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       #Post#: 9433--------------------------------------------------
       Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Mac
       Date: June 6, 2012, 3:18 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!
       Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world
       will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good
       about yourself.
       Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high
       school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you
       earn both.
       Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a
       boss.
       Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
       Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they
       called it opportunity.
       Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't
       whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
       Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as
       they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning
       your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you
       thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the
       parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet
       in your own room.
       Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers,
       but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing
       grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the
       right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to
       ANYTHING in real life.
       Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get
       summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you
       FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
       Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people
       actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
       Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working
       for one.
       #Post#: 9434--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Chiprocks1
       Date: June 6, 2012, 3:26 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Word.
       P.S.
       Stop bad mouthing Friends!
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/Chiprocks1/Smilies/0%20All%20Smilies/Kickedinballs.gif[/img]
       #Post#: 12379--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Mac
       Date: September 23, 2012, 7:14 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [glow=yellow,2,300]HOW TO STAY YOUNG[/glow]
       1. Throw out nonessential numbers.
       This includes age,
       weight and height. That's why we live smart.
       2. Keep only cheerful friends.
       The grouches pull you down.
       3. Keep learning. Learn more about the
       computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle.
       'An idle mind is the devil's workshop & dull living.'
       Experience new things...get out.
       4. Enjoy the simple things...
       5. Laugh often, long and loud.
       Laugh until you gasp for breath.
       6. The tears happen.
       Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us
       our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
       7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family,
       pets,
       keepsakes, music, plantsand hobbies, whatever.
       Your home is your refuge.
       8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is
       unstable, improve it.
       If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
       9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the
       next county;
       to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
       10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every
       opportunity..
       AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
       Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, BUT by
       the moments
       that take our breath away.
       #Post#: 12380--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Chiprocks1
       Date: September 23, 2012, 7:19 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       All good advice.
       [IMG]
  HTML http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/Chiprocks1/Smilies/0%20All%20Smilies/HTL_smile.gif[/img]
       #Post#: 15486--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Mac
       Date: January 5, 2013, 5:24 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Well, I decided I cannot repeat my 2012 work situation. I have
       to make a change. I'm going to plant the seed to some folks that
       may make a difference for me. And if not, I will make changes I
       see fit. I cannot stay where I'm at.
       So I ran across this article and I believe there are some wise
       words here. I'm going to use some of them to my advantage. We
       have at the very least a yearly review. It actually happens more
       dependent on the manager. I don't know if he will like my usage,
       but if I don't try, I'll never know. I think you can recognize
       some of the points I'm talking about.
       9 Beliefs of Highly Ineffective People
       It is nearly impossible for anyone, even the most ineffective
       among us, to continue to choose a life of tedious grief after
       becoming fully enlightened to the fact that ineffectiveness is a
       choice.  It is the direct outcome of unproductive beliefs and
       behaviors.
       So here’s a quick reminder – nine things to stop believing:
       1.  “I don’t know what I want.”
       Never let what other people expect from you dictate what you
       expect from yourself.  Figure out what you want.  Clarity about
       your true desires is so liberating because you get to stop
       proving yourself to everyone, including yourself.
       When you get real about the true feelings you crave, you end up
       surprising yourself with an abundance of new opportunities and
       possibilities.  Read Awaken the Giant Within.
       2.  “I can deal with it all later.”
       Without a plan you’re going to stay where you are.  It’s time to
       figure it out.  It’s time to make a move.
       You will not be judged by what you say; you will be judged by
       what you do.  Wake up each morning determined, so you can go to
       bed satisfied.  Have the courage and discipline today to do what
       is needed instead of simply what is convenient.
       3.  “That’s too much work.”
       Life is not always easy.  Wishing for a situation to be easier
       without taking action usually just makes it more difficult.  The
       most effective way to handle what must be done is to do it.
       The time-tested strategy for making life truly easier is to work
       through each challenge as it arises, persistently following
       through to the best of your ability.  Use each challenge as an
       opportunity to create value and make a difference, and you’ll
       eventually get to wherever it is you hope to go.
       4.  “I don’t have the strength.”
       Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them.  You
       will find that they don’t have half the strength you think they
       have.
       The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need
       for tomorrow.  Even when you give it your best shot and you
       miss, it’s not a failure.  Instead, it’s just another
       opportunity to step up to the plate and do it better next time.
       You are stronger than you think.  Don’t give up.  Read As a Man
       Thinketh.
       5.  “My relationship with someone else will solve my problems.”
       The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the
       relationship with yourself.  If you’re not comfortable enough
       with yourself or with your own truth when entering a
       relationship, then you’re not ready for that relationship.
       Because you are incapable of loving another unless you love
       yourself, just as you are incapable of teaching someone else
       something unless you yourself understand it.
       6.  “I will never forgive!”
       You have to forgive.
       You don’t have to like them, you don’t have to be friends with
       them, you don’t have to spend time with them ever again, but you
       have to forgive them, to let go, to let it rest, to let bygones
       be bygones.  Because if you don’t, you are choosing to tie
       boulders to your ankles, which are way too heavy for your
       growing wings to carry.
       7.  “New paths and experiences are too risky.”
       Have the willingness to feel the fear and do it anyway.  It’s
       not the future that you need to be afraid of; it’s repeating the
       past that threatens your growth.  Wouldn’t you rather attempt to
       do something great and learn a lesson, than attempt to do
       nothing and learn nothing for the rest of your life?  Read
       Authentic Happiness.
       8.  “Starting over is not for me, no matter the circumstances.”
       There comes a point in your life when you realize that nothing
       will ever be the same, and you realize that from now on, time
       will be divided in two parts:  before this and after this.
       But that’s okay.  There’s no shame in starting over again, for
       you get a chance to rebuild things bigger and better than they
       ever were before, or reinvent yourself and do something you’ve
       always wanted to do.
       9.  “My unhappiness now will create happiness in my future.”
       Maybe you think you’re entitled to more happiness in the future
       by forgoing all of it now, but it doesn’t work that way.  Being
       happy takes as much practice as being unhappy.  It’s by living
       with a smile that you smile more.  By waiting you wait more.
       Every waiting day makes your lifetime as a whole a little less
       happy.
       To be happy is to truly live.  Every day you put off your life
       makes you less capable of living it to the fullest.
       Which leads to this...
       #Post#: 15487--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Mac
       Date: January 5, 2013, 5:33 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       15 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist
       Listen, this is not kumbaya stuff. It is if you look at it that
       way. But I suggest keeping these things in the back of your
       mind. They are good words and purpose.
       1)   Appreciate the great people and things in your life. –
       Sometimes we don’t notice the things others do for us until they
       stop doing them.  Don’t be like that.  Be grateful for what you
       have, who loves you, and who cares for you.  You’ll never know
       how much they mean to you until the day they’re no longer beside
       you.  Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find
       many others around you.  Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find
       that you have more of it to live.
       2)    Ignore other people’s negativity. – If you allow people to
       make more withdrawals than deposits in your life, you will be
       out of balance and in the negative before you know it.  Ignore
       unconstructive, hurtful commentary.  No one has the right to
       judge you.  They may have heard your stories, but they didn’t
       feel what you were going through.  You do not have control over
       what others say; but you do have control over whether or not you
       allow them to say these things to you.  You alone can deny their
       poisonous words from invading your heart and mind.
       3)    Forgive those who have hurt you. – I forgive people, but
       that doesn’t mean I trust them.  I just don’t have time to hate
       people who hurt me, because I’m too busy loving people who love
       me.  The first to apologize is the bravest.  The first to
       forgive is the strongest.  The first to move forward is the
       happiest.  Be brave.  Be strong.  Be happy.  Be free.
       4)    Be who you really are. – If you’re lucky enough to have
       something that makes you different from everybody else, don’t
       change.  Uniqueness is priceless.  In this crazy world that’s
       trying to make you like everyone else, find the courage to keep
       being your awesome self.  And when they laugh at you for being
       different, laugh back at them for being the same.  It takes a
       lot of courage to stand alone, but it’s worth it.  Being YOU is
       worth it!
       5)    Choose to listen to your inner voice. – Life is a
       courageous journey or nothing at all.  We cannot become who we
       want to be by continuing to do exactly what we’ve been doing.
       Choose to listen to your inner voice, not the jumbled opinions
       of everyone else.  Do what you know in your heart is right for
       YOU.  It’s your road, and yours alone.  Others may walk it with
       you, but no one can walk it for you.  And be sure to appreciate
       every day of your life.  Good days give you happiness, bad days
       give you experience, and the worst days give you the best
       lessons.  Read Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No.
       6)    Embrace change and enjoy your life as it unfolds. – The
       hardest part about growing is letting go of what you were used
       to, and moving on with something you’re not.  Sometimes you have
       to stop worrying, wondering, and doubting, and have faith that
       things will work out.  Laugh at the confusion, live consciously
       in the moment, and enjoy your life as it unfolds.  You might not
       end up exactly where you intended to go, but eventually you will
       arrive precisely where you need to be.
       7)    Choose your relationships wisely. – The best relationships
       are not just about the good times you share, they’re also about
       the obstacles you go through together, and the fact that you
       still say “I love you” in the end.  And loving someone isn’t
       just about saying it every day, it’s showing it every day in
       every way.  Relationships must be chosen wisely.  Don’t rush
       love.  Wait until you truly find it.  Don’t let loneliness drive
       you back into the arms of someone you know you don’t belong
       with.  Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
       A great relationship is worth waiting for.
       8 )    Recognize those who love you. – The most memorable people
       in your life will be the ones who loved you when you weren’t
       very loveable.  Pay attention to who these people are in your
       life, and love them back, even when they aren’t acting loveable.
       9)    Love yourself too. – If you can love children, in spite of
       the messes they make; your mother, in spite of her tendency to
       nag; your father, even though he’s too opinionated; your
       sibling, even though she’s always late; your friend, even though
       he often forgets to return what he borrows, then you know how to
       love imperfect people, and can surely love yourself.
       10)    Do things your future self will thank you for. – What
       you do every day matters more than what you do every once in a
       while.  What you do today is important because you are
       exchanging a day of your life for it.  Make sure it’s
       worthwhile.
       11)    Be thankful for all the troubles you don’t have. – There
       are two ways of being rich: One is to have all you want, the
       other is to be satisfied with what you have.  Accept and
       appreciate things now, and you’ll find more happiness in every
       moment you live.  Happiness comes when we stop complaining about
       the troubles we have and offer thanks for all the troubles we
       don’t have.  And remember, you have to fight through some bad
       days to earn the best days of your life.  Read The How of
       Happiness.
       12)    Leave enough time for fun. – Sometimes you need to take a
       few steps back to see things clearly.  Never let your life
       become so filled with work, your mind become so crammed with
       worry, or your heart become so jammed with old hurts or anger,
       that there’s no room left in them for fun, for awe, or for joy.
       13)    Enjoy the little things in life. – The best things in
       life are free.  There is absolute joy and wonder to be had in
       the simplest of moments.  Watching the sunset over the horizon
       or spending time with a family member. Enjoy the little things,
       because one day you may look back and discover they were the big
       things.
       14)    Accept the fact that the past is not today. – Don’t let
       the past steal your present and future from you.  You might not
       be proud of all the things you’ve done in the past, but that’s
       okay.  The past is not today.  The past cannot be changed,
       forgotten, or erased.  It can only be accepted.  We all make
       mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.
       But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and
       you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your
       future.
       15)    Let go when you must. – It’s not always about trying to
       fix something that’s broken.  Some relationships and situations
       just can’t be fixed.  If you try to force them back together,
       things will only get worse.  Sometimes it’s about starting over
       and creating something better.  Strength shows not only in the
       ability to persist, but in the ability to start over again with
       a smile on your face and passion in your heart.
       #Post#: 15492--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Chiprocks1
       Date: January 5, 2013, 6:18 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Amen, Brother!
       #Post#: 15821--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Mac
       Date: January 15, 2013, 5:46 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [glow=red,2,300]The Charles Schulz Philosophy[/glow]
       akin to my philosophy, no one remembers you for your work, they
       remember you for who you are.
       The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator
       of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.
       You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on
       them.
       Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.
       --- Quote ---
       > 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
       >
       > 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
       >
       > 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
       >
       > 4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
       >
       > 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best
       actor and actress.
       >
       > 6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
       --- End Quote ---
       How did you do?
       The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
       These are no second-rate achievers.
       They are the best in their fields.
       But the applause dies...
       Awards tarnish...
       Achievements are forgotten.
       Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
       Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
       --- Quote ---
       > 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
       >
       > 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult
       time.
       >
       > 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
       >
       > 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated
       and special.
       >
       > 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with..
       --- End Quote ---
       Easier?
       The lesson:
       The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones
       with the
       most credentials, the most money...or the most awards.
       They simply are the ones who care the most.
       ''Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!"
       #Post#: 16375--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Mac
       Date: January 28, 2013, 12:50 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [glow=blue,2,300]7 Things Happy People Say Every Day[/glow]
       1.  “Today is going to be a great day.”
       If you’re reading this right now, SMILE, you’re alive.  The
       possibilities ahead of you are infinite, it’s true.  Think about
       this and let it inspire you.
       A good life begins right now with a choice.  It’s going to be
       fun, finger-snapping kind of day if you want it to be.  Choose
       wisely and indulge in the goodness.  Enjoy the sights and
       sounds, watch the clouds, stare at the stars, and imagine
       yourself dancing among them.
       Your life is for smiling, imagining, exploring, learning,
       hugging, sharing, caring, helping, and healing.  Choose to do
       these things.  Choose to make the most of the gift you’ve been
       given.  Wake up every morning in such a way that the negativity
       committee lingering in the back of your mind says, “Oh crap, not
       another happy day!”
       2.  “I’m looking forward to it.”
       William James once said, “Action may not always bring happiness,
       but there is no happiness without action.”  Everything you do is
       only as big as you are, and you grow by taking action and
       working hard.  But even more importantly, remember that hard
       work is only ‘hard to do’ only when it has no meaning to you.
       If your daily work is becoming uninteresting, so is your life
       and so are you.  Your work is going to fill a large percentage
       of your time on Earth, so the only way to make the majority of
       it lively and interesting is by enthusiastically injecting
       yourself into work that aligns with your purpose.
       That’s the key.  Find work that means something to you, or
       connect your work to a goal that has meaning, and then persist
       at it.  Read The Success Principles.
       3.  “I’ll give it another try.”
       Forget failure, or any other outcome whatsoever.  If you try
       something – to improve yourself, to eliminate debt, to lose
       weight, to make a relationship work, to make the world a better
       place, etc. – you have already achieved something brilliant
       regardless of the end result.  Trying is always enough.
       If things don’t work out the way you had hoped, hold your head
       up and be proud that you gave it your best shot.  Then try
       again.  Ultimately, each mistake teaches you something new about
       your goal and yourself.  There is no failure except in never
       trying again.  It is always the courage to continue that counts
       in the end.
       4.  “Hello.”
       Life is a choir made up of many voices, including your own.
       Join in and sing your part.  Let the harmony ring.  It may sound
       silly to you now, but sometimes all you need in life is for
       someone to sing beside you.
       One day you’re going to look back on smiles and songs you shared
       with others and smile and sing some more.  Because it’s sincere
       human connections – the sharing of a moment – that gives life
       it’s best music.  Sometimes it happens when you reach out and
       help someone sing their verse, and other times it’s allowing
       another to reach out and help you sing yours.
       5.  “Thank you.”
       Gratitude leads to greatness.  It can literally turn what we
       have into more than enough, jobs into joy, chaos into order,
       uncertainty into clarity, and bring peace to an otherwise
       chaotic day.
       The greatest way to make your blessings count is to count your
       blessings.  Acknowledging the good things you already have in
       your life is of the essence, because whatever you appreciate and
       give thanks for will grow stronger in your life.  Read The How
       of Happiness.
       6.  “I’m OK.”
       How you respond to life’s little tragedies is what shapes your
       character.  Crap happens sometimes, you’ve got to deal with it
       and move on.  Don’t hide from it.  If your dreams are out in the
       world somewhere and you’re inside hiding, the only new things
       that will gather in your mind are anxiety and bitterness.
       Eventually that anxiety and bitterness will eat away at you and
       leave nothing behind but an unhappy shell of your former self.
       So when the crap hits the fan, as it sometimes will, stop and
       say it out loud:  “I’m OK.”
       Besides, the ones who fall and get up are so much stronger than
       the ones who never fell.  Often it’s the deepest difficulties
       which empower human beings to rise and grow into their highest,
       happiest selves.  The ones who win the race in the long run are
       usually not the quickest or luckiest, but the ones who have
       endured the most.  Read Feel the Fear… and Do It Anyway.
       [glow=red,2,300]7.  “It was a busy day.”[/glow]
       Happiness is a quest – a journey of magnitude.  It’s a something
       you feel – a longing that pulls your thoughts and efforts in a
       specific direction.  You strive for it daily, persisting in your
       pursuit against the odds, and sometimes find yourself traveling
       to faraway lands to get closer to it.
       The happiest moments will be the unexpected breakthroughs on
       this lifelong journey, as you participate relentlessly in
       exploring and manifesting your own blessings.  Happiness will
       never be something you hold at the end, but something you DO to
       get there.
       Once you find yourself in this state of happiness, it means you
       have found the right rhythm.  Don’t stop.  Maintain your
       efforts.  Enjoy yourself.
       #Post#: 16543--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Life's Lessons
   DIR By: Mac
       Date: February 2, 2013, 4:13 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [glow=red,2,300]10 Motivational Quotes and Tips for Hard
       Times[/glow]
       1.  Accepting Life’s Challenges
       --- Quote ---
       >
       > “The brick walls are there for a reason.  The brick walls are
       not there to keep us out.  The brick walls are there to give us
       a chance to show how badly we want something.  Because the brick
       walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly
       enough.  They’re there to stop the other people.”
       > –Randy Pausch
       --- End Quote ---
       In every life there are great challenges, and in every challenge
       there are great doses of life to be lived.
       Whether you judge a challenge to be a problem or an opportunity
       says more about you than about the challenge itself.  The way
       you choose to see the world is the way your world will be.  This
       is what gives life its magic; it’s a continuous, dynamic
       phenomenon that becomes exactly what you choose to make it.
       Do something extraordinary.  Accept life’s opportunities.
       Realize that if you never step up to a challenge that’s a bit
       over your head, you’ll never know how tall you truly are.  Rise
       to each challenge and continue adding value to the ever-growing
       possibilities that await your brilliance.
       2.  Working Hard
       --- Quote ---
       > “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”  –Beverly
       Sills
       --- End Quote ---
       When you’re young you have this fantasy that super successful
       adults – writers, musicians, doctors, businessmen, etc. – have
       some kind of magical chest of tools allowing them to build
       masterpieces that are larger than life.  You fanaticize about a
       hammer of creativity, a pliers of efficiency, a saw of wisdom,
       and so on and so forth.
       But then you grow up and you realize, for the most part,
       everyone is working with the same set of imperfect, rusty, old
       tools – desire, commitment, honesty, kindness, love,
       persistence, etc.  And as flawed and bent as they may be, they
       work wonders against the odds when you truly put them to the
       test.  Read The Success Principles.
       3.  Choosing Wisely
       --- Quote ---
       > “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than
       our abilities.”  –J.K. Rowling
       --- End Quote ---
       The universe – people, books, life experience, etc. – can only
       give you good advice, but you ultimately decide what to do with
       it.
       Life is ticking away every second.  The worst thing is spending
       your entire life drowning slowly and not being able to convince
       yourself that you are in full control, and that you can easily
       save yourself by simply standing up.
       This is your life, made up entirely of your choices, your
       actions, your thoughts, your relationships, etc.  Someday you
       will either decide to save yourself or remain unsaved forever.
       4.  Growing from Problems
       
       --- Quote ---
       > “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”  –Friedrich
       Nietzsche
       --- End Quote ---
       Times of great difficulty are times of great opportunity.  These
       times may not seem ideal at first, but they usually provide keen
       insight into ideas of great value.  When you are surrounded by
       problems, you are simultaneously given an opportunity to provide
       valuable solutions.
       When times are good and everything is comfortably in order, it’s
       easy to become complacent and forget how skillful and
       resourceful you are capable of being.  Troubled times are
       necessary evils that push you forward, because they eventually
       end, and the lessons and strengths you gain from them last a
       lifetime.
       5.  Laughing it Off
       --- Quote ---
       >
       > “Sometimes crying or laughing are the only options left, and
       laughing feels better right now.”  –Veronica Roth
       --- End Quote ---
       If you wish to measure your success in life, don’t bother
       analyzing your bank account, or your job description, or your
       relationship status, or your weight, or any other superficial
       badge society loves to pin on your resume.  Just count the
       moments you spend peacefully in laughter.  That’s what success
       is – living happily in your own way, and laughing at the highs,
       the lows, and all the ridiculous moments in between.
       Do what you need to do, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
       Laugh whenever you can because you can.  There’s honestly
       nothing like deep breaths after a good chuckle – nothing in the
       whole wide world like a sore tummy and cheeks for all the right
       reasons.  Read Learned Optimism.
       6.  Staying True to Yourself
       --- Quote ---
       > “I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you
       except yourself.”  –Rita Mae Brown
       --- End Quote ---
       To make a positive difference in your life you must sometimes be
       different and take the road less traveled.  It requires courage
       to go against the grain like this, especially when the people
       around you are confused and irritated by your choices; but such
       courage can bring great rewards when you stick to your guns.
       Where others see only shadows of uncertainty, look for glimmers
       of opportunity.  When you encounter rudeness and irritation,
       generously offer polite doses of confident patience.  When you
       bump up against arrogance, dilute the negativity with your own
       sincere, self-assured humility.
       Just because everyone is heading in a one direction doesn’t mean
       you must go that way too.  On the contrary, it’s a valuable
       opportunity for you to step aside and figure out where you truly
       want to go.
       7.  Fighting for Your Dreams
       --- Quote ---
       > “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of
       their dreams.”  –Eleanor Roosevelt
       --- End Quote ---
       When things don’t go right, it doesn’t mean you have to go wrong
       along with them.  Goals and dreams are kind of like breathing –
       once you give up, there’s no hope left.  Don’t do that to
       yourself.
       It’s always too early to quit.  You must continue breathing,
       even if it’s just a series of short, shallow breaths.  Continue
       putting forth even the smallest efforts to sustain your dreams.
       Accept the fact that if you fight through the challenges, there
       is always a chance you might lose, but if you do not fight at
       all, you have already lost.  Read 1,000 Little Things.
       8.  Deciding to Change
       --- Quote ---
       > “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the
       things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw
       off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the
       trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover.”  –H.
       Jackson Brown Jr.
       --- End Quote ---
       If you’re not where you want to be right now, take the time to
       visualize yourself in the place you want to be and take the
       first step in that direction.  You may not be able to change
       your destination in a day, but you can change your direction
       right now.
       Keep moving along this new path and it will eventually lead you
       to your destination.
       9.  Being Present
       --- Quote ---
       >
       > “It’s being here now that’s important.  There’s no past and
       there’s no future.  Time is a very misleading thing.  All there
       is ever, is the now.  We can gain experience from the past, but
       we can’t relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don’t
       know if there is one.”  –George Harrison
       --- End Quote ---
       Do not wish your moments away.  Do not ruin today by focusing on
       another time and place.  There is only now; realize how rich you
       are in it.  It stands to reason that if you learn to live well
       you will eventually pass on well too, in complete peace.  The
       skills are the same: being present in the moment, and brave, and
       thankful for all the opportunities you have.
       Make your time count.  Right now you are creating history – your
       legacy.  Don’t let it slip by without being aware of it.  Life
       works in a strange way:  You want something and you work and
       wait and work and wait, and feel like it’s taking forever to
       come.  Then it happens and it’s over and all you want to do is
       relive all the great memories you made along the way.
       Happiness is the journey.  Open your eyes.  Don’t miss it.  Read
       The Power of Now.
       10.  Being Thankful
       --- Quote ---
       > “Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will
       fall behind you.”  –Walt Whitman
       --- End Quote ---
       You are right here, right now, breathing.  Enjoy it.  You’ve got
       nothing to do today except to smile.
       Happiness is valuing what you have, and enjoying the people,
       places, objects and events in your life for what they are.  It’s
       not about changing and achieving all the time, it’s about being
       and appreciating.  And you can nearly always enjoy the things
       happening around you if you make up your mind firmly that you
       will.
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