Tag: quote

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motivation

Worry Rarely Works

Worry Rarely Works

Yesterday was Charles Schulz’s birthday. He was the reason this kid would go out and get the newspaper before anyone else had the chance and he inspired me to draw cartoons. A quote attributed to him reminds me why worry rarely works.

“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.”

Charles M. Schulz on BrainyQuote.com

The reason worry rarely works is it neutralizes faith and hope. Worry says that we don’t trust and we fear. It’s an acknowledgment that there are so many factors out of our control. If we fear our lack of control, it leads to worry. But if we rest in the hope things will be better, It can be empowering.

Worry is a waste of creativity. When we imagine the worst, what is the point of doing anything to improve the future? If we’ve done all that we can, shouldn’t we rest in the comfort that God can take it from there? Jesus had a little to say on this subject.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:34 (NIV) via Bible Gateway

Stay in the moment and don’t worry about tomorrow. There are things I worried about forty years ago that never came to be. And none of us could have foreseen the challenges of today. None of our worries from yesterday made a difference for today, except it may have raised our blood pressure and caused us to age a little quicker.

Besides, when did worry really work for us?

Categories
holiday Quotes

A Prayer of Gratitude

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart

Today, in the United States, most of us will be gathering around a table and offering a prayer of gratitude. The two simple words of thank you can do amazing things.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

Meister Eckhart

A prayer of thanks changes us. We can come to God with no agenda and just simply express gratitude. It reminds us of what we do have and humbles us enough to realize we are more dependent than we would like to think.

All of us have wants and needs. On the other hand, if someone only comes to us when they want something, we start to dread the next encounter. None of us like a relationship where the other person is a taker.

Today, let us give thanks. Give thanks in prayer, and also give thanks to those around us. We rely on others much more than we would like to admit. Let us give thanks in prayer and in the words we give to others.

Think about why someone dear to you is so dear. Tell them. If it is too hard, we can just say, “Thank you.” If they ask what for, just tell them that they mean so much to us. A memory of past generosity is good, but not necessary. Just thank someone for the blessing they are. It does our heart, and the heart of the recipient of our gratitude, a good thing.

Categories
Quotes

Marrying a Good Person

Today is Harpo Marx’s birthday. He was born on November 23, 1888. He’s the Marx brother who never spoke during their films. So it’s quite a delight for me to have a quote for him about marrying a good person.

By Ralph F. Stitt – This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c26207. Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1629215

“Harpo, she’s a lovely person. She deserves a good husband. Marry her before she finds one.”

Harpo Marx

On this week of Thanksgiving, I am thankful I married a good person. For one, she has made me a better person. Not only that, she is a born leader and someone with a caring heart. Plus, she is the closest thing I’ve seen to a superwoman balanced with a heart for God and people.

Therefore, like Harpo Marx, I am glad I married her before she found a good husband. You may want to pity her. The poor woman gets annoyed when I run around the house in a curly, blonde wig and only communicate with a bicycle horn. That’s what happens when you let a former vaudevillian influence you.

Categories
Quotes

Happy Birthday, Will Rogers!

Quote from Will Rogers: "Things ain't the way they used to be and never were."

Things ain’t what they used to be and never were.

Will Rogers

On November 4, 1879, a humorist and cowboy philosopher was born in Oklahoma, Indian Territory. He began his show business career as a trick roper, ended up in Vaudeville, movies, the newspapers, and radio. It wasn’t a bad career for a cowboy!

When I was in high school, a graphic artist-teacher introduced me to his humor. He thought I could relate to his wit and the way he could turn a phrase. Though he was right, it didn’t help my social standing much. Nothing stood out like a sore thumb more than an Indiana teen in the nineteen-eighties who was into Will Rogers! Throw in my love for Marx Brothers movies and I was an odd duck!

Photo of Will Rogers from Filmplay Journal. Public Domain.
Will Rogers in Filmplay Journal, January 1922 (Public Domain)

Will Rogers is worth remembering because his humor was not only witty but was for the most part kind. He didn’t have to tear somebody down to make a point. He could laugh at himself and shine a light on the absurdity of culture and politics. And he could make you think before you realized it.

The worst thing that happens to you may be the best thing for you if you don’t let it get the best of you.

Will Rogers

So happy birthday to Will Rogers! He’s a guy worth remembering today.

Categories
motivation

The Desire to learn

Quote by Sophocles: "Always desire to learn something useful."

There is always something to learn! It doesn’t stop once you graduate from school. If you had a tough time and had to leave formal education, it doesn’t mean you aren’t cut out to learn new things. It may just mean the education system wasn’t a good fit for your learning style.

Even if you graduated with honors, you didn’t learn it all. There is always something to learn. The world changes. New discoveries are made. You may be at a maturity level that allows you to learn what you weren’t prepared for previously.

“Always desire to learn something useful.”

Sophocles

If you are a parent, you know there is always something to learn about your child. Their personalities are unique. They grow and each new stage has new wonders and challenges to discover.

In the workplace, business changes before you have a chance to fully know what the last stage was. Just when you think you mastered an industry, new opportunities appear.

No matter how young or old you are, keep your desire to learn. There is no lack of material. You may be surprised to discover how fascinating a new subject or even an old one is today!