Chapter 1, Page 20, Book 20

Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. 

Martin Luther King Jr.

January 20th - love is the answer

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

Robert A. Heinlein

The power of love is amazing!  Love can turn lives around A simple sincere hug or gesture can change a life or help to change a society at large.

Just think about what would happen if everyone operated from a sincere foundation of love.  Instead of competing with one another we really tried to help one another.  We could start with our friends and family and build out from there.  Love is an act.  It’s a decision.  It’s deliberate.  It’s an external effort and energy every day.  It’s choosing and committing.  It’s doing.

Start with yourself.  Love yourself.  Remember to take good care of yourself so you can offer the best of yourself to others  Then do something kind and unexpected for a total stranger.  Listen to others and really hear what they have to say.  Let people know that you care.  Be kind and let love ripple through the world.  Love is always a choice. Choose love, not fear.

Love is all about choice.  We choose to see the good, ignore the petty, look for what we could do and remember why we love. Choosing  to put in the effort to do these things is what love looks like and sometimes the choices in life is what make the difference in life.

Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.

Nicholas Sparks

Chapter 1, Page 19, Book 20

Before you begin work, always ask yourself; is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities, or in the bottom 80 percent 

Brian Tracy

January 19th - set your priorities

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The most important things in my life are my faith, family and friends.  And when I take those things into consideration first, everything else seems to flow smoothly.

Work is a huge part of our lives so how we balance that with other aspects to create a truly fulfilling life should be a priority. It is important to to focus on what is important.first.  

Where would we without our family  It’s through them that we have the strength and will to do the things we do.  We are always there for each other, no matter how choatic work gets 

The foundation of family is often a person's parents, brothers sisters and grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins. but families often take many shapes.  The key is to any family you know , even when you have differences , you can always count on them to be there.

Friends are the family you choose.  They fill in the gaps to make that family complete.  My friends are a part of me and heve helped to make me who I am today.  We  keep in touch and we relate with each other over conversation and get together for outings and trips.

Faith is a very personal part of anyones life and it can be an important part to keeping your balance.  My faith has helped me through rough times and sustained me in good times.  It has enhanced  areas of my life by providing support and guidance through many situations.

All these things are simply parts of our lives and who we are.  All are parts of my life and each can strengthen the other.  Everyone has a set of values that guide their decisions, actions and thinking and when I think about it , this is mine. I’m reminded that faith, family and friends are gifts from God and are the most important things in my life. 

focus

Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.

Steven Covey

Chapter 1, Page 18, Book 20

Where you are today matters for who you’ll be tomorrow.

Author Unknown

January 18th - today matters

Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today.

Mark Twain

Today is the most important day we’ll ever have.  Today will influence how we’ll be living our life tomorrow and the day after.  We are what we are today because of the decisions we made yesterday.  

If we can handle today correctly , tomorrow will take care of its self.  If you choose to show love in a meaningful tangible way today, then our day will not be wasted. Regardless of the size of the action or the nature of the recipient, it will matter.

There are words only you can say.  There is knowledge only you can give.  If you really want to make your days matter, you can.  We need to believe that regardless of what has happened previously in our lives,, that today’s choice can make tomorrow better.

Success doesn’t just occur one day in our lives   Every day of our life is preparation for the next.  We all want tomorrow to be better, that’s why today matters.

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Chapter 1, Page 17, Book 20

Believe you can and you’re halfway there.

Theodore Roosevelt

January 17th - always believe

Believe in yourself.  You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.

Roy T, Bennett

If you believe in yourself, then half of the job is already done. Believing in ourselves is so important and once you realize that you’re capable of and believe you are able to achieve anything you put your mind to you’ve already won half the battle.

Achievement is overcoming the power of your own mind, if you don’t believe in yourself, who will?  There is a big difference between exclaiming you can do something and actually believing that you can.  If you don’t think you can make it happen, it will never happen.  If you have no doubt in your mind, you will do whatever it takes to get there , you will find a way to achieve your goal.

Being positive has never been so important as it is now in today’s society.  With media covering on the negative, we have to find ways to inspire ourselves.  If we focus on spreading positivity and inspiration, miracles will start to happen.  You can do whatever it is that you believe you can do.

You may be the only person left who believes in you, but it’s enough.  It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness. Never give up.

Richelle E. Goodrich

Chapter 1, Page 16, Book 20

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom

Thomas Jefferson

January 16th - tell the truth

Never be afraid to raise you voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.

William Faulkner

The truth is that there isn’t much truth being spoken in our world today. Fake news is everywhere and it’s hard to know what to believe some days. 

For words to have power, they must be the truth for the person speaking.  Even in a world of expanding voices, getting it right is the foundation upon which everything else is built - context, interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis and debate.  As we have an ever greater flow of data we have more needed for information dedicated to find and verifying the news and putting it into context.

Because news is important, those who provide it should have responsibility to voice their their own conscience out loud and allow others to do so as well.  We all have a view on what happens in our world but no matter our differences, the truth will always be respected and praised.

If you don’t like someone, don’t gossip about them, but tell the truth as accurately as you can.  I was always told if you don’t like somebody, then say nothing. It’s better than spreading news that is only your opinion and not necessarily the truth.

Honesty is more than not lying, is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living and truth loving.

James E. Faust

Chapter 1, Page 15, Book 20

Be the reason someone believes in good people.

Author Unknown

January 15th - be a good example.

A truly good person will speak truth, act with truth and stand for Truth.  A truly good person is not afraid to think from their heart; therefore allowing nonconformist decisions, viewpoints, and perspectives to lead their life.  By following their heart, they stand with their concience, and only with God.

Suzy Kassem

A role model is a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others.  An example being the way young fans will idolize and imitate professionals athletes or entertainment artists.  Some people  deliberately  try to set a good example but not always to that extent.

Good people do not need laws for them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws

Plato

It’s a big responsibility to be a good role model, a person that influences others by serving as an example.  We all make mistakes now and then, but one mistake should not define who we are.  A mistake is simply a way to learn and grow. Good people are not perfect, but know how to react when something bad happens.  

We all try to better ourselves, but perfection is not possible in this world.  To be the best you can be with what you have is my desire.  The reason why perfection is an illusion is because the standard is always changing.  Truth is we are perfect just the way we are.  Love yourself despite all your flaws and imperfections. You are a very unique and special person,  just the way you are.

All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.

Carlton Smith

Chapter 1, Page 14, Book 20

Notice the rainbows after the rain..and when rain gets you down create your own sunshine because you are the only one who can

Cyndie  Spiegel

January 14th- make your own sunshine

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you , and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.

Brian Tracy

Sometimes things just don’t go well,  but we can still make the best of a crappy day by bringing our own sunshine along.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in stressful days, but one way is to do battle by creation your own sunshine. Helping a friend out, visiting a people. counting  your blessings , thinking happy thoughts.

We don’t have to be defined by what happens to us, because we can always change our attitude about what ever happens to us.  I’ve learned to look for the bright side of things.  It is always there the we take the time to look for it.

I haven’t seen the sunshine since I left Florida on Saturday, but still I’ve had plenty of reasons to smile.  My family that lives here welcomed me home and were happy to see me back home again. I’ve receive lots of hugs and warm greetings from all of them.  I’ve made little headway on putting away Christmas but have enjoyed seeing my decorations up.  They remind me that every day can be Christmas when you have love in your heart.  

I truly do have to make my own sunshine now that I’m home.  There is nothing but grey skies here for the most part and if you let it, it can get you down.  Sunshine comes in many forms.  I play upbeat music and have found that citrus essential oils are mood lifters.  Try Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit all the Mandarins and Clementine Tangerine .

I wear bright colors and open the curtains on the windows so the light can come in. Happy colors are yellow, pink and orange which evoke positivity and energy.

And always remember to smile.  Do something nice for someone and light up their day with a sweet bright gesture.  You’ll get smile, which will make you smile. 

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather always bring your own sunshine

Anthony J. D'Angelo