Worry Changes Nothing

Life’s journey is filled with moments beyond our control, moments of apprehension, concern, and even foreboding, about what a situation, event or person could produce. They are imagined “could happen” scenarios which create stress and drain energy. Worry, in itself, has no value. It does not create change nor solutions. It does, however, take away precious moments of your life’s happiness and peace.

Winston Churchill wrote, “When I look back on all my worries, I remember the story of an old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of troubles in his life, most of which never happened.” Erma Bombeck adds to his thought writing, “Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but it never gets you anywhere.” May you be wise and cautious in your moments of worry. Pause to test its reality. Get out of the rocking chair. Is it a “could happen” or something beyond your control that will happen? Remember that the product of most worries never happens. Don’t spend a lot of time worrying. As Mark Twain said, “Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.” May you choose always to capture and live life’s precious moments of happiness.

Have a beautiful day, a Happy Memorial Day Weekend and a magnificent week!!!

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The Search for Okay

An unknown author wrote that “sometimes the best thing you can do is not think. Not wonder. Not imagine. Not obsess. Just breathe. And have the faith that everything will turn out okay.” Yet, just having faith that everything will workout, however, is not a preferred alternative. Arriving at that state of ‘okay’ sometimes requires courage and perseverance, a commitment to achieve a goal or right a situation. The journey to ‘okay’ is one of becoming, a movement from now to then. The action can be a simple hanging in there and not giving up, or a matter of self-control related to the circumstances.

John Lennon said, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” Yes, okay is the destination. Yet, it is the journey getting there that counts, a journey of positivity, drive, patience and a belief that, regardless of whatever the situation, you will be okay. May you remember A. A. Milne’s wise counsel, “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Holding that promise, you will know that your best is yet to come.

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

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Lessons from a Drowning Scorpion

In a recent Facebook post, Katia Passerini shared learnings from Carl Gustav Jung’s book, The Red Book – The Page. It is a powerful and beautiful metaphor for great leaders’ selfless and unconditional giving.

A Zen Master saw a drowning scorpion and decided to pull it out of the water. When he did, the scorpion stung him.
Due to the effect of pain, he left the animal that fell into the water on the verge of drowning. The Master tried to pull it out again and the animal poked it again.
A young disciple who was there approached him and said:
“Excuse me master, but why do you continue? Don’t you understand that every time you try to get it out of the water it stings you? “.
The Master replied: “The nature of the scorpion is to sting and that won’t change mine which is to help.”
So, with the help of a leaf, he took out the water scorpion and saved his life, then turning to his young disciple, he continued: “Do not change your nature: if someone hurts you, take only precautions, because men are almost always ungrateful of the good you are doing to them.
But this is not a reason to stop doing good, to abandon the love that lives in you. Some pursue happiness, others create it. Worry more about your conscience than your reputation. Because your conscience is what you are, and your reputation is what others think of you. When life gives you a thousand reasons to cry, show it that you have a thousand reasons to smile”.

May you continue to grow your beautiful nature taking it to heights undreamed. Passionately and relentlessly pursue the creation of your happiness and, “when life gives you a thousand reasons to cry, show it that you have a thousand reasons to smile”.

Have a beautiful day, a Happy Mother’s Day, and a magnificent week!!!

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On Setting Your Angels Free

Michelangelo wrote, “I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Michelangelo’s quote is a powerful metaphor for how our dreams and aspirations are like unformed, beautiful statues that we must chisel and shape to bring them to life. Like the angel resting in the marble, your dreams are waiting to be released. And, just like the sculptor, you will work with intentionality, perseverance, and passion to achieve the fullness of their splendor, beauty and magnificence.

Michelangelo wrote also, “The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has.” May you remember that, within you, there are many angels, many masterpieces, and many dreams waiting to be revealed and brought to life. May you open your eyes, hearts, mind, and soul to see the “marble not yet carved.”

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

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On New Beginnings

Seneca wrote, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” These new beginnings are a fresh start, new opportunities to explore and create a different future for ourselves. They are exciting and challenging times, full of dreams, potential, and uncertainty. They allow us to break free from old patterns and routines that may be limiting us. They give us the chance to redefine ourselves and our goals, to reconsider what is important to us, and to make new choices based on our evolving goals, needs, and desires. It is a beautiful and exciting liberating and empowering experience, as we shed old ways of thinking and embrace new perspectives, explorations, growth, and fulfillment.

May your new beginning mindset open your eyes, heart, mind, and soul to life’s and your infinite possibilities. Meister Eckhart counsels us, “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” Let the past be a treasure of your life’s learnings, and a teacher for your paths ahead. Buddha gently reminds us, “No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again.” Continue to joyously and passionately reinvent the magnificent you, and take you to heights undreamed. Your best is yet to come.

Have a beautiful day, a magnificent week, and, each day, a magical new beginning!!!

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There Is No End, Only New Beginnings

One of life’s many lessons is that everything has a beginning and, once begun, will have a natural ending, a finish line. John Maxwell suggests a new way of looking at endings. It is a change of mindset, one not focused on the finite, but one that joyfully embraces one that is infinite in its view. It is one in which there are no finish lines, only new beginnings.

There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning,” wrote Louis L’Amour. There are no endings, only new beginnings. May your finish lines become, as they have always been, your next steps in achieving your life’s purpose and meaning as you continue to become more than you ever dreamed you could be… and more… so much more. Your best is yet to come!

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

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On Living Life as a Paradise

Leo Buscaglia wrote, “Life is a paradise for those who love many things with a passion.” To love many things with a passion is to live life to its fullest. It is to embrace all that the world has to offer and to find joy in the simplest of pleasures. Life is truly a paradise for those who approach it with an open heart and a willingness to explore. Passion is the fuel that drives you forward, the fire that ignites your soul. It is a powerful force that pushes you to do amazing things. It is what makes life worth living. When you pursue your passions with dedication and commitment, you discover a sense of purpose and fulfillment that cannot be found elsewhere.

May you embrace your passions, pursue your dreams, and live each day to its fullest. The world is waiting for you to discover all its wonders. Chase your dreams, pursue your passions, and never stop exploring yourself and all that life so abundantly offers. Trust in yourself, believe in your passions, and let your heart guide you toward a life of joy, meaning, and purpose. May Nelson Mandela’s words be wise counsel on your journey magnificent life’s journey, “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” May your passion and love of life be the magical keys to your finding and giving the magnificent you.

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

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On the Power and Value of a Leader’s Conviction

Conviction is one of the most important qualities that great leaders possess. It is the unwavering belief in one’s ideas, values, and vision that enables leaders to inspire and motivate others to follow them. Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

Leaders who have conviction inspire and motivate their followers because they are clear about their beliefs and values. This clarity of purpose allows them to articulate their vision in a way that resonates with others and helps them to communicate their ideas with confidence and passion. Conviction is also important because it gives leaders the courage to take risks and make difficult decisions. When leaders are certain about their goals and values, they are better equipped to make tough choices and stand by them, even in the face of opposition or uncertainty. This kind of steadfastness is a hallmark of great leadership, and it is what enables leaders to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.

One of the most famous examples of conviction in leadership is Martin Luther King Jr. King was a powerful speaker and a charismatic leader. What set him apart was his unwavering belief in his cause. He believed so deeply in the idea of equality and justice for all that he was willing to risk his own safety and freedom to achieve it. As he famously said, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.‘”

Conviction is a powerful and essential quality in great leadership. It gives leaders the confidence and clarity of purpose to inspire and motivate their followers, make difficult decisions, and achieve their goals. Winston Churchill said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” This quote captures the essence of conviction in leadership. Leaders with conviction are able to do both. It is this ability that differentiates them and makes them truly great.

May your convictions about your values, purpose, and meaning, selfless giving and leadership be the role-model and inspiration for all whom you touch and serve as they realize their fullest potential and achievement of their dreams undreamed. Your conviction becomes their aspiration. May your convictions take you from today’s reality of who you are to the dreams and destiny of who you will be.

Have a beautiful day, a Happy Easter, a Happy Passover and a magnificent week!!!

P.S. Please don’t forget to eat the ears off of all the chocolate Easter Bunnies.

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On the Joy of Challenges

In their book, The Truth about Leadership, James M. Kouzes, and Barry Z. Posner write, “Challenges cause you to come face-to-face with yourself. They are rather harsh ways of reminding you of what’s important, what you value, and where you want to go.” Great leaders turn them into “tests of strength and determination.”

Supporting this, they cite the powerful words of Randy Pausch who speaks of “brick walls” in his famous Last Lecture, “The brick walls are there for a reason. They’re not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” They are doors to new futures.

Undertaking challenge takes resilience. There will be obstacles you face in creating change and unseen bumps on the road to resolution and implementation. Commitment, ownership, passion, and perseverance are key leadership elements of your highly successful journey.

Challenges are opportunities to discover new gifts within yourself, to grow, and more fully embrace the joy and beauty of your life’s purpose and meaning. Welcome your challenges as doors to be opened as reminders to you “… of what’s important, what you value, and where you want to go.” Your best is yet to come.

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

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Happiness Is a Choice

Just as William Jennings Bryan said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved,” so, also, can it be said that happiness is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. Happiness does not come from without, but from within. It comes from the choices we make to change our circumstances and situations, to let go of something causing stress, or to find a new path. The result of those choices is happiness… satisfaction, contentment, and joy. It is in the moment of your choice that happiness already begins. It is a moment of satisfaction and joy you experience in knowing that you have the determination and courage to take yourself and your life to another more joyous, happy state.

Ralf Marston writes, “Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.” May your choices of your life’s dreams, purpose and meaning, goals, plans, career, friends – all these and more – be the seeds of an extraordinarily rich and abundant happiness throughout your life and in the lives of those whom you touch and serve. Remember always that the choices you make, make you. You become what you choose to be.

Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!

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