Live Simply

Gandi said, "Live simply so others can simply live."

Many people live to earn more money but find as they earn more money, it is never enough.  It seems to be a goal to always have more money than their peers.  It is a never-ending goal. If someone would become the richest person in the world, I would be surprised if that person would be able to say they have achieved happiness.  In the pursuit of acquiring large caches of money, many other people will have to lose their money.  It is not a win-win situation.

How many mansions, summer homes, vehicles, acres of land, investments, etc. are needed to feel content?  I would find it interesting to see how many dollars, amounts of personal property and summer homes will accompany a rich person when they die.  When we enter life we  have nothing, when we die we take nothing with us.  God is our judge and he doesn't take bribes.

The only thing I ever heard at a funeral that had any worth, were the stories of kindness, generosity, faith, and love.  People who were able to have a chance in life because of the investment of time, expertise, money, resources, and mentoring of this individual are grateful and celebrate the life of someone very special.

The treasure of family, friends, faith, hope, love, and happiness trump a bank account and power anytime.  The choice is ours!

Dreams

"Dreams don't work unless you do."

I am always encouraged when individuals are excited about a special dream that is a focus for their life.  It is important for all of us to know in our hearts about a goal that we feel will make our lives happy and energized.

The problem involves a lack of preparation to open the door for the dream when an opportunity presents itself.  It is very rare to have a dream just appear magically without acquiring the skills necessary to to achieve success.

If someone wants to be an actor or actress, it would be advantageous to take dancing, voice lessons, become comfortable in front of an audience, perhaps speech classes, acting coaches, taking college theater classes, acting in available plays, moving to a location where movies are made, getting an agent, etc.

Many of us languish in our dreams and feel cheated when they don't happen.  It is always the fault of fate, anger at the establishment, feeling that life is unfair, and frustration when others don't take your dream seriously.

Work to make your dreams happen.  Take steps, one at a time, to make your dream a reality.  Be ready when the opportunity presents itself.  Invest in your own future. Don't waste the time you have to prepare.  You can achieve your dreams or find a new dream as you move forward with with your life.  You are in charge of your own destiny!

Justice

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. risked his life everyday to educate the world about justice.  He loved God, his family and his "neighbors" who were from many walks of life, nationalities, faiths, educational backgrounds, and belief systems.  The constant fear, threats to his life, political and racial harassment, watching the suffering of others and the deep calling of his faith exacted a huge price from his family and his life.

The saying "Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you strong" is exemplified in Martin Luther King Jr. He, however, became a very strong leader even after he died.

Martin Luther King Jr. stated, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  Man-made laws need to reflect morality and justice.  Just because a law exists, does not make it morally right.  Many times laws need to be created to protect moral rights.  Martin Luther King Jr. quoted St. Augustine.  "An unjust law is no law at all."  

Laws need to protect rather than persecute.  Just laws bring peace.  Unjust laws bring war, hatred, anger, violence and discord.

Pope John Paul II states, "Evil will not have the final word."  There is more good in the world than we know because evil is more newsworthy, unfortunately. God loves us and is with us in the worst and best of times.  Prayer is a powerful weapon for peace and hope.

Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and your family for your huge sacrifices and deep, loving wisdom you have shared.

Love in the Workplace

Many times we feel "trapped" in a job that we feel has low pay, frustrating rules, difficult bosses, and long hours. Look around you at your co-workers who usually feel the same way.  Sometimes we have lost our higher-paying positions, we have been fired for an unjust or just cause, we are under- employed and not able to utilize our education or skills, or we have a boss who is not open to promoting ideas of his or her staff.  We may have sufficient pay and benefits but work obsessive hours that do not leave us time for ourselves or our families/friends.  

It is easy in these situations to become mired in despondency and hopelessness.  Sometimes we take our frustration out on those around us and contribute to the misery of all, including ourselves.  When we begin to actually see each person we encounter daily in our work, we can think outside ourselves and imagine ways to make the day easier for our co-workers, clients and bosses.

In a job setting, we are told that we must make our clients happy in order to keep the company open and functioning. A company is also made up of workers, who also need to be content, appreciated and fairly compensated.  A company is made up of many individuals.  When we begin to see each other as people with lives outside the job; with families, illness, loneliness, deaths, debt, responsibilities, suffering, obligations, abuse, fear, unsafe and uninhabitable home settings, divorce, pain, lack of sleep, working several jobs, worry about job security, and overwhelming sadness.  Then we can begin to reach out to each other with love, listening, respect, compassion, and acts of kindness.  As we relieve the burdens of others, our own sorrows will lift and become lighter.  

A person who is cheerful and smiles encouragement will be noticed and promoted!  A person who makes the way easier for others will not need to go far to have wonderful recommendations to share with a potential new boss or company.  

Remember to take God with you to the workplace.  He is the most important asset anyone has for true and lasting success regardless of any job or station in life.  Do any job you have to the best of your ability, share love with your clients and co-workers including your boss, practice acceptance and forgiveness, keep God as your ultimate "boss" and you will find contentment and peace!  

New Beginnings

I'm borrowing the prayer of St. Francis from the Dear Abby column.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Many times we find that we are not progressing forward in our lives because we are not able to forgive, we are blinded by anger, we lack hope because we have lost our faith.  We see only darkness instead of the light of God.  We can't see the happiness in front of us because we are buried in sadness. We are in charge of our joy in life.  We can choose to blame others for our misfortune or accept responsibility for our our faith, our attitude and our love for others!

New Years Resolutions

Live in the moment!  

Take time to enjoy each moment because we never know how many moments we have left.  

Trust in God for the future!  

Otherwise our future may cause us to be fearful and anxious. 

Forgive ourselves and others for the past!

Today is the first day of our life because the past is over.

I hope you have a wonderful new year!