Think, Take Action

 

What we think, we become.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make the world.
- The Buddha

The ancestor of every action is a thought.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A man is but the product of his thoughts -
what he thinks, he becomes.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as
your own unguarded thoughts.
- The Buddha

Further reading: Your Inner Thoughts

Life Is A Mirror

Choose Not To Stress
            

Be at Peace with Yourself

 

Today's affirmation:
I am at peace with myself,
and with all that is.

Each one has to find his peace from within.
And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

You may not seem able to change some outer circumstances
but you can start by changing your inner experience of life and yourself.
- Joy Page

We can never obtain peace in the outer world
until we make peace with ourselves.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Guide our feet into the way of peace.
- Luke 1:79

Further reading: Highest and Innermost God

Life Without Stress

Experience This Moment

The Enemy Within
     

Be a Maker of Change

 

We must become the change we wish to see in the world.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

He who rejects change is the architect of decay.
- Harold Wilson

Drive Change, don't wait for change to drive you.
The nature of life is constant change.
The world is not the same today as it was yesterday,
and it will be different still tomorrow.
We can be victims of that change, or we can proactively drive change.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Change is the essential process of all existence.
- The character Spock on the TV series Star Trek

Further reading: Take Action - Now

Think Big, Act Big

Only Today
    

Grant others your unconditional love and acceptance

 

Where there is great love there are always miracles.
- Willa Cather

The greatest gift that you can give to others is the
gift of unconditional love and acceptance.
- Brian Tracy

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

As selfishness and complaint
pervert and cloud the mind,
so love with its joy
clears and sharpens the vision.
- Helen Keller

Love is the greatest force for good.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Where love is, there God is also.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Further reading: Love: the Greatest Force for Good.

Where There is Love, Nothing is Missing - a Parable

Miracles are Expressions of Love
       

We are Defined by Our Actions

 

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me.
- Matthew 25:40

Before you speak to me about your religion,
   first show it to me in how you treat other people;
before you tell me how much you love your God,
   show me in how much you love all His children;
before you preach to me of your passion for your faith,
   teach me about it through your compassion for your neighbors.
In the end, I'm not as interested in what you have to tell or sell
   as in how you choose to live and give.
- Cory Booker

We do not need to proselytize
either by our speech or by our writing.
We can only do so really with our lives.
Let our lives be open books for all to study.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

A good example is the best sermon.
- Benjamin Franklin

No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.
- Abraham Lincoln (attributed)

Your example is far more influential and inspiring
than any words of instruction, or threats,
or even words of encouragement.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
- John Quincy Adams

Further reading: God Calls Us To Help Others

Lead by Example

Hypocrisy, Perhaps the Greatest Sin

A Look at Religion
        

CHOOSE how you spend your time

 

Pause to smell the roses, to breathe, to take a quiet moment for yourself.
Let today be a day to remember that you get to CHOOSE how you spend your time.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The quieter you become,
the more you can hear.
- Ram Dass

Listen or your tongue will keep you deaf.
- Native American Proverb

There is more to life than increasing its speed.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you.
- Saint Bartholomew

In prayerful silence you must look into your own heart.
No one can tell you better than yourself what comes between you and God.
Ask yourself.
Then listen!
- Johannes Tauler

Create Some Quiet Time Today.

Further reading: God is Found in Silence

The Beat of the Universe

The Quiet Voice of Courage

Your Intuition is Your Guide

Quiet Time
   

Force always attracts men of low morality

 

Money and success don’t change people;
they merely amplify what is already there.
- Will Smith

Nearly all men can stand adversity,
but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
- attributed to Abraham Lincoln

People do not seem to realize that
their opinion of the world
is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Force always attracts men of low morality.
- Albert Einstein

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
- Lao Tzu

Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment
and the other by acts of love. Power based on love
is a thousand times more effective and permanent
then the one derived from fear of punishment.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

You can easily judge the character of others
by how they treat those who can
do nothing for them or to them.
- Malcolm S. Forbes

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.
- John Wooden

Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Further reading: Your Most Important Values

Who You Are

A Place for Honor

Do What You Know Is Right

Taking Action About Things That Matter
      

Find Your Own Inner Peace

 

There is no way to peace; peace IS the way.
- A. J. Muste

May the peace which passes all understanding be among you and remain with you always.
- Paraphrase of the blessing that concludes the Episcopal communion service

We all share unity with each other
and with the one Creator Spirit.
We are one.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Each one has to find [their own] peace from within.
And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Further reading: Be a Bringer of Peace

Support Each Other

Peacemakers

Become Centered, Breathe
      

Happiness is Simply to be Happy in the Moment

 

The key to happiness is not to have what you want
but to want what you have.
- Anonymous

Happiness is when what you think, what you say,
and what you do are in harmony.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

You can not find happiness by chasing after it.
Happiness comes from doing what you love to do,
and from being who you truly are.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness.
- Zhuangzi

The only reason you suffer is because you choose to suffer.
The only reason you are happy is because you choose to be happy.
Happiness is a choice, and so is suffering.
- don Miguel Ruiz

Happiness is not a brilliant climax to years of grim struggle and anxiety.
It is a long succession of little decisions
simply to be happy in the moment.
- J. Donald Walters

You don't need a reason to be happy,
just a choice.
Happiness is the Choice to be Happy in This Moment
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

One can flow harmoniously with the River of Life -
or one can struggle fearfully against the River -
and the River just flows.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: The Secret of Happiness

Ten Little Tips to Feel Happier Right Now

Simple Pleasures

How to be Happy in Life by Breaking the Cycle of Self-Inflicted Suffering

Choose To Be Happy
      

Follow the compass of your heart

Everyone who wills, can hear the inner voice.
It is within everyone.

- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Listen to the compass of your heart.

All you need lies within you.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition -
they somehow already know what you truly want to become.
- Steve Jobs

Your inner knowing is your only true compass.
- Joy Page

Further reading: Feel Your Connection With the Infinite - a Meditation

Three Rules of Life

Ask from a Compassionate Heart
      

Live with Honesty and Integrity

 

To be a person of honor is to live with honesty and integrity of action and thought.

This is my simple religion.
There is no need for temples;
no need for complicated philosophy.
Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Honor, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Choice,
Vision, Action, Celebration, Unity -
The Values of an Inspired Life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today's project:
Meaningful and joyful lives are lived by adhering to one's personal value system - one's principles. Today, write your six to eight most important values on an index card, and refer to that card as you go about your life today.

Further reading: What We Are Made Of

Do What You Know Is Right

Secret of Happiness

Things Divine
     

True Peace Can Only Be Found From Within

 

What is real is beyond all reach.
- Julian Green

We know nothing at all.
All our knowledge is but the knowledge of schoolchildren.
The real nature of things we shall never know.
- Albert Einstein

Each one has to find his peace from within.
And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Dispassionate objectivity is itself a passion,
for the real and for the truth.
- Abraham Maslow

The wise man looks into space,
and does not regard the small as too little,
nor the great as too much;
for he knows that there is no limit to dimensions.
- Lao Tzu

True religion is real living;
living with all one's soul,
with all one's goodness and righteousness.
- Albert Einstein

Know that you are unlimited.

Today's affirmation: I have ready access to a power beyond my wildest imagination.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Go Beyond

Abundance

Beauty and Adventure

The time has come

FEAR
      

Be Patient and Courteous

 

If you are patient in one moment of anger,
you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.

- Chinese Proverb

When restraint and courtesy are added to strength,

the latter becomes irresistible.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

When angry, count to ten before you speak.
If very angry, count to one hundred.
- Thomas Jefferson

Don't Criticize, Condemn, Or Complain.
- Dale Carnegie

It takes years to build up trust,
and only seconds to destroy it.
- Anonymous

Further reading: Speak with Kindness

Listen, Really Listen

Be Kind

The Golden Rule
      

Equanimity

 

Equanimity (or composure) is the state of being calm, balanced,
and in control of one's emotions, even under stress or in the midst of difficulty.

Affirmation:
I choose to respond to life's provocations,
not with anger, resentment, or regret,
but with equanimity and a focus on positive action.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I know, to banish anger altogether
from one's breast is a difficult task.
It cannot be achieved through pure personal effort.
It can be done only by God's grace.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity
opinions which differ from
the prejudices of their social environment.
Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.
- Albert Einstein

Without accepting the fact that everything changes,
we cannot find perfect composure.
But unfortunately, although it is true,
it is difficult for us to accept it.
Because we cannot accept the truth of transience,
we suffer.
- Shunryu Suzuki

Further reading: Complaining Creates Unhappiness

Stillness

Ancient Wisdom about Uncertain Times

Restraint

Stay Positive
     

Success is to leave the world a little bit better than you found it

 

Believe in yourself,
in your vision for your future,
and in your ability to take a small step
each day toward achieving your vision.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

To leave the world a bit better ... to know that one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
- Bessie A. Stanley (commonly attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Anyone who proposes to do good
must not expect people to roll stones out of his way,
but must accept his lot calmly,
even if they roll a few stones upon it.
- Albert Schweitzer

True success is bringing joy to yourself and to others.
Success is measured in lives bettered, not in money or power.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We do not need to proselytize
either by our speech or by our writing.
We can only do so really with our lives.
Let our lives be open books for all to study.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Further reading: March On

Pay It Forward

Turn Crisis into Progress

Stand Together
    

Be Humble and Gentle

Be completely humble and gentle;
be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit.
- Ephesians 4:2-4

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity
are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

The highest revelation is that God is in every man.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

When the vast cathedral of our being
becomes a sanctuary for all creation,
we become the face of God.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Again Tomorrow

Unity with Spirit and All Creation

Perspective on Diversity

Give Thanks for the Love
       

The Satisfaction of Being a Moral Person

 

It is an open question whether any behavior
based on fear of eternal punishment
can be regarded as ethical
or should be regarded as merely cowardly.
- Margaret Mead

To be admirable, morality must be its own reward.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Power is of two kinds.
One is obtained by the fear of punishment
and the other by acts of love
Power based on love
is a thousand times more effective and permanent
then the one derived from fear of punishment.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Punishment cannot heal spirits, can only break them.
- Barbara Deming

If people are good only because they fear punishment,
and hope for reward,
then we are a sorry lot indeed.
- Albert Einstein

Correcting bad habits cannot be done
by forbidding or punishment.
- Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of scouting)

Today's project:
Meaningful and joyful lives are lived by adhering to one's personal value system - one's principles. Today, write your six to eight most important values on an index card, and refer to that card as you go about your life today.

Further reading: Anger is Its Own Punishment

Finding Peace in Forgiveness

Revenge, the Deadliest Sin?
    

Be of Service

 

Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none,
and anyone who has food should do the same.
- Luke 3:11

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

What power there is in our service
when our actions line up with our mission, skills and joy.
– Mary Anne Radmacher

The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless.
- Billy Graham

Further reading: Serve Others

The Power of Generosity

We Belong to Each Other

Helping
    

Do Not Despair of Humanity

 

One way or another, we all have to find
what best fosters the flowering of our humanity
in this contemporary life,
and dedicate ourselves to that.
- Joseph Campbell

You must not lose faith in humanity.
Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty,
the ocean does not become dirty.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

A generous heart, kind speech,
and a life of service and compassion
are the things which renew humanity.
- The Buddha

We cannot despair of humanity,
since we ourselves are human beings.
- Albert Einstein

Today's affirmation:
I choose acceptance and compassion toward all humanity.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: We are One

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

We are most like God when we forgive

Progress of the Human Mind
      

Oneness Thru Diversity

Try a new perspective on diversity.
Across the country and around the world,
we are all one.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity
are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

It is not our differences that divide us.
It is our inability to recognize, accept,
and celebrate those differences.
- Audre Lorde

In Republics, the great danger is that the majority
may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority.
- James Madison

Further reading: Oneness

Empathy

Don't Categorize People

Apples and Oranges