EYES ON THE SHORE OF LIFE

Harvested banana hearts for sale - “Maybe I could have loved you better. Maybe you should have loved me more. Maybe our hearts were just next in line. Maybe everything breaks sometime.”

A story is told about a bloodhound chasing a stag. A fox crossed the
path, so the hound chased the fox. After a while a rabbit crossed the
path, so the hound chased it. Later, a mouse crossed the path and the
hound chased the mouse into a hole. The hound began his hunt on the
trail of a magnificent stag and ended up watching a mouse hole!

Not that there is anything wrong with spontaneity. Some of the most
wonderful things have come into my life by beautiful accident. But
there is also something to be said for knowing where we want to go.

Florence Chadwick learned the importance of keeping a goal in mind on
July 4, 1952. She waded into the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island
and began swimming toward the California coast 26 miles away. The day
was cold and her attendants drove off sharks throughout the journey.

Florence had already swum the English Channel twice and, if she could
finish today, she would be the first woman to have swum both. But
after fifteen hours in the water, for the first and only time in her
long-distance swimming career, she gave up and climbed into the
escort boat. Others had urged her on, but in the fog they could not
tell her how near she was to the coast. She later learned that she
was less than half a mile from shore.

When asked by a reporter why she gave up, Florence replied: "It was
the fog. If I could have seen land, I could have finished. But when
you can't see your goal, you lose all sense of progress and you begin
to give up."

On a warm, sunny day two months later Florence Chadwick swam the
Catalina Channel, handily beating the men's record. Only when she
kept her eyes on the shore did she eventually arrive there.

Keeping that goal constantly in sight will get you where you want to
go.

From Lifesupport

Lifesigns Life Quotes

SUCCEEDING AT LIFE

Local traditional Chinese pastries - “Often, the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it.”

It's said there are three ways to get to the top of a tree: climb it,
sit on an acorn or make friends with a big bird. But without too much
imagination I can think of a couple of other ways – like one that
involves a parachute and a poor landing.

However, the point is still well taken: getting to the top of that
organization or reaching a new height requires effort. And it is taken
for granted that reaching the top is exactly what everyone wants to
do. After all, isn't that what "success" is all about? More power?
More money? Reaching the top?

But what about success at living – trying to get it right this go
around?

Success at this thing we call living has always been important to me.
And climbing to the top of a tree has never been a good metaphor for
it. I like to think more about the word "priorities. " Getting some
basic priorities in order is key. And I know that if one's life can be
organized around solid priorities, then a full and worthwhile life
will be the result.

It is always risky to use sports illustrations; they just don't speak
to everyone. But let me forge ahead with an oft-quoted statement by
American football coaching legend Vince Lombardi. He is remembered for
saying, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." And
Lombardi's dream was certainly to coach winning teams, but it's a
mistake to think that climbing to the top of football's ladder of
success was his greatest goal. He believed it was more important to
succeed at life than at his career or anything else.

Actually, winning football games was not "the only thing" to Lombardi.
He once actually listed his life priorities in this order: God, his
family and his career.

He knew what was important. And he knew that keeping his priorities
straight could bring him joy, peace and, ultimately, success at life.
Which is probably the only thing that truly matters.

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Lifesigns Life Quotes

A DREAM THAT WILL CATCH YOUR HEART IN LIFE

Classy ceiling fan - “Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine.”

That all-too-quotable Yogi Berra once said, "If you don't know where
you are going, you might wind up someplace else." (I think that
happened to me once.)

But even if you know where you want to end up, do you REALLY WANT to
be there? I'm not talking about traveling now, but where we're going
with our lives. Is the dream you are following really that important
to you?

Most people are not lazy. They simply have uninspiring goals. They
don't accomplish what they set out to do because they lose interest.
The dream they are following is simply not that important to them.

But then I think of Dennis Oehler. He ran the 100-meter dash in 11.73
seconds. Record-holder Maurice Greene ran it in 9.79 seconds, almost
two seconds faster. So what's the big deal? Maurice Greene has two
legs. Dennis Oehler has one. One leg -- and a huge dream.

The truth is -- we are always highly motivated when something means a
great deal to us. If I fell into a deep lake and I didn't know how to
swim, I would become highly motivated in an instant. Climbing from the
lake would mean more to me than anything else in the world. My effort
would be no less than astounding and I would suddenly become one of
the most excited and enthusiastic persons imaginable.

And that goes for anything that is truly important to us. If we want
something badly enough, we will find necessary energy, excitement and
drive to grasp it.

Writer Tim Redmond says this about following worthwhile dreams: "There
are many things that will catch my eye, but there are only a few that
catch my heart...it is those I consider to pursue."

Is your dream big enough -- important enough -- to catch your heart?

From Lifesupport

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE

Red flower batik painting - “Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid.”

When I was in college, I shared an American Thanksgiving supper with
friends. We spent the day cooking together – turkey, potatoes, green
beans, yams and, of course, dinner rolls. I was in charge of the
rolls. Looking back, that may have been a mistake.

I love to eat raw dough. Most any kind will do – cookie dough, cake
batter, biscuit dough, bread dough – you get the idea. So I rolled out
the yeast dough, sliced off a corner and ate it, rolled some more,
sliced and ate, rolled, sliced, ate…. I don't know how much of the
dough I consumed before the rolls hit the oven, but I remember it as a
wonderful afternoon. Until about a half-hour later.

Yeast, it seems, likes a dark, moist, warm environment. In me, it
found one and did what yeast does best – it grew. And grew. And grew.

After a while my stomach was distended and I felt like the Pillsbury
Dough Boy with a burping disorder.

It was soon time for supper and I felt too full to eat anything. All
of that scrumptious food and I couldn't eat.

That day I gained a new respect for the power of yeast; it doesn't
take much to make a big difference.

Little things make a big difference. Little things like yeast. Little
things like kindness.

Douglas, a fifteen year old boy who lived in Missouri (USA), had been
feeling badly for several days. His mother Donna took him to the
emergency room where blood tests revealed one of the most frightening
things a parent can learn about a child. Her son was diagnosed with
leukemia.

Douglas' life changed. He began a routine of blood transfusions,
spinal and bone marrow tests and chemotherapy. The physical trauma was
one thing, but he also became depressed. And who wouldn't? He lost is
former life, his healthy self. All of those exciting dreams and plans
a young boy has for his future vanished, and in their place all he
could see was somebody with cancer. Somebody who may or may not live
long. Somebody whose life would be very different than before.

He had a good hospital and good doctors. But it he did not have hope.
And without it, he was in serious jeopardy.

Douglas' aunt called a florist close to the hospital. She wanted the
sales clerk to be aware of the flower arrangement' s significance. "I
want the planter to be especially attractive. It's for my teenage
nephew who has leukemia," she told the clerk.

"Oh," said the salesclerk. "Let's add some fresh-cut flowers to
brighten it up."

When the floral arrangement arrived Douglas opened the envelope and
read the card from his aunt. Then he saw something unusual. It was
another card. The second card read:

"Douglas--I took your order. I work at (this floral shop).
I had leukemia when I was seven years old. I'm 22 years
old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you.
Sincerely,
Laura."

Douglas smiled. He finally felt some real hope. And why not? Here was
a person who also had cancer and new she was 22 and working! If she
could do it, so could he. Douglas found what he needed. He found the
will to live.

Little things make a big difference. Little things like kindness and
encouragement and hope. Little things all of us can give.

And it doesn't take much to make a big difference.

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Lifesigns Life Quotes

FOUR TRAITS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS FOR LIFE

1/100 scale Gundam Exia Avalanche and Gundam OO model kits on display - “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.”

A young officer in the Army discovered that he had no change when he
tried to buy a soft drink from a vending machine. He flagged down a
passing private and asked him, "Do you have change for a dollar?"

The private said cheerfully, "I think so. Let me take a look."

The officer drew himself up stiffly and said, "Soldier, that is no
way to address a superior. We'll start all over again. Do you have
change for a dollar?"

The private came to attention, saluted smartly, and said, "No, sir!"

Each of us commands some authority. There are or will be those we
guide, supervise, rear, mentor or lead. Some of us will be effective
and others will feel as if we're running a cemetery: we've got a lot
of people under us and nobody's listening.

Much has been written and taught about leadership, but I find that at
least four traits are common in all people of authority who
effectively elicit cooperation and respect from those who look up to
them. Whether you are a parent, whether you find yourself in the
workplace, sitting on a volunteer committee or teaching some-one a
new skill, these traits will help you effectively guide those who
would seek to follow.

These good leaders are...

L isteners. They take time to listen to the suggestions and concerns
of those they endeavor to lead.

E ncouragers. They don't try to do it all themselves. Neither do they
motivate by force or guilt. They encourage others and help bring out
their best.

A ssertive. They say what needs to be said without being unkind. They
tell the truth as they see it, openly and frankly.

D ecisive. They know what needs to be done and they make timely, even
difficult, decisions when necessary. But they can also take charge
without running over the people in their lives.

In short, good leaders L-E-A-D!

It's said that the trouble with being a leader today is that you
can't be sure whether people are following you or chasing you. But
those who will develop these four traits are sure to find that their
authority will be valued and respected.

From Lifesupport

Lifesigns Life Quotes