success

The making of friends, who are real friends, is the best token we have of success in life.
– Edward Everett Hale

what do think it takes to be successful? having money is important. i think that enjoying your career is essential. enjoying the people in your life is the most important. surrounding yourself with people who make you feel happy and positive can make you a success no matter your bank account or your job. maybe you have only one good friend. if you support each other and spend quality time together, you have success.

i urge you to count the quality of your relationships rather than the quantity of your possessions and money when you count your worth. when you are old and gray, it will be the people in your life that you'll remember. they will color your life.

even facebook friends will have an influence whether they are acquaintances or dear friends. if you read your 'wall' on a regular basis, you will receive positive or negative messages. choose carefully who you allow into your life. even acquaintances have a part in coloring your life.

whatever goals i may accomplish in my life, the one i'll be most proud of is being a good friend. even at 40 years old, i consider myself a success because of the friendships i have cultivated. wishing you a life rich in happy friendships!

i wonder what would happen

i love harry chapin songs and ideals. this song in particular:

"I Wonder What Would Happen to this World"

Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world

--Harry Chapin

i've been thinking about the difference one person can make. if you do something positive and i do and the next person and so on, the world gets better bit by bit. what if i spend my life doing good things? i encourage others to do the same. then they encourage others. i believe we can outdo all the negative deeds that are reported on tv. of course, we'll have to infiltrate the media to highlight the good deeds.

what can you do to change the world? i'm always looking for new ways. this blog is one.

freedom of the mind

I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

america prides itself on being free. we are more free than many countries. i'm grateful to live here.

some of us are restricted by lack of income or poor health. that's why i like this quote. i might be unemployed. i might have a disability. what i do have at any given moment are my thoughts and imagination. even people suffering from dementia, i hope, can have happy thoughts. the freedom of the mind allows us to create our world. i may not find a job, but i can enjoy my extra free time. if i have a disease it is up to me how i react to it. 'oh, woe is me' is unappealing. gratitude for small things can shape your life. it's your free mind that gets to decide how you see the world and yourself.

you are wonderful and special. use your free mind to feel positive and find the silver lining in all situations. it takes practice. give it a try!

happy new year!

we celebrate new beginnings now, but really every morning is a chance for a new start. even any time of day we could see something we'd like to change. there's no reason to wait for the next day or the next year to make a change for the better. every moment is a chance to make a positive choice.

the positive choice i made before i started this post was to let someone i love know how much they mean to me. then, i decided to share my positive feelings here. i'm not sure what i'll do next, but it's up to me to make each moment as good as it can be.

so, i say, 'happy new moment!'

what there is

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. - Charles Dickens

today i want to remind you to be grateful for your blessings. the small things that we take for granted are often the best parts of our lives. a home, heat, food, sunshine, people we love.

here's my list:
i have a strong, positive spirit.
i am smart and creative.
i am compassionate and giving.
i am loving and loved by family and friends.
God loves me as He does all people on Earth.
i have many interests that keep my mind active.
i have support to keep my body active.
i have money to pay for my needs and some wants.
i have plenty of food that I enjoy, not just to sustain me.
i have a comfortable home.
i have had great experiences and expect to have many more.
i have made mistakes and learned from them.


Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is. - Ernest Hemingway

so what can i do with all of that?
i can write to share my strong, positive spirit.
i can come up with ways to support myself, if only to apply for help from the government.
i can smile at strangers and shake their hand. i can listen when others need to talk.
i can call or visit loved ones.
i can go to church or out in nature and remember i am part of something much bigger.
i can go to the library and read about many things.
i can exercise and feel strong and motivated.
i can go on living and searching for new experiences.

what are your blessings? what do they allow you to do?
there is always something!

wonderful evenings

i've got a collection of quotes. i've decided to use them as starters for positive thinking ideas.
my 1st one:

I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.
- Groucho Marx

this time of year there is a lot of pressure to be cheerful and have a good time. if you don't feel cheerful, the pressure can make you feel even worse. or, like 3 of my friends this past month, you've had a tragic loss. cheerfulness is just not happening. or, you're like many people at the holidays and your problems seem overwhelming and unbearable. sometimes it's incredibly difficult to be positive.

so don't force it. ignore that pressure. feel what you need to feel. just remember that in the past there were perfectly wonderful evenings. there will be more in the future. so while you're feeling down, think back to a favorite memory, or envision a fabulous future evening. your 'in the moment' may not be great and that has to be addressed. yet you have an imagination - use it to create a happier future.

moments of hope or crisis

this is a busy time of year for most people. some things are stressful and others are fun. i'm writing today to remind you to appreciate moments. you may not have time to slow down, but it is possible to appreciate moments during the busy-ness.

if you're in line to pay for something, you might see that the waiting is a time for you to rest. you might notice the people around you and remember 'it takes all kinds' to make the world more interesting. you might feel grateful that you have the money to pay for what you're buying.

traffic can give you a breather. it's no fun but you have no control over it. you might as well enjoy the enforced slow down.

if you're the type of person that does everything for everybody because you like to please them, remember the person/group who will see the results of your hard work. think of how they'll feel. see that all of your busy moments will create even more moments to appreciate.

if you're not fortunate enough to have people to please, look hard for good moments. the world is full of them even though they might seem hard to find. are you healthy? is the sun shining? can you sing a happy song? if you're sick, the sky is full of clouds and all hope seems lost, find someone like me. i care about what happens to you whether i know you or not. there are others out there who feel the same way. go to - http://www.contacthelplines.org/ or call 1-877-266-8222. if you're not in nj, maybe call information and ask for a crisis center. someone out there cares about you!

it is a time of 'good will to all.' don't forget to feel good will toward yourself.