Memories

MEMORIES

Barbara J. Henry

Memories, leftovers from the past

Yesterdays, past weeks, past years.

What do I do?

Just sit and savor them

Relishing the good ones, ruing the bad?

Or, do I toss them all

Like I do garbage or old tattered clothes?

Can they help me grow or expand,

To have a brighter, better, tomorrow?

Or will holding on to them just rehash my pain,

Rekindle my sorrow?

 

 

Remember “Thank You” This Christmas Season

In our technology – driven world, we sometimes forget the importance of the little things, the small courtesies so important in  effective communication and relationship building.

The art of communicating gets more and more sophisticated daily, it seems.
For those of us interested in self-help or personal development, it is an opportunity to learn new ways to express our ideas, to expand our minds. There is always a better, quicker, more efficient way to say what needs to be shared, from skype to tweets and everything in the middle.

But, in our high- tech world, I believe  we  sometime  forget the importance of  the little things, the small courtesies so important in effective communication and relationship building.
Let me ask you: How often during the course of a day do you forget to say ‘thank you’ for the awesome work done, the fantastic meal, or the indescribable deal you received from a family member, friend, or colleague?
I know I forget quite often, and that is what prompted me to write this post.
Sure , you and I know we should express gratitude for what others do for us, and that is exactly what a ‘thank you’ does. These two small words let others know that what they do for us is noticed and appreciated.

The words send a clear unequivocal message that we know no one owes us anything, and when we are the recipients of acts of kindness, whether words or deeds,  random acts or intentional ones, we appreciate them, and we express our gratitude by saying ‘thank you.‘

During this Christmas season, there will be many opportunities to use these two small words. Let’s make it a point to use them every chance we get, this yuletide season, and throughout the coming new year.

What To Do Next?

*Consciously, intentionally, and sincerely, say ‘thank you’ for every act of kindness you receive;

*Perform random acts of kindness for your loved ones and others in your network;

*Remind small children (They may be too excited during this season to remember on their own.) to express their gratitude by saying thank you.

Please  comment below. ‘ Thank you’

DARE!

DARE!

Barbara J. Henry

Dare to be brave bold and true.

Dare to achieve what you’ve been afraid to do.

Dare to rise, climb, to  soar,

Dare to reach your center, the core of you.

Dare to grow, to  stretch, expand.

Dare to take another’s  hand

To help,  encourage, to fan

The flame of hope.

Dare to be more than you’ve ever dreamed possible!

The Color of the Soul

The  Color of  the Soul

Barbara J. Henry

The soul is colorless,

And when it unfolds,

The eyes of the body

In which it is housed

SEE All People.

 

Smile Please!

Your smile says a lot about you, who you are, what’s important to you, and how you view the world as well as the people in it.
A smile is such a simple gesture, requiring so little effort or energy, yet it can be the one action that changes attitudes and opinions.

How many times has your attitude, about a matter or your opinion of a person, been swayed or changed altogether by a genuine unsolicited smile at the right time?
Do you smile at others as you pass them on your way “to somewhere?”
You know smiling does not require nearly as much energy or effort as frowning does (go ahead; try both now). Yet, getting to the point where a smile becomes second nature can take many years.

You see, the genuine smile comes from a heart that has learned,usually through many challenges, what’s really important in life. The ‘heart smile’ is not developed overnight, or without sadness, struggles and many tears.
Frequently, its wearer has wrestled with some hard (heart) problems and has learned to smile regardless of circumstances,because he or she now knows  what is really important in life.
The person wearing  ‘a heart smile’ has conquered the doubts and fears of life that make it so difficult to smile.
This over-comer now knows that the universe is always alert and ready to give whatever support is needed for him or her to successfully continue life’s exciting journey.

During this holiday season, there are so many reasons for which to be joyful and grateful. Use every opportunity with which you are presented, to gift those you meet with a heart smile.
Your smile may very well be the only gift someone receives this Christmas.

9 Write Ways to Solve Problems

Do you need an effective way to solve challenging problems that linger and baffle you?
This quick guide to problem solving is very effective when used as directed. Follow the steps closely and see what happens.
  • Identify the problem as accurately as possible;
  • Write problem using as many details as you can;
  • Ask: what is the ideal solution to this problem?
  • Write the ideal solution;
  • Ask: how can I obtain the ideal or perfect solution to this challenge?
  • Write all of the possible ways(ethical, moral, and legal) you think you can achieve the best solution;
  • Share with supportive family members and friends the problem, ideal solution and ways you have identified to achieve the best solution; ask for their input;
  • With supportive  family members and friends,  pray specifically and consistently about the problem;
  • Move quickly to implement actions that are revealed to you.
The answer of course, will not come overnight, but it will come if you diligently follow this guide.
What To Do Next:
Write me after you have followed the 9 steps and tell me how effective they were in helping you to solve your major problem.

5 Inspirational Quotes: Jump Starts to Personal Development

I love reading, and committing to memory, famous, and not so famous, helpful quotes spoken by those who have made valuable contributions to our world.
Such quotes help me to keep things in perspective, especially when I am faced with major challenges.

Throughout life, I have sought comfort and help from the wise sayings of such great people as Emerson who believed that ‘imitation is suicide’, and Socrates who admonished us to ‘know thyself.’
Yes, these two giants, so different, yet with so much in common, have been a source of inspiration and encouragement for me for as long as I can remember.
It was their constant companionship over the years which made me realize that inspirational quotes that reflect ones values, mission in life, or ones philosophy, can give the boost needed to jump-start  self-help and personal development efforts.

Over the years, I have identified and tagged five (5) quotes that have helped me to persist in my self-help and personal development growth; they follow here:

1. “To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night dost the day,that thou then canst be false to any man”. Polonius (In Hamlet) speaking to his son, Laertes;

2. “Ancora  Imparo” ( “I am still learning”) spoken by Leornardo Da Vinci when he was well into his 80′s;

3. “Self -help is the best help”. Aesop;

4. “Imitation is suicide”. Ralph Waldo Emerson;

5. “Know thyself “. Socrates

The above quotes have been invaluable to me over the years, and although I am still a ‘work in progress’, I am confident of my role in this world, and it is partly because of the value I have received from the wise words of Emerson, Socrates, and others like them.

What about you? Do you have a quote or two that has helped and guided your personal growth and development?
If so, will you share it  with me? Tell me how it has  helped you to stay focused in your efforts to become all that you were created to become.

Got Resilience?

Many of  you know a thing or two about being resilient, that is to say, having the ability to get up, or bounce back, in a timely manner, after a challenge has derailed your best efforts.

This  ability to get up and keep moving successfully, is not developed over night; it results from a prolonged belief in your goals and dreams as well as the belief  that you really  deserve  exactly what you are striving to achieve, and you believe that it can actually happen,  and that you can do it! Through many trials and errors, you have made a decision to keep moving forward, no matter how treacherous the terrain.

Over the course of your life, you have come to realize that if you are going to be successful in your personal growth and self-help efforts, or in life in general  for  that  matter, resilience is, and always will be, a key factor!

Of course, some challenges are monstrous, and they demand that you treat them accordingly;  you must at some point, decide to assess the damage, make the necessary adjustments, get up, and keep moving toward your goals, a bit bruised perhaps, but much wiser,  and with a greater sense of self  as well as a stronger determination to succeed.

Success, I am sure you agree, demands the best from each of us; you and I  will always be able to give our best when resilience is a part of  the success strategies used.

So, I say to you: Learn the lesson(s) the challenge can teach you; get up, get back in the fight, stay the course. By doing so, you will become the self assured, competent, successful overcomer you were created to be.

What To Do Next?

* Write a comment and share with me some of your true life stories of resilience;

*Decide now that you will stay with your goals until they are achieved;

*Look for and learn the lesson(s) each challenge can teach you;

*Get the needed help as quickly as possible, and keep moving onward and upward toward your goal!

The Greatest Christmas Gift

This Christmas may be the perfect time to get back to the real meaning of the season. Doing so can be  as easy as giving of yourself, your time, in special ways, to your loved ones.
This gift from the heart won’t set you back financially, and won’t that be great during this grueling economy?

Although no money is needed, giving the greatest gift will require some thought on your part because you must decide how, the best way, to give of your time, and yourself to those you love, something that tells each person how glad you are to have him or her in your life.
Do you know your loved ones well, I mean really know them? If you do, your task is easy because you know exactly what makes each one feel special.

If you start now, you will have all the time you need to create those very best things that will literally rock their worlds!

Christmas is the time for sincerity and genuineness, the time to take off the masks we sometimes wear, without thought, more often than not.
By doing this, you will discover the true meaning of the season and realize again, perhaps, that the greatest gift you can give this Christmas (and the remaining 364 days) does not have to come with a huge price tag hanging from it to show those special people how much you love and value them.

What to do Next?

*Think of that special something that is important to each of your loved ones;

*Show each loved one how much you care this Christmas by giving each of them that something that does not cost anything but some of you, some of your time, some of your thoughtful creativity;

* Leave a comment that tells me how you’re going to make this Christmas special for each of your loved ones without the huge price tag.

Mistakes: Opportunities for Personal Growth

Mistakes, when viewed in the right perspective, can teach us much about ourselves.
Mistakes result from errors in judgment that lead to wrong or inappropriate actions which many times are very costly.
All of us,at some point in our lives, make mistakes,but dwelling on them merely to punish ourselves, or someone else,is not helpful or healthy.
Mistakes,when viewed in the right perspective, can teach us much about ourselves, and therefore they can promote giant leaps in our personal growth.
Over the years, I have learned valuable lessons from some of my mistakes.
Here are a few of them:
1. Saying “No” at the right time and for the right reason(s)can prevent costly mistakes and foster confidence;
2. Risk-taking,leaving the areas of comfort,increases chances of mistakes,but it also increases opportunities for personal development;
3. Each mistake,no matter how “terrible”, contains a valuable,needed lesson,if you look for it and learn it;
4. Making the same mistake repeatedly may mean you’re inattentive, especially to details;
5. Needing to be in control at all times increases the chances of mistakes.
Mistakes often provide the mirror needed to help us get a clearer more realistic view of ourselves,and when our
goal is continued personal development,we seek and take advantage of the lessons our mistakes can teach us.
WHAT NEXT?
1. Accept the role you played in the fallout resulting from the mistake(s);
2. Look for the lesson(s)the mistake(s)can teach you;
3. Decide to learn the lesson(s) quickly.
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