The Importance of Trying

Happy Friday everyone! I can't believe that this is the last Friday of January already..it has flown by so quickly! There has been much to keep me preoccupied these last few weeks and I think I have chosen well in today's quote as a reflection of where my thought patterns are coming from today.

Today's Quote: "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt

I started to type today on the importance of trying, even if we don't succeed right away and I came up with a plethora of examples from politics, to science and medicine to the basic things we have come to depend on in our daily lives. These things include but are not limited to; homes that can withstand the elements, indoor plumbing and central heating, our televisions, computers and even that silicone pot holder you used to take your chocolate chip cookies out of the oven.  If we were to really take apart even the simplest things we have, know, see or experience in our lives today, other than things that we can find naturally occurring around us, everything else was the result of an idea; a simple thought that was acted upon. Now, we all have ideas but the key is that these ideas were then put into action to become what we know them to be today. The process of putting thought into action means that there was most likely  some failures, some errors made along the way that required the original idea to be tweaked until it went from thought to actually being. How tragic our lives would have been if all the amazing minds that have contributed to what we know of existence today, had given up the first time they failed. Now, some might say that these contributions to our lives were the work of exceptional minds and I would not disagree with that statement at all, however, what made them so exceptional? Was it the fact that they had the courage and determination to act on their ideas or was it a level of intelligence that gave them the idea in the first place? I tend to believe that it was the former and not the latter. ANY person can think. Any person can dream up fantastic images of things that they wish existed or a way of life they wish they could experience. That is the power of imagination and we all have one. What we do with those ideas is totally dependent on us. Not every idea is a good one and not every idea will change the world dramatically but that does not mean that we don't all have good ideas that COULD change our lives. The majority of the population, however, will not take that risk. Perhaps they think their ideas are silly, maybe they fear they are bad ideas and are so worried about it failing that they play it safe and keep the idea to themselves. Some people I am sure just feel they don't have the resources to make it a reality. Whatever the cause, it is but a small few who will continuously work to take what is in their heads and no matter how many times they may stumble, keep pushing onward until their idea has become integrated into our way of life. The same can be said for other aspects of our lives as well. This sense of determination is not limited to those who are trying to invent something, or change world policy etc. Perhaps what we are talking about here  is the idea that we can achieve a certain personal goal for ourselves and not something as dramatic as changing the way the entire world experiences their lives. This is no less important of a message for those seeking to advance their own existences, to expand their own personal knowledge and horizons and improve upon themselves. In fact, I would say that this message is even more important to those who are struggling to find a good reason to get up in the morning, to continue barreling on regardless of what life may throw in their pathways. Those in this scenario are no less intelligent or important than anyone else on the planet. My advice to you all, no matter where you are at in your lives, is to never give up, never give in and ALWAYS keep trying your best and reaching for your stars. You never know when you might discover something amazing!

Namaste

Dog Eats Dog

Good morning everyone! I was searching for a quote that had to do with people taking advantage of others, something that I feel is currently happening to me, when I came across one that stopped that search in it's tracks. I thought to myself, this is exactly the type of situation this quote applies to and so I offer it up for today instead of where my mind had originally wanted to go.

Today's Quote: "A Native American Elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, "the one I feed the most." - George Bernard Shaw

As I said before, I was completely set on the topic for today because of the way I am being treated by certain people in my circle.  I wanted to get those feelings processed and out in the open so that they did not begin to eat away at my peace of mind today. However, when I read the quote above, I had one of those moments where I felt like I was standing at a crossroads and before me lay my two options. I could either stay on my current path, allowing the actions of another person to taint my day and in essence feed the mean and evil dog, or I could choose to feed the good dog, the one that tells me that it can only taint my day if I allow it to. I obviously chose the latter of the two. I think this quote was so profound to me because of the simplicity of the visualization. I can see it now:...two dogs, one foaming and aggressive, wild in its very nature and out of control while the other is standing tall and silent, a calming aura of self control shown in its eyes, in the very stance it takes. Feeding the former would make that dog all the stronger in its chaos and unpredictability. It would enable the dog to become more of a destructive force. However, if you were to starve that dog and instead put everything into feeding the "good" dog and making it stronger, because of its very nature nature that strength could then be harnessed and controlled,  focused on a more productive target. I don't know about you but I would rather be able to hold the reigns and control my inner dog then have a dangerous one pulling me along as it runs rampant, terrorizing anything and everything that crosses its path. I hope that this quote does for you what it has done for me in allowing you that moment of clarity when faced with a choice. It is a dog eat dog world out there, so make sure your companion is the one being fed the good stuff!

Namaste

Music To My Ears

I know this blog is showing itself kind of late in the day but I just wasn't quite ready to write earlier. I have finally had that light bulb go on that told me I had the perfect topic to offer up for my perceptions of the moment and so now I will share them with you.

Today's quote: " I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me to be the most civilized music in the world." Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004)

I have had a pretty fantastic day. I have spent a lot of it laughing at the numerous people, influences and situations that have crossed my path. Today was just a good day to laugh and it felt really liberating to be able to let go of the stress that so often overtakes my life.
It all started when I was playing status tag on a networking site with my best friend in the entire world. Now, there is a woman who knows how to laugh! She has one of the best laughs I have ever heard and it actually comes in two parts. First there is the "Betty Rubble" giggle, which shows itself on a fairly regular basis as she seems to be able to find humor in almost anything! Then there is her "belly laugh", which is just what it sounds like. It comes straight from her belly, loud and booming, her mirth radiating out of her and effecting everyone around her. It is completely contagious and there is not a person, I don't think, who could refrain from sharing in her joy when she let's that one go. She is one of the few people in the world who can make me laugh so ridiculously hard that I actually burst into tears, my emotional floodgate being smashed to pieces by whatever incident has caused the laugh fest to begin. I have known her for 27 years and there are a million stories to be told and relived where this was the outcome of my time spent with her. After that, I started my quote hunt for this blog and I came across so many funny quotes that just had me in stitches. My daughter actually asked me if I was drunk because I was laughing so hard at what I was reading! Then her and I started in on a conversation where we once again, started laughing and joking around. Making dinner with my other two children loaned itself to still more silliness and laughter and then after dinner, a  little playing and teasing with my husband had us both giggling away like little school girls. Indeed, today has been a day to laugh and the ability to do so and the sheer sounds of it filling my home was a symphony to my ears. I can think of no better sound in the world. Whether it is the adorable first laugh of a baby, the toddler chasing the dog and laughing at the experience, friends laughing together or lovers sharing a funny memory to the sound of it, there is no such thing as laughing out of key and every note is beautiful and moving. I wish you all merriment and joy today and always. May your own personal magnum opus fill your hearts and homes.
Namaste