|
|
Welcome to the Twelfth Edition of MotivateUs.com's Newsletter
Dear Friend,
Welcome to your new day - a day that I know you will fill with kindness,
hope and love.
I am delighted that you are finding value in the newsletter and please
know how much I appreciate you for being a part of MotivateUs.
Our team of motivated individuals is growing and people worldwide are
benefiting for the quotes, stories and articles you are sharing. If you
haven't already, Please send our website address to just one friend, one
family member, or one colleague. If you find value here, they might
too.
Thank you for your encouragement, support and love. I appreciate you and
just feel blessed beyond belief.
I believe in you, I care about you and I love you - for you are a part
of me.
Something I Was Feeling and Thinking:
We're All In This TogetherLike everyone, I am concerned with
what is happening in the world today. As a global citizen, I care about
you and your ability to thrive and shine as a human being.
You are in my thoughts, prayers and heart and I know the best is yet to
come for you.
If you are struggling, I know you can get through whatever challenge you
are facing. Have faith, have hope, take action! This is a time of growth
and growth can be painful or delightful. It's all in how you look at
it.
If you are doing okay, that's good, keep going - get better. Don't become
complacent - improve yourself and your skills everyday. Be kind to those
who are struggling; offer a hand to help, an ear to listen, a smile to
lighten their load.
And... if you are doing very well, fantastic, congratulations! Share your
secrets with others because remember, you didn't get where you are by
yourself!
All of the events in our lives have been given to us so that we can learn
and grow.
Some moments may not be easy, some may be stressful and hard; some may be
joyous, some may be unbelievably fulfilling and easy - that's how life
is. Embrace each one and go forth with courage in your heart and
determination in purpose!
Here's to you, your growth and your ability to make a
difference!
If you have an idea or need to discuss a challenge, just send me
email:
Contact Me: https://motivateus.com/contact-us/
Love and Blessings,
Marlene
A Story To Ponder:
How Do You Handle Adversity?
A daughter complained to her father
about her life and how things have been so hard for her. She didn't know
how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of
fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved,
another arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. There he filled three pots
with water, put them on the stove and placed the fire on high. Soon the
three pots came to a boil.
In one pot he placed carrots, in the other he placed eggs, and in the
last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without
saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently wondered what he was trying
to do. She had problems and he was making this strange concoction.
A half an hour later, he walked over to the stove and turned down the
fire. He pulled the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the
eggs out and placed them in another bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out
and placed it in a third bowl.
Turning to her he asked, "Darling what do you see?"
Smartly, she replied, "Carrots, eggs, and ground coffee beans."
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did so and
noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally,
he asked her to sip the coffee. Her face frowned from the strength of the
coffee.
Humbly, she asked, "What does it mean Father?"
He explained:
"Each of them faced the same adversity, 212 degrees of boiling water.
However each reacted differently.
The carrots went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after going into
boiling water, they softened and became weak.
The eggs were fragile. Their thin outer shells protected a liquid center.
But after sitting in the boiling water, their insides became
hardened.
The coffee beans are unique, however. After they were in the boiling
water, they became stronger and richer."
"Which are you?" he asked his daughter.
When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you like the carrots, eggs, or coffee beans?
Are you the carrots that seem hard, but with the smallest amount of pain,
adversity, or heat you wilt and become soft with no strength?
Are you the eggs, which start off with a malleable heart, a fluid spirit?
But after a death, a breakup, a divorce, or a layoff you became hardened
and stiff? Your shell looks the same but you become so bitter and tough,
with a stiff spirit and heart, internally.
Or are you like the coffee beans? The beans don't reach their peak flavor
and robustness until they are in water that reaches 212 degrees
Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, they just taste better.
When things are at their worst, do you get better? When people complain
the most, do your praises increase? When the hour is the darkest and
trials are at their greatest, does your worship elevate to another
level?
How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or coffee bean?
--- Author Unknown
--- Sent In by Patricia Love
Something I'd Like To Share:
Get Back Up!All of us have had traumas in our life. Granted,
some seem much bigger than others and we can all sing the "Somebody Did
Me Wrong" song.
I believe these challenges are sent so we can learn how to get back up.
They are to show us how much courage we do already have within us.
Some people have huge stumbling blocks or traumas at a young age, some in
later years. If you look back in your life and see darkness, I implore
you to look more closely.
You are able to look back - aren't you?
You are still here, living, breathing PROOF that you were ABLE to Get Back Up.
Bless the dark areas and thank them for the strength that you now have
within you to face the next one. Without darkness we cannot recognize the
light. Walk in the light and bless the darkness. This way the new light
will touch everything past and everything yet to come…
Burdens can weigh you down if you let them engulf you -
so don't.
Always remember you Are Still Here so
YOU
Are Able to Get Back Up.
--- Copyright © 2006 Vicki Muller
Something To Encourage You:
G Is For GratitudeI know sometimes it is difficult to be
grateful. I know that sometimes it is difficult to be happy. If you're
reading a book that's telling you that you should always be happy, put
away the book.
You're a human being, you're a dimensional creature, you're
multi-dimensional. You are not one dimensional. It is impossible for you
to always be happy. There is no such thing as a one-sided magnet.
Being content, now that's a different story.
I want you all to realize that this universe is balanced. Whether you
look at it as a scientific point of view and you say "Well, to every
action, there's an equal and opposite reaction and everything has to have
peaks and valleys", or you can look at it in the spiritual way where you
say "God has balanced the universe, there is good and there is bad and
there's God and there's the Devil", whichever way you want to look at it.
The truth is, the universe is balanced.
You will always be given the choice to celebrate that thorns have roses
or to complain that roses have thorns. You will always be given that
choice.
I'm asking you to choose gratitude.
What does that mean? It simply means that you choose to empower your
agreement with reality. I'm asking you, if you look at your situation,
could you possibly be seeing it in a disempowering manner?
Are you seeing your situation properly? How are you seeing it?
Is it your interpretation of your situation that's making you
miserable?
Remember, energy attracts energy, so if you're miserable in your
situation because you're not grateful then you're attracting more
negative energy toward you.
So, what are you grateful for?
One of my favorite writers, Byron Katie, suggests you make a list. Start
with 100, then 1,000, then 10,000.
You'll be surprised once you get into it. When you sit and think about
it, there are so many things that you can be grateful for in your
life.
Also, you get a bit of insight to things you may not have been seeing;
valuable seeds that you were not recognizing.
In the Bible, the children of Israel were enslaved and they kept asking
for a warrior, a solider to come get them out of slavery, and God sends
Moses. But see, Moses didn't come as a warrior or solider, Moses came as
a baby. Moses came as a baby and nobody recognized that the warrior, the
one who would stand up to Pharaoh, was this helpless baby. Nobody knew
that this seed was everything they asked for. They didn't recognize the
value of that seed.
Let's begin to observe and recognize the value of the seeds in our
lives.
A grateful mindset can set you free from the prison of disempowerment and
the shackles of misery.
Do you see an acorn or an oak tree?
You have to realize that the tree is in the seed.
The hawk, the eagle, is in the egg.
That's the way it happens.
So many people are into the Law of Attraction these days, so it helps to
understand that your seed is that initial intent and it comes to pass
when your actions reflect that intent.
You have to recognize the value of the seed.
When you're grateful for something, like the e-mails I get from the
people who were affected by Katrina, they say "at first, I was miserable
because I lost my house. What I hadn't realized is that if I hadn't lost
my house, I wouldn't have been forced to go back to school, and now I
have a better job. If I hadn't lost that house, I would have never been
forced to get my children out of this neighborhood and now we live in a
better neighborhood. It was bad for a while, but only because I wasn't
seeing the situation clearly. I wasn't open to the possibility that
something good could come out of this tragedy."
My life is not unlike yours. Believe me, I go through the same things you
all go through. You go through heartache and stresses and through issues
of dealing with people, I go through all of that just like you do. I too
have relatives, some are nice and some are not nice. I have friends and
acquaintances, some are nice, some are not nice, some use you, some
don't. I experience the same stuff you all do. I'm on the same earth
you're on and we all experience the same things.
What I have realized is that any time I thought I was in a horrible
situation, it turned out that what I thought was my worst situation was
actually my greatest teacher.
I learned that the greatest messages in my life have come out of the
greatest messes.
I'm asking you, could you be looking at your situation in a negative and
ungrateful manner? What is the message in your situation and are you
grateful for that message?
No situation comes labeled. YOU are the labeler. There is a truth I will
share with you that has been a pillar in my success. That truth is:
Nothing can happen to me... Nothing can happen on this beautiful earth
that God hasn't allowed. I find peace in that truth. I find strength in
knowing that everything is in alignment with our perfectly evolving
universe. My job is to recognize the value of the seeds.
So look at your life and your situation. Be grateful. There is a good
message God is whispering in your ear. I know it because this universe is
balanced. It cannot be any other way.
--- Copyright © Steve Maraboli
About Steve Maraboli:
A renowned Speaker, Writer, National Radio Show Host, TV Correspondent
and Personal Coach, Steve Maraboli has risen to international prominence
by delivering highly penetrating speeches and effective programs that
help people shake off mediocrity, destroy personal barriers, and live up
to their greatest potential. His words have helped countless people
across the globe align themselves with happiness and create a mindset
that attracts success and excellence.
Steve's national radio show, Empowered
Living, has been heard by millions across the globe and has become a
meeting place for today's great thinkers and communicators. Steve also
travels delivering penetrating speeches and effective coaching programs
that continue to electrify audiences from Fortune 500 companies to
community organizations.
Three Quotes To Motivate You:
"The jump is so frightening
between where I am and where I want to be. But for all I may become, I
will close my eyes and leap!"
--- M.C. Hershey
"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly
secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no
longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and
exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is
power."
--- Alan Cohen
"Never say 'I can't handle it'. When an ant looks at something twice
what he can handle, and then carries it home to share, you can handle
it."
--- Cara Ritz
Until Next Time, Remember:
5 Suggestions For A Happier Life
If you want to be happier and to
like yourself more, here are five suggestions that may help you:
- CHANGE BAD BEHAVIOR - it is hard to like ourselves if we are
doing things that we know to be wrong. In your quest to define
yourselves, do not get caught up in comparisons with role models or
body types that may seem to be macho or chic.
- FORGIVE OURSELVES AND OTHERS- forgiveness is an important
part of putting bad behavior behind us. We need to forgive ourselves.
But we may also need to forgive others. Feeling joy and peace, we will
know who we are and act accordingly.
- GAIN CONFIDENCE BY MAKING GOOD CHOICES - you are now
beginning to make important choices. Choices have consequences.
Remember that fame and fortune do not necessarily mean happiness. It is
far better to have confidence in yourself and to be comfortable in your
own skin. It is also important to be able to excel in some field. We
grow and develop by making good choices.
- GIVE SERVICE - if we really want to feel better about
ourselves, we should do deeds of kindness. Great satisfaction can come
in helping the poor, the sick, the elderly, or others who have special
needs. Look around you, there are all kinds of opportunities.
- CHOOSE HAPPINESS - the most fundamental of all human
searches is for happiness. We each choose our own happiness. "Laughter
is the best medicine". Smiling is good for the soul. I recommend
friendliness because so many people are shy or lonely and need a kind
of word or smile. Lifting others expands our inner selves. As we reach
to others, our happiness hormones are stimulated and we find our true
selves.
--- James E. Faust
 Need a little extra
motivation or inspiration to start each day?
Sign Up For
Our Daily Quote
All comments are welcome - did we meet your expectations?
P.S. What topics would you like to see here? What is important to
you?
Contact Us: https://motivateus.com/contact-us/
Marlene Blaszczyk,
Creator, Editor & Publisher
MotivateUs.com
|
|
