Let Your Light Shine!

I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom. – Les Brown




We all have talents and gifts to offer to the world. Some of you may not be aware of them because it is something that just seems to come so naturally to you. My mother is a great cook, a very thoughtful, kind, and caring person, a great listener, wise, well-organized, likes to have fun, and is a just a joy to be around. She has a way of making people feel comfortable. She never speaks a bad word about anyone. She is supportive but will tell my father, brother, my daughter, and me, if she thinks we’ve said or done something wrong. She will make a pot of soup or cookies and give to her friends/family if they are sick — or for no reason at all. When one of her best friends was undergoing chemotherapy treatments she cooked meals for the woman and her family. She is one of those people that everyone likes, yet she once told me that she didn’t have any talent and that she wasn’t “good at anything.” Of course I had to correct her on that line of thinking. We can’t all be Hollywood celebrities or famous athletes, authors, musicians, chefs, writers, etc….but we can make a contribution to this world. Just say …

This little light o’ mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
This little light o’ mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
This little light o’ mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
–written by Harry Dixon Loes (1895-1965) in about 1920







There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. –Edith Wharton




Let this year be the year that you let your light shine!




Do you need a little more inspiration? Check out these people who are letting their light shine:




Armless Pianist Liu Wei – Lost his arms in an accident at age 10. He managed to do everything with his feet and started to learn to play piano at age 19. His dream is to become a musician. He is now 22 and just won the China’s Got Talent Show on Oct. 10, 2010.







Interview with Stephanie Meyer, author of the “Twilight” saga.




Paul Potts




Lessons from My Father
“My dad, I still think, had the most beautiful, simple checklist for what you should do in life: Do something you really love that you would do it anyway. Do it in the most adventurous place you can do it. And make sure that it helps other people. And if you feel there’s a genuine need for it, and that through that need you can help other people, you’re home.” — Diane Sawyer




How are you letting your light shine? OR, How do you plan on letting your light shine this year?

You might also like: Our Deepest Fear

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Reasons to be Thankful

Sometimes it feels like life is kicking you in the gut and you don’t feel like you really have any reason to be thankful. Maybe after seeing these videos you will feel differently. They may be just the thing you need to help you find some reasons to be thankful.










You might also like: Be Thankful

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Life

“Just because fate doesn’t deal you the right cards, it doesn’t mean you should give up. It just means you have to play the cards you get to their maximum potential.” – Les Brown







I was watching a show on tv last week and near the end of the show they had a segment called “Words of Life.” The guest speaker shared this bit of life advice from her great-grandmother. When I heard it I thought “this is so true.” So now I share it with you.




You’re not always going to get what you want,
when you want it,
how you want it,
from whom you want it.

Life is not always going to be convenient,
and life does not revolve around you.




What’s some good advice you’ve received about life?

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Success…How Bad Do You Want It?

“Some people dream of success… while others wake up and work hard at it.” –author unknown







“When I thought I couldn’t go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck.” –Norman Lear




Eric Thomas is a Motivational Speaker, Educator, Preacher, Youth Activist, Entrepreneur, Father, and Husband. You can read Eric’s bio here: http://theetstory.org/the-author/bio




“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” — Mahatma Gandhi

You might also like:

Words of Wisdom from Will Smith

How to Live Life — Lessons from Dr. Randy Pausch

The Road to Success

Determination

Thoughts on Life from General Colin Powell

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Be Careful of What You Say

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” –Proverbs 18:21

Recently I had a conversation with a friend in which she told me that another friend of hers was upset about a sarcastic remark that was directed at her by another so-called friend. This particular time the woman made the cutting remarks on Facebook — for everybody to see. This wasn’t the first time this woman had made cutting remarks to her for no apparent reason. The woman finally decided that she no longer wants any further communication with this other woman and is going to remove her from her list of “Facebook” friends. No one likes it when sarcasm is directed at them — so why do it to others, and especially, why direct your cutting remarks at your so-called friends and loved ones?




When I was in 6th grade there was a little girl (Loretta) that the other kids used to say unflattering things about. One day my teacher asked if I would be Loretta’s partner for class assignments for a certain period of time, and be kind of a friend to her. She told me Loretta had requested a transfer out of class because she had no friends and because of how some of the kids were treating her. I wasn’t all that gung-ho about stepping up to the plate on this one but I did because: 1 – I liked my teacher, Mrs. Dickerson and, 2 – My heart really went out to this girl when I heard that she wanted to leave the class because of how she was being treated by some of the other students. I thought that no one should have to feel that way. For a minute I was concerned about how some of my classmates would treat me as a result of me working with Loretta on projects and just even being somewhat of a friend to her. Could I handle any backlash from befriending this person? Compassion took over. I decided to just do it. The next day they moved Loretta’s desk next to mine. I hoped and prayed that there wouldn’t be any problems from the other students. As it turned out, no one treated me any differently. No one gave me any problems. I think a few people may have asked why I was talking to Loretta, or working with her, but that’s it. At the end of the specified time period the teacher asked Loretta whether or not she still wanted to transfer out of the class. Loretta said she decided to stay because she now had a friend. My teacher gave me the option to stop partnering with Loretta on class assignments, but I decided to continue throughout the remainder of the school year. In taking the time to get to know Loretta, I found out that she was a very nice person. The next year I went to another school for junior high school. I don’t know whatever happened to Loretta, but her story has always remained with me and I’m glad I made a positive difference in her life.




Now days we even hear cases of teenagers being verbally bullied via the internet and through text messaging. It’s called cyber bullying. You can read more about bullying here: http://www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page.

I remember one case in which the victim of bullying eventually committed suicide.
http://www.truecrimereport.com/2010/01/phoebe_prince_15_commits_suici.php

Also in the news:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7228335
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494809/Girl-13-commits-suicide-cyber-bullied-neighbour-posing-teenage-boy.html




“Words Hurt. Don’t be a part of it.”




Wanda’s Song by The Readings




Two Frogs

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them
fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit
was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The
two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit
with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop,
that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took
heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down
and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again,
the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He
jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the
other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog explained to
them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the
entire time.

This story teaches two lessons:

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging
word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it
through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes
to kill them.

Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your
path. The power of words… it is sometimes hard to understand
that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak
words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in
difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time
to encourage another.

–Author Unknown

UPDATE: Click this line to check out Karen Salmansohn’s Anti-Bullying Program

What is the intent of your words?

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What do you say when you get Angry?
Are You An Emotional Energy Vampire

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Life’s a Journey

“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” –Henry Miller




Have you ever noticed that you are more excited about making plans for a trip, or something else you are going to do, than actually partaking in the event?

Years ago hubby and I went on a cruise to Grand Cayman and Mexico. The months leading up to our departure I felt so excited. Just thinking about the fun we were going to have and talking about the trip to others gave me a feeling of great happiness and excitement. In fact, I was so excited that I had an upset stomach the night before the cruise. My stomach didn’t get back to normal until about four hours after the ship set sail. The trip was fun, the people onboard were friendly, and the food was great, but my feelings did not match the level of excitement I felt before reaching our first destination. I’ve noticed this reaction about other things too. Sometimes, it’s like the idea of a thing is much more exciting than the actual doing. Maybe there is something to this quote (from the movie “Peaceful Warrior”) – “It’s the journey, not the destination.” And yes, I did come away from that experience with a new perspective.




The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” –Don Williams Jr.




“Go as far as you can see, and when you get there, you will always be able to see further.” –Zig Ziglar




Has your perspective changed lately? If not, maybe it’s time for a new experience.




It helps, I think, to consider ourselves on a very long journey: the main thing is to keep the faith, to endure, to help each other when we stumble or tire, to weep and press on. –Mary Caroline Richards

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Life Lessons: Inspirational speech by Steve Jobs

Your time is limited. Don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. –Steve Jobs







Transcript of Steve Jobs’ address:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html




Stay Hungry!

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Falling Down

Today is a new day. You will get out of it just what you put into it. … If you have made mistakes, even serious mistakes, there is always another chance for you. And supposing you have tried and failed again and again, you may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down. –Mary Pickford




After the Storm

The storms may come And limbs may break;
Yet others bend Beneath the weight–
Of heavy rain And windy breeze…
A storm can mark The strongest trees.
Life sometimes deals With us this way;
In unseen trials We meet each day.
It’s not how much our bodies break
Or how much they may bend;
It’s Our Outlook In Our Own Life
That helps our spirits mend!

–Hilen Letiro







Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. –Arnold Schwarzenegger




Keep Standing!




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Why Do We Fall?

We learn courageous action by going forward whenever fear urges us back. A little boy was asked how he learned to skate. “By getting up every time I fell down,” he answered. –David Seabury




Why, oh why, do we fall down?







Could the answer really be that simple? Stuff happens. Is it all about the learning process? Is it all just about growth? I don’t know. But I do know that although we stumble, and sometimes fall, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and keep on going. True, it’s not always easy. What are your thoughts?




The difficulties and struggles of today are but the price we must pay for the accomplishments and victories of tomorrow. –William J. H. Boetcker




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Words of Wisdom from Will Smith

“Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.” –Will Smith




Someone took the time to put together this compilation of Will Smith Wisdom. I think this is some good stuff worth sharing.







“I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is ridiculous, sickening work ethic.” –Will Smith




You might also like:
How to Live Life — Lessons from Dr. Randy Pausch

Life according to Mother Teresa

Lesson of Life by the Dalai Lama

George Carlin’s Wisdom

Thoughts on Life from General Colin Powell




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