Daily Mood Quotes - October 29, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 178 - October 29, 2011

Diligence

Dignity does not float down from heaven it cannot be purchased nor manufactured. It is a reward reserved for those who labor with diligence.

~Bill Hybels

The one thing the events of the past month have taught me is that it is so easy to let yourself slip back into old bad habits and how easily we can develop new bad habits, when under stress. The death of my mother-in-law has spawned a flurry of old feelings and along with them some habits (those best left behind) for both myself and my husband. For me it's the insecurities that reappeared when I realized my in-laws are supremely diligent about carrying grudges and old emotional baggage. They made my life a living hell when we were all living in the same town. They seem still bent on that objective. So, we left. It did however reintroduce a bit of self-doubt that has had me off my game for a while. For my husband, a man who had put aside an uninspired and common youth and aspired to higher academic and artistic goals, the shock and hurt of their vile dispositions almost drew him back into old and discarded behaviors. Neither the children nor I, had ever heard him curse that much, ever. By his own admission, it hasn’t been his finest moment.

Well, what exactly does that have to do with diligence? Simple. We both have worked far too hard to put aside our bad habits and aspire to better. Through adversity and some success we have together defined and forged better attitudes, more open viewpoints and more honesty in our lives and that of our children. It hasn't been easy, it took determination and diligence; especially when things weren't going so well. Those old nasty habits are always hanging like ghosts, just out of view, ready to swoop in take root and grow anew when our guards are down.

It takes diligence to continue to press forward toward better when the past, its pains and its baggage is hanging around in the back of our minds. Or, when it is suddenly thrust forward into our lives as has happened to me and my husband this month. Often we become sort of “stuck” in old cycles that prevent us from taking steps forward that we know are beneficial, but somehow we just can't seem to do. That's the ghost of the past that interferes to prevent our forward progress. It takes “considerable snake eyed concentration” as stated by Jack Crabb (played by Dustin Hoffman), in the movie Little Big Man, to get back on track after a major life disruption or disappointment. That's where diligence comes in. Pick up the broken pieces of our expectations, accept the lesson and begin again to move forward. In the wounds and scars of hard experience, we find the strength of resolve required to diligently and honestly assess our position, refine our goals and press on.

Much like a quarterback who has been sacked (okay, I really do love football), in “snake eyed concentration” and focus on the next play, is the touchdown...

How will you face the future “diligently” today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quotes

Thank you for reading.

Daily Mood Quote - August 6, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 95 – August 6, 2011

If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.

~Norman Vincent Peale

Norman Vincent Peale, the author of The Power of Positive Thinking also said, “Imagination is the true magic carpet.” I have always been a person who sees “the glass half-full,” even when dealing with negative people. Sometimes that requires a lot of imagination. I try to look for the best in others, but let's face reality, I am only human and sometimes its just not there, at least as far as I can see. So, occasionally you just have to “punt” (football season is coming soon!) to clear the slate and begin again. Letting frustration and disappointment build up is never a good idea. That includes letting the negativity of others wear on you. Eventually, repeated exposure without addressing the issue only drags you down. Is it really worth it? I don't think it is and yesterday at the grocery store I was on a tear... I'm not necessarily proud of it, but I had finally had quite enough. A forty cent increase on a loaf of bread (sweet Italian) was the last straw. Truth be known, my husband was the one who primed the pump by commenting on the price increase. So, there I was, in the middle of the produce department, looking at the dull and condescending stares of the other shoppers when the cork popped. Again, I'm not really proud of this, but a 33 percent increase, literally overnight, is a shock to an already tight budget. I was really looking forward to that tasty loaf of bread. Subsequently, I began to unload an impressive trail of derision and insult; commenting on just about everyone and everything. I was really rifting, right up to and through the checkout. Seriously, it was eerily reminiscent of Whoopi Goldberg on truth serum in Jumping Jack Flash. I'm not sure that “I'll be back” (Thanks Arnold Schwartzenberger, Terminator) there anytime soon. OK, enough said.

The point is that I finally got the negativity out of my system. Perhaps at the price of some minor embarrassment. Nothing worthwhile is without cost... But okay, now I can start with a clear canvas and its time to paint a happier, brighter and more colorful picture of the future. There is great power in imagination; it helps us to envision and begin to work toward a better, and more than half-full destiny. Napoleon Hill wrote in his treatise on self-empowerment Think and Grow Rich “Man's only limitation, within reason, lies in his development and use of his imagination.” Mr. Hill. might have been a touch chauvinistic in that statement, he was from a different time, so I'll just go ahead and include women too. If the first step toward a positive future is a positive attitude, then the walking stick is imagination. Dare to dream and dream big.

Let's end with a thought provoking quote, Ralph Marston said, “You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, and unstoppable determination.”

What positive possibilities will you see today?

Tune in tomorrow to read the daily mood quote

Thank you for reading