"The definition of a beautiful woman is one who loves me."
-Sloan Wilson
I tell my wife everyday that she is beautiful. She smiles at me like I'm some kind of simpleton. I really don't understand the obsession with creating some perfect outward image. If someone pays you an honest compliment then it should suffice that you are indeed the positive thing that they say that you are.
Beauty is one of those things that really cannot be defined. If you doubt me, check out some of those forums and web sites where lewd men argue over which celebrity is the hottest.
And who is Sloan Wilson? He was a novelist. He wrote The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit among others. He served during World War II and died in 2003.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Boredom
"When people are bored, it is primarily with their own selves that they are bored."
-Eric Hoffer
Boredom is one of those things that happens a lot to my children. I'm not really sure why. I seem to have too much to do most of the time and very few opportunities to be bored. Perhaps it is that children haven't yet discovered their true potential and therefore find themselves less interesting than the world around them.
And who is Eric Hoffer anyway? Apparently he was an author, a rather famous one in his time though frankl I don't recall learning about him anywhere. But he got this quote right, and for that he is going to live long in internet history.
-Eric Hoffer
Boredom is one of those things that happens a lot to my children. I'm not really sure why. I seem to have too much to do most of the time and very few opportunities to be bored. Perhaps it is that children haven't yet discovered their true potential and therefore find themselves less interesting than the world around them.
And who is Eric Hoffer anyway? Apparently he was an author, a rather famous one in his time though frankl I don't recall learning about him anywhere. But he got this quote right, and for that he is going to live long in internet history.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Starting Over
"Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
We all have to start over once in a while. No matter the station in life that we are born to or the lot that we work to achieve, at some point we will fail. Failure is an inherent part of humanity.
The question each of us must answer is what we will do when faced with that failure. Will we stop? Will we find some other course of action? Will we persist in doing what we believe to righ and good?
The loss of a job, the end of a marriage, the loss of a loved one are all events that can put us in a place we do not want to be in our lives. Each day the sun will rise, and what will we do beneath that sun? Will we find the strength to start over yet again?
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
We all have to start over once in a while. No matter the station in life that we are born to or the lot that we work to achieve, at some point we will fail. Failure is an inherent part of humanity.
The question each of us must answer is what we will do when faced with that failure. Will we stop? Will we find some other course of action? Will we persist in doing what we believe to righ and good?
The loss of a job, the end of a marriage, the loss of a loved one are all events that can put us in a place we do not want to be in our lives. Each day the sun will rise, and what will we do beneath that sun? Will we find the strength to start over yet again?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Gratitude
"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."
- Cicero
Having a grateful heart and being sincerely thankful for the things in our lives is much easier said than done. It is far too easy to simply accept that what we have is what we deserve rather than being grateful for it and building upon that gratitude.
When we allow ourselves to be filled with gratitude humility and teachability tend to follow naturally. Teachability allows us to grow and to mature in other ways. We can't, for example learn new skills if we are not willing to believe that someone out there has knowledge worth imparting.
Gratitude will also help us tie down our anger and give us a measure of peace that we cannot otherwise achieve in our lives.
- Cicero
Having a grateful heart and being sincerely thankful for the things in our lives is much easier said than done. It is far too easy to simply accept that what we have is what we deserve rather than being grateful for it and building upon that gratitude.
When we allow ourselves to be filled with gratitude humility and teachability tend to follow naturally. Teachability allows us to grow and to mature in other ways. We can't, for example learn new skills if we are not willing to believe that someone out there has knowledge worth imparting.
Gratitude will also help us tie down our anger and give us a measure of peace that we cannot otherwise achieve in our lives.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Anger
"Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame."
-Benjamin Franklin
Oh my, what truth there is. How many times have I gone out and done something incredibly stupid because I was mad at somebody? I don't think I can count that high, and I know I don't want to remember all those dumb things that I've said and done.
The truth is that when we let ourselves be controlled by anger we end up hurting others, and more often than not those we hurt are the same people that we should be showing the most affection and consideration to. The fact that we can't go back in time and change the actions that we've taken only makes it all the more important to strive to be kinder and gentler to those around us.
-Benjamin Franklin
Oh my, what truth there is. How many times have I gone out and done something incredibly stupid because I was mad at somebody? I don't think I can count that high, and I know I don't want to remember all those dumb things that I've said and done.
The truth is that when we let ourselves be controlled by anger we end up hurting others, and more often than not those we hurt are the same people that we should be showing the most affection and consideration to. The fact that we can't go back in time and change the actions that we've taken only makes it all the more important to strive to be kinder and gentler to those around us.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Opportunity
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
- Thomas A. Edison
Are there still opportunities out there? You know what I mean, the kind that bring success, happiness and satisfaction.
I, for one, do believe that there are many, many opportunities out there. They are staring us in the face, and you know what? They do look like work. They look a lot like risk and hard work. They look to me like they will take time and energy and dedication, which is why I've missed so may of them.
It is so much easier to just turn on the next movie or television show or to pop in a video game and spend a few hours doing nothing. These kinds of recreation are, of course necessary from time to time to cope with some of the extreme stresses that we put ourselves through, but there are also opportunities to spend developing something special in our lives that we will only get through persistence and hard work.
- Thomas A. Edison
Are there still opportunities out there? You know what I mean, the kind that bring success, happiness and satisfaction.
I, for one, do believe that there are many, many opportunities out there. They are staring us in the face, and you know what? They do look like work. They look a lot like risk and hard work. They look to me like they will take time and energy and dedication, which is why I've missed so may of them.
It is so much easier to just turn on the next movie or television show or to pop in a video game and spend a few hours doing nothing. These kinds of recreation are, of course necessary from time to time to cope with some of the extreme stresses that we put ourselves through, but there are also opportunities to spend developing something special in our lives that we will only get through persistence and hard work.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Kindness
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
- Aesop
Have you ever received a smile when you were feeling down? Perhaps it was nothing more than a stranger passing you in a shop somewhere, but inside it made you feel just a little better.
Kindness is just that type of infection that grows and grows the more we nurture it. It is so terribly easy to ignore the wants and needs of others or to lose ourselves with our own preoccupations. When we look beyond our own troubles and do something kind, no matter how small, we are helping someone else to also forget their troubles for just a moment and build a little more peace on the planet.
- Aesop
Have you ever received a smile when you were feeling down? Perhaps it was nothing more than a stranger passing you in a shop somewhere, but inside it made you feel just a little better.
Kindness is just that type of infection that grows and grows the more we nurture it. It is so terribly easy to ignore the wants and needs of others or to lose ourselves with our own preoccupations. When we look beyond our own troubles and do something kind, no matter how small, we are helping someone else to also forget their troubles for just a moment and build a little more peace on the planet.
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