Visitor Quote Of The Week: Great Britain

Hello Friends,

Hope all is well. Today we visit Great Britain. Our quote comes from Winston Churchill "who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman, orator and strategist, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army. A prolific author, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his own historical writings."

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
Winston Churchill

I'm sure a lot of you have all played some version of the "Telephone Game" or "The Gossip Game." It is an exercise which demonstrates how quickly information can be distorted.

The exercise starts with twenty people or so who sit in a circle. One person whispers a secret into the ear of the person next to them. That person whispers the same secret to the person next to them and so on until you get the last person. The last person has to tell the group what the original secret was. I have never been in a group in which the last person got it right.

This exercise demonstrates how quickly information can be lost as it is passed from one person to the next. Spreading lies or gossiping can be very harmful.

Sometimes people tell lies to make their situation better. Say someone is up for a new job. They embellish on their resume to make themselves look better. The better they look on paper, the better their chances of landing the job.

Some people lie to protect others. Say you have a girlfriend who just got a new haircut that looks horrible. You tell her that it looks good to spare her feelings even thought you know it looks hideous.

Some people lie just to be hurtful. For some reason there are people in this world who gravitate towards dishonest things, and use lies to hurt and deceive. Individuals such as con-artists will at first, appear to be helpful, but in the end they were only helping themselves.

All three of these situations are bad. The person with the fake resume will be found out one day when he asked to do something he doesn't know how to do even though it said on his resume that he was an "expert" in this field.

The girlfriend will quickly find out that her haircut is ugly when she notices that the people around her are laughing and talking behind her back. She will become angry with the boyfriend for not being honest even though he was trying to protect her.

The con-artist will eventually get caught. They always do. It may be after making a lot of money initially, but the fall they take is usually a hard one.

Lies always lead to hurt even when you are trying to protect someone. It is always better to be truthful in all situations. The trick is to put yourself in situations where you don't have to lie. Once the lie gets rolling, it picks up momentum. Now you have to lie to cover up another lie. And so on, and so on.

So, spread love not lies. Love will always make it around the circle.

Thanks for listening.

Visitor Quote Of The Week: Canada

Hello Friends,

Hope all is well. Today we visit Canada. I have a been to Canada on two different occasions. There is a big Caribbean community that resides in Canada. I was born on the island of Trinidad and we have friends that relocated in Toronto for the many opportunities that this city offers.

Niagara falls is something to behold. The amount a raw and flexible energy produced by this natural wonder is symbolic of the flexibility of the people of Canada. Our quote comes not from a Canadian , but from someone speaking about Canada.

"I am deeply moved by the warmth and courage of the Canadian people which I felt so strongly during my recent visit to your country. Your support of the struggle against apartheid restored me in my journey home and reassured me that many just people around the world are with us."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu is an ambassador for peace. He fought against Apartheid, campaigning around the world to make people aware of the injustice in South Africa.

Tutu compliments the people of Canada for being tolerant of other cultures. When I was doing research for this post, I came across many quotes that spoke to the willingness to let foreigners make a life for themselves in their land.

I have had many friends of different cultures that have called Canada home. Despite their cultural differences, their was still a universal pride in their country.

This flexibility is something that we can all learn from. We have to be supportive of each other no matter what our background may be. We all have a common thread. A common bond. Realizing this, we can be reassured that there are still many just people around the world.

Thanks for listening.

Visitor Quote Of The Week: Australia

Hello Friends,

Hope all is well. Today we visit "the land down under; Australia. I've been fortunate to have been associated with people from Australia. In college, I became acquainted with two film exchange students.

These two young women were some of the liveliest, kindest, and smartest people I have ever met. They kept me one my toes with sarcastic whit and humor. They weren't afraid to voice their opinions and stand by them, a trait I was told by them, is one that could be found in many in the Australian culture.

I have yet to visit Australia, but it is high on my list of places I need to see before it's all said and done. Today's quote comes from two authors, Michael Page and Robert Inapen.

"The true Aussie battler and his wife thrust doggedly onwards: starting again, failing again, implacably thrusting towards success. For success, even if it is only the success of knowing that one has tried to the utmost and never surrendered, is the target of every battler."

I was immediately drawn to this quote. This is one that we can all adopt into our lifestyle. This passage reminds us that it is alright to fail. The key is to get right back at it and try again.

Success is often measured by the amount of failures it took to get there. If everything came easily, I don't think that we would thoroughly appreciate what we have. The struggle is what makes everything more valuable when our goals are attained.

I like the fact that in this quote, strength is drawn from family. The "true Aussie battler and his wife" can accomplish anything when united. Once you have that connection , there isn't much that can stand in your way.

From this we can remember that we are all family. We are all connected. Press forward. Help your brothers and sisters. When we help each other we help ourselves. Be like an "Aussie Battler".

Thanks for listening.

Visitor Quote Of The Week: South Africa

Hello Friends,

Hope all is well. The number of countries visiting this blog is growing. Thank you for viewing. My intention is that these words will be able to help somebody in some way. Today marks the second installment of the "Visitor Quote Of The Week." Our quote comes South Africa. Blessings to the people of South Africa.

“When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive”
Alan Paton quotes (South African Writer and Educator, 1903-1988)

When you are hurt by someone it can be hard to recover. Especially if it is someone that you love or respect. You don't expect someone you like to hurt you, so it is even more devastating

As humans, we tend to hold grudges. Even if the person who has wronged us is asking for forgiveness, we sometimes hold it over their heads. Whether it's because you're really hurt or want to hurt them back, it is better to get over it and try to mend the relationship.

Relationships, romantic or otherwise are built on communication. When people stop talking to each other they tend to listen to other people to get information. Then it becomes "he said, she said." We all know what happens when we listen to rumors.

It is better to talk to the person that hurt you and get it out in the open. When that person asks for your forgiveness, be willing to accept it, even in extreme situations(I know it may be very difficult).

Forgiveness completes the healing process. Remember that we are all connected. When you hurt someone else you are ultimately hurting yourself. Start communicating again. Re-connect with a loved one. "Every time you make a friend, you destroy an enemy."

Thanks for listening.

Visitor Quote Of The Week: The Netherlands

Hello Friends,

Hope all is well. About a week ago I introduced the "country count" at the top right hand corner of the page. This is how many countries have visited this blog. I would like to thank all of you who have visited. I'm excited for the future. My hope is that all countries and backgrounds will realize that even though we are unique and different, we are all linked together.

Every Friday we'll look at a quote from one of the countries that have visited this blog. I'll start with the country that visits the blog the most and go from there. I'm located in Florida so obviously the most viewers are from the States. So I'll start with the next country which is The Netherlands. Thanks for visiting!

"If you keep thinking about what you want to do or what you hope will happen, you don't do it, and it won't happen. "
-Desiderius Erasmus (October 27, 1466/1469 – July 12, 1536)

Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch humanist and theologian. He also wrote The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children, Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style, and many other works. This quote is similar to the blog I posted a few days ago titled "Pursuit Of Happiness."

I was talking to a friend of mine about the Law Of Attraction(LOA) the other day. He was saying that I shouldn't take the movie "The Secret" or LOA seriously. He thought that it was misleading to tell people that if they think about something it will magically appear.

I think that my friend and a lot of people miss the point when it comes to LOA. LOA says that "like attracts like." Our thoughts are what is attracting the events in our lives. Some people get confused because they think of something that they want and just wait for something to happen. When nothing happens they get discouraged and criticize LOA.

The problem with this is approach is that there is no action. First you have the thought, but then you have to be ready when opportunity hits. Say you want to attract an extra $1000 this week. A lot of people think that $1000 is just supposed to fall out of the sky. It doesn't work that way. What may happen is that you can have a $1000 idea.

In the movie, "The Secret," one of the speakers talks about how he wanted to attract $100,000 in one year. He didn't know how, but he made it his intention. One day he got an idea to promote a book that he had written years before. This was his $100,000 idea. He didn't make $100,000 that year. He only made $92,000. Do you think he was upset? The man is Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Your Dreams. His $100,000 idea has made him millions.

The Universe loves action. When an idea hits you, act on it. This could be your breakthrough. It is hard to focus because of all the distractions that come our way. Don't limit yourself. If you let someone tell you that it can't be done, you'll believe it and you could miss your opportunity.

Keep thinking about what you want out of life. There's nothing wrong with that. Our thoughts shape our existence. Just be ready to act when you have an opportunity to shine. Erasmus also said, "No one respects a talent that is concealed. " Let your talents be seen. Show the world what you've got.

Thanks for listening.