In our modern....

....materialistic world we often equate 'the best' with 'the most expensive'. Yet, though the best things in life are not always free, they are rarely as costly as some of the more outrageously priced alternatives.

And once we stop measuring value in financial terms and look at human qualities like integrity, loyalty, sympathy and intelligence, we soon realise that these are factors which nobody can ever put a price on yet which all of us can afford to prioritise and covert.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.  

Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.   (Helen Keller)

Your heart wants....

.....one thing; your head wants another. Your head has no intention of letting your heart win the battle. Your heart has no intention of putting up a fight. Why should it when it can just as easily attain its goal through subtlety and subterfuge? Sooner or later, your head will look the other way. The moment it does, your heart will spring into action and ensure that you do or say something irrevocable.

Ultimately, you have no choice other than to follow your deepest feeling.

The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers.  (Deepak Chopra)

Here's a conundrum....

.....for today, and any other day, for that matter.   How can you make sure that you are in the right place at the right time? People have been wrestling with this dilemma for centuries. Books have been written, philosophies have been invented, and entire lives have been dedicated to the pursuit of the perfect answer. 

Here's the definitive solution to this complex conundrum. Write it down. Keep it safe. Pass it on to your grandchildren. The secret is simple. Just make sure that your heart is in the right place. Then the rest of your life will automatically follow suit!

We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own.

Many people consider....

.....themselves to belong to a particular religion, but very few are religious. For most of us, it is a cultural thing. We were brought up observing practices and absorbing the doctrines we choose to cherry-pick. In times of need, we fall back on the comfort of those traditional beliefs. The rest of the time, we just get on with our lives.

Heartfelt faith, though, is an extremely powerful thing. It really can move mountains. If you go beyond what you think you believe and pursue a vision with passion, you can really create a big change.

Faith is permitting ourselves to be seized by the things we do not see.    (Martin Luther)

A line of literature....

.....for today - "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary..." So began one of Edgar Allan Poe's great compositions. Why do we associate Gothic imagery with that moment when the clock strikes midnight? Is it because by that time of night, we literally are weaker, wearier and thus more likely to see spooks? Or is it the changing of the date - the realisation that the clock has now pushed the calendar? 

Be glad of time's onward march in your life, for it can help free you from a past pain.

Instead of wiping away your tears, wipe away the people who made you cry!

Some people believe....

....that other people ought not to be allowed to believe what they believe. You can always tell when someone believes that their belief is the only belief worth believing. Their behaviour becomes unbelievable! In some cultures it is a sign of weakness to be unsure of what you believe in. It is, though, an indication of great strength, wisdom and integrity.

It's very possible that you no longer believe what you used to believe. Let that lack of belief be a relief!

Just because they don’t understand doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path.

According to social convention....

....there are times when it is not appropriate for us to feel happy. We are not, for example, expected to smile if we receive a final demand for a bill that we cannot pay. If we commit a traffic offence and are pulled over by a stern police officer, we are not expected to comment on how wonderful the world is.

If we are not careful, though, we can end up nervously suppressing joy so successfully that we forget to feel it, even when circumstances permit this.

What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now   (Buddha)