courage

Thinking Out Loud ~ Is It Time to Make a Good Decision?

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It Takes Courage

Saint-Exupéry writes in The Little Prince of the Little Prince visiting another planet, this planet is inhabited by a drinker. The Little Prince asked the drinker why he is drinking,

“To forget,” replied the drinker.

“To forget what?” asked the little Prince who was already complaining.

“To forget that I am ashamed,” confessed the drinker lowing the head.

“Ashamed of what inquired the little prince who wanted to rescue him.

“Ashamed of drinking!” Completed the drinker who definitely shut himself up in silence.

And the little Prince went away, puzzled.

NOTE: some years ago I read a book written the Harvard Negotiating Team on decision making. One of the key points they made has remained with me. They said, in the book, often the best decision we can make is to stop making a bad decision. It takes awareness to know that we are making a bad decision. Once we are aware of our bad decision, it takes heaps of courage to admit it and stop making the bad decision. In its place, we can make a better decision.

 

Thinking Out Loud ~ A Bit of Humility Goes a Long Way

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Yes, One Can Be Too Full of Him/Herself

Saint-Exupéry writes in The Little Prince of the Little Prince visiting another planet, this planet is inhabited by a vainglorious man. The Little Prince asked the vainglorious man a question,

“But the vainglorious man did not hear it. The van glorious man only hears praise. ‘Do you really admire me a lot?'” he asked the little prince.

“What does admire mean?”

“Admiring means recognizing that I’m the most handsome, the best dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man on the planet.”

“But you’re alone on your planet!”

“Do me this favor. Admire me anyway.”

NOTE: Have you ever been in the presence of people like the van glorious man? I have and it’s not a pleasant experience. They only talk about themselves and their interests as they drone on. Those who are like the vainglorious man are unable to learn from the vast diversity of people that surround them. When we open ourselves to listening to and learning from the vast diversity of people who surround us our worldview broadens, and we grasp a greater understanding and compassionate feel for other human beings.

Poem for Today ~ On Pain

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On Pain

Kahlil Gibran

And a woman spoke, saying, Tell us of Pain.
     And he said:
     Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
     Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
     And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
     And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
     And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

     Much of your pain is self-chosen.
     It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
     Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility:
     For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
     And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Watch Where You Point Your Finger

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Who am I Really Judging?

Saint-Exupéry writes in The Little Prince of the Little Prince leaving his planet and visiting another planet governed by a king. The king makes the Little Prince the minister of justice. “Ah! But I have seen, said the little Prince who bent over to take a look at the other side of the planet. There is nobody there either.”

“So you will judge yourself, the king answered. It is the most difficult it is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed to judge yourself well, you are a truly wise man.”

NOTE: How easy it is for us to judge other people. We see this in social media. We see this on the news shows. We see it on sports broadcasts. We hear it on politically slanted podcasts. People are paid to judge other people. No one is paid to judge him or herself. When we look at ourselves in the clear light of day we may see things that we do not like. Often we will project what we don’t like in ourselves on others. It’s ironic that when we judge others we are often judging ourselves.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Dare to Say, I Love You

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Three Power-filled Word: I Love You

Saint-Exupéry in writes in The Little Prince of the Little Prince leaving his planet and flower, “’Goodbye’, he said to the flower. But it did not answer him. ‘Goodbye’, he repeated. The flower coughed but it was not because of his cold. ‘I was a fool,’ it finally said. ‘Excuse me try to be happy.’ He was surprised by the absence of reproaches. He just stood there all bewildered, the glass case in the air. He did not understand this quiet sweetness.  ‘But yes, I love you,’ said the flower. ‘You did not know, my fault. This has no importance. But you have been as stupid as me.”

NOTE: Three words, I love you may be the most difficult words for a human being to say. I know someone very well who, as a young child, stopped telling his father that he loved him. It wasn’t because he didn’t love him, it was because it wasn’t said. One day this person was inspired by a sermon at his church and he decided to call his father that night and tell him he loved him. After talking to his father for 45 minutes, he finally had the courage to say I love you. And he said it every time he spoke to his father and it made all the difference for him and his father. Have the courage to say I love you. You never know it may be returned to you. In any event, you will have made the world a little bit better because you had the courage to say I love you.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Love Will Change Us Forever

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Learning to Love Takes Time

Saint-Exupéry in writes in The Little Prince, “I should not listen to him,” he told me one day.  . . . It is necessary to look at them (flowers) and smell them. Mine perfumed my planet, but I did not know how to rejoice. He told me yet: “then, I have not known how to understand anything! I should judge it on its actions, not on its words. It embalmed me and lit me. I should never have run away! I should have guessed it’s tenderness behind its poor tricks. The flowers are so contradictory! But I was too young to know how to love it.””

NOTE: Learning to love takes a long time. It doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. It takes a heart willing to listen and learn. It takes a heart willing to set aside judgments and seeing beyond the words and into another heart. Love can be frightening, if we have the courage to let love in our life it will change us forever.

Daily Inspirational Quotes ~ Rise Up and Keep Going

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“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Sir Winston Churchill

Photo for Today ~ No Fear

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Feel Good Tip ~ Life is Better Together

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Where There Is Love There Is Life – Ghandi

Life may be less complicated alone. Life, however, is better together. When our lives are shared there is someone we can count on. There is someone to celebrate the joyful moments. There is someone to console us in the sorrowful moments. Life together may be complicated at times, but the benefits from a loving relationship far outweigh the cost.

Photo for the Day ~ Step Boldly

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