Ray's Daily

Can you let go?

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

Lao Tzu

Lately I have been talking a lot about not waiting too long to do what will make you happy. Far too many of us delay breaking away to find happiness until someday. Unfortunately many find that someday is never today and miss the pleasure they might have had. I know it is not easy for many of us; we have gotten so deep into our day-to-day rut that we don’t think we have the ability to dig ourselves out. A few weeks ago Julie who posts on the Free People Blog wrote about letting go. Here is what she said:

The Power Of Letting Go

Posted by fp julie

It’s not always so simple for us to just let go and be free. Depending on our backgrounds and what we’ve dealt with in the past, where we’re coming from, letting go and living can — at times — feel like an impossible, intimidating task. For me, there are times when just being present and in the moment can actually be a stressful concept. It’s easy to brush these feelings off as minor, slightly neurotic aspects of our personalities, but these hangups can actually keep us from thriving and pursuing our passions. They can keep us from truly experiencing the incredible world around us. In truth, these feelings are heavy burdens to carry on our shoulders.

Can you recognize what holds you back? Maybe you’re living too much in the past, imagining the different routes your life could have taken, or perhaps you fear the stumbling blocks that are so inevitable on the road ahead. Personally, I have a tendency to over-think nearly everything – a habit that hasn’t done me any favors as I get to know a new city full of new and exciting people, and in the end serves only to stunt potential growth and make getting out of my own head even more difficult. So how do you begin to let go and learn to surrender to the moment when the act itself is so daunting?

Letting Go

I’ve found that the best way to start is to break up your routine in small ways. Sometimes dramatically fleeing your comfort zone, maybe due to a move or a change in your relationship, can cause you to cling to the aspects of your life that you’re able to control, and you suddenly find yourself holding on to any semblance of a routine during a time when you should be open and willing to change. Even if your life is in flux, these shifts don’t have to be dramatic – baby steps can still lead to rewarding results. Try a new recipe, make art and get messy instead of watching a movie, go to a new coffee shop instead of your regular place. Resolve to try something new weekly, or even better: Daily.

As you continue to add new aspects to your routine, take steps to break away from the larger areas where you may be holding yourself back. In this age of distraction, people will tell you there’s power in being able to say “No”, but there’s also a power and magnetism in saying “YES!” Try it sometime. Say yes to an invite, to going out after work with coworkers, to taking on a project, or trying something different. Once you say yes to something small and see that it’s not a big deal, like grabbing coffee with someone new, you’ll be inspired to say yes to something bigger.

There’s a freedom in letting go, a lightness in breaking away from your mental blocks and allowing yourself to surrender to the moment and just be. Your soul feels lighter, the heaviness that may have settled into your bones breaks up and, eventually, you may find that those setbacks that once caused so much frustration and worry, that you once took for inevitable parts of your being, are faded and possibly even replaced with a new outlook.

~~~

It doesn’t take a lot of strength to hang on. It takes a lot of strength to let go.

1. C. Watts

~~~

20 SAYINGS WE’D LIKE TO SEE ON THOSE OFFICE INSPIRATIONAL POSTERS

1. Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings… they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
2. If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos… then you probably haven’t completely understood the seriousness of the situation.
3. Doing a job RIGHT the first time gets the job done. Doing the job WRONG fourteen times gives you job security.
4. Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.
5. Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.
6. A person who smiles in the face of adversity… probably has a scapegoat.
7. Plagiarism saves time.
8. If at first you don’t succeed, try management.
9. Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.
10. TEAMWORK… means never having to take all the blame yourself.
11. The beatings will continue until morale improves.
12. Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.
13. We waste time, so you don’t have to.
14. Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away!
15. Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.
16. A snooze button is a poor substitute for no alarm clock at all.
17. When the going gets tough, the tough take a coffee break.
18. INDECISION is the key to FLEXIBILITY.
19. Succeed in spite of management.
20. Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment.

~~~

Never wave to your friends at an auction.

~~~

The temporary Sunday School teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cabinet. She had been told the combination, but couldn’t quite remember it. Finally she went to the pastor’s study and asked for help. The pastor came into the room and began to turn the dial. After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment. Finally he look serenely heavenward and his lips moved silently. Then he looked back at the lock, and quickly turned to the final number, and opened the lock.

The teacher was amazed. “I’m in awe at your faith, pastor,” she said.  “It’s really nothing,” he answered.

“The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling.”

~~~

The judge read the charges, then asked, “Are you the defendant in this case?”

“No sir, your honor, sir,” replied Bob, “I’ve got a lawyer to do the defendin’. I’m the guy who done it.”

~~~

I have a brother who was on a plane that had taken off and was approaching cruising altitude, when one of the flight attendants came on the public-address system.  She announced that she was sorry, but the plane’s restroom was out of order. The flight attendant went on to apologize to the passengers for any inconvenience. But then she finished cheerily with: “So, as compensation, free drinks will be served.”

~~~

Life is the ultimate IQ test.

~~~

In one class, the Professor asked anyone to explain how they would measure the height of a building using an Aneroid Barometer. One student, short of knowledge but long on ingenuity replied, “I would lower the barometer on a string and measure the string.”

~~~

“We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don’t have something better.”

1. JoyBell C.

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

You don’t have to retire to start a new life

Listen to the compass of your heart. All you need lies within you.

Mary Anne Radmacher

I had lunch with an old friend the other day. He is now the semi-retired CEO of a large corporation where he continues as the chairman of its board. He still stays active as a community leader and philanthropist and serves on a number of boards. He is younger than I am but we share the life-after-retirement experience and we both commented on how valuable being free to be ourselves has been. My friend is more of an adventurer than I am and enjoys the therapeutic value of being able to explore the back roads of the world. As I thought about our discussion it reminded me of the following article by Don Herold.

 I Would Pick More Daisies

(Adapted)

When the late Nadine Stair of Louisville, Kentucky, was 85 years old, she was asked what she would do if she had her life to live over again.

“I’d make more mistakes next time,” she said. “I’d relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been on this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.

“You see, I’m one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, and a raincoat. If I had to do it over again, I would travel lighter than I have.

“If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds and I would pick more daisies.”

I am again reminded that none of us have to wait to be young again.

Ray

~~~

“The most wonderful taste of serenity is found by the love you create for yourself, and those around you.”

Joseph Torres

~~~

The featured guest on a local radio talk show was a woman who owned a home-cleaning service. After she described what her clients could expect, the program’s telephone lines were opened to the audience. The first caller struck to the heart of every woman who had ever contemplated employing such a service. Her question: “How much cleaning do I have to do before your people come?”

~~~

TEACHER: I hope I didn’t see you looking at Don’s paper.

JOHN: I hope you didn’t either.

~~~

A teenager was always asking his father if he could borrow the family car. Pushed to the limit, the father asked his son why he thought “The Almighty” had given him two feet.  Without hesitation, the son replied, “That’s easy, one for the brake and one for the accelerator.”

~~~

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

~~~

A boss tells his new employee, “I’ll give you 18 bucks an hour starting today and in three months, I’ll raise it to 20 bucks an hour. So when would you like to start?”

The employee replies, “How’s 3 months from now?”

~~~

First a person should put his house together, then his town, then the world.

Rabbi Israel Salanter

~~~

Medical-Speak

Said: “Appointment”

Meant: “An opportunity to wait until the doctor feels like seeing you.”

Said: “A few more minutes.”

Meant: “You have time to read the entire National Geographic.”

Said: “Cutting edge procedure”

Meant: “Your insurance won’t cover it.”

Said: “Discomfort”

Meant: “Pain”

Said: “Procedure”

Meant: “Surgery”

Said: “Fairly Routine Procedure”

Meant: “Major Surgery”

Said: “Routine Procedure”

Meant: “Something experimental and dangerous.”

Said: “Latest medical research”

Meant: “This week’s guess.”

When they say, “We did all that we could under the circumstances with the knowledge that we had at the time,” what they really mean is, “We blew it”.

~~~

I’d rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate.

George Burns

~~~

I come from a large family, five sisters and three brothers. My sisters and I were looking through the family photo album one day. Picture after picture, we were all dressed in matching clothes. I asked my mother why she dressed us all alike, right down to the baby.

She explained, “When we had just four children, I dressed you alike so we wouldn’t lose any of you. Then,” she added, looking at the pictures in the album, “When the other four came along, I started dressing you alike so we won’t pick up any that don’t belong to us.”

~~~

“If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.”

Johnny Carson

~~~

Two trucks loaded with a thousand copies of Roget’s Thesaurus collided as they left a New York publishing house last Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied….

~~~

“The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.”

Sam Levenson

~~~

A passenger train is creeping along, slowly. Finally it creaks to a halt. A passenger sees a conductor walking by outside. “What’s going on?” she yells out the window. “Cow on the track!” replies the conductor. Ten minutes later, the train resumes its slow pace. Within five minutes, however, it stops again. The woman sees the same conductor walk again. She leans out the window and yells, “What happened? Did we catch up with the cow again?”

~~~

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.   Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.

Cherokee Expression

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

It is going to be a great day

Delicious autumn!

My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

George Eliot

I am running behind and had a late night last night so I am again dipping into the past and resending a Daily from a few years back. It is a reminder of how good autumn can be here in Indiana.

~~~

Summer has started its journey to the Southern Hemisphere, leaving us the fall of the year. I love autumn with it’s “I am alive” brisk mornings, the warmth of its days, and the scenes that it paints for us to enjoy. We again can walk hand-in-hand through woods watching the trees shed their green coats for those of red, yellow, and brown. We smell sausages on grills at football games, the aroma of apple cider warming in a pan, and the scent of burning logs from the fireplaces of those cuddled up watching the flames in the comfort of their homes. We hear the birds as they migrate to their summer homes and the rustle of leaves as the trees begin their hibernation waiting to be born again in the spring. We put on our favorite sweater that has waited faithfully for us to again don the clothes of fall. I don’t think I could ever move to warmer climes for I would have to miss the rosy cheeks of people and nature as fall descends upon us each year.

If your fall is not the same as mine, I will enjoy it for both of us.

Ray

~~~

If a man can paint a landscape, and convey into souls and ochres all the enchantments of Spring or Autumn; it is certain that the secret cannot be kept; the first witness tells it to a second, and men go by fives and tens and fifties to his doors.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

~~~

Wendy copied this from his diary.

Dear Diary,

For my 40th birthday this year, my wife (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I’m still in great shape since playing on my college football team 25 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

Called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26 year old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My wife seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress…

Monday: Started my day at 6:00 am. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it! When I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess – with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. She took my pulse after five minutes on the treadmill. She was alarmed that my pulse was so fast, but I attribute it to standing next to her in her Lycra aerobic outfit I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring. Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!

Tuesday: I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air – then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile! Belinda’s rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!! It’s a whole new life for me.

Wednesday: The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying on the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other junk too.

Thursday: Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the men’s room. She sent Lars to find me, then, as punishment, put me on the rowing machine – which I sank.

Friday: I hate that heifer Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me the *&%#(#&**!!@*@ barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. (Which I am sure you learned in the sadist school you attended and graduated magna cum laude from.) The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

Saturday: Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

Sunday: I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over I will also pray that next year my wife, (the devil), will choose a gift for me that is fun – like a root canal or a vasectomy.

~~~

“You can never get all the facts from just one newspaper, and unless you have all the facts, you cannot make proper judgments about what is going on.”

Harry S Truman

~~~

She said: ver the years, my husband and I have usually managed to decode the cute but confusing gender signs sometimes put on restaurants’ restroom doors (Buoys and Gulls, Laddies and Lassies, etc.), but every so often we get stumped.

Recently my husband Dave wandered off in search of the men’s room and found himself confronted by two marked doors. One was labeled “Bronco,” and the other was designated “Cactus.”

Completely baffled, he stopped a restaurant employee passing by. “Excuse me; I need to use the restroom,” Dave said. Gesturing toward the doors, he asked, “Which one should I use?”

“Actually, we would prefer you to go there,” the employee said, pointing to a door down the hall marked “Men.” “Bronco and Cactus are private dining rooms.”

~~~

Experience is something I always think I have until I get more of it.

Dan Kaercher

~~~

In an American history discussion group, the professor was trying to explain how societies ideal of beauty changes with time. “For example, he said, “take the 1921 Miss America. She stood five ft., one inch tall, weighed 108 pounds and had measurements of 30-25-32. How do you think she’d do in today’s version of the contest?”

The class fell silent for a moment. Then one student piped up, “Not very well.”

“Why is that?” Asked the professor.

“For one thing,” the student pointed out, “She’d be way too old.”

~~~

Do what you can to show you care about other people,

And you will make our world a better place.

Rosalynn Carter

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Be a rainbow today

Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.

Maya Angelou

This has been a busy and enjoyable week for me. I have been entertained by some excellent performers and tonight I will attend the Actors Theatre of Indiana’s benefit performance which is starring the fabulous Chita Rivera. Over the last few days I have spent time with family and friends, attended my grandsons soccer matches and had a number of new folks sign up for the Dailyt and as you know I love making new friends.

I only wish I had not had to limit my activities so I could have participated in my Kiwanis Clubs fundraiser at one of our states largest outdoor events. Soon I will be able to do more and reap the rewards that come via the good feelings I get when I can help others. I again was reminded how good life can be.

What Life is About

Life isn’t about keeping score.  It’s not about how many friends you have or how accepted you are.  Not about if you have plans this weekend or if you’re alone.

It isn’t about who you have kissed, it isn’t about who your family is or how much money they have or what kind of car you drive, or where you are sent to school.

It’s not about how beautiful or ugly you are. Or what clothes you wear, what shoes you have on, or what kind of music you listen to.

It’s not about if your hair is blonde, red, black, or brown, or if your skin is too light or too dark. Not about what grades you get how smart you are, how smart everybody else thinks you are, or how smart standardized tests say you are.

Life just isn’t.

Life is about who you love and who you hurt. It’s about who you make happy or unhappy purposely. It’s about keeping or betraying trust. It’s about friendship, used as a sanctity or as a weapon.

It’s about what you say and mean, maybe hurtful, maybe heartening. It’s about starting rumors and contributing to petty gossip. It’s about what judgments you pass and why. And who your judgments are spread to.

It’s about who you’ve ignored with full control and intention. It’s about jealousy, fear, ignorance, and revenge. It’s about carrying inner hate and love, letting it grow and spreading it.

But most of all, it’s about using your life to touch or poison other people’s hearts in such a way that could have never occurred alone.

Only you choose the way those hearts are affected, and those choices are what life’s all about.

~~~

Don’t wait for people to be friendly, show them how.

Author Unknown

~~~

My youngest daughter is a long-time elementary school teacher, I did not ask her to take this test but I suspect she would score close to 12.

Are you a true elementary school teacher?

1. Do you ask guests if they have remembered their scarves and mittens as they leave your home?
2. Do you move your dinner partner’s glass away from the edge of the table?
3. Do you ask if anyone needs to go to the bathroom as you enter a theater with a group of friends?
4. Do you hand a tissue to anyone who sneezes?
5. Do you refer to happy hour as “snack time”?
6. Do you declare “no cuts” when a shopper squeezes ahead of you in a checkout line?
7. Do you say “I like the way you did that” to the mechanic who repairs your car nice?
8. Do you ask “Are you sure you did your best?” to the mechanic who fails to repair your car to your satisfaction?
9. Do you sing the “Alphabet Song” to yourself as you look up a number in the phone book?
10. Do you say everything twice? I mean, do you repeat everything?
11. Do you fold your spouse’s fingers over the coins as you hand him/her the money at a tollbooth?
12. Do you ask a quiet person at a party if he has something to share with the group?

-If you answered yes to 4 or more, it’s in your soul–you are hooked on teaching.  And if you’re not a teacher, you missed your calling.

-If you answered yes to 8 or more, well, maybe it’s *too much* in your soul–you should probably begin thinking about retirement.

-If you answered yes to all 12, forget it–you’ll *always* be a teacher, retired or not!

~~~

In one class, the Professor asked anyone to explain how they would measure the height of a building using an Aneroid Barometer. One student, short of knowledge but long on ingenuity replied, “I would lower the barometer on a string and measure the string.”

~~~

“Middle age: when you begin to exchange your emotions for symptoms.”

Irvin S. Cobb

~~~

A difficult independent 75-year-old woman liked sitting by the park feeding the pigeons. One day she brought with her a whole loaf of fresh bread just to feed her daily company. Little by little, pinch by pinch, she fed each pigeon with joy. She sat there without being noticed by anyone in the rich suburban neighborhood. Then suddenly a man in his early 40’s rained on her parade by telling her that she shouldn’t throw away good food on a bunch of pigeons that can find food anywhere when there are a lot of people starving in Africa.

She replied in crazed anger and without hesitation, “I can’t throw that far!”

~~~

“If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.”

Marvin Gaye

~~~

Cousin Elly is the world’s worst at getting instructions mixed up. When she got married her husband bought her one of those fancy, electric coffee makers. It had all the latest gadgets on it. Salesman Riley carefully explained how everything worked; how to plug it in, set the timer, go back to bed, and upon rising, the coffee is ready.”

A few weeks later Elly was back in the store and Riley asked her how she liked the coffee maker.

“Wonderful!” she replied, “However, there’s one thing don’t understand. Why do I have to go to bed every time I want to make a pot of coffee?”

~~~

Some people practice what they preach, others just practice preaching.

~~~

Gentleman, if your wife doesn’t feel well, do something special to speed her recovery offer to help with the housework. If you don’t think there’s such a thing as a miracle recovery, wait till you see your wife get well again as soon as you start to vacuum the windows.

~~~

Everybody, my friend, everybody lives for something better to come. That’s why we want to be considerate of every man – Who knows what’s in him, why he was born and what he can do?

Maxim Gorky

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

I hope your day is as good as mine

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Maya Angelou

Yesterday I shared with you that I thought success should defined as living a well-rounded life that is not centered on wealth and the acquisition of material goods, but rather on living a life that includes pleasures often overlooked by those driving themselves in their search for more. How often do you take time for yourself, how often do you go out to find things that would make your life more interesting, more fun and more enjoyable? Too many of us sit and wait for pleasure to come to us rather than going to where it is abundant. The clock keeps ticking and while some are too worn out from the race to have fun others seem to be too lazy to get up and enjoy it all, meanwhile the rest of us enjoy almost everyday.

Here are a few thoughts from Marc Chernoff that are worth your consideration, I would stick around while you read it but I am going out to play.

 Things You Do NOT Need to Be Happy

As adults we somehow grow into the belief that we need everything to be a certain way in order to find and appreciate moments of happiness.  But the truth is, to be happy we need much less than we think we need.  In fact, I believe one of the best feelings comes when you realize that you can be perfectly OK and happy without the things you once thought you needed:

Ideal circumstances.

The happiest people do not live with a certain set of circumstances, but rather with a certain set of attitudes.  Choosing to be positive and grateful for what you have now is going to determine how you’re going to live the rest of your life.  So look for something positive about today.  Even if you have to look a little harder than usual, it still exists.

Everyone’s approval.

The biggest prison you will likely ever live in is your fear of what other people think. You cannot let other people tell you who you are or what you want.  You have to decide that for yourself.  When you’re making big decisions, remember what you think of yourself and your life is more important than what people think of you.  Don’t let others make you feel guilty for living your life.  It’s YOUR life.  As long as you’re not hurting anyone else, live it YOUR way.

A perfect past.

Do not let the shadows of your past darken the doorstep of your present and future.  Let go, forgive and move forward.  Just because the past didn’t turn out like you had hoped, doesn’t mean your future can’t be better than you had envisioned.  In fact, we often grow stronger in the places we were once broken.  Most of the time the only difference between long-term happiness and long-term despair is not quitting on yourself.  As long as you are breathing it’s never too late.  Today is a new beginning.

Full control of life’s constant changes.

Life is constantly changing and we’re changing with it.  We’re not the same person we were a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago.  Life’s cycle doesn’t stop.  Change is what it’s all about.  But every ending is the beginning of something else.  Every exit is an entry somewhere else.  Live, learn, and let go.  Don’t hold yourself down with the changes you can’t control.

A carefree, stress-free life.

Great challenges make life interesting; overcoming them makes life meaningful.  Don’t wait until everything is just right; it will never be perfect.  There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions.  So what!  Get started now!  With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more skilled, more confident, and more successful.

A mountain of money.

If we counted our blessings more often, instead of our money, we would be a lot richer.  Keep money on your mind but out of your heart.  Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life for yourself.  Cultivate your spiritual growth.  The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.

Constant happiness.

The bottom line is that you can’t be happy unless you’re unhappy sometimes.  Life is not always perfect, and the utopian world of constant happiness in not natural, nor should you expect it.

Live every day of your life in full.  Experience the highs and the lows, the positives and the negatives, and all the moods present between the various extremes.  Don’t focus on simply being happy.  Focus on living a well-rounded, seasoned life.  Focus on achieving completeness.  Yes, happiness is part of this completeness, but so is sadness, difficulty, frustration, and failure.  And overcoming these latter points supports your personal growth far more than constant happiness.

~~~

The definition of success to me is not necessarily a price tag, not fame, but having a good life, and being able to say I did the right thing at the end of the day.

Jeremy Luke

~~~

A man once asked his Rabbi to Explain the meaning of “Talmudic Reasoning.”

The Rabbi replied: “Well, it’s not too easy to explain, but I think I can demonstrate it to you and you will get the point. I will ask you a simple question and you give the answer.  Are you ready?”

The man was ready, so the Rabbi continued: “Imagine that two men come out of a chimney, one is dirty, the other clean. Which one takes a bath?”  The intrigued listener immediately replied: “That’s easy, Rabbi. The dirty one takes the bath.”

“Not so,” said the Rabbi. “The Talmud would explain that when the men came out, the dirty one looked at the clean one and saw a clean face.   Meanwhile the clean one looked at the dirty one and saw a dirty face.”

A knowing look, complete with broad smile, flashed onto the man’s face. The Rabbi continued, “Now tell me which one takes the bath?”  The answer was quick and sure. “Now I get it Rabbi, the clean one takes the bath!”

The Rabbi looked just a bit unhappy, but he answered patiently, “No. You see, the Talmud would go on to ask: ‘How could two men come out of a chimney and one be clean and the other dirty?”

~~~

“A sobering thought: What if, right at this very moment, I am living up to my full potential?”

Jane Wagner

~~~

One afternoon, a woman was in her back yard hanging the laundry when an old, tired-looking dog wandered into the yard. The woman could tell from the dog’s collar and well-fed belly that he had a home. But when she walked into the house, the dog followed her, sauntered down the hall and fell asleep in a corner. An hour later, he went to the door, and the woman let him out.

The next day the dog was back. He resumed his position in the hallway and slept for an hour. This continued for several weeks. Curious, the woman pinned a note to his collar: “Every afternoon, your dog comes to my house for a nap.”

The next day he arrived with a different note pinned to his collar: “We have ten children. He’s trying to catch up on his sleep.

~~~

“Any married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no point in two people remembering the same thing…”

~~~

“When parents talk about the depression of the empty nest, they’re not mourning the passing of all those wet towels on the floor, or the music that numbs your teeth, or even the bottle of capless shampoo dribbling down the shower drain. They’re upset because they have gone from supervisor of a child’s life to spectator. It’s like being the vice-president of the United States.”

Erma Bombeck

~~~

Sometimes it takes a wake-up call, doesn’t it, to alert us to the fact that we’re hurrying through our lives instead of actually living them; that we’re living the fast life instead of the good life. And I think, for many people, that wake-up call takes the form of an illness.

Carl Honore

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Are you a success?

“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching”

Gerard Way

I was at a dinner party the other night chatting with an educator and expressed my concerns that it seemed like too many young people defined success almost exclusively as being able to accumulate wealth. My fear is that in the rush to earn more so that one can buy more often provides little time for the non-material joys that exist for those who define success as being able to live a well-rounded life. There is a lot to be said for earning what is needed to live a comfortable life while enjoying, family, friends and more.

I had copied a piece by someone who realized what real success is and took action to achieve it in his life. Unfortunately I cannot find the original article and am sorry I cannot give the author the credit he deserves. Here is what he wrote:

What Is Success?

What is success, really? What does the word success bring to your mind? I am sure many would answer along the lines of lots of money, big house, new car, designer clothes, five star restaurants and all that. And sure enough, those are signs of success on the material level. Nothing wrong in reaching for those – as long as you feel joy in the process.

It has been interesting to see how my own idea of success has evolved through the years. When I was young, I was eagerly reaching for material success. I chose my jobs accordingly and so of course ended up in sales. And sure enough I did earn some pretty good pay checks.

But then a nagging feeling started to grow. I began to realize selling was not what I wanted to do all my life. After all I was often forced to sell products I knew did not really fit the customer. You know how sales meetings go: all that matters is the amount of money you made. The values were hard. Eventually I became very unhappy.

And so I became to realize that even with big pay checks I did not feel successful. That is when my search for success turned inwards. I quit sales and chose another profession – this time helping people. The feeling of relief and belonging was great – and suddenly my life felt successful again. Even though I earned less, I was much more content.

I started to paint again. I love horses so at first it was horse portraits only. Then abstracts – and then other subjects. And then I returned to my old love – writing. And positive thinking. These two are what this website is all about.

I realized I felt the most successful when I loved what I did, never mind the money. And so for my own part I define success by the feeling of contentment. Joy, happiness. These emotions can be triggered by many things. Painting, writing. Playing with a small child. Handling a difficult case at work well.

So what is success for you? Do you let others define what is your success ? Are you reaching for that big house just to impress others? Or have you learned yet to listen to yourself and what feels good within? Try to learn to listen to your own feelings – and you may be surprised at what you find. I know I was – but I am also much happier for it.

And always remember – what is success for you may not be success in someone else´s mind. But you are not here to live anyone else´s life but your own. It is not your obligation to please others with your life – only yourself. Because only if you are happy yourself, can you spread happiness to others. You cannot give what you do not have.

So be true to yourself and follow your own joyful path to your own definition of success.

~~~

“In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.”

Gordon B. Hinckley

~~~

A man said to his wife one day, “I don’t know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.” The wife responded, “Allow me to explain it to you. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!”

~~~

Success never rests. On your worst days, be good. And on your best days, be great. And on every other day, get better.

Carmen Mariano

~~~

Bumper Stickers

If you are close enough to read this, I am close enough to slam on my brakes and sue you.

Honk if you love peace and quiet.

Go on, I’ll see you at the next traffic light.

I may be slow but I’m ahead of you!

~~~

The math teacher posed this problem, “A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his wife, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his butler, and the rest to charity. Now, what does each get?”

The savvy student answered, “A lawyer!”

~~~

“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never.’”

Martin Luther

~~~

At his wife’s insistence, Goldberg finally went to his doctor for a check up.

“You look terrible,” said the doctor. “Do you drink?”

“Why yes, plenty.” said Goldberg.

“I start every day with a bottle of schnapps.”

“And with that cough,” the doctor continued, “you probably are a smoker.”

“You bet,” said Goldberg, “Three packs a day for me.”

“Look Mr. Goldberg,” the doctor said. “You are not a healthy man. You’re going to have to give up smoking and drinking right away, and that’s an order. And before you go, that’ll be $50 for my advice.”

Goldberg replies, “So who’s taking it?”

~~~

One nice thing about egotists: They don’t talk about other people!

~~~

A factory owner said to a store owner, “Thank you, Mr. Smith, for your patronage. I wish I had twenty customers like you.”

“Gosh, it’s nice to hear that, but I’m kind of surprised,” admitted Smith. “You know that I argue every bill and always pay late.”

The factory owner said, “I’d still like twenty customers like you. The problem is, I have two hundred.”

~~~

Why is “bra” singular and “panties” plural?

~~~

“Look at ME!” boasted the fit old man to a group of young people. “Every morning I do fifty push-ups, fifty sit-ups and walk two miles. I’m fit as a fiddle! And you want to know why? I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t stay up late, and I don’t chase after women!”

He smiled at them, teeth white, eyes glittering, “And tomorrow, I’m going to celebrate my 95th birthday!”

“Oh, really?” drawled one of the young onlookers, “How?”

~~~

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

Eleanor Roosevelt

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

I have a question for you.

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…  It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.

Vivian Greene

I have a question for you this morning, would you like to be happier than you are now? I know most of us would. Well I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that the good fairy is on leave of absence and the last bottle housing a Genie is now under lock and key in an antiquities museum in the Middle East. The good news is that most of us can be happier if we really know what would make us happy and then focus on what that is without letting a lot of negativism cloud our perception.

I know in my case if I let worry or anxiety slip in feeling good soon slips away, since I know almost all worry is unfounded I just don’t waste my time fretting about maybes when I have so many good things going on. There is just nothing much better than feeling good about yourself and what each day can offer. Here is a piece from the LOA Blog that will work better than waiting for the good fairy.

“Nothing is More Important than That I Feel Good!”

Good is good. Sometimes people forget that good is good. To feel good is good, feeling good about something is good, and feeling good because of something is good…Many people think of “feeling good” as just an emotion, or a state of being, but it is also a message in itself.

When you are feeling good, you are automatically attracting all the good things you want (and have ever wanted) to you. …Feeling good is your message from your own Internal Guidance System (Emotional Guidance/Inner Being) telling you that you are on the right track. …It feels like it just feels good, or that you are just happy, but it is actually a message TO you – not just a feeling!

To declare for yourself that nothing is more important than feeling good, is to make a habit of noticing EVERY time you feel bad, and stop, breathe, decide what you DO want/why you want it, and start to imagine how nice it would be if it worked out the way you DO want it to.

Change whatever it was you had been thinking about (overall) when you first noticed yourself feeling bad!

Deciding that there is nothing more important than feeling good is a commitment to always do your best to keep your attention, feelings, thoughts and attitude pointed toward what you DO want, what IS going well and what feels good when you think about it happening – that is that way to be attracting it!

To Feel Good is To Be Allowing

You attract what you ARE – when you are “making the best of it” and looking for reasons / ways to feel content DESPITE whatever may be going on in your life right now, you ARE allowing! And ALLOWING — becoming an energetic match to what you would like to attract — is the ONLY way to manifest anything! To TRY to feel happy or content is the fastest way to match the energy of that which you want — that is HOW you ALLOW it into being!

So, go out there and FEEL BETTER today!  …Look for reasons to FEEL APPRECIATIVE!  …Try to find things to FEEL PLEASED about, and more GOOD will find you!

• Look for the good things in your life
• Try to find reasons to feel at peace, content, and good
• List the positive aspects of situations and people around you
• Think of ANY ways in which your life is “just right” right now
• Search for examples of good news
• Watch happy shows, focus on comedy, and read uplifting material
• Collect stories and memories of the good things that have happened in the past and are happening still, all around you
• Ask the Universe to give you experiences to feel really happy about…

(And, best of all, when you are FEELING GOOD, the particular type of good that you like BEST of all, is the GOOD you are attracting more of!)

Some Ways to Feel Good (when you don’t)

• Stop whatever you were thinking about and say to yourself: “I want to Feel Good” “I want to Feel Better” “I want to see something that will make me smile”
• Do something creative
• Take a nap
• Ask the Universe to draw your attention to something that feels good, that you’ll like, that will bring you joy, or make you laugh
• Go smell some flowers (even in a florist shop, if that’s all that’s available)

~~~

Laugh when you can,  apologize when you should,  and let go of what you can’t change.  Life’s too short to be anything… but happy.

Anonymous

~~~

Two guys in a bar are talking about their wives. “My wife is mad at me again,” says the first.

“Why?”

“I was bombed at the bar across the street last night. And she came looking for me.”

“What’d you do?”

“I asked her for her phone number.”

~~~

Yeager’s Law – Washing machines break down only during the wash cycle. -Corollary – All breakdowns occur on the plumbers’ day off.

~~~

The late great Bob Hope said…

ON TURNING 70 “You still chase women, but only downhill”.

ON TURNING 80 “That’s the time of your life when even your birthday suit needs pressing.”

ON TURNING 90 “You know you’re getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.”

ON GIVING UP HIS EARLY CAREER, BOXING “I ruined my hands in the ring. The referee kept stepping on them.”

ON RECEIVING THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL “I feel very humble, but I think I have the strength of character to fight it.”

~~~

All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner.

~~~

Three students are leaving their last classes of the day. The law student is thinking, “I’m tired and thirsty. I must have coffee.”

The engineering student is thinking, “I’m tired and thirsty. I must have a beer.”

The medical student is thinking, “I’m tired and thirsty. I must have diabetes.”

~~~

Somebody once figured out that we have over 35 million laws trying to enforce 10 Commandments.

~~~

Two sons were left a large piece of property by their father. For months they fought over how the land should be divided. Finally, they brought their problem to their rabbi and asked him to solve it. “Come back tomorrow,” said the rabbi, “and we’ll talk.” The next day the sons returned and the rabbi gave them his solution. “Toss a coin,” he said to one of the brothers. “You call it, heads or tails,” he said to the other. “The one who wins the toss, divides the land.” “That’s no solution,” said one of the brothers. “We’re right back where we started from.” “Not so,” said the rabbi. “The one who wins the toss divides the land; but the other gets first choice.”

~~~

“Confidence is courage at ease.”

Daniel Maher

~~~

A recent government study has finally concluded that pressing the elevator button in rapid succession does NOT cause the elevator to arrive any more quickly than simply waiting until it finally arrives.

~~~

Find the joy. When you feel it, let it wash over you… take a moment to appreciate it. Be grateful for the people in your life, for waking up feeling good and pain free, and for the stretch of road ahead that’s so full of possibilities. When you encounter bumps, keep going and don’t look back.

Unknown author

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

If you wait you will miss a lot.

Overthinking kills your happiness, insecurities kills your self-esteem, & lies kills your trust.

Ritu Ghatourey

As I have aged I have discovered that if I want to live an active and happy life I need to go about doing so without too much delay. I see way too many folks spending so much time getting ready that they miss the race. Overthinking about what we might do is often the way to make sure we won’t do what we could.

It is one thing to procrastinate because we would rather do something else but it is never healthy to procrastinate because we are reluctant or afraid to start. It is like hockey player Wayne Gretzky said some time ago “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” In life you will never know how good it can be if you just stay where you are.

Here are some tips on how to stop overthinking that I copied from an article by Henrik Edberg

 How to Stop Overthinking Everything

What is holding people back from the life that they truly want to live? I’d say that one very common and destructive thing is that they think too much. They overthink every little problem until it becomes bigger and scarier and it actually is. Overthink positive things until they don’t look so positive anymore.

Now, thinking things through can be a great thing of course. But being an overthinker can result in becoming someone who stands still in life. In becoming someone who self-sabotages the good things that happen in life.

Put things into a wider perspective.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of overthinking minor things in life. So when you are thinking and thinking about something ask yourself: Will this matter in 5 years? Or even in 5 weeks?

Set short time-limits for decisions.

If you do not have a time-limit for when you must make a decision and take action then you can just keep turning your thoughts around and around and view them from all angles in your mind for a very long time. So learn to become better at making decisions and to spring into action by setting deadlines in your daily life. No matter if it is a small or bigger decision.

Realize that you cannot control everything.

Trying to think things through 50 times can be a way to try to control everything. To cover every eventuality so you do not risk making a mistake, fail or looking like a fool. But those things are a part of living a life where you truly stretch your comfort zone. Everyone who you may admire and have lived a life that inspires you has failed. They have made mistakes. But in most cases they have also seen these things as valuable feedback to learn from. Those things that may look negative have taught them a lot and have been invaluable to help them to grow.

Do not get lost in vague fears.

Another trap that I have fallen into many times that have spurred on overthinking is that I have gotten lost in vague fears about a situation in my life. And so my mind running wild has created disaster scenarios about what could happen if I do something. So I have learned to ask myself: honestly, what is the worst that could happen? And when I have figured out what the worst that could happen actually is then I can also spend a little time to think about what I can do if that often pretty unlikely thing happens.

Spend more of your time in the present moment.

By being in the present moment in your everyday life rather than in the past or a possible future in your mind you can replace more and more of the time you usually spend on overthinking things with just being here right now instead.

Spend more of your time with people who do not overthink things.

Your social environment plays a big part. And not just the people and groups close to you in real life. But also what you read, listen to and watch. The blogs, books, forums, movies, podcasts and music in your life. Find ways to spend more of your time and attention with the people and sources that have a positive effect on your thinking and less on the influences that tends to strengthen your overthinking habit.

~~~

“This is probably the advantage of being stupid. Stupid people just do. We tend to overthink. If we could eliminate the “over” and just think, then we could do, too. Only we’d be smarter doers because we’d be thinkers.”

Sarah Strohmeyer

~~~

There once was a business owner who was interviewing people for a division manager position and had a variety of individuals applying for the position. He decided to select the individual that could answer the question how much is 2+2?

The first candidate was an engineer. He pulled out a slide rule and showed that the answer was 4.

The second candidate was an attorney. He stated that in the case of Svenson vs. the State, 2+2 was proven to be 4.

The final candidate was a CPA. When asked what 2+2 equaled, the CPA did not respond immediately. He looked at the business owner, then got out of his chair and went to see if anyone was listening at the door. Then he returned to the business owner and said, “What would you like it to be?”

~~~

Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?

~~~

An elderly gentlemen went in for his annual physical exam. The doctor said, “You’re in incredible shape. How old are you again?” The man replied, “I am 78.”

The doctor exclaimed, “Wow, 78. How do you stay so healthy? You look like a 60 year old.” The man explained, “Well, my wife and I made a pact when we got married that whenever she got mad she would go into the kitchen and cool off and I would go outside to settle down.”

“What does that have to do with it?” asked the doctor. The man sighed, “I’ve pretty much lived an outdoor life.”

~~~

Nothing multiplies so much as kindness.

John Ray

~~~

A new hair salon opened up for business right across the street from the old established hair cutters’ place.  They put up a big bold sign which read:

“WE GIVE SEVEN DOLLAR HAIR CUTS!”

Not to be outdone, the old Master Barber put up his own sign:

“WE FIX SEVEN DOLLAR HAIR CUTS”

~~~

She’s afraid that if she leaves, she’ll become the life of the party.

Groucho Marx

~~~

An elderly Jew is struck by a car and brought to the hospital.

A pretty nurse tucks him into bed and says, “Mr. Epstein, are you comfortable?”

Epstein replies, “I make a nice living.”

~~~

If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got. If you want things that you never got, you must do things you have never done!

Nishan Panwar

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

This daily is sent only to special people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.

Some days are not easy

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man be perfected without trials.

Danish Proverb

A couple of days ago I took my car in for what I thought was some minor repairs only to find out that I had a catastrophic problem that would cost more than $3000 to repair, that on top of probably another couple of thousand for stuff I had put off. Needless to say this was quite a shock especially when I learned that the problem made my auto unsafe to drive. So once I got past the “woe is me” stuff my wife and I realized the only solution was to replace it with something new.

If you remember the other day I said something like “In every adverse situation there is a complimentary opportunity,” the idea is similar to  “It is an ill wind that that blows no good.” So being me I thought about this situation and realized that if I would have taken better care of myself, I probably would not had my recent open heart surgery and if I had not had the surgery I would not of canceled my wife’s and my two week cruise, and if I had not of had to cancel the two week cruise I would not have had the available funds to put down on a new car. I felt better but I still find it hard to view my cardiac problems as positive events.

So far the car is smarter than I am with all its features but I am sure I will get use to them. So I now get better mileage, up to date electronics and a car with no defects. In fact it came with a 20 year warrantee which means I am covered until I will be almost a hundred years old; I may decide to quit driving before then.

In my case the knowledge that life goes on keeps me focused on not wasting time crying over spilt milk. Here are thing’s to think about when encountering a setback:

Points to Consider When Things Go Wrong

✓ The difficult times in life help us appreciate when things are going smoothly.

✓ Look for the learning opportunities in every adverse situation.

✓ Decide whether you will allow your experience to make, or break you. Depending upon how you choose to perceive it, it could go either way.

✓ Be prepared to accept the worst, should it occur. When you have prepared yourself mentally for the worst, it rarely ever happens, and if it does, it seems less so because you are better equipped to handle it.

✓ Cultivate faith, courage and resilience. The more of these qualities you arm yourself with, the lesser the impact of the adversity.

✓ Remind yourself that adversity is part of life. To Accept adversity, helps you overcome it.

Overcoming adversity is one of our main challenges in life. When we resolve to confront and overcome it, we become expert at dealing with it and consequently triumph over our day-to-day struggles.

~~~

Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.

Voltaire

~~~

A friend of mine heard this on a pre-flight announcement from an American Airlines pilot: “On our flight today, we will be flying at 34,000 feet. To give you an idea of how high that is, we would be able to fly over 50 Empire state buildings stacked one on top the other.

“Our speed will be about 500 miles per hour. That is just over the muzzle velocity of the standard military .45 pistol.”

“We will be pushed along by two Pratt and Whitney JT-8D-200 turbofan engines. While thrust to horsepower varies with altitude, the total 40,000 pounds of thrust is greater than the combined power of 10 D-9 diesel locomotives.”

“In other words, we’re faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and as always, your Dallas based crew stands for truth, justice, and the AMERICAN way of life!”

~~~

All of us could take a lesson from the weather.  It pays no attention to criticism.

~~~

A guy had told all of his friends about the great steak he’d eaten downtown the day before. A group of them decided to head down and see if was really as large and delicious as he was making it out to be. The group was seated in the back of the restaurant. After looking over the menu, they ordered and waited, hungrily, for their large, delicious pieces of gigantic steaks. To their collective disappointment, the waiter brought out some of the smallest steaks they’d ever seen.

“Now see here,” the very embarrassed guy said to the waiter. “Yesterday when I came down here you served me a BIG, juicy, steak. Today, though, when I have my friends invited, you serve small miniature steaks! What is the meaning of this?”

“Yes, sir,” replied the waiter, “yesterday you were sitting by the window.”

~~~

“If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved.”

Maurice Chevalier

~~~

A distraught young couple, as yet unmarried, sought advice from their rabbi. “Rabbi, it’s terrible,” said the man. “We’re not getting married for three months, but every day we feel the overwhelming desire to have sex. How can we stay within the laws of Judaism?”

“Orange juice,” the rabbi answered.

“Orange juice?” asked the woman. “What do you mean? Before?, after?”

“INSTEAD!”

~~~

You know you’re growing older when …You begin to realize that your parents were right, after all.!

~~~

It´s a summer holiday weekend and a man walks into a butcher shop which has a sign in the window saying “Ground Sirloin: $2.29 per pound” The man says, “I´m having a cookout this weekend. I´d like 5 pounds of your ground sirloin, please.”

The butcher shakes his head and says, “Sorry. I´m all out.”

The man, disappointed goes down the street to another butcher shop and asks, “How much is your ground sirloin?” The proprietor replies, “It´s $3.29 per pound.”

“Three twenty nine!?!” exclaimed the customer. “Just up the street he sells it for $2.29 cents!”

The butcher smiles calmly at the gentleman and asks, “Does he have any?”

“No. He´s out of it right now.”

“Well,” says the butcher. “When I don’t have any, I can sell it for $1.19 per pound!”

~~~

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

Michael Jordan

~~~

Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

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