Notable Quotes #62

Notable Quotes #62
December 30, 2008

Happy New Year’s Eve Eve?!?

I know that sounds a little odd, but hey it works!

“Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page.   Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.”
Henry Ward Beecher 

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
Mary Pickford 

With the New Year approaching very quickly I just wanted to give two quotes about starting fresh. No matter what happened in 2008 or how the year ends, remember that there is a fresh start and it’s just around the corner.  As I have said in the past I am not big on resolutions, but I will and have set goals for myself for 2009.  Take time to reflect on 2008, what went well, what didn’t…what can I learn from my past.  Make a list if you like and then face the New Year with gusto, vigor and zest!  Let’s go and make 2009 the BEST YEAR YET!!!

Until Next Time,
Heath

Notable Quotes #61

December 23, 2008
Notable Quotes #61

Good Afternoon!

Can you believe it?!?!  Only 2 more days until Christmas!!!  I can’t wait…One reason is this will be Myla’s 1st Christmas that she can actively participate it.  (Last year she was 2 weeks old)  There is nothing more satisfying that seeing the joy on children’s faces as they unwrap gifts.  She likes the bags more than the toys sometimes but I was over-ruled when I mentioned getting her a bag of bags.  Go figure!  Here are the quotes:

A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.
Bill Vaughan

Children find everything in nothing; men find nothing in everything.
Giacomo Leopardi

I don’t know about you, but Christmas brings out the kid(s) in almost all of us.  My two nephews have such a passion for Christmas that it almost seems unreal.  Not only do they have a passion for Christmas, but they both have a passion and zeal for life like nothing else.  Most kids have that same fearless, determined, raw passion that helps to shape and mold them to the individuals that they become.  I have often wished for just a portion of that passion and zeal!  Kids are not afraid of failing; if it doesn’t work out they try again until it does.  Many times to the disdain of the parents or adults, they don’t take “NO” for an answer.  They know just how far they can push the envelope…and then go just a little bit farther!  Just think of what “adults” could accomplish if we had the attitude/mindset of a child.  We wouldn’t be afraid to make a mistake or even to fail.  We would take our bumps and bruises…get up and go again even harder!  Think about when you first learned to ride a bike or swim…You were determined to conquer the bike or the pool.  Maybe you had friends that were already riding without training wheels; maybe you wanted to play with the big kids in the deep end, but you were confined to kiddie pool!  Life is like that in numerous ways.  We may want different things but our fears and mental road blocks keep us from achieving what we desire and want. 

This Christmas season take note of the children all around and watch them as they tear the presents open.  If they get a bike, watch at how long it takes them to beg and plead with the adults to go outside and help them ride; then take what you have seen and ask yourself how you can apply that to your life and your goals.  Don’t let fear knock you out of the game before it even starts, rather take hold of your fears, face them head on and have the passion and zeal for life as a child does and go a reach your dream!

Until Next Time,
Heath

Notable Quotes #60

December 17, 2008
Notable Quotes #60

Happy Wednesday!

No ramblings today, just straight to the quotes…

 “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
Charles Darwin

 “As human beings, our greatness lays not so much in being able to remake the world … as in being able to remake ourselves.”
Mahatma Gandhi

I was listening to the radio this morning on the way into work and heard a report on how the smaller Credit Unions were doing far better than the rest of the financial institutions.  I also heard an amazing statistic that over 90 million Americans use credit unions on a daily basis.  That’s a TON of people.  The story went on to say that these credit unions (cu’s) were also succeeding WITHOUT the T.A.R.P. bailout monies from the government.  When the reporter asked why the cu’s were doing so much better he said it was simple…they were aware of the markets around them and they had be responsive to the changes prior to the economic downturn.  They were able to adapt and change their lending habits, their interest rates, the way to obtain deposits, etc.

That really struck me as revolutionary.  It may not seem like it to some but think with me here…we can easily apply this to our lives as well.  If we take what Darwin says above it’s not the strongest or the most intelligent that survives, it’s the one most responsive to change.  In today’s economy that could not be more true.  I have interviewed for various positions within my company and there has been a theme from all that I have talked with.  If you are able to change and adapt to change you will succeed.  If you don’t like change or are not able to adapt, you will fail.  Pretty blunt I know, but it’s true.  The world is changing on a daily basis.  What about us?  Instead of trying to change or remake the world to be like us, why not take a different approach.  Being true to your convictions and your personal and social morals, why not change?  Why not be the conduit or catalyst of change?  Changes typically don’t happen overnight, so don’t expect this to be a quick thing, rather work on this daily.  Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and our habits, and ways of doing things weren’t created in a bang; change takes time.  Take small steps and don’t try to change all at once.

Until Next Time,
Heath

Notable Quotes #59

December 12, 2008
Notable Quotes #59

Good Afternoon!

I hope everyone is doing well.  I know that people are extremely busy this time of year and I hope that these quotes and musings help bring a positive outlook for the days ahead!  One more thing.  I just counted and excluding today, there are 12 more shopping days before Christmas!!!  Now that everyone is depressed and stressed here are the quotes!

I’m not afraid of failing. I don’t like to fail. I hate to fail. But I’m not afraid of it.
Vince McMahon

You can never give up because quitting is not an option.
No matter how dark it is or how weak you get, until you take that last breath, you must fight. 
Wayman Tisdale

I know I have talked about failing in the past posts, but it has been a topic in the news quite a bit lately.  “What companies are failing now…will the Big 3 auto companies fail, will I fail?”  Failure is all around us and can often times seem like it is closing in on us.  This time of year can also bring to light many of our failures and depression will often run rampant in the lives of many.  However I choose to look at failure different than most.  I look at it much like Vince McMahon does…I’m not afraid of failing…I don’t like to fail…but I’m not afraid of failing.  Failure or the sense of failing can grip and seize us like nothing else; it will often paralyze the greatest of individuals.  Instead of looking at failure as a bad thing, look at failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.  Take the failure, embrace it, learn from it and then move on.  DON’T DWELL ON IT!

For those of you who do not know who Wayman Tisdale is or his story may not find his quote to be a big deal, but here is an extremely brief look at a remarkable individual.  Wayman Tisdale was a member of the 1984 Gold Medalist Basketball team.  He was an All-American basketball player at Oklahoma and averaged over 15 points and 6 rebounds per year spanning a 12 year NBA career.  In February of 2007 he fell and broke his leg…this led to the discovery of cancer in his right knee.  In March of 2007 he underwent surgery to remove the cancer and begin chemo for the cancer.  It didn’t stop there.  In August of 2008 Wayman decided that the best way to ensure the cancer wouldn’t return was to have a portion of his right leg amputated.  Think about that for a minute…here is a man who made a living off the ability to use his legs, and now he was having it amputated.  Talk about failure creeping into one’s mind.  He didn’t let this stop him.  He fought through all the adversity and drew upon everything he learned growing up and his faith and learned to walk with a prosthesis.  This is what his physical therapist (Sabolich) said…”Sabolich noted that it typically takes a new amputee from three to six months to acclimate to a prosthesis, while it took Tisdale a month. He proved to be equally quick in learning to walk on his new limb; a physical therapist Tisdale has been working with in Tulsa said that he was months ahead of a typical patient in that respect.”

Wayman didn’t take cancer as a death sentence…he didn’t let failure enter his mind…he fought and fought and is determined to defeat cancer and not let failure win.  “Tisdale’s experience has led him to create a foundation to raise funds to help amputees with the prosthetic process, which is not always covered by health insurance.”  [Clemmons, Anna K. (2008-12-03)]

His story is amazing and I did not do it justice.  Check out his website http://www.waymantisdale.com/ for the entire story and be prepared to be motivated.  Tisdale is now an accomplished jazz artist.  We can learn from Mr. McMahon and Mr. Tisdale in the sense that we cannot and should not let failure overcome us.  Learn from our failures and become stronger and stronger and help others learn from our mistakes/failures.  Take this inspirational story and see how you can apply it to your life.  Failure is not the end…it is just the beginning!!!

Until Next Time,
Heath

Notable Quotes #58

December 3, 2008
Notable Quotes #58

Good Afternoon!

I trust that everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and that you are preparing for the Christmas season!  This is a great time of year…The weather is turning colder, AND we had our first snow on Sunday!!! (2.4″ officially in St. Louis)  We will be celebrating our daughter’s 1st birthday in just under 2 weeks!  My how time flies…Anyways, enough of the babble already, here’s the quotes.

There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams.
Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition.
Steven J. Ross

All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.
Walt Disney

If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.
Walt Disney

How much do you dream?  I’m not talking about while you sleep!!  I mean, how often do you dream about where you want to be next year, in 5 years, in 10 years?  Are you like many others who often dream but disregard your dreams as just that, DREAMS?!  I believe that dreaming is extremely under emphasized in today’s society.  I know I have said this before, but how often have we heard kids say that they dream of being an astronaut!  Or a policeman or fireman or a professional athlete!!!  I have never heard anyone say that they want to be trapped in a dead-end job while sitting in a cubicle!  We need our dreams to keep us focused!  I can’t think of a better “dreamer” than Walt Disney.  He created the Disney Parks with the motto of “Where dreams come true and memories are made!” 

Walt Disney had a dream, he believed he could have that dream, and he worked and pursued those dreams until they became a reality!  Throughout his life he had struggles, and it wasn’t always easy, but he held strong to his dreams and never let them go.  Our dreams I believe are there to challenge us, to be a better person or to make the world a better place.  Going back to my original question, how much do you dream?  What are your dreams?  How can we continue to grow if we don’t dream?  We need to keep dreaming in order to keep living!  Dream BIG, work BIG and BIG things will happen!

Until Next Time,
Heath