Inspiration

"If there is righteousness in the heart

there will be beauty in the character.

If there is beauty in the character

there will be harmony in the home.

If there is harmony in the home

there will be order in the nation.

If there is order in the nation

there will be peace in the world.

~Old Chinese Proverb

I AM ONLY ONE

I am only one, but I am one.
I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
What I can do, I ought to do; and what I ought to do
By the grace of God, I will do.

Edward Everett Hale

Lips and Slips

If your lips can keep from slips,

Five things observe with care:

To whom you speak;

Of whom you speak;

And how, and when, and where.

Edward Norris

we call success

Success is speaking words of praise,
In cheering other people's ways,
In doing just the best you can
With every task and every plan.
It's silence when your speech would hurt,
Politeness when your neighbor's curt.
It's deafness when scandal flows,
And sympothy with other's woes.
It's loyalty when duty calls,
It's courage when disaster falls.
It's found in laughter and in song.
It's in the silent time of prayer,
In happiness and in despair.
In all of life and nothing less,
We find the thing we call success.

Two Kinds of People

There are two kinds of people on earth today,

Just two kinds, no more I say.

Not the bad and the good,

For it's well understood,

That the good are half bad,

And the bad are half good.

Not the rich and the poor,

For to know a man's wealth

You must first know the state

of his conscience and health.

Not the haughty and meek,

For in life's little span,

Who puts on airs is not counted a man.

Not the happy and sad,

For the swift flying years

Bring each man his laughter,

And each man his tears.

No the two kinds of people on earth I mean,

Are the people who lift

And the people who lean.

Wherever you go you'll find the world's masses

Are always divided into just these two classes.

And oddly enough, you'll find too, I ween,

There's only one lifter,

To twenty who lean.

General Rules of Life

If you open it, close it
If you turn it on, turn it off
If you unlock it, lock it up
If you break it, admit it
If you can't fix it, call in someone who can
If it belongs to someone else and you want to barrow it, get permission
If you value it, take care of it
If you make a mess, clean it up
If you move it, put it back
If you barrow it, return it
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone
If it is none of your business, don't ask questions
If it aint broke, don't fix it
If it will brighten someone's day, say it, if it won't don't
If you aren't hurt, don't cry

Joan of Arc

Every man gives his life for what he believes
Every woman gives her life for what she believes
Sometimes people believe in little or nothing
and yet they give their lives to that little or nothing
One life is all we have to live
and we live it as we believe in living it and then it is gone
But to surrender what you are and live without belief
is more terrible than dying
Even more terrible than dying young

A Giant of a Man

George Washington was a giant of a man,
Over six feet tall he stood,
He was a patient, gentle man,
All of him was good.
He kept his men together
Though they suffered cold and mud.
This tall man walked among them
And warmed their hearts with love.
In pitch darkness and grinding ice
They crossed the Delaware;
And in the snow at Valley Forge
This tall man knelt in prayer.

Watch Your Thoughts-Frank Outlaw

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

Serenity-adapted for women-"As a Man Thinketh" James Allen

Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.

A woman becomes calm in the measure that she understands herself as a thought-evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought, and as she develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, she ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.

The calm woman, having learned how to govern herself, knows how to adapt herself to others; and they, in turn, reverence her spiritual strength, and feel that they can learn from her and rely upon her. The more tranquil a woman becomes, the greater is her success, her influence, her power for good. Even the ordinary trader will find her business prosperity increase as she develops a greater self-control and equanimity, for people will always prefer to deal with a woman whose demeanor is strongly equable.

The strong, calm woman is always loved and revered. She is like a shade-giving tree in a thristy land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes come to those possessing these blessings, for they are always sweet, serene, and calm. That exquisite poise of character which we call serenity is the last lesson of culture; it is the flowering of life, the fruitage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom, more to be desired than life - a life that dwells in the ocean of Truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of tempests, in the Eternal Calm.

How many people we know who sour their lives, who ruin all that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers, who destroy their poise of character, and make bad blood! It is a question whether the great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control. How few people we meet in life who are well-balanced, who have that exquisite poise which is characteristic of the finished character!

Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt. Only the wise woman, only she whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey her.

Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever conditions ye may live, know this-- in the ocean of life the isles of Blessedness are smiling, and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding Master; she does but sleep; wake her. Self-control is strength; Right Tought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, "Peace, be still!"

Success is....

Attitude more than aptitude
Being happy with who you are
Cultivating body, mind, and spirit
Discovering that Heaven is within
Embracing the unkown with enthusiasm
Facing fear, finding faith
Giving without remembering
Here now, breathe into each moment
Inside you, not in people, places or things
Journeying from the head to the heart
Knowing your beliefs create your experiences
Letting go and going with the flow
Making time for family, friends and forgiveness
Never ever giving up on your hopes and dreams
Opening your heart to magnificant possibilities
Passion, playfulness, peace of mind
Quiet time, the key to inspired living
Receiving without forgeting
Seeking answers, questioning beliefs
Trusting in the beauty fo your feelings and needs
Understanding the best you can do is always enough
a Verb, choreograph your dance with destiny
Willingness to learn from everything that happens
eXpressing yourself, be the hero of your own story
Yours to define - how do you want to be remembered
Zestful living, loving, and laughing

A Cowboy's Guide To Life

• Don't never interfere with something that ain't botherin' you none.
• Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
• There's more ways to skin a cat than stickin' his head in a boot jack and jerkin' on his tail.
• Some ranchers raise pigs and some will even admit it. Either way, they're raisin' pigs.
• Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.
• The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm. The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.
• If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
• Never smack a man who's chewin tobacco.
• If it don't seem like it's worth the effort, it probably ain't.
• It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.
• The biggest liar you'll ever have to deal with probably watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.
• Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut.
• If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
• Don't worry about bitin' off more'n you can chew. Your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think.
• Always drink upstream from the herd.
• Generally, you ain't learnin' nothin' when your mouth is a-jawin'.
• Generally speakin', fancy titles and nightshirts are a waste of time.
• Trust everybody in the game, but always cut the cards.
• If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
• If you're gonna go...go....If your mind's not made up, don't use your spurs.
• Some things ain't funny. You ain't one of them.