Strength Verses Courage

It takes strength to be firm.
It takes courage to be gentle.

It takes strength to stand guard.
It takes courage to let down your guard

It takes strength to conquer.
It takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to be certain.
It takes courage to have doubt.

It takes strength to fit in.
It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to feel a friend's pain.
It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide your own pains.
It takes courage to show them.

It takes strength to endure abuse.
It takes courage to stop it.

It takes strength to stand alone.
It takes courage to lean on another.

It takes strength to love.
It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive.
It takes courage to live

Attitude

Attitude

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or...
I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or...
I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases
wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or...
I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I
was growing up or...
I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or...
I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or...
I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or...
I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or...
I can eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of
knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or...
I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my
mind, body, and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped.
And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me.
I get to choose what kind of day I will have!

--Author Unknown

Don`t You Worry

There`s a town called Don`t-You-Worry On the bank of River Smile Where the Cheer-ups and Be-Happy Blooms sweetly all the while. And the Nev`ER-Give-Up and Patience Point their faces to the sky. In the valley of Contentment In the province of I-Will You will find this lovely city, At the foot of No-Fret hill. There are thoroughfares delightful In this charming town. And on every hand are shade trees Named the Very-Seldom-Frown. Rustic benches quite enticing You`ll find scattered here and there; And to each a vine is clinging Called the Frequent-Earnest-Prayer. Everybody there is happy And is singing all the while, In the town of Don`t-You-Worry, On the banks of River Smile. Written By: I.J.Bartlett

New Beginnings

New Beginnings To believe is to know that every day is a new beginning. It is to trust that miracles happen, and dreams really do come true. To believe is to see angels dancing among the clouds, to know the wonder of a stardust sky and the wisdom of the man in the moon. To believe is to know the value of a nurturing heart, the innocence of a child's eyes and the beauty of an aging hand, for it is through their teachings we learn to love. To believe is to find the strength and courage that lies within us. When it is time to pick up the pieces and begin again. To believe is to know we are not alone, that life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it. To believe is to know that wonderful surprises are just waiting to happen, and all our hopes and dreams are within reach. If only we believe.

Be Careful

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson
about a battle that goes on inside people. He said,
'My son, the battle is between
two 'wolves' inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow,
regret, greed,arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
inferiority, lies, false pride,
superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope,
serenity, humility,kindness, benevolence, empathy,
generosity, truth, compassion and faith.'

The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather:
'Which wolf will win?'

The old Cherokee simply replied,
'The one you feed.'

Rules For Being Human

YOU WILL RECEIVE A BODY...
You may like it or hate it,
But it will be yours for the entire period you're around.

YOU WILL LEARN LESSONS...
You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life.
Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons.
You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, ONLY LESSONS...
Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation.
The "Failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the
experiment that ultimately "works".

A LESSON IS REPEATED UNTIL LEARNED...
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it.
When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.

LEARNING LESSONS DOES NOT END...
There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons.
If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

"THERE" IS NO BETTER THAN "HERE"...
When your "There" has become a "Here", you will simply obtain
Another "There" that will, again, look better than "Here".

OTHERS ARE MERELY MIRRORS OF YOU...
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless
It reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

WHAT YOU MAKE OF YOUR LIFE IS UP TO YOU...
You have all the tools and resources you need.
What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

YOUR ANSWERS LIE INSIDE YOU...
The answers to life's questions lie inside you.
All you need to do is look, listen and trust.

YOU WILL FORGET ALL THIS...
Unless you consistently stay focused on the goals you have set for yourself,
everything you've just read won't mean a thing.

The 12 Gifts I Wish for You

Happiness
Deep down within

Serenity
With each sunrise

Success
In each facet of your life

Family
Beside you

Health
Inside you

Love
That never ends

Special memories
Of all the yesterdays

A bright today
With much to be thankful for

A path
That leads to beautiful tomorrows

Dreams
That do their best to come true.

Appreciation
Of all the wonderful things about you.

Close and caring friends

-Collin McCarty-

Live with Joy

Find joy in doing nothing and you can find it in everything.
Experience happiness without a
reason and you can create happiness for any
reason. Realize that happiness is not the result
of good things, but is indeed the cause of good
things. There is nothing you need in order to
be happy other than the choice to be.

Imagine living this day filled with joy, happiness
and positive purpose. Imagine it, then take one
more step and actually do it.

Let go of any concern you may have for what
does or does not come your way. Focus instead
on the good and valuable things that you can give,
create, inspire and choose to experience.

Don't allow the world to pull you down with its negativity.
Choose to transform the world around
you with your own positive outlook.

Real joy is always a choice you can make. Live
with joy, let happiness flow out from you, and
life becomes more radiant with each passing
moment.

Habit

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me,
and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and
after a few lessons
I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of all great men.
And, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the
precision of a machine.
Plus, the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin;
it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will
put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?

I am a HABIT!

Growth

Sooner or later you'll encounter a crisis in your life,
And how you meet it will determine your future happiness
and success. Since the beginning of time, everyone has
been called upon to meet such a crisis.

Close scrutiny will show you that most "crisis situations"
are opportunities to either advance or stay where you are.
Indeed, most people make changes in their life
Out of either "inspiration" or "desperation."

Personal growth is the process of responding positively to change.
Whatever comes your way, give it meaning and transform it into
something of value.

A precious stone cannot be polished without friction,
nor humanity perfected without trials.

A Time To Believe

To believe
is to know that every day is a new beginning.
It is to trust that miracles happen,and dreams
really do come true.

To believe
is to see angels dancing among the clouds to know
the wonder of a stardust sky and the wisdom of the
man in the moon.

To believe
is to know the value of a nurturing heart, the innocence
of a child's eyes and the beauty of an aging hand,for it is
through their teachings we learn to love.

To believe
is to find the strength and courage that lies within us
when it is time to pick up the pieces and begin again.

To believe
is to know we are not alone,
that life is a gift and this is our
time to cherish it.

To believe
is to know that wonderful surprises are just waiting
to happen, and all our hopes and dreams are within reach.

"If only we believe."

May You Always Feel Loved

May you find serenity and tranquility
in a world you may not always understand.

May the pain you have known
and the conflict you have experienced
give you the strength to walk through life
facing each new situation with optimism
and courage.

Always know that there are those
whose love and understanding will always
be there, even when you feel most alone.

May you discover enough goodness in others
to believe in a world of peace.

May a kind word, a reassuring touch,
a warm smile be yours every day of your life,
and may you give these gifts as well
as receive them.

Remember the sunshine when the storm
seems unending.

Teach love to those who know hate, and let
that love embrace you as you go into the world.

May the teaching of those you admire become
part of you, so that you may call upon them.

Remember, those whose lives you have touched
and who have touched yours are always a part
of you, even if the encounters were less than
you would have wished.

May you not become too concerned with
material matters, but instead place immeasurable
value on the goodness in your heart.

Find time in each day to see the beauty
and love in the world around you.

Realize that each person has limitless abilities,
but each of us is different in our own way.

What you may feel you lack in one regard
may be more than compensated for in another.

What you feel you lack in the present
may become one of your strengths in the future.

May you see your future
as one filled with promise and possibility.

Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.

May you find enough inner strength
to determine your own worth by yourself,
and not be dependent on another's judgments
of your accomplishments.

May you Always Feel Loved!

How To Be Happy

1. Make up your mind to be happy.
Learn to find pleasure in simple things.

2. Make the best of your circumstances.
No one has everything, and everyone has something
of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life.
The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the
tears.

3. Don't take yourself too seriously.
Don't think that somehow you should be protected
from misfortune that befalls other people.

4. You can't please everybody.
Don't let criticism worry you.

5. Don't let your neighbor set your standards.
Be yourself.

6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.

7. Never borrow trouble.
Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.

8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy,
enmity,grudges.
Avoid people who make you unhappy.

9. Have many interests.
If you can't travel, read about new places.

10. Don't hold postmortems.
Don't spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes.
Don't be one who never gets over things.

11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never
has time to be unhappy.

Robert Louis Stevenson

LET IT GO

There are people who can walk away from you and hear
me when I tell you this! When people can walk away
from you let them walk.

I don't want you to try to talk another person into
staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring
about you, coming to see you, staying attached
to you. I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk.
Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.
The bible said that, they came out from us that
it might be made manifest that they were not for us.

For had they been of us, no doubt they would have
continued with us. [1 John 219]

People leave you because they are not joined to you.
If they are not joined to you, you can get super glue
and you can't make them stay. Let them go. It doesn't
mean that they are a bad person it just means that their
part in the story is over. You've got to know when people's
part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to
raise the dead. You've got to know when it's dead.

You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something.
I've got the gift of good bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I
believe in good bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm
faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have
He'll give it to me.

Stop begging people to stay. LET IT GO !!

If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong
to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to.....
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains....
LET IT GO!!!

If someone can't treat you right, love you back,
and see your worth....
LET IT GO!!!

If someone has angered you.....
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge....
LET IT GO!!!

If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction.....
LET IT GO!!!

If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets
your needs or talents.....
LET IT GO!!!

If you have a bad attitude......
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep judging others to make yourself
feel better.....
LET IT GO!!!

If you're stuck in the past and God is trying
to take you to a new level in Him......
LET IT GO!!!

If you are struggling with the healing of a
broken relationship....
LET IT GO!!!

If you keep trying to help someone who
won't even try to help themselves.....
LET IT GO!!!

If you're feeling depressed and stressed.......
LET IT GO!!!

If there is a particular situation that you are
so used to handling yourself and God is saying
"take your hands off of it," then you need to......
LET IT GO!!!

Unknown

The Ten Other Commandments

1. Thou shall not worry needlessly about mistakes.
You aren't unworthy or incapable just because you
made some mistakes. Remember that mistakes are
necessary for growth.

2. Thou shall not control things.
Your way is not always the best way. Remain
open-minded, and don't worry if things don't go as expected.

3. Thou shall not blame others.
Don't make others responsible for your happiness.
You are in control of your happiness, and you can
choose to make the day a positive one.

4. Thou shall not worry.
Don't worry about the things that you can't change
or have no control over. Have faith that storms never
last long and tomorrow will be brighter.

5. Thou shall never surrender.
You must try to climb that hill even when it seems
too steep. No matter how difficult the task seems,
it's better to try than to wonder if you could have succeeded.

6. Thou shall grow.
Never think that you have to stay where you are in life.
Every new day offers an opportunity for change.

7. Thou shall not judge others harshly.
Try to accept other people for who they are.
Just because someone is different from you,
doesn't mean they are inferior.
Everyone was created in God's image.

8. Thou shall not fret over other's opinions.
Not everyone will like you, and some people
will criticize you, but you must not feel unworthy.
You need no one's approval to be you.

9. Thou shall not doubt your ability.
You should always have faith in yourself.
Refuse to give the negative voice in your head
an audience.

10. Thou shall not fix the world.
It's good to help others, but remember that you
can't fix everyone's problems.

Garden Of Your Mind

Garden Of Your Mind

Your mind is like a garden:
Whatever you plant will grow.
Your thoughts are seeds you're planting:
They produce, each after its kind.

And you, just like a gardener,
Can choose which seeds you'll plant.
And by the choice of seeds you sow,
You choose the harvest you will reap.

So don't plant seeds of lack or fear,
Disease, discord, or doubt.
Plant, instead, the seeds you want;
Then things you want will sprout.
This gift of choice is given to all,
And not to just a few.
The harvest, friend, is in your hands:
The crop depends on you.

So take this power which you've been given,
And use it every day,
To gain from life the good you want,
For you have found the way.

I SHALL ALLOW

I shall allow myself to feel capable
-- so that I may seek excellence.

I shall allow myself to feel sadness
-- so that joy may return.

I shall allow myself to feel happy
-- so that I may be revitalised.

I shall allow myself to feel afraid
-- so that I may find courage.

I shall allow myself to feel alone
-- so that I may know me.

I shall allow myself to feel beautiful
-- so that I may feel free.

I shall allow myself to feel loveable
-- so that the loving may seek me.

I shall allow myself to feel pain
-- so that I may heal.

I shall allow myself to feel worthy
-- so that I may fulfil my purpose.

When I am centred, I see the
perfection in the world,
myself and others.

When I find the world to be imperfect, I will take
responsibility for painting it that way. I will look into
the heart of a rose, or the eyes of a
new-born baby and again know perfection.

I take responsibility for creating
my own life story through
the choices I have made
-- to blame others is to give away my personal power.
Who will I allow to write the next chapter of my life?
I shall make a small difference on this planet through the
work I do -- when I leave I will have done my share. I shall
live, love, laugh, and learn on my journey ...

The Important Things

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be - a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger - but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones.

If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they have to say.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make anything you wish of your life. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

And if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.

Learn a lesson in life each day that you live! Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday. Was it worth it?

Strength Verses Courage

Strength Verses Courage

It takes strength to be firm
It takes courage to be gentle

It takes strength to stand guard
It takes courage to let down your guard

It takes strength to conquer
It takes courage to surrender

It takes strength to be certain
It takes courage to have doubt

It takes strength to fit in
It takes courage to stand out

It takes strength to feel a friend's pain.
It takes courage to feel your own pain

It takes strength to hide your own pains
It takes courage to show them

It takes strength to endure abuse
It takes courage to stop it

It takes strength to stand alone
It takes courage to lean on another

It takes strength to love
It takes courage to be loved

It takes strength to survive
It takes courage to live