From the Quote of the Week Files, August 27, 2012

"What My Son's Disabilities Taught Me About 'Having It All" is the article that inspired this week's quote.  Because of her child's problems, the author will never have a tidy, peaceful life. But none of this keeps her from being happy -- as long as she asks herself the right questions. (From the Business of Life Blog)
__________

When I look at friends and acquaintances, many with perfectly beautiful children and wonderful lives, and see how desperately unhappy or stressed they are about balancing work and family, I think to myself that the solution to many problems is deceptively obvious. We are chasing the wrong things, asking ourselves the wrong questions. It is not, "Can we have it all?" -- with "all" being some kind of undefined marker that shall forever be moved upwards out of reach just a little bit with each new blessing. We should ask instead, "Do we have enough?"

Marie Myung-Ok Lee

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/07/what-my-sons-disabilities-taught-me-about-having-it-all/260479/
__________

A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"Don't criticize, condemn, or complain."

Dale Carnegie (His first of nine Human Relation Principles)

Here are are the other eight...

2. Give honest and sincere appreciation
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.
4. Become genuinely interested in other people.
5. Smile.
6. Remember that a man's name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
7. Be a good listener.  Encourage others to talk about themselves.
8. Talk in terms of the other man's interests.
9. Make the other person feel important — and do it sincerely.
__________

Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, August 20, 2012

Reciprocity, A Generous Heart and Wholesome Actions are the themes for this week's Quotes!! Enjoy!
__________

Zigong asked: ‘Is there any single word that could guide one's entire life?’ The Master said: ‘Should it not be reciprocity? What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.’

Analects of Confucius
__________

A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"It is worth reminding ourselves that what brings us the greatest joy and satisfaction in life are those actions we undertake out of concern for others. Indeed we can go further. For whereas the fundamental questions of human existence, such as why we are here, where we are going, and whether the universe had a beginning, have each elicited different responses in different philosophical traditions, it is self-evident that a generous heart and wholesome actions lead to greater peace."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ethics for the New Millenium
__________

Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, August 13, 2012

Welcome to the Quote of the Week. This week's quote comes from my favorite fictional character, Detective Dave Robicheaux, created by the crime writing author, James Lee Burke. It gave me pause to think. Enjoy!
__________

“It has been my experience that most human stories are circular rather than linear. Regardless of the path we choose, we somehow end up where we commenced - in part, I suspect, because the child who lives in us goes along for the ride.”

James Lee Burke, The Glass Rainbow
__________

A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

T. S. Eliot 
__________

Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you.

From the Quote of the Week Files, August 6, 2012

Yes, It is the Quote of the Week!  Promoting Cosmic Wisdom at Bargain Basement Prices!
__________

The Bushman in the Kalahari Desert talk about two "hungers."
There is the Great Hunger and there is the Little Hunger.
The Little Hunger wants food for the belly; but the Great Hunger,
the greatest hunger of all, is the hunger for meaning...

Sir Laurens van der Post from Hasten Slowly, a film by Mickey Lemle
__________

"The best year of our lives is not made up of days or weeks or months. It is made up of moments. Moments when we allow our separateness to melt away so we can be truly intimate with another; moments when we take a risk and express our love in an unexpected way; moments when we choose forgiveness over resentment; moments when we appreciate the perfection of where we are and who we are with. These are the moments that bring meaning to our lives and joy to our hearts."

Debbie Ford
__________

Wishing you a most beautful day, wherever this may find you!!!

From the Quote of the Week Files, July 30, 2012

Welcome to the Quote of the Week!!  Are you a traveler or a tourist?  Today's quote may help you answer that question.  Enjoy!
__________

"Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in."

Andrew Zimmern
__________

A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us."

Joseph Campbell
__________

Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, July 23, 2012

Remembering Steven Covey

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey has been one of my favorite management/personal development books and I refer to it often. Unfortunately, Mr. Covey passed away July 16th and here are a few of his timeless insights.  May he rest in Peace.
__________

"Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny."

"Until a person can say deeply and honestly, ‘I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday,’ that person cannot say, ‘I choose otherwise.’"

"To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know."

"Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.

And, of course, the meat of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Steven Covey
__________

Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, July 16, 2012

How to start (and end) a Virtuous day is the theme for this week's Quotes!  Enjoy!
__________

"What good shall I do this day?"

Benjamin Franklin
__________

The story behind Franklin's thinking...

In his autobiography Benjamin Franklin outlined a "Precept of Order, requiring that every part of my business should have its allotted time, one page in my little book contain'd the following scheme of employment for the twenty-four hours of a natural day." The first order of business in his precept was to ask himself simply, "What good shall I do this day?"  And of course he ended the day by asking, "What good have I done this day?" (see below ~ the page from his autobiography)
__________

A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"Finish every day and be done with it.  You have done what you could; some blunders
and absurditites crept in;  forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day;
You should begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
__________

Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, July 9, 2012

Two quotes by the 4th Century B.C, Chinese thinker and social philosopher Confucius  are this week's quotes.  I have to remind myself of the 1st one when I go jogging or enter a 5K race. It is also a pretty good life lesson as well.  Enjoy! 

__________ 

"It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop."

Confucius
__________

A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...


"Happiness does not consist in having what you want, but wanting what you have."

Confucius
__________

Wishing you a most beautiful day wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, July 1, 2012

Welcome to the Quote of the week! For what it's worth is the theme for this week's quote and song.  Enjoy (for what it's worth)!
__________


"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."


From the movie, Benjamin Button (a letter to his daughter)
__________


For what it's Worth: A great song by Buffalo Springfield...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5JCrSXkJY
__________


A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...


“Strangely enough, this is the past that somebody in the future is longing to go back to.”


Ashleigh Brilliant
__________


Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!!!!!!

From the Quote of the Week Files, June 25, 2012

Welcome to the Quote of the Week!  I was looking at the Zappos website and stumbled upon their 10 Core Values.  I thought it was interesting (I have some more work to do based on this list) and I hope you do as well. 
__________


Zappos Core Family Values


1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble


http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values/deliver-wow-through-service
__________


A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...


My Autobiography in Five Short Chapters


Chapter One....


"I walk down the street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I fall in.  I am lost.  I am helpless. It isn't my fault!  It takes me forever to find a way out."


Chapter Two....


"I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I'm in the same place, but it isn't my fault!!  It still takes me a long time to get out."


Chapter Three....


"I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the middle of the sidewalk.  I see it there. I still fall in....it is a habit. I know where I am.  It is my fault.  I get out immediately."


Chapter Four....


"I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the middle of the sidewalk. I walk around it."


Chapter Five....


"I walk down another street!"


Portia Nelson
__________


Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, June 19, 2012

Welcome to the delayed Quote of the Week.  SUCCESS is the theme for this week's quotes!  Enjoy!
__________

“Success is not just the crowning moment, the spiking of the ball in the end zone or the raising of the flag on the summit. It is the whole process of reaching for a goal and, sometimes, it begins with failure.”

Erik Weihenmayer
__________

So who is Erik Weihenmayer?  I had the pleasure of sitting next to him and his wife on my home from Colorado last night.  Check out this link to find out more about Erik and his accomplishments.

http://www.touchthetop.com/
__________

Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, June 11, 2012

Kindness continues to be the theme of this week's quotes!  Enjoy!
__________

“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore there be any kindness I can show...let me do it now.”

William Penn
__________

A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic....

"The best portion of a good man's life - his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love."

William Wordsworth
__________

And speaking of kindness, there is an old song that says "Be kind to your web footed friends...."  With that in mind, I decided to have one (a web footed friend that is) for dinner on my stoop! I think he enjoyed himself!!  ;-)

_________

Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!!!

From the Quote of the Week Files, June 4, 2012

“Be Kind for Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Great Battle.”


Plato
__________


The above Quote of the Week has been bouncing around in my head for the past couple of week since reading it Tom Peter's book, The Little BIG Things: 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence.  I was reminded of the quote the other day as I met 4 people going through tremendous personal battles and they were all dealing with their challenges with grace and dignity. 


By the way, it not certain that Plato was the author of this quote.  Some people think it might have been John Watson.  Either way, it is a great quote!
__________


A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...


"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these."


George Washington Carver
_________


Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!