A Note from the Universe
The Evolution of a Dream—
Dream is implanted into brain.
Dreamer becomes thrilled.
Dreamer becomes terrified.
If no action is taken, terrifying thoughts grow into flesh-eating monsters. Dream is considered unrealistic.
If action is taken, terrifying thoughts are revealed to be paper tigers. Confidence soars, miracles unfold, and dreamer begins to saunter.
Either way, nothing remains the same.
Yow—The Universe
Act! The difference it will make in your life is more than can be comprehended. But, of course, this is also true of inaction.
Choose to Enthuse!
Joe Tye
As I've been speaking around the country over the past year or so, I've often asked my audiences this question: "How many of you have way too much enthusiasm? You're seeing a psychiatrist for enthusiasm management therapy, and have a seatbelt on your bed to keep you from jumping out too fast in the morning and breaking a leg?" I get lots of laughs, but almost no one raises a hand.
Then I ask how many people would be happier, more productive, and more successful if they could consistently be more enthusiastic than they are now. Almost every hand in the room goes up (those who don't raise their hands are invited to attend my remedial class on honesty).
The good news, I tell them, is that scientists have shown that there is no enthusiasm gene. Enthusiasm is a choice. You decide every morning whether or not you're going to have a good day. You can't decide what happens to you, but you can decide whether you react to it enthusiastically.
Choosing enthusiasm is the triple crown of attitude. Your organization wins because enthusiasm is the added "spark" that puts the smile into customer service. Your family, friends, and coworkers win because enthusiasm is contagious and you're helping them to be happier and more productive.
And, of course, you win because people with a lot of enthusiasm have a lot of life, and people without enthusiasm don't. They're like the man who passed away but had his life insurance denied, because since he'd never really lived, he couldn't have really died.
Energy is the fuel for enthusiasm—it's hard to be enthusiastic when you're physically out of gas. And here again, there's good news: more than we care to admit to ourselves, whether or not we have energy is also a choice.
And here's more good news: human energy is the ultimately renewable resource. The more you use it, the more of it you have.
Dreams
Maureen Weider
We have a dream inside ourselves,
A gift to us at birth,
To guide us and protect us
On our journey on this earth.
We all have something special,
Each one of us’ unique
You have to find the courage
To find the peace you seek.
So dream your dream and live your dream
Don’t be afraid to try.
Just take your soul by the hand
And let your spirit fly.
Six Dollar Haircuts
Mary Manin Morrissey
This is a true story about a third generation barber in a small community in the midwest. The shop had been handed down from his grandfather and developed not just a hair salon but more of a community center where the farmers and families would come in not only to get their hair done but enjoy the coffee and donut bar and spend time with their neighbors sharing the news of their farms and families. This shop had grown to include 10 stylists who cut all the men's and women's hair in the community.
The owner's son came home from graduate school over spring break, to find his father depressed and reclusive. Finally getting his father to share what the problem was, the father confided that there was a new, national chain that had been moving across the country, bringing in cheap hair salons into all of the different communities and driving everyone out of business. And so, even though the community had loved all of the work that he had done, the perms and the haircuts and the styles over the years, right down the street opened up this new shop. It offered six dollar haircuts. Person after person had left to go to the new low cost shop.
The father told his son, "There is absolutely NO way I can compete with $6.00 haircuts. So much of my clientele has now gone to the new shop that I have no choice but to close our shop. After three generations, we are going bankrupt. I can't pay the stylists or the overhead anymore," he despondently said with his hands covering his face so his son would not see the tears rolling out of his eyes.
The son said, "You know, this last semester I took a "science of success" program that was offered for extra credit in my marketing class. One thing I learned was something that Einstein said. He said that, 'The significant problems we face can never be solved at the level of thinking of the problem.' So, Dad, we have to find another way to think about this. We've got to find another way to see this. Another one of the strategies I learned may help us."
So the son left the room and brought back a notebook and a pen. He told the Dad about "Masterminding," a strategy introduced in the 1930's by Napoleon Hill who had been commissioned by Andrew Carnegie to study the patterns of extremely successful people.
"Here's what we do. We let ourselves think of any idea that comes to mind and we write it down. No editing. We get a flow of ideas for 15-20 minutes and try to get as many as possible. No idea is off limits. Let's go."
The father said, "Well, the only idea I've got is...close the shop!" The son said, "Well, you're right that IS an idea." He wrote it down. Then the son said, "Ok, let's keep going." Before long the son and the father started getting a flow of ideas and writing down every one of them, even every crazy thing that came to mind. When they finished, one of the ideas absolutely jumped off the page and they looked at each other in astonishment and said, "This just might work!" The son left the next day to go back to college.
The father implemented the idea. Within 6 weeks, not only had his drop in clientele completely returned, but the number of customers was now 11% higher than ever in the history of the shop. Do you know what the idea was that turned sure failure into a new course of increasing success?
The idea was, "Place a BIG sign on top of the shop that read, "WE FIX SIX DOLLAR HAIRCUTS!!"
Quote from Friendship with God
Neale Donald Walsch
Once you are aware of Me, your sadness will leave you. For sadness and God cannot exist in the same place, because God is Life Energy turned up as high as it will go, and sadness is Life Energy turned down.
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