"Trust yourself."

"Trust yourself.
Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life.

Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny,

inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement."
~ Golda Meir

"When we honestly ask ourselves...."

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand."
~ Henri Nouwen

Inner Power

There are times that I question the parts of myself that are the most genuine.  Do not do this.  Be proud of who you are whether others appreciate, understand or even know about your truth.  Being true to yourself is being true to your inner power and true to your life purpose.  Don’t let anyone, including yourself, take your power from you.

First Flights

The barn swallows that had built a nest on a ledge of my patio had three baby birds, two of which started to fly this morning.  Why I woke up so early, I have no idea, but I’ve been thankful all day because I was looking directly at two of the baby birds when they took their first flights!  The rest of the day was a mix of simple balancing and free flying, the parents keeping a careful watch.  The last little bird intently watched all the activity from the safety of his nest and has yet to venture out.  Can you imagine the courage it takes to take that first flight?

"Laugh at yourself...."

"Laugh at yourself, but don't ever aim your doubt at yourself. Be bold. When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory."

~ Alan Alda

"All men dream...."

All men dream, but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds,

wake in the day to find that it was vanity:

but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men,

for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.

~ T.E. Lawrence

Someone Out There Gives a Damn

Sometimes we just need to know that someone out there gives a damn.  It is not much…but it is everything…and it is enough to help us deal with life.  If you can be that person for someone else, even for a moment, do not hesitate.

"Language is not merely a set of unrelated sounds, clauses, rules, and meanings...."

"Language is not merely a set of unrelated sounds, clauses, rules, and meanings; it is a total coherent system of these integrating with each other, and with behavior, context, universe of discourse, and observer perspective."

~ Kenneth L. Pike

Key to a Culture

It is so important to allow yourself to be open to experiencing other cultures even if it is just visiting a local restaurant.  Although, it may or may not be completely authentic, there will be elements of that culture that you can take away, questions for which you can seek answers and tastes that can give you a clue to the ingredients historically available.  Perhaps your local restaurants are not the most exotic places, but something can be learned if you look at food as a key to a culture, even your own.

Photo by SDD

Free

Way too many people spend their days worrying about what others think of them.  Sadly, more often than not these days, others’ judgments of you are based upon material aspects.  Success as a human being should never be based upon what you have but upon who you are. The first day that you choose to be yourself and be proud of your personal accomplishments, others be damned, is the first day that you are free.