A mix collection of inspirational stories gathered from the internet and personal experiences.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Think About..............


One's philosophy is not best expressed in words;

it is expressed in the choices one makes.
In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves.

The process never ends until we die.
And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.

Eleanor Roosevelt
1884-1962, American First Lady, Columnist and Lecturer

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Think About...........


People are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves.  They therefore remain bound.

James Allen

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Think About............


Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel.

Author Unknown

Friday, January 25, 2013

A FINGER TO HOLD

(c) 2008 Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive

Our team has been busy, busy as usual - but one of us has been especially busy. LauraLee, our 11-month old, has been really focusing on her walking! She will be 1 in a few weeks (where has the last year gone?) and she decided about 6 weeks ago that walking looked like something she wanted to figure out! This is my 4th walker and so I've not been rushing her, but I have been intently watching the process.

She's wobbly. She falls a lot. She sometimes needs a hand to hold sometimes just a pinkie or finger for confidence. She prefers to walk towards someone who is reaching out their arms for her. She's bumped and scraped from obstacles. When she hits her head (or any other body part) it doesn't seem to hurt as much as normal because she's so focused on her destination. But, most importantly, she keeps getting up and trying again.

Things I've noticed about those of us around her. We clap when she takes steps (even if it's just one or two). We reach out to help her up when she topples. We praise her and cheer for her (yes, even if she falls flat). We hold our arms out for her so she knows where she can fall safely. We tell everyone about her successes. We dwell on the steps, not the tumbles. And most importantly, we encourage her to get up and try again.

Not ONCE have I heard anyone say,
§ "well, you've fallen - this walking stuff might not be for you. You should stick to crawling."

§ "I know someone that tried that and still can't walk, just save yourself the trouble."

§ "Wow, that sure is taking you a long time to figure out. Your sister walked a lot faster than you did."

§ "You know you're not supposed to walk yet. This is too early. Sit back down and let us carry you for awhile."

§ "Why would you want to bother with that when you're already so good at crawling?"

§ "Don't, Don't, Don't - you know you always fall when you do that!" Interesting, isn't it??

There are SO MANY parallels in this lesson that I hardly know where to begin!
§ Are you surrounding your family, friends and business associates with encouragement, praise and positive words?

§ Are you telling them why they CAN succeed instead of why they cannot?

§ And just as important - are you surrounding YOURSELF with others that encourage YOU in that same way?

LauraLee knows she is in a safe place, surrounded by people who love her and want her to be the best baby she can be! We want her to learn new things, to progress in her 'walk,' her journey. I want to be one of those people for YOU!
And in the meantime, will you choose someone today that might need your arms reached out? They might need a finger to hold (or just the end of your pinkie)? Is there someone that needs you clapping for them? Find them today. Help them in their walk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As "The Barefoot Executive" Carrie educates, coaches and advises work-at-home women (and those who want to be) as they achieve their goals of personal & career fulfillment! Carrie and her husband, "Mr. Barefoot" - work together at home and share the joy of raising their 4 children together. 
For a free motivational audio and transcript...go to www.The-Barefoot-Executive.com

PS. Baby Barefoot is now old enough to help others as seen in the picture!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Think About............


Ours is a world where people don't know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it.

Don Marquis

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Think About.....


Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.

Henry Ford

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Think About............


The great use for life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.

William James

Friday, January 18, 2013

Moving Towards Significance


By Terry Laney

Having worked in the for profit world for 20 years, before tragedy struck my family in 1996, with the death of our first granddaughter, Caitlyn, at 19 months, and the subsequent four murder trials ending with the conviction of the babysitter of felony murder in 2001, I began to lose the desire and focus needed for the job I had. Being a Market Coach (director of operations) for all the company owned Pizza Huts in NC, putting in 60 and 70 hours a week no longer brought me satisfaction.

About 6 weeks after Caitlyn's death, MC, my wife, walked to downtown Davidson, a small college town in NC, and saw this sign saying Habitat for Humanity. She walked in, and asked if they could put her to work doing something, anything, then broke down crying. The customers, volunteers, and staff in this Habitat store came to her, supported her, and gave her warm hugs.

When I came home that night, she told me what had happened, and two weeks later I began volunteering 1 day a week. I opted out of Pizza Hut in 1998, and the following two years I went into what Bob Buford calls "Halftime-Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance", although I hadn't realized it at the time. It wasn't until 2002, that I was able to recognize where I had been.

In 2000, the Habitat director asked her if she was interested in becoming the store manager and leading the move of their office and store to Cornelius, and a larger location. She told them she wasn't interested, but knew someone who was. Shortly thereafter, I was hired as their store manager. I ran their store for 19 months, and more than doubled their sales and profits during that time. Then, in early 2002, the Habitat executive director was retiring, and I applied, along with 157 other people, for the position. After many interviews, I was blessed to be selected for the position. There were 5 people on staff when I was promoted to executive director, and we had served 67 families locally, and another 195 families in Guatemala.

As of today, we have 39 people on staff, 2 Habitat ReStores, and have served another 163 families locally, plus 1782 families in Guatemala, and 15 families in Sri Lanka. Over 14,000 lives have been changed just through Our Towns Habitat. I've also been on 15 Global Village trips to Guatemala to follow our tithe (we rank 8th out of over 1600 global Habitat affiliates in lifetime tithe), and built relationships with our brothers and sisters at Habitat Guatemala. We were also recognized as National Habitat Affiliate of the year in 2008.

Today we celebrate our future opportunity, commitment and obligation, not our past achievements. That's something else I learned at Wofford, it's about WE, and not ME! Myliberal arts education at Wofford College has been instrumental to me throughout my life. Education in the classroom (although I wasn't as studious as I should have been) through committed, engaging professors, on campus with the hundreds of fellow Terriers, and on the playing field, as I was blessed in receiving a football scholarship through Charles Bradshaw, another Terrier, who graduated more than a decade earlier, who has reached his significance, and being exposed to the greater Spartanburg community, as well as, Converse College, where I met MC on a blind date in 1971.

The hours I spent in my major of sociology, as well as, history, education, and religion, have all paid dividends in helping me to achieve that all important thing to me, and that is significance. It isn't about achieving success; it is about helping those around you to become successful. That's what all the professors, administrators, and coaches at Wofford College have done over the years, and THAT is SIGNIFICANCE.

Who has had a hand in moving you to SIGNIFICANCE in your life?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Having been led to Habitat for Humanity through a family tragedy, Terry has been Executive Director at Our Towns Habitat for Humanity since 2002, serving as ReStore Manager for 19 months prior to that, and engaged as a volunteer since 1996. Terry served on the International Global Volunteer Mobilization Committee, Affiliate Enhancement Committee, and Mission Alignment Advisory Group with Habitat for Humanity International, and is also a member of the Subject Experience Team. He also is a member of the Board of Habitat for Humanity of North Carolina. Originally from Va. Beach, his background includes teaching at SC School for the Deaf and Blind and 20 years in the restaurant business, serving as Director of Operations for all company-owned Pizza Hut restaurants in NC. A graduate of Wofford College in Spartanburg,SC, with a BA in sociology, and many hours in education, history and religion, he is married to M.C., with two grown children and three grandchildren. He was the recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for inspiring others to community service, at Davidson College's May 2012 commencement. Our Towns Habitat for Humanity chosen as medium-sized Affiliate of the Year in 2008, not a cause to celebrate, but a calling to do more. 

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Think About............


The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.
 
Confucius

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Think About............


I now realize there are millions of self-made millionaires who started with nothing.  They dug inside themselves to find the answers and they succeeded.  There is nothing anyone else can do that I can't do.

Dean Graziosi

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Think About...............


Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do with no thought of any reward.  Your life will never be the same again.

Og Mandino

Friday, January 11, 2013

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW


There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.

Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
 
One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,

Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed.

We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.
 
The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.

With its possible adversities, Its burdens,

Its large promise and poor performance.

Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow's Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,

but it will rise.

Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This just leaves only one day . . . Today.

 
Any person can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity's -

yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.

It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday

and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
Let us therefore live but one day at a time.
 
~ Author Unknown ~

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Think About...........


Hugging has no unpleasant side effects and is all natural.
There are no batteries to replace,
it's inflation-proof and non-fattening
with no monthly payments.
It's non-taxable, non-polluting,
and is, of course, fully refundable.

Author Unknown

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Think About.......


Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
 
Lao-Tzu

Friday, January 4, 2013

The House of 1000 Mirrors

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

Japanese Folktale

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Think About...........


The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.

Muhammad Ali