A LOVE AFFAIR WITH LIFE

Plastic runners of a model kit - “Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state.”

Italian actor Roberto Benigni has been described as a charming and effusive man who, in his joy over winning the 1998 Academy Award for best actor for his performance in the film "Life Is Beautiful," danced over the tops of chairs and leaped up on stage. With that in mind, listen to what he says on the subject of gratitude: "It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation."

Gratitude with moderation! Doesn't that describe how many of us approach life?

We rarely show gratitude for each miraculous new day.

We wait too long to tell others what they mean to us.

We're more excited about acquiring something new than taking inventory of all we already have.

The word that too often describes our gratitude is "moderate." You know the adage: "In all things, moderation," but I've never heard, "In gratitude, moderation." There should NEVER be moderation in showing gratitude!

Author Sarah Ban Breathnach says, "Every time we remember to say 'thank you,' we experience nothing less than heaven on earth."

Imagine living every day demonstrating gratitude with abandon. Imagine becoming excessive in thanksgiving. Every day would be another episode in your never-ending love affair with life.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

THREE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL LIVING FOR LIFE

Colorful candies and chocolates for sale - “When you have a rainbow deep down in your heart, your smile will shine bright. You know you're a part of that colorful, magical, feeling you'll find, when you have a rainbow inside.”

A funny story tells about three high school seniors who went to New York for their senior trip. When they arrived in the city, they went immediately to one of the finest hotels and registered for a room. They were assigned a room on the 30th floor.

After settling in, they decided to go see the sights. They toured Manhattan, the Empire State Building, Wall Street and the Statue of Liberty. They finally returned to their hotel utterly exhausted.

When they asked the desk clerk for the key to their room, he said, "I am sorry, the elevators are not running." He told them that they could either wait or use the stairway. The thought of a soft bed was irresistible, so they decided to climb the stairs -- all thirty stories.

One of the boys had an idea. "On the way up, each of us will tell the funniest story we know for ten flights of stairs," he suggested. The other two agreed and started to climb. When they reached the tenth floor, they were still going strong. By the twentieth floor, their legs were rubber and they panted for breath. The steps grew harder to climb and the one whose turn it was to tell a funny story said, "I'm sorry, I'm just too tired to talk."

They trudged on in silence. When they reached the 29th floor, one of them began to laugh. He sat down on the steps and laughed hysterically. Finally, he said to his amazed companions, "I just thought of the funniest thing that could ever happen."

"What is it?" they asked.

He said, "We left the key in the lobby."

Many people feel as if they have lost the key to getting what they want in life -- meaning, happiness, success, peace, security. They have been trudging and toiling at length but feel as if they are locked out of that place they really want to be. They think, "If only I had the key to a whole and happy life!"

That wise and amazing woman Eleanor Roosevelt gave three keys to meaning, happiness, success and peace. "One is that you do whatever comes your way as well as you can," she said. She knew that the key to satisfaction in life is to take pride in whatever you're given to do, regardless how grand or humble the undertaking.

"Another is that you think as little as possible about yourself and as much as possible about other people and about things that are interesting," she continued. Eleanor Roosevelt knew that those who take a genuine interest in the concerns of others and in great ideas lose their desire to worry needlessly about themselves.

"The third is that you receive more joy out of giving joy to others and [that you] should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give," she concluded. She was aware that the key to finding happiness is in giving happiness -- wherever and whenever possible.

These are three keys that should neither be lost nor locked away in a safe place. Learn to use them -- every day -- and you'll open doors to those important and wonderful things that will make your life worth living!

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

HOW BIG IS YOUR FRYING PAN IN LIFE?

Building balcony construction - “Little-known fact: When the stock exchange closes, the guy who comes out on the balcony with that big hammer slams it on the head of the person who lost the most money that day”

Are you setting your sights too low?

I heard of a woman who fished all morning and never caught anything. But a man in the next boat was reeling in a fish every time she glanced over. Then, to make matters worse, he kept the small ones and threw the large ones back into the water!

She couldn't stand it any longer. She called over to him, "How come you're throwing the big ones back?"

He answered by holding up a little frying pan.

We may think that is silly but, in our minds, don't we all hold up frying pans? Every time we throw away a big idea, a magnificent dream or an exciting possibility, are we measuring it against a small frying pan?

We talk about making more money or be­coming more successful, but I believe that this con­cept works in other, and sometimes more important areas, as well. We can love more than we ever dreamed possible! We can be happier and live more fully than we ever thought we could! What we can do or become is limited more by the size of the frying pan in our minds than by actual circum­stances.

Author Brian Tracy reminds us that "you are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are." Think big. Dream big. Pray big... and look for big results. It all begins with changing the size of your thinking.

What would happen if you threw away the frying pan you have been using to measure the size of your dreams, and replaced it with a larger one? What would happen if you decided that it may really be possible to have a better relationship with the one you love, or that you actually can be hap­pier and more fulfilled than you are now? What would hap­pen if you decided never to settle for anything less than what you truly want? What if, from now on, you threw the little fish back and kept the big ones?

And what if you decided to begin today?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE IN LIFE

White flower - “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”

How would you rate your level of "Inner Peace"? Enough to stay calm in a den of lions? Enough to get through a good day? Enough for the next five minutes, so long as everybody leaves you alone?

You may need a good case of inner peace, a disease that could leave you stress-free and contented for years to come. A chiropractor named Jeff Rockwell composed a list he calls "Symptoms of Inner Peace." You may have already caught this disease! See how many of these symptoms you exhibit:

1. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experiences.

2. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

3. A loss of interest in judging self.

4. A loss of interest in judging others.

5. A loss of interest in conflict.

6. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

7. A loss of ability to worry (this is a serious symptom).

8. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

9. Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

10. Frequent attacks of smiling through the eyes of the heart.

11. Increasing susceptibility to love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

12. An increasing tendency to let things happen.

Inner peace is a communicable disease that could possibly infect your home or workplace. You may already be showing signs of it and quite possibly be passing it along to others! Rockwell warns: "If you have all or even most of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of PEACE may be so far advanced as to not be treatable."

Have you caught it?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

WAY TO RESULTS FOR LIFE

Crowd of people at the driving school - “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Melodie Hartline relates in Reader's Digest (September, 1996) that in her job as an employee of a jewelry store, she often arranged for engaged couples to have their wedding bands engraved with something special. She once asked a bride-to-be what she would like inscribed inside her fiance's ring.

"We aren't very romantic," she replied. Then she related that they were marrying on her fiance's birthday so he wouldn't forget the date!

Melodie persisted, "Isn't there something you'll want him to remember as he looks inside his ring?"

"There sure is," she said. And that's how "Put it back on!" came to be inscribed inside her husband's ring.

Perhaps she was trying to "help along" her husband's commitment to the relationship.

Catherine, from Scotland, may have wanted to help along her lover's commitment for several decades. And finally, her 68-year-old boyfriend, George, proposed after 44 years of courtship. Why the wait? "He is a bit shy, you know," Catherine said.

At the heart of any meaningful relationship is commitment. Further, commitment is vital to the success of any endeavor. Happy people are committed people. They commit to other people, they commit to themselves, they commit to God, and they commit to their dreams. They know that nothing is possible without firm resolve.

Author Ken Blanchard has said, "There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses - only results."

What about you? Are you ready for results?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes