The nearest way to glory -- a shortcut, as it were -- is to strive to be what you wish to be thought to be.
- Socrates, quoted in Cicero, 44 BC

"Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives."
William James (1842-1910

I am thankful for small mercies. I compared notes with one of my friends who expects everything of the universe, and is disappointed when anything is less than the best, and I found that I begin at the other extreme, expecting nothing, and am always full of thanks.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Step forward, taking action in the direction … not where you are currently, but moving forward and saying, 'Okay, if this is who I'm becoming, then what action would I take right now if I were already there?'" — James Arthur Ray

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though its breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, whats the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
Nat King Cole

>He who cannot rest, cannot work; he who cannot let go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot go forward.
Harry Emerson Fosdick

ONE STEP AT A TIME

There is no sudden leap to greatness.
Your success lies in doing, day by day.
Your upward reach comes from working well and carefully.

Good work done little by little becomes great work.
Your house of success will be built brick by brick.

Adopt the pace of nature.
The secret is patience.
A bottle fills drop by drop.
Max Steingart

Every heart that has beat strongly and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world, and bettered the tradition of mankind.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

Guilt is the mafia of the mind.
Bob Mandel

Time is Too slow for those who Wait,
Too Swift for those who Fear
Too Long for those who Grieve
Too Short for those who Rejoice
But for those who Love
Henry Van Dyke ( 1852-1933)

In ALL endeavors Strive to Celebrate
the Spirit of a Warrior.....
Calm,
Centered,
Whether tending to the flowers,
Parrying the attacks of an adversary,
Or searching for a divine heart....
J. Rowley as paraphrased by fsm)

An African farmer had heard tales about other farmers who had made millions of dollars by discovering diamond mines. These tales so excited the farmer that he could hardly wait to sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds himself. So he sold the farm and spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent, searching unsuccessfully for the gleaming gems that brought such high prices on the markets of the world. Finally, broke and worn out and in a fit of despondency, he threw himself into a rive and drowned. Meanwhile, back at the farm, the man who had bought his farm happened to be crossing a small stream on the property one day when he saw something gleaming at the bottom of the stream. He picked it up. It was a sparkling stone - a good size stone - and, admiring it, he later put it on his fireplace mantel as an interesting curiosity. Several weeks later, a visitor admired the stone, looked closely at it, hefted it in his hand and nearly fainted. He asked the farmer if he knew what he'd found. When the farmer said no, that he thought it was just a piece of crystal, the visitor told him he had found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered. The farmer was astonished. He told the man that his creek was full of these brilliant stones, and his farmland was covered with them. Not all were as large, perhaps, as the one on his mantel, but they were sprinkled generously throughout his property. Needless to say, the farm the first farmer had sold, so that he could search for a diamond mine, turned out to be the most productive diamond mine on the entire African continent. The first farmer had owned, free and clear, acres of diamonds, but had sold them for practically nothing in order to look for them elsewhere. The moral is clear: If the first farmer had only taken the time to study and prepare himself - to learn what diamonds looked like in their rough state - and, since he had already owned a piece of land, to thoroughly explore the property he had before looking elsewhere, his wildest dreams would have come true. EACH OF US IS, AT THIS MOMENT, STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS OR HER OWN ACRE OF DIAMONDS. If each of us will only have the wisdom and patience to begin by exploring ourselves, we will find that we contain all the riches necessary to be able to succeed in whatever endeavors to which we may set our minds and hearts. - A story, originally told by Dr. Russell Herman Conwell, b. 1843, has been repeated by Earl Nightingale

"Now is the time to be bold. It is easy when the wind is at your back. But the real test is now when the wind is in our face. That's when we find out if we are tough enough. Inspired enough, committed enough ......"
Karl Rove

My grandmother passed away on Christmas day 2002. She was 78 years old and had multiple health problems. A few days after her funeral, I was at her home with my grandfather. We were looking at a wall of pictures they have in the den. He picked up a picture of him and his bride on their wedding day. They were both young, slim, beautiful, happy people. He looked at that picture and then he looked at me and said, "This is how I saw her every day of my life." At that moment, I clearly understood what love is
Veronica Panerella

If we are to reach real peace in this world
we shall have to begin with the children."
Gandhi

"If you accept a limiting belief, then it will become a truth for you."
Louise Hay
Pick one aspect of your life, e.g. your health, your competence, your prosperity or relationships, and think back to when you were a child. What messages about this subject did you hear from adults at that time that are still playing on your subconscious tape recorder? Messages like: "Men can't be trusted." "Money doesn't grow on trees." "You're not smart enough to succeed in business." How is your world reflecting your beliefs back to you, today?

"There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in"

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

"Some people see things as they are and ask why; Others see things as they never were and ask why not."
Robert F. Kennedy

One sign of intelligent people is their ability to control emotions by the application of reason.
- Marya Mannes

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many--not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
- Charles Dickens

"I believe how I act today will affect how I am tomorrow."
Katharine Hepburn

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
Sun Tzu

I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.
Leonardo da Vinci

Loyalty is the part of friendship which can only be treasured, never measured'"
Hope Cohen Barnett
Note: From a very special person and friend

The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions.
- William F. Scolavino