How many times have you done something that you wish you hadn’t? Did someone warn you, but you chose to ignore it? We don’t always know the outcome and sometimes we have to learn a hard lesson. This makes our decision on whether or not to take other people’s advice difficult, but we’re happy it was offered.

The next time you see a friend in need of some advisement, without being high-handed and imperious, offer them the recommendation. It may cause your friend to become irritated or annoyed, but at the end of the day they will appreciate the thought.

Take it easy — but take it.
~Woody Guthrie

Yesterday I went to the post office to ship a D-CoT t-shirt for one of my members. I approached the desk to make the purchase. I reached into my shorts for my wallet and my wallet was not there. I left it at home!

I told the lady behind the counter I don’t have my wallet and that I would have to drive home to get it. She said “OK” and was going to hold onto the package. Right before I left, a woman waiting in line behind me walked up and said “I’ll pay for this”. I was SHOCKED. She said, “Just remember to do this for someone else when they are in this situation. Someone helped me, and so I know how it can be.”

I told her I definitely will. I will always remember to “pay it forward”.

The shipping was $3 and change, but the random act of kindness was priceless.

Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the and the blind can see.
~Mark Twain

Have you ever wanted to spend a year in another country and see the world from a different perspective? I hear complaints from people along the lines of “Man, I really want to move out of this state,” or “I need to get out this town”. And guess what? They never do. Why not? If you believe in yourself and have the self-discipline you can do anything.

The next time something comes up that’s out of your comfort zone, embrace it.

Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.
~ Brian Tracey

Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you , say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.
~ D.H. Lawrence

8%! That’s a very low percentage. Go back to a recent situation that you worried about that never happened. How much energy did you drain? How much anxiety did you cause yourself? Unhealthy? Indeed it is. The next time you feel the need to worry, just step back and wait a minute. Ask yourself, “Is this really something I need to focus my efforts and energy on?”.

Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen.  Keep in the sunlight.  ~Benjamin Franklin

Did you ever give a friend a ride who needed one without question? Did you ever lend a helping hand to anyone without expecting something in return? If so, I guarantee you that person will not forget your good will. Here is an example.

I just moved to the Orlando area and met a few of my neighbors within the first 2 weeks I was here. A week later I received a call from one of them who asked me to do a “solid” and give him a ride to get his car from the shop. His wife had to stay home with their two kids so he had no way of getting there. I was eating lunch with my fiance so I told him I wouldn’t mind just as long as I could finish my lunch. I only spoke with this man twice in my life and here I am doing him a “solid”. I didn’t mind it and expected nothing in return except for maybe a handshake and a thank you.

Even a small favor can really mean a lot and in this case, it turned out I did not do a favor for just one person but I did one for their family of four.

Your life’s tasks determine your place in it. You can make a difference.

The bottom line is time doesn’t change anything. The work we do while the time passes is what makes the change. If you know you’ll feel better about something a few months down the road, what can you do today to make that feeling become immediate?

They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.
~ Andy Warhol

Setting your mind to something starts with self-discipline and self-motivation. Without that, you have no fuel to energize yourself to meet the goals you set. Without any action there will be no reaction. I know, Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Let’s think about this for a moment; if you don’t take that first step in reaching your goal, nothing will happen. When you practice self-discipline you feel like you are in control of your life. You feel content and motivated because you’re moving toward your goals.

You may ask yourself “Why are some people more successful than others?”.  The answer is success is tons of discipline. Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness.

With self-discipline, any person can rise above and beyond and achieve anything they want. But without it, regardless of a person’s background, education and opportunity, they will seldom rise above mediocrity.

No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined.
~ Harry E. Fosdick

Corinthians 13
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Read that over and over and when you’re finished, read it again. What does it tell you? How does it make you feel? Every time I read that passage I feel uplifted.

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’ in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies…’ Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.  Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I’m easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

It’s people like that who make a difference in the world. There was someone at the post office working in the dead letter office that came across this and decided to touch the life of another.

No matter what the outcome is, it’s the thought that counts.