Employment

Let every man be occupied in the highest employment of which he is capable and die conscious that he has done his best. (Sidney Smith in Keepers Of The Wisdom by Karen Casey, 28 January)

You could drop dead the moment after you've finished sacrificing your entire life for your retirement. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 179)

Many people are fooled in the end who at the beginning seemed led by a good inspiration. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 15, p. 102)
31 March 2012

Changing You Attitude

[Change] ... your speech behavior, [and] you'll be changing your attitude in the direction of accepting reality for what it is, and you will find yourself eliminating much needless upset from your life. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling You Own Strings, p. 202)

Goal Of Life

Iyanla Vanzant

The goal of life is not to win.  
It is to play the game with love.
The rules of the game are:

• Remind yourself of the rules,
• The game of life is rigged in your favor,
• Have a strong desire to win,
• Believe that you are worthy of winning,
• Have faith that you will win,
• Go for the love and have fun while you are doing it,
• There really are no points to count,
• Do not keep score,
• Play the game believing you cannot lose,
• Play the game for the love of it,
• The fact that you are here means you have already won the most important race,
• There are angels playing on your side, cooperate with them,
• The team you were born into really doesn't matter,
• As long as you are alive, never believe the game is over,
• There is only one coach for all the teams in life, His name is God,
• The coach has been cited for his consistent winning record.
• Listen to your coach because with Him you are assured victory.

(after Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 27 March) 29 March 2012

Trustworthiness

We in contemporary society witness a lack of trustworthiness in all areas and institutions of our lives:

• our electoral process,
• our government,
• our leaders,
• our courts,
• our political parties,
• our banking industry,
• our stock market,
• our marriages,
• our churches,
• our schools,
• our friendships,
• our investment plans,
• our educational systems,
• our corporations and companies,
• our loved ones,
• ourselves.

Whom can we trust?
(after The Upper Room Disciplines - 2011, 16 July)
28 March 2012

Excess Baggage

Learn from the past then let it go.  

Don't get round-shoulders from carrying excess baggage. 

(after Twenty-Four Hours A Day, 29 January) 

27 March 2012

Humility

A good teacher must believe in the ideas he teaches, but he must meet another condition; he must believe in the students to whom he offers the ideas. (A Course In Miracles, Chapter 4, I, 1, 4)

People who think themselves wise are seldom humble enough to allow others to guide them.  It is better to be stupid and slow and to be humble about it, than to possess vast knowledge and to be smug about it. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 7, p. 94)

Goal-directed behavior, one of the bases of any kind of success in life and love, depends upon being able to organize one's thoughts and hopes, and act upon them in a direct and timely fashion. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 62)

There is one thing that keeps many people from gaining ground and from fervently striving to improve: the dread of difficultly, or more accurately the effort of the struggle. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 25, p. 60)
26 March 2012

Perfect Harmony

Blackwater Falls, WV

Those who strive to be perfect, though, are not so quick to believe everything that is said, because they understand human weakness, which is prone to evil and is slippery enough in words. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 4)

Strain, struggle, frustration, tension, anxiety, compulsion, obsession and fear are the results you get when you are pushing too hard. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 11 March)

... insight alone is not sufficient to ... [solve a problem,] simply knowing that we have a problem does not solve the problem, although it helps. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 335)

... the anxious person may spend hours of his day ruminating about whatever worry currently lays claim to his soul. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 280)

When you are not in perfect harmony with yourself, you are your own worst enemy. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 13, p. 100)
25 March 2012

Everything Matters

Life is so much easier if we don't feel sorry for ourselves. (Helen Casey in Keepers Of The Wisdom by Karen Casey, 3 February)

We have been given certain tools with which to run our life, and the free will to use them. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 3 February)

When it comes to making small changes in our lives and brains, the motto to embrace is: everything matters.  Exercise, food, sleep, whom we marry, the work we do - all of it counts; all of it affects our brains. ... Paying attention to the detail of daily life, and making good choices, is the way to mental fitness. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 351)

We may be arrogant, thinking we already know the answers to life's dilemmas; or defiant, thinking we don't want anyone to tell us what to do; or self-indulgent, grabbing for the greatest pleasure. (Touchstones, 29 February) 24 March 2012

Hell

• When a child dies of starvation, there is hell.
• When people groan under the boot of oppression, there is hell.
• Where there is any injustice, there is hell.

Doesn't this sound like an apt description of far too much of the human condition?
(Mamia Abu-Jamal in Escape Routes by Johann Christoph Arnold, p. 149)
23 March 2012

Compulsive Thinking

Compulsive thinking and actions are an outward manifestation of a person's inner anguish; if it goes on, it becomes a destructive cycle of deterioration. (after One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 16 February)

That's what happens when you're angry at people.  You make them part of your life. (Garrison Keillor in Touchstones, 20 February)

... subtle differences in the brain can create important differences in behavior. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 15)

The ability to "wish" is fundamental to being well.  (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 64)
22 March 2012

All Is Said And Done

When all is said and done, it probably isn't.  

(Mr. Dickie, 11 March 2012) 

21 March 2012

Codependency

Codependency could be defined as being compelled to over-involvement with other people's problems. (My (REH) reading of statements in "Shadow Syndromes," by Ratey and Johnson, p. 341)
20 March 2012

After A Certain Age

[After a certain age] Other than our own deaths, there is little we haven't experienced by now.

• We've known the turmoil of adolescence.
• We've felt the pride that accompanies career advancement and the disappointment over a missed promotion.
• Worry over the safety of our children and our parents is familiar.
• We've missed opportunities that would have changed our destiny and reaped rewards we hadn't expected.
• Life has been full; 

Our gift has been to grow confident and wise.
(Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 19 March) 19 March 2012

Expectations

... expecting the world to treat you fairly because you ... 

[are] a good person ... 

[is] like expecting ... [a] bull not to charge you because you ... 

[are] a vegetarian. 

(Harold S. Kushner, The Lord Is My Shepherd, p. 102) 18 March 2012

Explain Yourself

I will refuse to explain myself to anyone who is obviously not interested in hearing what I have to say. The moment I become aware that I am talking to a stone wall, I will cease attempting to explain myself further. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 145)

You need never be manipulated by others into revealing private information. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 105)

[Have you been able to] ... escape the acquaintance who was sure she [/he] had all the answers? (Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 29 February)
17 March 2012

Checklist

People can, and do, squander hours of their lives in thought streams that produce nothing of value at all. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 334-5)

Never be completely idle, but be reading, or writing, or praying or meditating or working some way for the common good. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 19, p. 48)

We must examine our outward and inward affairs and set them both in order, for both are necessary for our spiritual progress. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 19, p. 48)

... look closely at yourself and your very personal aspirations, and appreciate the absurdity of running your life on the basis of comparisons with others ... (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 76)
16 March 2012

I Insist

If you are serious about creating a change in your mind, here are a few tips.

• Do not insist that people be who you want them to be.
• Do not insist that you are someone you are not.
• Do not insist that you can do things you cannot do.
• Do not insist that you know things that you don't.
• Do not insist that you will do things you won't do.
• Do not insist that everyone is wrong about you.
• Do not insist that you are right.

Whenever you are insistent about something, you create an attachment.
Breaking that attachment creates disruption in the mind.
(Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 15 March)

BTW, the book, Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow by Karen Casey is a good read.
15 March 2012

We've Got It Made

What ruling power has ever existed on earth that could hold both extravagant fortune and true justice in balance?  Why do power and wealth lead to loss of compassion and injustice for the poor and marginalized?  Is it inevitable?  What does such repeated failure tell us about ourselves. (Barbara Dick in The Upper Room Disciplines - 2008, 1 July) 14 March 2012

Progress Follows Intention

Progress follows intention, and a person needs much earnest effort if he wishes to progress well ... (Thomas "A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 19, p. 48)

The most effective teacher in the world is behavior.  Action which demonstrates your resolve is worth a million well-intended words. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 129)

... many people have chosen to seek knowledge rather than to live well and they are often led astray and their lives come to very little, or nothing at all. (Thomas "A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 3, p. 33)

Emotional problems affect the whole family - often the workplace as well - not just the person with the problem. (Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 20)

... we must realize that not everyone has the strength of purpose to take decisive action or to make radical changes in their way of life. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 26 February)
13 March 2012

Simplicity

• Simplicity is the keynote of a good life.  
• Choose the simple things always. 
• Life can become complicated if you let it be so. 
• You can be swamped by difficulties if you let them take up too much of your time.  
• Every difficulty can be either solved or ignored and something better substituted for it.  
• Love the humble things of life.  
• Reverence simple things.  
• Your standard must never be the world's standard of wealth and power. 

(Twenty-Four Hours A Day, 12 March) 12 March 2012

Perseverance

It is in the daily striving that perseverance counts. (Twenty-Four Hours A Day, 16 January)

Who has a more fierce struggle than the person who strives to master himself?  And this must be our occupation: to strive to master ourselves and daily to grow stronger and to advance from good to better. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 3, p. 33)

If you are interested in reducing certain behaviors, daily recording of these behaviors could decrease their occurrence. (after Ratey and Johnson, Shadow Syndromes, p. 334-5)
11 March 2012

Corporations Are Not People

... institutions ought to be built to serve man, rather than the other way around. In fact, companies do not exist in the real world, the world of man.  Take the people away from General Motors and what do you have?  A lot of rusting machinery, empty factories and offices, file cabinets filled with reports -- useless equipment.  People are what make institutions work, and since you are one of those people, all your institutional involvement ought to be directed at improving life of people -- and most important among them, yourself and your loved ones. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 155) 10 March 2012

Happy Birthday Dad

Remembering My Father 

Edward Charles (Pete) Henthorn 

On this the 112th anniversary of his birth in Nebraska.

The Source Of The Problem

Have you ever blamed others without even considering that you might be the source of the problem.  Resolve that next time you will examine your own faults first. (after Joshua Sundquist, in Daily Guideposts - 2011, 24 February)

Letting Go

Don't use bad language.  Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing. (Ephesians 4:29 (TLB) in Daily Guideposts - 2010, 19 February)

[Being] ... in a state of self-referral ... means not to look at yourself through the eyes of the world, or allow yourself to be influenced by the opinions and criticism of others. A helpful way to maintain that state of self-referral is to keep your desires to yourself; do not share them with anyone else unless they share the exact same desires that you have and are closely bonded to you. (Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success, p. 77-8)

Let me not expect easy solutions to my problems.  Make me realize that many of my difficulties were created by me, by my own reactions to the happenings in my daily life. I ask only to be guided to a better way. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 6 January)

Release all grievances you are holding against others. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 19 February)

If you just relinquish the need to defend your point of view, you will in that relinquishment, gain access to enormous amounts of energy that have been previously wasted. (Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success, p. 60)

Mr. Dickie
7 March 2012

Detachment

Self-importance is our greatest enemy.  Think about it - what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellowmen.  Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone. (Carlos Castenada, in Touchstones, 4 February)

If you trust in appearances, you will quickly be deceived; if you look for comfort and gain in others, you will often be disappointed. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 2, Chapter 7, p. 71)

You will not depend on someone once they have let you down. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 19 February)

I will not permit myself to become emotionally involved in matters that should not be my concern.  I will not interfere with the working out of another's difficulties, however dear and close we may be to each other.  Detachment is essential to any healthy relationship between people.  Each of us is a free individual, with neither one in control of the other. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 23 February)

Trying to analyze why another person persists in destructive behavior cannot help me out of my own difficulties.  I can overcome them only by turning my thoughts inward, to face my own mistakes and to learn how to improve myself. ... My problem is "me." ... I will not waste time and energy trying ... [to figure out other people.]  I will concentrate on figuring out why I do what I do. (One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 27 February)

It is not self-loving, nor is it loving to others involved, to allow yourself to be mentally, emotionally, or physically abused in hope that things can, or will, get better. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! 8 February)

The simplest and usually the most reasonable way to deal with grumpy people who are not willing to change is to stay away from them. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 110)

My program teaches this about fault finding.  When you think it's not your fault, it probably is. (Richard E. Henthorn, 25 January 2012)

Richard Henthorn's Dewey Decimal Section:
222 Historical books of Old Testament

Class:
200 Religion

Contains:
The Bible and other religious texts, books about the general philosophy and theory of religion.

What it says about you:
You don't mind thinking about the unknown or other very big ideas. You will never feel like your work is finished. The 200-series is dominated by Christian topics, so you may feel like you're constantly surrounded by Christians.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

6 March 2012

See You Later

When you are in the company of boorish people who you feel are abusing you with their stories, bragging, or pushiness, practice excusing yourself, getting right up and leaving. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 116-7) 5 March 2012

Don't Quote Me On This

If you do not wish a man to do a thing, you had better get him to talk about it; for the more men talk, the more likely they are to do nothing else. (Carlyle in Pulling Your Own Strings by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, p. 129)

"We should believe only in deeds; words go for nothing everywhere." (Fernando Rojas, Spanish author, in Pulling Your Own Strings by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, p. 122)

People who have great learning are often eager to appear wise, and they often wish others to recognize them as wise people. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of  Christ, p. 31)
4 March 2012

Self-Centeredness

Self-centeredness causes us to take everything personally.  We are hypersensitive to our surroundings, to other people, and to how they react. (after Touchstones, 12 January)

******

I installed Dropbox to see if I would like to use it for doing some file backups.  They give each "free" account, 2Gb of space.  It's attractive because all you need to do to backup a file is drag and drop it into the Dropbox folder on your computer.

Dropbox

I created YouTube playlists for:

• Dropbox
• Skydrive
• Windows 7 Backup
• BoxNet

Mr. Dickie
3 March 2012

It Doesn't Concern Me

Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances, and events as they occur. (Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, p. 57)

We are also very much in control of how we feel about the circumstances of our lives, whether we think we have it good or bad has a great deal to do with the details of each day. (Karen Casey, Keepers Of The Wisdom, 26 January)

Simply realizing that another person cares about our burdens can release us to see beyond them. (Johann Christoph Arnold, Escape Routes, p. 18)

Do not be drawn into other people's affairs nor entangle yourself with the concerns of people in high places. (Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 21, p. 52)

******

Yesterday I stopped at libraries in both counties.  In the afternoon I attended the computer club meeting at the Bowie Senior Center.  The topic for discussion was eReaders.  Several members brought their devices.  Mr. Evans went to the front with his Kindle.  There was a lively and informative exchange about the various models.

In the evening, by accident, I noticed a message on the computer screen with a button to click that turned on the Chrome browser feature that allows me to click on a website hyperlink to generate an Email.  I still don't understand how to find that button again if I need it.  I tested with the genealogy society homepage and it worked.

Mr. Dickie

2 March 2012

Memories

Our minds are capable of storing an incredible amount of data.  While this is a blessing in many ways, it can also be a curse when we find ourselves carrying memories which can do nothing but hurt us. (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Pulling Your Own Strings, p. 72) 1 March 2012