, ,

When you thought I wasn’t looking

A message every adult should read because children are watching you and
doing as you do, not as you say.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on the
refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned
that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me,
and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that
there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a
friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of
each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care of our house and
everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you handled your
responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good, and I learned that I would
have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I
learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be
everything that I could be..

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of life's lessons that I
need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and wanted to say,' Thanks
for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.'

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, nurse, friend)
influences the life of a child.

How will you touch the life of someone today? 

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

, ,

Delivering Powerful Presentations with or without Slides 

The Naked Presenter

By  Garr Reynolds

When we learn to present naked, we reach our audiences by communicating the essence of the message, stripping away all that is unnecessary and embracing the ideas of simplicity, clarity, honesty, integrity, and passion. If "slideware" is used, the slides never steal the show or rise above serving a strong but simple supportive role. The ideas in the presentation may or may not be radical, earth shattering, or new, but there is freshness to the approach and content that makes a lasting impression. 

In this invaluable resource from the author for the best-selling books Presentation Zen andPresentation Zen Design, you will discover how to get to the core of your message and deliver presentations that are as natural as they are memorable. Whether you are just in the planning stages or need advice for a talk that begins in an hour, you'll find wisdom in The Naked Presenterthat you can use to connect deeply with your audience and deliver a great presentation. => http://bit.ly/ewrrwk

When we endure, hardships enable gifts beyond our comprehension

 

A man, riding his horse and carriage during winter, rode upon a woman and child sitting roadside dying of hunger and hypothermia. The woman was so feeble that she could hardly utter the words, “please help…”

Seeing the desperate situation of the two, he helped the child into the open buggy and gave the baby the only blanket. Once settled, he looked back at the woman, whipped the reins and took off leaving the mother.

So distraught, the woman screamed with a feral wrench at the theft of her child and began chasing the carriage on foot. Even though the tracks disappeared into the distance, she still ran following after in the snow.

Running into a village, she caught up to the man climbing out of the buggy with her child. Desperate with panic, she snatched back her child yelling for the village’s help at her would-be child’s kidnapper. Quickly she recounted the story to the villagers who began to restrain the carriage driver.

He protested. “I had no room for this woman, no blanket, no warmth. Had she felt her child in no danger, she would have surely died waiting my return since I could not take both mother and child. In her distress, she reignited the fire of life within her and remained alive, due to her struggle in the cold to run after the buggy.”

Often, life throws challenges at us not because we’re being punished, but so we can survive, so we can keep the fire of aliveness within us, and struggle to evolve.

My learning disabilities guided me to work with brain damaged and mentally ill children and transformed me into a Mensa keynote speaker for recognizing our hidden gifts in our worst perceived circumstances; overcoming obesity and osteochondrosis forced me to develop unique tools and techniques to help others embrace physical challenges rather than punish themselves with shame and guilt. Early familial violence led to being institutionalized in a childhood psychiatric hospital yet awakened my awareness of the excessive stress of physical abuse, shame and humiliation, and a lead to my career in researching health and fitness recovery mechanisms for overcoming trauma.

Certainly, at the time, hardships may feel like a punishing imprisonment. Yet when we endure, they enable gifts beyond our comprehension. There are no demons; only allies in our continued evolution.

I asked God to take away my habit. God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to grant me patience. God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness. God said, No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain. God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow. God said, No. You must grow on your own! But I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me. God said… Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

The next time you feel punished, that you’ve suffered some bad luck, misfortune, or unjust lot, be courageous, take action and endure. The events may be so difficult that gratitude may not be possible in the moment, but at least hold hope that your courage to endure will bring you benefits you cannot yet imagine. Hold fast; you do not know the progress you are making!

Very Respectfully,

Scott Sonnon

www.breathinggift.com (My free book and video gift to you.)
Www.positiveatmosphere.com

Heaven and Hell

 

I found this while I was cleaning out my inbox today.  It had been forwarded many times, so I have no idea of the author.  If you do know, please contact me and I will give attribution ...
 
A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.'
 
The Lord led the holy man to two doors. 

 

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

 

In the middle of the room was a large round table.. 

 

In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, 
which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.
  
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly.
  
They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.
  
But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.  
 
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
 
The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell. They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.
 
There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water.
  
The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.  
 
The holy man said, 'I don't understand.
  
'It is simple,' said the Lord. 'It requires but one skill.
  
You see, they have learned to feed each other. 

 

The greedy think only of themselves.'

 

Patient success

"Impatience never commanded success"

-Edwin H. Chapin

, ,

“Peace of mind comes when your life is in harmony with true principles and values and in no other way.”

~ Stephen Covey

Hope Can Be Found In Unexpected Places

 

In this extract from Tim Costello’s new book, he writes that hope can be found in unexpected places.

Hope by Tim Costello 
Hope is a powerful and transforming force – it’s the liberating change that happens when people are able to imagine and believe in a future. It’s the driving emotional strength that sits beneath resilience and purpose. From demoralised and marginalised people in Australian cities to rural communities in Africa, I have encountered people being touched by hope, often in times and circumstances that are totally unexpected.
A year or two ago, I drove five hours south of Addis Ababa into the Ethiopian highlands – the region where coffee was first cultivated 3,000 years ago. With me were two philanthropist friends, the Australian actors Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, and together we began exploring this ancient settled landscape and meeting some of the local coffee growers.
The farmers here are poor and 90 per cent of the trees are gone – cut down for firewood, the only source of fuel and energy for cooking. Of course, it is the women who must collect the firewood and, because of the scarcity of trees, they are venturing further from home to find timber. Their long journeys exacerbate their risk of injury, rape and abduction. The farmers’ cottages have thatched roofs and no chimneys or windows.
On the trip down, we saw smoke leaching through the thatched roofs of the cottages. The fires that burn in the centre of the homes, providing light and heat for cooking, also give respiratory illnesses to the children inside.
World Vision had provided some of the farmers with a methane digester. A simple trap to be placed over the rubbish-and-manure pit, it captures the methane produced from the waste and then pipes it into the hut. Immediately the family is cooking on gas, eliminating the need to cut down trees and breathe in the smoke, and the women are no longer putting themselves at risk travelling huge distances to collect wood.
For a few hours, Hugh stripped down and toiled with a farmer called Ducale. They wheeled rubbish into his manure pit, patting it down with a spade as they did so. All of this was done by Hugh in his Gucci boots, mind. Ducale did not speak a word of English and had no idea who Hugh was.
I watched as later they sat having coffee together in Ducale’s hut holding hands, laughing and hugging – all without a word in common. Thanks to the methane digester, Ducale has opened a coffee shop in his hut and has become an energy exporter to the village. His income has skyrocketed, his children get to study by smokeless gaslight at night, and they are doing better at school.
As Hugh and Ducale sat and drank coffee together after their sweaty work, I learned that physical work transcends words and culture. And it was refreshing to see once again that hope can pop up in the most unlikely places.
I have found it spring to life among people coping with homelessness and mental health challenges in St Kilda and in Aboriginal communities in outback Australia. And now on the rooftop of Africa it flowers too for a coffee grower named Ducale.
Hugh and Deb planted two coffee trees at the back of Ducale’s hut and named them after their kids, Oscar and Eva. They promised to bring them to Ducale’s farm in a few years. Two families separated by global extremes, so different and yet all part of the one humanity, celebrating joy and family.
Hope always springs to mind whenever I smell coffee.
Hope by Tim Costello was published by Hardie Grant.

"Everybody in your situation has the same choice: you can rue your situation or you can dedicate yourself to changing it. Accept responsibility for your future. Refuse to complain, criticize, or condemn. If you want us to help you achieve your goals, then trust in and follow our advice. Stop doubting it. Stop denying it. Have faith." 
- Mark Ford

10 Tips to Improve Your Reading Skills


In the modern age of information, reading truly is a fundamental survival skill. Here are ten tips that anyone can use to improve their reading skills: => http://bit.ly/Q0hPvg

, ,

The Rose

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being..

She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze..

'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.

She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'

'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me..

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..'

She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.'

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE..