“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard
More Inspirational Quotes
Christian Book Reviews, Self Improvement, Positivity
by Joi 3 Comments
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard
More Inspirational Quotes
Self Help Daily’s Thursday Throwbacks look at great articles, books, quotes, and teachings from the distant past. Just because these great writings have a little dust on them doesn’t mean they don’t have a great deal to teach us. In fact, I’ve personally be impacted the most by older writings (certainly including the oldest one of all, the Bible!) This is why I collect old books and magazines – the inspiring, motivating, and educating lessons waiting inside these books are like gold waiting inside wooden boxes.
I love to take one off the shelf, find a great place to kick back (coffee nearby, of course) and soak up my lesson.
The following article, written by Dr. Maxwell Maltz – author of “Doctor Pygmallion” – recently accompanied me to our front yard. I read the beautiful words as a choir of cardinals provided the soundtrack.
Coffee, a great book, a busy bird feeder, and sleeping cats at my feet (too fat, old, and/or lazy to even acknowledge the birds) – the stage was set for one blissful hour. This article really struck me as something special, so I thought I’d share it with you.
by Dr. Maxwell Maltz
“And what is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
When did these splendid words occur to Emerson? Perhaps one day when the harvest was ready to be gathered home and the bright fields rippled in the wind, wheat for the winter’s bread. For, ages ago, wheat was thought to be a weed, useless to mankind.
Perhaps on that day, looking at the ripe bronze fields, Emerson was returning from a visit to his friend the teacher Bronson Alcott – that tireless, undefeatable, unquenchable man – and paused to reflect on Alcott’s stubborn insistence that it was never the “bad boy” or the dullard who was to blame but those who lacked the patience and the care to probe beneath the surface for what was good, however unpromising or unfriendly the surface might be. There were no “weeds” in Bronson Alcott’s schoolroom.
So many times, in clinic and hospital ward, have I seen the apparently hopeless misfit transformed into a hopeful and helpful person – a giver, not a taker – by the simplest display of interest and belief in him. It always makes me wonder how many good citizens, creators and builders, and contributors to our common health as a nation, have been lost because someone, somewhere, was misled by the husk and did not see the golden grain within.
I suppose it comes down to this: Our first “must” for everyday should be to pause before passing judgment, remembering that the apparently useless weed in the dirt of the roadside, with care and cultivation, provide tomorrow’s bread. – Dr. Maxwell Maltz
by Joi 6 Comments
I’m a firm believer that you can learn something from every single person you meet – and often even those you don’t meet. I’m the sort of person who wants to learn something new and/or be inspired and motivated as many times as possible during the day. Whether I’m reading a favorite magazine, blog posts, Twitter updates, or watching something on television. My “live to learn” antenna is up at all times!
Case in point: This morning, I was reading a story on one of my favorite websites – Prevention.com. The story profiled 5 finalists in the 2010 Picture of Health competition. 5 finalists – 5 motivating and inspiring hits to the antenna. I’ll hit the highs with these finalists below, so you can be inspired by them as much as I have been.
Paula Bruchhaus (43 – on the far right in the picture above), from Florida, is an elementary school teacher who lost 80 pounds and inspired her students to fall in love with running. “We’re not all going to be super fast or strong, but our goal is simply to improve,” Bruchhaus tells her students. “It is possible to change simply by eating healthy and exercising.” Her kids have run in marathons and over the years have raised $25,000 for charity.
I love that she’s reaching out to kids and to her community. She improved her own life and now has her mind set on improving other’s lives as well.
Dawn Forgione (51 – on the far left in the picture above), also from Florida, has had her fair share of scrapes and bruises, literally. She endured serious injuries, including 40 stitches to her face and knocked-out teeth, after a bad bike spill while training for a 150-mile charity ride. That was apparently one of her better days.
She has also faced bouts of cervical dysplasia, endometriosis (which led to multiple surgeries and ultimately a radical hysterectomy), knee surgery, two hip replacements, and breast and skin cancer.
Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for herself, she has been a busy girl! She has helped many organizations through the years, such as the American Cancer Society, the Children’s Cancer Caring Center in Miami, and the March of Dimes. “I love to be a positive role model and show others that a diagnosis is not a death sentence.” Those words just jumped off the screen at me – A diagnosis is not a death sentence. I’d say that she made diagnosis a life sentence! You. Go. Girl.
Linda Goff (42 – second from right in the picture above), from Missouri, once weighed over 300 pounds. She realized that her eating habits were setting a bad example for her kids and her weight wasn’t doing her marriage any favors. She prayed for the courage to take the first step —and it worked. A switch flipped, and by exercising and eating right, she went from a size 26 to 6.
Today, Goff says she feels better than she did at 25. She helps counsel weight loss support groups at the hospital, gym, and church. “I want to let people know that good choices are just like bad ones—they can become lifelong habits too.”
There were several things that stood out to me in Linda Goff’s story:
Kristi Marsh (39 – the young lady in the middle in the picture above), from Massachusetts, found a lump in her breast when she was 35 years old. She was diagnosed with an aggressive kind of breast cancer, but didn’t cave under the pressure. What’s more, she used the horrifying experience to learn things about her body and to inspire her to make a difference. “Our bodies try so hard to survive, but we often compromise that with unhealthy choices that increase our exposure to pesticides and pollutants.”
She researched nontoxic products, joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm, and even started raising hens in her backyard for organic eggs! I love that. Seriously, I want some hens in my yard. Stat. My husband never knows exactly what kick I’m going to get on next or what will come out of my head or mouth next.. I hope he braces himself for this one. I want hens.
Krisit even started an educational organization called Choose Wiser, sharing her tips and advice with local groups. “I hope to educate people about what best fits into their lives so they can make healthy changes.”
Chris Word (52 – Let’s see… I believe he’s second from the left 🙂 ), from California, used his battle with colon cancer as a springboard for a life of service on the behalf of children. “My cancer struggle inspired me to help sick children.” Motivated by all the child cancer patients he met during his recovery, he decided to start the Lifedriven Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that supports research and treats children battling the disease with trips to Disneyland. How cool is that?!
“There is so much about cancer that people have no control over, but we can give a family a moment in time to experience some joy,” Word says.
If I were asked to design Heaven’s lay out (oddly enough, I have not been consulted), there’d be a special place… a very, very, very special place for people who help children.
I love the spirit, the fight, the drive, and the compassion in these individuals. If you ask me, they have plenty to teach all of us about life and about bouncing back.
When these people were knocked down, they not only got back up, they got back up fighting! This is the sort of spirit that makes the world a better place. Think about it. If everyone took their knocks and used them as inspiration to make the world around them a better place, can you imagine what a world we would live in? Unfortunately, many people are far too busy whining, moaning, sighing, and feeling sorry for themselves to take the time to reach out to others.
I hope you’ll read the full stories on each of these individuals by vising Prevention’s 2010 Picture of Health Story and Slideshow. Whether you’re looking to lose 10 pounds, improve the way your family eats, or simply want a inspirational fodder for your own antenna, these stories will touch your heart… flip a switch in your brain…. and light a fire under your feet. If that sounds like something that’d be all kinds of cool beans – have at it!
Photo Credit: Prevention.com
by Joi 6 Comments
“Do good, and disappear.” – Genevieve Hennet De Goutel (1886-1917)
The simple, yet beautiful, words above are from Genevieve Hennet De Goutel’s diary. Genevieve was a heroic French nurse who served on several battlefields. She died in World War I. I’ve made a note to try to learn more about this remarkable woman. As it is, I have little more than the quote above.
But what a quote!
The quote needs no explaining or expounding from me. The meaning is obvious: When you do something helpful or kind for someone, you need not stand around waiting for a pat on the back. You shouldn’t worry if anyone saw your good deed or heard your kind words, and you most certainly shouldn’t try to draw attention to yourself
You simply give, say, or do – and disappear.
by Joi 2 Comments
Something that helps me when 99 percent of me wants to phone it in is three simple words: Get it Done. It has kept me focused when my mind wants to wander away from work at hand, it has kept me doing housework when I wanted to watch I Love Lucy, and it has kept me on the treadmill for 10 minutes longer than I thought I could reach. When you feel yourself caving in to distractions, discouragements, or any other dangerous limitations, visualize the words GET IT DONE… and then do just that.
Here are a few other favorite quotes about perseverance:
Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts. – Coleman Cox
Keep going and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down. – Charles Kettering
Character consists on what you do on the third and fourth tries. – James Michener
Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success, they give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown. – H. Ross Perot
It’s always too early to quit. – Norman Vincent Peale
When the world says, “Give up,”
Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”
– Author Unknown
Never despair, but if you do, WORK ON IN DESPAIR. – Edmund Burke
More great quotes about Perseverance.
The GORGEOUS Dr. Tony Evans Study Bible (Amazon affiliate link) is exactly what you need if you want to get more from your Bible reading. He makes the Bible come even more alive and, in a way uniquely his own, makes each chapter easy to understand… even Revelations!