Ray's Daily

Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.

Hermann Hesse

Not too long ago I suggested that our progress is often limited by our inability to let go of some of the clutter in our lives. Yesterday I wrote that successful people persevere, they seldom give up and just keep going. For many there success is based as much on what they don’t do as what they do do, they seldom waste time on the unimportant so they can concentrate their efforts on what is important.

I know it is often not easy to walk away from something we have always done but when we do we many times are able to open a door to something better. Here are some quotes offered by Marc Chernoff on how we can just let go of things we really don’t need.

Quotes that Remind You to Let Go

• Oftentimes letting go is simply changing the labels you place on a situation – it’s looking at the same situation with fresh eyes and an open mind. Truth be told, there is absolutely nothing about your present circumstances that prevents you from making progress, one tiny, mindful step at a time.
• Letting go isn’t about having the courage to release the past – it’s about having the wisdom and strength to embrace the present. It’s not about forgetting – it’s about remembering without fear.  It’s stepping forward, untethered, with a present mind and a lesson learned.
• One of the most rewarding and important moments in life is the moment you finally find the courage to let go of what you can’t change. When you let go of how it “should” be, you ignite the full potential of how it CAN be from this moment forward.  Happiness, then, is ultimately letting go of what you think your life is supposed to be like right now and sincerely appreciating it for everything that it is, and making the very best of it.
• Letting go doesn’t mean you don’t care about something or someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only thing you really have control over is your next action in this moment.  In most cases, you can’t calm the storm – and it’s not worth trying.  What you can do is calm yourself, and collect yourself, and the storm will pass.
• To let go is to be thankful for the experiences that made you laugh, made you cry, and helped you learn and grow. It’s the acceptance of everything you have, everything you once had, and the possibilities that lie ahead.
• You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward. Just do the best you can until you know better.  Once you know better, do better.  Make gradual growth a daily ritual.  This is how life-changing momentum is built.  It feeds on itself, one small step at a time.  Make an effort to begin, and as you start moving forward it takes less and less effort to sustain.
• As you take the next step, and the next, your greatest defense against stress, frustration and defeat is your inherent ability to choose one thought over another. Remember this.  If you look for reasons to be disheartened – if you look for reasons to give up and give in – you’ll find plenty of them.  Look instead for reasons to be positive, and see them everywhere.  Then carry on.

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There’s an important difference between giving up and letting go.

Jessica Hatchigan

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“Non-Martha 30-Minute Guide to a Clean House”

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first session of Housekeeping Tips for Regular People. If you’re a Martha Stewart type of housekeeper, this is NOT for you. However, for the rest of you, this is your chance to learn 15 Secret Shortcuts to Good Housekeeping that your mother never told you.

SECRET TIP 1: DOOR LOCKS – If a room clearly can’t be whipped into shape in 30 days, much less 30 minutes, employ the Locked Door Method of cleaning. Tell anyone who tries to go in the room that you accidentally locked the door and can’t find the key. Of course, the locksmith can’t possibly come until tomorrow. CAUTION: It is not advisable to use this tip for the bathroom.

SECRET TIP 2: DUCT TAPE – No home should be without an ample supply. Not only is it handy for plumbing repairs, but it’s a great way to hem drapes, tablecloths, clothes, just about anything. No muss, no fuss.

SECRET TIP 3: OVENS – If you think ovens are just for baking, think again. Ovens represent at least 9 cubic feet of hidden storage space, which means they’re a great place to shove dirty dishes, dirty clothes, or just about anything you want to get out of sight when company’s coming.

SECRET TIP 4: CLOTHES DRYERS – Like Secret Tip 3, except bigger. CAUTION: Avoid hiding flammable objects here.

SECRET TIP 5: WASHING MACHINES & FREEZERS – Like Secret Tip 4, except even bigger.

SECRET TIP 6: DUST RUFFLES – No bed should be without one. Devotees of Martha Stewart believe dust ruffles exist to keep dust out from under a bed or to help coordinate the colorful look of a bedroom. The rest of us know a dust ruffle’s highest and best use is to hide whatever you’ve managed to shove under the bed.

SECRET TIP 7: DUSTING – The 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House method says: Never dust under what you can dust around.

SECRET TIP 8: DISHES – Don’t use them. Use plastic and you won’t have to wash them.

SECRET TIP 9: CLOTHES WASHING – This secret tip is brought to you by an inventive teenager. When this teen’s mother went on a housekeeping strike for a month, the teen discovered you can extend the life of your underwear by two… if you turn it wrong side out and, yes, rerun it.

SECRET TIP 10: IRONING – If an article of clothing doesn’t require a full press and your hair does, a curling iron is the answer. In between curling your hair, use the hot wand to iron minor wrinkles out of your clothes.

SECRET TIP 11: VACUUMING – Stick to the middle of the room, which is the only place people look. Don’t bother vacuuming under furniture. It takes way too long and no one looks there anyway.

SECRET TIP 12: LIGHTING – The key here is low, low, and lower. It’s not only romantic, but bad lighting can hide a multitude of dirt.

SECRET TIP 13: BED MAKING – Get an old-fashioned waterbed. No one can tell if those things are made up or not, saving you, oh, hundreds of seconds over the course of a lifetime.

SECRET TIP 14: SHOWERS, TOILETS, AND SINKS – Forget one and two. Concentrate on three.

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The sweetest of all sounds is praise.

Xenophon

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We got lucky when we heard the old Piedmont Hotel in Atlanta was getting a face-lift and its beautiful maple doors became available for sale as salvage items. We bought several and had them installed in our 19th-century home.

Showing a friend around the house, I pointed out, “You know, these doors are from the Piedmont Hotel.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Most people just take towels.”

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EVERY TIME I HEAR THE DIRTY WORD “EXERCISE,” I WASH MY MOUTH OUT WITH CHOCOLATE.

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Nina confided to Rosey, “My cooking left my husband cold.”

“He divorced you because of your cooking?” Rosey asked.

“No,” Nina replied, “he died.”

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There’s a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over – and to let go. It means leaving what’s over without denying its value.

Ellen Goodman

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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.

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 https://raykiwsp.wordpress.com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.