It’s easy to get discouraged, especially when you really really want to accomplish something and for every step forward, you slide back three steps. Maybe it’s a job promotion. You attend the staff meetings, you give great ideas, you put in extra hours, but the promotion goes to your colleague. Maybe it’s losing weight. You do really well for two weeks and then find yourself eating dessert when you and your friends go out for dinner.
Each one of us has goals, aspirations and hopes. If you’re serious about something, then go after it! Don’t get stuck in the failures along the way…never lose your sense of destiny.
Earlier this month we celebrated President’s Day here in the United States. If anyone has a sense of rising above failure, it’s Abraham Lincoln. Check this out…
• 1809 – He was born into poverty in a log cabin, one room 16×18 ft.
• 1816 – His family was evicted from their home; at age 7 he had to work to support them
• 1818 – His mother died
• 1831 – He failed in business
• 1832 – He ran for the state legislature and lost
• 1832 – He lost his job and wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in
• 1833 – He borrowed money for a business and went bankrupt; spent the next 17 years paying off that debt
• 1835 – He was engaged to be married, but his sweetheart died and his heart was broken
• 1836 – He had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for the next 6 months
• 1843 – He ran for congress and lost
• 1854 – He ran for the senate and lost
• 1856 – He sought the vice president nomination and got less than 100 votes from his own party
• 1858 – He ran for senate again and lost again
From the looks of things, Lincoln was stuck in failure. His life was filled with setbacks, obstacles, disasters and losses. However, those were the very things that prepared him to become the president of the United States in 1860!
So, don’t be discouraged by failure. In the words of Martin Luther King, “What does not destroy me makes me stronger.”
Listen to your heart…
Archive for February, 2010
Game Night
Friday, February 12th, 2010
To welcome in the new year, my friends and I decided to play games for 12 hours straight! We started at 6:30 PM on New Year’s Eve and ended the following morning at 6:30 AM with breakfast. You have to understand that we LOVE playing games! If we were to add all of our games together, we probably have close to 200 games! Games of all sorts…card games, board games, kids’ games, you name it, we probably have it! One of my friends typed up the names of the games that he had on strips of paper and placed them in a jar. The winner of the first game then drew for the next game, and so on. We made it a rule that we had to play a game for at least a half hour before moving on to another game.
The first couple of games were ones that we recently played and like a lot — Royal Rummy, Five Crowns and Things. Then someone drew a budget game from the 1960’s! At first we cringed at the thought of opening the box. It was a game that none of us had played before. Bob’s mother picked it up at a garage sale. As we began to set up the game, we were amused by the cards and the tokens. Thinking that we would definitely quit after a half hour, we actually completed the game.
Some of the games the younger kids were able to join us. It’s always fun to see how fast their emotions change. They’re giddy when they’re winning, and they’re fighting back tears when they’re losing. Yet, they really enjoy playing games and like to play with the adults.
We tried out a brand new game called “Kings Go Free”. It actually is three different games, using the same deck of specialized cards. It was a lot of fun and provided us with a lot of laughter. If you’re looking for a new card game, I highly recommend checking out www.KingsGoFree.com or find it on Ebay.
One of the things that I enjoy about playing games is the opportunity to get caught up on each other’s lives. We talk about our families, our jobs and other things. We’re constantly laughing or yelping. It doesn’t really matter if we win or lose a game.
If you haven’t played any games in awhile, I really encourage you to get a group of friends together or your family and have a game night. Who knows, it might become a weekly or monthly event!
Listen to your heart…
Love…
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Since February is the month of romance, thought it would be fun to look up some quotes regarding love:
• “Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.”
~ Arthur Rubinstein
• “Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.” ~ St. Augustine
• “Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.”
• “Don’t say you love me unless you really mean it, because I might do something crazy like believe it.” ~ Crush
• “If you love somebody, set them free. If they return, they were always yours. If they don’t, they never were.”
• “Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship – never.”
• “Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it’s what you are expected to give — which is everything.”
• “Love builds bridges where there are none.”
• “Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes…just be an illusion.”
• “Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
• “Love is like the sun coming out of the clouds and warming your soul.”
• “Life without love is like a tree without fruit.”
• “Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent protects you from age.”
• “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
• “Only love lets us see normal things In an extraordinary way.”
• “There’s always room for love; You just have to move a few things around.”
• “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
• “Love sought is good, but given unsought, is better.” ~ Shakespeare
• “It is impossible to love and be wise.” ~ Francis Bacon
What are some of your favorite love quotes?
February ~ The Month of Romance
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Every February, in various parts of the world, cards, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. On February 14th, for those of us in the States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia, it will be St. Valentine’s Day–a day to say “I Love You”. According to the Greeting Card Association, over one billion valentine cards are purchased each year. Approximately 85% of the cards are purchased by women.
Although traditions vary, it’s a day celebrated by people of all ages. For the little kids, usually a party is held at school. Kids bring in valentines (cards) for their classmates. The valentines are typically store bought cards, but sometimes they are handmade. The party usually includes heart-shaped cookies, cupcakes and candy, red punch and a game or two.
When children reach middle school age (11-14 years old), valentines are typically given to close friends. Sometimes a school dance is held in honor of the special day. For the high school students, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to let your peers know that someone loves you. Throughout the day, flowers and balloon bouquets are delivered from loved ones. Some schools even do singing telegrams as fundraisers! A class gets interrupted, the receiver’s name is loudly announced and a love song is sung in front of the entire class.
Valentine’s Day is also celebrated by adults. Couples exchange cards, sometimes gifts, and at the very least an “I love you”. Many couples go out for dinner and the restaurants offer valentine specials. For those of us who are single, Valentine’s Day gets mixed reviews. Some of us go along with the day and give cards to our friends. Others are neutral and some despise the day.
Even though I personally find the day to be somewhat silly, I do appreciate that it encourages people to care about others and to let them know they are loved. So, Happy Valentine’s Day, no matter where you live!
If you live in a different country, what are some of your holidays???
