Vanity

Rather than enjoyment being man's great motivating passion, envy and ambition really are the driving force behind his activity.

"Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind." {Eccl 4:4 RSV}

How accurately this records what is happening in human history! People really do not want things, they want to be admired for the things they have. What they want is not the new car itself, but to hear their neighbors say, "How lucky you are to have such a beautiful car!" That is what people want -- to be the center, the focus of attention.

The drive to be admired is the true objective of life. This too "is vanity and a striving after wind."
Sometimes, however, when people become aware of this they flip over to the opposite extreme: they drop out of society, they get out of the rat race, they go on relief and let the government support them. We saw a lot of that kind of reaction here in California ten years ago. Young people, particularly, were then saying, "We don't want to be a part of the rat race any more; we don't want to strive to be admired. We'll drop out of society." But that is not the answer either.

"The fool folds his hands, and eats his own flesh." {Eccl 4:5 RSV}

Many young people who were part of the youth revolution, the counter culture society of a few years ago, have found this to be true: that when you sit in idleness you devour yourself, your resources disappear, your self respect vanishes. They had to learn the painful lesson that the only way to maintain themselves, even physically, let alone psychologically, was to go to work and stop devouring themselves.

It would be much better to lower your expectations and choose a less ambitious lifestyle.

"Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind." {Eccl 4:6 RSV}

Yet so powerful is ambition and the desire to be envied that men actually keep working and toiling even when they have no one to leave their riches to.

"Again, I saw vanity under the sun: a person who has no one, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, 'For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?' This also is vanity and an unhappy business." {Eccl 4:7-8 RSV}

The difference between good and

The difference between good and great is in the details.

I Peter 3:8- "...be sympathetic...be

I Peter 3:8- "...be sympathetic...be compassionate and humble."

Burning Bridges

I'm swimming in the smoke of bridges I have burned.
So don't apologize, I'm losing what I don't deserve.

-Linkin Park off of A Thousand Suns album

Wisdom Justice And Love

I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight,
Because my conscience leaves me no other choice.
A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war:
This way of settling difference is not just.
This business of burning human beings with napalm,
Filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows,
Of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of people normally humane.
Of sending men home from the dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love.

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Too much freedom

A word to the wise, without real spiritual mentoring, too much freedom can lead to the soul's decay.
-Prince, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speech

Do nothing out of selfish

Do nothing out of selfish conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
-Philippians 2:3

Recognize what you have

What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.
-Colette

Short cuts

"There are no short cuts to any place worth going."
-Beverly Sills-

Is procrastination curable?

Procrastination. Putting off until tomorrow what you could do today. Is there a more counterproductive habit? It causes more stress and anxiety than the Grinch in December. Procrastination solves nothing and usually makes things worse. It piles up unfinished business and preoccupies the dark corners of your brain. You hope the pile will disappear but for some reason it doesn't. The worst part is that once we put off things we'd rather not do, we start to delay the fun stuff as well. How many times have you said "no" to an opportunity because you had to take care of something you put off earlier? How many lost opportunities can you accept? Let's make action a habit instead. Tomorrow, focus on your toughest hurdle first. Get just that one thing out of the way and enjoy the rest of the day. Be firm and don't let yourself off the hook. After all, it's not going away. Follow that one strategy and you'll be surprised how the momentum carries through the rest of the day. Do it now!!

You can't escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

- Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President

Hustle

'Good things may come to those who wait, but only those things left by those who hustle.'

-Abe Lincoln

Need for recognition

Good deeds are commanded in scripture. God commands that we do for others, give to charity and help one another. There is no formula nor is there a set of deeds that we must accomplish while we are here. What He does tell us is not to let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. (Matthew 6:3) The concept behind this teaching is what we do in charity or good deeds should be between the Christian and the Lord. The only really good reason for sharing with another the good deeds we are involved in is for support. For instance, if a Christian is going to distribute food to the needy and needs to enlist help in preparing the food, that is a valid reason for sharing. There is no good reason to share with other people for the focus or spotlight is upon the Christian and the Christian is glorified by man for their good deeds. That is of the world and the flesh.
The message is not that we must be so secretive that we must take extraordinary measures to ensure no one finds out but that there is to be no ‘publishing’ of our deeds. There is to be no pride. When the human flesh speaks about good deeds, there is an air of pride for we are bringing the focus on ourselves. To speak about working as a volunteer in a soup kitchen is seeking accolades. Good deeds are to be done in secret. (Matthew 6:4).

Future

Your future is getting
shorter...

Real Character

Look at a man in the midst of doubt and danger and you will learn in his hour of adversity what he really is.

- Lucretius, Roman philosopher

Everyone's crazy

Everyone's normal until you get to know them.
Everybody's crazy.
-Michael Bolton video

Precious

'Do you see this glass? I love this glass. It holds the water admirably. When I tap it, it has a lovely ring. When the sun shines on it, it reflects the light beautifully. But when the wind blows and the glass falls off the shelf and breaks or if my elbow hits it and it falls to the ground I say of course. But when I know that the glass is already broken every minute with it is precious.'"

Ajahn Chah

Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

1. Life isn’t fair, but it is good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will, stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry, God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of everything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and nobody else.
20. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy clothes. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
21. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
22. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
23. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, "In five years, will this matter?"
24. Always choose life.
25. Forgive everyone everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. Time heals & reveals almost everything. Give time, time
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
29. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
30. Believe in miracles
31. God love you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
32. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
33. Your children only get one childhood.
34. All that truly matters in the end is that you are loved.
35. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
36. If we threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
37. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all that you need.
38. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
39. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
40. Eternity is longer than life… prepare for it

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

Humble

"Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Luke 18:14

We talked about the importance of humility in the chapter on attitude. but this quote from the Gospel of Luke indicates that those who are truly great will carry themselves with class. If you always have to be the one in the spotlight, the one getting all the honors; if you're always building yourself up at the expense of others, at some point life is going to humble you. It's better to help others up and give of yourself. Let someone else exalt you in due time. That's the path of true honor.

From this book:

Virtue

The understanding of what you are, whatever it be—ugly or beautiful, wicked or mischievous—the understanding of what you are, without distortion, is the beginning of virtue. Virtue is essential, for it gives freedom. It is only in virtue that you can discover, that you can live.

-krishn amurti

Teamwork

The Bible on teamwork:

Ecclesiastes 4:9 (New International Version)
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.

...and those who ignore it:

Proverbs 18:1 (New International Version)
1 An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.

Dying to Self

When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set aside, and you sting from the insult, but are happy at being counted worthy to suffer for Christ...that is dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, and your opinions ridiculed, yet you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but you take it all in patient, loving silence...that is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, irregularity, annoyance; and you endure waste, folly, extravagance, and spiritual insensibility, as Jesus did...that is dying to self.

When you are content with any circumstance, food, offering, clothing, climate, society, solicitude, and interruption by the will of God...that is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, record your own good works, seek after commendation from others, and are content with being unknown...that is dying to self.

When you can see your brother prosper and you can honestly rejoice with him in spirit without feeling envy or question God, even though you have greater needs or more desperate circumstances...that is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly without rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart...that is dying to self.

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matthew 16:24

The Disease of Me

THE DISEASE OF ME = THE DEFEAT OF US

SIX DANGER SIGNALS OF THE DISEASE OF ME:

1.CHRONIC FEELINGS OF UNDER APPRECIATION – FOCUS ON ONESELF.

2.PARANOIA OVER BEING CHEATED OUT OF ONE’S RIGHTFUL SHARE.

3.LEADERSHIP VACUUM RESULTING FROM FORMATION OF CLIQUES AND RIVALRIES.

4.FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION EVEN WHEN THE TEAM PERFORMS SUCCESSFULLY.

5.PERSONAL EFFORT MUSTERED SOLELY TO OUTSHINE ONE’S TEAMMATE.

6.RESENTMENT OF THE COMPETENCE OF ANOTHER – REFUSE TO ADMIT HIS CONTRIBUTION.


"The most difficult thing for individuals to do when they become part of a team is to sacrifice, it is much easier to be selfish."
-Coach Pat Riley

Class

Class is respect for others. It is a deep and genuine respect for every human being regardless of his status in life.

Class is having manners. It is always saying "thank you" and "please." It is complimenting people for any and every task done well.

Class is treating every other person as you would want them to treat you in a similar situation.

Class never brags or boasts about one's own accomplishments, and it never tears down or diminishes the achievements of another person.

Class does not depend on money, status, success, or ancestry. The wealthy aristocrat may not even know the meaning of the word, yet the poorest man in town may radiate class in everything he does.

If you have class, everyone will know it, and you will have self-respect. If you are without class--good luck, because no matter what you accomplish, it will never have meaning.

From this book:

Importance of Goals

What does it take to succeed on a big scale? A tremendous god-given talent? Inherited wealth? A decade of postgraduate education? Connections with the top people in your field?

Fortunately for most of us, what it takes is something very simple and accessible: clear, written goals.

A study of graduates from an Ivy League college found that after 20 years, the 3% of them who had written goals achieved more financially than the other 97% combined! An average person with average talent, ambition, and education, can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that person has clear, focused goals.

On top

The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain.
-ESPN Radio

More gratitude

Without gratitude, our lives degenerate into envy, dissatisfaction, and complaints, taking what we have for granted and always wanting more.

From this book:

Gratitude

The great secret joy of life - the prize that we think getting richer will bring us - is the ecstasy of gratitude. Gratitude is how those rich toward God - rich in being, not just having - play the game.

From this book:

Boastful

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:12

Life

"I bought a brand new date book yesterday, the kind I use every year - spiral-bound, black imitation leather covers wrapped around pages and pages of blank squares. Every square has a number to tell me which day of the month I’m in at the moment. Every square is a frame for one episode of my life.

Before I’m through with the book, I will fill the squares with classes I teach, people with whom I ate lunch, everlasting committee meetings I sit through, and these are only the things I cannot afford to forget. I fill the squares too with things I do not write down for me to remember: thousands of cups of coffee, some lovemaking, some praying, and, I hope, gestures of help to my neighbors. Whatever I do, it has to fit inside one of those squares on my date book. I live one square at a time.

The four lines that make up the square are the walls of time that organize my life. Everything I do has to fit into one square. Each square has an invisible door that leads to the next square. As if by a silent stroke, the door opens and I am pulled through, as if by a magnet, sucked into the next square in line. There I will again fill the time frame that seals me - fill it with my business just as I did the square before. As I get older, the squares seem to get smaller. One day, I will walk into a square that has no door. There will be no mysterious opening and no walking into an adjoining square. One of the squares will be terminal. I do not know which square it will be."

from How Can It Be Alright When Everything Is All Wrong? by Lewis Smedes

Wisdom

Seek wisdom not knowledge. Knowledge is the past. Wisdom is of the future.

Complacency II

A certain amount of permanent dissatisfaction with one's talents is probably a healthy thing. Those who are totally satisfied with their work will never reach their potential. The great pianist, Paderewski, achieved tremendous popularity in America. Yet, said Paderewski, "There have been a few moments when I have known complete satisfaction, but only a few. I have rarely been free from the disturbing realization that my playing might have been better." The world considered Paderewski's playing near perfection, but he remained unsatisfied and kept constantly at the job of improving his talent.

Complacency

Complacency is a blight that saps energy, dulls attitudes, and causes a drain on the brain. The first symptom is satisfaction with things as they are. The second is rejection of things as they might be. "Good enough" becomes today's watchword and tomorrow's standard. Complacency makes people fear the unknown, mistrust the untried, and abhor the new. Like water, complacent people follow the easiest course -- downhill. They draw false strength from looking back.