Thursday, October 21, 2010

"I just did what I had to do."

Courage means we do not waste precious energy on self-pity. Instead, we get on with living. We might wish we could always live a certain way, or we think we should. Since we do not, we might think it is our own fault, we might brood about our difficult lot, or we might blame others. Looking at neighbors or people we admire we may say, "Their life is so easy. They do everything right. Why can't I be like them?"

Many courageous people, thinking back on their moment of greatest courage, have said, "I just did what I had to do." In truth, no one lives an entire life without problems and times of serious challenge. We do not choose when problems come and how they come. But we do choose how we meet our difficulties, how we respond to pain or trouble. And when we stop wasting energy on poor me and bad me thoughts, our ordinary lives become courageous. Then we use our difficulties to learn new truths, to bring forth our best qualities and our greatest strengths...Unknown

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Value

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit … and you’re keeping all of these in the air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or evenshattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

How?
  • Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
  • Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
  • Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
  • Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
  • Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
  • Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.
  • Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be pave.
  • Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
  • Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.
  • Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
  • Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
  • Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way…

–Brian G. Dyson, President and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises, during his speech at the Georgia Tech 172nd Commencement Address Sept. 6, 1996

Value

This came to me today via email. While it is significant in and of itself, to me today it meant even more because I am having a bad day. Bad days for me are rare. I'm an optimist so I just don't let them get to me, but today I got hit on multiple fronts simultaneously. And today I feel as if my life is simply out of control. It's one of those days where the people and events in my life are out of sync and all my efforts seem counter productive. Today I feel like one of those poor unfortunate people you say "Oh my, at least I'm not her."

Here is a speech given by Brian Dyson, the CEO of Coke, some years back that put my day into perspective.

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit … and you’re keeping all of these in the air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or evenshattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for Balance in your life.

How?

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be pave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way…"

–Brian G. Dyson

President and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises during his speech at the Georgia Tech 172nd Commencement Address Sept. 6, 1996