You can never step into the same river twice, for new waters are always flowing onto you.
-Heraclitus, greek philospher
***
Christmas is a truly a time for the giving and receiving of gifts. Children wait anxious for weeks for the arrival of Santa Claus and the gifts that he places under their Christmas tree. Teenagers are filled with excitement about exchanging presents with their close friends. Adults spend a great deal of time and energy trying to find the perfect present for everyone on their Christmas list. Christmas gift giving is deeply rooted in tradition. So strong is the tradition that the early Christian church tried to outlaw the custom, but the people cherished the tradition too much to let it go. Attempting to incorporate the custom of giving gifts into the Christian faith, church leaders justified the practice by the exchange of gifts between the Magi from the East and the baby Jesus. The Magi brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. And, the baby Jesus gave the gift of eternal salvation for the entire world.
Each year we make a list of who to buy for and what to buy. Yet, each year, we seem to forget one person. One very special person; that person is "You." This year I ask that you think about yourself and give yourself a Christmas "Present." Now I'm not talking about running out and buying yourself the latest and greatest material gadget. I mean committing to live in the "present." To live in the present, you must let go of the past, and not worry about the future. It means letting your senses take over and feel the power of the present moment. I’ve learned a very valuable lesson about living in the moment from owning dogs. Dogs are happy by nature. They have no concept of time. Hence, there is no past to weigh them down or a future of fearful uncertainty. The past haunts us and the future scares us. You cannot control the past or the future. You can, however, control the present moment!
So, when all of the presents have been unwrapped and when the excitement seems to wane, find yourself a quiet spot. Close your eyes and breathe deep and slow. Feel your chest expand as the air rushes in, and the release of pressure as you exhale. As you feel a sense of relaxation, think about all the gifts that you have. We all have many things to be thankful for yet with our busy lives we tend to take them for granted. We tend to take for granted the little things in life: the food in the refrigerator/pantry that nourishes us, the abundance of water that quenches our thirst, the house/apartment that keeps us safe, the electricity that gives light to darkness and helps makes things a little more comfortable for us, our family and friends that love and supports us, the list goes on an on. I bet if you really took the time to look at all the gifts that you already have, you would recognize how truly blessed you are. Perhaps the most important gift that we have is often overlooked and misunderstood. It’s the gift to choose our own happiness. This Christmas and everyday after, embrace the concept that you can choose to be happy.
This Christmas, I wish you for you the Christmas “Present”. Hopefully, this Christmas, taking the time to live in the present moment will make you feel grateful, relaxed and offer you peace of mind.
It’s your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
We Are the World
"The value of a man resides in what he gives and not what he is capable of receiving."
-Albert Einstein
United Support Artist for Africa: Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Ray Charles, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Bob Dylan, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Sean Hopper, James Ingram, Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Al Jarreau, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Jeffery Osborne, David Paich, Steve Perry, The Pointer Sisters, Steve Porcaro, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder.
-Albert Einstein
Last night while driving home, I heard the song We Are the World. The song transported me back in time to 1985 when the song was first released. A group of famous musicians (see below), who called themselves USA for Africa (United Support Artist for Africa) recorded the song for the benefit of the famine-stricken country, Ethiopia.
We Are the World was written by Michael Jackson & Lionel Ritchie and produced by Quincy Jones. The song was released in March of 1985 and reached number one on Billboards Hot 100 chart in less than a month. The song was named Billboard’s number one song of the year for 1985.
The chorus tells us that when we give to others, we not only help others, but we help ourselves.
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
We Are the World was written by Michael Jackson & Lionel Ritchie and produced by Quincy Jones. The song was released in March of 1985 and reached number one on Billboards Hot 100 chart in less than a month. The song was named Billboard’s number one song of the year for 1985.
The chorus tells us that when we give to others, we not only help others, but we help ourselves.
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me
When we’re truly appreciative of all the things we have, we naturally feel compelled to share those things with others. St. Francis of Assisi, in his Peace Prayer says, “For it’s in giving that we receive.” When we give of ourselves for the benefit of another, we in turn receive the gift of spiritual and emotional development. In essence, by giving to others, we are, saving our own lives. Each time we give of ourselves, we grow as a person, but more importantly, we grow closer to God.
They key to giving is appreciation. If you’re not appreciative of what you have, you’ll always want more. You can’t be a giver, if you’re a taker. If you’re not satisfied with what you have, your life’s focus will be on acquiring, rather than giving. If you don’t feel you have enough money, you’ll want more. If you don’t feel you have enough material possessions, you’ll want more. If you don’t feel you get enough attention, you’ll want more. You get the picture! If you don’t think you have enough, the last thing that you’ll do is give away something that you don’t feel you have enough of.
I ask you to commit to living a life of appreciation. Commit to being aware of everything around you and finding the value in it. Remember that when a person is experiencing a happy state, it’s because they’re appreciative of something. We really do have a great deal to be thankful for; we just need to make the conscious effort to bring it to the forefront. Make a list of everything that you’re thankful for; add to it when appropriate. Review it in the morning when you get up and at night before you go to bed. It’s a great way to start and end a day!
When we realize we live in abundance and are appreciate of it, we’ll feel compelled to share our abundance. And, when you share your abundance, you'll find that you really do make a better day. WE ARE THE WORLD!
It's YOUR Life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD
When we’re truly appreciative of all the things we have, we naturally feel compelled to share those things with others. St. Francis of Assisi, in his Peace Prayer says, “For it’s in giving that we receive.” When we give of ourselves for the benefit of another, we in turn receive the gift of spiritual and emotional development. In essence, by giving to others, we are, saving our own lives. Each time we give of ourselves, we grow as a person, but more importantly, we grow closer to God.
They key to giving is appreciation. If you’re not appreciative of what you have, you’ll always want more. You can’t be a giver, if you’re a taker. If you’re not satisfied with what you have, your life’s focus will be on acquiring, rather than giving. If you don’t feel you have enough money, you’ll want more. If you don’t feel you have enough material possessions, you’ll want more. If you don’t feel you get enough attention, you’ll want more. You get the picture! If you don’t think you have enough, the last thing that you’ll do is give away something that you don’t feel you have enough of.
I ask you to commit to living a life of appreciation. Commit to being aware of everything around you and finding the value in it. Remember that when a person is experiencing a happy state, it’s because they’re appreciative of something. We really do have a great deal to be thankful for; we just need to make the conscious effort to bring it to the forefront. Make a list of everything that you’re thankful for; add to it when appropriate. Review it in the morning when you get up and at night before you go to bed. It’s a great way to start and end a day!
When we realize we live in abundance and are appreciate of it, we’ll feel compelled to share our abundance. And, when you share your abundance, you'll find that you really do make a better day. WE ARE THE WORLD!
It's YOUR Life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD
United Support Artist for Africa: Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Ray Charles, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Bob Dylan, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Sean Hopper, James Ingram, Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Al Jarreau, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Jeffery Osborne, David Paich, Steve Perry, The Pointer Sisters, Steve Porcaro, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Am I Doing My Best
"Nobody who ever gave his best, regretted it."
~ George Halas
***
In high school, John Baker did not look like much of athlete; he was short and on the thin side. Because of his physical stature, John did not participate in any of the traditional high school sports. Instead he developed a passion for distance running and set his sight on making the high school track team.
In his first race, John beat the defending state champion and set a new meet record. Baker was asked how he came from behind to win the race. He responded that during the first half of the race he knew he was struggling and he asked himself. “Am I doing my best?” Wanting to give his best effort, he focused on the back of the runners ahead of him. He convinced himself that he would overtake them, “one by one.” Instead of focusing on the struggle, Baker’s entire focus was on passing the runner in front of him. He blocked out anything that could have caused a distraction. Baker eventually passed the last runner and hung on to win the meet.
John Baker had a remarkable high school career. He was considered one to the best distance runners in the State of New Mexico. He never lost a race in his senior year and finished his high school career as a state champion. Baker attended the University of New Mexico on a track scholarship and continued to excel in the sport he loved. Baker graduated from college and began training for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games.
When he wasn’t training, Baker was enjoining a newly found passion; coaching children. Baker accepted a coaching job at Aspen Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The children quickly found themselves endeared to Baker. He cared about the children, and they knew it. He was referred to as, “the coach who cared. Baker taught each child the importance of giving their best.
In May 1969, John Baker was diagnosed with cancer. His prognosis was not good; six months at best. Devastated, Baker contemplated suicide. He did not want to put his family, or the children through the pain watching someone die of terminal cancer. Prior to taking his life, in a brief moment, Baker saw the faces of the children at the school. He thought about what they would think of him. He taught them to give their best, yet he wasn’t willing to do the same. Right then, Baker decided to once again, give his best. John Baker wasn’t going to be a quitter. He decided that he would live the remainder of his life, asking himself at every opportunity, “Am I giving my best?”
After having surgery and follow-up treatments, John Baker returned to Aspen with a goal to make the sports program better than before. He declined to take pain medication because he was concerned it would affect his ability to relate to the children. Certainly, John Baker was giving his best. The school became inundated with letters from parents praising Baker for his positive impact on children.
In early 1970, Baker was asked by a small Albuquerque track club for girls to coach the team. True to fashion, Baker got the best out of each girl. The girls had become so good that Baker boasted that they would be competing in AAU track finals later in the year.
Throughout the summer months, Baker's condition continued to decline. By October, Baker found it difficult to attend practices. On Thanksgiving Day in 1970, John Baker passed away. Giving his best to the end, he lived one year longer than any doctor expected. Two day after his death, his girls track team not only competed in the AAU finals; they won the AAU championship in honor of Coach Baker.
In May of 1971, Aspen Elementary School officially became John Baker Elementary School. The name change was put up to a vote after the children began calling the school “John Baker School.” The name change proposal passed without any No votes.
John Baker was a young man who constantly asked himself, “Am I giving my best.” His legacy is evidence that he gave his very best. He was state champion in high school. He had a successful track career in college. He had an elementary school named after him. And, more importantly, he left an impression in the lives of many children. An impression they’ll likely never forget. Not bad for someone who only lived to be 26 years old!
How about you? Are you willing to adopt John Baker’s motto, which asks the question, “Am I giving my best.” It certainly worked for John Baker in the short time he had here on earth. Now, I can’t guarantee you that you’ll have a building named after you, but I can guarantee that you'll become a better person in everything that you do. Just as Baker, while running, knew that his focus had to be on one runner at a time, I ask you to focus on giving your best in the present moment; one event at a time. For if you do, just like John Baker you’ll eventually find yourself a winner.
It's your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it
MJD
~ George Halas
***
In high school, John Baker did not look like much of athlete; he was short and on the thin side. Because of his physical stature, John did not participate in any of the traditional high school sports. Instead he developed a passion for distance running and set his sight on making the high school track team.
In his first race, John beat the defending state champion and set a new meet record. Baker was asked how he came from behind to win the race. He responded that during the first half of the race he knew he was struggling and he asked himself. “Am I doing my best?” Wanting to give his best effort, he focused on the back of the runners ahead of him. He convinced himself that he would overtake them, “one by one.” Instead of focusing on the struggle, Baker’s entire focus was on passing the runner in front of him. He blocked out anything that could have caused a distraction. Baker eventually passed the last runner and hung on to win the meet.
John Baker had a remarkable high school career. He was considered one to the best distance runners in the State of New Mexico. He never lost a race in his senior year and finished his high school career as a state champion. Baker attended the University of New Mexico on a track scholarship and continued to excel in the sport he loved. Baker graduated from college and began training for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games.
When he wasn’t training, Baker was enjoining a newly found passion; coaching children. Baker accepted a coaching job at Aspen Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The children quickly found themselves endeared to Baker. He cared about the children, and they knew it. He was referred to as, “the coach who cared. Baker taught each child the importance of giving their best.
In May 1969, John Baker was diagnosed with cancer. His prognosis was not good; six months at best. Devastated, Baker contemplated suicide. He did not want to put his family, or the children through the pain watching someone die of terminal cancer. Prior to taking his life, in a brief moment, Baker saw the faces of the children at the school. He thought about what they would think of him. He taught them to give their best, yet he wasn’t willing to do the same. Right then, Baker decided to once again, give his best. John Baker wasn’t going to be a quitter. He decided that he would live the remainder of his life, asking himself at every opportunity, “Am I giving my best?”
After having surgery and follow-up treatments, John Baker returned to Aspen with a goal to make the sports program better than before. He declined to take pain medication because he was concerned it would affect his ability to relate to the children. Certainly, John Baker was giving his best. The school became inundated with letters from parents praising Baker for his positive impact on children.
In early 1970, Baker was asked by a small Albuquerque track club for girls to coach the team. True to fashion, Baker got the best out of each girl. The girls had become so good that Baker boasted that they would be competing in AAU track finals later in the year.
Throughout the summer months, Baker's condition continued to decline. By October, Baker found it difficult to attend practices. On Thanksgiving Day in 1970, John Baker passed away. Giving his best to the end, he lived one year longer than any doctor expected. Two day after his death, his girls track team not only competed in the AAU finals; they won the AAU championship in honor of Coach Baker.
In May of 1971, Aspen Elementary School officially became John Baker Elementary School. The name change was put up to a vote after the children began calling the school “John Baker School.” The name change proposal passed without any No votes.
John Baker was a young man who constantly asked himself, “Am I giving my best.” His legacy is evidence that he gave his very best. He was state champion in high school. He had a successful track career in college. He had an elementary school named after him. And, more importantly, he left an impression in the lives of many children. An impression they’ll likely never forget. Not bad for someone who only lived to be 26 years old!
How about you? Are you willing to adopt John Baker’s motto, which asks the question, “Am I giving my best.” It certainly worked for John Baker in the short time he had here on earth. Now, I can’t guarantee you that you’ll have a building named after you, but I can guarantee that you'll become a better person in everything that you do. Just as Baker, while running, knew that his focus had to be on one runner at a time, I ask you to focus on giving your best in the present moment; one event at a time. For if you do, just like John Baker you’ll eventually find yourself a winner.
It's your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it
MJD
Friday, November 14, 2008
A Game Plan for Success - Lombardi Style
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."
~ Vincent T. Lombardi
***
Vincent T. Lombardi (1913 -1970) would be considered a "heart and soul" type leader. He became an icon of excellence in the sport of football. Most football enthusiasts believe he was the greatest coach to grace the game. Lombardi’s philosophy of success goes far beyond the game of football and can be applied today in any setting. Lombardi believed the following qualities are the basis of success: commitment, discipline, pursuing excellence, mental toughness, habit, faith and passion.
Coach Lombardi focused on commitment. Lombardi believed that when you commit to something, your making a decision to do something. You give 100%, %100 percent of the time. There is no room for excuses or rationalizations. You do it or you don’t do it. There is nothing worse than a half-hearted commitment. How about you? What commitments have you made? Are you giving your 100%?
Coach Lombardi focused on discipline. To Lombardi, discipline meant hard work and sacrifice. Hard work and sacrifice are the cornerstone of discipline. Discipline also means making choices; you’re willing to give up something for something else. Lombardi consistently preached, “Are you willing to pay the price?’ Success and happiness comes from being disciplined, and being disciplined means having to make choices. How about you? Are you willing to ‘pay the price?
Coach Lombardi focused on excellence. Lombardi demanded that every player work hard to become the best they could possibly be. He demanded that each player accept responsibility and be accountable for their actions and obligations. Every player was held to a high standard. Lombardi had great faith that human potential is unlimited. He knew that if he raised the bar, his player would eventually get there. How about you? Will you pursue excellence or are you willing to be ordinary and just get by?
Coach Lombardi focused on mental toughness. Lombardi knew that mental toughness helps you to persevere when the pressure is on. He preached staying the course when things appear to be falling apart. To Lombardi, mental toughness is the unwavering belief in yourself, regardless of the circumstances. It’s all about maintaining focus. Lombardi recognized that failure in life is inevitable and the mentally tough use failure as a catalyst to come back stronger than ever. How about you? Are you mentally tough or do you give in when the going get tough.
Coach Lombardi focused on habit. Lombardi was keenly aware that habits are formed from beliefs. Habits become the unconscious means of getting things done for us. Beliefs are formed from self-talk. Self talk is a cognitive assessment of yourself. Lombardi knew the association between belief to habits; habits to behavior; and behavior to character. Lombardi was a master at influencing his players self-talk. He knew that positive self-talk would result in positive outcomes. How about you? Do you engage in positive self-talk or are you constantly putting yourself down? Are you overly critical of yourself? Are you holding yourself back because of negative self talk?
Coach Lombardi focused on faith. Vince Lombardi attended mass daily and relied on God as his strength. Lombardi believed that much of our human dilemmas were the result of a disconnection from our spiritual being. Lombardi used his faith as a means to connect with God; to gives thanks and to ask for guidance. He recognized that fame and prestige pales compared to a spiritual relationship with God. Lombardi never preached his faith, he simply lived it. How about you?. Do you feel connected to God? Do you allow God to walk with you everyday of your life?
Coach Lombardi focused on passion. Lombardi, once said, “If you can’t get emotional about what’s in your heart, you’re in the wrong business.” Passion is the spark of achievement. Lombardi was able to motivate his players, because of his display of passion. It’s hard not to believe in someone who enthusiastic about what they do. Lombardi’s passion radiated a contagious energy; energy which had everyone around him believing that nothing was impossible. How about you? Are you enthusiastic about what you do or are you just going through the motions
Coach Lombardi’s laid out a simplistic philosophy of success. He practiced his philosophy daily; not only on the football field, but in his personal too. Vincent T. Lombardi’s record and accomplishments speak for themselves.
If you are serious about becoming a winner, I encourage you to adopt a game plan for success – Lombardi style!
It’s your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD
~ Vincent T. Lombardi
***
Vincent T. Lombardi (1913 -1970) would be considered a "heart and soul" type leader. He became an icon of excellence in the sport of football. Most football enthusiasts believe he was the greatest coach to grace the game. Lombardi’s philosophy of success goes far beyond the game of football and can be applied today in any setting. Lombardi believed the following qualities are the basis of success: commitment, discipline, pursuing excellence, mental toughness, habit, faith and passion.
Coach Lombardi focused on commitment. Lombardi believed that when you commit to something, your making a decision to do something. You give 100%, %100 percent of the time. There is no room for excuses or rationalizations. You do it or you don’t do it. There is nothing worse than a half-hearted commitment. How about you? What commitments have you made? Are you giving your 100%?
Coach Lombardi focused on discipline. To Lombardi, discipline meant hard work and sacrifice. Hard work and sacrifice are the cornerstone of discipline. Discipline also means making choices; you’re willing to give up something for something else. Lombardi consistently preached, “Are you willing to pay the price?’ Success and happiness comes from being disciplined, and being disciplined means having to make choices. How about you? Are you willing to ‘pay the price?
Coach Lombardi focused on excellence. Lombardi demanded that every player work hard to become the best they could possibly be. He demanded that each player accept responsibility and be accountable for their actions and obligations. Every player was held to a high standard. Lombardi had great faith that human potential is unlimited. He knew that if he raised the bar, his player would eventually get there. How about you? Will you pursue excellence or are you willing to be ordinary and just get by?
Coach Lombardi focused on mental toughness. Lombardi knew that mental toughness helps you to persevere when the pressure is on. He preached staying the course when things appear to be falling apart. To Lombardi, mental toughness is the unwavering belief in yourself, regardless of the circumstances. It’s all about maintaining focus. Lombardi recognized that failure in life is inevitable and the mentally tough use failure as a catalyst to come back stronger than ever. How about you? Are you mentally tough or do you give in when the going get tough.
Coach Lombardi focused on habit. Lombardi was keenly aware that habits are formed from beliefs. Habits become the unconscious means of getting things done for us. Beliefs are formed from self-talk. Self talk is a cognitive assessment of yourself. Lombardi knew the association between belief to habits; habits to behavior; and behavior to character. Lombardi was a master at influencing his players self-talk. He knew that positive self-talk would result in positive outcomes. How about you? Do you engage in positive self-talk or are you constantly putting yourself down? Are you overly critical of yourself? Are you holding yourself back because of negative self talk?
Coach Lombardi focused on faith. Vince Lombardi attended mass daily and relied on God as his strength. Lombardi believed that much of our human dilemmas were the result of a disconnection from our spiritual being. Lombardi used his faith as a means to connect with God; to gives thanks and to ask for guidance. He recognized that fame and prestige pales compared to a spiritual relationship with God. Lombardi never preached his faith, he simply lived it. How about you?. Do you feel connected to God? Do you allow God to walk with you everyday of your life?
Coach Lombardi focused on passion. Lombardi, once said, “If you can’t get emotional about what’s in your heart, you’re in the wrong business.” Passion is the spark of achievement. Lombardi was able to motivate his players, because of his display of passion. It’s hard not to believe in someone who enthusiastic about what they do. Lombardi’s passion radiated a contagious energy; energy which had everyone around him believing that nothing was impossible. How about you? Are you enthusiastic about what you do or are you just going through the motions
Coach Lombardi’s laid out a simplistic philosophy of success. He practiced his philosophy daily; not only on the football field, but in his personal too. Vincent T. Lombardi’s record and accomplishments speak for themselves.
If you are serious about becoming a winner, I encourage you to adopt a game plan for success – Lombardi style!
It’s your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD
Friday, November 7, 2008
Keep On, Keeping On
“How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game – a winner or a loser.”
-Lou Holtz
***
The football equipment has been put away. The jerseys washed, folded and stored. Most of the season seems to be fading away like the slowly setting sun on the horizon. This past season provided me with a few memories that will not likely fade with time. The third game of the season is one that that I, and I'm sure our team will likely remember for quite some time.
In the third game of the season, we did not perform very well in the first half. We did not execute our plays well; we made too many mental mistakes and seemed to lack passion. At half time, each of the coaches admonished the players about performing below expectations. Simply put, we were not playing up to our ability. At half time, I recited this quote from Lou Holtz, “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game – a winner or a loser.”
In the third quarter we saw some improvement in our play, but fell behind 18-6. I was impressed that our team never quit. It would have been easy to “throw in the towel” being down by two touchdowns at the start of the 4th quarter. The team didn’t! We scored with four minutes remaining, but failed on the extra point try. Still trailing by a touchdown with less than two minutes to play, our defense gave our offense an opportunity to score. With 20 seconds remaining in the game, we scored! We were stopped short of the goal line on the extra point try and ended the game with a tie.
The next day in practice I repeated the quote from Lou Holtz. I told the team that they were all winners regardless of the score. We had our backs against the wall and never quit. The way they responded to adversity made them all winners. I told them I understood they were disappointed that they didn’t win the game, but, tomorrow, a week, a year from now the score of the game would be insignificant in their lives. What was significant was the life lesson the game offered them; the importance of perseverance. They faced adversity, believed in themselves and one another, and played with a “can do” attitude. As a result they walked away a winner in a much more important game than football, that being the game of life. I wanted them to remember belief, passion and action.
How about you? What do you do when you’re faced with adversity? Are you apt to “throw in the towel?” On the surface, it appears so much easier to give up. However, whenever you stare adversity in the face and accept a challenge, you automatically become a winner, regardless of the outcome. The fact that you try makes you a winner. There are so many real life examples of people who overcame adversity only to be rewarded with success. I often wonder what life would be like if the great inventors, scientists, entrepenuers, politicians, humanitarians, artists, athletes, and others quit the moment before the achieved their goal/dream. How many trials did it take for these people to get it right? How many times did they want to quit, but kept going. How many times did they hear people say it couldn’t be done? William Feather once said, “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging after others have let go.”
Why do people keep going in the face of adversity? It’s a gut feeling that they're doing the right thing. They’re pursuing their passion. Their passion cements a belief that it can be done. They understand that failure is the cornerstone to success. They understand that it’s through failure that we get things right. They know failure is meant to teach us one of two things; to give up or to keep going. Successful people use failure as a reason to keep going; they see opportunity in failure and understand that failure is a necessary step(s) toward success.
From this day forward I ask you to embrace and live THE CHAMPIONS CREED, written by Thomas Hopkins:
“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed. And the number times I succeed is in direct proportion to number of times I can fail and keep trying.”
***
The football equipment has been put away. The jerseys washed, folded and stored. Most of the season seems to be fading away like the slowly setting sun on the horizon. This past season provided me with a few memories that will not likely fade with time. The third game of the season is one that that I, and I'm sure our team will likely remember for quite some time.
In the third game of the season, we did not perform very well in the first half. We did not execute our plays well; we made too many mental mistakes and seemed to lack passion. At half time, each of the coaches admonished the players about performing below expectations. Simply put, we were not playing up to our ability. At half time, I recited this quote from Lou Holtz, “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game – a winner or a loser.”
In the third quarter we saw some improvement in our play, but fell behind 18-6. I was impressed that our team never quit. It would have been easy to “throw in the towel” being down by two touchdowns at the start of the 4th quarter. The team didn’t! We scored with four minutes remaining, but failed on the extra point try. Still trailing by a touchdown with less than two minutes to play, our defense gave our offense an opportunity to score. With 20 seconds remaining in the game, we scored! We were stopped short of the goal line on the extra point try and ended the game with a tie.
The next day in practice I repeated the quote from Lou Holtz. I told the team that they were all winners regardless of the score. We had our backs against the wall and never quit. The way they responded to adversity made them all winners. I told them I understood they were disappointed that they didn’t win the game, but, tomorrow, a week, a year from now the score of the game would be insignificant in their lives. What was significant was the life lesson the game offered them; the importance of perseverance. They faced adversity, believed in themselves and one another, and played with a “can do” attitude. As a result they walked away a winner in a much more important game than football, that being the game of life. I wanted them to remember belief, passion and action.
How about you? What do you do when you’re faced with adversity? Are you apt to “throw in the towel?” On the surface, it appears so much easier to give up. However, whenever you stare adversity in the face and accept a challenge, you automatically become a winner, regardless of the outcome. The fact that you try makes you a winner. There are so many real life examples of people who overcame adversity only to be rewarded with success. I often wonder what life would be like if the great inventors, scientists, entrepenuers, politicians, humanitarians, artists, athletes, and others quit the moment before the achieved their goal/dream. How many trials did it take for these people to get it right? How many times did they want to quit, but kept going. How many times did they hear people say it couldn’t be done? William Feather once said, “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging after others have let go.”
Why do people keep going in the face of adversity? It’s a gut feeling that they're doing the right thing. They’re pursuing their passion. Their passion cements a belief that it can be done. They understand that failure is the cornerstone to success. They understand that it’s through failure that we get things right. They know failure is meant to teach us one of two things; to give up or to keep going. Successful people use failure as a reason to keep going; they see opportunity in failure and understand that failure is a necessary step(s) toward success.
From this day forward I ask you to embrace and live THE CHAMPIONS CREED, written by Thomas Hopkins:
“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed. And the number times I succeed is in direct proportion to number of times I can fail and keep trying.”
Keep on, Keeping On!
It’s you life: Live it, Love it & Embrace it!
MJD
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Car Accident
"Within every adversity is an equal or greater opportunity."
- Napoleon Hill
***
It has been said that the events that occur in your life are neither good nor bad; they’re simply events. Its a person perception of the event that makes the event good, bad, or somewhere in between. For example, how is it that two people can experience the same thing, yet feel differently about the event? It’s because our perception of an event is influenced by our attitude. Attitudes are derived from thought. Thoughts control our perceptions. Plain and simple; think positive thoughts and you’ll perceive positive outcomes; think negative thoughts and you’ll perceive negative outcomes. Remember it’s you, and you alone, that will determine whether an event is good or bad. You have the power, at anytime; to turn what may have been perceived as a bad event into a good event.
A friend of mine got into a car accident the other day. My friend had never been in accident before and had never received a traffic citation prior to the accident. My friend continually groused about how the accident had inconvenienced him. He complained about the cost of the ticket. He complained about police officers and the court system. He complained about the towing company, the body shop and the rental car. He complained about the cost of the citation and how he never has any money. For there, he went on to complain about his job, his boss, his marriage and everything else he could think of. He was on the complaint train and he had no intention of getting off anytime soon. My friend’s perception of the car accident was completely negative. The more he allowed his negative thinking to determine the outcome of the event, the more negative he became about the event, and the more negative he became about things completely unrelated to the event.
My friend doesn’t understand the power of positive thinking. You see, he believes happiness is contingent upon external events and circumstances. His happiness is dictated by his perception of the events and circumstances that that take place in his life. Being a negative person, his predominant mode of thinking is negative. Hence, most events and circumstances in his life are perceived as negative.
The power of positive thinking dictates that your thoughts not only create the positive perception of an event, they actually create the positive circumstance and events that occur in you life. Because of your positive thinking, you begin to attract positive people and positive events into your life. That’s not to say that unfortunate events don’t occur in the life of a positive thinking person; they do. The difference is a positive person looks for something good contained in the event; an opportunity or lesson to be learned. The positive thinking person lives Napoleon Hill’s quote, “Within every adversity is an equal or greater opportunity.” I told my friend that if he looked hard enough, he would find an opportunity or lesson from the car accident. But, it wouldn’t be until he was willing to view the event from a different perspective. Research has demonstrated that it’s impossible for a person to hold a negative thought and a positive thought simultaneously. As long as he continued to think negatively, he wasn’t capable of seeing something positive.
Remember, a car accident is an event; neither good, nor bad. It’s our perception of the event that makes it good, bad or somewhere in between. How does one find good from a car accident? The good comes from realizing that things could have been much worse. It comes from being grateful that no one was critically injured or killed. The good comes from realizing how fortunate you are to have financial means to own a vehicle (one to get into an accident with) when so many people can’t afford a car, because of unemployment or low wages. The good comes from realizing that you’re healthy enough to operate a motor vehicle when so many people have disabilities that prevent them from taking care of themselves, let alone drive a car. A car accident can be a catalyst for appreciating what you really have in their life. It can be a “gut check” about taking things and people for granted. A car accident can be a positive experience, if we choose to perceive it that way. Besides lessons, a car accident also holds opportunity. Anytime you meet someone new, whether it is directly or indirectly related to an event, there exists the possibility that new doors will open for us. Any time an event forces you to experience something out of the ordinary, you have the potential to learn something new.
How about you? Are you controlled by the external events that occur in your life? Are you apt to immediately think or respond negatively when things don’t go your way? Or, do look for the opportunity or lesson to be learned from the event. Remember, an event remains negative by your own choosing. An unfortunate event will always remain an unfortunate event until your willing to look for the good that it holds.
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
- Napoleon Hill
***
It has been said that the events that occur in your life are neither good nor bad; they’re simply events. Its a person perception of the event that makes the event good, bad, or somewhere in between. For example, how is it that two people can experience the same thing, yet feel differently about the event? It’s because our perception of an event is influenced by our attitude. Attitudes are derived from thought. Thoughts control our perceptions. Plain and simple; think positive thoughts and you’ll perceive positive outcomes; think negative thoughts and you’ll perceive negative outcomes. Remember it’s you, and you alone, that will determine whether an event is good or bad. You have the power, at anytime; to turn what may have been perceived as a bad event into a good event.
A friend of mine got into a car accident the other day. My friend had never been in accident before and had never received a traffic citation prior to the accident. My friend continually groused about how the accident had inconvenienced him. He complained about the cost of the ticket. He complained about police officers and the court system. He complained about the towing company, the body shop and the rental car. He complained about the cost of the citation and how he never has any money. For there, he went on to complain about his job, his boss, his marriage and everything else he could think of. He was on the complaint train and he had no intention of getting off anytime soon. My friend’s perception of the car accident was completely negative. The more he allowed his negative thinking to determine the outcome of the event, the more negative he became about the event, and the more negative he became about things completely unrelated to the event.
My friend doesn’t understand the power of positive thinking. You see, he believes happiness is contingent upon external events and circumstances. His happiness is dictated by his perception of the events and circumstances that that take place in his life. Being a negative person, his predominant mode of thinking is negative. Hence, most events and circumstances in his life are perceived as negative.
The power of positive thinking dictates that your thoughts not only create the positive perception of an event, they actually create the positive circumstance and events that occur in you life. Because of your positive thinking, you begin to attract positive people and positive events into your life. That’s not to say that unfortunate events don’t occur in the life of a positive thinking person; they do. The difference is a positive person looks for something good contained in the event; an opportunity or lesson to be learned. The positive thinking person lives Napoleon Hill’s quote, “Within every adversity is an equal or greater opportunity.” I told my friend that if he looked hard enough, he would find an opportunity or lesson from the car accident. But, it wouldn’t be until he was willing to view the event from a different perspective. Research has demonstrated that it’s impossible for a person to hold a negative thought and a positive thought simultaneously. As long as he continued to think negatively, he wasn’t capable of seeing something positive.
Remember, a car accident is an event; neither good, nor bad. It’s our perception of the event that makes it good, bad or somewhere in between. How does one find good from a car accident? The good comes from realizing that things could have been much worse. It comes from being grateful that no one was critically injured or killed. The good comes from realizing how fortunate you are to have financial means to own a vehicle (one to get into an accident with) when so many people can’t afford a car, because of unemployment or low wages. The good comes from realizing that you’re healthy enough to operate a motor vehicle when so many people have disabilities that prevent them from taking care of themselves, let alone drive a car. A car accident can be a catalyst for appreciating what you really have in their life. It can be a “gut check” about taking things and people for granted. A car accident can be a positive experience, if we choose to perceive it that way. Besides lessons, a car accident also holds opportunity. Anytime you meet someone new, whether it is directly or indirectly related to an event, there exists the possibility that new doors will open for us. Any time an event forces you to experience something out of the ordinary, you have the potential to learn something new.
How about you? Are you controlled by the external events that occur in your life? Are you apt to immediately think or respond negatively when things don’t go your way? Or, do look for the opportunity or lesson to be learned from the event. Remember, an event remains negative by your own choosing. An unfortunate event will always remain an unfortunate event until your willing to look for the good that it holds.
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Friday, October 24, 2008
David vs Goliath
"If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it, even if I did not have the ability in the beginning."
—Mahatma Gandhi
***
During a recent football game, I gave a half-time talk focusing on the biblical theme of David and Goliath. Our opponent was bigger, faster and stronger. I informed the team this game was David vs Goliath type event. Because of the physical stature and skills of our opponent, people would not give us a chance. I advised the players that it doesn’t matter what other people think. What does matter; is what we think. I explained that in life, we cannot allow the opinions of others to determine our destiny. We must determine our own destiny.
I reminded the players of how the Philistine giant, Goliath mocked the Israelites and incessantly challenged them to fight. Because of his enormous stature, Goliath seemed invincible. Being terrified, no one among the Israelites would accept his challenge. Hence, Goliath was relentless in belittling the Israelites until a young boy named, David accepted Goliath’s challenge. Refusing to done armor, David set off to defeat Goliath with a slingshot and stones. With his slingshot and a single stone, David knocked the giant unconscious. David drew Goliath’s sword and killed him.
I told the team David was successful in smiting Goliath because: 1) he outsmarted Goliath, 2) he was disciplined, 3) he believed in himself and had faith in God, and 4) he had passion; something to fight for.
David outsmarted Goliath by not donning a suit of armor. David knew that donning a suit of armor would be cumbersome. Seeing that David was not suited in armor, Goliath mocked David and grossly underestimated David’s ability. David was skilled with his slingshot. He developed his skill and confidence through disciplined practice. Because of David’s skill and his faith in God, David was confident that he would prevail. He walked confidently into battle, casting out all doubt and fear. David refused to think about anything but defeating Goliath. David was willing to put his life on the line for something he believed in. David’s WHY was big enough to spur the action that needed to be taken.
How about you? What do you do when you’re faced with a daunting challenge or a significant problem? What are the Goliaths in your life? Is it your job, school, work, a relationship, an addiction, financial problems or other another challenge? Are you like the Israelites, who cowered and accepted their present state of affairs? Or, are you like David and ready to accept the challenge?
If you’re willing to accept your challenges, follow the lessons David taught us. Are you prepared? Have you done your homework? Have you developed the necessary skills through a disciplined practice regimen? Are you mentally tough? Do you believe in yourself? Do you have faith that God is at your side? Is your WHY big enough?
Without action, our Goliaths will continue to get bigger and become more intimidating as time passes. The more we cower like the Israelites, the more our Goliaths have influence over our lives. Most times, it’s fear that creates our Goliaths and it’s a lack of belief in ourselves that allows our Goliaths to get bigger and bigger. In reality, the things we fear are often unfounded. Research has shown that less than five percent of the things we fear actually come true. So, logic would dictate that if we have the power to create and nurture our Goliaths; we have the power to conquer them too. Now is the time to take your Goliaths head on.
It was David’s belief that propelled him to victory, the slingshot and the stones were simply a means to the victory. In your life, the slingshot and stones represent your resources; talents, skills and abilities. What’s most important is that you believe that can accomplish anything with your resources. If a young boy, armed only with a sling shot, a few stones and big belief can defeat a giant, just think of the things you can do, once you believe!
Goliaths beware!
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
—Mahatma Gandhi
***
During a recent football game, I gave a half-time talk focusing on the biblical theme of David and Goliath. Our opponent was bigger, faster and stronger. I informed the team this game was David vs Goliath type event. Because of the physical stature and skills of our opponent, people would not give us a chance. I advised the players that it doesn’t matter what other people think. What does matter; is what we think. I explained that in life, we cannot allow the opinions of others to determine our destiny. We must determine our own destiny.
I reminded the players of how the Philistine giant, Goliath mocked the Israelites and incessantly challenged them to fight. Because of his enormous stature, Goliath seemed invincible. Being terrified, no one among the Israelites would accept his challenge. Hence, Goliath was relentless in belittling the Israelites until a young boy named, David accepted Goliath’s challenge. Refusing to done armor, David set off to defeat Goliath with a slingshot and stones. With his slingshot and a single stone, David knocked the giant unconscious. David drew Goliath’s sword and killed him.
I told the team David was successful in smiting Goliath because: 1) he outsmarted Goliath, 2) he was disciplined, 3) he believed in himself and had faith in God, and 4) he had passion; something to fight for.
David outsmarted Goliath by not donning a suit of armor. David knew that donning a suit of armor would be cumbersome. Seeing that David was not suited in armor, Goliath mocked David and grossly underestimated David’s ability. David was skilled with his slingshot. He developed his skill and confidence through disciplined practice. Because of David’s skill and his faith in God, David was confident that he would prevail. He walked confidently into battle, casting out all doubt and fear. David refused to think about anything but defeating Goliath. David was willing to put his life on the line for something he believed in. David’s WHY was big enough to spur the action that needed to be taken.
How about you? What do you do when you’re faced with a daunting challenge or a significant problem? What are the Goliaths in your life? Is it your job, school, work, a relationship, an addiction, financial problems or other another challenge? Are you like the Israelites, who cowered and accepted their present state of affairs? Or, are you like David and ready to accept the challenge?
If you’re willing to accept your challenges, follow the lessons David taught us. Are you prepared? Have you done your homework? Have you developed the necessary skills through a disciplined practice regimen? Are you mentally tough? Do you believe in yourself? Do you have faith that God is at your side? Is your WHY big enough?
Without action, our Goliaths will continue to get bigger and become more intimidating as time passes. The more we cower like the Israelites, the more our Goliaths have influence over our lives. Most times, it’s fear that creates our Goliaths and it’s a lack of belief in ourselves that allows our Goliaths to get bigger and bigger. In reality, the things we fear are often unfounded. Research has shown that less than five percent of the things we fear actually come true. So, logic would dictate that if we have the power to create and nurture our Goliaths; we have the power to conquer them too. Now is the time to take your Goliaths head on.
It was David’s belief that propelled him to victory, the slingshot and the stones were simply a means to the victory. In your life, the slingshot and stones represent your resources; talents, skills and abilities. What’s most important is that you believe that can accomplish anything with your resources. If a young boy, armed only with a sling shot, a few stones and big belief can defeat a giant, just think of the things you can do, once you believe!
Goliaths beware!
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Friday, October 17, 2008
A Practice They'll Never Forget
Character is doing what is right when nobody's looking.
-J.C. Watts, Jr.
-J.C. Watts, Jr.
Football is a physical game. It requires strength, speed and skill. Football is a mental game too. It requires discipline, mental toughness and mental preparation. Recently, my junior high football team lost a close game. It wasn’t due to the physical part of the game as both teams were equally matched. The loss resulted from a lack of mental preparation. We fell behind early in the game, because we were not prepared to play at the start of the game. The lack of preparation resulted from a distracting bus ride to the game. As a player, the bus ride to the game is the pinnacle of mental preparation. It’s a time for solitude manifested through prayer, self-reflection and mental rehearsal.
My assistant coaches, who rode the bus to the game, advised me that we had players fooling around on the bus. These players were not mentally preparing themselves for the game, and the result was a distraction for the other players. The following day at practice, I advised the team that I was not upset with the loss, as much as I was upset that we were not ready to play, and it showed! I informed the team that I was bothered that a few players chose to disrupt the bus ride. However, what was more troublesome to me was that 38 other players lacked the initiative to “do the right thing.” I informed them that people generally fail to "do the right thing" for one of four reasons: 1) fear – they lack the fortitude to confront the issue; 2) bystander apathy - they believe someone else will address it; 3) they simply don’t care; or 4) it’s so much easier to not have to do the right thing.
Participating in a sport provides an athlete an opportunity to learn several lessons about life. Besides teaching the fundamentals of a sport, it’s equally important to me as a coach that I teach fundamentals about life. The “bus ride” provided me with an opportunity to teach a lesson about life. At the beginning of our next practice, the team was told the entire practice would consist of grueling conditioning drills. I advised them that their lack of initiative to "do the right thing" had personal consequences as well team consequences. I told them that in our society when someone witnesses an injustice and doesn’t “do the right thing,” their inaction not only weakens the fabric of society, but it also weakens their character. I asked them if a friend is picking on a classmate, would they have the fortitude to “do the right thing?” What about if someone was spreading rumors; would they "do the right thing?" I told them that it was my intent that the practice would serve as a reminder to them to always “do the right thing.” Prior to starting the conditioning drills, I said, “Team, I guarantee this will be a practice you’ll never forget.
As practice progressed the team was showing signs of fatigue. Midway through practice, a player by the name of Tyler asked to speak to me. Tyler advised me that he tried to stop the players from fooling around, but they would not listen to him. He apologized to me because he felt that maybe he could have done more. An assistant coach verified that he saw Tyler try to talk to the players fooling around. Tyler was told that the grueling nature of the practice was not an attempt to punish anyone. Instead, the practice was designed to teach each player a lesson about “doing the right thing.” Tyler was advised that because he tried to do the “right thing,” he could be dismissed from practice. Tyler responded, “Coach, this a team and I’m doing every drill with my team.” Tyler stayed at practice and participated in the remaining drills with his team.
At the end of practice, while addressing the team, I told the team that Tyler and I talked about his conversation with the players foolinhg around. His disclosure was not an attempt to get out of the conditioning drills. Rather, he offered me an apology for not doing more. The team was told that Tyler had the option to be dismissed from practice because he tried to “do the right thing,” but he declined to do so because he was part of the team and team hadn’t finished practice. The team was advised that Tyler had a true understanding of what teamwork is all about: it’s never about one player, it’s always about the team. Tyler opted to endure the difficult conditioning drills for the sake of his team. Once again, Tyler “did the right thing.”
Tyler, an eighth grader, demonstrates what many adults lack today; that being character. Are we willing to put our teams, be it family, work teams or civic teams, above our own interests? Are you willing to take the initiative to do what is right, despite the consequences. I have no doubt, that as an adult, Tyler will become successful in his professional, personal and civic life. Why? Because Tyler “Gets it.”
In concluding my address to the team, I asked each player to tell the team what they learned from the practice. It was inspiring to listen to the words of young men who learned a few lessons about life that day. Most of the players talked about embracing hard work, the need for preparation, finishing strong, teamwork and more importantly, the importance of "doing the right thing."
And, by the way, since that practice, I keep hearing from the players, "Coach, that was a practice "I'll never forget."
Neither will I!
It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it
MJD
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Today's Pledge
Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.
—Albert Camus
—Albert Camus
TODAY'S PLEDGE
Today . . .
1. TODAY I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK: If someone is rude, if someone is impatient, if someone is unkind... I will not respond in a like manner.
2. TODAY I WILL ASK THAT MY "ENEMY" BE BLESSED: If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask that this individual be blessed. I understand the "enemy" could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker, or a stranger.
3. TODAY I WILL BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY:I will carefully choose and guard my words being certain that I do not spread gossip.
4. TODAY I WILL GO THE EXTRA MILE: I will find ways to help share the burden of another person.
5. TODAY I WILL FORGIVE: I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way.
6. TODAY I WILL DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE, BUT I WILL DO IT SECRETLY: I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another.
7. TODAY I WILL TREAT OTHERS THE WAY I WISH TO BE TREATED: I will practice the golden rule - 'Do unto others as I would have them do unto me' - with everyone I encounter.
8. TODAY I WILL RAISE THE SPIRITS OF SOMEONE I DISCOURAGED: My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling life.
9. TODAY I WILL NURTURE MY BODY: I will eat less; I will eat nutritious foods and find time to exercise or take a walk.
10. TODAY I WILL GROW SPIRITUALLY/EMOTIONALLY/PERSONALLY: I will begin reading something spiritual or inspirational today; I will find a quiet place (at some point during the day) and give thanks for all that I have been blessed with.
-- Author Unknown
If you want to make the most of each day, embrace the Today's Pledge. Say the pledge each morning, and review it each night to see if you've kept your pledge. When you honor this pledge, and live accordingly, you'll find your life changing in ways you never dreamed of.
Remember, don't focus your energy on yesterday; for yesterday is in the past. Don't focus your energy on tomorrow; for tomorrow has yet to come. Focus your energy on today; for it's what you do today; the right here, the right now which is most important. Each new day is a gift to you; that's why it's called the "present". How you use your "present" is entirely up to you. I don't know about you, but I'll choose to use my "present" each day, by taking a pledge.
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Monday, September 8, 2008
To a Child Love is Spelled T-I-M-E
“Our greatest danger in life is permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important things.”
- Charles E. Hummel
Each summer, I ask my son to make a list of things that he would like for us to do together. The activities range from riding a roller coaster, to fishing, to catching fireflies, to going to a Detroit Tiger Baseball game. My son loves to play miniature golf. Hence, miniature golf is on the list. Last night after playing miniature golf with my son, I had one of those defining moments in my life. It came as we were riding home together in the car. My son said to me, “Dad, I would rather hang out with you than my friends.” That statement made my day. Now, I know that he won’t feel that way forever; for in the future his friends will be the focal point of his life. But for the moment, I’m enjoying every minute of it.
The defining moment was the realization of how important it is to make time for your children. Making time for your child is a win/win situation. Sure, cutting the grass or paying the bills will have to wait for another day. However, by setting aside a little time for my son, we both got a chance to give a gift to each other.
In the book, To a Child Love is Spelled T-I-M-E, written by Mac Anderson and Lance Wubbels, the authors tell of a story of an old man who is rummaging through things in the attic when he comes across a journal written by his son, when his son was a little boy. As he reads each account, he could almost hear the voice of the little boy that grew up way too fast. The journal was like magic and transported the old man back to a time he had almost forgotten. As he reads on, the old man can't help but realize how his child’s recollections of things were different than his. Reading his son's journal reminded the man that he too kept a journal; yet, his was for his business activities. The old man searches for his journal only to find it in a dusty old box. Sitting down, the old man begins reading entries from both journals. His eyes well up in tears when he reads an inscription in his journal that says, “Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn’t catch a thing.” With a deep sigh he reads the entry from Jimmy’s journal for the same day. In large scrawling letters, the inscription read, “Went fishing with dad. Best day of my life.”
To a child your time is love. It has been said that the most important things in life are not things. Children would rather have your time more so than a collection of things. Children learn life lessons from your time spent with them; not from things. The time you give your child is the foundation of your relationship and shapes their future. The song, Cats in the Cradle, released in 1974 by Harry Chapin, tells of how a father is too busy to spend time with his son. Even though the father is too busy for his son, the son nonetheless, grows up admiring his father and wanting to be like him. As the years pass, the father, a lonely old man, yearns to spend time with his son only to find out that his son is too busy to spend time with him. The song concludes with the father sadly realizing that his boy had become just like him: “And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me. He'd grown up just like me. My boy was just like me.”
Remember, telling your child you love them doesn’t guarantee that your child feels love. You have to demonstrate it through action. The old cliché’ is right on point: “actions speak louder than words.” If you want your child to feel loved, spend quality with them.
In your busy schedule, it’s not likely that you’ll “find” time to spend with your child; you have to “make” time. Time given to a child will inevitably shape their life. Hence, your time is a gift that keeps giving. It’s also a gift you’ll never regret giving. The rewards you receive from giving the gift of time are immeasurable
Last night, I spent a few hours of my time in the evening with my son, and in return, it made my day!
It's Your Life: live it, love it celebrate it
- Charles E. Hummel
Each summer, I ask my son to make a list of things that he would like for us to do together. The activities range from riding a roller coaster, to fishing, to catching fireflies, to going to a Detroit Tiger Baseball game. My son loves to play miniature golf. Hence, miniature golf is on the list. Last night after playing miniature golf with my son, I had one of those defining moments in my life. It came as we were riding home together in the car. My son said to me, “Dad, I would rather hang out with you than my friends.” That statement made my day. Now, I know that he won’t feel that way forever; for in the future his friends will be the focal point of his life. But for the moment, I’m enjoying every minute of it.
The defining moment was the realization of how important it is to make time for your children. Making time for your child is a win/win situation. Sure, cutting the grass or paying the bills will have to wait for another day. However, by setting aside a little time for my son, we both got a chance to give a gift to each other.
In the book, To a Child Love is Spelled T-I-M-E, written by Mac Anderson and Lance Wubbels, the authors tell of a story of an old man who is rummaging through things in the attic when he comes across a journal written by his son, when his son was a little boy. As he reads each account, he could almost hear the voice of the little boy that grew up way too fast. The journal was like magic and transported the old man back to a time he had almost forgotten. As he reads on, the old man can't help but realize how his child’s recollections of things were different than his. Reading his son's journal reminded the man that he too kept a journal; yet, his was for his business activities. The old man searches for his journal only to find it in a dusty old box. Sitting down, the old man begins reading entries from both journals. His eyes well up in tears when he reads an inscription in his journal that says, “Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn’t catch a thing.” With a deep sigh he reads the entry from Jimmy’s journal for the same day. In large scrawling letters, the inscription read, “Went fishing with dad. Best day of my life.”
To a child your time is love. It has been said that the most important things in life are not things. Children would rather have your time more so than a collection of things. Children learn life lessons from your time spent with them; not from things. The time you give your child is the foundation of your relationship and shapes their future. The song, Cats in the Cradle, released in 1974 by Harry Chapin, tells of how a father is too busy to spend time with his son. Even though the father is too busy for his son, the son nonetheless, grows up admiring his father and wanting to be like him. As the years pass, the father, a lonely old man, yearns to spend time with his son only to find out that his son is too busy to spend time with him. The song concludes with the father sadly realizing that his boy had become just like him: “And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me. He'd grown up just like me. My boy was just like me.”
Remember, telling your child you love them doesn’t guarantee that your child feels love. You have to demonstrate it through action. The old cliché’ is right on point: “actions speak louder than words.” If you want your child to feel loved, spend quality with them.
In your busy schedule, it’s not likely that you’ll “find” time to spend with your child; you have to “make” time. Time given to a child will inevitably shape their life. Hence, your time is a gift that keeps giving. It’s also a gift you’ll never regret giving. The rewards you receive from giving the gift of time are immeasurable
Last night, I spent a few hours of my time in the evening with my son, and in return, it made my day!
It's Your Life: live it, love it celebrate it
Sunday, July 27, 2008
It's Never Too Late
"Everything comes to late for those who only wait."
- Elbert Hubbard
The Amazing Story of an Elderly Woman Named Rose
- author unknown
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married,have a couple of kids...""No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated you to be taking on this challenge at your age." "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always mesmerised listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know. "As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only our secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight years old. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets. "She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
How about you? Are you just growing older? Listen to the advice from Rose: Everyone grows old, but only those that choose to live their life can grow up. Now go out there and started living!
Its your life: live it, love it & celebrate it
MJD
- Elbert Hubbard
The Amazing Story of an Elderly Woman Named Rose
- author unknown
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married,have a couple of kids...""No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated you to be taking on this challenge at your age." "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always mesmerised listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know. "As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only our secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight years old. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets. "She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
How about you? Are you just growing older? Listen to the advice from Rose: Everyone grows old, but only those that choose to live their life can grow up. Now go out there and started living!
Its your life: live it, love it & celebrate it
MJD
Friday, July 11, 2008
Who Are You Really Hurting?
In 1971 the Undisputed Truth recorded Smiling Faces Sometimes. The song was originally recorded by the Temptations. The song reached as high as number three on Billboard's Hot 100. A year later, The O'Jays recorded Backstabbers. Ironically, the song also reached as high as number three on Billboard's Hot 100.
In Backstabbers, the lyrics state:
What they do!
They smile in your face
All the time they want to take your place
The back stabbers (back stabbers)
In Smiling Faces Sometimes, the lyrics state:
Smiling faces, sometimes
They don't tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
The songs tell us of the reality of backstabbing. Backstabbers make it a point to satisfy their ego at the expense of others. Outwardly, they may appear friendly. However, because of a strong need to satisfy their ego, they go out of their way to satisfy their needs at the expense of others.
How about you? Are you guilty of being a backstabber? Do you talk about others behind their back? If you do, your doing more harm to yourself than the person your talking about. Think about the reasons that people talk negatively about others: they're jealous, they're vengeful, they feel inferior or they're frustrated, just to name a few. I don't know about you, but, I see nothing good associated with the words: jealous, vengeful, inferior and frustrated. These words describe negative energy. If your making disparaging comments about others, your choosing to think in a negative mindset. You don't have to think negatively about another person, let alone say something negative about someone. Your thoughts and words are yours and yours alone. Negative thinking produces negative results; plain and simple! The more negative you think, the more negative you become.
Age old wisdom tells us, "If you can't say anything good about somebody don't say anything at all." Practicing this wisdom will help prevent you from engaging in backstabbing. Remember that since a backstabber talks behind someones back, the person being talked about is unaware of it. Hence, they're actually unaffected by the backstabbers negativity. The backstabber, however, is affected. When a backstabber is tearing someone else apart, he/she is actually tearing himself/herself apart by breeding more negativity in the form jealousy, vengeance, feelings of inferiority and frustration.
No good comes from talking behind someones back. The following is the best advice I have ever heard when it comes to preventing backstabbing: "If your going to talk about somebody, speak as if they are present in the conversation."
If you're in the habit of backstabbing, remember the knife's greatest damage is not inflicted upon the intended subject; the knife greatest damage is inflicted upon you as it perpetuates negative energy and weakens your character.
Today, eliminate the negativity in your life and seek to look for the good in all people and things. For if you do, you'll soon find out that you feel better about yourself, others and the world you live in.
It's your life; live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
In Backstabbers, the lyrics state:
What they do!
They smile in your face
All the time they want to take your place
The back stabbers (back stabbers)
In Smiling Faces Sometimes, the lyrics state:
Smiling faces, sometimes
They don't tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
The songs tell us of the reality of backstabbing. Backstabbers make it a point to satisfy their ego at the expense of others. Outwardly, they may appear friendly. However, because of a strong need to satisfy their ego, they go out of their way to satisfy their needs at the expense of others.
How about you? Are you guilty of being a backstabber? Do you talk about others behind their back? If you do, your doing more harm to yourself than the person your talking about. Think about the reasons that people talk negatively about others: they're jealous, they're vengeful, they feel inferior or they're frustrated, just to name a few. I don't know about you, but, I see nothing good associated with the words: jealous, vengeful, inferior and frustrated. These words describe negative energy. If your making disparaging comments about others, your choosing to think in a negative mindset. You don't have to think negatively about another person, let alone say something negative about someone. Your thoughts and words are yours and yours alone. Negative thinking produces negative results; plain and simple! The more negative you think, the more negative you become.
Age old wisdom tells us, "If you can't say anything good about somebody don't say anything at all." Practicing this wisdom will help prevent you from engaging in backstabbing. Remember that since a backstabber talks behind someones back, the person being talked about is unaware of it. Hence, they're actually unaffected by the backstabbers negativity. The backstabber, however, is affected. When a backstabber is tearing someone else apart, he/she is actually tearing himself/herself apart by breeding more negativity in the form jealousy, vengeance, feelings of inferiority and frustration.
No good comes from talking behind someones back. The following is the best advice I have ever heard when it comes to preventing backstabbing: "If your going to talk about somebody, speak as if they are present in the conversation."
If you're in the habit of backstabbing, remember the knife's greatest damage is not inflicted upon the intended subject; the knife greatest damage is inflicted upon you as it perpetuates negative energy and weakens your character.
Today, eliminate the negativity in your life and seek to look for the good in all people and things. For if you do, you'll soon find out that you feel better about yourself, others and the world you live in.
It's your life; live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Independence Day: Let Freedom Ring!
"Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves."
- Friedrich~Nietzsche
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
- Friedrich~Nietzsche
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
-- The Declaration of Independence
***
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. 56 delegates from the 13 colonies boldly declared that the United Colonies had the right to be free and independent of British rule.
There it is! Right there in the Declaration of Independence: the right to pursue happiness. If we have an unalienable right to pursue happiness, why is it that we see so many unhappy people? People are unhappy because they don’t exercise their right. Far too many people rely on people and events/circumstances to make them happy. The delegates at the Continental Congress knew that under British rule, their colonies would never be free to grow and prosper. They knew they would never be able exercise a right to pursue happiness being governed by the British. You, like the colonists, will not be able to pursue happiness if you’re being controlled; controlled by people, events/circumstance, and/or habits.
If you allow other people to control you, you’ll never experience happiness. Why? In order to pursue happiness you have to be free from control. When you rely on others to make you happy, you’re giving up control. Since you have no control over the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of others, you’re happiness is at the whim of another. You’re giving up your inalienable right to pursue happiness because you’re happiness is contingent upon something you have no control over. Never give up your right to pursue happiness by relying on someone else to make you happy. Happiness is a state of mind; your mind, not someone else’s.
Never allow events/circumstances to control your happiness; especially in situations where you have no control over the outcome. In the pursuit of happiness one needs to understand that it’s not what happens to you that counts; it’s how you respond to what happens that counts. Happy people look for the good in every event/circumstance, no matter how bleak the event/circumstance may appear to be. In every negative event, there’s a positive lesson(s); one just needs to be patient and search for the lesson(s). Often times, a negative event is the catalyst for opportunity and personal growth.
We see people imprisoned with self-destructing habits; habits that paralyze one's pursuit of happiness. Generally, these habits are immediate, self-gratifying behaviors that produce little or no personal or social benefit. In some cases, a habit can become so engrained that the habit becomes the focus of control in a person’s life. The habit, not the person, is in control. You can’t enjoy happiness when you’ve given up your control. If you have a self-destructive habit, quit it now! If you need professional help, seek it. A habit is learned behavior. Since a habit is learned, it can be unlearned.
On July 4th when America celebrates her Independence from British Rule, remember our inalienable rights: Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. The colonist made a bold move in adopting the Declaration of Independence. They were willing to put their lives on the line for freedom sake and a better way of life.
Today is the day to envision a better, happier way of life. I encourage you to adopt your own declaration of independence. Make a bold proclamation that you will pursue your own happiness; happiness free from the governance of other people, events/circumstances and habits. Just as our forefathers declared there freedom; now is the time to declare yours.
Let Freedom Ring!-- The Declaration of Independence
***
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. 56 delegates from the 13 colonies boldly declared that the United Colonies had the right to be free and independent of British rule.
There it is! Right there in the Declaration of Independence: the right to pursue happiness. If we have an unalienable right to pursue happiness, why is it that we see so many unhappy people? People are unhappy because they don’t exercise their right. Far too many people rely on people and events/circumstances to make them happy. The delegates at the Continental Congress knew that under British rule, their colonies would never be free to grow and prosper. They knew they would never be able exercise a right to pursue happiness being governed by the British. You, like the colonists, will not be able to pursue happiness if you’re being controlled; controlled by people, events/circumstance, and/or habits.
If you allow other people to control you, you’ll never experience happiness. Why? In order to pursue happiness you have to be free from control. When you rely on others to make you happy, you’re giving up control. Since you have no control over the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of others, you’re happiness is at the whim of another. You’re giving up your inalienable right to pursue happiness because you’re happiness is contingent upon something you have no control over. Never give up your right to pursue happiness by relying on someone else to make you happy. Happiness is a state of mind; your mind, not someone else’s.
Never allow events/circumstances to control your happiness; especially in situations where you have no control over the outcome. In the pursuit of happiness one needs to understand that it’s not what happens to you that counts; it’s how you respond to what happens that counts. Happy people look for the good in every event/circumstance, no matter how bleak the event/circumstance may appear to be. In every negative event, there’s a positive lesson(s); one just needs to be patient and search for the lesson(s). Often times, a negative event is the catalyst for opportunity and personal growth.
We see people imprisoned with self-destructing habits; habits that paralyze one's pursuit of happiness. Generally, these habits are immediate, self-gratifying behaviors that produce little or no personal or social benefit. In some cases, a habit can become so engrained that the habit becomes the focus of control in a person’s life. The habit, not the person, is in control. You can’t enjoy happiness when you’ve given up your control. If you have a self-destructive habit, quit it now! If you need professional help, seek it. A habit is learned behavior. Since a habit is learned, it can be unlearned.
On July 4th when America celebrates her Independence from British Rule, remember our inalienable rights: Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. The colonist made a bold move in adopting the Declaration of Independence. They were willing to put their lives on the line for freedom sake and a better way of life.
Today is the day to envision a better, happier way of life. I encourage you to adopt your own declaration of independence. Make a bold proclamation that you will pursue your own happiness; happiness free from the governance of other people, events/circumstances and habits. Just as our forefathers declared there freedom; now is the time to declare yours.
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
It's All the Little Things
“The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”
—William James
Psychologist, Abraham Maslow developed the theory of a hierarchy on needs in 1943. Being interested exemplary behavior, Maslow choose to study well-adjusted subjects rather than subjects with psychological disorders. Maslow’s theory consists of five levels of need: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. His theory is often depicted as a pyramidal structure. The higher level needs, esteem and self-actualization are dependent upon the lower level needs (physiological, safety and love/belonging) being met. Because of the hierarchal dependency, Maslow believes that most adults never fully reach the self-actualization level. According to Maslow, self-actualization takes place when a person reaches their full potential. Since most adults never become fully self-actualized, they spend a significant amount of their life attempting to satisfy the needs in the level below self-actualization; the level of esteem.
According to Maslow, the need of esteem is met when people have self-respect, self-esteem, respect from others and recognition from others. Seeking to fulfill this need, a person will engage in behaviors and activities where they feel they can make a contribution, and in return, they will receive acceptance and recognition. The acceptance and recognition contributes to higher levels of self-respect and self-esteem. The more self-esteem and self-respect as person has, the more likely the person will engage in behaviors that lead to more acceptance and recognition. Maslow once said, “Recognition is a need we all crave, and there are no exceptions."
To illustrate the importance of recognition, imagine yourself as a baseball player: You’re at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and your team is behind by three runs. The first pitch is delivered; you swing and make solid contact. The ball flies through the air and over the fence for a home run. You’ve just hit a walk-off homerun. As you round the bases, there is no cheering, no applauding, no nothing! When you reach home plate, you're not surrounded by your teammates, no one has run out to greet you. Your teammates seem to attending to their own needs. You think... what happened? Did I do something wrong? Something inside you tells you something isn’t right.
All too often, were too busy with our own lives or too preoccupied with our own needs that we fail to recognize others who are deserving of recognition. I’m not necessarily talking about major milestones events and achievements, for those occasions get recognized in their own right. I’m talking about the little things that people do or say for us. I’m talking about the things we take for granted. It’s the little things that get recognized that end up meaning the most. Why? People tend to expect recognition for the big things, and not the little things. Hence, recognizing little things are an unexpected gift from the heart.
Make it a point today and everyday to recognize family, friends and coworkers for all the little things that they do. Don’t wait for someone to hit the "big" homerun before you recognize them; for homeruns come few and far between. Baseball games are rarely won by the "big" homerun. Rather, its the single base hits that wins games; one single at a time. Remember, in the long run, its the little things that really count!
It's your life; live it, love it & celebrate it!
—William James
Psychologist, Abraham Maslow developed the theory of a hierarchy on needs in 1943. Being interested exemplary behavior, Maslow choose to study well-adjusted subjects rather than subjects with psychological disorders. Maslow’s theory consists of five levels of need: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. His theory is often depicted as a pyramidal structure. The higher level needs, esteem and self-actualization are dependent upon the lower level needs (physiological, safety and love/belonging) being met. Because of the hierarchal dependency, Maslow believes that most adults never fully reach the self-actualization level. According to Maslow, self-actualization takes place when a person reaches their full potential. Since most adults never become fully self-actualized, they spend a significant amount of their life attempting to satisfy the needs in the level below self-actualization; the level of esteem.
According to Maslow, the need of esteem is met when people have self-respect, self-esteem, respect from others and recognition from others. Seeking to fulfill this need, a person will engage in behaviors and activities where they feel they can make a contribution, and in return, they will receive acceptance and recognition. The acceptance and recognition contributes to higher levels of self-respect and self-esteem. The more self-esteem and self-respect as person has, the more likely the person will engage in behaviors that lead to more acceptance and recognition. Maslow once said, “Recognition is a need we all crave, and there are no exceptions."
To illustrate the importance of recognition, imagine yourself as a baseball player: You’re at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and your team is behind by three runs. The first pitch is delivered; you swing and make solid contact. The ball flies through the air and over the fence for a home run. You’ve just hit a walk-off homerun. As you round the bases, there is no cheering, no applauding, no nothing! When you reach home plate, you're not surrounded by your teammates, no one has run out to greet you. Your teammates seem to attending to their own needs. You think... what happened? Did I do something wrong? Something inside you tells you something isn’t right.
All too often, were too busy with our own lives or too preoccupied with our own needs that we fail to recognize others who are deserving of recognition. I’m not necessarily talking about major milestones events and achievements, for those occasions get recognized in their own right. I’m talking about the little things that people do or say for us. I’m talking about the things we take for granted. It’s the little things that get recognized that end up meaning the most. Why? People tend to expect recognition for the big things, and not the little things. Hence, recognizing little things are an unexpected gift from the heart.
Make it a point today and everyday to recognize family, friends and coworkers for all the little things that they do. Don’t wait for someone to hit the "big" homerun before you recognize them; for homeruns come few and far between. Baseball games are rarely won by the "big" homerun. Rather, its the single base hits that wins games; one single at a time. Remember, in the long run, its the little things that really count!
It's your life; live it, love it & celebrate it!
Friday, June 27, 2008
A Little Push
People are like sticks of dynamite; the power is on the inside; but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit.
- Mac Anderson
It’s human nature to take the path of least resistance. The path of least resistance is commonly referred to as a “shortcut.” A shortcut is a path between two points that deviates from an intended path. Picture two buildings that connect via a sidewalk; often times, you’ll find a path worn in the grass between the two buildings, resulting in a shortcut. In some cases, the path of least resistance can be both the smartest and easiest thing to do; exerting as little effort as possible to achieve a desired result make sense. However, the path of least resistance becomes a detriment when in the long run it produces negative results. Think about human potential; if the path of least resistance results in little or no action, the path becomes a detriment. One can never reach their full potential, if they’re content to remain idle or exert very little effort. If asked, most people would tell you that they really want to reach their full potential. The problem for most is they lack the initiative to get started and the discipline to keep moving forward. Sometimes all we need is a little push. A little support and reassurance can go along way.
Nature teaches us an important lesson about the benefits of a little push. A mother eagle builds a comfortable nest for her eaglets. When she determines that her eaglets are ready to fly, she purposely makes the nest uncomfortable. An uncomfortable nest is the precursor to flying. After all, if the nest was too comfortable, there would be no motivation to leave. When it's time to fly, the mother eagle will nudge her eaglets to the edge of the nest. If they cling to the edge of the nest, the mother eagle will push them out of the nest. Mother eagle knows that her eaglets must experience falling in order to experience the thrill of soaring through the sky. On their inaugural flights, the eaglets’ flap their wings in desperation and continue falling towards the ground. The Mother eagle will swoop down, catch the falling eaglet and return the eaglet safely to the nest. This process continues until the eaglet masters the art of flying. It’s only when an eaglet learns to fly that the eaglet can appreciate the privilege of “soaring like an eagle.”
Make it a point to help others reach their full potential. Just as the mother eagle gives her eaglets a little push, push others so that they can reach their true potential. Just as the mother eagle is there to catch the eaglet when its falling, make it a point to be there for others when their failing. When you provide another person with a little nudge and reassurance; you’re not only helping them learn to fly, but your helping them to soar like an eagle!
It's your life; live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
- Mac Anderson
It’s human nature to take the path of least resistance. The path of least resistance is commonly referred to as a “shortcut.” A shortcut is a path between two points that deviates from an intended path. Picture two buildings that connect via a sidewalk; often times, you’ll find a path worn in the grass between the two buildings, resulting in a shortcut. In some cases, the path of least resistance can be both the smartest and easiest thing to do; exerting as little effort as possible to achieve a desired result make sense. However, the path of least resistance becomes a detriment when in the long run it produces negative results. Think about human potential; if the path of least resistance results in little or no action, the path becomes a detriment. One can never reach their full potential, if they’re content to remain idle or exert very little effort. If asked, most people would tell you that they really want to reach their full potential. The problem for most is they lack the initiative to get started and the discipline to keep moving forward. Sometimes all we need is a little push. A little support and reassurance can go along way.
Nature teaches us an important lesson about the benefits of a little push. A mother eagle builds a comfortable nest for her eaglets. When she determines that her eaglets are ready to fly, she purposely makes the nest uncomfortable. An uncomfortable nest is the precursor to flying. After all, if the nest was too comfortable, there would be no motivation to leave. When it's time to fly, the mother eagle will nudge her eaglets to the edge of the nest. If they cling to the edge of the nest, the mother eagle will push them out of the nest. Mother eagle knows that her eaglets must experience falling in order to experience the thrill of soaring through the sky. On their inaugural flights, the eaglets’ flap their wings in desperation and continue falling towards the ground. The Mother eagle will swoop down, catch the falling eaglet and return the eaglet safely to the nest. This process continues until the eaglet masters the art of flying. It’s only when an eaglet learns to fly that the eaglet can appreciate the privilege of “soaring like an eagle.”
Make it a point to help others reach their full potential. Just as the mother eagle gives her eaglets a little push, push others so that they can reach their true potential. Just as the mother eagle is there to catch the eaglet when its falling, make it a point to be there for others when their failing. When you provide another person with a little nudge and reassurance; you’re not only helping them learn to fly, but your helping them to soar like an eagle!
It's your life; live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Always Getting What You've Always Got
In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining who we are.
- Max Depree
***
You’ve heard, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” How True. We always get what we always got, because of an unwillingness to change. Change is the catalyst to growth. Without change, things remain status quo. Status quo in the corporate world will cause a business to fall behind its competitors. A corporate organization that is not willing to change in a rapid changing corporate world will, inevitably, be forced to close its doors. Peter Drucker once said, "every three years, each product and process should be put on trial for its life, otherwise the competition will pass you by.
Status quo in one’s professional life will lead to a “career rut.” Your unwillingness to change will likely limit your chances of promotion and inevitably lead to job dissatisfaction. While those that embraced change are bypassing you for career advancement opportunities, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got; finding yourself “stuck in the rut.”
Status quo in a personal relationships can lead to disenchantment and boredom. Once disenchantment and boredom set in, the relationship is ripe for strife. Often times, one, and sometimes both partners, may seek change without the other; creating conflicting values, miscommunication and a lack of respect. When this happens, the relationship may have endured so much damage that it is beyond repair.
Don’t get me wrong, there are times when status quo is sensible and logical. However, status quo forever just doesn’t make any sense. Everything in this world is changing. Don’t believe me; think about how life was 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago, even 100 years ago. Some things change quickly, while other things change gradually; so gradual, you may not be aware of it.
The key to opportunity and growth is recognizing when things need to change and/or recognizing when things are in the process of changing, and then, doing something about it!
I’ve encountered people who are just like the common housefly; they’re unwilling to change. They continue to struggle with old habits, strategies and paradigms. Their struggle causes them to lose energy; energy which is vital to survival. Some people are so unwilling to change their destructive habits that they will eventually die a slow death. Others are dying both spiritually and emotionally in that they no longer live life.
The next time you see a housefly struggling with its exit strategy, ask yourself, Am I like the housefly? Is there something I need to change? Or, Am I going to continue to do what I’ve always done? Remember, the housefly that continues to do what it has always done eventually ends up on its back, lifeless on a window sill.
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Soul Surfer
"Courage is a almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of a readiness to die."
- Gilbert K. Chesterson
- Gilbert K. Chesterson
Bethany Hamilton began surfing at the age of four. By the age of 12, Bethany had captured several first place finishes in local surfing competitions and set a goal of becoming a professional surfer. On October 31, 2003, it appeared that Bethany's dream had come to a tragic end. While surfing off the Hawaiian coast of Kauai, Bethany was attacked by a fourteen foot tiger shark while lying flat on her surfboard. In one bite, the shark had bitten cleanly through her surfboard, which in turn completely severed her left arm. At the age of 13, it appeared that Bethany's surfing days were done.
Bethany did not let the shark attack shatter her dreams. Because of a competitive spirit, and relentless courage, Bethany returned to water one month after the attack. She returned to competitive surfing in as little as ten weeks from the date of the attack. With family and friends to support her, Bethany not only overcame her fear of another shark attack, but she learned how to surf with her disability; a missing left arm. Bethany claims that she was able to overcome her fear of another shark attack by singing and praying while in the water. On her website, http://www.bethanyhamilton.com/, Bethany states, "It was what God had taught me growing up that helped me overcome my fears to get back in the water and keep surfing." "Be strong and courageous. Don't be terrified; don't be discouraged for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
In 2004, less than one year after the shark attack. Bethany captured a fifth place finish at the National Surfing Championship and a first place finish at the Hawaii National Scholastic Surfing Association. Because of her ability to overcome both the psychological and physical challenges of returning to her sport, Bethany received an ESPY Award from ESPN as the 2004 Comeback Athlete of the Year. In 2005, Bethany won her first national title at the NSSA National Championships. At the end of 2007, Bethany gave up her amateur status and is now actively pursuing a full-time career as a professional surfer.
Bethany Hamilton's courageous comeback demonstrates the power of faith, family, and a postive attitude working in unison. It was her faith in the Lord that gave her the courage to get back into the water. It was her family that gave her the support to get back on the board. And, it was her positve attitude that allowed her to realize her goal of becoming a professional surfer.
How about you? When your confronted with a challenge do you rely on faith, family and a positive attitude to get you through? Bethany's story offers us a lesson in courage and determination; with the right amount of faith, family support and a positive attitude nothing is insurmountable. If a 13 year old girl can back on a surfboard after losing her left arm in a shark attack while surfing, surely we can overcome the challenges that life throws at us.
It's your life; live it, love it, & celebrate it!
MJD
Bethany tells her story in her autobiography, Soul Surfer, which was published in 2004. A motion picture based upon the book, Soul Surfer will be release in 2008.
Bethany did not let the shark attack shatter her dreams. Because of a competitive spirit, and relentless courage, Bethany returned to water one month after the attack. She returned to competitive surfing in as little as ten weeks from the date of the attack. With family and friends to support her, Bethany not only overcame her fear of another shark attack, but she learned how to surf with her disability; a missing left arm. Bethany claims that she was able to overcome her fear of another shark attack by singing and praying while in the water. On her website, http://www.bethanyhamilton.com/, Bethany states, "It was what God had taught me growing up that helped me overcome my fears to get back in the water and keep surfing." "Be strong and courageous. Don't be terrified; don't be discouraged for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
In 2004, less than one year after the shark attack. Bethany captured a fifth place finish at the National Surfing Championship and a first place finish at the Hawaii National Scholastic Surfing Association. Because of her ability to overcome both the psychological and physical challenges of returning to her sport, Bethany received an ESPY Award from ESPN as the 2004 Comeback Athlete of the Year. In 2005, Bethany won her first national title at the NSSA National Championships. At the end of 2007, Bethany gave up her amateur status and is now actively pursuing a full-time career as a professional surfer.
Bethany Hamilton's courageous comeback demonstrates the power of faith, family, and a postive attitude working in unison. It was her faith in the Lord that gave her the courage to get back into the water. It was her family that gave her the support to get back on the board. And, it was her positve attitude that allowed her to realize her goal of becoming a professional surfer.
How about you? When your confronted with a challenge do you rely on faith, family and a positive attitude to get you through? Bethany's story offers us a lesson in courage and determination; with the right amount of faith, family support and a positive attitude nothing is insurmountable. If a 13 year old girl can back on a surfboard after losing her left arm in a shark attack while surfing, surely we can overcome the challenges that life throws at us.
It's your life; live it, love it, & celebrate it!
MJD
Bethany tells her story in her autobiography, Soul Surfer, which was published in 2004. A motion picture based upon the book, Soul Surfer will be release in 2008.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
How Are You?
How are you?
When somebody asks you, “How are you,” how do you respond? People generally respond in one of three ways: negatively, neutrally or positively.
A negative response reflects a negative mood state derived from negative thinking. Typical negative responses are: “Terrible.” “Lousy.” “Been better.” “Not so good.” Often times, whether solicited or not, their negative response will be followed up with an onslaught of complaints and problems. If they’re not close to you, find an escape route as soon as possible so that their attitude doesn’t poison yours. Misery loves company and soon you’ll be sharing in their misery.
A neutral response reflects an apathetic attitude. These responses are a step above the negative response. People that give these types of responses are generally the type of people that are content to just get by in life. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to associate with people that just want to get by in life. I want much more than that! Typical neutral responses are: “I’m ok.” “Fine.” “Same old, same old.” “Not too bad.”
The third type of response is a positive response. It reflects an enthusiastic mood derived from positive thinking. Typical positive responses include: “Great.” “Fantastic.” “Never been better.” “On top of the world.” There’s a magical transference of positive energy when you associate with positive people. Unlike, negative people who pull you down and neutral people who could care less, I can’t wait to be around the type of people who are “On top of the world.” Positive people are energetic; they have bounce in their step. Their thoughts and words shape their reality; a positive reality at that.
Most of us have a conditioned response to “How are you.” Ask yourself, how do I respond to the question? Are you consistently negative, neutral or positive? I generally respond with “Wonderful” or “Top of the world.” I choose to respond positively; you can too. If your one of those people who generally gives a negative or neutral response, start responding positively today. Try rehearsing the positive responses listed above or any positive response for that matter. Say the words repeatedly and see if you don’t feel a slight change in your mood and physiological state. Since words derive from thoughts, you can consciously alter your thoughts by continually saying positive words. The words we choose will influence our thoughts. When you hear yourself say positive words, you reinforce a positive belief system. A positive belief system is the cornerstone of success.
The next time somebody ask you “How are you,” try responding with “Fantastic” or some other positive word. You’ll energize two people in the process; yourself and the person asking the question. When we think positive, we expect positive and when we expect positive, we achieve positive. Since we are what we think about, if you think you’re fantastic, you’ll be nothing short of fantastic.
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it
MJD
When somebody asks you, “How are you,” how do you respond? People generally respond in one of three ways: negatively, neutrally or positively.
A negative response reflects a negative mood state derived from negative thinking. Typical negative responses are: “Terrible.” “Lousy.” “Been better.” “Not so good.” Often times, whether solicited or not, their negative response will be followed up with an onslaught of complaints and problems. If they’re not close to you, find an escape route as soon as possible so that their attitude doesn’t poison yours. Misery loves company and soon you’ll be sharing in their misery.
A neutral response reflects an apathetic attitude. These responses are a step above the negative response. People that give these types of responses are generally the type of people that are content to just get by in life. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to associate with people that just want to get by in life. I want much more than that! Typical neutral responses are: “I’m ok.” “Fine.” “Same old, same old.” “Not too bad.”
The third type of response is a positive response. It reflects an enthusiastic mood derived from positive thinking. Typical positive responses include: “Great.” “Fantastic.” “Never been better.” “On top of the world.” There’s a magical transference of positive energy when you associate with positive people. Unlike, negative people who pull you down and neutral people who could care less, I can’t wait to be around the type of people who are “On top of the world.” Positive people are energetic; they have bounce in their step. Their thoughts and words shape their reality; a positive reality at that.
Most of us have a conditioned response to “How are you.” Ask yourself, how do I respond to the question? Are you consistently negative, neutral or positive? I generally respond with “Wonderful” or “Top of the world.” I choose to respond positively; you can too. If your one of those people who generally gives a negative or neutral response, start responding positively today. Try rehearsing the positive responses listed above or any positive response for that matter. Say the words repeatedly and see if you don’t feel a slight change in your mood and physiological state. Since words derive from thoughts, you can consciously alter your thoughts by continually saying positive words. The words we choose will influence our thoughts. When you hear yourself say positive words, you reinforce a positive belief system. A positive belief system is the cornerstone of success.
The next time somebody ask you “How are you,” try responding with “Fantastic” or some other positive word. You’ll energize two people in the process; yourself and the person asking the question. When we think positive, we expect positive and when we expect positive, we achieve positive. Since we are what we think about, if you think you’re fantastic, you’ll be nothing short of fantastic.
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it
MJD
Friday, June 13, 2008
The Love of a Father
Derek Redmond of Everyone who saw the event witnessed a great act of courage from an athlete, but saw a greater act of love from a father
You can view Redmond's 400m race by clicking on the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtyNCuQqs24&feature=related
My father has taught me so many valuable lessons about life. However, the most important lesson he has taught me is how to be a father. He's not one to give lectures; he never has been. His teaching style is and always has been through example. My father has taught me that a father's love is special. A father's love is tough; tough because a father wants his child to succeed far beyond his own achievements. A father's love is patient; patient because a father know that a child must learn to explore their world and part of that exploration means mistakes will be made. A father's love is compassionate; compassionate because a father knows his child will stumble and fall and someone needs to be there to help them up. A father's love is resourceful; resourceful because a father will teach a child how to make the best out of any situation. A father's love is giving; giving because a father will do anything to make sure his child is safe, secure, and well-taken care of. A father's love is proud; proud because to a father there is no greater calling than being a father.
Thanks dad for being the best teacher I've ever had in the most important subject of my life!
It's your life; live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
What it Takes to be Number One
"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."
- Vince Lombardi
*** Vince Lombardi is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Football Coach of All Time." When Lombardi took over the Green Bay Packers in 1959, he told reporters, "I'm no miracle worker." In his first season as head coach, the Packers finished 7-5 after have gone 1-10-1 the previous season. The following season the Packers were 8-4 and made it into the playoffs. In two short years, Lombardi had turned the Green Bay Packers around. Over the next seven seasons, under the direction of Vince Lombardi, the Packers won five NFL championships and two Super Bowls.
Lombardi was a great motivator and a master disciplinarian. Lombardi would often say, "Success has a price. Winning has a price. It's hard work, it's sacrifice and not many people are willing to pay that price." In his most famous speech given, What it Takes to be Number One, Lombardi said, "Winning is not a sometimes thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."
Vince Lombardi had a simple but disciplined coaching philosophy. While most professional coaches were teaching complicated offensive schemes, Lombardi had only five plays in his offensive playbook. With a simple offensive scheme and a disciplined practice regimen, Lombardi expected each play would be with run to perfection. Lombardi once said, "We never really fool anybody, the opposition knows what's coming, but they can't stop us because each player knows his assignment and we practiced it a thousand times."
How about you? Do you have the discipline to practice something a thousand times? Discipline is a willingness to do what is right and then doing things the right way. Discipline is a willingness to forego immediate satisfaction for long term results. Over the years, I have seen talented people that did not make the most of their talents because they lacked discipline. They were not willing to "keep their nose to the grindstone." Simply put, they were unwilling to sacrifice and work hard. Instead of embracing a disciplined lifestyle, they were content to live a self-indulgent lifestyle, which led down a dead-end street. They now wish things could be different.
I've also seen people set personal goals only to quit a short time later. Why? They were not disciplined in their approach. They were not willing to sacrifice, work hard and/or "practice it a thousand times." Those lacking discipline are generally quick to blame others and events for their lack of success. They lack success because they lack discipline. Success emerges out of discipline. I do not know of any successful people who are/were not disciplined.
Vince Lombardi was considered a master disciplinarian; not because of a punitive coaching style, but, because he required strict adherence to doing things the right way. Lombardi's players have said that Lombardi's disciplined coaching style not only made them better football players, but made them better people.
Vince Lombardi gave what would be his final speech on June 22, 1970, in
"I believe that man's greatest hour, in fact -- his greatest fulfillment, his finest fulfillment, is that moment when he has worked his heart out for a good cause and lies exhausted but victorious on the field of battle -- whenever -- wherever that field of battle may be -- in your business, in my business, wherever.
Success in life is a matter not so much of talent and not so much of opportunity but rather of concentration and perseverance. The man who succeeds above his fellow man is the man who early in life clearly decides his objective and towards that objective he directs all of his powers."
How about you? Are you willing to work hard for long term results? Are you disciplined in thought and action? Will you practice a thousand times to get it right? Vince Lombardi not only left his mark on football; his philosophy of discipline has influenced the entire sports field, the business world and the personal development field. No matter what you do, if you embrace Coach Lombardi's philosophy of getting it right, you can't go wrong!
Have a TERRIFIC TuesdayI
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
Monday, June 9, 2008
Solving The Unsolvable
In her book, Unstoppable, Cynthia Kersey writes about George Dantzig, who as a college student solved two mathematical questions that had stumped mathematicians for thousands of years. George Dantzig took his college studies very seriously. As a matter of habit, Dantzig, would often study late into the night. One morning, after study late into the night, Dantzig awoke to find that had overslept for his early morning class. Dantzig quickly rushed to class, arriving 20 minutes late. Upon arrival, Dantzig noticed two mathematical questions written on the board. Assuming the questions were a homework assignment, he copied them into his notebook and began working on them after class. After working on the problems for several days, Dantzig finally had a breakthrough. Confident in his answers, Dantzig delivered his homework assignment to the professor's office.
Later, Dantzig received a phone call from an overly excited professor. His professor advised him that he had solved the two mathematical mind teasers that no one, not even Albert Einstein, could solve. Because George Dantzig was late for class, he hadn't heard his professor tell the class that the two questions had perplexed mathematicians for years and were believed to be unsolvable.
George Dantzig was able to solve the problems because he didn't know he couldn't. How many times in our life have we allowed our limiting beliefs to hold us back from accomplishing something? Once we think we can't, effort ceases and we can't! Keep reminding yourself of the unlimited potential you possess. Think of all the things you could achieve if your limiting beliefs were not standing in the way. Remember, since you're the one who created these limits in your life, you're the very person who can remove them. Once you remove your self-imposed limitations, you'll be on your way to accomplishing what you thought was impossible.
George Dantzig serendipitously solved mathematical mind teasers based upon his belief that it could be done. If George would have known that the problems were age old mind teasers, you can bet that little, if any, effort would have been given to solve the problems. Lacking the self-imposed restriction, that he couldn't solve the problem, George believed and George achieved.
Remember, we are all just like George; we are capable of doing the impossible once we believe it to be possible.
Have a MARVELOUS Monday!
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
MJD
Friday, June 6, 2008
Do You Believe in Miracles?
Congratulations Detroit Red Wings!
***
Detroit Red Wings, Lord Stanley's Cup is yours! Bringing home the cup, brings back memories of the U.S. Hockey Team beating the Soviet Union 4-3 in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. It was a game that no one would have predicted; no one except U.S. Hockey Coach, Herb Brooks and the members of the U.S. Hockey Team. The Russians were heavily favored to win the gold medal, and were considered the greatest international hockey team in the world. With a group of young collegiate and amateur players, the U.S. wasn't even considered to make it to the medal rounds.
Not only did the U.S. team beat the heavily favored Russians, they went on to win the gold medal by defeating Finland 4-2 in the final game. I can recall watching the game against the Soviets; a game later called, "The Miracle on Ice." The last 20 minutes of the game was the most exciting hockey game I've ever watched. Most sports enthusiasts refer to the game as the greatest upset in sports history. Sports Illustrated named the event as the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. To this day, I can still hear ABC sportscaster, Al Michaels, who was announcing the game, make his famous call as time expired, "Do you believe in miracles?"
How about you? Do you believe in miracles? I certainly do! Miracles happen everyday. They're all around us; we just take them for granted. Websters Dictionary defines a miracle as, "An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs." Perhaps, the greatest daily miracle is the birth of a child. The human body is a miracle in its own right. How about, the sun rising in morning? What about the moon, stars and planets? Rain and Snow? The oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, prairies and valleys are miracles.
Another type of daily miracle is the man-made miracles. These miracles are extraordinary events that manifest themselves from human intervention. These miracles happen when you need them the most. They are demonstrated in acts of love, compassion, kindness, friendship, and altruism. The kiss, the hug, the outstretched hand, the smile, the kind words, the pat on the back are all miracles when they tell a person in need that they are valued and loved.
We need to make it a point to be appreciative on daily basis for the divine miracles. The divine miracles are gifts of creation, sustenance and beauty; ranging from the birth of child to the birth of a new day, to the homeostatic mechanism of the human body to gravitation pull of the moon, and to the sight of snow capped mountains to the sound of the ocean waves.
Man-made miracles are gifts of the human spirit. Man-made miracles are the result of an ego put in check. Other becomes more important than the self. The miracle derives from the keen awareness of others and taking the initiative to help those in need. Since man-made miracles are born of the human spirit, we all are capable of performing miracles. Now, is the time to be keenly aware of the needs of others so that you can be the miracle in somebody life. It was St. Francis of Assisi who said, "For it is in giving that you receive." Hence, when you need it most, a miracle will happen to you too.
Back in 1980, Al Michaels asked the rhetorical question, "Do you believe in miracles?" Yes, Al, not only do I believe in miracles, I know, all us are capable of performing them!
Congratulations Red Wings!
Have a WOW weekend!
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
***
Detroit Red Wings, Lord Stanley's Cup is yours! Bringing home the cup, brings back memories of the U.S. Hockey Team beating the Soviet Union 4-3 in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. It was a game that no one would have predicted; no one except U.S. Hockey Coach, Herb Brooks and the members of the U.S. Hockey Team. The Russians were heavily favored to win the gold medal, and were considered the greatest international hockey team in the world. With a group of young collegiate and amateur players, the U.S. wasn't even considered to make it to the medal rounds.
Not only did the U.S. team beat the heavily favored Russians, they went on to win the gold medal by defeating Finland 4-2 in the final game. I can recall watching the game against the Soviets; a game later called, "The Miracle on Ice." The last 20 minutes of the game was the most exciting hockey game I've ever watched. Most sports enthusiasts refer to the game as the greatest upset in sports history. Sports Illustrated named the event as the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. To this day, I can still hear ABC sportscaster, Al Michaels, who was announcing the game, make his famous call as time expired, "Do you believe in miracles?"
How about you? Do you believe in miracles? I certainly do! Miracles happen everyday. They're all around us; we just take them for granted. Websters Dictionary defines a miracle as, "An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs." Perhaps, the greatest daily miracle is the birth of a child. The human body is a miracle in its own right. How about, the sun rising in morning? What about the moon, stars and planets? Rain and Snow? The oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, prairies and valleys are miracles.
Another type of daily miracle is the man-made miracles. These miracles are extraordinary events that manifest themselves from human intervention. These miracles happen when you need them the most. They are demonstrated in acts of love, compassion, kindness, friendship, and altruism. The kiss, the hug, the outstretched hand, the smile, the kind words, the pat on the back are all miracles when they tell a person in need that they are valued and loved.
We need to make it a point to be appreciative on daily basis for the divine miracles. The divine miracles are gifts of creation, sustenance and beauty; ranging from the birth of child to the birth of a new day, to the homeostatic mechanism of the human body to gravitation pull of the moon, and to the sight of snow capped mountains to the sound of the ocean waves.
Man-made miracles are gifts of the human spirit. Man-made miracles are the result of an ego put in check. Other becomes more important than the self. The miracle derives from the keen awareness of others and taking the initiative to help those in need. Since man-made miracles are born of the human spirit, we all are capable of performing miracles. Now, is the time to be keenly aware of the needs of others so that you can be the miracle in somebody life. It was St. Francis of Assisi who said, "For it is in giving that you receive." Hence, when you need it most, a miracle will happen to you too.
Back in 1980, Al Michaels asked the rhetorical question, "Do you believe in miracles?" Yes, Al, not only do I believe in miracles, I know, all us are capable of performing them!
Congratulations Red Wings!
Have a WOW weekend!
It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD
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