“Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.”
– Joseph Campbell
“My dad always used to tell me that if they challenge you to an after-school fight, tell them you won’t wait – you can kick their ass right now.”
– Cameron Diaz
“There is no greater challenge than to have someone relying upon you; no greater satisfaction than to vindicate his expectation.”
– Kingman Brewster
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“There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout: This is me damn it! I love the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me…or leave me. Accept me – or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person just because I don’t fit your idea of who I should be and don’t try to change me to fit your mold. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision. When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad – you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you.”
– Stacey Charter
“The time to change was yesterday; the time to wake up is now.”
– Judge Judy
“I cannot change the fact that my paintings don’t sell. But the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.”
– Vincent VanGogh
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.”
– Amelia Earhart
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“Live today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Just today. Inhabit your moments. Don’t rent them out to tomorrow.”
– Jerry Spinelli (B. 1941)
“Whenver anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offence cannot reach it.”
– Rene’ Descartes (1596-1650)
“The power for happiness, for good, for everything we need of life is within each one of us. The power is there – unlimited power.”
– Robert Collier (1885-1950)
“A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.”
– Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
“Taking the first footstep with a good thought, the second with a good word, and the third with a good deed, I entered Paradise.”
– Book of Arda Viraf (Circa 6th Century)
“A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as he can invent a pleasure. I don’t want to me at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.”
– Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
– Lao Tzu (Circa 6th Century BC)
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Intention
“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.”
– John F. Kennedy
The first to accomplishing any task is believing that we can. We begin with this belief and then figure out what we need to do to complete the task.
But believing in our ability to accomplish something sometimes requires considerable will. For one reason or another, there may be many voices telling us we can’t or shouldn’t attempt a particular task. If we listen to these voices, we have failed before we even try.
I will believe in my ability to do what needs to be done, and I will figure out a way to do it.
(Picone, Linda, The Daily Book of Pocket Quotations, Fairview Press 2008).
“In times of stress, be bold and valiant.”
– Homer
“Always bear in mind that your resolution to success is more important than any other thing.”
– Abraham Lincoln
“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”
– Somerset Maughan
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“Do your best doing what you love to do. You’ll be immensely successful and incredibly happy.”
– Chuck Cote’
“To find success: go where others won’t go, do what others won’t do, and be what others won’t be.”
– Chucke Cote’
“As you build confidence, you destroy barriers.”
– Chuck Cote’
“One man can make a difference and every man should try.”
– John F. Kennedy
“I always wanted to be someone, but I should have been more specific.”
– Lily Tomlin
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field.”
– Vince Lombardi
“The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions.”
– Unknown
“We must constantly build dykes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
“People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.”
– Zig Ziglar
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Doing Something
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
What if we’re wrong? What if we pick the wrong person to love, or the wrong job to devote ourselves to, or the wrong city to live in? We waffle and weave. Maybe we can put off the decision for a while. Maybe things will be clearer tomorrow.
Not making a decision is making a decision – and it may well be the worst decision we could make.
I’ll do my research, talk to people I trust, and think hard. Then, I’ll make a decision and move forward. If it turns out that I’ve taken a wrong path, I can always turn around and go the right way. If I don’t make a decision, I’ll never know the right way to go.
(Picone, Linda, The Daily Book of Pocket Quotations, Fairview Press 2008).
“A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms against himself.”
– Alexandre Dumas
“Soon after a heart-wrung decision, something inevitably occurs to cast doubt on your choice. Holding steady against that doubt usually proves your decision.”
– R.I. Fitzhenry
“We fear our highest possibility (as well as our lowest one). We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments.”
– Abraham Maslow
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Persistence is a simple process:
1. What’s the next step?
2. What’s in the way of taking that step?
3. Remove, disregard, or ignore the obstacle.
4. Take the step.
5. Go to 1.
Begin to formulate your own set of “rules” on how you best achieve dreams. To fulfill our Dream, we need only examine our life, and do two things:
1. More of what works.
2. Less of what doesn’t.
(John Roger and Peter McWilliams, The Portable Do It, Prelude Press, 1993).
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
– Japanese Proverb
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“Few men make themselves masters of the things they write or speak.”
– John Selden, 1564-1654
“The shortest and best way to make your fortune is to let people see clearly that it is in their interests to promote yours.”
– Jean de La Bruyere, 1645-1695
“Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement.”
– Alfred Adler, 1870-1937
“We will either find a way, or make one.”
– Hannibal, 247-183 B.C.
“At times, our strengths propel us so far forward we can no longer endure our weaknesses and perish from them.”
– Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, 1844-1900
“The greatest pleasure I have known is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident.”
– Charles Lamb, 1775-1834
“The deed is everything, the glory nothing.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1834
“This could be your last ‘today.’ What will you do with yours?”
– Jamie Collins
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“To escape criticism — do nothing — be nothing.”
– Elbert Hubbard
“There is no greater challenge than to have someone relying upon you; no greater satisfaction than to vindicate his expectation.”
– Kingman Brewster
“You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough. You must want it with an inner exuberance that erupts through the skin and joins the energy that created the world.”
– Sheilah Graham
“If you really know what things you want out of life, it’s amazing how opportunities will come to enable you to carry them out.”
– John M. Goddard
“Do one thing…imagine it…see it and live it. Don’t think it up laboriously, as if you were working out mental arithmetic. Just look at it, touch it, smell it, listen to it, turn yourself into it.”
– Ted Hughes
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Love life and live with passion.
If there is a fire in your gut there are bound to be a few sparks flying out of your mouth. Passion is different than enthusiasm. Passion is the fuel that drives you toward the finish line. It is the reason why you do anything. Without passion, you are destined to a life of being average, a life of mediocrity.
Passion can make up for a lack of education, skill, opportunity, and it can help you overcome adversity, failure and problems with ease. Yes, ease, because your attitude is, I can handle it, so bring on the challenges, problems and stuff. I will overcome. I will surmount. I will find a way around, under, or over it. I will not be defeated. I will not be deterred. I will never quit.
Passion is the key to success and happiness. It assures that no matter what you know, or don’t know, do, or don’t do, doesn’t really matter. With passion you will do whatever it takes, learn whatever you need to learn, and use what you have to the fullest. Passion gives no excuses. Passion is not what you have only when things are going well. Passion is a part of your cellular makeu. If you haven’t got it, get it. If you have it, never let it go. If you are losing it, get it back, NOW.
(Conner, Tim, The Road to Happiness is Full of Potholes, Connor Resource Group, 1997).
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“Raising
The Paralegal Standard
through
The Paralegal Society.”
~ Jamie Collins
“As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.”
~ Paul Shane Spear
“The greatest revenge is to accomplish what others say you cannot do.”
~ Unknown
“You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth. ”
~ Shira Tehrani
“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.”
~ Mike Jones
“There is no reason, no excuse, no alibi, no fate, that can hinder an individual that is focused on a specific purpose.”
~ Mike Jones
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WALK THROUGH THE OPEN DOORS
If you’re like most people, you have endured a time when you felt really muddled about the direction in which your life was going; which way you were going to navigate your ship, so to speak. I have certainly been through periods like these. Yet I have found that once I start pursuing a direction, whatever it may be, opportunities have a way of presenting themselves to me when I walk through the open doors.
Your attitude has everything to do with your ability to recognize when an open door has come your way. If your eyes are open to the possibilities in life, and you adopt a positive attitude (having faith that everything works out for the best in the end), the question will not be, “What am I going to do with my life?” It will be, “Which door do I walk through?”
Walking through the open doors, when combined with a certain degree of faith, is a truly Zen way of living. You forfeit the struggle by this leap of faith, believing that when you experience ease, it is a sign that you are on the right path. The opposite is also true. As you experience struggle, it can mean that perhaps you are off track. In these instances, follow your heart; your head will only confuse you.
It is our nature to be concerned with “making the right choices.” When our goal is to make the right choice, we fill our heads up with all sorts of options and possibilities, so much so that we don’t go anywhere. We get stuck right where we are. There are generally many paths which lead you to the same destination. While you may knock at a few that are closed, avoid beating down the doors that appear bolted. You can spend your previous energy beating down closed doors, or you can choose the doors that open when you knock.
As you continue on your journey, you will still face new challenges and choices. But as long as you keep choosing a path that seems to require the right amount of effort, you’ll know you are walking through the open doors. However, when you are putting our great efforts and nothing seems to be happening, or you are not getting the desired result, it is a sign for you to move in a different direction. Chances are, when you have a strong, intuitive feeling or a passionate interest, you’ll find some doors open along that path. If you choose the path of least resistance, the end result will probably be what you desired. The difference is in how much you struggle along the way.
Think in terms of walking through the open doors, and you will be surprised at the ease in brings to your daily choices.
(Carlson, Kristine, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Women, Hyperion 2001).
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“Problems are messages.”
– Shakti Gawain
“Mediocrity is a hand-rail.”
– Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu
“Grab a chance and you won’t be sorry for a might of been.”
– Arthur Mitchell Ransome
“A book is a mirror: If an ass peers into it, you can’t expect an apostle to look out.”
– Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
“Wherever I sit is the head of the table.”
– Henry Louis Mencken
“Man is what he believes.”
– Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
“Be careful how you interpret the world: It is like that.”
– Erich Heller
“Big ideas are so hard to recognize, so fragile, so easy to kill. Don’t forget that, all of you who don’t have them.”
– John Elliott, Jr.
“Death twitches my ear. “Live,” he says, “I am coming.”
– Virgil [Publius Vergilius Maro]
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GIVING OUR ALL
“Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.”
– Norman Vincent Peale
“To keep from being disappointed, we sometimes lower our expectations or avoid taking chances. There can be good readons for this, but it can limit what we experience.
When we follow our heart, even at the risk of disappointment and pain, a world opens up we might not otherwise have entered: a job that takes us in a new and exciting directions; friends we wouldn’t have guessed woud “fit” in our lives; experiences we didn’t expect.
I will keep my expectations high and look for what excites me. I will risk disappointment to follow my heart.”
(Picone, Linda, The Daily Book of Pocket Quotations, Fairview Press, 2008).
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“You are equal to any challenge life brings you.”
– Karen George, FRP
“You’re alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this:
Look. Listen. Choose. Act.”
– Barbara Hall, A Summons to New Orleans, 2000
“Paralegals do not surrender. They go down in a blaze of glory.”
– Jamie Collins
“Blaze with the fire that is never extinguished.”
– Luisa Sigea
“Sitting on the fence for too long leaves you with uncertainty as to which side you belong.”
– Leonard Dabydeen (Guest Contributor, Canada)
“We improve ourselves by victories over ourself. There must be contests, and you must win.”
– Edward Gibbon
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“Motivation triggers luck.”
– Mike Wallace
“Luck affects everything. Let your hook be always cast. In the stream where you least expect it, there will be fish.”
– Ovid
“Get as much experience as you can, so that you’re ready when luck works. That’s the luck.
– Henry Ford
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
– Thomas Jefferson
“Opportunities do not come with their values stamped upon them…To face every opportunity of life thoughtfully, and ask its meaning bravely and earnestly, is the only way to meet supreme opportunities when they come, whether open-faced or disguised.”
– Maltbie D. Babcock
“A filly who wants to run will always find a rider.”
– Jacques Audiberti
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls, and looks like work.”
– Thomas A. Edison
“If you don’t make a total commitment to whatever you’re doing, then you start looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking. It’s tough enough getting that boat to shore with everybody rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts putting his life jacket on.”
– Lou Holtz
“Be like a postage stamp – stick to one thing until you get there.”
– Josh Billings
“Fight one more round. When your feet are so tired you have to shuffle back to the center of the ring, fight one more round.”
– James J. Corbett
“In the clutch of circumstances, I have not winced or cried aloud; Under the bludgeoning of chance, my head is bloody, but unbowed.”
– William E.Henley
“The fixed determination to have acquired the warrior soul, to either conquer or perish with honor, is the secret to victory.”
– General George S. Patton
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“Today, I’m going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I’ve had so far…”
Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever! There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I’m going to celebrate!
Today, I’m going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger.
I will go through this day with my head held high, and a happy heart. I will marvel at the Universe seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.
Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I’ll make someone smile. I’ll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don’t even know.
Today, I’ll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I’ll tell a child how special he is, and I’ll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for her and how much she means to me.
Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don’t have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things the Universe has already given me.
I’ll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in the Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine.
And tonight, before I got to bed, I’ll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon.
As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Universe for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because now tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!
– Gregory M. Lousignont
To receive an inspirational thought (like this one) via e-mail each day, subscribe to Positive Thoughts at : www.positive-thoughts.typepad.com. We highly recommend it!
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THAT DIRTY 5 LETTER WORD: BLAME
“Blame is just a lazy person’s way of making sense of chaos.”
– Doug Copeland
“People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives.”
– J. Michael Stracznski
“Men are only clever at shifting blame from their own shoulders to those of others.”
– Titus Livius
“The reason people blame things on previous generations [or people] is that there’s only one other choice.”
– Doug Larson
“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.”
– Robert Anthony
AND OUR FAVORITE “BLAME” QUOTE IS …
“I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was going to blame you.”
– Unknown (likely an attorney though – don’t you think?)
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“When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.”
– Henry J. Kaiser
“One may write from the outside of his mind, as it were; write and write, learnedly and eloquently, and make no impression; but when he speaks from real insight and conviction of his own, men are always glad to hear him, whether they agree with him or not. Get down to your real self…and let that speak. One’s real self is always vital, and gives the impression of vitality.”
– John Burroughs
“What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it; boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
– Johann von Goethe
“Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.”
– Kahlil Gibran
“Soon after a heart-wrung decision, something inevitably occurs to cast doubt on your choice. Holding steady against that doubt usually proves your decision.”
– R.I. Fitzhenry
“To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
– E.E. Cummings
“My center is giving way, my right is in retreat: situation excellent. I am attacking.”
– Marshal Ferdinand Foch
“They’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.”
– General Creighton W. Abrams
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“Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”
Harry S. Truman
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
Warren G. Bennis
“It is the responsibility of leadership to provide opportunity, and the responsibility of individuals to contribute.”
William Pollard
“I can, therefore I am.”
Simone Weil
“Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way.”
Eileen Caddy
“Wherever you are – be all there.”
Jim Elliot
“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”
Mohandas Gandhi
** We think Ghandi may have been referring to The Paralegal Society in the quote above!! Don’t you? **
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“Someday is not a day of the week.”
– Author unknown
“If and when were planted and nothing grew.”
– Proverb
“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.”
– Olin Miller
“Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.”
– Unknown
“Procrastination is hands dwn, our favorite form of self-sabotage.”
– Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby
“Procrastination – The Silent Killer”
– Anthony Robbins
” Stop talking. Start walking.”
– L.M. Heroux
“Th beginning is half of every action.”
– Greek Proverb
“If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna.”
– Napoleon Bonaparte
“If you have something to do that is worthwhile doing, don’t talk about it…do it.”
– George W. Biount
“We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single reason.”
– Rudyard Kipling
“All glory comes from daring to begin.”
– Anonymous
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“The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it, put your whole soul into it – every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have.”
– John D. Rockerfeller, III
“Success is waking up in the morning, whoever you are, wherever you are, however old or young, and bounding out of bed because there’s something out there that you love to do, that you believe in, that you’re good at – something that’s bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again today.”
– Whit Hobbs
“If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don’t hoard it. Don’t dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke.”
– Brendan Francis
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“Real, constructive mental power lies in the creative thought that shapes your destiny, and your hour-by-hour mental conduct produces power for change in life. Develop a train of thought on which to ride. The nobility of your life as well as your happiness depends upon the direction in which that train of thought is going.”
– Laurence J. Peter
“Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power.”
– Henry Gerge
“Cultivate your curiosity. Keep it sharp and always working. Consider curiosity your life preserver, your willingness to try something new. Second, enlarge your enthusiasm to include the pursuit of excellence, following every task through to completion. Third, make the law of averages work for you. By budgeting your time more carefully than most people you can make more time available…Does the combination of curiosity, enthusiasm and the law of averages guarantee success? Indeed it does not! …Success in the final analysis always involves luck or the element of chance. Louis Pasteur grasped this well when he said that chance favors the prepared mind.”
– John W. Hanley
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the greatest enthusiasms, the greatest devotion, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
“Failure is an event, never a person.”
– William D. Brown
“We fear our highest possibilty (as well as our lowest one). We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments.”
– Abraham Maslow
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I’d advise someone entering the paralegal profession to remain CALM always. Here’s what I mean:
Conversant – be knowledgeable of the area of law that you will practice, such that you are able to hold a conversation about its salient points and explain it to anyone at a moment’s notice.
Analytical – Practice analyzing everything that you come across while you’re learning. Your analytical skills will carry you far in this profession, as the law is an ever-evolving animal. If you’re able to analyze well, the changes won’t be frightening.
Legality – Remember that everything that you do must be legal, ethical and aboveboard. Do not let a title, money, or the desire to “win” a case ever entice you to compromise your ethics or the law. And if you’re just learning the profession, your scholastic journey should never involve plagiarism or any other type of cheating. A good grade means nothing if you’ve earned it in an immoral fashion.
Management – Learn to manage your learning/caseload. No matter how conversant, analytical or legal you are, if you are unable to manage time, records, deadlines or people, this profession will be difficult for you.
– Ann Pettigrew
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“If I had given you any parting advice it would I think all have been comprised
in this one sentence: to live up always to the best and highest you know.”
– Hannah Whitall Smith
“It is enough if you don’t freeze in the cold and thirst and hunger don’t claw
at your sides. If you back isn’t broken, if your feet can walk, if both arms can
bend, if both eyes can see, and if both ears hear, them whom should you envy?
And why? Our envy of other devours us most of all. Rub your eyes and purify
your heart and prize above all else in the world those who love you and who
wish you well. Do not hurt of scold them, and never part from any of them in
anger. After all, you simply do not know; it might be your last act.”
– Alexander Solzhenitsyn
“Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big,
worthwhile things. It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out — it’s the
grain of sand in your shoe.”
– Robert Service
“Always behave like a duck – keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but
paddle like the devil underneath.”
– Jacob Braude
“In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
– Motto of General Joseph W. Stilwell
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“Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.”
– David L. Bullock, Guest Contributor
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DO IT TODAY
Do the right thing;
Do it today;
Do it with no hope of return or promise of reward;
Do it with a smile and a cheerful attitude;
Do it day after day after day.
Do it, and someday,
There will come a day
That will be a payday
For all the yesterdays
You spent focused on the current day
That will not only give value to today,
But will make each future day
Outshine each yesterday.
And what more could you ask of a day?
– John C. Maxwell
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“Often, what we really want is hidden beneath what we’ve settled for. When the comfort zone doesn’t allow the expanded behavior necessary to fulfill our dream, we tend to forget the dream. It’s too painful otherwise. When we know we can have what we want – that the comfort is under our control – we can remember what it is we truly want.”
– John Roger & Peter McWilliams
“The individual activity of one man with backbone will do more than a thousand men with a mere wishbone.”
– William J.H. Boetcker
“Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
– Victor Kiam
“Procrastination is the thief of time.”
– Edward Young
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People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
FORGIVE THEM ANYWAY.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
BE KIND ANYWAY.
If you are honest, people may cheat you.
BE HONEST ANYWAY.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
BE HAPPY ANYWAY.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
DO GOOD ANYWAY.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
GIVE YOUR BEST ANYWAY.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
IT WAS NEVER BETWEEN YOU AND THEM ANYWAY.
– Mother Teresa
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“FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real.”
– Anonymous
“Fear is the soul’s signal for rallying.”
– Henry Ward Beecher
“We fear our highest possibility (as well as our lower one). We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments.”
– Abraham Maslow
“Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.”
– Richard Wright
“How far would Moses have gone if we had taken a poll in Egypt?”
– Harry S. Truman
“When enthusiasm is inspired by reason; controlled by caution; sound in theory; practical in application; reflects confidence; spreads good cheer; raises morale; inspires associates; arouses loyalty; and laughs at adversity, it is beyond price.”
– Coleman Cox
“If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.”
– Vince Lombardi
“I’m in a wonderful position: I’m unknown, I’m underrated, and there’s nowhere to go but up.”
– Pierre S. DuPont IV
“My center is giving way, my right is in retreat: situation excellent. I am attacking.”
– Marshal Ferdinand Foch
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“When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.”
– John F. Kennedy
We have a problem. “Congratulations.” But it’s a tough problem. “Then double congratulations.”
– W. Clement Stone
“Do it big or stay in bed.”
– Larry Kelly
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Dare to Believe…
Know that…
You can’t be all things to all people.
You can’t do all things at once.
You can’t do all things equally well.
You can’t do all things better than everyone else.
You are human like everyone else.
So…
Find out who you are, and be that.
Decide what comes first, and do that.
Discovery your strengths, and use them.
Learn not to compete with others
because no one else is the the contest of being you.
Then you’ll have…
Learned to accept your uniqueness.
Learned to set priorities and make decisions.
Learned to live with your limitations.
Learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you’ll be a most vital mortal.
Dare to believe…
You’re a wonderful, unique person.
You’re a once-in-all-history event.
That it’s more than a right to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve,
but a gift to cherish.
And you’ll be able to stay one up
on anything that tries to get you down.
“People often say that this or that person has not yet found him or herself.
But the self is not something that one finds. It is something one creates.”
– Thomas Szasz
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“The biggest lie in choosing is, ‘I can’t.’ That is simply not true. The next time you hear yourself saying, to another – and especially to yourself – ‘I can’t,’ take a deep breath and say instead, ‘My resources are otherwise engaged.’ Because that’s the truth.”
– John Roger & Peter McWilliams
“Always do sober what you said you’d do drink. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”
– Ernest Hemmingway
“You decide you’ll wait for your pitch. Then as the ball starts toward the plate, you think about your stance. And then you think about your swing. And then you realize that the ball that went past you for a strike was your pitch.”
– Bobby Murcer
“The very first step towards success in any occupation is to become interested in it.”
– Sir William Osler
“The eloquent man is he who is no beautiful speaker, but who is inwardly and desperately drunk with a certain belief.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
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“We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Alfred D Souza said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time … and remember that time waits for no one…
So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you’ve had a drink, until you’ve sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy…”
Author: Crystal Boyd , 1998. From the book: “Midnight Muse.”
(You can get an inspirational excerpt like the one above e-mailed to you each day if you go to www.positive-thoughts.typepad.com). We highly recommend it!
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POTENTIAL
“Having a potential
works exactly opposite to the way
a savings account does.
In a savings account, as time goes by,
your money compounds interest.
The longer you leave it untouched,
the more it increases.
When it comes to potential,
the longer you leave it untouched,
the more it decreases.
Unused potential wastes away.
If you want your potential to increase,
you have to tap into it.”
– John C. Maxwell
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
– Yoda
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“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”
– George Bernard Shaw
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“The reason many people feel bored and unfulfilled is that they spend their lives shuffling and reshuffling the methods they already have. This can be like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic – no matter how well it’s done, the result is the same. As someone said, ‘If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.’ “
– John Roger & Peter McWilliams
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COMMITMENT
“When we commit and act, we are confronted by the comfort zone. The temptation is to stop. If we move ahead anyway, we expand the comfort zone, learn a necessary lesson, and the commitment becomes stronger. That causes us to come up against the comfort zone again, and the process continues. Yes, it is uncomfortable, but (A) you’ll get what you want and (B) in addition to what you want, you’ll have an expanded comfort zone.”
– John Roger & Peter McWilliams
“It is important to commit to the fulfillment of the goal, not just to a certain amount of time spend pursuing the goal. When we commit to pursuing, our goal is then pursuing, and we will pursue. We won’t necessarily get what we’re pursuing, because getting it is not our goal – pursuing it is.
– John Roger & Peter McWilliams
The time to commit is now.
And now.
And now.
And now.
And now.
And now.
And now.
And now.
And now…
– John Roger & Peter McWilliams
“Trust that little voice in your head that says ‘wouldn’t it be interesting if…’ And then do it.”
– Duane Michaels
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
– Karen Lamb
“My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrafice, hesitate in the face of adversity, negotiate…at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in a maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or slow up.”
– Robert Moorehead
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“Birds of a Feather. For years, Monterey, California, was a pelican’s paradise. The town was the site of many fish canneries. In fact, it was the home of Cannery Row, a street popularized by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck in his novel of that name.
Pelicans loved the town because fisherman cleared their catch, discarding the offal, and teh pelicans would feast on those scraps. In Monterey, any pelican could be well fed without having to work for a meal.
But as time went by, the fish along the California coast were depleted, and one by one, the canneries all shut down. That’s when the pelicans got into trouble. You see, pelicans are naturally great fishers. They fly in groups over the waves of the sea, and when they find fish, they dive into the water and scoop up their catch. But these pelicans hadn’t fished in years. They had grown fat and lazy. And now that their easy meals were gone, they were actually starving.
Environmentalists from the area wracked their brains to figure out a way to help the pelicans, and finally they came up with a solution. They imported pelicans from another area, ones that were used to foraging every day, and they mixed them in with the local birds. The newcomers immediately started fising for their own food, and it wasn’t long before the starving native birds joined them and started fishing for themselves again.
If you find yourseld starving for success, one of the best ways to get things going in your life is to be around people who are achieving success. Spend time with them. Watch how they work. Learn how they think. You will inevitably become like the people around you.”
– John C. Maxwell
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“It’s so simple that it’s revolutionary. The fact is, this formula or principle is misunderstood enough, or over-looked enough, that it can truly be called magic by those who understand it. Ready? Here it is. You beat 50 percent of the people in America by working hard. You beat another 40 percent by being a person of honesty and integrity and standing for something. The last 10 percent is a dogfight in the free enterprise system.”
– Art Williams
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“Every morning pull yourself up to your full height and stand tall.
Then think tall–think big, elevated thoughts. Then go out
and act tall. Do that and joy will flow to you.”
– William Danforth
“You can have a positive attitude about the events in your life, or you can come from a place of complaint and misery. You decide. You can consciously choose to respond in a positive way to almost any event or circumstance – a positive attitude is simple a choice you make.
Now we all know people with negative attitudes. They are the ones who constantly complain, whine, and moan. Nothing seems to go right for them. They are the perpetual victims in life. This is because they are operating at a lower frequency, and through the Law of Attraction they are attracting even more to complain about. The reason they tend to stay ”stuck” in their negative lifestyles is because they are constantly focusing their thoughts and energy on their negative present and negative past. By doing so, they are creating the same future over and over.
On the other hand, we also know people with positive attitudes – the ones who always seemto be happy, the ones who really seem to have a handle on things in their life. They are more fun, their energy feels great to be around, and they are operating at a higher frequency.
Surround yourself with these positive, nourishing, uplifting people whenever you can. Spend your time with spiritually evolved people who encourage your growth and applaud your successes. Wrap yourself in a support network of inspirational people with positive attitudes and energy.”
– Jack Canfield
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THE RACE AT SUNRISE
“Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster
than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a Lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle
or it will starve to death.
It doesn’t matter
whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle…
when the sun comes up,
you’d better be running.”
– African Proverb
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If you have an inspirational quote or something else you’d like to suggest for this page, please let us know! You can leave your ideas in the comment bar below. If we like your suggestion, we’ll share it with our readers!
The Paralegal Society™ 
I really love some of the advice. Thank you!
“If your plan is working perfectly, you have just walked into an ambush.” ~Anonymous
Love it, Ken! Thanks for sharing.