I am posting a challenge here today. I hope you joined the group because you want to be a positive influence in the world. I challenge you to make up a card stating "I have performed a random act of kindness for you, I ask that each day for 30 days you perform a random act of kindness for someone else, and give them a card like this."
Now if each person we do a random act of kindness for performs a random act as we ask for the next 30 days, think of the impact we would have on the world...just on our acts we would have initiated over 536 million random acts of kindness on the 30th day for a total after the first 30 days of over 1 billion acts being performed. Now suppose there are 100 members in a group undertaking this, if we all participate after 30 days the group would be responsible for over 107 billion random acts of kindness, can you imagine that 107 billion random acts of kindness. being performed. Would you like to be a part of that?
Come back here and post some of the acts you performed and the impact they seemed to have...It could be something very simple, or something a little more intense, help someone load their groceries into a car, Pay for someones coffee, hold a door, the options are limitless....Now go forth and make a difference
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Why Not You
Today I choose to have you reflect on this piece by Steve Maraboli...think about it
Why Not You? By Steve Maraboli
Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of inspiration. Why not you?
Today, many will open their eyes to the beauty that surrounds them. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to leave the ghost of yesterday behind and seize the immeasurable power of today. Why not you?
Today, many will break through the barriers of the past by looking at the blessings of the present. Why not you?
Today, for many the burden of self doubt and insecurity will be lifted by the security and confidence of empowerment. Why not you?
Today, many will rise above their believed limitations and make contact with their powerful innate strength. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to live in such a manner that they will be a positive role model for their children. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to free themselves from the personal imprisonment of their bad habits. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to live free of conditions and rules governing their own happiness. Why not you?
Today, many will find abundance in simplicity. Why not you?
Today, many will be confronted by difficult moral choices and they will choose to do what is right instead of what is beneficial. Why not you?
Today, many will decide to no longer sit back with a victim mentality, but to take charge of their lives and make positive changes. Why not you?
Today, many will take the action necessary to make a difference. Why not you?
Today, many will make the commitment to be a better mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, worker, boss, brother, sister, & so much more. Why not you?
Today is a new day!
Many will seize this day.
Many will live it to the fullest.
Why not you?
Why Not You? By Steve Maraboli
Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of inspiration. Why not you?
Today, many will open their eyes to the beauty that surrounds them. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to leave the ghost of yesterday behind and seize the immeasurable power of today. Why not you?
Today, many will break through the barriers of the past by looking at the blessings of the present. Why not you?
Today, for many the burden of self doubt and insecurity will be lifted by the security and confidence of empowerment. Why not you?
Today, many will rise above their believed limitations and make contact with their powerful innate strength. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to live in such a manner that they will be a positive role model for their children. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to free themselves from the personal imprisonment of their bad habits. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to live free of conditions and rules governing their own happiness. Why not you?
Today, many will find abundance in simplicity. Why not you?
Today, many will be confronted by difficult moral choices and they will choose to do what is right instead of what is beneficial. Why not you?
Today, many will decide to no longer sit back with a victim mentality, but to take charge of their lives and make positive changes. Why not you?
Today, many will take the action necessary to make a difference. Why not you?
Today, many will make the commitment to be a better mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, worker, boss, brother, sister, & so much more. Why not you?
Today is a new day!
Many will seize this day.
Many will live it to the fullest.
Why not you?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Revamping our Education System
I just viewed a video on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs which I learned about through Sharon Rose of Channel 6 News in Portland Maine through my facebook account. I will make the same disclaimer that she did about the video, I don't know anything about the group that posted the video, but I do like the video, as it makes you think about our educational system in this country. We expect our kids to learn in cookie cutter fashion everyone being the same, however no two children are exactly alike, they have their strengths and their weaknesses. We have to learn to play up those strengths and figure out how to strengthen the weaknesses within the child's interest level in order to keep them engaged and interested. If we tell a fish it has to learn how to climb a tree because all the other animals have to know how to climb a tree the fish is going to become frustrated and discouraged. We also have to learn how to let the child reach the desired goal in their own way. It may not be the same way everyone else learns how to do, but it may be the way the child is most comfortable in doing it. If the objective is to get to the top of a tree, the raccoon, the cat, and the squirrel are going to use their claws and climb to the top by going up the trunk, however the eagle is going to use his wings and fly into the sky and then perch at the top. If the subject is swimming the duck and the fish are going to excel in the subject, but the cat is going to rebel like crazy. It is the same with our children, I see it in all three of mine, they learn differently and all have different ways of getting there. They rebel at different subjects, Anya hates math but she enjoyed more social group types of learning, Khrys hates to write just to write but excels in business related classes, and computer related subjects. Grace says she hates math but she is the one her classmates used to call to explain how to do the homework. We have a tendency to put labels on kids because they are slow in this subject or that, or they excel overall. I know kids I went to school with that were tremendous in book smarts and learned just about everything you put in front of them, but I wouldn't trust them to build a house for me. Just as I know carpenters that could take a pile of lumber and create a work of art, but I wouldn't give them my taxes to do.
If you look at sporting events, what does a coach do, he takes the strengths of the players he has and designs his play book around those strengths. He downplays the weakness and tries not to focus on those. You make the team as strong as you can by getting every one to play to the best of their ability. If Johnny couldn't kick a field goal to save his life, you don't have him kick the field goal, you have him block which he is good at. If Susan can't throw a pitch and make it over the plate, it would do no good to require her to be the pitcher but maybe she has a nack for knowing exactly where the fly ball is going to come down and the speed to get her there, then you play Susan in the outfield. It is the same with learning Joey can write very creatively but is totally lost in algebra is it going to do any good to require him to learn trig. Play to his strengths get him immersed in creative writing, and teach him enough math so he can be functional but does he have to be conversant in mathematical theory to be an effective person in society?
I think it is time to revamp our educational system and make it useful for everyone. What do you think?
If you look at sporting events, what does a coach do, he takes the strengths of the players he has and designs his play book around those strengths. He downplays the weakness and tries not to focus on those. You make the team as strong as you can by getting every one to play to the best of their ability. If Johnny couldn't kick a field goal to save his life, you don't have him kick the field goal, you have him block which he is good at. If Susan can't throw a pitch and make it over the plate, it would do no good to require her to be the pitcher but maybe she has a nack for knowing exactly where the fly ball is going to come down and the speed to get her there, then you play Susan in the outfield. It is the same with learning Joey can write very creatively but is totally lost in algebra is it going to do any good to require him to learn trig. Play to his strengths get him immersed in creative writing, and teach him enough math so he can be functional but does he have to be conversant in mathematical theory to be an effective person in society?
I think it is time to revamp our educational system and make it useful for everyone. What do you think?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Giving
I am currently reading a self -help book, (even though I hate that description) about recreating your life. The pages I am on right now talk about giving. God created us to be very giving beings, however we have made ourselves into being a very selfish being where we seem to want everything for ourselves. We hear excuses that I don't make enough I can't give money, I work to many hours I can't give time, I am having a terrible day I can't give a smile, on and on. However the reality is, and I can honestly say I have experienced this in my own day to day life, the more we give, the more we get back.
I have raised my children this way, and through the example of their grandparents they have seen it form that perspective also. They give very freely of themselves. As I sit here writing this my oldest and youngest are at the Ossipee Concerned Citizens Fall Fair helping thier grandmother man the tents and assist people who come to buy things at the whitle elephant table. My mother in law, wife, and I were talking about how early on in Anya's life the joke was for people who signed on to deliver meals on wheels for any specific day in Effingham, all they had to do was bring Anya with them to learn the route, because almost from the day she was born she would ride the route with her grandfather up until she was in school full time. All my girls have aprticipated in roadside clean up day,and have ebcome fixtures at all the fundraisers for the Ossipee Concerned Citizens, as wella s many for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) as well as many others. They don't come away with frowns on their faces, they come home tired but with smiles. When they go to the store in town or any activities around the area, everyone knows them and greets them, they receive back this way. They have also been very succesful in establishing reputations as hardworkers that will help them later in life when they are looking for jobs, or references of one sort or another, so many people know them and are willing to speak for them. My daughter Khrys is not immune from this either, even though she is away at college in Johnson Vermont, she is very active in the SERVE office there which is a community outreach program, and she is learning a great deal form her volunteering in many different places. On the 24th of September they went an started building a ramp for an elderly lady in the area that needed one, she wrote on her Facebook status that not only was she satisfied in the job they had done for the day, it also marked the commencement of her construction career. She even proudly joked on her uncle's page that she used a screw gun. I am so proud of these girls because they so freely give of themselves to help make the world a little better place, whether it is spending the day helping at a fall fair, or just as simple as giving someone a pat on the back, and a sincere smile. They strive to treat everyone fairly and look for the best in all they meet. They have truly learned the value in giving of themselves, just as my wife and I have. You can be amazed at what happens, we just have to be the change we want to see, and be willing to give freely of ourselves all the time.
Have a Blessed day
I have raised my children this way, and through the example of their grandparents they have seen it form that perspective also. They give very freely of themselves. As I sit here writing this my oldest and youngest are at the Ossipee Concerned Citizens Fall Fair helping thier grandmother man the tents and assist people who come to buy things at the whitle elephant table. My mother in law, wife, and I were talking about how early on in Anya's life the joke was for people who signed on to deliver meals on wheels for any specific day in Effingham, all they had to do was bring Anya with them to learn the route, because almost from the day she was born she would ride the route with her grandfather up until she was in school full time. All my girls have aprticipated in roadside clean up day,and have ebcome fixtures at all the fundraisers for the Ossipee Concerned Citizens, as wella s many for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) as well as many others. They don't come away with frowns on their faces, they come home tired but with smiles. When they go to the store in town or any activities around the area, everyone knows them and greets them, they receive back this way. They have also been very succesful in establishing reputations as hardworkers that will help them later in life when they are looking for jobs, or references of one sort or another, so many people know them and are willing to speak for them. My daughter Khrys is not immune from this either, even though she is away at college in Johnson Vermont, she is very active in the SERVE office there which is a community outreach program, and she is learning a great deal form her volunteering in many different places. On the 24th of September they went an started building a ramp for an elderly lady in the area that needed one, she wrote on her Facebook status that not only was she satisfied in the job they had done for the day, it also marked the commencement of her construction career. She even proudly joked on her uncle's page that she used a screw gun. I am so proud of these girls because they so freely give of themselves to help make the world a little better place, whether it is spending the day helping at a fall fair, or just as simple as giving someone a pat on the back, and a sincere smile. They strive to treat everyone fairly and look for the best in all they meet. They have truly learned the value in giving of themselves, just as my wife and I have. You can be amazed at what happens, we just have to be the change we want to see, and be willing to give freely of ourselves all the time.
Have a Blessed day
Friday, September 24, 2010
Lean Not On Your Own Understanding
Psalms 35 tells us to
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
This is very sage advice, and something that most humans can not get their hands or their heads around. Sigmund Freud spent a good amount of his professional career studying the effects and ramifications of the parts of the human psyche one of whic is commonly called the EGO. I think this is a very appropriately named part of the psyche because wehn we rely on our EGO instead of relying and leaning on God we
Edge
God
Out
of our lives. We rly and lean on ourselves rather than relying on the divine love of God to provide for us.
Let's face it , when we rely on our own understaning rather than leaning on God we have a tendency to really mess things up. We make decisions that are not always in our best interest in the long run, we jump at the immediately attractive, not thinking of the long term results. In retrospect many of the problems we find ourselves in todays economy is the result of us Edging God Out of our lives and not trusting in God. We bought houses that were way out of our means, aided by mrtgage brokers that made it very attractive to be able to do by offering interest only loans for a period of time, not worrying about what was going to happen when the principle kicked in, or taking variable rate loans that they knew were low and not thinking about the ramifications when the interest rate kicked up a notch and you were already stretching the budget to make the payment on the low interest rate. We have a tendency to be a greedy society always wanting more than we can really afford, but if we wait on the Lord all the things we need will come to us at the appropriate time.
Leaning Not on our own understanding is also one of the inspriations for my walking stick, with the inspirational engravings, they are to remind us to trust in God and lean on soemthing in times of trouble and uncertainty rather than leaning on ourselves. I am struggling at times with this myself in this time of extreme transition in my life. Having been out of work for going on thirteen months I am really trying to lean on God and His tming for my life and understand the lessons I need to learn form the ordeal. He has blessed me with a renewed creativity in my writing as well as other opportunities, but I have to admit it can be very hard to give yourself over and not Edge God Out of my life and try to force things in my own time rather than His.
Have Blessed Day
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
This is very sage advice, and something that most humans can not get their hands or their heads around. Sigmund Freud spent a good amount of his professional career studying the effects and ramifications of the parts of the human psyche one of whic is commonly called the EGO. I think this is a very appropriately named part of the psyche because wehn we rely on our EGO instead of relying and leaning on God we
Edge
God
Out
of our lives. We rly and lean on ourselves rather than relying on the divine love of God to provide for us.
Let's face it , when we rely on our own understaning rather than leaning on God we have a tendency to really mess things up. We make decisions that are not always in our best interest in the long run, we jump at the immediately attractive, not thinking of the long term results. In retrospect many of the problems we find ourselves in todays economy is the result of us Edging God Out of our lives and not trusting in God. We bought houses that were way out of our means, aided by mrtgage brokers that made it very attractive to be able to do by offering interest only loans for a period of time, not worrying about what was going to happen when the principle kicked in, or taking variable rate loans that they knew were low and not thinking about the ramifications when the interest rate kicked up a notch and you were already stretching the budget to make the payment on the low interest rate. We have a tendency to be a greedy society always wanting more than we can really afford, but if we wait on the Lord all the things we need will come to us at the appropriate time.
Leaning Not on our own understanding is also one of the inspriations for my walking stick, with the inspirational engravings, they are to remind us to trust in God and lean on soemthing in times of trouble and uncertainty rather than leaning on ourselves. I am struggling at times with this myself in this time of extreme transition in my life. Having been out of work for going on thirteen months I am really trying to lean on God and His tming for my life and understand the lessons I need to learn form the ordeal. He has blessed me with a renewed creativity in my writing as well as other opportunities, but I have to admit it can be very hard to give yourself over and not Edge God Out of my life and try to force things in my own time rather than His.
Have Blessed Day
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