The best way to find yourself...

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others" 

~ Mahatma Gandhi

No matter what it is you’re working on...

Chef’s Note: No matter what it is you’re working on, everything that touches the product MUST be of the highest possible quality.  Integrity is a key ingredient here, along with Self-Confidence and Perseverance.  You must demand the best of yourself, insist on the best from others, and never settle for anything less.  

Take Action...

"Take Action...The antidote to worry is action, Do something! As you begin to focus on doing, you will get results and a new perspective on your situation. No matte how large or small the problem, it's important not to take on the whole thing. Break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Don't become anxious, worried or frustrated. See your problems as friends to help you expand your critical thinking capability. Also, remember problems do not come to stay, they come to pass." ~ Aloha, Wally

Don’t Let Bitterness Take Root

Years ago, there was a terrible outbreak of disease in a tiny village in a remote part of Africa. Both children and adults were getting sick with nausea. Several weeks passed, and the sickness became widespread, and people started dying. Word of the disease reached the main city in that area, and experts were dispatched to try to figure out what was causing the problem. They soon discovered the water was contaminated.  The village was getting its water supply from a mountain stream that was fed from a spring, so the experts decided to trek upstream and hopefully find the source of pollution. They traveled for days and finally came to the mouth of the stream. But on the surface they found nothing wrong. Puzzled they decided to send some divers down to search as closely to the spring's opening as possible. 

What they found shocked the experts.  A large mother pig and her baby piglets were wedged right at the opening of the spring. Evidently they had fallen in, drowned and somehow got stuck there. Now all that crystal-clear, pure mountain springwater was being contaminated as it flowed past the decomposing remains of the dead pigs. In no time after the divers were able to remove the dead pigs, the water begin to flow clean and pure again.

In our lives, something similar takes place. We all have negative things happened to us. Maybe last week, last month, or ten to twenty years ago somebody hurt us. Too often instead of lettings it go and giving it to God, we’ve held on to it. We haven't forgiven, and just as those pigs soured that crystal-clear water, our own lives have become contaminated. The Root of bitterness has taken hold.

Worse yet, after a while, we accept it. We make room in our hearts for that bitterness; we learn to live with it. "Well, I am just an angry person. That’s just my personality. I am always like this. I'm always bitter. This is who I am".

No, with all due respect, that’s not who you are. You need to get rid of the poison that is polluting your life.  You were made to be a crystal-clear stream. God created you in His image.  He wants you to be happy, healthy, and whole.  God wants you to enjoy life to the full, not to live with bitterness and resentment, polluted and putrefied yourself and contaminating everyone else with whom you have influenced.

Imagine yourself as a crystal-clear stream.  It doesn’t matter how polluted the stream may be right now, or how muddy or murky the water may look in your life today.  If you’ll begin to forgive the people who have offended you, and release all those hurts and pains, that bitterness will leave and you’ll begin to see that crystal-clear water once again.  You’ll begin to experience the joy, peace, and freedom God intended you to have.

~ Joel Osteen

You're either in or you're out...

“There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between.” ~ Pat Riley 

Your life deserves better than a half-hearted effort. Meet your goals with a weak handshake and they’ll soon be waving you goodbye. Since you probably don’t want to look back on a life full of “almost made it” memories, it’s time for total commitment. Leave it all on the field, don’t hold anything back. Is there anything more satisfying than pouring out your entire being, straddling the cliff, reaching your total limit, then looking up and realizing that oh-my-gosh-I-can’t-believe-I-really-did-it? And is there anything more tragic than failing and realizing you could have done more? If you feel “out” of your current life, that’s okay. Make your first goal to build a life that you can get “in”-to. Then don’t look back. Make every day count and live purposefully, live energetically, live completely.  ~ Via Life Quotes

Surround yourself with positive people...

Surround yourself with positive people. Most people who soar to incredible heights of accomplishment in their lives do so because they surround themselves with positive, encouraging people. It’s hard to have a positive outlook when everyone around you is complaining all the time. 

 

If you surround yourself with people who routinely seek the good inside of you, you’ll begin to do the same. Spend less time with negative people and more time with those who speak words of support into your life. If you do, you’ll experience greater power, self-confidence and joy.  ~ Franck Pasquet

 

We must have a theme in life...

“We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don't know where you're aiming, you don't have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, she cared.” ~ Mary Kay Ash

Love and Compassion...

"Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." ~ Mother Teresa

Today, I accept that every moment is a unique opportunity to learn something new.  I am fully open to receiving fresh ideas, and my heart is open to sharing and acknowledging love. I am walking in absolute love and compassion, and fully aware of the requirements of others.  By taking the time to carefully listen and adjust to meet the needs of those around me, I am actively applying principles of true love.  I ask my Creator to soften my heart and remove any and all negative selfish behavior, disinfect my thoughts and repair and restore any broken past that could be hindering me from walking in compassion and loving to my full potential. 

Change is a blessing that I am learning to enjoy...

“The key to change... is to let go of fear. ~ Rosanne Cash

 Change is a blessing that I am learning to enjoy each and every day.  I thank my creator for the gift of change. Without change, I would never grow, learn new things, accomplish my goals and dreams, cultivate healthy relationships or look forward to anything different at all.  Even though I struggle with change sometimes, I am learning to enjoy its possibilities.  Change is a blessing that comes with the power of choice. I can choose to leave things the way they are, or change them to something better.  Each day brings its share of changes and I choose to welcome them all and enjoy the opportunities that come my way.

I love who I am...

(photo credit: favim.com)

Regardless of my imperfections or my past, I can accomplish wonderful things. Everywhere I go, my light shines bright. I love to encourage, edify and support those around me. I take pleasure in using the gifts and talents from my Creator. Every intricate part of me was uniquely hand crafted ~ I love who I am.  Regardless of my circumstances I can find happiness, contentment and pleasure in every area of my life. 

"We can always choose to perceive things differently. You can focus on what’s wrong in your life or you can focus on what’s right." ~ Marianne Williamson

What is your Fire?

Think ~ what is that one thought always burning inside you, that thing you find yourself immersed in and daydreaming about…it could be a trip or vacation, a volunteer opportunity, the want for a family, a husband/wife or a business venture...whatever it is, reach out for it, plan for it and learn all you can. 

Don't be afraid to invest in YOUR dreams, they are a sacrifice worth taking a gamble for...

"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

Be Mindful of Your Health...

 “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” ~ Martin Charnin

I pride myself on taking pretty good care of me. I swim regularly, I’m careful what I eat and I take my vitamins daily. I maintain a strong support network. I stay intellectually engaged and connected to my community by not shutting myself away.

Each day I wake up happy to be alive.

This philosophy didn’t happen overnight. I have always been a naturally optimistic person. That’s probably the influence of my Aunt Della who helped raise me.  She was a strong believer in pushing away the negativity and focusing on what you can do in life.

One of the things I can do is to be mindful of my health, both above and below my neck. I try to pay attention to how I treat others as well as how others treat me. I’m not perfect, but I try to be kind while still being responsible. If I let someone take advantage of me, that doesn’t make me feel good about myself. I can’t take the best care of my business or my loved ones if I don’t feel good, both inside and out.

So I air my feelings, rather than keeping them bottled up inside. But I do so in a way that is positive and non-judgmental. I make room for the possibility that someone else might have a better idea.

I take time every day to relax. Relaxation improves the mind, helps the body heal, and is so much healthier than stress and tension.

I read to children.

And, finally, I never forget to laugh, especially at myself. After all, laughter really is the best medicine, don’t you think?

What do you do to keep yourself healthy?

Written by Wally Amos

Grow Through Life Experiences

“When you are going through hell, do not stop to take pictures”. I firmly believe the thing we must do is learn to GROW through our life experiences. Extract the lessons and insert them into our future experiences. We are still a work in progress. “When you pray, move your feet” Leave the pity party behind and get on with your life. BE POSITIVE REGARDLESS!! ~ Wally Amos

(photo credit: favim.com)

You are what you allow yourself to be...

I used to blame others for the way I was.  I was twelve when my mother and father divorced.  I heard the fights and I knew they were not happy.  Still, it was a shock when my mother told me one day that she and my father were going to separate and I was being sent to New York City to live with my Aunt Della.  I wasn’t devastated.  I understood that it wasn’t my fault and I moved on with my life.

(photo credit: favim.com)

Years later, I told myself that I failed in my own marriages because I had not had the kind of loving example as a child that I needed to make the commitment that marriage required.   I told myself that I always wanted to keep the closeness with my sons that I lost with my own father when my parents divorced.  Yet, I failed to keep that promise to myself or to them.  I tried, but I was always busy on the road with the acts I was managing.  It wasn’t my fault, you see.

It took me a long time to come to grips with the fact that my failure to fully commit to my relationships was my own personal failure, not the result of a childhood trauma.  No one forced me to fall short.  I had allowed myself to be a disappointment because the grass was always greener on the other side of the street.  While I greatly regret the consequences of my shortfallings, I know that they made me the man that I am today.  I am still a work in progress.  But I take responsibility for my own decisions.  I wake up every morning, glad to be alive and aware that each day will be filled with as much happiness as I allow it to be.  It’s entirely up to me.

Written by Wally Amos