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Volume 25, # 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 2009 |
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Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!
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The Precious Few . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Hancock Fields
"All worthwhile men have good thoughts, good ideas and good intentions, but precious few of them ever translate those into action."
Enlightened Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lao-Tzu
"Enlightened leadership is service, not selfishness. The leader grows more and lasts longer by placing the well-being of all above the well-being of self alone."
Three Daily Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Twain
"Three daily reminders: Have courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Have the courage to do the right thing because it is right."
Never Too Late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Eliot
"It’s never too late to be who you might have been."
Stories that Transform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest Kurtz,
The Spirituality of Imperfection, p. 68
"In the tradition of Hasidic Judaism, rarely do zaddikim answer questions. Sometimes the rebbe replies with another question; more often he tells a story. And the story, especially as it is told and retold, creates a community of those who are changed by those stories. One need not be Jewish to join that community or to be transformed by that wisdom."
Encourage Virtue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eleanor H. Porter,
Positive Press.com"Instead of always harping on a man’s faults, tell him of his virtues. Try to pull him out of his rut of bad habits. Hold up to him his better self, his real self that can dare and do and win out."
Beyond Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coleman Cox
"When enthusiasm is inspired by reason, controlled by caution, sound in theory, practical in application, reflects confidence, spreads good cheer, raises morale, inspires associates, arouses loyalty, and laughs at adversity, it is beyond price."
Worry–State of Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napoleon Hill,
Think & Grow Rich, p. 278"Worry is a state of mind based upon fear. It works slowly but persistently. It is insidious and subtle. Step by step it ‘digs itself in’ until it paralyzes one’s reasoning faculty, destroys self-confidence and initiative. Worry is a form of sustained fear caused by indecision: therefore it is a state of mind which can be controlled."
Admit Wrongs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beryl Pfizer
"People who admit they’re wrong get a lot farther than people who prove they’re right."
Wisdom Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward
"We are as strong as our faith…as weak as our doubts; as free as our courage…as enslaved as our fears."
"When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves."
Franciscan Centrality . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roch Niemier,
OFM, In the Footsteps of Francis & Clare, p. 105
"What must be understood about Francis is the centrality of the Word of God in his life. The Word became flesh, Incarnate. The mystery of the Incarnation engraved itself upon Francis’ heart like a seal pressed into hot wax. This is the defining hallmark of the Franciscan gift to Christian spirituality, namely, that God became one of us.… Francis’ preaching was effective because he lived the Word. He pondered the Word; he nurtured the Word; he became the embodiment of the Word. And thus when he proclaimed the Word, people saw the Word come to life."
Discover Your Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Walker,
INSIGHT, # 105, p. 30"Success is fulfillment—fulfillment in your personal, family, career and spiritual lives. Success is the ability to love, enjoy your work, and have fun in your life. Success is making a difference—a positive difference. Success is making the world a little bit better because you existed. And success begins with a purpose."
The Leadership Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward R. Murrow
"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful."
Foundation of Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Tracy,
Message from the Masters
"Courage combined with integrity is the foundation of character. The first form of courage is your ability to stick to your principles, to stand for what you believe in and to refuse to budge unless you feel right about the alternative. Courage is also the ability to step out in faith, to launch out into the unknown and then to face the inevitable doubt and uncertainty that accompany every new venture."
Gold Standard . . . . . . . . . Herbert V. Prochnow,
1000 Tips & Quips for Speakers & Toastmasters, p. 17"One trouble is that nations are not only off the gold standard, but the golden rule standard."
A Life-Giving Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. John Powell,
SJ, p.1"O God, my Father, don’t let me die without having really lived and loved."
"Fear not that your life shall come to an end; rather that it will never have a beginning."
Cardinal Newman
To Measure Virtue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blaise Pascal,
YourSuccessStore.com"The virtue of a man ought to be measured, not by his extraordinary exertions, but by his everyday conduct."
On Gratitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melody Beattie,
ZigZiglar.com"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
Art of Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martin Luther,
The Joyful Noiseletter, Feb. 2004"Singers are never sorrowful, but are merry, and smile through their troubles in song. Music makes people kinder, gentler, more reasonable. Besides theology, music is the only art capable of affording peace and joy of the heart."
Dream Big Dreams! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Philip E. Humbert,
PhilipHumbert.com
"Never, ever, stop dreaming! Some dreams will prove elusive, and some will prove disappointing. Some may seem misguided and need to be revised and revisited. But it is our ability to dream of new and better worlds that makes us human. Our dreams empower us! Our leaders and heroes have always been pulled by their visions, their dreams of possibilities that lie just around the corner, just out of sight, but not out of reach. Dream big dreams!"
The Plimsol Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown
Samuel Plimsoll was a member of the British Parliament about a century ago. He was distressed because cargo ships were being loaded so heavily that they sank at sea, with much loss of life and property. So he got a law passed requiring danger lines to be painted on all cargo ships. When the weight of the cargo lowered the ship down to where the line touched the water, all loading had to stop. Seamen still call this mark the "Plimsoll line."
People also have Plimsoll lines—a point where for the sake of health, happiness and plain common sense, we should not attempt to shoulder more responsibility, however important, than we can intelligently handle.
The Evil Urge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown
"Several novices suddenly ceased talking in embarrassment when the novice master entered the library. When he asked them what they were discussing, they replied, "We were talking about how afraid we are that the Evil urge will pursue us."
"Don’t worry," said the novice master, "You have not progressed far enough along the spiritual journey for it to pursue you. For the time being, you are still pursuing it."
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