#637 A life of action

A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction. ~ Rita Mae Brown

Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. ~ Thomas Jefferson

- Which do you favour: reaction or action?
- What do your actions convey about you?
- Where can you show some decisiveness over the next few days?

#636 Infinite Yes

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings

- What yeses surround you?
- How can you cultivate the mindset to enjoy them every day?

#635 Helping children grow

Nine tenths of education is encouragement. ~ Anatole France

The job of an educator is to teach students to see vitality in themselves. ~ Joseph Campbell

- How encouraging have you been with helping children in your life to grow and learn?
- Where might there be an opportunity now?

#634 Consuming less

Willful waste brings woeful want. ~Thomas Fuller

Human society sustains itself by transforming nature into garbage. ~ Mason Cooley

- How much do you waste?
- How much do you want?
- How much do you try to conserve and scale back in our consumer society?

#633 Excel in the excellent

One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent. ~ Epictetus

The greatest virtues are those which are most useful for other persons. ~ Aristotle

- At what things do you excel?
- How can you use these gifts to enrich not only yourself but others?

#632 Explore, dream, discover

20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~Mark Twain

- How disappointed are you by the things you didn't do over the last 20 years?
- How happy are you about what has transpired?
- What are several aspirations on your 'bucket list'?

#631 Education as seed for change

Education is the most important weapon which you can use to change the world. ~ Nelson Mandela

- What have you learned to help make the world a better place?
- What can you do to help foster enriching education near or far?

#630 Go back to self

This is a very important practice. Live your daily life in a way that you never lose yourself. When you are carried away with your worries, fears, cravings, anger, and desire, you run away from yourself and you lose yourself. The practice is always to go back to oneself. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Smile, breathe and go slowly. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

- How often do you 'lose yourself'?
- What brings you back?
- What helps you to achieve contentment and personal peace?

#629 A surviving nugget

Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten. ~ B. F. Skinner

- What is the most valuable skill, idea, perspective which you have gleaned from your education?
- How might you kindle some life lesson within someone in your life?

#628 Don't give up

I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot... and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why... I succeed. ~Michael Jordan

- When have you experienced failure?
- How did it affect your attitude and actions?
- How can you resolve to show more persistence and resolve?

#627 On leadership

Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

To lead the people, walk behind them. ~Lao-Tzu

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what you want them to achieve, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. ~ George Smith Patton, Jr.

-When were you motivated by an effective leader?
-What important qualities does he/she have?
-How convincing are the above quotes?

#626 Intense complexities

Out of intense complexities, intense simplicities emerge. ~ Winston Churchill

- What are some of the complex issues of our day?
- How do you try to understand them?
- What/who are some good news sources, authors, speakers who have helped you to see the issues more clearly?

#625 What we give

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~ Winston Churchill

- How can you enhance your giving to the people around you?
- OK, that sounds intimidating. Choose one person who could benefit from a kind gesture.
- Loved ones, friends, acquaintances, community....how could this quote shape your mindset and actions?

#624 A Life with purpose

The secret of success is constancy of purpose. ~Benjamin Disraeli

Great minds have purposes, others have wishes. ~Washington Irving

- What drives your thoughts: purposes or wishes?
- How can you cultivate a life with purpose?
- What is a realistic short term purpose for your life?

#623 Each day is a new configuration

Our days are a kaleidoscope. Every instant a change takes place...New harmonies, new contrasts, new combinations of every sort...The most familiar people stand each moment in some new relation to each other, to their work, to surrounding objects. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

- What makes this quote so inspiring?
- What new configurations in your life provide fresh possibilities?
- How can you nurture this understanding daily?

#622 Turbulence as life force

Turbulence is life force. It is opportunity. Let's love turbulence and use it for change. ~ Ramsay Clark

- Do you find turbulence scary or rejuvenating?
- When have you used turbulence as an opportunity?
- What positive results were achieved?

#621 Using the day's gifts

The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant friendly party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

- What hardly noticeable gifts are sent to you daily?
- How many of them do you open?
- How many have been carried away from you unopened?

#620 Love yourself

You can't punish yourself into change. You can't whip yourself into shape. But you can love yourself into well-being. ~ Susan Skye

- How much do you punish yourself?
- How much do you love yourself enough to nurture desired outcomes?

#619 Serenity in nature

With dewdrops dripping,
I wish somehow I could wash
this perishing world

moonless night...
a powerful wind embraces
the ancient cedars

Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening! ~ Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

- How much do you enjoy the serenity in nature?
- How can you strive to cultivate this relationship?

#618 Attention is vitality

Do stuff, be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager; stay eager. ~ Susan Sontag

- What engaging stuff can you do?
- Where can you show more attention and eagerness?
- What connections await?

#617 Gratitude

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. ~ Melody Beattie

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. ~ Oprah Winfrey

- What are you thankful for?
- What are you thankful for? (Yes, repeated for emphasis.)
- What are some things you wish you had?
- What are the dimensions which make up the 'fullness of life'?

#616 The Seeds of today

Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime. ~ W. E. B. DuBois

- What seeds of potential can you plant today?
- What best work can you do?
- What future harvest will you reap from the seeds of today?

#615 Two solitudes

Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

- What is ironic about this quote?
- What vital independent qualities do you have?
- What independent qualities does your special someone have?
- How can you strive to nurture your loved one?

#614 Love ideals

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ~ I Corinthians 13:4-8

- What are the qualities of love?
- What common theme do they share?
- What qualities could you work on to nurture your love(s)?

#613 Right here, right now

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this. ~ Henry David Thoreau

- To what extent do you live in the present?
- How much do you dream of distant opportunities which may distract you from the present?
- How can you strive to focus more on the right here, right now?

#612 The best things to give

The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity. ~ Benjamin Franklin

- What are the best things to give?
- What is the dominant theme?
- How realistic and helpful is this quotation for you?

#611 Three classes of people

All humanity is divided into three classes: those who are immovable, those who are movable, and those who move. ~ Benjamin Franklin

- In which category are you most often?
- How open minded are you?
- For a leader how does this quote provide good advice?

#610 A Web of Connectedness

The important element is the way in which all things are connected. Every thought and action sends shivers of energy into the world around us, which affects all creation. Perceiving the world as a web of connectedness helps us to overcome the feelings of separation that hold us back and cloud our vision. This connection with all life increases our sense of responsibility for every move, every attitude, allowing us to see clearly that each soul does indeed make a difference to the whole. ~ Emma Restall Orr

- How separate do you see yourself from nature, from the world?
- How can a feeling of separation from the world cloud one's vision?
- How can you nurture more of a sense of connection with this world?
- What contributions can you make to the whole?

#609 On relationships

Acceptance is the universal currency of real friendship... It does not warp or shape or wrench a person to be anything other than what they are. ~ Joan Chillister

Relationships are the oxygen of the psyche. ~ Jane Fonda

- How accepting are you in your close relationships?
- What can you do to nurture several of your close relationships?
- How important are relationships for your emotional health?

#608 Strength in Diversity

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. ~ Maya Angelou

- Our cultural strength has always been derived from our diversity of understanding and experience. ~ Yo-Yo Ma

- Where have you experienced the wonders of diversity?
- How can you nurture this perspective in your life?
- Why is cultivating diversity so important?

#607 Woven fine

Man was made for joy and woe
Then when this we rightly know
Through the world we safely go.
Joy and woe are woven fine
A clothing for the soul to bind. ~ William Blake

- What is a recent joy and a recent sorrow you have experienced?
- Why is it healthy to understand joy and sorrow as a balance?
- How can you best deal with present and future sorrows?

#606 Young or old?

Youth is like a long weekend on Friday night. Middle age is like a long weekend on Monday afternoon. ~ Richard Nelson Bolles

- Where do you fall in the long weekend: at the beginning or at the end?
- How much energy do you have for daily activities and discoveries?
- How can you resolve to enjoy the daily pursuit a little more?

#605 Earth friendly

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed. ~ Mohandas Gandhi

- What greed do you see around you?
- To what extent is your lifestyle insensitive to the fragile resources of the planet?
- How can you resolve to be more environmentally friendly?

#604 An eye for an eye

An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind. ~ Mohandas Gandhi

- To what extent do you like to seek revenge?
- How can you try to resolve conflict more through nonviolence?
- What are the qualities you will need to reach this goal?

(Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love. ~ Gandhi)

#603 Integrity of purpose and imagination

Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. ~Sir Cecil Beaton

-How much are you a play-it-safer, creature of the commonplace, slave of the ordinary?
-When have you been daring, different, impractical?
-How can you show more integrity of purpose and imaginative vision in the future?

#602 Parting the veil of indifference

My continuing passion is to part a curtain, that invisible veil of indifference that falls between us and that blinds us to each other's presence, each other's wonder, each other's human plight. ~ Eudora Welty

- To what extent do you live in a veil of indifference?
- What several people in your life could you show some interest?
- What enrichment may result?

#601 Only a short visit

Don't hurry, don't worry. You're only here for a short visit. So be sure to stop and smell the roses. ~ Walter Hagen

- How much do you hurry?
- How much do you worry?
- What can you do to stop and smell the roses more?

#600 Assessing one's abilities

Everyone must row with the oars he has. ~ Dutch proverb

- What are your talents and...limitations?
- How has the voyage gone so far?
- What steps can you take to ensure smooth rowing?

#599 More spontaneity and mystery

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what's going to happen next. ~ Gilda Radner

- What hard lesson has Radner learned?
- To what extent do you prefer to live your life with illusions of perfection and order?
- How can you try to be open to more spontaneity and mystery?