As you know, George Carlin possessed Courage. It does not matter if you loved, disliked or ignored him. George was the real deal – Authentic to the core. He did not care what anyone thought of him and he was ruthlessly honest in his assessment of life. Here are some of his more positive and heart felt words that we would all be wise to listen to. Thank you George for your honesty – that is Courage.
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
I see people all over the world with disabilities that display so much courage. I see many who live off of the streets, suffering or leading lives of constant struggle. I prefer to write about people that get up and do something with their life. One of those people is 9 year old Christopher McKitten of the U.K. What a living example of courage in action. Christopher has Ewing’s Sarcoma, which is a rare cancer. This chap had surgery and was back to school in less than a month after having his let amputated from the thigh. This is a child that plays football on crutches! There are people who have gone through much less and won’t get up and cross the street to help themselves. I really admire children. They have such resilience and positivity.
Here is a quote from his grandpa:
“I’ve never heard him once complain about what he’s been through. He’s just unbelievable.”
Christoper was one of 3 children that won the Champion Child of Courage award recently. The judges had such a tough time trying to pick a winner, that all three children were awarded equally.
JUDGES of the Champion Child of Courage award found it such a tough task trying to decide on a winner that they took the generous step of awarding prizes to all three shortlisted youngsters. Chris Henderson, sales and marketing manager for sponsors Anson Ltd, said:
“It’s been very, very difficult for us to pick from three children that have shown such courage. They keep on smiling through all their problems and that’s a lesson to us all as we sit round these tables about why we should keep a smile on our faces.
“So it’s a little bit different tonight. I am not going to announce one winner, I am going to announce three because the decision was so difficult it just wasn’t fair to pick one alone.
To go through great adversity, smile and never complain – Wow, now that’s courage.
As I sit near a window overlooking the pacific ocean, I can in this moment, only feel grateful. I look back on my life at all the stories, real, imagined, my history, each one that has brought me to this moment. I have come to the conclusion that living in the present, “this now moment” is a gift I have been given and one I have not spent enough time with. I takes great courage to live in the moment, without being distracted by the furious pace of the world.
There are many gifts presented to us daily. Which ones get opened is a choice only we can make for ourselves. I wonder how many truly gratifying gifts I missed out on because they were not wrapped in pretty paper. A gift that is content to wait patiently until I open my eyes enough to see it. When I live totally present in each moment, completely immersed, life is dramatically different than when I am distracted.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift – that is why we call it the present. ~~Unknown Author
Gift yourself in courage to live in the present moment. Try it on for size and see how it fits. I am sure you will find the more you live in the now, the happier your life will be. Here is a book “The Present Moment” by Thich Nhat Hanh you may enjoy. It is a retreat on the practice of mindfulness.
I was thinking of Christopher Reeve’s today. What a powerful peaceful soul. A Role Model. My birthday is this month. I was born the same year as Christopher in 1952. As many of you know, he passed on October 10th 2004. He would be 56 this year. He is greatly missed around the world.
I am so grateful for my life. Each year that passes brings more joy, with life unfolding in the most miraculous ways. Superman could fly and sometimes I feel as if I can too. Christopher Reeve’s knew how to fly in the face of fear, with great courage. Few people have the strength to live with such grace in the appearance of such a challenge. There is no doubt that some days were much harder to face than others, but he rose to the occasion, setting himself as a example to the world. To live in freedom, no matter what seems to be an obstacle is a gift of courage we each own. Thank you Christopher and your family for being such an inspiration to all of us. May we all follow your lead and live in COURAGE.
My friend John Maguire sent me this quote on staying young. Youth lives inside and never fades in the young at heart. Every cell of our body holds the perfection and memory of youth. Life is a stage for children, where imagination and creativity hold each one enthralled, waiting for the next moment of discovery. There is a small child in each of us that has much to teach.
Youth at any age is a gift to combine perfectly with wisdom that is gained through the passing years. Never ever grow old or out of touch with the perfection and beauty you are. Now come outside and play with all the world as your stage, where you direct, create, design and make choices that bring the majesty of life to your doorstep.
Stay Young:
Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind. It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.
Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair, these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust.
Whether seventy or seventeen there is in every beings heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement of the stars and the starlight things and thoughts, the undaunted challenge of events and the childlike appetite for what’s next, and the joy and the game of life.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt, as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear. So long as your heart receives messages of beauty, cheer, courage, grandeur and power from the earth, from man, and from the infinite, so long you are young.
Everyone wants success, to be distinguished as authentic. I think it is easier for us to give up on starting many things, because we get so excited to start something and then look to the right, there is something to start, look to the left, oh wow, there is a new thing to start. Overwhelm slides around and a great idea is forgotten. The wisest choice is to pick one thing. Stay with it until it is a success – in any way that looks to you. Be determined, use courage to go the extra mile, over and above the average bear. Be the example of what you want to reflect to the world. Charles Kendall Adams talks about success in this quote:
“No one ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount and excellence of what is over and above the required that determines the greatness of ultimate distinction.”
Do you know how small of a percentage exits between people who achieve greatness and those who don’t? Watch this video. With a little more effort and extra degree or two and imagine what you are capable of. Check out Simple Truths.
If you don’t have time to watch fireworks or miss them for some reason. Here is a great video for you.
This video is from Disney – MGM 4th of July Fireworks. Enjoy and Happy 4th of July to you and your family.
I was reading a Friday story from Bob Proctor I receive every week. The article in the story was written by Paul Martinelli about the history of July 4th. Here is part of the story:
On July 2, 1776 Congress and 12 of the 13 colonies approved General Lee’s Resolution for Independence, severing ties between the Colonies and Great Britain for good. The next day, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife predicting that July 2nd would soon become a great American holiday. Congress then began to look at the Declaration of Independence. After several days of debating, word changing, and some content adjustment, Congress approved the document on July 4, 1776.
Today America celebrates 232 years of independence and freedom. Because these men did not let fear stand in their way, because they did not hesitate to make the right choice, American Citizens now have the right to vote, the right to free speech, the right to practice any religion, the right to a fair trial, just to name a few.
Paul Martinelli
Happy 4th of July in Gratitude to all of you. Living in Courage – Debra Oakland
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