Life #3

An Important Job

- Author unknown



I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because I've been provided shelter for my mind and body.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped.

And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me.

I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

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Achievement

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered,

you will never grow.



Attitude

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us, but how we react to what happens; not by what life brings us, but by the attitudes we bring to life.



Brilliance

When a collection of brilliant minds, hearts, and talents come together… expect a masterpiece.



Change

The shortest distance between you and your goals Is never a straight line.



Character

Those who preserve their integrity remain unshaken by the storms of daily life.



Courage

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters

compared to what lies within us.



Dare To Soar

Your attitude almost always determines your altitude in life.



Desire

Where there is passion and desire, there will always be a new frontier.



Determination

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.



Enthusiasm

In the end, the size of a person’s accomplishments

can be measured by the size of their heart.



Essence of Passion

Without passion, life has no meaning. So put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts… this is the essence of passion.

This is the secret of life.



Excellence

Some succeed because they are destined to,

most succeed because they are determined to.



Family

The family is a harbor of safety in an ocean of change.



Guidance

For our children, the road to happiness and success Is usually paved by our example.



Innovation

The best way to predict the future is to create it.



Integrity

We make a living by what we get; We make a life by what we give.



Leaders

Leaders are like eagles, They don’t flock, you find them one at a time.



Legacy

All that we are we will pass on to our children –

our loves, our hopes, our dreams, our character.



Live Every Day

Dance as if no one were watching,

Sing as if no one were listening,

And live every day as if it were your last.



Live Today

Cherish your yesterdays, dream your tomorrows, but live your todays.



Make It Happen

You will always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.



New Beginnings

In life what sometimes appears to be the end Is really a new beginning.



Opportunity

Opportunity always involves some risk.

You can’t steal 2nd base and keep your foot on first.



Passion

There are many things is life that will catch your eye,

But only a few will catch your heart… Pursue those.



Peace

The heart already knows what the mind can only dream of… Trust your heart.



Principles

In matters of style, swim with the current…

In matters of principle, stand like a rock.



Priorities

Teach children to choose the right path

and when they are older they will remain upon it.



Purpose

Develop your dreams and you create passion…

Develop the dreams of others and you create heaven.



Real Success

The measure of real success is one you cannot spend…

It’s the way your child describes you when talking to a friend.



Risk

We take risks not to escape life… But to prevent life from escaping us.



Serenity

Peace is found not in what surrounds us, but what we hold within.



Success

Success is a journey, not a destination.



Teamwork

Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people

to produce uncommon results.



The Essence of Compassion

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong…

Because sometime in your life you will have been all of these.



Today

Today, I will be too calm for worry, too noble for anger and too strong for defeat. Today, I will believe anything is possible…

Today, I will make a difference.



Tomorrow

In time of change, there is no incentive so powerful

as the hope for a better tomorrow.



Wisdom

Wisdom is not obvious.

You must see the subtle and notice the hidden

to be victorious.

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Dance Like There's No One Watching

- Author unknown



We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenager to deal with, we will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.



We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. The truth is there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?



Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."



This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way, so, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time...and remember that time waits for no one.



So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy...Happiness is a journey, not a destination.



So,

Work like you don't need money.

Love like you've never been hurt, and

Dance Like no one's watching.