Ray’s Daily
November 25, 2019
Good things happen when you get your priorities straight.
Scott Caan
We begin what will be a busy week for us who live in the USA. You see this Thursday is our nation’s Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday. We call the next day Black Friday since retailers all over will offer deep discounts on all kinds of items drawing in thousands of bargain hunters. It is a week when millions of travelers will clog our highways and streets as they travel to family gatherings and then travel in search of super low prices.
One of the good things in my life these days is the absence of an automobile, no car, no traffic jams. I will be having Thanksgiving lunch with fellow residents here at the Forum and then will be transported to another Thanksgiving feast with my family on Thursday.
It seems like all my days are busy lately. My wife’s needs are my first priority, but I also have some mandatory obligations and things I would like to do. I often find I have not managed my time well enough to fit it all in, but I am doing better.
Recently Marc Chernoff shared his thoughts on what we need to do to get done what we really want done. Here is what he wrote.
Reminders to Focus on What Matters Most
The solution to our time-wasting tendencies is a long-term practice. It is to ritualistically raise our awareness of how we presently manage – and waste – our time. And that’s exactly what the seven mantras below (which are excerpts from our books and blog archive) are designed to do – they will compel you to steal your time back from those recurring time-wasting tendencies you’ve grown accustomed to.
- Anytime you catch yourself wasting time for the sake of wasting it, remember…The quality of your life in the long run directly depends upon how you set and respect your priorities today.
- At times, you have to say “no” to good things to be able to say “yes” to important things. You can’t do it all. Be mindful and choose wisely.
- “I don’t have time,” is really just another, perhaps politer, or perhaps naive, way of saying, “It is not that important to me.”
- Don’t waste your time and energy fighting against where you are. Invest your time and energy into getting to where you want to go. And even if you have a good reason to be upset and resentful, let it go. Channel your energy into thoughts and actions that actually benefit your life right now.
- Be present with what matters most. There are few joys in life that equal a good conversation, a good story, a good laugh, a good hug, or a good friend.
- Overcommitting is the biggest mistake most people make against living a happier, simpler life. It’s tempting to fill in every waking minute of the day with to-do list tasks or distractions. Don’t do this to yourself. Leave space.
~~~
Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.
Stephen R. Covey
~~~
A first grade teacher collected well-known proverbs. She gave each child in her class the first half of a proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It’s hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading these keep in mind that these are first graders…..6-year-olds, because the last one is classic!
- Better to be safe than………………. punch a 5th grader.
- Strike while the……………………. bug is close.
- It’s always darkest before……………… Daylight Saving Time.
- Never underestimate the power of………… termites.
- You can lead a horse to water but……….. how?
- Don’t bite the hand that………………. looks dirty.
- No news is…………………….. impossible.
- A miss is as good as a…………………. Mr.
- You can’t teach an old dog new…………..math.
- If you lie down with dogs, you’ll……… stink in the morning.
- Love all, trust………………………..me.
- The pen is mightier than the……………. pigs.
- An idle mind is……………..the best way to relax.
- Where there’s smoke there’s…………….. pollution.
- Happy the bride who………………….. gets all the presents.
- A penny saved is……………………..not much.
- Two’s company, three’s…………….the Musketeers.
- Don’t put off till tomorrow what………. you put on to go to bed.
- Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and………you have to blow your nose.
- There are none so blind as………….. Stevie Wonder.
- Children should be seen and not…………. spanked or grounded.
- If at first you don’t succeed…………. get new batteries.
- You get out of something only what you…….see in the picture on the box.
- When the blind leadeth the blind………. get out of the way.
And the favorite:
- Better late than……………………..pregnant!!!!
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We must constantly build dykes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
~~~
An attorney was sitting in his office late one night, when the Devil appeared before him.
The Devil said to the lawyer, “I have a proposition for you. You can win every case you try, for the rest of your life. Your clients will adore you, your colleagues will stand in awe of you, and you will make embarrassing sums of money. All I want in exchange is your soul, your wife’s soul, your children’s souls, the souls of your parents, grandparents, and parents-in-law, and the souls of all of your friends and law partners.”
The lawyer thought about this for a moment, then asked,
“So, what’s the catch?”
~~~
If these walls could talk, they’d probably say, “No! Not the nails again! Not the hammer! NOT THE HAMMER!!!!”
Jennifer A. Ford
~~~
On New Year’s Eve, Judy stood up at the local pub and said that it was time to get ready. At the stroke of midnight, she wanted every husband to be standing next to the one person who made his life worth living.
Well, it was kind of embarrassing. The bartender was almost crushed to death.
~~~
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
~ Aesop
~~~
When a blonde finally 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 the blonde wife was back in the store and Riley asked her how she liked the coffee maker. “Wonderful!” she replied, “However, there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why do I have to go to bed every time I want to make a pot of coffee?”
~~~
Diplomat: A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.
~~~
The elderly husband and wife, both a little hard of hearing, were watching golf on TV. The husband turned to his wife of some 50 years and said, “In my next life, I’m going to be rich and play all those beautiful golf courses with their great bars and dining and dancing areas.” The wife quickly responded, “How will you be able to manage all that with your bad legs? You can barely walk!” “I said, ‘..in my next life…,'” the husband replied.
“Oh,” she said. I thought you said, ‘..with my next wife…'”
~~~
I learned that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything… at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything.
Dan Millman
~~~
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to 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 http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.
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