Small steps in the right....

....direction count for far more than giant strides around the side of the circle. A few well-chosen words whispered in the right ear at the right moment, can prove more influential than a thousand diatribes delivered through a megaphone.

There are many times when it is not energy that we need; it is discrimination. Create some space. Find a little shelter, take a little rest, seek a little peace, gain a little perspective. Once you are sure of what's going on, you will know where those small steps should go.

Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will 

help create the fact.    (William James)

Institutions are often required....

.....to spend significant amounts of money on services and facilities. Dutifully, they put out their contracts to tender. Unless budgets are excruciatingly tight, the lowest bidder isn't the automatic winner. Issues of reliability and quality must also be considered. (What I remember as best overall value for money.) But we know that you can't always promise reliability and quality when you are operating on a shoestring. Plus there is such a thing as false economy - some would say we live in one.  'If you buy cheap, you buy twice', is a saying from many years past.

If any deal done isn't fair to all, it won't be fair for any.

All things are only transitory  (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

We've had Black Friday....

....recently, and now the post Christmas sales are in full swing.  Shops are doing their best to tempt us. Piled high in every window are special offers. It can seem that we are bombarded by TV ads offering us all we could ever need at prices we won't believe - apparently!  Strangely, though, no store is offering a bargain pack of wisdom. Indeed, you can't even get it at any price!

In this economic climate, we may think we're short of capital but it's understanding that's really in woefully short supply. And we are not even wise enough to realise it is missing!

Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have a right to expect.   (Rousseau)

Without our likes and dislikes.....

...we would soon be swamped by an enormous number of options. All those foods. All those drinks. All those clothes. All those soaps, shampoos, TV channels and social opportunities. How will we know which to accept and which to reject? Our preferences, even our prejudices, represent a lifebelt of seeming certainty in an ocean of overwhelming choice.

Your opinions are very valid, just as everyone else's are.  Sometimes, though,  there can be the odd one that does not help you float, but drags you down. Watch for that.

Habit is the nursery of errors   (Victor Hugo)

We are close to turning....

....the page of another year.  Shall we look forward to a brave new world? A better society? A fairer, kinder, more enlightened future? Or shall we just carry on as normal, carping at and criticising one another?  Applying double standards?  Increasing intolerance? Perpetrating prejudice?

We cannot ever expect to alter the attitudes of others. We can, though, adjust our own.

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let every new year 

find you a better person.    (Benjamin Franklin) 

 

It isn't New Year yet....

....Does that make it too early to begin a diet, embrace a fresh priority or start a new regime? Are you somehow stuck in the old cycle, rather like a towel trapped in a washing machine that must continue spinning too hard, too fast, for too long? If you really believe that New Year's Day has some special, magical, significance, feel free to wait. 

But if you truly want to change your future, remember that you are not a towel and life is not an uncontrollable engine. Today is as good a day as any to commence.

Don't let the past steal your present. This is the message of Christmas: 

We are never alone.  (Taylor Caldwell)

Christmas Gift Suggestions.....

To your enemy....forgiveness

To an opponent....tolerance 

To a friend....your heart

To a customer....service

To all....charity

To every child....a good example 

To yourself....respect     

      

Often we race around....

.... doing things that do not need to be done. We act before we stop to consider the consequences. We end up expending vast amounts of energy, only to realise later that we must work just as hard to undo whatever we have done. It takes great strength and understanding to do nothing at a time when the whole world seems to think you should be doing something.

The fact remains, though, that you are better off doing a little wisely rather than a lot in the wrong sort of a hurry.

Poverty is the worse form of violence  (Gandhi)

You may have read....

....this before, but at this time of year it's worth revisiting.  (Then again, it's worth revisiting any time of year.)

In the Christmas of 1914 or 1915, during the wanton brutality of the First World War, British and German troops stopped shooting. They went over to each other's trenches and exchanged seasonal gifts. Some even sang carols. I think they even played a game of football.  The next day, they got back into their positions and continued with the carnage - they were ordered to. Stories like this leave us wondering whether to laugh or cry.

There are often situations that are both bitter and sweet, awesome and awful. But through our choices and our actions, we can take what is bad and make it good.

Leaders grasp nettles   (David Ogilvy)

I don't know if you have....

....read Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.  In it, this is the description of our world -  'Earth. Mostly harmless.'  Ummmm, it makes you wonder what a harmful place must be like. We may not pose much of a threat to the other solar systems but we are certainly a danger to ourselves.

The only thing that is arguable, is whether we do more damage through our high ideals or our shocking lack of moral conscience.

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.  (Albert Einstein)

Some people will say or do....

....almost anything if they think that it will gain them more money, more love or more respect. It's all rather sad, to say nothing of counterproductive. Money earned through insincere action is soon wasted on unnecessarily indulgence. Love attained through a false promise is soon lost. Recognition given to an empty gesture is rapidly replaced by criticism.

If there is ever pressure on you to lower a standard or to compromise an important principle, the apparent reward is probably not really worth having.

Surely the principles of Christianity lead to action as well as meditation.  

(William Wilberforce)

Nature does things differently....

....all over the world. Plants, creatures, people, vary from place to place. In essence, we are all much the same but each individual manifestation of that essence, is gloriously unique. To go along with our different personas, we have different tastes, preferences and opinions.

It's not for anyone to say that some of these are better or count for more than others.

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Are people who wear....

....suits more important than those who dress in casual clothes? But if you had to manifest an air of authority to help control a volatile social situation, wouldn't you prefer to be clad in a uniform that conferred a look of power upon you. Even the most free-thinking and unconventional among us find it hard not to be taken in by appearances.

Yet you may miss out on something valuable if you judge anyone by their superficial features and evaluate a situation entirely by the first impression it gives.

It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension

 of life opens up.    (Eckhart Tolle)

'Enough,' they say, 'is a banquet.'....

.... 'Go too far,' they also say, 'and you will wish you hadn't gone anywhere at all.' It's a funny old thing. I have been around for a while now, and in all this time I have been keeping a careful eye out, in the hope that one day, I will discover who 'they' are. I want to ask them, 'Why do you say all these things?' 

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, moderation. It's a fine thing and you can't have too much of it! Some limits may need to be respected but feel free to allow in some passion.

Under every stone lurks a politician  (Aristophanes)

As children we are all taught....

....to label and categorise the world around us. What colour is this? Then later come more sophisticated inquiries. How big is that? How much does this cost? What is that truly worth? 

And as adults it seems as if, when we are not judging others, we are judging ourselves. Really, that's bad. Indeed, arguably, the only one thing we are ever within our rights to judge ourselves for, is judging ourselves!

The only way round is through.   (Robert Frost)

Do you fancy something....

....of a novelty.  A brave new world, for instance? A better society? A fairer, kinder, more enlightened future? Or shall we just carry on as normal, carping at and criticising one another? Increasing intolerance? Perpetrating prejudice? 

We cannot ever expect to alter the attitudes of others. We can, though, adjust our own. 

We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.   (Rabindranath Tagore)

If you keep looking....

....over your shoulder, you will see whatever is threatening to sneak up on you from behind. You won't, though, be alert to any danger that lies ahead. We live in a world full of stable doors that have all been locked, long after their various horses have bolted. Meanwhile, new difficulties, as yet unlegislated for, wait to arise. 

As with problems, so with opportunities. Why plough the same old tired furrow, when a new one can be dug. Go exploring. 

Look back and smile on perils past   (Walter Scott)

Don't push your luck....

....That's what people say. But are they are right? A gentle push can create momentum where none might otherwise have developed. It is possible to push your luck too far, but there is a greater risk in not pushing it far enough. Ideally, though, you don't want to push your luck, you want to put yourself into a position in which your luck can push you. 

You want to be open, flexible and ready to roll with an opportunity if or when it arises.

Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.  (Andre Gide) 

You can buy most things....

....over the internet these days. Strangely, though, it is still not possible to purchase items or services designed to leave you feeling fed up. Why? Because such things are freely available and in plentiful supply. You don't even have to go out and get them. Give them half a chance and they will deliver themselves to your door. 

You may be shown many offers for a selection of reasons to feel anxious, angry, agitated or aggrieved. You are perfectly entitled, though, to reject them all.

Freedom is from within  (Frank Lloyd Wright)

You can't have everything....

....you want but, then, nor can anyone else. Anyway, thankfully, the reverse is also true. You can't have everything you don't want, none of us can. No matter how hard-done-by we may feel, there will always be areas of our life that deserved to be savoured and celebrated.

We all have gifts that nobody can take from us. Assets for which we should be ever grateful. What stops us from recognising these? Wanting something we can't have!

Never cut what you can untie.  (Joseph Joubert)

Why do we sleep?...

....Think of the hours that are wasted across the globe, everyday, in this activity. Does sleeping generate any wealth? Does it make a contribution to the Gross Domestic Product? Why, it doesn't even have a social advantage! Only the manufacturers of beds and pillows can possibly profit from it. Surely, it ought to be banned. 

Well, no, not really, but I hope you take my point. Not everything in life has to be practical - or pay for itself.

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.  (John Dewey)

Why don't we all....

....live forever? Because none of us wants to. Probably, there's some kind of mechanism embedded in our DNA. It enables our eternal existence but only on condition that we never drop our desire for it. The moment we say, even briefly, even in jest, that we are sick of this world - or of ourselves - we surrender our divine right to immortality. 

And what a jolly good job we do. Can you imagine how excruciatingly dull that would be? What makes life fun is that it is not forever. Make the most of yours.

Be happy for this moment.  This moment is your life.  (Omar Khayyam) 

Why is it that some of us....

....seem to be so reluctant to tell each other the truth? We employ polite euphemisms. We dance delicately round the edge of tricky topics. We justify little white lies, even when they aren't so little and may be perceived, by those with a more critical eye, as possessing a murkier hue. 

The answer is simple. Because, it seems, so many of us can't face, can't take, can't handle, the truth. 

So here's the question - How much truth is it safe for you to tell? The answer usually is - About as much as you are willing to hear in return.

Love is a tyrant, sparing none.    (Pierre Corneille) 

When you finally get....

....to the future, who can you expect to find there? Yourself! You'll be there. In all your glory. There's no getting away from that. The day you cease to exist, there is no future - at least as far as you're concerned. Do you like yourself now? Then you'll like yourself in the future and, reassured by the prospect of your own good company, you'll find tomorrow a rewarding place. 

And if you don't like yourself now? You had better start working on that relationship. It's powerful and it's not going to go away.

There is no respect for others without humility in one's self.   (Henri Frederic Amiel)

What's the difference between....

....a human and an animal? Both are driven by the same primeval needs and urges. Animals, though, do not have the ability to pretend that these do not exist. Or to explain and justify their actions with a load of pretentious waffle. Or to lie through their teeth. Or to apply dual standards and be stinkingly hypocritical. 

No wonder we feel such pity for the poor creatures. Look what they are missing out on! Actions speak a lot louder than words, but don't be fooled.

Our ideals are our better selves.   (Amos Bronson Alcott)

We all have ideas about....

....how other people ought to act. In much the same way as we sometimes launch into a great explanation of where the government is going wrong or what the authorities are failing to organise properly, we can find fault with friends and colleagues too. 

Or at least we can, until we stop and remember that we ourselves don't get everything right all the time. Constructive climates are only created by making allowances for extenuating circumstances, even if you don't know fully what they are. 

Love prefers twilight to daylight.  (Oliver Wendell Holmes Snr)

We live, so we are told....

....in a civilised world. We are not primitives. We are not cave dwellers. We are part of a sophisticated society, a refined, elegant culture in which good manners predominate and only the highest values hold sway. It sounds good. 

And as long as we ignore the things that happen in dark corners under murky shadows, we can uphold this comforting, if questionable, belief. 

Yet the world is surely, not just what we choose to see it is, but how we choose to make it.

Enlightenment must come little by little, otherwise it would overwhelm.   (Idries Shah)

We get enticed....

....by short cuts and special deals. Intense emotional needs and desires blind us to the light of logic. We think, 'there ought to be an instant way to get what I want'. Then we seize on the first notion that looks likely to offer us such a solution. 

To do the right thing requires wisdom, restraint, patience, faith, effort, sincerity and humility.

Knowing others is wisdom.  Knowing yourself is enlightenment.  (Lao Tzu)

We don't get long....

....on this planet. A few short decades that are over before we know it. Isn't it strange though, how easily we all forget this? We often act as if we have been here forever... and are due to remain for the rest of time. We become entrenched in our attitudes, opinions, principles and beliefs. 

Yet if we do not know where we were before we came here, or where we are going once we leave, how can we possibly be so sure about where we are now? Sometimes a day or a week brings with it a real epiphany. Act on it when you have the chance.

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; 

the realist adjusts the sails.     (William Arthur Ward)

Wisdom ceases to be wisdom....

....when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself.' So said Khalil Gibran. And people who do seek wisdom soon discover that wisdom cannot be sought. 

Unlike information - which you can most definitely go out hunting or fishing for - wisdom is nobody's prey and nobody's quarry. If you wish to encounter wisdom - you must stand still and allow wisdom to catch you!

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. 

Conceit is self-given. Be careful.      (John Wooden)

We cannot help but be conscious....

....of inconsistency in the minds and hearts of our fellow humans. We are never quite sure who we can trust. We learn that one day, folk can be friendly towards us - and the next, they treat us as if we were sworn enemies. So we duck and we dive. At the first sign of trouble, we prepare to protect ourselves. 

All of which is fine until we mistake a bouquet for a brickbat and turn down something we ought to gratefully accept.

Change before you have to.   (Jack Welch)

Just for the record....

......they also say that, one way or another, we end up paying a price for everything. They may be right. But that's not the whole story. Our every action earns us a reward. Our every decision leads to a consequence. If we always do our best to do the right thing for the right reason, we will invariably get a result we can be pleased with. 

Any price we ever have to pay for this will always seem small by comparison to the sense of satisfaction that we have been blessed with. 

A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.   (Thomas Carlyle)

Let us pause, reflect.......

......and utter those immortal words - They say.  Well, they say it doesn't matter what you choose, as long as you choose it wholeheartedly. They, whoever 'they' are, are having a laugh. They are confusing millions around the globe. 

First of all, of course it matters, what rubbish. Secondly, even if you are in a situation where for some reason it does not really matter, there is no such thing as a wholehearted choice. 

Only robots are without doubt. Humans always retain a degree of doubt, even when they are right.

God is in the details   (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe)

There are some seriously rich people....

.....who lose sleep at night about the state of their finances. There are paupers who feel genuinely happy and secure. Whilst we all tend to imagine that we would feel better if we were better off, that is a false assumption. At best, an improvement in our material circumstances would bring fleeting excitement. 

True peace of mind can neither be bought nor paid for. But it can be experienced.

The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection.  (Johann Wolfgang von Gothe)

There is no such thing....

....as perfection - present company included! When we strive for perfection we make our lives difficult. We become unnecessarily anxious. We create a rod for our own back. You may well be keen to get something right. That's fine. But you may also very keen not to get it wrong. That is not necessarily so good. You would be impeding your own progress by setting a standard that it may prove impossible to live up to. 

At such times, be a little more tolerant and forgiving of yourself and be similarly understanding with others.

Nature is not human hearted.   (Lao Tzu)

We are all....

.....to some extent, like gardeners. We plant seeds. We nurture aspirations. We tend our hopes and dreams. Feeding them here, pruning them there and gently encouraging them towards a perfect state of fruition. Always, though, there will be little patches of land that we have overlooked - areas where the wild things grow, places that we have all but forgotten the existence of. 

Sometimes, in among the so-called weeds, rare and wonderful flowers bloom.

Flowers often grow more beautifully on dung-hills than in gardens 

that look beautifully kept.     (Saint Francis de Sales)

We are not placed....

....on this earth in order to trade in stocks and shares. Or to work in jobs that don't fulfil us. Or to struggle with situations that continually frustrate us. We are here to make wonderful discoveries. To share meaningful experiences. To find and follow inspiration. To be creative, loving, kind... and happy. 

It's just that sometimes, we forget this. Sometimes too, the situations we find ourselves in offer no reminder. 

Time is flying, never to return.   (Virgil)

Would a palace make you feel....

....more secure than a humble but cosy hut? Are orchids more precious than daisies? In the eyes of some, the differences are enormous. Such people are often fabulously rich. They are surrounded by expensive finery. Yet their hearts are empty because their values are so shallow. Maybe money can buy you what passes, in some folks mind, for love but it sure can't buy sensitivity! 

Or style. Or wit. Or wisdom. Or discrimination. Aim to be rich in spirit and all else you need will come.

For it is in the giving that we receive.  (Francis of Assisi)

The world, as I'm sure....

.....you must have noticed by now, is full of people who have strong opinions. If only the strength of those opinions were a reliable reflection of how accurate and appropriate they are. 'Oh, you believe this very deeply do you? Well then, you must be right.' How simple the world would be then. 

In attempting, today, to distinguish between what's wrong and what's right, don't rule out the possibility that what's really wrong is the amount of determination that's now being applied to proving how right something is.

There is no wealth, but life.  (John Ruskin)

The world is full of people....

.....who haven't got the first clue about what they are really doing. The world is also full of people who love to act as if they have the answer to everything. Now, here's a question. If the world is full of the first kind of person, how can it also be full of the second? Unless, that is, the two types are actually one and the same. 

Now that would explain a lot, wouldn't it? If, somewhere in your world now, there's a whole lot of bluffing going on -  don't fall for it. 

Information is not knowledge   (Albert Einstein)

The world is full of....

.... studious academics, accomplished scientists and knowledgeable philosophers. Individually and collectively they apply themselves to the many complex questions that hang over all our heads. They have solutions in all shapes and sizes. So, why are so many of us still unclear? 

Because what we seek is not an explanation, a formula or an intellectual answer. It is a simple gesture of love and kindness.

Being at ease with not knowing is crucial for answers to come to you.   (Eckhart Tolle)

The world is full of people....

....who love to irritate other people. They take pleasure in making contentious statements. We know this and guard against it, yet we still fall for the trick. One minute we feel fine - calm, clear and relaxed. The next, someone says something and we are off! Agitated, irritated and upset. 

We can expect, to be surrounded as ever, by folk who seemingly take delight in being awkward but expect too, everything to be fine as long as you don't take the nonsense too seriously.

We are rarely proud when we are alone    (Voltaire)

The pessimist calls the glass....

....half-empty. The optimist describes it as half-full. So what does the realist say? That the glass contains 50 per cent liquid and 50 per cent air? Well, surely. But that glass, if it has recently been drunk from, may well be drained dry before long. While if it is in the hands of a bar tender, being held under an upturned bottle, it will surely be full very soon. 

Every full glass will eventually become empty again and every empty glass is surely destined in time to fill once more. Faith is not misplaced.

Leaders who serve will serve as good leaders.

Thai, Japanese, English....

....American and Mexican. Indian, Greek, Malaysian, Chinese or Italian. Yet no matter which restaurant you eat in, there is one thing you will never find much of. Food for thought. Caterers like to be non-controversial. A little daring and innovative perhaps, but ultimately safe. The stomach likes what it knows. 

The brain, too, claims this - yet it urgently requires a fresh, unusual input. If it is not challenged, it atrophies. If you are learning something, be glad.

Illusion is the first of all pleasures  (Voltaire)

Sometimes, when the world....

....of emotion becomes too intense and the sphere of the intellect too demanding, we take refuge in the realm of the practical. Let's forget our feelings. Let's ignore our thoughts. Let's just get something done. Let's bury ourselves in a useful task. Let's tick off items on our 'to do' list. After all, actions speak much louder than words. 

Is that way of thinking just a cop-out? A way of running from something that ought to be faced?

In dreams begins responsibilities.  (W B Yeats)

Some people, it seems.....

.....collect opinions, with the same enthusiasm as others collect Air Miles or Shopper's Reward points. They just can't get enough. If there is any chance of making a judgement or taking a strong point of view, they leap right in to nail the colours of their beliefs to the mast of prejudice. It keeps conversations exciting but it works against wisdom. 

When you need real discrimination, the last thing you want is a passionate reaction.

Be obscure, clearly.  (E B White)

Some people are not....

....always very civil or polite. Others are too nice. Almost suspiciously so. Some people are remote. Others empathise more than they possibly should. It is never easy to strike a perfect balance. Even if one aspect of someone's character seems wonderful, you may find some other side to their personality irritates you. 

We have to be careful about making big, lifetime decisions on the basis of passing, intense reactions.

Many are called, but few get up.   (Oliver Herford)

Some people see themselves....

....as guardians of morality and legality. If there is a law, they want to uphold it. If there is a standard, they want to live up to it. They even get so excited about requirements and regulations, protocol and procedures, that they almost completely forget about the individuals to whom these apply. 

Don't people matter more than principles? Aren't there exceptions to every rule? What matters is that you give your heart a fair hearing, regardless of what else is being debated.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.   (Frederick Douglass)

Some wounds never heal....

....Some ailments never fully clear up. We must learn to live with the challenges that they pose and try our best to turn these, somehow, into constructive, even positive, factors. 

The idea that things could be worse is not just some flimsy form of self-deception intended to make discomfort more bearable. It is potentially the seed of some tremendous tree of inner strength and wisdom. 

Much the same can be said of old emotional injuries and upsets. Quite often past problems become future opportunities.

Every exit is an entry somewhere else.  (Tom Stoppard)

Rewards and incentives don't....

....have to be dramatic to be effective. Would you rather see one slight smile flit across the face of someone you feel fond of or watch an entire crowd adopting an expression of false amazement and feigned rapture? Would you rather be given the one thing you most need to complete a collection or just accept a whole stack of relatively random but expensive prizes? 

A small but significant development can be worth more than its weight in platinum.

Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.   (Albert Einstein)