When was the last time you gave somebody a gift by sharing with them one of your talents, or a little of your time? Being to busy for others makes for a boring lonely life. Serving others makes for a adventurous and happy life.
August 28, 2008 What would you...
What would you spend your time doing if you were the only person on earth?
August 27, 2008 The Way Forward
If you're walking down the path of life backwards you're going to miss the rest of your life.
-Curtis Thomas
August 26, 2008 It's Up To You
A number of things in life depend on other people; your happiness on the other hand is up to you.
-Curtis Thomas
August 25, 2008 Making Hay While The Sun Shines
Most amazing things don't happen all the time; if they did they would soon become ordinary. The key to amazing times is to make the most of them. While you have the chance make the most of it.
-Curtis Thomas
August 22, 2008 A Little Extra
A little extra goes a long way. It seems to be the little extra that really makes things happen. The next time you are ready to stop at good enough try doing a little extra and see where it leaves you.
August 20, 2008 Patience in Passion
One of the most difficult areas to have patience seems to be in our passion areas. It’s frustrating when something doesn’t come together when we would like. It is even more frustrating when it is an area that we are passionate about.
Patience truly brings about great things. What things help you be more patient?
August 19, 2008 Your Own Gold Metal
After watching last night's competition for the gold medal in the women's uneven bars where the first two girls tied for first place and only one of them walked away with the gold medal in the event reminded me of how many times in life we put in a great effort even identical to someone else and get a different ending result.
It's important to focus on what you know to be true. The truth in the tie for gold is that no matter which girl leaves with a gold medal they scored the same score. The truth in life is that we all have different results often times even doing the same things.
Don't get frustrated when something that worked for somebody else doesn't work for you learn from it and keep working at it.
-Curtis Thomas
August 18, 2008 Someone To Look Up To
If you don't have somebody you look up to it is worth spending some time to find somebody that you can try to be like. It's important to remember we all have weaknesses. You don't have to agree with everything they do just pick somebody that has a characteristic or trait that you would like to improve upon in your own life.
At the end of your life the only real differences that matter are what knowledge you have gained and what relationships you have.
-Curtis Thomas
August 15, 2008 What Makes a Person Good?
One of the questions that we ask people we spotlight in the newsletter is, What makes a person good?
Here are the last two answers:
-"To have the welfare and happiness of others at heart."
-"The simple things you do for others is what makes you good. It's kindness and caring for other people that matter."
And I agree with both of them.
August 14, 2008 You
One simple question for today:
What makes you, you?
-Curtis Thomas
August 13, 2008 Good and Bad Habits
I overheard a little girl asking her mother, "What are good habits, and what are bad habits?" It made me wonder how long it had been since I had taken an inventory of my good and bad habits.
So today's invitation is to find one bad habit you have and work towards replacing it with one good habit you would like to have. Good Luck!
-Curtis Thomas
August 12, 2008 Which way do you look at it?
I saw this phrase on an ad and thought it was worth thinking about:
We didn't inherit the world from our parents, we're borrowing it from our children.
- Curtis Thomas
August 11, 2008 Lasting
Most good things don't last forever.
Most bad things don't last forever.
This is why it is so important to choose to remember the good and forget the bad.
- Curtis Thomas
August 8, 2008 The Inner You
When we are hungry our stomach tells us and we recognize it.
When we are tired our eyes and body tell us and we recognize it.
When we are in need of a hair cut we recognize it.
It’s easy to recognize when our physical body is in need of rest, fuel, or maintaining. It is far more difficult to see when our emotional or inner body is in need of rest, fuel, or maintenance. I don’t think the majority of us recognize what our bodies are telling us when it comes to the emotional or inner body.
When you’ve worked a lot harder than you should have how do you relax?
How does your body tell you that you are not in balance between your physical self and emotional self?
When you know that your inner self is not in balance, how do you get back to that balance?
When was the last time you spent time strengthening or even maintaining the inner you? How do you strengthen or maintain the inner you?
Cars need fuel and maintenance, plants need fuel and maintenance, and we all need fuel and maintenance at the physical and emotional levels. Listen to what your body is trying to tell you.
-Curtis Thomas
August 7, 2008 Good News
Most often good things take a little more effort than originally planned, don’t transpire as originally planned, and benefit more people in more ways than will ever be known.
Gearing up for Nations of Service tomorrow, I just want to tell everyone thanks for everything you make the world a better place!
-Curtis Thomas
August 6, 2008 Before and After
It is always fun to look at before and after pictures and be able to instantly compare what progress has been made in leaving something better than you found it.
It would be interesting if we could take snap shots of our life and compare them at different times to see in what areas we had grown. Keeping a journal can help in some ways to be able to do this.
- Curtis Thomas
August 5, 2008 It's How YOU See It
I’m sure that many, if not all, the spectators of the David and Goliath battle were thinking something along the lines of:
“He’s so big there is no way that David can conquer him.”
More importantly David was thinking more along the lines of:
“He’s so big, there is no way I can miss.”
- Curtis Thomas
August 4, 2008 Desktop Wallpaper Calendar for August
Here is a free downloadable desktop wallpaper calendar. It comes in two different sizes and turns your computer screen desktop into a beautiful calendar for the month.
One of the most under-used opportunities that we have is to make each day better than the one before. Whether it’s learning something new each day, doing something new each day, or bettering our lives by starting or stopping a habit each day we can increase the amount of good in our daily lives. By keeping track of our progress daily we can better navigate the twists and turns of life. Make today better than yesterday; it’s within your reach.
Thank you to all those who participated in Nations of Service. It was a blast!
August 8, 2008 It's Here!!!!!
Nations of Service is officially here! If you are participating wonderful, if you have missed the whole thing here is your personal invitation boiled down to what is important:
Here is your invitation to do some good in the world today. Pick up some litter, hold the door for somebody else, give 10 compliments, smile at others, ask people you meet or friends or family if you can help them. It's not important what you do just that you do something. We would love to hear back from you and see how your day goes. If you've taken some pictures of what you've done send them our way we would love to see them!
