http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/ en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:35:22 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/images/misc/rss.png http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/ http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4479-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Rules-or-ethics-)&goto=newpost Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:42:12 GMT “Live one day at a time emphasizing ethics rather than rules...” – Dr. Wayne Dyer The rules say if someone comes running to the store door at... “Live one day at a time emphasizing ethics rather than rules...”
– Dr. Wayne Dyer

The rules say if someone comes running to the store door at closing time you point to the sign that states your hours, but ethics say I’m thinking someone wouldn’t have rushed over her at closing time if they didn’t need something urgent, so you let them in to grab and go. The rules say that the roses in my flower shop are $55 a dozen at non- holiday times, but ethics tell me to sell a dozen roses for $10 when a man with cancer calls me to order a single rose in a bud vase for their 25th wedding anniversary because that’s all he can afford. The rule says you are to be at church on- time for the 11:00 am worship service but you note an elderly woman on the side of the road with a flat tire so ethics tell you to stop and help her. How often do we all think ‘rules’ instead of ‘ethics’– I’m certain it is far more often than we realize until we take note. Now that you have noted, what things do you stand by with rigid rules instead of the flexibility that ethics provide? The rules say bring a pen to class; ethics say ‘here, use one of mine’ – the rules say the person at the head of the line goes first, but ethics tells you I have 50 items; the person behind me only has 3 and so you let them go ahead of you. Interestingly enough, this quote is only just one more variation of the Bible admonition for us to ‘do to others as we want others to do to us’ – if we could but remember the why we do things instead of robotic behavior that takes no thought of the heart matters – this too happens because we are always in a rush to do the next thing and we have no time to let someone come into our store at the last minute; we are too greedy to bend the rules of our pricing to accommodate the needy; we are too pre-occupied with our own little world to notice the person in line behind us. Let the rules of life fall by the wayside in favor of ethical behavior that will prove to bless the life of another and in so doing bless your own life. A true win-win...

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4479-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Rules-or-ethics-) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4478-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...in-training!)&goto=newpost Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:06:57 GMT “What ought one to say then as each hardship comes? I was practicing for this...I was training for this...” – Epictetus (55-135 AD), Greek... “What ought one to say then as each hardship comes? I was practicing for this...I was training for this...”
– Epictetus (55-135 AD), Greek Philosopher

It starts soon enough. Your Mom takes you to get an ice cream – a double-scoop! – and as you are leaving the store your cone tips and out plops your ice cream on the sidewalk!!! Tears flow; Mom takes you by the hand, walks right back up to the counter once more and orders you another one – this time you get it in a cup, but at least you’ll be able to hang onto it! It continues as we go through life – it’s just one thing after the other – we learn the reason why we sort the laundry when our favorite white shirt comes out pink – we REALLY learn the reason why when it is our spouse’s favorite shirt! – We build our lives upon experience after experience – and they toughen us up for the times when the real problems come. We learn that Mom won’t always be there for us when the ‘double-scoop ice cream’ is melting on the sidewalk of our life while we cry inside tears that nobody sees but us! Courage does not come with a loud voice; sometimes it’s the little voice inside our head that says ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’ That is one of my favorite quotes.) But you learn courage for the big times by going through the little times – you are always stronger than you think you are – for everything that comes your way only serves to help and strengthen you in the days ahead. When you are forced to wear the pink shirt of life and have to eat the ice cream of your life out of a paper cup instead of a crunchy cone – remember that you practiced and trained for this since birth. Enjoy the journey...and hey! Pink doesn’t look so bad on you...and you saved 100 calories by not eating the cone! It’s all good. And life goes on...

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4478-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...in-training!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4477-Daily-Sunbeam!-(S-l-o-w-Down!)&goto=newpost Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:03:27 GMT “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished...” – Lao Tzu Have you ever stopped to think of all of the labor-saving appliances and... “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished...”
– Lao Tzu

Have you ever stopped to think of all of the labor-saving appliances and tools that we have at our fingertips, yet we are so rushed for time? Have you ever seen an apple tree with a frown on its face, straining at the roots, and proclaiming loudly for everyone to hear ‘I’ve got to make this apple and make it now!’ Of course you haven’t – that’s a stupid sort of example – but you have to admit that it does hit the nail on the head as to how we humans act and react to our world. Instead of just taking things in stride, and enjoying our day, we choose to be wrought with stress. And why? It’s our ‘labor saving appliances’ that have us bound. Think not? Can you go a full 24 hours without checking e-mail, using the computer, talking on the cell phone, doing text messaging, tweeting, twittering, spending your days involved in ‘imaginary relationships’ with folk you’ll never meet? If you think you can, try it and see just how much time you spend in a given day in nothing but total nonsense. We’ve no time to sit in the porch swing, no time to do more than just gulp our coffee each morning, no time to savor the conversation over the back fence with a neighbor, no time to just sit and pick at our cuticles, or daydream. Ever try to go an evening without the television? These are things to think about next time you proclaim “I wish I had the time to ______ but I just don’t.” What has happened is that we have soooooo filled our time with nonsense that we have no time for the real; we are so full of the imaginary that the real is unknown to us. The news from afar grabs our attention, but what about your neighbor two doors down that’s having a hard time and would love for you to just come sit while she enumerates our woes? What about making our lives real once more and cast aside the trivial so that the important things can shine through once more. It’s a choice.....and you are making the choice right now to be stressed or relaxed....to be real, or live an imaginary life.

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4477-Daily-Sunbeam!-(S-l-o-w-Down!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4476-Daily-Sunbeam!-(It’s-all-about-time...)&goto=newpost Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:38:48 GMT “Worry not about how much you have to do; just keep on doing what comes next, and next, and next.” – excerpt from “Time Keeper” Focus. It’s all... “Worry not about how much you have to do; just keep on doing what comes next, and next, and next.”
– excerpt from “Time Keeper”

Focus. It’s all about focus when you have a truckload of things to accomplish and you are feeling overwhelmed. However, our choices are usually what put us behind in things that HAVE to be done versus things that are more interesting and pleasurable...in other words, our intentions are good, but our follow-through is not so good. Recently I came across my small box of my very favorite photos of our sons when they were younger – these I found on the same shelf where I keep the order pads for my flower shop. I keep them there so that I will, on purpose, come across them from time to time and if the mood strikes I’ll thumb through them for the 10,000th time. On this particular day I was hard-pressed for time – I was one and a half hours away from a deadline making a casket spray and having it delivered in that same amount of time, when a call came in to place an order and I was out of order blanks. I put the phone down, got the order blanks, spied the box of photos and brought them back to my desk and, as they say, the rest is history. My ‘trip down memory lane’ cost me 20 minutes of my work-time and then, due to my stupid choice, I clearly felt like Mrs. Monroe would have her funeral service sans casket flowers! – however, when behind schedule, most of us can get focused really quick – and I just kept on doing what came next and next and next and before you know it, I was done and it was out the door and on its way to the funeral home just in the nick of time! (Never have known what a ‘nick’ is but I grasp the concept!) But, I put my own self behind by my own choices – it wasn’t just the photos that ‘did me in’, it was a series of choices that day when I knew good and well that I had a deadline to meet, yet I chose to ‘lolly-gag’ – (Never have known what that word means either, but Mom made the concept likewise clear!) If you are faced with way too much to do in a short span of time, simply focus and what’s next, then what’s next, and then what’s next and before you know it, the job’s done! Sometimes our crunch-time is the result of others that chose to lolly-gag which in turn makes us off-schedule; those times are easily fixed if you choose to simply let the other person suffer the consequences of their tardiness. “I forgot to tell you that I need you to bake 3 dozen cookies for our bake sale tomorrow for the XYZ Charity” (or similar, unreasonable request) – at those times your response should be “Oh, I’m so sorry you forgot to ask me but I just don’t have time.” Usually, when you choose NOT to bail someone out of their dilemma, they well-remember next time to get their act together and not wait til the last minute. But, how often do we just say “Okay, I’ll do it” and then walk away wondering how in the world will we rearrange our schedule to accommodate some- one that didn’t do their job, knowing full-well that we will now have to leave things undone to accomplish things undone by someone else? And so it goes until we CHOOSE differently. This is another time Nike has it right...’Just do it!’...don’t procrastinate...don’t take on as a project anything that will put you further behind your own schedule...and when doing your own project, stay focused, and simply do what’s next...and next...and next.

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4476-Daily-Sunbeam!-(It’s-all-about-time...) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4475-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...ahhh-fragrance!)&goto=newpost Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:11:51 GMT “And after all these years......say what????” – Quote by Beverly When I was 25, a lady got on the elevator in which I was riding and then she... “And after all these years......say what????”
– Quote by Beverly

When I was 25, a lady got on the elevator in which I was riding and then she got off before I did – and when I caught a ‘whiff’ of her perfume I felt I just HAD to know the brand. At the next floor I got off, then immediately re-entered the elevator to go back to find the wonderfully fragranced lady! As I approached her, the conversation went just like this: ‘I’m sorry to trouble you but...’ and she immediately replied ‘It’s called Royal Secret and you can buy it downstairs at the cosmetics counter.’ Truly, that is exactly what was said; she knew what I was going to ask before I asked it – and weirdly enough, from that day til this, that fragrance has been the ONLY fragrance I have ever worn since! And...I am asked, no less than once a week about the ‘heavenly fragrance’ that I wear! And...believe it or not, I can STILL get a whiff of myself all these years later (40 years!!!) and I still get a mental lift because I absolutely LOVE this fragrance. And why wouldn’t I? What’s not to love??? Here’s what the package insert says: (you’re gonna LOVE this part!) – “Some day, in your most secret dreams, you will find the key to all the magic subtleties and the mysterious link between a woman and her perfume. Some day, you will find the Royal Secret. You will be both queen and captive...of the wind, the flowers and the East...you will be both conquered and conqueror. Royal Secret...a perfume which is more than a legend...which has crossed deserts and time... a flowery perfume, direct from the East, as alive as a wild animal – as heady as the wind – as obsessive as a mystery.” (Wow! I love the part about if I wear this I will be both conquered and conqueror!) Then, to continue “Its fresh top note is composed of lemon, tangerine, bergamot, grapefruit. Its heart is a full-blown rose, velvety jasmine, honeysuckle, tuberose, with a hint of fresh herbs from Provence. Deep as the night, the base note is redolent with subtle amber, musk, the sweetness of vanilla and a touch of exotic cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli and vetiver. Royal Secret... today’s fragrance from Germaine Monteil for the woman who makes an art of her personality, or her mystery, and her beauty.” But, after reading all of that grandiose blab, you turn the package over and it says simply: Ingredients: Alcohol Denat., Fragrance (Parfum), Water (Aqua), Isopropyl Myristate, Diethyl Phtalate, Methyl- paraben, D & C Red 17 (CI 26100), D & C Yellow No. 11 (CI 47000), D & C Green 6 (CI61565), D & C Violet No. 2 (CU 60725). Made in France, Monteil Paris., Dist. New York, NY 10017” When you see the REAL ingredients it pales in comparison to the description. Who would ‘buy’ anything that simply listed the ingredients? That’s why advertising sells! But after the build-up hype, the PRODUCT stands on its own – all the flowery words wouldn’t ‘sell’ me on this perfume if the product smelled worse than a skunk! Think of this the next time you are trying to ‘sell’ yourself to someone new to you – even at church or school or work or in line at the grocery – be real – let the hype truly be a reflection of who you are – don’t sell yourself short; you are multi-faceted and a great person to know. Let the fragrance of your life ‘sell’ every- one you meet on the inner beauty that resides within – don’t think of yourself as a nobody; don’t slink through life not allowing others to get to know the real you. Life is exactly what you make it! Make yours a package insert worthy of the highest esteem – but let OTHERS you meet write it as they tell others about you. Let’s take it a step further – if your spouse, or best friend, or the clerk this morning were to ‘write’ about you, what would it say? Your life story is being written every day...in big and small ways...in things you do and don’t do...in things you say and don’t say...what you leave behind after you leave this earth is what people will say about you. I’m hoping when I croak my final breath that people will say ‘there was a lady that was classy, she always smelled great, and she loved the Lord more than anyone I’ve ever known’ – when it’s all said and done, what will folk say about you? What fragrance are you leaving behind each day you live? (Actually, about me they can leave out the part about me smelling great – but truly I do look forward, each and every day to dousing myself once again in my perfume!!!) I should mention that this company sold out a few years back and now a company called “Five Star Fragrance” manufactures it; it’s not exactly the same, but it’s close! But I still am using the original one since I’ve become an E-bay shopper!

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4475-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...ahhh-fragrance!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4474-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Our-work-amp-Our-play...)&goto=newpost Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:22:50 GMT “Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Across the years I’ve had much... “Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes

Across the years I’ve had much experience with people that reside in ‘rest homes’ or as they call them now, ‘retirement centers’ or ‘assisted living centers’ – whatever you call it, the issues are about the same. I used to play the piano for the Sunday morning services at these centers and then race to get to my church in time to play the organ there. The interesting thing to me, as a musician in both locations, was to actually get to see the faces of the worshipers/participants – some were present ONLY because someone rolled them in there in their wheel chair (would they have come of their own volition? do we sometimes go places not by choice but because we are expected to be there even when we are fully mobile?) As you look out over the congregation of participants you can see some that sing with gusto and others that just mumble the words; others that are just ‘people-watching’ and still others that are brushing off imaginary specks of something off their clothing, picking their cuticles, twirling their hair, etc. – or in the resthome the aid-workers enter in with gusto while still keeping a watchful eye on those assigned to their care, just as parents keep a watchful eye on their kids when in a similar circumstance. The happiest in appearance are those that participate – that enter into whatever is happening with great gusto – that aren’t just mumbling the words to the songs or perhaps to the reading of ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ but instead truly reciting it from their heart of hearts. I’m thinking the author had these things in mind when he talked about ‘playing’ – for our ‘play’ includes everything that isn’t work, and as you can well see, that includes an abundant amount of time. Are you fully engaged in the play-time of your life with gusto and enthusiasm, or do you just mumble and let life pass you by? At these rest- homes, on game nights, it was the same thing – they had a table for those that weren’t smart enough any more to play games but in their hearts they THOUGHT they were still capable so they put all of those at one table, handed them board games, and all were having a grand time simply opening and shutting the boxes and trading the pieces with each other that they found therein – at the end of the night, each box would be filled with a myriad of pieces from other games, no actual ‘game’ took place, but from the smiles on the faces of the residents you could tell they were fully engaged in the process and at the end proclaimed themselves the winner and went to bed fully satisfied in the knowing that they had fun. Another lady, probably in her early 90’s, always wanted to play me a solo on the piano – I could tell from her technique that at one time she was probably a concert-quality-pianist – but now she was just having fun, playing everything, but actually playing no certain tune, but there was beauty in the hodge-podge! I think this is why scripture tells us ‘whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’ – in otherwords, with great fanfare, enthusiasm, gusto get into what life has to offer you in the play-time of life. When you work, work! And when you play, play! Decide to truly enjoy both your work and your play – ask yourself continually throughout the day ‘am I having a good time?’ – if not, YOU have the choice to change.

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4474-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Our-work-amp-Our-play...) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4473-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Chenille-robes-etc.)&goto=newpost Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:20:11 GMT “How do you let go of attachment to things?” – Eckhart Tolle “Don’t even try. It’s impossible. Attachment to things drops away by itself when... “How do you let go of attachment to things?”
– Eckhart Tolle

“Don’t even try. It’s impossible. Attachment to things drops away by itself when you no longer need to find yourself in them. In the meantime, just be aware of our attachment to things. Sometimes you may not know that you are attached to something, which is to say, identified, until you lose it or there is the threat of loss. If you then become upset, anxious, and so on, it means you are attached. If you are aware that you are identified with a thing, the identification is no longer total. ‘I am the aware- ness that is aware that there is attachment.’ That’s the beginning of the transformation of consciousness.” The above question and answer is an excerpt from Eckhart Tolle’s, A New Earth, Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose. – it’s a good thing to ponder the things to which we have become attached. I’ve heard stories from daughters who helped their mom’s sort through a lifetime of possessions to determine what was to be taken to the Assisted Living Home. I was told it was agonizing for their mother to pick and choose what was worthy of going with her from a 3 bedroom, 2 living area home, into a small apartment. When memories flood our souls, it’s hard to leave anything behind for it all takes on incredible significance within our psyche – for this reason we all need to learn to ‘let go’ of some of our ‘stuff’ on a regular basis. I have an old, comfy, chenille bathrobe that I wore when I was in my twenties – it’s one of those ‘one-size-fits-all’ type (fortunately!) and when I’m going through my old stuff to make room for my new stuff, that bathrobe is still with me for at least 40 years! And why? I have no idea – I have not worn it since my twenties, it is definitely not worthy of wearing in front of my husband, it’s got permanent stains on it, but each time I try to throw it out, I end up keeping it. It probably cost all of $10, so it has no monetary value; it has no fashion appeal, the tie is frayed, I don’t even have any certain memory attached to it – yet I’m attached to that stupid thing! I guess they’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands! Who knows, I may request to be buried in it! I know you are probably smiling at the thought, but don’t you have at least one thing that you hang on to, for unknown reasons? Mr. Tolle said that if I recognize I’m attached then it’s no longer a TOTAL attachment, so that’s progress! Wonder how long it’ll take me to finally be able to ditch it? Will I ever...or will that be one of the things my sons will have to donate to the thrift shop once I leave this world as they wonder, as I did when going through some of my mother’s things, ‘why in the world did she hang on to this???’ And so it goes...to what, or whom, are you attached? It’s okay to have attachments, if they serve a useful purpose in your life but, like my old bathrobe, some things need to be allowed to fall by the wayside.

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4473-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Chenille-robes-etc.) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4472-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Trust...and-thanks!)&goto=newpost Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:10:13 GMT “You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible...” – Anton Chekhov Trust! All of us have recently heard it said, or actually... “You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible...”
– Anton Chekhov

Trust! All of us have recently heard it said, or actually said it ourselves, ‘you just can’t trust anyone these days!’ – ‘people just aren’t as trustworthy as in days of yore’ – sound familiar? I’m thinking we are all guilty of this negative way of thinking! Have you ever truly stopped to think how very trusting we all HAVE to be just to make it through today? First you have to trust that you’d wake up this morning! (Can’t do anything about that form of trust! Only the good Lord knows when our number is up!) Then we go to the sink to brush our teeth, trusting that there IS running water and trusting that it has been sanitized at the water treatment plant. We have to trust that our toothpaste hasn’t been tainted by someone at the manufacturer. We go to make our coffee, and ditto for the items necessary to do that. Then we head out the door in trust that our newspaper has been delivered by one who does his job while we sleep. Then we read the paper, see the ads, and trust that we really can buy a loaf of bread at the special sales price at our local market. We gather up our mail, put it out for the postman, trusting that he/she will make the rounds today – we trust that our money for a stamp (less than 50cents) is adequate to take our letter from our town to Timbuktu. We lock our doors trusting that the manufacturer made a secure locking mechanism. We hop in our vehicle, trusting that it will start and take us to our destination. We arrive at work, trusting that we still have a job. We sit on a chair, trusting that it will hold us up. We place our food on a table fully trusting that the table won’t fall. Almost everything you do throughout your day is based upon trust in something or someone – go ahead – think of anything you can think of and you’ll see that trust is involved! Even driving down the road you are trusting that the car coming towards you in the other lane will stay in their lane and not hit you head-on! All of us have to depend on everyone else for everything we need, just as THEY have to be able to depend on us for everything they need. The question then becomes: “Am I trustworthy in everything – and I do mean everything – that I do?” Everyone of us have a job to do – I have to be able to trust you – you have to be able to trust me. It is true that ‘one bad apple does not spoil the whole bunch’ – but how often do we start to believe the evening news that everything is falling apart at the seams? Ponder the happenings yesterday – didn’t MORE things go right instead of wrong??? It’s that way in all of life – but we humans tend to dwell on the negatives rather than the positives. Think back over your day thus far as to how many things went right! The sinks work! The commode works! The newspaper arrived! The coffee wasn’t tainted! The chair held you up! The vehicle started! Think of the positives in life and the negatives pale in comparison. This is what ‘giving thanks’ is all about..... thanks Mr. inventor of the commode!...thanks Mr. pure water quality tester!...thanks Mr. chair maker!...thanks Mr. vehicle maker!...Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4472-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Trust...and-thanks!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4470-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...don’t-‘chicken-out’!)&goto=newpost Sat, 21 Aug 2010 16:51:32 GMT “Patience has its limits; take it too far, and its cowardice...” – George Jackson Ouch! That one hurt! Just think of in how many areas of life... “Patience has its limits; take it too far, and its cowardice...”
– George Jackson

Ouch! That one hurt! Just think of in how many areas of life this is so very, very true. So, teacher: What about that brat in the classroom that is the son of the school principal...are you truly being patient with him or has it reached the level of cowardice? So, mother: What about your 14 year old daughter that continues to break the rules you set forth...are you truly being patient or are you being cowardly? So, Lady: What about that other lady at the club meeting that refuses to stop talking long enough for others to speak...are all of you being patient...or a bunch of cowards? So, Sir: What about that diet you are on – is it working? If not, why not? Are you taking liberties with your food intake and then wonder why you aren’t losing weight? Are you being patient with your 50 pounds ...or are you a coward in your approach? The dictionary describes a coward as one who lacks courage; it then goes on with saying in other words means: afraid, faint- hearted, fearful, frightened, spineless(!), scared, timid. Life is all about balance – life sometimes calls for patience – but sometimes when action should be taken instead we choose the way of cowardice. What do YOU need to act on today? Do you see any area in which you have crossed the line from patience into cowardice? If so, then there is still time to do something about it. Act now BEFORE you ‘chicken out’ – that’s the colloquial phrase for it and I have no idea how that phrase originated – but we all know what it means!

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4470-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...don’t-‘chicken-out’!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4469-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Let-it-shine!)&goto=newpost Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:08:59 GMT “Patience is the ability to let your light shine after your fuse has blown...” – Bob Levey So...I issued the invitations to my husband’s... “Patience is the ability to let your light shine after your fuse has blown...”
– Bob Levey

So...I issued the invitations to my husband’s sit-down birthday dinner at a really nice sea- food restaurant by specifically saying “Adults Only” – the night of the party, the centerpieces on the tables looked grand, the placecards were in place, almost all of the 40 guests had arrived, and in walks the last couple – and you guessed it! - they brought BOTH of their children, age 5 and 7! What does one do when one has the exact number of places set and decorated and then two extra people arrive??? It sent me into a panic mode for we hadn’t given the sit-down at the tables signal just yet and all were ready to sit down! I just calmly said to a few around me, I didn’t know the children were coming; I’ll go get the head waiter and get another table.....in short order we got another table, fortunately I had another tablecloth, so while it was only a 10 minute delay, and on the surface I looked ‘calm as a cucumber’ (How did that phrase originate???) or I might best be described as a duck who looks calm on the surface of the water but is paddling like crazy underneath! Then to add to the problem, we had to get a Children’s Menu and then they wanted crayons and a page to color, and they were already getting loud and the party hadn’t even officially started. Still in my calm mode, I went to the mother of the kids and before I could speak she apologized for having brought the children but the baby-sitter didn’t show up so she had no choice but to bring them or to miss the party – at that point I hugged her, told her I was glad they could come, but that if the kids got noisy at all (and I stressed ‘at all’) then she needed to take them out immediately. She agreed, and that’s what did have to happen not once, but twice...but at least she took them out. After the party, I was bombarded with folk telling me how gracious I had been, how I had handled that with great ‘aplomb’, and how they hoped they would react in the same manner if it ever happened to them. I’m glad the light of my life shined through even though my fuse was totally blown – and again, for all of us, that too is a choice. “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!” – learned that song in Sunday School when I was but 5 years old – it has served me well for all these years and still counting!

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4469-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Let-it-shine!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4468-Daily-Sunbeam!-(What’s-mine-is-yours-sometimes!)&goto=newpost Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:06:28 GMT “There is no delight in owning anything unshared...” – Seneca Ooooh, Snuggles, we say to our spouse as we share the nice, warm, fuzzy blanket on... “There is no delight in owning anything unshared...”
– Seneca

Ooooh, Snuggles, we say to our spouse as we share the nice, warm, fuzzy blanket on a cold winters night –- Here! You’ve just GOT to taste this chocolate pie; it’s the best I’ve ever eaten! – Here’s a song I want you to hear; I’ve never heard a voice like this!– Oh look at this cute e-mail; I’ve got to do a ‘forward’ of this to all on my email list! –We are, by nature, when all things are right within us, a people of sharing. We LOVE to share things with others; we are sociable and kindly. But if you ever notice yourself choosing not to share, beware, for things are not going so well within your heart and life. When we become selfish, usually we have chosen to withdraw from others, and while solitude is a wonderful thing sometimes, it should not be the norm. Too, we’ve all known people that share too much (like stupid e-mail forwards!) and that are food pushers when we are on a diet; or the other extreme if we are angry with our mate, (and we’ve let the sun go down on our anger!) we will jerk that cozy blanket over us as we turn over in bed, not caring one twit if our mate’s backside is exposed to the cold! (How ‘cold’ is that???) Then our mate will jerk it right back, along with making a snide, and mumbling, remark! (Been there, done that!) As in all of life, it’s about balance; not too little, and not too much – how much of a ‘sharer’
are you? If it’s been a while since you cared to share, why not choose just one thing to share with someone today? What about a tiny gift of sharing your phone by making a call just to say hello? What about sharing a piece of paper and one of your stamps to write a little word of cheer to someone? What about sharing some of your free-time with yourself in taking that long, nice, warm, bubble-bath that you’ve put off far too long? It’s STILL about choices!

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4468-Daily-Sunbeam!-(What’s-mine-is-yours-sometimes!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4467-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...Life-is-good!)&goto=newpost Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:03:42 GMT “You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work (or home) when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive... “You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work (or home) when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day!”
– Quote by MAXINE

Ain’t it the truth! And even though so very true, it still is oftimes quite disconcerting, especially if you have your day all planned out and then something, or someone, comes along, and changes everything! – Worse, however, are those times when NOTHING comes along to re-route your day except you just get a bad case of the ‘druthers’, as my old Granny used to say! What? You don’t know what a bad case of the ‘druthers’ is? It’s when say ‘I’druther not do anything today but just sit...’ – a funny contraction made from the words ‘I’d rather–I don’t know how I actually get infected with a bad case of the ‘druthers’ but as I age, it’s happening more often than not! I think it’s my immune system kicking in for I seem to be getting more immune to work every day...I’m sure you know the feeling...in fact, I just might have caught it from you! I’ve come full-circle on this – I used to worry about blowing off a whole day because I just couldn’t get my brain and my rear in gear – but I’m improving so much now that it doesn’t bother me at all to just sit and think or nap. Oh the bliss of just taking life as it comes...and enjoying every minute of it’s incredible pace, or its idleness, or anywhere in between the two extremes. What a blessing just to be alive...

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4467-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...Life-is-good!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4466-Daily-Sunbeam!-(“Belly-Laughs!!!)&goto=newpost Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:13:58 GMT “Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declaration of man’s superiority to all that befalls him...” – Romain Gary When I was 22, my Dad was... “Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declaration of man’s superiority to all that befalls him...”
– Romain Gary

When I was 22, my Dad was diagnosed with cancer and given three months to live; he lived 6 days short of the three months. During this time period his abdomen greatly swelled from the build-up of fluids – it happened almost overnight – that next morning when I saw him sitting in the chair, abdomen huge, he quipped “Come little girl! Sit on Santa’s lap and tell me what you want for Christmas!” – It made us both burst out laughing! Not funny at all – but a true affirmation of the quote today. I know you’ve never had an experience like that (at least I hope not!) but have you ever had a string of events that came at you all of a sudden and rather than break under the stress of it all you laughed? This happened to me just last week – in the span of one week our van was overheating, left it at the shop for 3 days and it came back still overheating! – we took it back to the shop; still not fixed after having it another 1/2 day! – on the way home I noted the transmission not shifting right – you guessed it! First gear was going out! – transmission place can’t get to it til this coming Monday which will necessitate it being gone for another 3-4 days and then afterwards we STILL have to have the overheating problem fixed – we were told it was safe to drive for very short distances so we went to dinner only to come home to 2” of standing water in the hall bathroom, the entire hall, and 1/4 of the way into our bedroom! As we were pulling up the soggy carpet at 9:30 at night, my little sis, the culprit behind the mis-deed of the soggy carpet since she simply forgot to turn off the faucet (we surmise the sink wasn’t draining properly) comes in and just stands there, tears in her eyes, saying nothing. I felt soooooo sorry for her that I burst out laughing! She thought she was in B-I-G trouble (and she WAS in big trouble with me before the humor hit me!) but when I declared it just an accident, she was relieved and then joined in the cleanup. How can we humans laugh when things go sooooooo wrong? I’m thinking it is surely a gift from our Creator to help ease the stress and strain of life – you’ve heard the phrase ‘she was so ugly she is cute’ – I think that surely applies to the things that come our way that drive us nuts –’they are so worrisome they become funny’ – at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I think I’m surely ready for the “Funny Farm” because I think I’ve lost it mentally – just kidding! – the belly laugh I had with my Dad and the belly laugh I had with my little sister fixed my psyche once more during very stressful times. What do you need to laugh about today? Rare back and let go! You’ll be better for it!

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4466-Daily-Sunbeam!-(“Belly-Laughs!!!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4463-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...pleasure-of-the-mundane!)&goto=newpost Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:05:45 GMT “How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?” –... “How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?”
– Paul Sweeney

We’ve come a long way, baby! We’ve surpassed by far the horse/buggy days; the days of grinding our own wheat (after we planted, and harvested it by the sweat of our brow!) and then making our own bread over a hearth. I’d probably be one of those that would have starved to death during that time period because it just seems like such a whole lot of work for a single loaf of bread that the family would gobble up in 10 minutes and then it’s back to baking more! (To get the perspective on this think of your last Holiday Dinner when the whole family came over – maybe for Thanksgiving? – and you slaved over a hot stove for 2 days of preparation – the meal is then set on the table – and it is gone in 30 minutes! All that work for 30 minutes of pleasure. Bummer!) As a person who was raised before the advent of ‘TV Dinners’ I can attest to some mighty fine dinners cooked by my mother, with help from me, – but, in retrospect it seemed like those were some of the happiest times of my life when it took us some 2 hours to get dinner on the table because we had to peel our own potatoes – wait for the hamburger meat or chicken to thaw (no microwave! and lots of times we’d have to take an icepick to it!) – but I learned a lot during those times with mom, when time seemed to be abundant. But truly, no one had anymore time than we do – the Pilgrims had 24 hours a day – as did my mother – as do we – yet it seems like now, even when we decide on ordering a pizza to be delivered directly to our home, or picking up some fried chicken and all the trimmings on our way home from work, that we are sooooooooo rushed for time! Everything is rush, rush, rush, hurry, hurry, hurry, dash, dash, dash from one thing to the next; gotta get one more whatever crammed into the time I have left before I fall into bed exhausted from the day only to do it all over again the next day. Somewhere in between these extremes is where we should live out our days...but do we? Nothing wrong with us not having to plant wheat when you want bread – nothing whatsoever wrong with picking up a loaf at the convenience store two blocks down the street for less than $2. (I recall when it was 19cents a loaf!; Mom said she recalled during the depression when it was 2cents a loaf, but no one had the two cents!!!) – but something is inherently and utterly wrong when our days are spent without truly enjoying the pleasure of the mundane. Something of intrinsic value to life itself has been lost along our way – but if something can be lost, it can be found once more – we only have to DECIDE to look for it!

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4463-Daily-Sunbeam!-(...pleasure-of-the-mundane!) http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4462-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Tweak-that-brain!)&goto=newpost Sat, 14 Aug 2010 02:29:24 GMT “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it...” – Albert Einstein Sounds like a strange quote to me! Yet, after pondering, it... “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it...”
– Albert Einstein

Sounds like a strange quote to me! Yet, after pondering, it is so true! You can’t become a fan of exercise unless you change the mindset that told you to be a ‘couch potato’ – you’ll never lose weight unless you change your mind about ‘this one more bite won’t hurt me’ (As Richard Simmons, fitness guru, says: ‘you got fat one forkful at a time!) – you won’t become friends with that ‘awful woman at the board meeting’ unless you decide to get to know her – you won’t run out of gas in your vehicle if you make it a habit to fill it up at the same time each week whether it needs it or not – hmmmm – I see the pattern emerging once again! Choices! Life is, no matter how you look at it, all about choices! It’s nice we have choices b t oftimes those choices get us into trouble. Best if we simply change the mindset that brought us to the tough places in our lives due to choices we have made, and get on with what’s important in life! Then, ‘this can’t be done’ will turn into ‘why didn’t I think of this before!’ Go for it! Tweak that brain of yours and be all the happier for the doing!

– “Daily Sunbeam! & Winning Ways, by Beverly” Used by permission. (Free subscription by sending email to: vanflo@swbell.net...) ]]> Personal Growth David Young http://www.dailybreakthroughs.com/showthread.php?4462-Daily-Sunbeam!-(Tweak-that-brain!)