Inspire
Me (January 2003)True stories, quotes and information
on inspiration, leadership and kindness to provide hope and direction in your
life. What's
in your memory bank?
The 92-year-old, petite,
well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock,
with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she
is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently
passed away, making the move necessary. After
many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly
when told her room was ready. As
she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of
her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I
love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just
been presented with a new puppy. "Mrs.
Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait." "That
doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something
you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how
the furniture is arranged... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to
love it ... "It's
a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the
day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no
longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day
is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy
memories I've stored away ... just for this time in my life. Old
age is like a bank account ... you withdraw from what you've put in.. So, my advice
to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories.
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. And
I am still depositing. Remember
the five simple rules to being happy: 1.
Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4.
Give more.
5. Expect less. I've
Learned (Part III) from Andy Rooney (who has the
gift of saying so much with so few words)
I've
learned...That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. I've
learned...That when you are in love, it shows. I've
learned...That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes
my day. I've
learned...That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful
feelings in the world. I've
learned...That being kind is more important than being right. I've
learned...That you should never say no to a gift from a child. I've
learned...That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to
help him in some other way. I've
learned...That no matter how serious life requires you to be, everyone needs a
friend to act goofy with. I've
learned...That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. I've
learned...That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when
I was a child did wonders for me as an adult. I've
learned...That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the
end, the faster it goes. I've
learned...That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for. I've
learned...That money doesn't buy class. I've
learned...That it's those small dialy happenings that make life so spectacular. I've
learned...That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated
and loved. I've
learned...That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?
I've learned...That to ignore the facts does not change the facts. I've
learned... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that
person continue to hurt you. Also,
I've learned... That love, not time, heals all wounds. "You
can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have
roses." RUN
TO WIN A
monthly insert on Coaching and Leadership by Vince Lombardi 
*
Never take an easy opponent lightly. *
Work hard at game preparation. *
Study your opponents. Gather as much information as possible. Determine strengths
and weaknesses. *
Build an extensive file on every opponent and keep these files updated. *
Try to defeat what your opponent does best. Just like I try to do what I do best
and my opponents try to stop it. *
Remember that the team that controls the ball controls the game. *
You have to run as a coach. *
Don't try to inject much strategy from the sideline. That should be done during
the week. But be prepared to make changes at halftime. *
Use game planning and meticulous preparation to build a player's confidence. *
Make winning a part of your game plan. Articulate that goal each and every week.
*
Make no little plans. Make big plans. *
The reach should always exceed the grasp. A
Christmas Story (sorry this is a bit late, but keep this one handy for
next Christmas) It
was the night before Christmas, I hurried to go to the store to buy the remaining
gifts I didn't manage to buy earlier.
When I saw all the people there,
I started to complain to myself:
'It is going to take forever here and
I still have so many other places to go...'
'Christmas really is getting
more and more annoying every year. How I wish I could just lie down, go to sleep
and only wake up after it...' Nonetheless,
I made my way to the toy section, and there I started to curse the prices, wondering
if the kids really play with such expensive toys.
While looking in the
toy section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years old, pressing a doll against
his chest. He kept on touching
the hair of the doll and looked so sad.
I wondered who this doll was for.
Then the little boy turned to the
old woman next to him:
'Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?'
The old lady replied:
'You know that you don't have enough money to
buy this doll, my dear.'
Then she asked him to stay here for 5 minutes
while she went to look around. She left quickly.
The little boy was still
holding the doll in his hand. Finally, I started to walk toward him and I asked
him who he wanted to give this
doll to.
'It is the doll that my sister
loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus
would bring it to her.'
I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus will bring
it to her, after all, and not to worry.
But he replied to me sadly.
'No, Santa Claus can not bring it to her where she is now. I have to give
the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there.'
His eyes were so sad while saying this.
'My sister has gone to be
with God. Daddy says that Mommy will also go to see God very soon, so I thought
that she could bring the doll with her to give it to my sister'
My heart
nearly stopped.
The little boy looked up at me and said:
'I told
daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I asked him to wait until I come back from
the store.'
Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing.
He then told me:
'I also want mommy to take this photo with her so that
she will not forget me.'
'I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have
to leave me but daddy says that she has to go to be with my sister.
Then
he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for
my wallet and took a few notes and said to the boy.
'What if we checked
again, just in case you have enough money?' 'Ok' he said. 'I hope that I have
enough.'
I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started
to count it. There was enough for the doll, and even some spare money.
The
little boy said: Thank you for giving me enough money'
Then he looked
at me and added:
'I asked yesterday before I slept for God to make sure
I have enough money to buy this doll so that mommy can give it to my sister. He
heard me'
'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for
my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask for too much. But you gave me enough to buy
the doll and the white rose.'
'You know, my mommy loves white roses'
A few minutes later, the old lady came again and I left.
I finished
my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the
little boy out of my mind.
Then I remembered a local newspaper article
2 days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck who hit a car where there was
one young lady and a little girl.
The little girl died right away, and
the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull
the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady would not be able
to come out of the coma.
Was this the family of the little boy?
Two
days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the
young lady had passed away.
I couldn't stop myself and went to buy a bunch
of white roses and I went to the mortuary where the body of the young woman was
for people to see and make a last wish before burial.
She was there, in
her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little
boy and the doll placed over her chest.
I left the place crying, feeling
that my life had been changed forever.
IT
WORKS
If you KNOW what you WANT you CAN have it.
excerpted from the
book called "It Works"
The Plan
Write down on
paper in order of their importance the things and conditions you really want.
Do not be afraid of wanting
too much. Go the limit in writing down your wants.
Change the list daily, adding to or taking from it, until you have it about right.
Do not be discouraged on account of changes, as this is natural. There
will always be changes and additions with accomplishments and increasing desires.
Three Positive Rules of Accomplishment
1. Read the list of what you
want three times each day: morning, noon and night.
2. Think of what you
want as often as possible.
3. Do not talk to any one about your plan except
to the Great Power within you which will unfold to your Objective Mind the method
of accomplishment.
It is obvious that you cannot acquire faith at the
start. Some of your desires, from all practical reasoning, may seem positively
nattainable, but, nevertheless, write them down on your list in their proper place
of importance to you.
There is no need to analyze how this Power within
you is going to accomplish your desires. Such a procedure is as unnecessary as
trying to figure out why a grain of corn placed in fertile soil shoots up a green
stalk, blossoms and produces an ear of corn containing hundreds of grains, each
capable of doing what the one grain did.
If you follow this definite plan
and carry out these three simple rules, the method of accomplishment will unfold
quite as mysteriously as the ear of corn appears on the stalk, and in most cases
much sooner than you expect.
It's natural to be skeptical and have doubts
when these arise take out your list and read it or talk to you inner self until
this passes.
Nothing can prevent you from having that which you earnestly
desire. Others have these things why not you?
Be specific with what you
want and when something shows up from your list be grateful and give thanks.
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