understand he tells his story to high school students as a way of giving something back."

"And you my friend? How did you ever pull out of it?" I asked.

"I willed it to be so. The very next day I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and had a good talk with the guy I knew was inside. We both agreed that life was too precious to waste. I made up this phrase and hung it every where I lived."

He reached in his wallet and handed me a note that read:

"Today I take control of my life. I will permit nothing to interfere with my full enjoyment of each and every moment that God has granted me. I am deserving of all the joy and happiness that this day has to offer. There is nothing that God and I can't accomplish. I will nourish my body with the best and purest food. I will nourish my mind with nothing but the most positive thoughts. I will feed my soul the Word of God and know that when my time on this earth is over I will have lived purely, fully and faithfully."

So what life have you created? Are you living fully or dying slowly?

Begin to live again. Take control of your life

"The only thing that wasn't broken was my will to live!" he said.

"Learn to Live!"

How We Learn

WE LEARN............

10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we both hear and see
70% of what is discussed with others
80% of what we experience personally
95% of what we TEACH to someone else

--William Glasser

The Immigrant

By Lucia Cipriano, Hainesport, New Jersey

In 1972, I emigrated to America from Italy with my two small children. I had no job and spoke no English. It wasn’t easy finding my way at first, but over the years, I created my own successful housekeeping service. Recently, I was at a new client’s home when the doorbell rang. “I’m friends with the man who lives here,” the man at the door said. “I’m here to fix his computer.”

“Yes, of course, I was told you might be coming,” I said.

“Are you Italian?” the repairman asked. He must have recognized my accent, one thing that hasn’t changed much over the years. “Yes,” I answered. We started talking. “My grandfather was an Italian immigrant,” he said. “If it weren’t for strangers helping him when he arrived here, he wouldn’t have made it. So he did the same for others. He used to drag me and my friend along to help.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. I told him about the time I was standing with my two small children in the arrivals area at the Philadelphia airport. I searched for my husband, Matteo, who I hadn’t seen since he left our hometown of San Paolo, Italy, ten days earlier. He was staying at my cousin’s house and I had telegraphed him my flight details. But he wasn’t there.

Six hours passed. It was night and the airport was almost empty. My two children—one three, one 14 months old—were hungry and restless. I had no U.S. money, just a few dollars worth of Italian lira. I had my cousin’s address and phone number scrawled on a scrap of paper, but I didn’t know how to use a pay phone.

“Then two teenage boys approached me,” I told the repairman. “I was afraid, and threw my arms around my children. But then they asked if I needed help.

“The two spoke just enough Italian to understand me. One headed to a food stand and returned with milk and pastries for my children. The other paid for a limo ride to my cousin’s New Jersey home. Matteo had never received my telegram.

“I wish I could have repaid the boys. One of them said, ‘Give each of us one of your Italian bills and sign it, so we’ll always remember you.’ I was happy to do so.”

I finished my story and the man looked at me, stunned. He reached into his pocket and pulled a bill from his wallet. On the back was a faded signature—mine.

The Wisdom of Dr. Seuss

Observing the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's marvelous The Cat in the Hat reading primer caused me to reflect on some of the profound lessons this modern-day philosopher taught with his exotically imaginative stories.

For example, whether I'm looking at my clock, my calendar, or observing how quickly my children change, he captures the surprise and wistful sadness I often feel: "How did it get so late so soon? My goodness how the time has flewn."

Then he softens the lament by urging us to look back on our lives with a positive perspective: "Don't cry because it's over, " he writes. "Smile because it happened."

His advice to help us find and celebrate our own uniqueness is timeless and wise: "A person's a person, no matter how small. Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

Dr. Seuss urges us not to fret too much about what others think: "Be who you are and say what you want because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

To get us started he tells us to get on our way: "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting."
But he also tells us to choose our own mountains and take control of our lives:

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own,
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one
Who'll decide where to go.

If you doubt the sincerity of my admiration, let me remind you of Horton who put it simply, "I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent."

By Michael Josephson

Dream It, Believe It, Decide It, Do It

By Lisa Gschwandtner

Do you believe in the power of the list? Making a list to help you reach your dreams and goals isn’t like making a list to go to the grocer y store, says Bob Beaudine of the executive search firm Eastman & Beaudine. If you really want your list to be useful, you have to put in more effort.

“The great thing about a list is that it really helps you clarify your priorities, your values, and your personal preferences. In short, making a list helps you dream,” he writes in his book, The Power of Who. Here are Beaudine’s list-making instructions:

Dream it
“Dreaming is letting your imagination out into the wind a little bit. Along the way, something will begin to stand out that hold your attention. You’ve just connected with your desire.”

Believe it
Have confidence in your vision despite what others may say. (Remember, some believed the world was round when most said it was flat.) You have to have faith in your dreams to follow through.

Decide it.
“One of life’s greatest paradoxes is that by not deciding, you’re making a decision. If you don’t decide who and what you want to be, somebody else will decide for you.”

Do it
There’s a time to stop thinking, preparing, and hoping. At some point, you have to get going and take action.

Recipe for Miracles

Love, faith, and expectation are the essential ingredients for miracles.

Dreams

Believe in your dreams and they may come true, Believe in yourself and they will come true.

Why Not You?

By Steve Maraboli

Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of inspiration. Why not you?

Today, many will open their eyes to the beauty that surrounds them. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to leave the ghost of yesterday behind and seize the immeasurable power of today. Why not you?

Today, many will break through the barriers of the past by looking at the blessings of the present. Why not you?

Today, for many the burden of self doubt and insecurity will be lifted by the security and confidence of empowerment. Why not you?

Today, many will rise above their believed limitations and make contact with their powerful innate strength. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to live in such a manner that they will be a positive role model for their children. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to free themselves from the personal imprisonment of their bad habits. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to live free of conditions and rules governing their own happiness. Why not you?

Today, many will find abundance in simplicity. Why not you?

Today, many will be confronted by difficult moral choices and they will choose to do what is right instead of what is beneficial. Why not you?

Today, many will decide to no longer sit back with a victim mentality, but to take charge of their lives and make positive changes. Why not you?

Today, many will take the action necessary to make a difference. Why not you?

Today, many will make the commitment to be a better mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, worker, boss, brother, sister, & so much more. Why not you?

Today is a new day!
Many will seize this day.
Many will live it to the fullest.
Why not you?

Usher’s Thoughts On Success

1. “Strivers achieve what dreamers believe”
2. “The seed planted will harvest to be great in time.”
3. Importance of positive daily habits and consistently seeking new opportunities.
4. “You’ve got to be willing to open your mouth and ask questions. A quiet baby doesn’t get fed.”
5. There is tons of information out there, you must go get it. It’s not coming to you.
6. Consistently do the right things and success will follow.
7. Create a profile in life that speaks to the individual you will grow to be, not just the current situation you’re in.
8. Don’t let fear hold you back.
9. Don’t let the fact that you don’t think you’re good enough stop you from trying something.
10. Follow your passions—chances are you may or may not succeed in everything that you want, but at least you’re trying and you’re finding your way.
11. USHER’s LIFE PLAN—persistent goal setting, which he calls his key to success…It’s a matter of being focused, diligent in my attitude about life and about what I want to accomplish. I created a plan; I deviated from it a lot, but for the better. But it always was and is gratifying.

FOUR STEPS TO A SUPER ATTITUDE

Decide How to React - It is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to what happens to you, especially when you have unexpected problems of any kind.

Here are four things you can do to assure that your attitude is the very best it can be, under all circumstances.

Focus On the Future
First, whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts, and your mental images on the future.

Think About the Solution
Second, whenever you're faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback, rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.

Look For the Good
Third, assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, "Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.

Seek the Valuable Lesson
Fourth, assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.

Decide to Be Positive
A Positive Mental Attitude is indispensable to your success. You can be as positive as you want to be if you will simply think about the future, focus on the solution and look for the good. If you do what other successful people do, if you use your mind to exert mental control over the situation, you will be positive and cheerful most of the time. And you will reap the benefits enjoyed by all successful people.

Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, become solution-oriented with every difficulty you face. Make a habit of looking for the answers to your questions, the solutions to your problems.

Second, seek for the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty.

Third, think on paper. Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then take the most logical next step to solve it.

Check out: www.BrianTracy.com

Do You Jump Off Cliffs?

You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down. - Annie Dillard

The Importance Of Being A Self-Starter

“It’s the self-starter in each of us that’s really important. I don’t think you can count on somebody else to motivate you to do something. You have to want to do it personally, and you have to provide that energy. It’s unrealistic and unfair to expect someone else to push you in a positive direction. So you better pick out something you really like to do, because you will have to be your own driving force.”

-Bill Belichick

Let Destiny Spin The Bottle

Breaking up with someone you care about is one of the toughest decisions any of us will ever have to go through. Dealing with the pain and heartbreak is never easy. We just have to live the days as they are set out and not live in the past.

Sometimes, it could mean breaking up with a childhood sweetheart, who left you for another guy, or a ten year marriage ended by adultery. Whichever it is, hope is the indispensable key that keeps us living after one love is lost.

Even though the nights never remain the same, the walk in the park feels lonesome and without a friend in the world. Sometimes you wake up feeling the wind diffuse through the window, satisfying that empty space he/she once filled. But with time, the shattered heart begins to heal as greatness unveils the beauty of your essence and hope starts to whisper in a distance to recover your lost love.

The nights begin to bring tender passing, healing your soul with glorious blunder as nights of dreams soaked in tears begin to dissipate. Finally, sadness comes to an end as happiness conquers all hate.

Love sprouts as sadness shrinks and with time you realize that you are strong, you are a survivor; you don't need the words of another to affirm the glorious beauty on the inside of you.

For you are special, a blue rose amidst a dozen of thorns and whoever broke your heart just couldn't deal with the splendor of your attraction. At last you feel whole again, as you realize that the end of every road marks the beginning of another and the end of every thunderstorm marks the rising of the sun.

On your new journey, you begin to tread on soft waters with the knowledge that love and life has its imperfections and sometimes the heart just goes where it goes; we can't constrain it.

Soon you make your own mistakes, as you become someone else's lost love and then it dawns on you - THE BEAUTY OF LOVE LIES IN SEARCHING. But how would you search if you never experienced the beauty of a first kiss, first love and first heartbreak?

Then you dust the sand off your feet with the pride of a man, the valor of a woman and the innocence of a child as you let destiny spin the bottle.

By Michael Ogah

What Can You Do??

In this world in which we live,
It is very sad, but true.
There is someone that is much worse off,
Than me, or even you.
We must reach out our hand to them,
Extend it and try to share.
And do it with the utmost humility,
And genuinely show we care.
Because people need our help,
But sometimes they won't ask.
Because their pride will always set in,
And not allow them such a task.
So if you see someone struggling,
Please stop and say hello.
And ask if they need your help,
And their smile will start to grow.
So please show give a smile
To strangers all around,
And you can do this all with kindness,
And all, without making a sound.

By Rich Barnes

An Excerpt from "May You Be Blessed"

by Kate Nowak

It happened a few days after my father's death, in that mind-numbing period of adjustment after someone we love leaves us. Having gone shopping for necessities for my trip back to my own home, I was standing in an otherwise empty aisle of a large chain store when suddenly I sneezed, the last vestiges of an allergy attack I'd fought earlier in the week.

Almost instantly, from the next aisle over I heard a voice call out, "Bless you," and then another, and another, and yet another. All in all, in the span of only a few seconds, I counted eleven different voices coming from every possible direction in the store, some saying "God bless you," others using the word "gezundheit," but all blessing me, all calling good down upon me.

At first I thought little of it. After all the idea of blessing someone when they sneeze is rooted in superstition, an archaic belief that in the act of sneezing the soul is thrown from the body, and a blessing is needed for spiritual protection.

Today, it is usually offered as no more than a courtesy, a polite response that has come to be socially accepted and expected. But on that particular day, in the first few moments following all those blessings being called out to me, I began to notice a difference in myself: A slight shift in perception that left me feeling more connected and empowered than I had in days. It also left me, for the first time since my father's passing, more confident that everything would be all right.

Driving back to my father's house that day, I continued periodic "feelings" checks, marveling at how much stronger I felt. Later, sitting in my parent's kitchen for what would be one of the last times, I recounted the story to my stepmother. "Do you think any of them realized what they were saying?" she asked. "Or was it just out of habit?"

"Just habit," I answered with a shrug, thinking about what a shame it was that people could give such a needed gift as a blessing and not even be aware of what they had done. "It should be a habit, this business of blessing others," I said a moment later. "But it would be nice if people actually knew they could and were making a difference."

A seed was planted that day and two years later it sprouted, awakening me one morning to a gentle soul-whisper that poured forth as the words of a special blessing. Feeling compelled to take pen and paper from my nightstand, I prodded myself into full wakefulness and then sat on the edge of the bed, like a secretary poised for dictation, pen ready to capture each syllable as the inspired words flowed into my awareness.

Because of the power of the Internet, those words have since been sent across the planet and read by millions, and as a result, I have received thousands of letters from people telling me how May You Be Blessed has impacted their lives. And in each and every instance I have found myself blessed in return.

I have often wondered since if my new found work as a dispatcher of blessings is the result of a serendipitous accident that placed me in a crowded store on a day when I was both prone to sneeze, and to listen to subtle nudges from the heart. Or was it, perhaps, that my father's gentle spirit was present that day, inspiring others to offer blessings so that I might be lifted up?

Of course, it is a question I cannot answer, but I do know that since that time my life has changed remarkably. Each day is now entirely centered on the act of blessing and I have come to recognize it not only as one of the most powerful and practical ways we have for reconnecting with each other, our world and Life itself, but also the most phenomenal way possible to lead us to happiness and success. It is a discovery I now endeavor daily to share with all.

A blessing, I have come to realize, is a sweet release from pain; a sacred reminder that we are made of love and light and goodness and, as such, part of a greater and most wondrous whole. It is an ancient key to a successful and fulfilling life.

MY STORY OF LIFE

I wrote this, as a type of mission statement, to remind me of how good I have it; how many missed moments of greatness each day has, and how in a single blink everything could change.

You hear it all the time, you know, how you should live your life to the fullest. Don't take any moment for granted, appreciate everything you have. But do we ever really enjoy, and appreciate every moment that is given to us?

Sure you'd love to remember the time, you and your dad went to a hockey game. Or the time your mom took you clothes shopping, and spent hundreds of bucks on you. Or maybe just you sitting with your grandpa, and talking about who you want to grow up to be.

Most of the time, we just consider these things, as a pass time; something that was meant to happen for some reason. Yet, we don't realize those moments as precious or valuable, until you sit and really think about it.

Everything happens for a reason, is another one we always here being uttered. It's true, you never hooked up with that really hot girl in your math class, because maybe your soul mate is the girl sitting next to you. Sure she's dorky now, but in a few years you may cross each other's path again. Or maybe your grandmother died.... as depressing as that may be, it happened for a reason. Maybe to wake you up, and learn how priceless your relationships are with family, friends, and your self.

Behind everything, every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, millennium, there's a reason. A reason for discovering your true self, a reason for meeting the girl/guy you're with. Moments like that are sent to us to test our inner selves; to have an inner conflict, and test the limits of our soul.

In the end, a stronger you is the conclusion. To us adolescent teenagers, fitting in, in our high school years mean so much. You know, finding our niche in the crowded hallways or maybe striving for popularity. When you look back though, you realize how big of a waste of time that was. You missed everything high school had to offer: new relationships, new discoveries, a time to stretch who you are, and who you will grow to be. And you miss out on all those great opportunities for a single moment in the spot light: meeting that special person every one knows, and talks about when they walk down the hall, or at some great party.

The point, popularity isn't everything. Sure most people say it, but if you think about it, it's very true. You miss out on so much, because you're so wrapped up in the well known, air headedness, snobbiness, that comes with being perfect, and the center of attention. When you realize all the valuable time you've wasted, on stupidity, you'll wish, in a heart beat, that you could take back every waking moment. From the moment you stepped out of the car, freshmen year, and walked down that hallway realizing that it's high school, and no more immature middle school years.

That it was now all behind you, and you've finally grown up. Yet, you can't take it back, and that's when you realize that you regret wasting your time. Fussing about how everyone has it better then you, because he's stronger, or she's prettier, or she's richer, or he's funnier, or she's more popular. That is when you'll realize that you had such great opportunities lying in your path, and you decided to take the one most traveled by being a follower, instead of a leader. Like they say " People who you think have it better, really don't, they just make the best of everything" including every situation, predicament, moment, breathe, sight, word uttered. Everything! That is why you view them as having it better.

They don't let itty bitty things like who has more money get to them. Yet with the media brainwashing our heads about having the money, having the clothes, having the cars, having the popularity, having the looks, and having the hottest girl/guy in school it's no wonder we grow up regretting wasting our time on envy for people in high school.

But at your 10 year high school reunion, where is the most popular kid in school? Same place you are, making money, having a family, and working hard. Then you think back and realize that his popularity got him no where. He's equal with you, and you realize that it was ridiculous to be jealous of someone who will, in 10 years from now, be where you are at. The whole point of this story was to wake up to what's out there, that high school is just a phase, it's more then looks, and popularity. That you do have something to offer, and you don't always have to go with the crowd, you can start your own route, and work on it.

Don't waste your time on being jealous of people, instead open your eyes and see how lucky you are to having everything you have. The moments with your dad, your grandpa, the conversations, the places you go, and the people you meet that affect your life the most. That is when you will reach sheer happiness, and realize how foolish you were for seeing others as having it better. So it's true as they say. Live your life to the fullest, everything happens for a reason, and no one has it better, they just make the best of everything. I guess I know now why all these famous quotes are always reiterated.

Disaster

Integrity in Leadership

“To be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, you must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestioned integrity. Without it, no real success is possible whether it is in a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

—Dwight D. Eisenhower

Do You Deserve It?

Below is a great blog entry from noted Basketball Workout Guru, Alan Stein. Though it has an athletic slant, the message is applicable to anyone and everyone!

---------------------

One of my high school players asked me if I will teach Luke and Jack that they “can be anything they want to be when they grow up.”

I said “nope.”

They were shocked!

They thought that’s what parents were supposed to teach their kids .

Not me. Why won’t I teach them that? It isn’t true.

You can’t be anything you want to be. But you can be anything you deserve to be.

There is a significant difference between wanting and deserving.

Wanting it is not enough. Everyone wants it. Only a few deserve it.

And what is the “it” I am referring too?

Success.

People put too much energy in the wanting part. All they do is sit around wishing, dreaming, and hoping for success.

Instead, they need to put their energy into deserving success. They need to put their focus into earning success. They have to put on their hard hat, roll up their sleeves, and work for success.

Don’t get it twisted… there is nothing wrong with having dreams. You should have dreams!

But unless you actively pursue those dreams with effort, determination, and persistence … they are meaningless.

Do you want to make the varsity team this year? Do you deserve to?

Do you want to win a championship? Do you deserve to?

Do you want to play basketball at the next level? Do you deserve to?

Elite level players and championship caliber programs know the difference between wanting and deserving success. Your pre-season program is when you make that distinction. Are you doing everything in your power to deserve success once the season starts?

Do I believe Luke and Jack can be anything they deserve to be when they grow up? Absolutely.

And I will begin teaching them that at a very young age.

Who are you?

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? - Marianne Williamson

That's Not My Job!

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Lightning on the Water!

By Robert Kramer, Leesburg , Florida

For years my daughter, Candi, and I had talked about canoeing the Yellow River in the Florida panhandle. Finally, during one of her college breaks, we decided to go for it.

We were only half an hour into our trip when the sky turned dark and thunder rumbled in the distance. The current picked up, and I grew uneasy about the rising water.

The rain came down quickly in wind-whipped sheets and the river tossed us wildly over submerged logs and rocks. “We’ve got to dock!” I shouted. Candi bailed water furiously while I searched for a clearing along the dark, tree-lined bank.

The rain was so heavy I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead. Every time I’d spot a place to come ashore, we were already past it.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the water directly in front of us. We’ve got to get off this river now! Just then I saw a faint glow in the distance. A house?

I steered the canoe toward the glow. It was a porch light. And there in front of the house was a cleared section of the riverbank.

By the time we got the canoe up on dry land, the porch light was off. “Lucky it was on when we needed it,” I said to Candi. A woman standing on the porch ushered us inside the house.

“Thank you,” I said to her as we dried ourselves off. “I don’t know how we’d have made it to shore if your porch light hadn’t been on.”

“But it couldn’t have been,” she said. “The power’s been out all day.”

Quotes On Trust

Thanks to Coach Bob Starkey for these gems!

“Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.”
—Booker T. Washington
.....
“A person will not buy from you until he is convinced that you are a friend and are acting in his best interest. You must make this clear.”
—Brian Tracy

“You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.”
—Indira Gandhi

“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don’t trust enough.”
—Frank Crane

“One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.”
—E. M. Forster

“A man who doesn’t trust himself can never really trust anyone else.”
—Cardinal De Retz

“I think we may safely trust a good deal more than we do.”
—Henry David Thoreau

“Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT

I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband unexpectedly died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students.

As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said,

"Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day."

Her eyes beginning to water, she went on:

"So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see it could be a scent-perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground.

Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at any time... it can all be taken away."

The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double-dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.

BREAK OUT OF A COMPLAINING RUT

By Dale Brown (http://coachdalebrown.blogspot.com/2010/09/break-out-of-complaining-rut.html)

To help you break out of a “complaining” rut here are five things you can do instead of complain. These tips will help you realize you are not powerless. You have the power to choose your beliefs and actions. And in your focus on the positive instead of the negative you'll find the faith, strength and confidence to take on life’s challenges and identify the solutions to your complaints.

1. Practice Gratitude

Research shows that when we count three blessings a day, we get a measurable boost in happiness that uplifts and energizes us. It's also physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time. Two thoughts cannot occupy our mind at the same time. If you are focusing on gratitude, you can't be negative. You can also energize and engage your coworkers by letting them know you are grateful for them and their work.

2. Praise Others

Instead of complaining about what others are doing wrong, start focusing on what they are doing right. Praise them and watch as they create more success as a result. Of course, point out their mistakes so they can learn and grow, but make sure you give three times as much praise as criticism.

3. Focus on Success

Start a success journal. Each night before you go to bed, write down the one great thing about your day. The one great conversation, accomplishment, or win that you are most proud of. Focus on your success, and you'll look forward to creating more success tomorrow.

4. Let Go

Focus on the things that you have the power to change, and let go of the things that are beyond your control. You’ll be amazed that when you stop trying to control everything, it all somehow works out. Surrender is the answer.

5. Pray

Scientific research shows that daily prayer reduces stress; boosts positive energy; and promotes health, vitality, and longevity. When you are faced with the urge to complain or you are feeling stressed to the max, stop, be still, plug-in to the ultimate power, and recharge.

Make Music, Make Noise, Be Heard

I read somewhere yesterday that the hardest thing to start is an orchestra. It is also the hardest thing to stop.

Some compare our lives to works of art. Before us is a blank canvas and each moment a stroke of the brush. Still others say we are writers. We create the greatest story "never" told by writing it chapter by chapter until our final days

But I have discovered that we are all musicians. The melody of our lives was created with our first whimper or scream at birth. Through the years we have learned to play our part as the master of our fine tuned instrument.

As a child we made noise and discovered that doing so brought us the attention we needed so badly. It was a piece unknowingly written to the beat of those who loved and guided us.

As teenagers we "marched to the beat of a different drum". Some of us discovered that we didn't like the instrument we were and would have gladly exchanged it for another. We struggled then to like ourselves for what and who we were. In those early years our music was influenced by the world around us, our peers, our teachers and often times changed from day to day. We were writing a piece, that when played, was understood and appreciated only by ourselves. We were, in a sense, auditioning for our part in life.

Then we enter adulthood. Until now we were just playfully tuning up our instruments. In the orchestra pit, our music mixed well, running the scales made us limber and ready for our debut. Suddenly the noise stops. Reality strikes the baton on the music stand. And we position ourselves ready to play

But play what? Some of us still hadn't practiced enough. We knew that there was a song inside but never took the time to write it. So as the curtain lifts and the Maestro draws our attention, it all begins. Some play beautifully, others still fumble with the notes. There, mixed throughout the orchestra, are those who are still afraid to play. They begin to fake it just pretending to play their part. "No one will know." they think. "I'll just blend in."

Then one day the stage lights go dim. A bright, beautiful spotlight streaks across the stage and centers on you. Without being prepared you are given a solo. You pause, only for a moment, confused and afraid you rise to your feet. The music of life continues as your moment to shine approaches. You are almost blinded by the light, but just beyond the edge of the stage you see familiar faces. Family and friends have gathered front row center. Through the years they have heard the music you have been writing. They, above all others, know you can play your part well.

Fear and doubt, your greatest enemy, can silence you and steal away your debut.

But look. There at center stage facing you, shadowed by the light, you see a look of confidence on the face of the Maestro. He knows very well that you can do this. His baton lifts and points at you. Almost magically you respond and begin to play. Oh, the song is so beautiful. The notes are divine. The timing is perfect. Those who did not know you are swept up by the melody that you have created. Those who believed in you all along stand tall and proud. Together they applaud as you return to your seat. Longing for final approval you glance to center stage. The Maestro's head lifts and turns toward you. You hear the words "Well done! Your part is finished." You leave the stage as the music continues and with one final glance you realize you have seen the face of God.

Yes, from beginning to end we are a part of the Great Orchestra. We are given everything we need to write the music of our life. We are not only the song writer, but we are the instrument.

Have you discovered the part you are to play? Or are you faking it hoping that no one will notice. Have you given your thoughts over to fear and doubt because you tried to play and no one listened? Perhaps your self image is such that you believe your music remains nothing but noise.

"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best!"

Besides, it was the Great Maestro who placed you in this orchestra. Your life is music to His ears.