Smiling Over the Hurt "Optimism is the madness of maintaining that everything is right when it is wrong." - Voltaire A positive outlook is important, but this doesn't mean we should live in a fantasy world and ignore all problems. It just means we don't let the "wrong" things in life lead us to despair. Every community has problems, and they can be extremely disheartening. Take violence, for instance. It is a deplorable thing to be afraid to go out in your community beca
Learn, Baby, Learn "You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it himself." - Galileo I teach writing, and I always tell my students good writing cannot be taught- it can only be learned. Two things are necessary in the teacher-student relationship: The teacher has to know the topic, and the student has to be open to learning. If either of these elements is off, the exercise is futile. People are not actually blank slates; they have innate propensities
Loving Those Changes "When you're finished changing, you're finished." - Benjamin Franklin I have accumulated more than 100 photo albums over the course of my life, from the paint-by-number one that I made in grade school to the latest and greatest pictures of my grand-kids and various travel activities. Flipping through these albums shows me that I have changed greatly in looks, size, demeanor, experience, and attitude over the years. I hope I'm growing older gracefully.
Choosing Your Path "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - William Jennings Bryan I do believe we choose our own destiny. Sure, there are forces that are beyond our control, but foe the most part, our choices determine the path our life takes. Go to college right out of high school or take a year off to travel the world? The rest of your life will be affected by that choice. Get ma
Blessed Screwups "A mistake is simply another way of doing things." - Katharine Graham When we are young, we are often admonished for our mistakes. We begin to try to avoid mistakes at all costs. But this is impossible, isn't it? Everyone makes mistakes, and for the most part, they are simply learning experiences. Mistakes can even be fun- like when you get lost and you to ask for directions. I've met wonderful, helpful, friendly people that way. I've made huge mistakes
Creative Thinking "The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows." - Aristotle Onassis The secret of success is to figure out something truly special and make use of it. This takes a lot of work, study, and determination. We ponder things every day, though; did you ever think that maybe you just haven't looked at something in a practical way? Think of your day-to-day life; what is something you dread doing? Can you think of a way to make it easier, or think
Infinity and Beyond "If you wish to advance into the infinite, explore the finite in all directions." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Many aspects of our world are a mystery to us, and sometimes it can feel overwhelming. There will always be things out of our reach, but what we can do is explore anything and everything within our reach. As we do that, more and more becomes clear, and we find more and more happiness and satisfaction. TODAY I WILL MAKE PLANS TO VISIT A MUSEUM OR
Give It Your All "Just do what you do best." - Red Auerbach This is good advice. Many of us are lucky to have a lot of choices, but this makes the choosing difficult. If you do what you do best-and what you love- it is easy to be happy. If we are using our natural talents, we feel as though we are doing what we were meant to be doing. TODAY I WILL MAKE USE OF MY NATURAL TALENTS. #RaesBlog #RaesCraft #Readings #book #PatriciaLorenz #PositiveQuotesforEveryDay #Blog #Blogging
Nobody's Perfect "When you are offended at any man's fault turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger." - Epictetus It's easy to get exasperated with others, isn't it? Most of us live in relatively close quarters, and thus there are a lot of opportunities to let our own needs get in the way of common courtesy and understanding. In addition, many news sources focus on stories about people who messed up, and we all take turns discussing the
To Give Is to Receive "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." -Zig Zigalar In her book No Greater Love, Mother Teresa relates a story about a wealthy woman who asked how she could share in Mother Teresa's work. As the two women talked, Mother Teresa complimented the woman on her beautiful sari. The woman confessed that she sometimes spent as much as 800 rupees on one sari. Mother Teresa mentioned that her own
Friendship "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit." -Aristotle We can't hurry anything in this life; everything really does come to fruition on its own schedule. Have you ever tried to make something happen, only to have each attempt foiled? We do have to exert some effort, but then we just have to let go and let nature take its course. For instance, if we try too hard at any relationship, we do not come off as we truly are. Think a
Stargazing "Too low they build who build beneath the stars." - Edward Young Why not shoot for the highest? What is your dream? Start toward it today. Have you always wanted to be a great actor? Start taking acting lessons and going out for auditions. You may or may not ever make it to Broadway, but at least you'll be living your dream. TODAY I WILL TAKE STEPS TOWARD FULFILLING MY DREAM. EVEN IF THEY'RE BABY STEPS, I WILL BE THAT MUCH CLOSER TO ACHIEVING MY GOALS. #RaesB
The Economics of Trust "If a man empties his purse into his head no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin Money is important, but knowledge always takes us further. We need money to live, but knowledge enriches our lives. We can have all the money in the world, but if we don't know anything what good will the money do us? Maybe we