Love Life
Life is pretty much how you think it is. If you think life is great and live it each day with enthusiasm and positivity, most of your days will be great. If you choose to always look at the negative side of things, well, life won’t seem very pleasant at all. Know ahead of time that you get to choose how you react to life. Love life and life will love you back.
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Forgiveness: A Gift for the Soul
Forgiveness is always a complicated subject. There are personalities involved, emotions, the actual act that occurred, and all the circumstances surrounding the event. But generally, what we need to do is realize that we are all imperfect. We all make mistakes. If we want to be forgiven for our mistakes, we must forgive others for their mistakes also. Forgiveness is good for the soul. It shows compassion and a love for the imperfect human condition. It shows maturity by letting go of the ego.
The following is a story about forgiveness:
The Sands of Forgiveness
A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.
The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.
They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.
After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”
The other friend replied “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it. – Author Unknown
Bring Out Your Best
Sometimes we need a little extra push to bring out the best in ourselves. Often the best way to do this is to have a little competition, whether it’s formal or within your own mind. Some people will go out of their way to avoid competition while others live for it. This is a reflection of one’s personality but it is wise to keep in mind that competition does spur one to do better in most cases. For example, in your career, if you know there is someone eager and willing to take your job should you become complacent in your work, then you are more likely to give it your all to keep your job status. Competition pushes you to do better, obviously that’s what sports are all about, but some people become overly competitive for a situation. For example, constantly comparing yourself to others as far as material possessions is a no win situation that leads to much unhappiness. So have a healthy attitude toward competition and use it to bring out the best in yourself and don’t despair if you don’t “win” sometimes. Just learn from it and do even better next time.
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Laughter is Good for the Soul
Is there anything better than having a great belly laugh with tears flowing down your face? The times when you’re laughing so hard you can barely catch your breath? Research has proven these moments are good for your soul as well as your overall health. So why not have more of them? Make that effort to have more laughter in your life – laugh with friends, watch funny YouTube videos, watch funny movies and TV shows, go to comedy clubs, just act silly.
We hope the following story makes you laugh:
Pub Steakout (from www.thejokeyard.com)
The policeman had the bar under surveillance a few minutes before closing time, so he could see who comes out drunk.
The first one out the door at 2:00 o’clock weaved down the sidewalk, then fell on the curb. Sluggishly got up, then tried his keys in five cars before finding his own car.
Once inside his car, he fumbled with his keys for 2 or 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, all the club patrons had gotten into their cars and driven away, leaving this one fellow quite alone in the parking lot.
Finally, he got his car started and began to very slowly drive away.
Immediately, the police car was behind him with lights flashing.
The policeman asked the man to take a breathalyser test, to which he readily agreed.
When the reading was 0.0%, the policeman said, “How can this be?”
To which the man replied, “Because tonight, I’m the designated decoy.”
photo: flickr/Hani Eriani
Your Life’s Impact on Others
In many high schools, an assignment is often given to the students to write their own obituary for when they die of old age. It gets the students thinking about what they want to accomplish in life. It is often telling about the student’s character and dreams. Some dream of becoming rich and famous, others want to make a difference in the world, others dream of escaping the modern world and living off the land in some remote location. But when it really comes down to it, on our death bed, what will matter? What will matter is your love for others and the impact you have had on others. Of those who have passed on, we remember fondly those who gave freely of themselves. We remember how those people made us feel. That is what is important. Everyday we can make a positive impact on the lives of others. The challenge is to be consistently mindful of this. Remember when someone made you feel special and pass on that feeling to someone else. This is lasting impact.
photo: flickr/spettacolopuro
