Archive through October 08, 2001
The ClubHouse: Archives: Thought For The Day:
Archive through October 08, 2001
Nancy | Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - 04:20 pm     Chocolate is good for you. Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, and beans are vegetables. It contains sugar, which comes from either sugar cane or sugar beets, which are both plants. Therefore, chocolate is a vegetable. If you eat chocolate-covered cherries, raisins, strawberries and orange slices, you're getting fruit in your diet. Chocolate-covered nuts are in the protein food group. And since chocolate contains milk, it is a dairy food. To have a balanced diet, eat equal amounts of dark and white chocolate. If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves. Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite, and you'll eat less of the foods that don't taste as good. If the chocolate melts on your hands, you're eating it too slowly. The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot. Beauty tip: Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger. Time management tip: Write "Eat chocolate" at the top of your daily "To Do List." That way, you'll get at least one thing done. A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Think of the energy you could save. Help protect the American economy. If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. You can't let that happen, can you? If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you? Money talks. Chocolate sings. Beautifully. |
Buttercup | Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - 07:51 pm     The greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall. |
Lancecrossfire | Saturday, August 18, 2001 - 01:45 pm     ""In the end, each of us will be judged by our standard of life, not by our standard of living; by our measure of giving, not by our measure of wealth; by our simple goodness, not by our seeming greatness." "Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny." "Never underestimate the power of giving. It shines like a beacon throughout humanity. It cuts through the oceans that divide us and brightens the lives of all it touches. One of life's greatest laws is that you cannot hold a torch to light another's path...without brightening your own." |
Wink | Monday, August 20, 2001 - 08:21 am     "Happiness is good health and a bad memory" Ingrid Bergman |
Flint | Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 01:50 pm     Desire is petty, a yapping dog, but hope - there is the demon which flails the soul, the inferno which fires the passions and consumes all. Hope - the ultimate deceit, the illusion, the sword upon which all men throw themselves, and the final cruelty; for without the illusion and deceit, without hope, man cannot live. |
Wink | Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 01:56 pm     "We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world". Helen Keller |
Flint | Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 02:00 pm     LIfe's a . |
Wink | Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 02:30 pm     And then ya die. |
Flint | Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 02:35 pm     Yep. |
Tess | Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 02:49 pm     You got that right, Flint. Life's a ***** and then you die. |
Karuuna | Thursday, August 23, 2001 - 03:21 pm     This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of it's furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, Because each has been sent As a guide from beyond - Rumi from The Essential Rumi |
Nancy | Saturday, September 01, 2001 - 04:24 am     One of the best clues to whether someone understands the art of being successful is their reaction to the important challenges that come at them. Those who will succeed have a characteristic way of reacting to great challenges, which may present themselves as opportunities, problems, or dangers. The succeeders set everything else aside when they believe that the right time to cope with a major challenge has arrived. Then they put all their energy into dealing with that challenge. They face it squarely, although this doesn't always mean they will make a frontal assault on it. Succeeders look at problems and opportunities realistically, but their solutions often involve slipping through the side door. They go with what works, knowing that frontal attacks are beaten off more often than they succeed. Those who have chosen failure, disaster, and mediocrity do the opposite. They ignore the problem or opportunity as long and thoroughly as they can. Instead of facing the difficulty squarely when they finally can't ignore it any more, they moan and groan, run to and fro, and waste time trying to get help where no help will be forthcoming. Rather than taking action, they worry. When they finally make their move, they hit the danger with too little too late, or chase after an already lost opportunity in a futile effort to come from behind. The key element in dealing with all challenges, whether they are problems or opportunities, is timing. When you're faced with a challenge, take fast and effective action that has a good chance of winning, or sit that one out. Make your decision early and then live with it. No move at all is better than a late move. ==================================================== Absolutely no one enjoys being criticized! Yet, if you want to succeed, you've got to overcome all your natural instincts and actively seek out feedback, good and bad. . If you want to advance, you need to develop a positive, flexible, and creative attitude toward feedback. Here are some practical ways to toughen your hide and change your perception. 1. Diffuse attacks. To give yourself breathing room, turn "attacks" of criticism into information exchanges. The natural human reaction is to become defensive and offer a list of reasons why the comment is untrue. This quickly locks both sides into fixed adversarial positions from which it is hard to retreat. Break the cycle. As hard as it may be, respond to any negative criticism by immediately agreeing it may be correct. Then ask for more specific details, enlisting the accuser as your ally in improving the situation. You'll get lots of useful feedback, both negative and positive. 2. Use the Olympic-scoring rule. Throughout your life, you'll get a wide range of commentary on how you're doing. Discard your highest and lowest ratings. Bill Gove, past president of the National Speakers Association, said, "In any audience, ignore the ten percent who think you walk on water and the ten percent who think you are no good at all. Then listen to the middle eighty percent." 3. Consider the source. Do your critics have the right background and experience to judge your work accurately? Are they in a position to give you valuable input? You can't change to satisfy everyone. ("A camel is a horse designed by a committee.") In my career, I've been given some really good advice and some really bad advice. The key is deciding which is which. 4. Separate intent from content. Any negative comments about our actions, appearance, or attitudes automatically seem very personal. Yet, amazingly, the commenter may have had the best intentions. Recognize that different people have different personality styles and communication skills. They may sincerely mean to help, but deliver negative comments in a way that is hard to process and accept. On the other hand, an ill-wisher often provides valuable insights. Decide that it is never productive to take any comments personally. 5. Seek out criticism. Some jobs offer regular job performance evaluations where employees get feedback. If you don't have such a program, ask for personal feedback anyway, from both your manager and those you manage. One successful AT&T executive sits down on a regular basis with his staff and asks them, "What things am I doing well? What would like me to do more? What should I do less of or stop doing?" Recruit your customers as allies by asking them to be your critics. Don't be defensive. Keep your clients happy by being as eager to please them as your competitors are. In any selling situation, you're still selling after the sale. It won't be long before a rival asks them, "What do you want that your current supplier isn't providing?" Get the jump by asking the same question. Seek out the criticism before your competitor does! "When a customer offers a criticism," advises Bob Treadway, a Denver based speaker, "invite them to be more specific." For example, if they say, 'This delivery should have come sooner!,' ask them in a genuinely friendly tone, 'How much sooner, specifically, would you like it?' If they say, 'You could have done a better follow up,' say, 'Tell me how exactly you'd like us to follow up in the future.'" Treadway advises asking open-ended questions that can't be answered with a "yes" or "no." For example, "How could we help you with that?" or "What improvements would you like to see?" Then summarize what they have said: "It sounds like we could do a better job if..." 6. Feedback your feedback. Paraphrasing what you've just been told helps to eliminate misunderstandings, honoring and acknowledging the criticism, and compelling you to really listen. "Nothing," Bob Treadway says, "demonstrates better to a client, boss or spouse that you have heard them than paraphrasing their statements." It also helps you to filter out and focus on the useful information. 7. Protect yourself. We're not always in shape to cope with negative comments. It's appropriate to give people feedback on the best time and way to offer you feedback. People learn to treat you the way you teach them to treat you. Dear Abby once ran a letter from a slender, attractive woman whose Mother never failed to remind her of how fat and unattractive she had been as a teenager. Dear Abby suggested that she say, "Mother, let's not discuss that anymore." So simple, yet so hard to withdraw permission after years of negativity. It's your job to communicate that you will respond better if you can receive the criticism in a different way, time, or place. 8. Don't expect everyone to love you. Praise and approval are wonderful. We all thrive on them. But we all need a dose of reality now and then. Just because people notice imperfections and point them out doesn't make them your enemies. If you've armed yourself with a positive attitude toward criticism, they are going to be your best friends |
Lancecrossfire | Saturday, September 01, 2001 - 11:50 am     Thanks Karuuna and Nancy. |
Nancy | Tuesday, September 04, 2001 - 10:39 am     ACHIEVING YOUR DREAMS By Jim Rohn ==================================================== While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily working at building and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. And here sits the much larger group, wondering how life can be so unfair, so complicated and unjust. What's the major difference between the little group with so much and the larger group with so little? Despite all of the factors that affect our lives - like the kind of parents we have, the schools we attended, the part of the country we grew up in - none has as much potential power for affecting our futures as our ability to dream. Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. Dreams can drive you. Dreams can make you skip over obstacles. When you allow your dreams to pull you, they unleash a creative force that can overpower any obstacle in your path. To unleash this power, though, your dreams must be well defined. A fuzzy future has little pulling power. Well-defined dreams are not fuzzy. Wishes are fuzzy. To really achieve your dreams, to really have your future plans pull you forward, your dreams must be vivid. If you've ever hiked a fourteen thousand-foot peak in the Rocky Mountains, one thought has surely come to mind, "How did the settlers of this country do it?" How did they get from the East Coast to the West Coast? Carrying one day's supply of food and water is hard enough. Can you imagine hauling all of your worldly goods with you...mile after mile, day after day, month after month? These people had big dreams. They had ambition. They didn't focus on the hardship of getting up the mountain. In their minds, they were already on the other side - their bodies just hadn't gotten them there yet! Despite all of their pains and struggles, all of the births and deaths along the way, those who made it to the other side had a single vision: to reach the land of continuous sunshine and extraordinary wealth. To start over where anything and everything was possible. Their dreams were stronger than the obstacles in their way. You've got to be a dreamer. You've got to envision the future. You've got to see California while you're climbing fourteen thousand-foot peaks. You've got to see the finish line while you're running the race. You've got to hear the cheers when you're in the middle of a monster project. And you've got to be willing to put yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. Because that's how you realize your dreams. |
Nancy | Tuesday, September 04, 2001 - 10:40 am     your welcome Lance ;) |
Max | Friday, September 07, 2001 - 10:25 am     Something a friend sent me today. ----------------------- The Paradox of our Time by George Carlin The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life, we've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men and small character; steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete. Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say "I Love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for some day that person will not be there again. Give time to Love, give time to speak, give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. To all my friends in my life, thanks for being there. Written by George Carlin |
Nancy | Tuesday, September 18, 2001 - 03:47 am     "One man with courage makes a majority." --Andrew Jackson "To the timid and hesitating everything is impossible because it seems so." --Sir Walter Scott "Elbow grease is the best polish." --English proverb Map your own route to the top: "What is known as success assumes nearly as many aliases as there are those who seek it." --Stephen Birmingham "No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or 'get rich' in business by being a conformist." --John Paul Getty "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." --Bill Cosby |
Kittykeeper2k | Tuesday, September 18, 2001 - 11:01 am     IT'S BETTER TO BE SILENT AND BE THOUGHT A FOOL THAN TO OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT. AUTHOR UNKNOWN. |
Nancy | Thursday, October 04, 2001 - 03:07 am     SHADOWS I saw a young mother With eyes full of laughter And two little shadows Came following after. Wherever she moved, They were always right there Holding onto her skirts, Hanging onto her chair. Before her, behind her- An adhesive pair. "Don't you ever get weary As, day after day, Your two little tagalongs Get in your way? She smiled as she shook Her pretty young head, And I'll always remember The words that she said : "It's good to have shadows That run when you run, That laugh when you're happy And hum when you hum - For you only have shadows When your life's filled with sun." ~ Unknown |
Nancy | Thursday, October 04, 2001 - 03:08 am     Words of Wisdom Standing for what you believe in, Regardless of the odds against you, and the pressure that tears at your resistance, means courage Keeping a smile on your face, When inside you feel like dying, For the sake of supporting others, means strength Stopping at nothing, And doing what's in your heart, You know is right, means determination Doing more than is expected, To make another's life a little more bearable, Without uttering a single complaint, means compassion Helping a friend in need, No matter the time or effort, To the best of your ability, means loyalty Giving more than you have, and expecting nothing But nothing in return, means selflessness Holding your head high, And being the best you know you can be When life seems to fall apart at your feet, Facing each difficulty with the confidence That time will bring you better tomorrows, And never giving up, means confidence. ~ Author Unknown |
Flint | Thursday, October 04, 2001 - 08:54 am     Religon is a way of walking, not a way of talking. William R. Inge |
Flint | Friday, October 05, 2001 - 05:15 am     To do a certain kind of thing, you have to be a cetain kind of person. Zen saying. |
Nancy | Saturday, October 06, 2001 - 04:44 am     ~ The Strength of a Man ~ The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders. It's seen in the width of his arms that circle you. The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice. It is in the gentle words he whispers. The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has. It's how good a buddy he is with his kids. The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work. It's in how respected he is at home. The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits. It's in how tender he touches. The strength of a man isn't in the hair on his chest. It's in his Heart... that lies within his chest. The strength of a man isn't how many women he's loved. It's in can he be true to one woman. The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift. It is in the burdens he can carry. <author unknown> |
Flint | Saturday, October 06, 2001 - 05:55 am     Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know. Lao-Tzu |
Flint | Monday, October 08, 2001 - 07:34 am     Beginning is easy, continuing is hard. Japanese Proverb |
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