if none were...

If none were sick and none were sad,
What service could we render?
I think if we were always glad
We scarcely could be tender;
Did our beloved never need
Our patient ministration,
Earth would grow cold and miss indeed
Its greatest consolation.
Did sorrow never grieve our heart
And every wish were granted,
Patience would die and hope depart;
Life would be disenchanted.

duplication

The concept of duplication pretty much means exactly what it says. Whether we like it or not, we're constantly absorbing information, behaviour, or habits that we're exposed to. Whether it's through advertisements, pictures, behaviour, language, or whatever.
If someone looks up to you as a role model, it's possible they will think that it's cool or acceptable or even important for them to act as you do, so they duplicate it. At other times, even if people do not go out of their way to pick up on your behaviour they just do, because they're exposed to you on a constant basis & it automatically rubs off on them, similar to the way you start singing a song if you've heard it playing, even if you loathe the song or if it's a very silly song.
Something I have to constantly be aware of, & I think most parents will relate to, is that there's a little person always around who's picking up on everything I do. I am reminded everytime I am tempted to swear in frustration, or take shortcuts in different situations. I have to make sure what I do is duplicatable. It's not about what works, it's about what duplicates. Is the language I use something i want to hear her using? Is the way I react to things positive so she will learn to react that way too? Am I solution oriented? Am I praiseful & appreciative of people? I can't chow down junk food all day & yet be preaching at her to eat fruits & vegetables. I can't toss her dirty laundry around unless I want her to end up doing the same thing.
But this concept doesn't just apply to people with kidz. It's true of every person. We're all influencing others on a constant basis & we are also picking up things from the environment we're in. You know how they say that we're a product of our environment? Well that basically means we've duplicated the things we've been exposed to.
This is not only true of us duplicating outside influences, but it also means that if we have a negative attitude it will duplicate within us to where we are negative about everything. If we have a positive attitude, it will duplicate more positive thoughts about things.
So, what can we get from this?
Firstly, guard your psychological environment. What are you allowing yourself to be exposed to? Is it something you want to become? Is it positive, uplifting & constructive?
Secondly, look at your own actions & language, - is it something worth duplicating? Are you as a person, worth duplicating?
Try using this concept in your daily occurences & you'll start to see why it's so important.
I hope it's a help to you in some way.
What are you duplicating? And who's dupliating you?

dreams....

In the last post, I listed that I'd learned to not be afraid to 'dream big!' This is an awesome topic because EVERYBODY wants something. So, this post should appeal to everyone reading it. Think about it a bit. What do YOU want? What are your dreams? You must have some, because life holds little or no joy without dreams.
Maybe you want to do something great & make history. Maybe you're not that vain & want to feed lots of hungry people without any recognition. Maybe you're the crazy type & want to jump out of the sky tied to a rope. Perhaps you want to go white-water rafting in the Zambezi, or swim with pink dolphins in the Amazon.
W. Clement Stone said: "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
Think about that for a second. You can do, be, or have ANYTHING you want! It's exciting. So, don't be afraid to dream MASSIVE dreams because it's possible if you decide it is.
A study at Yale revealed that only 3% of people write down their dreams. But of that 3%, 98% of them accomplish them.
Hey I'm just the messenger. Those are the facts & the statistics. It's just up to you to decide which category of people you want to be in.
William Jones said: "A man may never do everything that he's dreamed, but he will never EVER do anything that he hasn't dreamed!"
These are powerful words guys. If you're a big dreamer like me, i hope they make an impact on you.
Since I've given myself permission to dream, it's incredible that the list of dreams just keeps on growing. I may never accomplish them all, but I know now that I'll do a heck of a lot more than if I never allowed myself the privilege of dreaming them. In case anyone is interested, I'm gonna do a series of posts on some of my dreams. But I'd love to know what other's dreams are. It's interesting. And I'd love to get to know my friends a lot better. So tell me some things YOU want to do. I'm waiting impatiently for your feedback. Talk to you soon.

my business....

Some people that know me, know that I've started a business recently. It's been quite a challenge, but also a lot of fun, because I've been learning so much that I somehow neglected to know & practice before. In our business we have a personal development program which helps us develop to our full potential. It's exciting knowing that I'm furthering myself as a person & also as a business woman. The stuff I've had to learn has taught me so much, not only about business, but also about life. The principles in the business world & in one's personal life are sometimes very similar & employ very parallel concepts.
I'll list some of the things I've learned here, but I think I'll do a series of posts where i can tell you about them more in depth, so look out for that. I hope they can be a help to you as well to keep you striving to live your life to the very max! (hee, no pun intended.) Kay here they are:

• duplication
  
• edification
• posture (do you see now why I'm gonna have to explain some of these?)
  
• not being afraid to have big dreams
• setting goals
• deciding what I want, devising a strategy & executing it.
  
• personality types & how to relate to different types of people
• acquiring people skills (:0))
  
• believing in & being passionate about what i do
• listening to people
  
• shut up shut up shut up (sorry, it doesn't do to tell me once.)
• respecting & being willing to learn from those that have been where i am & are where i would like to be. be teachable.
  
• be willing to fight for what i want
• not let anything or anyone stand in the way of that
• be willing to be very uncomfortable
• stretch myself & do things I've never done before.
• associate with new people
• brush shoulders with successful, passionate people
• the power of reading
• the power of motivational cd's
• learning to love the struggle
• just wanting to become the person I will be as a result of achieving what I want.
• getting what I want by helping other people get what they want.
• financial intelligence
• putting money in the right perspective
  
• building people
• being a role model people want to follow

I'll stop there for now, if i come up with anymore, I'll be sure to let you know....& if any of these interest you, then come back & read about them a bit more later....

salads!

I know when some people think of salad, its almost like ugluh, that tasteless, crunchy green stuff with no filling value, that one is required to eat in order to survive. I used to dread eating salad. I mean i ate it, but it wasn't my preferred choice of cuisine if you catch my drift. Salad these days has become more of a joy for me, I've discovered that one can be quite inventive with their salads & can in fact sneak in a wide variety of foods under the guise of it being salad providing there is at least one vegetable present. In fact there are entire books published on salad recipes. Thick ones too. Once you start ruffling around in the salad scene it can be quite the intrigue. It's almost like you're always thinking: "hmm, i wonder if that would taste good in a salad".... but somehow, salad always makes for a lighter meal that just doesn't leave you feeling FAT the whole day....

slowdance...

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain tapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down don't dance so fast
Time is short the music won't last

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?" do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You'd better slow down don't dance so fast
Time is short the music won't last

Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch, ;let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down don't dance so fast
Time is short the music won't last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift.... thrown away...

Life is not a race. Do take it slower
Hear the music before the song is over.

setting goals

It's a new month so i suppose it's the perfect time to set new goals for ourselves. It's always fun seeing how we can do better than we did the last month, cause it always keeps us striving to be more than we are. I heard a cd the other night which was quite inspiring, & one thing that stood out to me on it was when the lady speaking said: "Do you know what's outside of your comfort zone? Everything. Everything you want is outside of your comfort zone." Which means that in order to get what we want, we have to be willing to be very uncomfortable & to keep stretching ourselves beyond what we think we are capable of or willing to do. I think it's cool. It helps us grow as people & become more exceptional human beings. I found some cool quotes on goal-setting so i'll post some here that i really liked. But maybe just stop & think about what are some of your goals for this month.

To be good is not enough when you dream of being great!

Write it down. Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants; cant's into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality. Don't just think it - ink it!

Louisa May Alcott
Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.

Elbert Hubbard
Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.

Jim Rohn
Goals. There's not telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There's no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There's no telling what will happen when you act upon them.

Maxwell Maltz
Emptiness is a symptom that you are not living creatively. You either have not goal that is important enough to you, or you are not using your talents and efforts in a striving toward an important goal.

Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul.

Robert Collier
See things as you would have them be instead of as they are.

Harvey Mackay
Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life.

Milton Berle
I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might have-been has never been, but a has was once an are.

Charles F Kettering
I am not interested in the past. I am interested in the future, for that is where I expect to spend the rest of my life.

Zig Ziglar
Remember, what you get by reaching your destination isn't nearly as important as what you become by reaching your goals -- what you will become is the winner you were born to be!

Kahlil Gibran
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.

Napoleon Hill
A goal is a dream with a deadline.

Well, there you have it. Ugh i love this stuff, these kind of quotes just keep me going. I hope they inspire you too.

i'm still here

I've become pretty sure in the last few weeks that God wants me alive. This month was an exceptionally life-threatening one for me- I've repeatedly tempted fate to dispose of me, yet somehow every time it almost seems like God tells me: "I'm not done with you yet."
Today, i was handed an additional opportunity to just be grateful for life & another day to use the life God has given me to the very fullest i can.
It happened quite suddenly. And in my 4 years of driving, i was never aware that something that dangerous could happen simply from a wet road.
We were running late for an appointment, so naturally i was trying to make good time on the road. I wasn't driving particularly faster than i normally do, but it had been raining the whole morning, so the roads were a little more slippery. The tires on our car have long been due for a change. But i guess it's one of those things you put on a back burner hoping they'll see you through the rough times until you're rolling in the dough someday & can purchase some new ones. now bald tires have long been an acquaintance of skidding on the roads in wet weather. i knew this, but i didn't know it could be that severe.
So we were driving at a fairly fast speed, when all of a sudden, the car spun out of control on the wet road & did a complete 90 degree turn on this busy one way highway so i landed facing the wrong direction. on a curve. so no one coming around the bend could see us. the entire time this was happening, which took approximately 10 seconds, i thought i was gonna be killed, or at best injured or disfigured. this is a major highway. at any time during our spin, we could have been hit with massive impact by a number of cars. the spot the car spun into before it ground to a halt was miraculously in the margin of the road whereas, just a few feet ahead the margin finishes so i would have been pretty screwed in that situation as well. when the car stopped spinning, we were 3 inches away from a big wall, which i was certain we were gonna crash into until that point.
Simon eventually had to stand out on the highway holding the emergency triangle, telling other cars to move over so i could turn our massive vehicle around.
And i might add.......we still got to our appointment on time.
Only God knows why he spared my life today. but the fact that i escaped the ordeal without so much as a scratch-on me or the car is beyond my comprehension.
Matthew 10:30 says: But the very hairs of your head are all numbered...
He's kept me alive in a world of mass confusion & uncertainty. It would be an insult to Him not to do the VERY best i can with the time He's given me here. I hope i don't let Him down.

how to think big

The tendency for so many people to think small means there is much less competition than you think for a very rewarding career.
Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches or pounds or college degrees, or family background; they are measured by the size of their thinking. How big we think determines the size of our accomplishments.
It is well to know our inabilities, for this shows us areas in which we can improve. But if we know only our negative characteristics, were in a mess. Our value is small.
You're bigger than you think. So fit your thinking to your true size. Think as big as you really are. Never, never, never sell yourself short!

4 ways to develop the big thinkers vocabulary:

1) Use big, positive , cheerful words and phrases to describe how you feel. When someone asks, "How do you feel today?" and you respond with a negative response, you actually make yourself feel worse. Practice this: it's a very simple point, but it has tremendous power. Every time some one asks you, "How are you?" or "How are you feeling today?" respond with a "Just wonderful! thanks, and you?" or say "Great!" or "Fine." Say you feel wonderful at every possible opportunity, and you will begin to feel wonderful-and bigger, too. Become known as a person who always feels great. It wins friends.
2) Use bright, cheerful, favourable words and phrases to describe other people. Make it a rule to have a big, positive word for all your friends and associates. Be extremely careful to avoid the petty cut-him-down-language. Such talk only cuts you down.
3) Use positive language to encourage others. Compliment people personally at every opportunity. Everyone you know craves praise. Praise sincerely administered, is a success tool. Use it. Use it again and again and again. Compliment people on their appearance, their work, their achievements, their families.
4) Use positive words to outline plans to others. When people hear something like this: "Here is some good news. We face a genuine opportunity..." Their minds start to sparkle. But when they hear something like "Whether we like it or not, we've got a job to do," the mind movie is dull and boring. and they react accordingly. Promise victory and watch eyes light up. Promise victory and win support.

See what can be, not just what is. Putting a big value on people is what converts them into big, regular patrons. Attaching little value to people sends them elsewhere.
What determines how much you're worth? People who don't have much look at themselves as they are now. Thats all they see. They don't see the future, they just see a miserable present.
"If I looked at myself strictly as I am-I couldn't help but be discouraged. I'd see a nobody and I'd be a nobody for the rest of my life.
"I've made my mind to look at myself as the person I'm going to be in a few short years. When i look at myself that way, I feel bigger and think bigger. "
The price tag the world puts on us is just about identical to the one we put on ourselves.
Here is how you can develop your power to see what can be, not just what is.
1) Practice adding value to things.
2)Practice adding value to people.
3)Practice adding value to yourself.

What does it take to make a good speech?
Successful public speakers have one thing in common: They have something to say and they feel a burning desire for other people to hear it.
Don't let concern with trivia keep you from speaking successfully in public.

What causes quarrels?
Little things, petty thinking, causes arguments. So, to eliminate quarrels, eliminate petty thinking.
Before complaining or accusing or reprimanding someone or launching a counterattack in self-defense, ask yourself, "Is it really important?" In most cases, it isn't and you avoid conflict.
When you feel like taking negative action, ask yourself, "Is it really important?" That question is the magic in building a finer home situation. It works in any situation in life that is apt to produce quarrels.

Don't fall into the triviality trap. Think of those things that really matter. Things that make the difference. Don't become submerged under surface issues. Concentrate on important things.

bbs (be back soon)

hi guys,
im sorry i havent been a frequent poster of late. i've barely had any time this week to do anything. but it only means you're due for a flurry of posts shortly, so watch this space. i miss being able to post very frequently, and have limited access to a computer, but these are all mere excuses, not a condition so i will do better.

i'll just leave you with a few words to ponder, ooo i like these:

"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence."

see you soon.
xxx sharms