A Beautiful Message by Arthur Ashe

The legendary Wimbledon Player who was dying of AIDS, which he got due to Infected Blood he received during a Heart Surgery in 1983!

He received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:

"Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease?"

To this Arthur Ashe replied:

50 Million children started playing Tennis,

5 Million learnt to play Tennis,

500 000 learnt Professional Tennis,

50 Thousand came to Circuit,

5 Thousand reached Grand Slam,

50 reached Wimbledon,

4 reached the Semifinals,

2 reached the Finals and

when I was holding the cup in my hand, I never asked God

"Why Me?"

So now that I'm in pain how can I ask God

"Why Me?"

Happiness keeps you Sweet!

Trials keep you Strong!

Sorrows keep you Human!

Failure keeps you Humble!

Success keeps you Glowing!

But only, Faith keeps you Going!

Sometimes you are not satisfied with your life, while many people in this world are dreaming of living your life.

A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead dreams of flying. but, a pilot on the plane sees the farmhouse & dreams of returning home.

That's life!

Enjoy yours... If wealth is the secret to happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the streets.

But only poor kids do that.

If power ensures security, then VIPs should walk unguarded.
But those who live simply, sleep soundly.

If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages.

Live simply, be happy! Walk humbly and love genuinely!

Bill Bradley said ...

"Ambition is the path to success. Persistence 
is the vehicle you arrive in."

Gretchen Rubin, the founder of the Happiness Project, said ...

“What you do every day matters more than what
you do once in a while.”

Colin Powell said ...

"None of us can change our yesterdays, but all
of us can change our tomorrows.”

The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama witnessed the near total destruction
and military occupation of his country when he was
a child. Yet, today he is widely viewed as one of
the happiest people on the planet. Whatever one’s
religious beliefs, here’s a man who obviously
knows a thing or two about happiness.

He said …

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes
from your own actions.”

Churchill said ...

"Success consists of going from failure to
failure without loss of enthusiasm."

Og Mandino said...

“It is those who concentrate on but one thing at
at time who advance in this world.”

Henry Ford said ...

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it
is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Roger Staubach said ...

“Confidence comes from hours and days and weeks
and years of constant work and dedication.”

Steve Jobs said ...

"If you are working on something exciting that
you really care about, you don’t have to be
pushed. The vision pulls you."

Lee Iacoca said ...

“In times of great stress or adversity, it's
always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and
your energy into something positive.”

Robert J. Mckain said ...

“The reason most goals are not achieved is that
we spend our time doing second things first.”

Forgotten Catholic traditions to aid your spiritual life

Why pray to St. Anthony to find something lost? Why keep a St. Christopher medal in your car? Why bury a statue of St. Joseph (upside down!) in your yard when selling your house? New converts and cradle Catholics alike are often perplexed by the myriad of devotions, traditions, practices, and beliefs that the Catholic Church has accumulated over the past twenty centuries. How can we understand these many practices and devotions? In these pages, Dr. Helen Hoffner explains how the treasures and traditions of our Faith remind us of our roots and also lead us toward our heavenly destination. With lovingly-illustrated, encyclopedic pages you’ll find succinct, and sometimes amusing, answers to hundreds of questions relating to Catholic practices. Author Helen Hoffner This delightful book explains the origin and nature of most of the common traditions of the Catholic Faith, as well as the source and meaning of many of the quaint and obscure ones. From Forty Hours to First Fridays and from Holy Hours to Holy Days, you’ll find in these pages an informative, delightful compendium of the Catholic way of life. Among the many traditions and treasures explained are . . . Advent Calendars     The Angelus     Bathtub Madonnas     Crucifixes     Divine Mercy     The Divine Office     First Fridays     Genuflecting     Holy Cards     Holy Days     Holy Oils    The Holy See     House Blessings     Icons     Jesse Trees     Litanies     The Liturgical Year   Marian Apparitions     Novenas     Patron Saints   Penance     Prayer Corners     Prayers for the Dead     Relics     Religious Medals     Religious Orders     The Roman Curia     The Sacraments   The Sacred Heart   St. Francis Statues     Stations of the Cross     Vestments     Votive Candles   And more! Catholic Traditions and Treasures: An Illustrated Encyclopedia Written by Helen Hoffner Illustrated by Deirdre Folley Hardback — 144 pages List price: $19.95  Today's Sale Price: $15.99! BUY NOW One of the greatest treasures of our Catholic Faith is the Communion of Saints. Their lives and writings are powerful sources of inspiration and support on our journey to Heaven. How often do you find time to read the saints' writings? My Daily Visit with the Saints makes it easy to stay close to the holy men and women who have gone before you. Meditations from over 65 saints cover 139 vital topics ranging from anger to mortal sin to death and much more. In strong, clear voices the saints left us these prayerful meditations, sure protection against sudden temptations, and lucid answers to sharp questions about the Faith. This rich volume will serve you as a deep catechism, a spur to conscience, and a call to prayer. Let your daily visit with God’s faithful servants breathe into you a strong new spirit of piety and devotion, and bring you the everlasting consolation known only to those who stay close to Jesus in all that they do.   Get BOTH books for only $19.99! BUY NOW Order online above, or call 1-800-888-9344 www.SophiaInstitute.com Get one book a month for only $15? Learn more:

Ronald Reagan said ...

"My philosophy of life is that if we make up our
mind what we are going to make of our lives,
then work hard toward that goal, we never lose –
somehow we always win out."

Abraham Lincoln said …

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to
succeed is more important than any one thing.”

General Colin Powell said …

General Colin Powell, whatever you think of his
politics and the choices he made, is a man who
knows a thing or two about what it takes to make
things happen. He said …

“A dream doesn't become reality through magic;
it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”

Yes. And it doesn’t have to be as hard as most of
us make it.

Aristotle said ...

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”

Robert Collier said ...

The great salesman and philosopher Robert Collier said ...

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated
day in and day out."

Babe Ruth said ...

"It's hard to beat the person who never gives up."

Showering with Nolan Bushnell

Pioneer of the video game industry - and one of
Newsweek’s “50 Men Who Changed America” Nolan
Bushnell said ...

"Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea.
It's the person who gets out of the shower,
dries off, and does something about it that
makes a difference."

In the wonderful film Pursuit of Happyness,

Will Smith’s character (Christopher Gardner) said to
his son ..

“Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You
can't do something. Not even me. All right?

You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People
can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell
you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go
get it. Period.”

Martin Luther said ...

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go
to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."

Just like Warren Buffett and the Sufi mystics,
Luther understood the multidimensional power of
compounding returns

Benjamin Franklin said ...

"He who waits upon fortune is never sure of dinner."

RFK said ...

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever
achieve greatly.”

19th century Chinese inventor Lin Yutang said ..

"Besides the noble art of getting things done,
there is the noble art of leaving things undone.
The wisdom of life consists in the elimination
of non-essentials."

Picasso said ...

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle
of a plan, in which we must fervently believe,
and upon which we must vigorously act. There is
no other route to success.”

5 Steps To Find Out Your Life Purpose

Lianne Martha Maiquez Laroya

Read full profile

Finding out your life purpose is one of the most fulfilling journeys that you can ever take.

Why are you here in this world?

Why do you exist?

What do you think is your reason for living?

Now, you don’t have to immediately have the answers to all of these questions–you need to discover the answers gradually.

Here are five simple steps you will need to undergo in order to discover your purpose in life.

1. Your life purpose matters to you. Find that One Thing that absolutely catches your interest.

Look deep into your heart and pinpoint that One Thing that captivates you. What makes you awestruck? Check out your bookmarked websites–what do they have in common? Bring out your reading list–what’s that topic that you’re particularly interested in?

Look back to the times when you talk with people–what subject matter can you find yourself talking about for long hours?

What’s that One Thing that you’d feel fulfilled to pursue?

Singing? Writing? Speaking? Dancing? Painting? Crafts-making? Reading?

Be honest with yourself. You’ll find that One Thing soon enough.

2. It should serve people around you. Lend some of your time and do some volunteer work.
Remember, the volunteer work that you should be doing must be connected with the One Thing that you were able to pinpoint in step one. Just do the work without any expectation of being compensated or being given the credit.

Your life purpose should have a massive impact to your community–it should be something that you love doing and something that people love seeing you do. Purpose, after all, is best when shared with others.

3. Your life purpose should enhance your growth as a person. Pinpoint your primary talent.
Some people say that they’re good at everything–this isn’t true at all. You can only be absolutely excellent at one thing and just average at the others.

You can find out your talent if you know which of your abilities can make you stand out like an ultimate celebrity. What are you wonderful at? What is the skill that compels people to come up to you and say, “Good job!” or “Wow, you really have a skill for that”?

4. Passion, service and talent should be all interrelated to form your life purpose. Connect the dots.
Once you’ve discovered that One Thing that you love doing, that thing that you can use to serve others and that thing that you’re very great at, you might be surprised to know that all of these are connected!

Take Nick Vujicic for example.

Nick loves communicating and expressing his religious views to everyone.

Nick serves people by inspiring them and motivating them to be the best that they can be.

Nick is absolutely wonderful at communications and public speaking.

5. Act on it.

Your family and friends may discourage you and tell you to just sit back and let things happen. Now, they do this because they think they’re protecting you, when in fact, they’re really just protecting themselves. They’re scared that you have the desire to find out your life purpose. This the first time they’ve seen someone do this, so forgive them. Forgive their negativity, their discouragement and their frustration.

Just go out there and really get your feet wet and your hands dirty.

Serve people by doing that One Thing that you’re passionate about.

Reach out to mentors in the same industry that you’re targeting.

Finding out your life purpose isn’t about attending classes, dissecting being-centered theories or working on a thesis. It’s about exploration–it’s an adventure that you can only take if you’re willing to.

Promise yourself that you will discover your life purpose so that you can make a difference.

source

Can you make things happen?

They say there are four kinds of people in the world:

1) those who wait for things to happen;

2) those who complain why things don’t happen;

3) those who wonder what happened; and 

4) those who make things happen. 

Question: 

Can you be number 4? 

Can you make things happen?

Habits of the rich

BUSINESS MATTERS (BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE) - Francis J. Kong (The Philippine Star) - May 5, 2018 - 12:00am

Johnny is in the midst of a long dry spell in Las Vegas. Eventually he gambles away all his money and has to borrow a quarter from another gambler just to use the men’s room. He finds a stall that happens to be open and pockets the quarter.

Believing that his luck has finally changed, he puts the quarter in a slot machine and hits the jackpot. He takes his winnings and goes to the blackjack table and turns his modest winnings into million dollars.

Wealthy beyond his wildest dreams, Johnny goes on the lecture circuit, where he tells his incredible story. He tells his audiences that he will always be eternally grateful to his benefactor, and if he ever finds the man he will share his fortune with him. After months of speaking, a man in the audience jumps up and says, “I’m that man. I was the one who gave you the quarter.”

“Yes, I remember you well, but you aren’t the one I’m looking for. I mean the guy who left the door open!”

Times are different now. There are so many young people out there giving talks and seminars, selling stuff and promising heaven and earth that by listening to them, buying their products and reading their books people will become wealthy. And there are many who would buy into it to their regret later.

As the saying goes: “There’s a sucker born every minute;” a phrase closely associated with P.T. Barnum, an American showman of the mid-19th century, although there is no evidence he in fact said it, the mere fact that these con-artists are still around today may give credence to the fact that people are careless and reckless and their relentless pursuit of instant riches and shortcut to success will always provide a market for these cons. There is however some amount of data and research that would provide safe and sound ideas on how to earn more money.

The book: “Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals” written by Tom Corley spent five years studying the daily activities of 233 wealthy people and 128 people living in poverty. I want to share some of his research discoveries:

• 70 percent of the wealthy eat less than 300 junk-food calories per day;

• 97 percent of poor people eat more than 300 junk-food calories per day.

• 23 percent of the wealthy gamble; 52 percent of poor people gamble.

• 76 percent of the wealthy exercise aerobically four days a week; 23 percent of the poor do this.

• 63 percent of the wealthy listen to audio books during the commute to work vs. five percent of poor people.

• 81 percent of the wealthy maintain to-do lists vs. 19 percent of the poor.

• 63 percent of wealthy parents make their children read two or more non-fiction books a month vs. three percent of the poor.

• 80 percent of the wealthy make “happy birthday” calls vs. 11 percent of the poor.

• 67 percent of the wealthy write down their goals vs. 17 percent of the poor.

• 88 percent of the wealthy read 30 minutes or more each day for education or career reasons vs. two percent of the poor.

• Six percent of the wealthy say what’s on their mind vs. 69 percent of the poor.

• 67 percent of the wealthy watch one hour or less of TV every day vs. 23 percent of the poor.

• Six percent of the wealthy watch reality TV vs. 78 percent of the poor.

• 44 percent of the wealthy wake up three hours before work starts vs. three percent of the poor.

• 74 percent of the wealthy teach good daily success habits to their children vs. one percent of the poor.

84 percent of the wealthy believe good habits create opportunity luck vs. four percent of the poor.

• 76 percent of wealthy believe that bad habits create detrimental luck vs. nine percent of the poor.

• 86 percent of the wealthy believe in lifelong educational self-improvement vs. five percent of the poor.

• 86 percent of the wealthy love to read vs. 26 percent of the poor.

Of course, this is subject to challenge considering the fact that the copyright year of this book was some eight years ago. However, notice the disparity between the rich and the poor in their habits and lifestyles? The wealthy lives a regimented lifestyle and would pursue discipline first before pleasure. The formula works all the time.

There is no shortcut to success. If only people will do due diligence and check the track records of authors, speakers and companies offering products, advices or tips on how to be rich in a quick way. Perhaps it will work for them but it certainly will not work for you.

Maybe the list would help and then again maybe others would not believe it and insist on a quicker way to attain riches and wealth. It’s a choice people have to make. But the funny thing is this. When I ask those who are rich and wealthy, they tend to believe the list… and I know why.

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/business/2018/05/05/1812152/habits-rich

YOU

Your presence gives hope to others.
Your smile is a pearl to others.
You acts and outlook inspire others....
so love and take care of yourself
for you are others' source of 
blessing, happiness, strength and
inspiration!

IDENTITY

Knowing your IDENTITY is knowing who you truly are; not
because of all your accomplishments but because of who
God Says you are….

God says to name a few….

I am Child of God.
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

I am a new creation in Christ.
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a New person. The old life is gone; a New life has begun! 2 Cor. 5:17

I have been set free in Christ.
For freedom did Christ set us Free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1

I am Forgiven.
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and Forgave our sins. Ephesians 1:7

There are so many other verses that speak to who we really are because of the sacrifice He made for us on the cross.

When you really begin to understand the truth about what God says about you in your heart it is life changing!

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

Remember when you are putting yourself down, Read what God says about your IDENTITY, that should build you back up on a stronger foundation.

BT Benskin · Top Commenter · Certified Life, Personal and Grief Coach at Hope Focused Coaching