Time All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. (J. R. R. Tolkien, late British writer) Decision, Decisions. We all make dozens of them every day. What to wear and eat? Which letters to answer? The movies or TV? But really, there are only a...
Health A healthy outside starts from the inside. (Robert Urich, late American actor) It’s a simple truth, but many of us ignore its importance. Obesity, alcoholism, drug addictions, and other physical maladies are clear demonstrations of its truth. Far more important,...
Ideas and Words Ideas shape the course of history. (Thomas Jefferson) More recently, actor Robins Williams confirmed Jefferson’s thought: “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” The ideas that Jefferson put into words in the Declaration...
Be Strong Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient. (Steve Maraboli, behavioral scientist) We may wish that things would be easier as we grow older and that our mistakes would be more easily corrected. But experience has shown it’s...
Perspective II No idea is so antiquated that it was not once modern. No idea is so modern that it will not someday be antiquated. (Ellen Glasgow, American author) The wise Solomon wrote, “Nothing under the sun is truly new” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Young people may think...
Perspective I When things go wrong: Look at the bigger picture. (Source unknown) Good advice! When we run into difficulties in our pursuit for success, we may be discouraged and think that it will never work out. Everything is doomed! Such a perspective looks too long...
Keep Trying Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th. (Julie Andrews, English actress) The renowned inventor Thomas Edison enlarged on Andrews’ comment. He earlier had said, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” If he had...
Experience II When was the last time you did something for the first time? (Sign in a restaurant) Actually, this is a line from a song recorded in 2017 by Darius Rucker. It’s a challenge to some of us—perhaps those in the senior citizens class—who don’t like change or...
Experience I Experience is a doorway, not a final goal. (Bill Katip, college president) Sometimes when we face a trying situation, we’re tempted to give up and move on to something else. But Katip’s counsel is to look at it positively. What new way may be opening up?...
Circumstances Nothing great has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe something inside them was superior to circumstances. (Bruce Barton, late American congressman) How many times have you been overcome by the difficult circumstances of life? They cover...
Motives The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be. (Dalai Lama, Buddhist monk) We do what we do for a variety of reasons. It may be fear that forces us to take certain actions to protect ourselves. It may be ambition that...
Gifts The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work. (Emile Zola, 19th century French novelist) We are so blessed to enjoy the giftedness of artists of all kinds. We enjoy their paintings, their literary efforts, their thespian activity,...