Friendship

Henry David Thoreau said:

A man cannot be said to succeed in this life who does not satisfy one friend.

How do you satisfy a friend?

Friend means: ally, affectionate, loyal, advocate, confidant, companion, sympathetic, playful, collaborator, helpful, honest, familiar.

The same actions used in acquiring happiness are indicated in a good friendship.

George Eliot said:  

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles.

A friend will always be there with a smile and ready to pick you back up again at the end of the day. As long as you are honest.

In closing-Oprah Winfrey said: 

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.

 I plan on being there even if the limo breaks down.

Living

I opened an email today that closed with:

-Life is a gift-Open Daily-

This, of course, made me think about living and happiness in life.

Audrey Hepburn said: Finding the small pleasures in every day life and living every moment like your action in that single moment matters is the key to happiness in life. If you wait for something great to happen, it may not ever happen. But keep busy in the moment, and you may incidentally experience true happiness.

Benjamin Franklin said:

Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.

So, here's to living in the moment! And, treating every single moment and day like a gift and an opportunity to do the right thing.

Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; love more, and all good things will be yours.

Swedish proverb

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

Confidence

Susan B. Anthony said:


original graphic from Runners World Magazine



The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball-the further I am rolled, the more I gain.

Well spoken words from the woman responsible for women's suffrage in the civil rights movement of the 19 th century. If she had backed down, women would probably not be where they are now: in positions of power in major corporations, secretary of state, astronauts, supreme court judges, powerful speakers.....

She actually did not have confidence so much as an iron will to succeed at becoming equal to the men of her time in terms of education and acceptance. She was once told when she was a child that she would not be taught math, because she was a girl. (Wikipedia) That would give me the determination to make a difference as well.

Rise above the circumstances to get what you deserve in life. That is where self confidence comes from.

Joan Rivers said:

We Can't Afford to Doubt Ourselves I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door-or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present

Now, I normally wouldn't quote Joan Rivers, but she has a valid point. So let's make a door open for ourselves and see what can happen in life. Even if you have to make the door!

Job Hunt

George Bernard Shaw said:

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.

I developed this acronym from synonyms of topics that are usually listed on a resume such as: Objective, Experience, Skills, Education and Interests.


Judicial-Weigh the opportunities. You may find that there are more
 open doors than you anticipated.
Open Minded-Prejudices reveal ignorance in character.


Bonus-Try to highlight something individually unique about yourself.

Happening-Technology is evolving everyday. Make every effort to understand the current technology.  


Understanding-There will be disappointments on the road to success. If there was not, you would not be able to value the inevitable success.


Nurture-Maintain networks and professional relationships. Increase your knowledge base.


Target-Every company is different and wants team members to understand their goals. Let each company know that you have taken the time to learn about them.


And, don't forget to be unreasonable or you won't make any reasonable progress!

Live For Others

Albert Einstein said:

Only a life lived for others is a life worth while

I am going to stop right here and say that I do not believe I have lived up to this motto.
Of course, I try my best to provide for my family. And, I try to do community service when I can.

But, How can you measure the degree to which you have lived for others? What does it mean to live for others?

Live For Others

Nothing in the nature lives for itself                                           
Rivers don’t drink their own water
Trees don’t eat their own fruit
Sun doesn’t give heat for itself
Moon doesn’t ever go on honeymoon
Flowers don’t spread fragrance for themselves
Moral:
Living for Others is the Rule of Nature

According to this definition, it would seem almost impossible to live merely for ourselves. If your whole purpose in existing in a natural state is to give of yourself so that others can exist, then you need to find out exactly what you give.

So, here are some ideas of what we can give.....
time, a lending hand, feed a meal, fix a house, race for a cure, smiles, laughter, a dance, projects finished on time, life itself, listening, forgiving, second chances, choices, and hard work.

Origin: Face to the Sunshine

     Helen Keller said:

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow

     She was blind if you remember correctly. But, she was probably right. Let me check.

     The shadow falls from everything else but me.

     I'm talking about perspective. The dictionary defines perspective as: the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship. But, also, defined as: the state of existing in space before the eye. I read that two ways. First, the shadow is running away from you. Second, your perspective is off.

     Albert Einstein said:

I want to know God's thoughts. The rest are details

     Too often, we foctus on the details. Things we perceive to be fact, but forget that their are greater forces at work. Forces such as individual determination, ability, effectiveness, vigor, dynamism, strength and, well, God. So, keep your face to the sunshine, try to see what God sees, and exert all your individual forces and the shadows can't touch you.