Your Talent is God's Gift to You

Your talent is God's gift to you.
- Leo Buscaglia

Pray as though everything depended on God.
Work as though everything depended on you.
- Saint Augustine

God is present everywhere, and every person is His work.
- Saint Francis de Sales

A man's pride shall bring him low,
but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.
- Proverbs 29:23

Leadership is an opportunity to serve.
It is not a trumpet call to self-importance.
- J. Donald Walters

Today's affirmation:
I give thanks to God for my physical, mental, and emotional health;
for my intelligence; for my talent; for my parents;
for my rearing; and for my place and condition of birth.

Further reading: Give Thanks and Celebrate

Tolerance, Not Judgement

Helping Others

Judge Not

Rekindling the Light
    

Using Your Time Wisely

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff.
- Richard Carlson
Read several of Richard Carlson's 100 ideas from Don't Sweat The Small Stuff.

Do first things first, and second things not at all.
- Peter Drucker

It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles
and important matters as important.
- Doris Lessing

You will never find time for anything.
If you want time you must make it.
- Charles Buxton

It is a better thing to weigh and measure priorities
in the illuminating light of your own mission
than to have your activities formed by the
impressions and expectations of others.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

If a task is important, do it now.
If it is not truly important, forget about it forever, relax,
and do something that really is important.
Caution: The most important things in life are seldom the most obvious.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: How to Choose Your Life Purpose

Focus

Demands of the World

Know The Difference

What Really Matters?

The Power Of Choice

Choose Your Priorities

Do first things first, and second things not at all.
- Peter Drucker

It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles
and important matters as important.
- Doris Lessing

It is a better thing to weigh and measure priorities
in the illuminating light of your own mission
than to have your activities formed by the
impressions and expectations of others.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

You will never find time for anything.
If you want time you must make it.
- Charles Buxton

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff.
- Richard Carlson
Read several of Richard Carlson's 100 ideas from Don't Sweat The Small Stuff.

If a task is important, do it now.
If it is not truly important, forget about it forever, relax,
and do something that really is important.
Caution: The most important things in life are seldom the most obvious.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Focus

Know The Difference

How to Choose Your Life Purpose

What Really Matters?

Demands of the World

The Power Of Choice

Priorities

Focus

Attention

Doris Lessing

Nobel Laureate in Literature Doris Lessing died November 17, 2013 at age 94.

It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as
trifles and important matters as important.
- Doris Lessing

We are all of us made by war,
twisted and warped by war,
but we seem to forget it.
- Doris Lessing 

Borrowing is not much better than begging;
just as lending with interest is not much better than stealing.
- Doris Lessing

That is what learning is.
You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life,
but in a new way.
- Doris Lessing

What is a hero without love for mankind.
- Doris Lessing

Further reading: Gratitude

Praying "Thank You"

A Hero is ...

Each of us is of infinite value

Knowing Yourself

Each of us is of infinite value

My message, "You're not as important as you thought you were", generated an unusual level of response, both positive and negative. The positive comments expressed a sense of relief and of putting one's trust in God.

"Just what I need during a difficult time... Today, I will meet my friend for lunch as planned, and then just come home and love my dog." - Emily

"We ALL need to realize our smallness in God’s grand scheme of things. Live life joyfully, live life lovingly.” - Glenn

"Great message today. I usually go back and forth between feeling like I'm more important than I really am or that I'm not important at all. Either way is simply self-centeredness. What I would like to be all day, every day, is God-centered." - Philip

The negative comments, including one that began, "I no longer wish to have your emails coming into my home," believed my message to be demeaning their value as human beings, which is, of course, the exact opposite of my intent.

Each of us is of infinite value, and each of us has the ability to make a profound difference in the lives we touch. We leave our most profoundly positive impact on those around us by the nature of our lives and the example we set - not by how busy we are, or how important we believe we are. Setting an example of being loving, relaxed and joyful, regardless of external circumstances, is a great legacy for our family and for the world. Self importance - ego - is not a path to happiness. Focusing one's whole life on responsibilities, without taking time for self-renewal and play, abandons the joy and the true value of life. I want my tombstone to read, "Inspired others," rather than, "Never missed a day at the office."