Attitude

"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our successes or failure." Dr Norman Vincent Peale

Nick Vujicic, pronounced ‘Vooy-cheech’, was born in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia with no arms or legs.  After school, Nick went on with further study and obtained a double Bachelor’s degree, majoring in Accounting and Financial Planning from Griffith University in Logan, Australia.

By the age of 19, Nick started to fulfil his dream of being able to encourage other people “I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance.  Believe me, there’s a purpose for why you’re in the fire.”

Nick wholeheartedly believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we encounter in our lives, and that our attitude towards those struggles, can be the key to overcoming the challenges we face.

His favourite saying is:  “I have no limbs, what is your excuse?”

It's a privilege to be alive

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love - Marcus Aurelius

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world.

If you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture, or the horrible pangs of starvation you are luckier than 500 million people alive and suffering.

If you can read this message you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read it at all.

Life is about not knowing

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. “Delicious Ambiguity.” ― Gilda Radner

Despite knowing that we will stumble across obstacles, most of us remain optimistic. 

We get married and believe that our marriage will last happily ever after.  We apply for a new position and we hope that we will be successful. 

We think a friendship is genuine, but its not.   We try and fail.

How will we ever know?  Unfortunately we learn as we go along.  Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.  The only constant is change, whether we want to know it or not. 

Then again, it is not always so bad not to know what to expect.  Some things you’d rather not know about.

Que sera, sera...whatever will be, will be... the future’s not ours to see... Que sera, sera... Doris Day

When you can only blame yourself

“It is a painful thing to look at your own trouble and know that you yourself and no one else has made it.” Sophocles

Sometimes we make the wrong decisions and then things go belly up.  When this happens, take responsibility for your mistakes.  Don’t blame everyone else or look for the reason somewhere else.  Admit your mistake, learn from it and move on.  

Anyone can make a mistake, but not everybody accepts responsibility for their own mistakes.  It takes a certain amount of bravery to take responsibility for your mistakes, but when you do, it restores your credibility. 

Look to the future

I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life – George F  Burns

Do you foster feelings of resentment?  Don’t you think it is time to let go of the past?  While you are dwelling in the past, regretting what could have been, life goes on.  Nobody can change the past.   Let go. 

Maybe you are struggling to forgive someone.  Hatred keeps you, your thoughts, and your future hostage.  Even worse, it steals your joy.  While you hate, you cannot move on.  In the process, you lose twice.  Often the object of your hatred is unaware of your feelings and goes on with his/her life.

Moving forward will liberate you from the past.  The future has so much more in store for you.

You are special

“Sometimes people are beautiful.  Not in looks.  Not in what they say.
Just in whom they are.” ― Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger

Of all the millions of people, you are such a unique person, that there is only one of you.  Even if you are one of an identical set of twins, you are unique in terms of feelings and emotions. 

We become the person that we are because of our life experiences.  No two human beings have exactly the same experiences.  Even if we sometimes experience similar things, we react to it differently due to our frame of reference. 

Believe in yourself and your abilities.  You are special and one of a kind.  You are beautiful and precious.  You are you.

It's all about risk

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”  ~ Anonymous

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62!

He later wrote, "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.  Never, Never, Never, Never give up."

It might have been...

Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
― John Greenleaf Whittier,

One day when you sit on the ‘stoep’ of the old age home, are you going to be the one who is telling stories of all the wonderful experiences you have had over the years or are you going to be the one who sit and listen to the stories? 

Will you have regrets?  Will you be thinking:  “I should have... If only I have...  It might have been...” 

Personally, I will rather regret the things I did, than regret the things I didn’t do.

Giving up too soon

“Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world…”  ~ Jane Addams

·         Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he succeeded.

·         When Bell Telephone was struggling to get started, its owners offered all their rights to Western Union for $100,000. The offer was disdainfully rejected with the pronouncement, "What use could this company make of an electrical toy?"

·         Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." He went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim on the grounds that it would only attract riffraff...

·         English crime novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books...

Do you feel like giving up?

Flat tyres

“A bad attitude is like a flat tyre…  You can’t go anywhere until you changed it…”  ~ Anonymous

Ever had that sinking feeling when you realise you have a flat tyre and know you’re not going to go anywhere until you have fixed it?  A flat tyre can bring you to a complete standstill.  At least that is until you fixed it. 

Whether you are hurt by what people said or hurt by those whom you trust, or simply hurt because of what you’re going through, the pain thereof can bring your life to a standstill.  You have a ‘flat tyre’.

You can sit there and wait for a miracle… you can call for help… or you can start changing the tyre.  You have a choice. 

Likewise we have a choice in terms of our attitude.  This requires introspection and honesty with oneself.  It’s not always easy to realise that the problem lies with yourself, but once you do, at least you can start working on it.  “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”  ~ Brian Tracy quotes

Don't just sit there

“Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there…” ~ Will Rogers

We are so quick to blame.  We blame politics, government, municipalities, poor service, the week rand, the high price of petrol, the economy, the poor, the rich, the company, the boss...  But what do we do about any of this?  We just sit there and moan, moan, moan.

If you are unhappy with circumstances, do you speak to the right people or do you speak to your fellow ‘moaners’?

If you do something, even if you don’t have success initially, at least you are doing something.   Can one really complain if you are not, at the very least, attempting to find a solution?

Is it really worth it?

“If it causes you more pain than happiness, less laughter and more tears… there is no day like today to throw it away…”  ~ livehappy.com quotes

Too many people hang on to a relationship that causes them heartbreak, pain and tears.  If it doesn’t bring you joy, laughter and make you a better person, is it really worth the effort?

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, and don't put up with people that are reckless with yours… - Kurt Vonnegut

The first step

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone… - Harriet Beecher Stowe

We foster hatred, gripes and grievances for many years without the other person even knowing about our feelings of resentment.  It is often our pride that stops us from apologizing and forgiving.  

Forgiveness is not an act; it is a craft, one that will set you free once you’ve mastered it.  It is a game where there are only winners.

You too can avoid the bitter tears at an open grave by taking the first step towards freedom.

Love and laughter

 “Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.” ~ Anonymous

Laughter is nature’s therapy.  It has a therapeutic nature.  When you laugh, you also use fewer muscles than when you frown, which mean that you can keep age at breast too. 

Without love and laughter the world would be a very lonely place.  Laugh at least once a day as if you just heard the best joke on the planet.  Laughter attracts people and makes them feel good.

A brand new end

Though no-one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end… ~ Author Unknown

Life is a matter of trial and error.  Unfortunately we don’t receive a step by step guide with trouble shooting codes.  Not even school prepares you for life.  No university teaches you how to live a trouble free life.  So we make mistakes and we learn as we go along. 

Why not start today and focus on a brand new end, using the lessons you’ve learnt until now?  The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it… ~ Moliere

Mother

Author: Howard Johnson

"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be, 

 Put them all together, they spell  "MOTHER,"  A word that means the world to me

May Mother's day 2012 be a special day for you and your loved ones.

Who do you really care about most?

“Sometimes it takes a huge loss to remind u what you care about the most…” ~ Greys Anatomy


We often have to remind ourselves not to take our spouses, children or parents for granted. The fact that they are always there for us, doesn’t mean that they don’t need to be acknowledged and shown how much we appreciate them. Maybe even more so, because when you lose everything, they are the people who you normally can depend on.

Many a person realised too late what a gem they had in a loved one who is no longer there. Today will only cross your path once in a lifetime. Make the most of it with the people who really matters.

Be happy

Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: events have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.  I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet.  I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it… - Groucho Marx

Imagine the possibilities if people truly realize the power of this quote.  In essence you control your happiness with a simple choice.  Nobody can control how you decide to feel.  Nobody...

“Happiness is a mood…  Not a destination…”  ~ One tree Hill

Do you treat everyone the same?

“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”  ― Albert Einstein

How many of us can attest to the same statement?  Indeed, why should we treat the cleaner different than the CEO of the company? 

Both earn a salary.  Both have dreams and aspirations.  Both get up in the morning and come to work and both of them will go home to people who are dear to them. 

 They might have different role profiles, but both of them have commitments and responsibilities, albeit at different levels.  T

hey might dress differently and they might live in different suburbs, but both of them are human beings.

Stop chasing the wrong things

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.

Give this quote some thought.  Are you chasing the wrong things? 

Maybe you are continually leaving home while everyone is still asleep and working late.  Maybe you are continuously concerned about cleaning the house and doing the washing while your family just want time with you. 

The company will not cease to exist without you.  The dust will (unfortunately) not run away.  Your family will definitely not walk around naked. 

Focus on the important things in life and allow them to catch up with you.

Do things you cannot do

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it... ~ Pablo Picasso

Most people avoid things they think they are not good at or have a perception that they can’t do.   In the process, we condition ourselves to believe we are incapable.

Think back to when you got your first cell phone.  Remember how you thought you will never be able to use it properly?  Yet, you persevered and by now you have probably upgraded a few times and can’t imagine life without a cell phone.

Follow Picasso’s example; endeavour to do the things you think you cannot do.  You will be surprised and discover some hidden talents.

Another mistake!

"Success in life consists of going from one mistake to the next without losing your enthusiasm." 

Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs. 

As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times.  The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.

Now that is enthusiasm.  Successful people are those who never gave up.  

Michael Jordan and Bob Cousy were each cut from their high school basketball teams. Jordan once observed, "I've failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed."

Fear of failure kills efforts

"No matter how hard you work for success, if your thought is saturated with the fear of failure, it will kill your efforts, neutralize your endeavours and make success impossible." ~ Baudjuin
Gary Player is a legend; the most successful international golfer of all times. He is renowned as much for his dedication to the principles of excellence as he is for his golfing accomplishments. (Extract from his biography).

He won the British Open three times (1959, 1968, 1974), the Masters three times (1961, 1974, 1978), the PGA twice (1962, 1972), and the U.S. Open once (1965).

His famous quote, “The more I practise, the better I get,” is testimony to his dedication. Evidently he lost a tournament or two, but he never lost his enthusiasm and he learnt from his mistakes.