Daily Mood Quotes - September 28, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 148 – September 28, 2011

All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take.

~Mohandas Gandhi

When you are looking for work and its been a while, it is very easy to accept something beneath your skills and education; an underpaying job, or a position at an under performing company “just to have a job.” Financial pressures can needle at you and make you believe you are forced into making compromises, and so begins the slow decent. Slowly, job by job, self-esteem, self-respect, and your reputation begins to erode. It is an exception, not the rule that an excellent employee can change the path of a company's fortunes if his/her bosses are “status quo” people. Like Longfellow Deeds (played by Adam Sandler) said in the movie Mr. Deeds, “Its hard to soar with the eagles when your surrounded by turkeys.” The point is, compromise can be a dangerous game, especially when you begin to accept less, then you begin to compromise the fundamentals of your dignity. Negotiation, is one thing, surrender is quite another.

The decent has many steps: step one is settling for less in the hope that something better will “come along” sooner or later. That kind of thinking is like a cold and desolate, desert road... nothing ever “comes along.” At least not before the traveler withers, compromises and takes the second step. That is when on the job, you begin to settle for “acceptable results” then blame it on budget, deadlines, other people in the organization. Whatever! The facts will be they settled, and so that step is tread. Slowly, over time, step three shows up; “compromise” on the quality of your efforts. “Just do the job and take the money.” Self-loathing shows up grinning on this step and it begins to whisper into your ear, a litany of negativity and so the fall continues... Well, you get the point.

When we give up and give in for short-term gains and/or compromise our skills and dreams, then long term goals and our dignity begin to suffer. Dreams fade and the reality of now is all that is left. It can take us into some very, very sad places. Another great quote, also by Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler), that goes right to the heart of the matter is, “We all had these dreams, and then we got jobs to achieve those dreams. But we wanted more money, and we got rid of our dreams. You know, if your nine-year old selves saw you guys the way you are, you'd get your butts kicked right now! I mean, look what's happened to us!” When we compromise dreams, dignity, or moral compass, to make money we are letting down more than just ourselves. We let down the dreamers we once were. Do they really deserve that? Our spirits will not accept cash in lieu of honor. I guess what I'm trying to say is; Dream big, never stop reaching and don't ever settle for less than you can be. Hold fast to your dignity and believe in your gifts. “Never give up, Never surrender!” (thanks Tim Allen as Commander Peter Quincy Taggart from Galaxy Quest).

How will you reach for your “dreams” today?

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Daily Mood Quote - September 7, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 127 – September 7, 2011

All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me...You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.

~Walt Disney

This quote reminds me of the movie Baby Boom, when J.C. Wyatt (played by Diane Keaton) inherited a baby from a cousin she hadn't seem in many years. Because she chose to keep the baby, she lost her live-in boyfriend, her job and many of her associates. What's that old saying, “kick 'em when their down.” Well, she didn't stay down for very long. She came back bigger, better and stronger and showed all those who did the kicking, you can have it all. It was interesting to watch how the tables turned. Yes, it's a movie, but life can sometimes imitate movies and the same kind of success J.C. Wyatt achieved can be there for those who learn from adversity and apply that knowledge forward.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

~Walt Disney

Having stepped off that cliff into the unknown, I understand the considerable courage it takes to pursue a dream. However, when we stand around and do little more than dream, nothing ever happens. Opportunity doesn't just show up because you dreamed. To be realized, dreams must be pursued and things must change. If you've got vision (dream), then you have the foundation of courage, it takes guts to propel yourself into the unknown. Then with courage and honest effort, all things are possible. Look at the Green Bay Packers, four Super Bowl trophies, 1967, 1968, 1997 and 2011 (against the Pittsburgh Steelers). “Never give-up, never-surrender!” (Thank you Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest).

I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.

~Walt Disney

Nothing is ever perfect and with the positive we must also accept the not so positive. a few blogs ago, we talked “balance,” even when things are going well, there are challenges. With power and success comes responsibility. With happiness comes the possibility of sorrow. In peace, we must guard against conflict and so it goes, the balances of life. I believe the key; never let those challenges become a controlling factor in your attitude. Stay optimistic so that hope, courage, faith and dreams are not lost. The trick is to find a positive way to deal with the bad that lets you continue to move forward. So, “onward, upward and ever forward.” Always try to find one good thing in every day and remember the universe will always balance.

What will your Mickey Mouse attitude be today?

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Daily Mood Quote - July 5, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 62 – July 5, 2011

“Don't ever give up on something or someone that you can't go a full day without thinking about.”

~Unknown

Sometimes you can get sick and tired of the curve balls life throws at you. That is especially true when you feel you no longer have the strength to try to hit them out of the park. Not that I have ever actually hit one out... a few foul balls, a pop out and maybe a single every once in a while. Small successes, but never the home run (yes there will be sports metaphors today-they, just apply).There have been so many times when you do get on base and someone else lets you down. A parent, a spouse, a child, an employer (especially the employers), a doctor, an even the weather man who can't, despite “advanced” doppler technology, ever seem to get it right from one day to the next. I am finding that as I get older, it is all right to get angry about the letdowns. However it is not all right to act out on that anger. That's how people quickly go from bad to worse.

It's important to understand that these life situations are not always through the calculating efforts of others, but simply situations out of our and their control, even the employers. Like in sports, bad bounces and curve balls are often unpredictable...things just happen. When they happen, how we respond to them is what defines us. We can get angry and we can feel the disappointment. That's all an important part of the human experience, it's how we learn about ourselves. But, we must continue stepping up to the plate and counting on others to help us win. Life is a team sport. I wish I had understood that earlier in life. It would have made things easier to deal with. Success is most often an accident of time and opportunity (it really is) and it doesn't define a person. How a person responds to the dropped balls and missed swings of life is where a person hangs his/her hat, and what other people really see. If you give up on yourself and others...well there is no chance of success, ever. That's just the way it is.

Giving up and giving up on people seems like the easy way out, and it can be tempting when the situation is challenging, but it's going in the wrong direction. I understand disappointment as many of us do. But, shutting people out, becoming a hermit and closing yourself off to the world, because you are angry, hurt or disappointed is unhealthy and almost guarantees failure. As much as I hate this phrase because it is a cliche “You must pick yourself up, dust yourself off and begin again.” The alternative is loneliness, unhappiness and no success.

In the movie Galaxy Quest Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) as Commander Taggert (you'll have to see it to understand) puts it more succinctly “...This fine ship, this fine crew. Never give up... and never surrender.” The point is, without the crew (those who assist him) success is not possible. It's a team effort that succeeds.

Don't give up on each other and don't give up on other people, somewhere there is someone who will see the value of your gifts.

“Who” and “what” will you believe in today?

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