What choices am I making each day?

This story was simple but profound! Enjoy!

The Emperor and the Horseman

A Long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that

if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes,

then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.

Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and

rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could.

He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible.

When he was hungry,thirsty or tired, he did not stop because

he wanted to cover as much area as possible. Came to a point

when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted

and was dying. Then he asked himself, "Why did I pushed myself

so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and

I only need a very small area to bury myself."

The above story is similar with the journey of our Life.

We push very hard everyday to make more money,

to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health, time with our family

and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love to do.

One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much,

but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.

Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition.

Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living

so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Moral of the story ...

Life is a balance of Work and Play, Family and Personal time.

You have to decide how you want to balance your Life.

Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise

but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life,

the whole aim of human existence. So, take it easy,

do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile,

Life is short. Do not take Life for granted.

Live a balance lifestyle and enjoy Life!  ~ Unknown

 

"In every single thing you do, you are choosing a direction. Your life is a product of choices." Dr. Kathleen Hall, from Alter Your Life

“You may think that in life, a lot of things happen to you along the way. The truth is, in life, you happen to a lot of things along the way.”

“There may be a thousand little choices in a day. All of them count.”
http://lifelessons4u.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/26-quotes-on-choices/

No direction

I have always been impressed with people, who know exactly what they want in their lives. I struggled my Senior year, because everyone kept asking me the old famous question...SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN  YOU GRADUATE? I remember feeling frustrated because I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life at that point. In my Junior year, I was engaged and after I broke that off, I was only sure of one thing...  that I didn't want to be married right away...especially at 16 years old!  I knew that I needed and wanted to move away from home, but I wasn't sure about college because I struggled so hard in High School. So I really didn't know! So when I would hear other Seniors say..."oh, I am going to ...., I am planning this for the next 4 years or ..whatever.  I envied their ability to make a decision on their future and to have ANY type of direction in their life.

"To the person who does not know where he wants to go, there is no favorable wind."...Seneca

Now that I am a mother for the 4th time of a Senior, how grateful I am that he is better prepared for the REAL WORLD than I was, actually all of my kids have been. I have repeated to them, on more than one occasion (when they say they don't really know that they want to do for their future), that "it isn't vital as a Senior to know exactly what you want to do in the future. What really matters is what DIRECTION you are going." I should have known and focused on that, in those early years. So since this last Senior of mine, is into sports, I found a poem, which is an Attitude Plan by Billy Donavan  (William John "Billy" Donovan, Jr. (born May 30, 1965) is an American college basketball coach and former player. Donovan is currently the head coach of the Florida Gators

Even though I am not a Senior anymore (well that type of Senior anymore :), I still think this is great advice to remember!

BILLY DONOVAN'S ATTITUDE PLAN

Always making today my best day
Taking pride in a job well done
Treating others with respect
Isolating my negative thoughts
Treating tasks as opportunities
Utilizing my talents every day
Doing the job right the first time
Expecting positive outcomes daily
Speaking well of others every day

"The key to motivation is motive. It's the why. It's the deeper "yes!" burning inside that makes it easier to say no to the less important." - Stephen R. Covey

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”  ~ Will Rogers

HOPE

I read this poem today that I found at www.wow4u.com and written by Catherine Pulsifer,  and loved it. It is so true, that hope gives us optimism when we are feeling discouraged.  I love the quote by Diogenes which says..."Hope is the dream of a waking man" or we could say waking woman! :) So sit back read it and know that there is always hope out there, no matter how hard life is... with a lot of faith and hope we can conquer anything!

As long as we have hope,
we have direction,
the energy to move,
and the map to move by.
We have a hundred alternatives,
a thousand paths and infinity of dreams.
Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go;
Hopeless, we are lost forever.

Hope is one of the prime differences between successful people and those who can only see failure. Successful people have hope because they can clearly see their goals. People who only see failure have no hope because they see no light, they set no goals, and they see nothing accomplished. Successful people see alternatives and are willing to try different ways. People who only see failure are unable to see another way and give up to easily. With hope you are halfway to where you want to go; by setting your goals, and taking the action to achieve them, you will see your hope turn into your reality!

 

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible."  ~ Christopher Reeve

 

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."  ~ Dale Carnegie

 

"The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."  ~ Allan K. Chalmers

Winds of change

I have met so many people in my life that found their true direction, after going through a serious trial or challenge. Why do you think that is? I only know from my own opinion, but I believe it is because you have now changed through this hard and trying time, you have become different. Your priorities change, what used to be necessary or so important in your life, might not matter at all now. And then something that seemed so small and insignificant ...now is vital in your life. That is what cancer did for me. Oh, I am not glad that I had it (twice), it is nothing I would wish on my worst enemy (which I don't have), but what I learned through it all, has been invaluable. I am a changed person, I am a better person, I am a happier and much more content person. I am grateful that I lived to tell about it and hopefully that by telling my story it will give support, hope and encouragement to others. I am passionate about seeing that every person who has to face cancer, knows there is hope and peace out there. Fear is a terrible thing. Thanks for reading my blog, I pray that it helps at least someone out there. Good night dear friends and remember ..."ONLY WHEN WE ARE NO LONGER AFRAID DO WE BEGIN TO LIVE!" ~ Dorothy Thompson

 

"Sometimes in the winds of change, we find our true directions."

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive.  And then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."  ~Attributed to Howard Thurman

"Renew your passions daily."  ~Terri Guillemets