Saturday, April 29, 2006

Listen to the still, small voice

Just like tuning an old radio to a station, it takes time and practice for us to attune to that voice inside of us - That voice, though still and small, is very powerful - warning us of danger and guiding us on the right path in life. The inspiration from God - divine communication.

"I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don't know. But I think that if we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do."
Christopher Reeve

"Listen to the still, small voice when you are faced with a time of decision"
L. Tom Perry

"None of us will every accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

We Will Remember Them

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morningWe will remember them."
Laurence Binyon

Last Tuesday is a day we Australians honour our soldiers fallen in past wars and celebrate the spirit of ANZAC, with its human qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice - A spirit which continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity.

"The way these ANZACs bore the brunt of the fight in theDardanelles stirred in Australians everywhere a new feelingof camaraderie, a feeling that matched the way in which therest of the world suddenly began to look at Australia – notjust as an offshoot of Britain, but as an independent nationof a very independent character.

And this view of ourselves, and the world's view of us,continues today, thanks, to that spirit forged in the fires ofGallipoli.

We must not ever forget, though, what that spirit demanded;or the lives those men gave in the name of our nation.We must resolve anew that we will make this nation,Australia, into one worthy of their sacrifice."
From the dawn Service speech.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

You have powers you never dreamed of

Most of us are as capable as we have made up our mind to be. It often doesn't occur to us that we can do much more, be much more - If we just take that first small step out of our comfort zone.

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." Norman Vincent Peale

"You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind."
Darwin P. Kingsley

Monday, April 17, 2006

To Forgive Is To Set A Prisoner Free

When someone close to us betrays us, the hurt we carry around can cause us so much suffering, it can even lead to serious health problems.

Recently some youths trashed a scout hall in our area causing thousands of dollars in damage. When interviewed by the press, the scout master did not call for tougher penalties for young offenders, or for their parents to pay. Instead, he said he wanted the young offenders to join his scout group. Some may say he was a little naive- but perhaps he is a strong and sensible leader.
Consider these quotes:

'Forgiveness may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed'
Gordon B Hinkley

'The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.'
Mahatma Gandhi

'To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.'
Lewis B. Smedes

Tis The Set Of The Sails

'One ship sails East,And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow,
Tis the set of the sailsAnd not the gales,
That tells the way we go

''Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I'll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I'll give you a stock clerk.'
J.C. Penney


'The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.'
Ralph Waldo Emerson

'When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.'
W. Clement Stone

Friday, April 14, 2006

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.

As we approach the Christian celebration of Easter, our thoughts again turn to our faith or spirituality and the part it plays in our lives.

Sadly, there are those in our society who campaign against the public celebration of religious festivals. There are even calls to stop singing Christmas carols in schools and public places.

We live in a country where we are free to practice our faith openly and that's something we should celebrate. And regardless of your personal faith, and wether you consider Jesus to be the son of God or just another prophet, what can be wrong with celebrating the life of someone who taught love, forgiveness and tolerance and was even put to death for what he believed in?

I am at odds with the late John Lennon as I firmly believe religion makes the world a better place. Anyone who has done business with people of different countries can tell you that it's much easier to deal with those who have a code of ethics to live by. If we believe that there's more to life than just our physical presence on Earth, we have a reason to treat other people with more consideration.

Sadly the behaviour of some religious leaders and clergy in the past has been at odds with what they represent, even to the point of turning people away from their faith. But nobody, regardless of who they claim to be, has the right to disrupt the relationship we have with our creator. It is ours and ours alone.

And consider this piece of advice: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It is thousands of years old and has been incorporated in the teachings of virtually every religion known to man. Imagine if everybody on this planet reflected on that saying, every morning.

What a different world it would be!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Does It Hurt Enough?

A good friend told me a very amusing story the other day that I'd like to share with you:

An old man sat on a park bench with his faithful dog by his side. The dog, who was obviously in pain whined constantly. Finally curiosity got the better of a passer-by. "Why is your dog whining?" he asked the old man. "Because he's sitting on a nail" came the reply. "Then why doesn't he move?" asked the stranger. The old man looked up in disbelief: "Isn't it obvious?" he asked, "It doesn't hurt him enough to make him move!"


It would be a rather silly little story if it weren't for the fact that most of us live our lives like that dog - Whining constantly about our jobs and our lives, but never taking any action to change our situation - Because it simply doesn't hurt enough!

"You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream; you've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself."
Diana Ross


"Get excited and enthusiastic about you own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire - you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away."
Denis Waitley

The Pursuit Of Happiness

It is said that the pursuit of happiness as a goal only leads to frustration - for happiness is a by-product. It is when we reach out to others, that we find true happiness.

“Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."
Denis Waitley

"The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so."
Robert G. Ingersoll

20 Years' Experience - or 1 Year's Experience Repeated 20 Times

What is often mistaken for 20 years' experience, is just 1 year's experience repeated 20 times - because if we don't learn from the challenges we are given in life, we are destined to experience them over and over again.

“There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go.”
Richard Bach

"All of the top achievers I know are life-long learners... Looking for new skills, insights, and ideas. If they're not learning, they're not growing... not moving toward excellence. "
Denis Waitley

His Place Shall Never Be With Those Cold And Timid Souls

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

"A life spent in making mistakes is not only more honourable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
George Bernard Shaw

It is not what we get. But who we become

It is said that our success in reaching a goal will be determined largely by two things: What we are prepared to give and what we are prepared to give up and this process of sacrifice and contribution helps us grow as a person.

“It is not what we get. But who we become, what we contribute... that gives meaning to our lives.”
Anthony Robbins

"Life is about growing and contributing"
Virend Singh

The gate of history turns on small hinges

"It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, andso do people's lives. The choices we make determine our destiny."
Thomas S. Monson


"In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."
Eleanor Roosevelt

Belief & Expectation

Did you know that perhaps the most famous of all motivational books 'Think and Grow Rich' by Napoleon Hill, was actually written during the great depression of the 1930's.

Hill became an advisor to President Roosevelt, who is credited with leading America out of the Great Depression by stimulating the economy with public spending - and by instilling belief and expectation in the hearts of the people.

"Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy."
Brian Tracy


"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."
Norman Vincent Peale


"Have faith in yourself; faith in the infinite."
Napoleon Hill

Be, Do, Have

Have you ever heard the saying: "Be, Do, Have"?

It means for example that if you want to have the lifestyle of a wealthy person, you must first become that person before you can possess the wealth. Part of the reason most people fail is that they believe it is the other way around.

Similarly, if you want to be the head of a large organisation, you must first become a leader and do the things a leader would do, before you have an organisation to lead - it is simply the necessary preparation.

"There is no short cut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation"
George Washington Carver
(Freed American slave who became a horticulturist, chemist and educator)

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Seneca
(Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)

"Your life gets better, when you get better as a person"
Virend Singh
(Author, life coach and millionaire maker)

All events are blessings given to us to learn from

Every failure we experience in life is either a complete waste of time or a learning experience - and life is just too short for wasted time.

"There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience, and that is not learning from experience."
Laurence J. Peter

"We have two lives - the one we learn with and the life we live after that."
Bernard Malamud

"There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from."
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Sail Away From The Safe Harbor

Anyone who has suffered the affects of an accident or a debilitating disease like Arthritis will know what it's like to suddenly realise just how much you relied on your legs or hands every day. You realise how much you took them for granted and wish you had done more with them, enjoyed more, achieved more.

They say that most people in their twilight years look back and wish they'd tried more, risked more, achieved more and enjoyed that very life that they took for granted.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain

"My candle burns at both its ends;It will not last the night;But oh, my foes, and oh, my friends - It gives a lovely light. "
Edna St. Vincent Millay