1. A person's a person, no matter how small.
2. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.
3. Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is more you than you.
4. From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
5. Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
6. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.
7. If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.
8. I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent.
9. So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
10. And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.
11. Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
12. All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot.
13. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
14. Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.
15. Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!
16. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.
17. I'm afraid sometimes you'll play lonely games too, games you can't win because you'll play against you.
18. I'm sorry to say so but, sadly it's true that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you.
19. From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
20. I know up on the top you are seeing great sights, but down at the bottom we, too, should have rights.
Here is a list of popular sayings or "Seuss-isms" from Theodore Geisel "Dr. Seuss" (1904 - 1991) author and illustrator.
Author Archive
You Don’t Have To Shout
Do you ever wonder why you end up raising your voice when things aren't going the way you planned? Or why we tend to shout whenever we have a meltdown? You get into an argument with someone, he's just in front of you, and you are shouting at each other. Why is that? He's just in front of you, it's not like you have to shout to be heard.
Sure, you lost your cool and ended up raising your voice. The question remains why we have to shout instead of talk. Just to say that it is human nature doesn't answer this question. Maybe it's the testosterone, or adrenaline that makes you raise your voice. But if you are seeking to understand and control your anger, I don't see how this is going to help.
Listen, I was never one to buy into the getting rid of your anger by whacking the hell out of a punching bag. How does that help? If you condition yourself to that response, you are conditioning your mind to punch the hell out of something. Seems like a good way of losing it. What happens when there isn't a punching bag around? What do you hit? The guy in front of you? Ever wonder why we practice courtesy inside a training dojo?
The only answer that makes sense to me was something I read this morning. The reason why we shout when we get angry is because of the distance between our hearts. When someone doesn't see eye to eye with you, your hearts have drifted apart. So, in order to be heard your heart makes you raise your voice. It's that void between you and your adversary, to bridge the distance you end up having to shout. The thing is, the more you shout the angrier you get, and the greater the distance is. So you shout even louder.
Does this make sense? Look at what happens when you are in love. Your hearts are so closely entwined, all you tend to do is whisper to each other. Many couples speak without words, with just a glance.
The next time you raise your voice in anger, take a second to realize this. It might help you keep your cool and regain control of the situation. If you want people to listen to your point of view, you need to be in control of your anger. He who has a clear head often ends up getting his way.
Sure, you lost your cool and ended up raising your voice. The question remains why we have to shout instead of talk. Just to say that it is human nature doesn't answer this question. Maybe it's the testosterone, or adrenaline that makes you raise your voice. But if you are seeking to understand and control your anger, I don't see how this is going to help.
Listen, I was never one to buy into the getting rid of your anger by whacking the hell out of a punching bag. How does that help? If you condition yourself to that response, you are conditioning your mind to punch the hell out of something. Seems like a good way of losing it. What happens when there isn't a punching bag around? What do you hit? The guy in front of you? Ever wonder why we practice courtesy inside a training dojo?
The only answer that makes sense to me was something I read this morning. The reason why we shout when we get angry is because of the distance between our hearts. When someone doesn't see eye to eye with you, your hearts have drifted apart. So, in order to be heard your heart makes you raise your voice. It's that void between you and your adversary, to bridge the distance you end up having to shout. The thing is, the more you shout the angrier you get, and the greater the distance is. So you shout even louder.
Does this make sense? Look at what happens when you are in love. Your hearts are so closely entwined, all you tend to do is whisper to each other. Many couples speak without words, with just a glance.
The next time you raise your voice in anger, take a second to realize this. It might help you keep your cool and regain control of the situation. If you want people to listen to your point of view, you need to be in control of your anger. He who has a clear head often ends up getting his way.
Ten Ways to Get Rich
Warren Buffett's Secrets That Can Work for You.
With an estimated fortune of $62 billion, Warren Buffett is the richest man in the entire world. In 1962, when he began buying stock in Berkshire Hathaway, a share cost $7.50. Today, Buffett, 78, is Berkshire’s chairman and CEO, and one share of the company’s class A stock is worth close to $119,000. He credits his astonishing success to several key strategies, which he has shared with writer Alice Schroeder. She spent hundreds of hours interviewing the Sage of Omaha for the new authorized biography The Snowball. Here are some of Buffett’s money-making secrets – and how they could work for your.
No. 1: Reinvest Your Profits
When you first make money, you may be tempted to spend it. Don't. Instead, reinvest the profits. Buffett learned this early on. In high school, he and a pal bought a pinball machine to put in a barbershop. With the money they earned, they bought more machines until they had eight in different shops. When the friends sold the venture, Buffett used the proceeds to buy stocks and to start another small business. By age 26, he’d amassed $174,000 – or $1.4 million in today’s money. Even a small sum can turn into great wealth.
No. 2: Be Willing to Be Different
Don't base your decisions upon what everyone is saying or doing. When Buffett began managing money in 1956 with $100,000 cobbled together from a handful of investors, he was dubbed an oddball. He worked in Omaha, not on Wall Street, and he refused to tell his partners where he was putting their money. People predicted that he'd fail, but when he closed his partnership 14 years later, it was worth more than $100 million. Instead of following the crowd, he looked for undervalued investments and ended up vastly beating the market average every single year. To Buffett, the average is just that – what everybody else is doing. To be above average, you need to measure yourself by what he calls the Inner Scorecard, judging yourself by your own standards and not the world’s.
No. 3: Never Suck Your Thumb
Gather in advance any information you need to make a decision, and ask a friend or relative to make sure that you stick to a deadline. Buffett prides himself on swiftly making up his mind and acting on it. He calls any unnecessary sitting and thinking "thumb-sucking." When people offer him a business or an investment, he says, “I won’t talk unless they bring me a price.” He gives them an answer on the spot.
No. 4: Spell Out the Deal Before You Start
Your bargaining leverage is always greatest before you begin a job -- that's when you have something to offer that the other party wants. Buffett learned this lesson the hard way as a kid, when his grandfather Ernest hired him and a friend to dig out the family grocery store after a blizzard. The boys spent five hours shoveling until they could barely straighten their frozen hands. Afterward, his grandfather gave the pair less than 90 cents to split. Buffett was horrified that he performed such backbreaking work only to earn pennies an hour. Always nail down the specifics of a deal in advance – even with your friends and relatives.
No. 5: Watch Small Expenses
Buffett invests in businesses run by managers who obsess over the tiniest costs. He once acquired a company whose owner counted the sheets in rolls of 500-sheet toilet paper to see if he was being cheated (he was). He also admired a friend who painted only the side of his office building that faced the road. Exercising vigilance over every expense can make your profits – and your paycheck – go much further.
No. 6: Limit What You Borrow
Living on credit cards and loans won’t make you rich. Buffett has never borrowed a significant amount -- not to invest, not for a mortgage. He has gotten many heartrending letters from people who thought their borrowing was manageable but became overwhelmed by debt. His advice: Negotiate with creditors to pay what you can. Then, when you're debt-free, work on saving some money that you can use to invest.
No. 7: Be Persistent
With tenacity and ingenuity, you can win against a more established competitor. Buffett acquired the Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1983 because he liked the way its founder, Rose Blumkin, did business. A Russian immigrant, she built the mart from a pawnshop into the largest furniture store in North America. Her strategy was to undersell the big shots, and she was a merciless negotiator. To Buffett, Rose embodied the unwavering courage that makes a winner out of an underdog.
No. 8: Know When to Quit
Once, when Buffett was a teen, he went to the racetrack. He bet on a race and lost. To recoup his funds, he bet on another race. He lost again, leaving him with close to nothing. He felt sick -- he had squandered nearly a week's earnings. Buffett never repeated that mistake. Know when to walk away from a loss, and don’t let anxiety fool you into trying again.
No. 9: Assess the Risks In 1995, the employer of Buffett's son, Howie, was accused by the FBI of price-fixing. Buffett advised Howie to imagine the worst- and best-case scenarios if he stayed with the company. His son quickly realized that the risks of staying far outweighed any potential gains, and he quit the next day. Asking yourself “and then what?” can help you see all of the possible consequences when you’re struggling to make a decision – and can guide you to the smartest choice.
No. 10: Know What Success Really Means
Despite his wealth, Buffett does not measure success by dollars. In 2006, he pledged to give away almost his entire fortune to charities, primarily the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He's adamant about not funding monuments to himself—no Warren Buffett buildings or halls. “I know people who have a lot of money,” he says, “and they get testimonial dinners and hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. "When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That's the ultimate test of how you've lived your life."
Believe in Yourself….Raise the Bar….Move Mountains!
Article author: Billy Cox, www.BillyCoxInternational.com.
Inspirational Story: Robby’s Night
This is an inspiring story entitled Robby's Night. I do not know if this is a true story. I received it from a friend and just wanted to share it with you. It is a story worth reading.
At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa . I've always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons-something I've done for over 30 years. Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never had the pleasure of having a prodigy, though I have taught some talented students.
However, I've also had my share of what I call 'musically challenged' pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single Mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby.
But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student. Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel but he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn.
Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear me play someday." But it seemed hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons.
I thought about calling him but assumed because of his lack of ability, that he had decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching!
Several weeks later I mailed to the students' homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. "Miss Hondorf, I've just got to play!" he insisted.
I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my 'curtain closer.'
Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed, then Robby came up on stage.... His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other students?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?"
Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys; they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo. From allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people his age. After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause.
Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy.
"I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it?"
Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well, Miss Hondorf, remember I told you my Mom was sick? Well, actually she had cancer and passed away this morning and well. .. She was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special."
There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.
No, I've never had a prodigy, but that night I became a prodigy .. .. Of Robby's.. He was the teacher and I was the pupil for it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't know why.
At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa . I've always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons-something I've done for over 30 years. Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never had the pleasure of having a prodigy, though I have taught some talented students.
However, I've also had my share of what I call 'musically challenged' pupils. One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single Mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby.
But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student. Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel but he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my students to learn.
Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson he'd always say, "My mom's going to hear me play someday." But it seemed hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons.
I thought about calling him but assumed because of his lack of ability, that he had decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching!
Several weeks later I mailed to the students' homes a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said that his mother had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. "Miss Hondorf, I've just got to play!" he insisted.
I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my 'curtain closer.'
Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed, then Robby came up on stage.... His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other students?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?"
Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys; they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to fortissimo. From allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people his age. After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause.
Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy.
"I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it?"
Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well, Miss Hondorf, remember I told you my Mom was sick? Well, actually she had cancer and passed away this morning and well. .. She was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special."
There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil.
No, I've never had a prodigy, but that night I became a prodigy .. .. Of Robby's.. He was the teacher and I was the pupil for it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't know why.
12 Inspiring Things
12 Inspiring Things To Remember by Sonia Ricotti. As a renowned motivational speaker, Sonia has inspired many thousands of people all around the globe to live their greatest lives.
Sonia Ricotti is the President of Lead Out Loud, #1 bestselling author of The Law of Attraction Plain and Simple, a transformational and leadership expert, and the co-host of the popular radio show Lead Out Loud Talk Radio.
- Life is short. If you are stressed, worried, eat unhealthy, or focused on the negative stuff, your life will end up being even shorter.
- Your troubles of today are only temporarily. Look for the silver lining. If you look hard enough, you will find the silver lining, and it will make all the difference in how you perceive your situation and how you feel.
- When things are good in your life, they seldom become great. We rarely make changes when things are good. Only when we hit rock bottom, are we forced to make changes and that will lead you to greatness. So if you hit rock bottom, hold on to your socks and start celebrating because your greatest life is just around the corner.
- Stop staring at all the closed door (negative stuff). Search for all the open doors (opportunities) around you. There are many.
- You are perfect. Regardless of what you have been told, what people think, or how people treat you – you are perfect exactly the way you are.
- The only opinion that counts is your opinion of yourself.
- You already have all the answers – they are just lost in the mental fog. Clear your mind of all clutter and negative chatter. Meditate, exercise, journal and take time for yourself to reflect.
- Don’t follow the crowd. It will only take you where others want to go.
- Today is tomorrow. So stop procrastinating. Go out there and start living your greatest life.
- Be different, be bold, be loving, and always follow your heart.
- Be conscious of what you are feeding your mind.
- When the going gets tough, give. No matter how bad things are, there is always someone, somewhere, in a worse situation. Give your time, money or even just a compliment. Make a difference.
Sonia Ricotti is the President of Lead Out Loud, #1 bestselling author of The Law of Attraction Plain and Simple, a transformational and leadership expert, and the co-host of the popular radio show Lead Out Loud Talk Radio.
When You Work For A Company
Working For A Living
At some point in our life, most of us have ended up working for someone or some company. There is nothing inherently wrong with working for a company. In many cases, the company is providing a needed service to the consumers. But most of us dream of the day we are free to pursue what we want in life. Or to own our own business. It's just that you don't get anywhere without starting from somewhere.The biggest issue we have with working for a living is that we are trading time for money. As long as you collect a paycheck, your time belongs to the company and sometimes this includes weekends. When you trade time for money you end up missing a lot of things in life. Things like family celebrations or your kids growing up. In my case, I've missed years of family celebrations and holidays while building a career.
If you like your job or the company you are with, by all means stay with them. I have had the opportunity to work for and work with people I respect. I had also worked with a company that took care of our own, even when the times were tough. You learn a lot during tough times, like really pulling together and commit to making the business a success. You can achieve amazing results when everyone within an organization have a common goal. Having been through tough times, you are ready for just about any challenges in life.
If you work for a company, give it your all. And this applies to whatever it is that you do. Even when you intend to quit your job in the future, while you are there, commit to doing the best job you can. Not just for your company, but also for yourself. You see, you are building equity for yourself while you are working for someone else. You gain experience, money, skills, self-discipline and even a reputation. Believe me, people will know you by your reputation and the work you have done. Integrity and work ethics count for a lot.
I have been in various managerial positions through out my career, and there are no substitutes for personal leadership and commitment. A manager is a coach, a cheer-leader, a team leader. He is also the force that drives the business, the person who executes the business plan. I like to tell the people I work with, if you are here just for the paycheck, you will not get anywhere in your career. To get ahead in life, you have to grow. You are here for more than a paycheck, you are here to learn a business, and what it takes to make the business profitable. You are here to increase your skills, knowledge, and to gain experience. Not just work experience, but also life experience.
If you can do this, you will find opportunities presenting themselves to you. If you are here for just a paycheck, you won't last long because your mind and heart are closed. I believe that when you work for a company, you ride for the brand. If you are willingly to go that extra mile, you will achieve the success you want.
