Ray’s Daily
October 18, 2019
“Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.”
E.B. White
I have been somewhat home bound recently as I recover from a cold. I missed some events in the interest of public health but I am now ready to venture back out.
It is not easy staying up when an illness takes you down. In my case I find sleep to be an effective hiding place and that chicken soup helps.
I think that a recent article written by Angel Chernoff is always worth remembering when we are challenged. It is pretty long so I have made major edits but retained her points. Here is what she wrote.
5 Hard Questions that Can Save a Life
Today, I’ve turned these five key principles into five hard questions for you—hard, because following through with what they ask of you is far from easy. If you avoid these questions and make decisions unconsciously, there’s a good chance you’ll end up like the majority of people who tend to be out of shape physically, exhausted mentally, and personally and professionally regretful. But, if you ask yourself these questions on a regular basis, and make your daily decisions consciously, you can literally save yourself from a life filled with needless pain and frustration…
- Are you focusing on what’s truly important? – At every moment, millions of little things compete for your attention. All these things fall into one of two categories: things that are important and things that are not. So if you want to be more successful and less stressed, don’t ask how to make something more efficient until you’ve first asked, “Do I need to do this at all?”
- Are you focusing more on problems or solutions? – Where your mind goes, energy flows. Which area of your life do you tend to focus on: what you have or what’s missing from your life? Do you take time to feel deeply grateful with your mind, body, heart and soul? That’s where the energy to take positive action comes from. So don’t let negativity and drama get the best of you.
- What meaning are you assigning to your challenges? –
When something happens that disrupts your life (an illness, an injury, a job loss, etc.), do you tend to think that this is the end or the beginning? When something negative happens, view this circumstance as a chance to learn something you didn’t know. Don’t wish it never happened. Don’t try to step back in time. Take the lessons learned and step forward.
- What will you do next to make progress? – While everyone else is talking about it, successful people are quietly doing it.
Successful people know that a good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed someday. They don’t wait for the “right time” or the “right day” or the “right (impossible) circumstances”, because they know these reactions are based on a fear and nothing more.
- What tangible reminders do you need to see to stay motivated? –
Few good things come easy, and when the going gets tough we often take the easy way out—even though the easy way takes us the wrong way. To combat this, many of the happiest and most successful people we know create tangible reminders that pull them back from the brink of their weak impulses. Think of moments when you are most likely to give in to impulses that take you farther away from your ultimate goals. Then use tangible reminders of those goals to interrupt the impulse and keep you on track.
~~~
“Life keeps throwing me stones. And I keep finding the diamonds.”
Ana Claudia Antunes
~~~
The son of a financier bursts into his father’s office and says, “Dad, lend me $5,000.”
“What for?” his father asks.
“I’ve got a sure tip on the market.”
“How much could we make?” his father asks.
“I’d say at least $2,000 — that’s $1,000 for each of us.”
“OK, son. Here’s $1,000,” his father said. “Let’s consider that we have made the deal and it has succeeded. You make $1,000 and I save $4,000.”
~~~
“When there is a hill to climb, don’t think that waiting will make it smaller.”
Anonymous
~~~
One day at kindergarten, the teacher says to the to the class of five-year-olds, “I’ll give $2 to the child who can tell me who the most famous man who ever lived was.”
An Irish boy raised his hand and said, “Please, Miss, it was St. Patrick.” The teacher said, “Sorry, Sean, that’s not correct.”
Then a Scottish boy put his hand up and said, “Please, Miss, it was St. Andrew.” The teacher replied, “I’m sorry, Hamish, that’s not right either.”
Finally, a Jewish boy, Adam, raised his hand and said, “Please, Miss, it was Jesus Christ.”
The teacher said, “That’s absolutely right, Adam. Come up here, and I’ll give you your $2.”
As the teacher was giving Adam his money, she said, “You know, Adam, you being Jewish, I was very surprised you said Jesus Christ.” “I know, Miss,” Adam replied, “in my heart I knew it was Moses, but business is business.”
~~~
“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
Elbert Hubbard ~~
~~~
NASA planned a mission that involved three astronauts spending two years in space. Because of the extended duration, each was allowed to take 200 pounds of baggage, with no restrictions.
The first astronaut decided to take along his wife, the second decided to take along books to learn how to speak German, while the third astronaut decided to take along cigarettes.
Two years later, when the space shuttle landed, there was a big crowd waiting to welcome them home.
First came the first astronaut and his wife and each of them had a baby in their arms.
Next, out came the second astronaut speaking fluent German.
They both gave their speeches and got a rousing applause.
Suddenly out came the third astronaut with a cigarette in his mouth.
He walked up to the podium and snarled to the crowd and asked, “Anyone got a light?”
~~~
“The most beautiful people I’ve known are those who have known trials, have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.”
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross
~~~
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
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