DO YOU FEEL ALL ALONE AT TIMES? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 133

Feeling all alone in this world can be a dreadful feeling.  You don't have to feel that way though.  I am a firm believer that love is what makes the difference.  Whether you are a school student who feels alone and unhappy, a college student who feels isolated inside your heart and head, a young professional adult who has only your career to occupy your time, or an elderly person who has outlived friends and family...........it takes only one person (or pet) to make a difference in your life.  Love comes in many forms and from many sources.

You have to put yourself out there in order to let love into your life.  Introduce yourself to a new neighbor, a new co-worker, a new classmate, or call an old friend.  Adopt a pet from the animal shelter.  Dogs and cats give absolutely unconditional love to good owners.

Let yourself love others even if they do not love you in return.  The more love you give out, the more you will receive.  You must start by making up your mind to

LET LOVE IN!

IS THERE LOVE IN YOUR LIFE? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 130

These things are casting a pall over our everyday lives:

• The political childishness and incompetence in our government, 
• the racial and financial divisiveness being fueled by politicians,
• the rage of many citizens resulting in harm to others and even murder,
• the abdication of responsibility by many parents,
• their children seeking to belong to a family joining gangs,
• the horrific gang violence, the youth mobs attacking people,
• the outrageous lies being told by politicians and the main stream media,
• the lack of resolution to any of the huge problems we have faced for 5+ years,
• the ill-informed or uninformed people having no clue about what is really happening,
• the sweeping under the rug of scandal after scandal,
• the financial problems and unemployment millions are facing,
• the dreadful dumbing down of our schools,
• the poor academic performance of our children,
• and the fear of what our children and grandchildren will face in their lifetimes.

We receive daily doses of bad news relating to all of these things, and sometimes we must wonder if there is still anything good left in our country or the world.  The answer is there are millions of good people and many wonderful things still happening despite the ugliness of the daily news.

Love abounds if we give it and if we accept it.  So many kinds of love are available to us......parental love; love between siblings, friends, colleagues; puppy love, first love, love of your life, marital love, physical love; spiritual love, love of family, love of country, and love of pets.  

Be sure you are open to love, and it will make life so enjoyable despite all the trouble in the world.  If you give love, you will get love.  It's out there.  Go get it!

LOVE ABOUNDS!

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!

GIVE YOURSELF AN INFUSION OF JOY - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 62

Do you have days that seem a bit blah?  Are you bored?  Are you harried ?  Are you tired?  We all have days like that from time to time, but there are things you can do to lift your spirits (and the spirits of others at the same time).  It is as simple as using your phone to call someone you have not talked with recently or with whom you speak frequently.  Friendship and love are gifts that sometimes we overlook because we get so bogged down in the chaos that seems to be going on all around us in the world today.

Today's message is an easy one:

CALL A FRIEND!

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 48

It is said:

• if you do not respect yourself no one else will respect you.  
• if you do not love yourself no one else will love you. 
• if you do not value yourself no one else will value you.

Be realistic and objective and evaluate yourself, how you behave, how you perform your job duties, and how you treat other people.  From that evaluation how would you value yourself?

Today's message is:

KNOW YOUR WORTH!

DO YOU WANT EVERYTHING TO BE VANILLA? - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 17

Are you set in your ways?  Do you dislike change?  Are you fearful of things you do not understand or with which you are unfamiliar?  Do you willingly try new foods?  Are you a fan of only one type of music? Are your friends just like you?  Do you try new ideas?  Do you make new friends wherever you go?  Do you always visit the same section of a bookstore or library?  Do you tend to wear the same colors all the time? Do you always vacation in the same place?  Can you discuss politics or religion with someone who has opposing views?

We live in a world which offers abundant choices and opportunities.  You don't have to be wealthy or even solvent to try many things which cost little to nothing.  Open yourself up to new experiences, people, sounds, vistas, foods, cultures, and changes in general.

Today's message is:

Love diversity!

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN - CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 11

Are you one of the people who hesitates to make any changes in your life for fear of the unknown?  From my own experience I know that feeling.  I stayed in a marriage longer than I should have because the known was unpleasant but not as scary to me as the unknown.  Finally when things got much worse I decided that no matter what happened in the future it could not be any worse than what I was experiencing right then.

Now when contemplating changes I ask myself, "What is the worst that can happen?"  If I can deal with that then I can deal with anything between my present situation and that so I move forward and make the change.

In life, in business, or in love.............we must be willing to take risks..............so today's message is

Take a chance!

SuperBowl Was Super

In truth I am not much of a sports fan, primarily because I don't actually understand all the rules which govern the various sports.  However, each year I do watch the Super Bowl; and back in the '80's I actually attended the Super Bowl in San Diego, California.  We had great seats on the 50 yard line and not too many rows up from the players themselves.  Of course, people who knew my lack of interest in and understanding of football agreed with me that it was pretty much a waste of a ticket and a great seat. 

It was part of my job that year to take a number of customers to the Super Bowl, and all of my staff members volunteered to go in my place.  Unfortunately, I had to go myself, but I would have loved to give my ticket to one of them (I had a wonderful staff of young people).  It turned out to not be a very exciting game that year, but still there was something about being at such an event that made it a  memorable occasion for me.

Yesterday I was not feeling well which meant no Superbowl party for me.  Nevertheless, I opted to watch the game because I do understand enough to keep up with which team is winning.    I cannot claim to be a genuine fan of any sports team so I decide which team I want to win by other selective information which has little or nothing to do with the skills and talents of the players and coaches.  I decided yesterday I wanted the Baltimore Ravens to win because one of their players is Michael Oher, the young man whose life story was told in the movie The Blindside.  I thought it would be a wonderful thing for this young man and the Tuohy family who adopted him to experience a Superbowl win.  The Tuohy family did a great thing by giving Michael to chances in life which would otherwise never have been available to him. 

During the first half of the game I was sure the Ravens would win with no problem, but I had forgotten just how quickly things can change.  The last quarter of the game was a nail biter for sure, but the Ravens held on to the win.  Not only was it an exciting game (the power blackout was a bit scary), but the two Harbaugh
brothers coaching the teams were also interesting to watch.  These two men add an additional dimension to the word "professionals" as that is how they behaved toward each other.  It warmed my heart to see the winning brother John immediately make his way across the field to tell his brother Jim he loved him and for John to sincerely congratulate Jim despite his bitter disappointment at losing the game.

The Tuohy family's ability to adopt and love a boy of a different race and background, and the love and respect the Coaches Harbaugh  displayed for each other and their parents exemplify what our world could be like.  We need to all just get over ourselves and make the decision to work together to make this world a wonderful and better place for all of us. 

Who in their right mind would not want to live in a better world?

Love, Sweet Love

Back in the late 60's or early 70's there was a song with lyrics that said, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It's the only thing that there's just too little of..................."  Yesterday I was speaking with my daughter who lives in Manhattan.  Because of the recent tragedy at the Empire State Building we talked of  many things:

• the insanity in today's world, 
• the senseless crimes, 
• the red flags that are ignored which could prevent tragedies,
• the rage and anger exhibited by many people, 
• the killing and wounding of innocent people, 
• the bickering, dishonesty, and lack of action of our elected representatives, 
• the insane greed and lust for power, money, and 15 minutes of fame,
• the overwhelming national debt,
• the millions of people looking for jobs,
• the loss of moral compasses by many people,
• the ever-increasing numbers of homeless people and addicts of every kind,
• the looting and stealing of other people's property by thugs,
• the destruction of property over stupid things like a sporting event won or lost,
• the great lack of respect for authority, anything or anyone, 
• the huge number of single mothers and abdication of responsibility by fathers,
• the boys who think that they are tough because they belong to gangs and are no strangers to drive-by shootings and other criminal acts,
• the ridiculous mismanagement of funds in cities, towns, and states causing the loss of needed protection provided by police, fire fighters, and our military.  
• and so many, many more issues that taint life in the world today.

You will notice we did not mention natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires,  hurricanes or tornadoes as they are things over which humans have no control. The problems we discussed are all man made and, therefore, in truth can be resolved by mankind if we are inclined to fix them.  We talked about things that could, should, or might be done to resolve the problems and make the world a better, safer place.

We believe the thing that could start to make things better is LOVE.  All children and adults need love, compassion and kindness, and when they don't get it anger, rage, and bad behavior are the results.  There have always been evil people and evil acts, and there are people who have been loved but still choose to go down a wrong path in life. Many people want to fight, quarrel, kill, threaten, attack, and generally behave like jerks.  Love, kindness and compassion can help many of them and, over time, prevent the numbers from increasing.

Such a simple answer but a true answer.  Will we all ask ourselves what do we do that we need to stop doing, and what do we not do that we need to start doing?  Will we begin in our own homes, on our own streets, in our own cities and towns?  Bad people and bad deeds make the daily news, but there are still millions of good people in this world who are never mentioned................there are enough good people so that we could turn the world around if we join forces and decide to do it.

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love......................"  How about it?  Are you in?

Memorial Day Means More Than A Holiday Party

As the long weekend begins many have plans for parties, BBQ's, heading to the beaches, attending parades, catching up on household chores, or even working.  At some point during this weekend I hope all of us will pause and remember what Memorial Day means.  Teach our children and grandchildren what it means.  Let us remember that it is not just a day off from school or work.  It is a day to pay our respects to all of the military people who paid the supreme price to serve our country and protect our freedoms.  It is a day to pay tribute and give thanks for all of them and for all of their families and friends who lost their loved ones.  It is a day to give thanks for all of the men and women currently serving in our armed forces, facing danger and death, giving up precious time with their spouses, children, parents, siblings and friends.  We must also remember to ask blessings for those spouses, children, parents, siblings and friends who struggle to make ends meet based on low pay for high risk duty, who have babies alone, who raise children alone, and who relocate frequently, and who are unappreciated or acknowledged.  Last but certainly not least, let us give thanks for all of the men and women who are suffering from life-threatening and life-changing injuries.  Let us offer prayers for their healing and relief from their pain, for renewal of their spirits and hopes for the future, and for the never-ending love and support of those spouses and children whose lives are also forever changed.  May they all have faith, hope, love, courage and strength to keep on going and to never give up no matter what.

What The World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love

Happy Valentine's Day! Perhaps some of you remember the song What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of....... When I see all of the Valentine cards, flowers, candies, toys, and jewelry displayed on line, in print, and in brick and mortar stores I must admit I smile and think love is a wonderful thing. It is what makes life worthwhile. If you are fortunate enough to have someone to love and someone who loves you, be thankful. If you have children to love who love you, be thankful. If you have friends and neighbors to love who also love you, be thankful. Love should be a 24/7 thing 12 months a year so don't forget to keep spreading love even after Valentine's Day. It will make the world a better place for everyone with whom you come in contact.