DON'T WASTE EVEN ONE DAY - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 125

Last night as I was watching Dancing With The Stars I was sorry to learn that one of the contestants Bill Nye had suffered a severe injury.  I was surprised when he decided to dance anyway despite what the doctor told him.  When asked why he opted to do it he said something like , "People don't regret what they do but what they don't do."

While we all have or will have regrets for some of the things we say or do in our lives, I think he was correct.  At the end of the day we will regret things left undone, opportunities not taken, words not spoken, kindness not extended, rifts not mended, and never doing the things that we always have wanted to do.  Time is fleeting and life is short.

Today's message is:

BE HAPPY NOW!

ARE THERE MEAN PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 91

There are many mean-spirited people in the world, and we all know at least one or more such people. There are people who abuse others physically, sexually, verbally, mentally or emotionally.  It can be difficult to get away from them sometimes because they can be parents, foster parents, step parents, spouses, bosses, classmates, co-workers, teachers, pastors, priests, scout leaders, neighbors, caregivers, bullies, gang members and criminals. If you are in a situation from which it is not possible or easy to escape because you are too young, too old, or too frightened you still have an option.

The world has many more good people than mean people, and you can help yourself by seeking out those who are kind and caring.  Even one kind person can make a huge difference in your life especially if you are truly being harmed by a mean person.

Kind people are out there so look for them, pay attention to the people around you wherever you are, and open yourself up to get to know them.  Do not let shame, fear, or pessimism prevent you from surrounding yourself with as many kind people as you can find.  Do not let fear prevent you from telling someone if you are being harmed or threatened.

Today's message is:

SEEK KINDNESS

WILL YOU HELP OTHERS? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 89

No matter how much we think we know or understand about other people, especially children and young adults, chances are there is much we don't know or understand.  One of the things it is so easy to overlook is how much others may look at us as role models to emulate.  Are our behavior and attitude worthy of emulation?  Do we encourage others and give them hope to have success and to achieve their goals and dreams?

You can never be sure when something you have done or said will be just the thing to inspire someone else to try harder, to do better, to not give up, or to have increased self-confidence.  Your courage, your bravery your spirit, your accomplishments, your kindness, your listening ear, or your love may do more for other people than you will ever know.

Try to remember today's message which is:

INSPIRE OTHERS!

YOU CAN MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 37

The news coming out of every part of the world seems to be bad.  People are fighting, killing, cheating, spying, and suffering.  There is much anger, rage, and hatred making life miserable for millions of people.

Mahatma Gandhi said something to the effect that we should make the changes in ourselves that we would like to see made in the world.  He was quite right because if everyone behaved better the conditions for all people would ultimately get better.

Kindness begets kindness so try being kinder than usual, and it will come back to you in abundance. A word, a touch, a card, a phone call,  a helping hand, a smile can all make a difference to others and to you.

Today's message is:

Pass on kindness. 

Peace On Earth, Good Will Toward Men

As the different holidays we celebrate draw closer, I find myself wondering if we humans really do long for peace on earth, good will toward men. If we do, then we need to start by having peace in our homes and good will toward the people we love, people who depend on us, and people on whom we depend. Do we actually hear how we speak to spouses, children, parents, neighbors, and other people we encounter? We should pay attention because careless words hurt people we love, people we know,and people we come in contact with in public settings. Careless words create conflict which disrupts otherwise peaceful homes. Not only do we need to create and maintain peace in our homes and neighborhoods, but also when we venture away from home. Remember that the goal is peace on earth, good will toward all people.... whether we are in cars, on public transportation, in the workplace, waiting in long lines at the Post Office, shopping in busy malls, going to the movies, attending parent/teacher conferences, attending church services, dining out, participating in organization meetings, discussing politics or religion, or anything else we may be doing and anywhere else we might be. It amazes and appalls me when people behave badly toward others. By now we grown ups have realized that life can be hard so why do we want to make life more difficult or unpleasant by being rude,hateful or unpleasant toward others? Why do we feel the need to be disagreeable when we have a difference of opinion with anyone? Why do we exhibit a lack of respect for so many others? Why do we allow children to be disrespectful to anyone whether it be other children, their parents or teachers, or other people in authority? Whether celebrating either Christmas, Hanukkah or Quanza let us all begin the New Year 2012 with a sincere desire for Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward All Men and back up that desire with our actions no matter where we are. I know that life can be made better for everyone if all of us behave better toward each other. That is my hope for 2012.

Can You Describe The World In Which You Want Your Children To Live?

From all over the world we continue to hear about trouble, dissension, anger, hatred, bigotry, abuse of power, human trafficking, hunger, lack of clean water, lack of medical care, poor education, illegal immigration, crime, poverty, religious differences, natural disasters, fear, drug cartels, addictions, wars, and disease. It is time to realize that NO government is going to save this world and make it safe for our children and grandchildren. There is NO group called "they" who will do the right things, protect our children and provide for every need. We have to finally acknowledge that WE are the responsible people; WE must start doing the right things on a daily basis; WE have to start fixing everything that is wrong in one household at a time, on one street at a time, in one neighborhood at a time, in one community at a time, in one county at a time, and in one country at a time. Do we not think it is foolish to put our trust in politicians who do not heed our wishes? Do we not think it stupid to keep doing things the same way and expect different results? Do we really believe that everything that needs correcting is going to be accomplished without EACH OF US doing our share? We are wasting time, resources, energy, and the future of of our children by waiting for anyone else to do what we need to be doing for ourselves. We need to stop whining, stop complaining, stop procrastinating, and start doing the right things. I realize we will never get 100% of the population to do the right things, but if we can get the majority to do the right things then and only then will the world change for the better. Ask yourself if you are a constructive person or a destructive person? Reflect on your daily life each evening, and ask if you did the right things; if the answer is 'no' why did you not do the right things? Look into the faces of your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and the children of your friends and neighbors. They are pure, innocent and depending on the adult population to take care of them and give them the future they deserve. What are the right things? Well, for starters how about: Honesty, Accepting responsibility for our actions and those of our children, Kindness, Self-discipline, Respect for ourselves and others, Being more concerned with our obligations instead of our rights, and ditch the entitlement mentality that seems to permeate our society.

Reunions - Love 'em or Hate 'em

Some people I know would NEVER attend a reunion of their high school or college graduating classes. Other people I know would not miss attending any sort of reunion. Personally, I love reunions. However, I remember when I first realized that not everyone has a happy time in high school, and I felt terrible that I had not realized that when I was in school. Perhaps I could have done something, or made an effort, and encouraged others to make an effort to reach out to those that could barely tolerate being there. How naive and thoughtless of me to assume everyone felt as I did, looking forward to going to school daily, waiting for the weekends for the football games and dances and all the things that contributed to my enjoyment of high school. I graduated in a class of 656 students, and I have to say I absolutely loved high school. I certainly did not know all of my classmates, but in retrospect I regret that I was oblivious to any of them who might have been hurting or suffering for any reason. My recent blog about bullies in schools has made me think more and more about children who are not able to enjoy their school days and years because of mistreatment by others, because of feeling excluded from groups, because of not fitting in, because of not being able to dress as others do, or not coming from a great neighborhood, or coming from a troubled home where any form of abuse is occurring. Out of the 656 students in my class, I wonder now who was perhaps physically abused, sexually abused, or verbally and emotionally abused at home. There were no published statistics about those things when I was in school, and people did not talk about those subjects in front of us. That does not mean they did not happen. I was not aware of any bullies in school, but I seem to have been such a Pollyanna loving my own life that I surrounded myself with friends just like myself. In reflecting on those years there are several students whom I do remember who may have hated school, and I wish I could find them and tell them that I regret I was so oblivious that I did nothing to help them. I actually have looked for them on line but have never found them, and they have never attended any of our class reunions. No one seems to know what happened to them after high school. I comfort myself by hoping that they became extremely happy and successful adults and do not attend reunions because they felt no connection to others, but I also fear that perhaps their lives have not been happy or successful and that maybe my friends and I could have done something to change that for them. Of course, I will probably never know but it makes me want even more to encourage you to teach your children to be kind to every classmate, to include them at lunch or recess, and to stand up for them if others are mistreating them. We pass through life only once. It is not a dress rehearsal, so let's help today's children have the best beginnings possible for themselves and all the others whose lives they will touch.

Labor Day When Many Are Unable To Find Jobs

Today is probably not as enjoyable a holiday as usual because so many of our fellow citizens are unemployed and desperately seeking work in order to support their families. Being unable to feed one's child or children must be excruciatingly painful. For those of us who are more fortunate or for those who have jobs or businesses, let us not forget those who are struggling. Remember.........our turn might come before this economic disaster ends. When shopping perhaps buy an extra one or more boxes or cans of non-perishable food. Through churches, civic organizations, food banks, charities you can easily find a place to drop it off where it is needed. A hungry child or a family in need will be blessed by your small, kind, caring gift. God Bless America, and God Bless You for caring and helping.