ARCHIVES FOR THE OLD
"THOUGHT FOR TODAY" PAGE

This section was compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:   Frankp@chiro.org

"Success"

"Success Is The Ability To Go From One Failure

To Another Without Loss Of Enthusiasm"


Dare to dream! Dare to try the untried, to take the road less traveled and to reach for the highest star in the sky. Compete with yourself. Be better today than you were yesterday.


Thanks to Sid E. Williams, D.C.!

"Two Ways To Climb A Tree"

There are 2 ways to get to the top of a tree.

One:   Plant a seed and sit there for years.

Two:   Find a tree and climb it.


Thanks to EDEN Partners!

The Charles Schultz Philosophy

You don't actually have to take the quiz. Just read the email straight through, and you'll get the point, an awesome one, that it is trying to make!

Take this quiz:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

Thanks to Michelle Kuhl for sharing this wonderful commentary!

"Why were the Holidays so great when we were kids?"

Reminiscing about magical holidays past inevitably leads to one big question: What happened to the magic? Here are a number of ways that the season was better when you were young. By incorporating some of them into this years celebration, you might have more fun.

–– As a child, you didn't have to plan anything, so the holidays seemed spontaneous and full of surprise.

–– You didn't take responsibility for other people's holiday happiness.

–– You didn't drink.

–– You could decorate the cookies without having to clean up.

–– You made all of your gifts out of coffee cans, clay and scraps of fabric; You didn't have to spend money or fight crowds at the mall.

–– You had the fun of decorating the tree, but didn't have to help taking it down.

–– There was someone to remind you when Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and How the Grinch Stole Christmas were on TV.

–– There were more opportunities to get into the holiday spirit – Dressing up as a shepherd for the school play, making dreidels in art class.

–– You stayed home on New Years Eve without feeling guilty, lonely or depressed.

–– You had at least 2 weeks off!

Thanks to Andrea Hadley for sharing this wonderful commentary!

"Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus"

"Dear Editor: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in the Sun, it is so.' Please tell me the truth. Is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O'Hanlon, 115 W. 95th St."


Dear Virginia:

Your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little.

"In this great universe or ours man's a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.

"There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make olerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

"Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.

"The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders that there are unseen in the world.

"You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart.

"Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

"No Santa Claus! Thank God he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

Thanks to Andrea Hadley for sharing this wonderful article!

" America: The Good Neighbor"

This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.

Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record:

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.

Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.

When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.

The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.

I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes?

Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon?

You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios.
You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles.
You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times - and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at.

Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those."

Stand proud, America!

Thanks to Helen Coffey for sharing this post.

"Life"

Life is constantly providing us with new funds, new resources,
even when we are reduced to immobility. In life's ledger there is
no such thing as frozen assets.

--Henry Miller

"10 Secrets to Becoming a Catalyst for Personal Transformation"

1.   Make living on purpose your only way of being. No matter what role you are playing, job you are taking, always be endeavoring towards your larger vision.

2.   Reach inside when you hit obstacles. Instead of looking outside yourself, playing a subtle blame game, go deeply within yourself. Uncover how you could make a different decision and then take focused, purposeful action accordingly.

3.   Reach out to others, sharing your discoveries and thoughts with those inside your circle of influence and those outside your circle of influence. World transformation begins with communicating our beliefs into being.

4.   Integrate your truth at your core level. In acting from this level of belief, it will become evident to others that you have experienced trans–formation. The sense of empowerment will then spread from you to others whose lives you contact.

5.   Facilitate growth of those around you through mentoring, coaching, teaching, and creating purposeful relationships. Even a "one minute relationship" may have life changing results! Be aware of possibilities in each conversation with each person you meet everyday.

6.   Communicate with the power of a laser and the expansiveness of prosperous words. Make each word count. Practice this skill joyfully. Eliminate words of fear, scarcity and lack replacing them with words of love, abundance and prosperity.

7.   Meet each person you encounter exactly where they are with love and compassion. Look into their eyes when you talk with them, really hearing their words. Challenge them to no longer accept the status quo.

8.   Effectively use your unique gifts rather than living according to someone else's expectations for you. Embrace your gifts as yours. Trying to express someone else's specialness creates counterfeit personal currency. Your gifts are riches like gold and silver.

9.   Take purposeful action every day. Do not miss a single day. As you are moving seriously towards world transformation, do not settle for manic action. Demand of yourself intentional, love filled, laser focused action. The results will speak volumes.

10.   Laugh, cry, love, nurture, applaud with passion! Be alive in all things, whether it be in quiet contemplation of raucous celebration. Spread that aliveness. Transform yourlife, Transform Your World.

(c) 2001 Julie Jordan Scott

Quote of the day

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed
in overalls, and looks like work."

-Thomas A. Edison

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace where may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble, it's a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, friends, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Thanks to Nick Calvino, D.C. for this post!

"Thoughtsmanship"

Plan for happiness with as much care as you plan for the welfare of your business. Happiness is a state of mind, therefore it depends entirely upon the thoughts you produce. You wouldn't know whether you were happy or not, if you didn't think about it. So make sure that you THINK about the happiness you know CAN be yours.

As the salesman uses salesmanship to direct his sales, so must you use THOUGHTSMANSHIP to direct your thoughts of happiness.

ACTIVATE YOUR THOUGHTS, AND YOU ACTIVATE YOUR LIFE.

-Forrest C. Shaklee, Sr.

Courage

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment
that something else is more important than fear."

- Ambrose Redmoon

"The Blessing in No"

I asked God to take away my pride.
God said "No."
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said "No."
Her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said "No."
Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said "No."
I give you blessings, happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said "No."
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said "No."
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said "No."
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me.
God said... Ahhhh, finally you have the idea!

"The Love of God"

The love of God, unutterable and perfect,
flows into a pure soul
the way that light rushes into a transparent object.

The more love that it finds,
the more it gives itself,
so that, as we grow clear and open,
the more complete the joy of loving is.

And the more souls who resonate together,
the greater the intensity of their love,
for mirror-like, each soul reflects the other.

-Dante

This is dedicated to Chuck Healy

Dance Like There Is No One Watching

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life".

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time...and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Thought for the day:

Work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching.

Promise Yourself

Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.   To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person that you meet.   To make all your friends feel that there is something special in them.   To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.   To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.   To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.   To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.   To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.   To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.   To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

----Christian D. Larson

Commitment

Until one is committed there is hesitance
the chance to draw back
always ineffectiveness

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation),
there is one elementary truth,
the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans;

That the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one
that would never otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of
unforseen incidents and meetings and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

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Since 1-01-1999