School of Life

The PAST is where you learned the Lesson. The FUTURE is where you Apply the Lesson.

~Unknown

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You've heard it said before, "knowledge is power."  Knowledge is not power.  Application of knowledge is power.  What good does it do for a person to acquire a wealth of knowledge, but do nothing with it?  One would not study for a test and then not take it.  Talk about the irony of it.  Somebody who possesses a wealth a knowledge would be considered "smart."  But, only a "fool" would possess such knowledge and do nothing with it. 

Knowledge comes from learning.  Learning comes from a lesson.  A lesson is intended to teach or instruct.  Life's greatest teacher is our own experiences.  Hence, we are all students in the "School of Life."  Being students, we get to go to school every day to acquire more knowledge.  Every day offers us a lesson or two about life, about ourselves, and about others.  Beware of leading such a hectic life that you either miss the lesson(s) to be learned or you are not paying attention to it.  Being good students, we need to do our homework, which covers the lesson(s) to be learned

So, here is your daily homework assignment: 

1) Set aside some time to reflect upon the day and think about the lesson(s) life has taught you.  Ask yourself, "What lesson(s) did I learn today."   There is a lesson or two, you just might have to spend a little time looking for it. 

2) (Keep a journal) and list the lesson(s) you've learned.  Note how the lesson(s) came about and how you feel about the lesson(s).  Note:  This could become a family keepsake for generations to come.

3) List how you will consistently apply the lesson(s) in your life.  

4) The most important part of your homework assignment is that you put it into action.

Don't be one of those students who does the homework (acquires the knowledge) but fails to turn it in (apply the knowledge), for only a "fool" would do something like that.

In the "School of Life" you can be a student for life and you can go to school as much as you wish.   So the opportunity to acquire knowledge from life's greatest teacher is limitless.  Take advantage of the lessons to be learned by doing your homework!   Remember, knowledge is simply knowledge; it’s the application of knowledge that is powerful!         

Always be a student, never stop learning, and never stop applying what you’ve learned, for if you do, I can pretty much assure you that your report card in the “School of Life” will have nothing but A’s.

It’s your life:  live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD

Love Wins!

"What is love after all but trusting in the unknown."
- Marty Rubin

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Love v Fear – Love wins every time!  

Love is our most powerful emotion.  It has the power to conquer fear any day, any time. One just has to trust it.  It’s trusting that love will prevail no matter what.  Love is hope; fear is dread. Love is freedom; fear is imprisonment.  Love creates opportunities, fear destroys opportunities. Love is peace of mind; fear is apprehensiveness.

I see people in relationships who do not tap into the power of love. There are so afraid of losing what they love, they are not able to harness the power of love. Instead, their focus becomes fear- based. Their actions are not motivated out of love, but out of the fear of losing love.  When fear goes unchecked, it can sabotage a relationship.  The Good Book reminds us that the thing we fear the most befalls us.  

Love is trusting in the unknown.   None of us really knows what today may bring and we certainly don’t know what tomorrow has in store for us.  In fact, we are not even guaranteed that there will be a tomorrow.  Tragedy strikes every day and none of us are immune to its consequences.  Death, loss, and impairment are all a part of life. Living in fear of things that can be taken away from us is like living in a prison cell.  You can never gain, if your focus is on what you have to lose.

So why does love win?  Love wins because love is a gift from God. Hence, the emotion of love is God created.  Whereas, the emotion of fear is man created.  We create our own fears - not God.  Love will always prevail - it is God given!

Love is trusting in the unknown.  It’s about casting aside doubt, fear, and trepidation. When you open your heart and are able trust in the unknown you’ll be able to harness the power of love.  And, when you harness the power of love, fear no longer has its grip on you.   Fear can always be cast aside by the power of love.  The power of love can never be cast aside by fear.   Why? Love is so much stronger!

If love and fear were able to square off in a boxing ring, you would hear at the end of the bout, “And still the undisputed champion of the world … LOVE!

So if you’re a betting person, and you have a choice between love and fear, always bet on love.  Why? Love wins, period!

It’s your life:  live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD

Living in Paradise

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.”
-- James Oppenheim

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 A man jumped into a taxi cab. In order to pass the time during the ride, he began making small conversation with the driver. After a series of questions, the man asked the driver, “If you could live anywhere in the world and money was no object, where would you live?” The taxi cab driver responded, “I’ve learned to live in my heart and live in the moment. So, it really does not matter where I reside. If I’m happy inside, then I live in paradise”

Where do you live – inside or outside? You’ll never live in paradise, if you seek it from the outside world. True, you may occasionally experience a glimpse paradise from the outside world, but you’ll never actually live in paradise. If you seek happiness from the outside world, you are relying on people, events and circumstances to make you happy. That’s not true happiness – that’s not living in paradise, that’s allowing external factors to dictate your happiness. Unfortunately, since you have little, if any, control over the outside world, you really don’t own your happiness – the outside world does.

Happiness is an inside job. When your happiness comes from within, you’ve taken up residency in paradise. Why, because you own it and being happy is paradise! It does not matter who you are with (people), where you are (events) or what is going on at the present time (circumstances), you control your happiness. It truly is a great place to be (paradise): to be happy and to know that you own it. Remember, when you live in paradise, it can’t be taken away from you unless you allow it. It’s inside and it’s yours.

So, you don’t have to live on the shores of an exotic island or a dream home nestled in the mountains to live in paradise. No, all you have to do is learn to live in your heart and live in the moment.

 Here’s to another day in paradise!

It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!
MJD

The Measure of Success

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

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POINT TO PONDER:  True success cannot be measured by the size of your home, the size of your car, the size of your wallet or the size of your portfolio.  True success can only be measured by the size of your heart!

Gotta go - got some cardio to do!

It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD

It's Your Choice

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."

-- Groucho Marx

POINT TO PONDER: The Good Lord gave man (woman) dominion over animals (Genesis 1:26).  What separates man from animal is free will.  Free will is choice.  Unlike animals, whose behavior is primarly dictated by instinct or genetic code, we are free to choose.  If you're an unhappy person, you've chosen your unhappiness.   You have allowed (chosen) negative events in your past to dictate your present state.  Our future is dictated by our present state.   If your present state is negative, unfortunately, you’re choosing to create a negative future.  So here is how it works:  A focus on a Negative past = Negative present = Negative Future.   Remember, your present will eventually become your past and your future will become your present.   It is a cyclical pattern.  So, I ask: Why not focus on a the good things in your life, both past and present?

Today is the day to stop the cycle of negativity.   While all of us will face adversity, it is how we choose to respond to the adversity that counts.  Remember, today will become our yesterday and tomorrow will become our today.  So, why not choose happiness today?  You can start by choosing to count how you have been blessed, both past and present.   The choices you make today will eventually determine what has happened to you , what is happening, and what will happen to you.      

The Good Lord gave mankind a gift; free will!  It is about time we start using it to our advantage!

Choose Happy! 

It's your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD

Getting to the Top

"There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs." 
-- Anonymous

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POINT TO PONDER: There is no substitute for hard work. Don't look for the elevator; Take the stairs! Besides, you'll be in much better shape when you reach the top.

It’s your life: live it, love it & celebrate it
!MJD

When Others Are Sleeping

“Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't.”
~ Jerry Rice

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Do you want to get to the head of the class?  Do you want to be on top of your game?  Well, in order to do so you have to be willing to do the work.  If you want to outshine the competition, then you have to outwork the competition.  I recently told a group of junior high athletes, “Those that are successful are working when everyone else is sleeping.”   That statement was met with, “Coach does that really mean when everyone else has gone to bed, I have to be practicing.”   The answer is - practically yes, literally no.   It means that you’re willing to work harder than others.  It means that you have to be more dedicated, disciplined, and passionate about what you do than others.  It means when others find reasons not to do something you find reason to do it.  It means when others have had enough you can’t get enough.  There are no shortcuts to success.  There is no magic formula and being “lucky” does not cut it.   You can ask anyone who has achieved a degree of success and they will tell you there is no substitute for hard work.  The legendary coach, Vince Lombardi said it best, "The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary." 

If you want to be successful then I encourage you to ask yourself this question each morning when you arise: What am I going to do today that others won’t? 

I just answered that question – it just might be a late night! 

It's your life: live it, love it, & celebrate it!
MJD