The Four Candles

February 21, 2012 by 5 Comments

The Four Candles burned slowly in the empty room. Their ambiance was so soft you could hear them speak. Their words were sad…

The first candle said, “I Am Peace, but these days, nobody wants to keep me lit.” Then Peace’s flame slowly diminished and went out completely.

The second candle said, “I Am Faith, but these days, I am no longer indispensable.” Then Faith’s flame slowly diminished and went out completely.

Sadly the third candle spoke, “I Am Love and I haven’t the strength to stay lit any longer. People put me aside and don’t understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them.” And waiting no longer, Love went out completely.

Suddenly…

A child entered the room and saw the three candles no longer burning. The child began to cry, “Why are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit until the end. What shall I do with no peace, no faith and no love”

Then the Fourth Candle spoke gently to the child, “Don’t be afraid, for I Am Hope, and while I still burn, we can re-light the other candles. Let’s relight them now. Together.”

With shining eyes, the child took the Candle of Hope and lit the other three candles. And you might see them go out from time to time. But as long as Hope shines on, the other three will always be with us.

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Why You Don’t Have to Try to Be Unique

February 17, 2012 by 1 Comment

This is a guest post from Josh Monk

As a musician and photographer, I often encounter people who are trying too hard to be different or unique. In these creative fields especially, people often feel the need to stand out from the crowd in order to be successful. They follow the philosophy that their audience will equate uniqueness with talent, and attempt to adjust how people perceive them accordingly. This is a very misguided way of looking at things. By making a special effort to be unique or different, what these people are actually saying to their audience is “don’t look at the real me.”

Everybody on the planet – the whole 7 billion of us – is unique already, without even trying. Each one of us has a different set of mannerisms, facial expressions, patterns of speech, outward physical appearance, choice of clothing – even the way we choose to style our hair makes us different from the next person. And when people are faced with similar problems, they tackle them in very different ways. I could go on. Simply put, people are interesting just because they’re people.

So why do we find it so hard to just accept this fact and embrace our own individuality? Unfortunately, people have a tendency to think their lives are less interesting than other people’s. It’s human nature. A point that is so often forgotten, though, is that by simply embracing the fact that you are unique without even trying, you are allowing people to see you for who you are. However you decide to present yourself, people are far more likely to enjoy your company and respect your opinion if they can see that you are not putting on a façade.

There is certainly a place for people who innovate or push the envelope, (Lady Gaga, for example, has built an entire career on her unique brand of strangeness), but many people don’t see that they can do that by simply being themselves. The next time you find yourself putting on an act for a certain group of people, stop, take a breath, and just be yourself. It’s far less work!

From the film Life of Brian: “You’re all different.” “I’m not.”

Josh Monk is a writer at DailyPath.com.

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The Secret to Motivation

February 8, 2012 by 1 Comment

What is the single best way to become a truly motivated person?  Yes, this is a trick question.

Motivate others.

That’s right, if you keep lighting sparks of enthusiasm under friends, family, colleagues and neighbors, you will notice an awe-inspiring transformation in your own attitude.  Sparks of enthusiasm will ignite on you, as well.  You, too, will be motivated.

It is virtually impossible to encourage people around you to shoot for their dreams, to go for goal, to reach for the brass ring without getting excited about your own.  The more you encourage others, the more the excitement carries you with it.

Think about all the people you know, or at least those you know well enough.  What are their dreams?  What are their goals?  Make an effort to find out.  Then make an effort to help out.  I guarantee that your life will be richer for your efforts.

Want to help motivate people starting right now, pass along this blog post on Twitter or FaceBook or Pinterest (buttons to the right).

READ ALSO: Zig Ziglar motivational quotes

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A New Spiritual Technique – Could We Change The World?

February 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
– Albert Einstein

Anybody can look out at the world these days and see some that wild times are happening, with more on the way. We could have a very chaotic time in our near future.

And with the gigantic scale of events, many of us seem be crawling back into our turtle shells, trying to be safe from the melee storming outside the window. Others wail and protest, trying to wake up the sheep to our coming peril, like the proverbial Noah whilst building his ark.

The spiritual technique that switches things around.

So what SHOULD we do about it all? What if the wildest part was, just like Dorthy and her ruby slippers, we already have inside of us an inherent spiritual technique that can change the basic situation, but we never realized it before? Not to change the entire world immediately, but to shift perspectives, to let go of the methods and ways that we have been entrenched in, but were so ubiquitous, that it was like fish breathing water.

If we look around, even inside our own lives, haven’t most of been trained to think in ways that don’t serve us? Aren’t our habits rather ineffective? And aren’t most of us rather complacent, and try to make our lives as comfortable as possible? And because of this, if we WERE to try to follow the dictate from old Einstein, wouldn’t our efforts be more like simply flailing ourselves around?

The spiritual technique that inspires us.

Just sit back now, and imagine that you had a calling, a unique purpose that opened you up. Imagine that that was possible for you, and that you had a way to connect to it. That you had a way to KNOW what it was, and then you also had a way to know the best way to make it come alive in the world.

You might find that you have to take a moment now, to imagine this, but if you could, what would that feel like? Do any spiritual techniques or practices from past centuries or current times make us feel this way? Could anything be more motivational?

So now I must ask, for I want to get feedback from you, dear reader. Do you think it would be great to discover that we are all hardwired to connect to a higher source of wisdom and guidance, but that we didn’t know how to do it before? Do you think that it is possible, and then could you see the ways you’d like your life to change?

To help answer these questions, and to read the rest of the story, go to this link:
http://spiritualhealingmethods.com/a-new-spiritual-technique/

This is a guest post by Andrew James Batha of http://www.spiritualhealingmethods.com

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Life Lessons Spelled with a W

February 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Sorry if my spelling is off, but today we will spell “life lessons” with a “W”.

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The Times They Are A-changing

January 30, 2012 by 8 Comments

Get used to it.  Times change.  The older you get, the harder it is to accept.  But the pace of change is accelerating and there is no reason to believe that is going to change.  I was reminded of this when I saw this image over at WGRD:

Will we still have paper books in 2022?  Will we still hold telephones in our hands?  Will movies still be projected onto screens?  Will these all be just anachronisms? Who knows.

Get ready for a wild, scary and exciting ride.

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Perseverence – Never Give Up

January 26, 2012 by 1 Comment

I was inspired by American Top 40 Countdown.  You might have heard of the band Lady Antebellum (Yes, it is a band, not a person).  Nevertheless, there is a lady in the band: Hillary Scott.

Hillary failed twice at American Idol.  Yes, she tried and did not make it past the first-stage auditions.

So she tried again.  And the second time, she also failed to make it past the first-stage auditions.

Don’t worry, Hillary.  You join a n auspicious line of “losers”, including Abraham Lincoln:

  • Started a business – bankrupt.
  • Ran for state legislature – lost.
  • Applied to law school – rejected.
  • Started a business – bankrupt.
  • Ran for state legislature again – won.
  • Engaged when his sweetheart died – heart broken.
  • Had nervous breakdown – bed-ridden for six months.
  • Ran for speaker of the state legislature – lost.
  • Ran for elector – lost.
  • Ran for Congress – lost.
  • Ran for Congress again – won.
  • Ran for re-election to Congress – lost.
  • Sought the job of state land officer – rejected.
  • Ran for Senate of the United States – lost.
  • Sought Vice-Presidential nomination – lost.
  • Ran for U.S. Senate again – lost.
  • Elected president of the United States.

READ ALSO: Define success

And Canada’s John Diefenbaker:

  • Moved to Wakaw to practice law – locals refused to rent him office space.
  • Ran for village council – won.
  • Ran for Parliament – lost.
  • Ran for Parliament again – lost.
  • Ran for provincial legislature – lost.
  • Ran for mayor of Prince Albert – lost.
  • Elected provincial party leader by default (nobody else wanted the job)
  • Ran for Premier – lost and lost his seat.
  • Ran for Parliament – won.
  • Ran for federal party leader – lost.
  • Ran for federal party leader – won.
  • Ran for Prime Minister – and won three consecutive elections.
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Just who are you anyway?

January 24, 2012 by 1 Comment

What do you rely on for your happiness?

Do you make your own happiness? Or do you wait for it to come to you?

Do you create your own future? Or do you rely on tarot readings an fortune tellers?

Do you blaze your own path? Or do you follow people around you?

Do you work alone? Or do you prefer to run with the crowd?

These are not right and wrong answer questions. These are questions about who you are. Knowing who you are is important for making decisions in your life.

No matter how much you might fall in love with somebody because you share interests or because you like how they look or talk or smell, if you want to build a lifetime together, the person had better be compatible at a much more fundamental level.

Your next job might seem like fun because of the subject matter. Or the pay. Or because of location, or the company’s reputation. But if your position is not compatible with your personality, you will neither excel at you job nor enjoy it very much. It is one of the great urban legends that if somebody is a good vice president, they should be promoted to president. It takes a totally different personality to excel at being number one than at being number two.

You don’t have to be psychic to find your ideal place in the world. But you do have to know yourself.

READ ALSO: Define success

READ ALSO: Priorities

 

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Pain Is Our Friend. Really.

January 16, 2012 by 7 Comments

Pain is good. We suffer pain because we don’t understand it. And because it hurts (that explains the “suffer” part).

Pain serves a single, dedicated purpose in our lives; it is a warning. We place our hands on a hot stove and the pain makes us remove our hand before too much damage is done (hopefully). Imagine if we could feel no pain. There are some people who can’t. They often cause damage to themselves, and they have to tip-toe through life to avoid damaging themselves even more.  They simply have no warning system.

When a door squeaks, it is calling out for oil. When your elbow hurts, it is calling out for…a doctor?

Perhaps.  Or perhaps to stop making that movement that hurts so much.

Don’t “suffer” your pain. Embrace it. Love it. Listen to it and follow its advice. It is giving you a valuable warning.

 

 

 

 

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