Success ~ by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

photo: sazeod's @ flickr

Authentic Warrior

 
When you happen to meet the kind of people I met once in a while, chances are you've heard this kind of story.

There's this man in a vague identity who would station himself just across the cashier's window in one of the public hospitals in Manila. His extraordinary feat begins when a patient or a patient's family member leaves the window with nothing in the eyes except hopelessness and a sense of being lost. He would then approach and hand over an envelop, which usually contained P5, 000 - 10, 000 ($100 - 250). No pictures, no words, no circus; he would then silently walk away and show up in another hospital after days or weeks.

A lot of stories were told about him. Some said he was a cancer survivor. Some said he was an ex - convict who tries to make up for his crimes. Some said he was a lottery winner. The truth, however,  is nobody really knows why he does what he does. And many agreed that it is not important anymore.

I know the story may seem too much for others to follow. I myself may not be capable of replicating such an act. This episode, though, has a greater message than the money sign:

Authentic people are opportunistic.
They are predators, hungry and passionate;
They look around for any opportunity,
Opportunity to help and to be a blessing.

Authentic people are warriors,
They don't wait to be engaged in battle;
Nor they wait to be told
They get out of the line and engage.

Authentic people are human;
They respond rather than react,
They consciously and decisively
Perform unique acts of kindness...

photo: via ramascreen | Blog: john b. bejo

Authentic Warrior

 
When you happen to meet the kind of people I met once in a while, chances are you've heard this kind of story.There's this man in a vague identity who would station himself just across the cashier's window in one of the public hospitals in Manila. His extraordinary feat begins when a patient or a patient's family member leaves the window with nothing in the eyes except hopelessness and a sense of being lost. He would then approach and hand over an envelop, which usually contained P5,000 - 10, 000 ($100 - 250). No pictures, no words, no circus; he would then silently walk away and show up in another hospital after days or weeks.

A lot of stories were told about him. Some said he was a cancer survivor. Some said he was an ex - convict who tries to make up for his crimes. Some said he was a lottery winner. The truth, however,  is nobody really knows why he does what he does. And many agreed that it is not important anymore.

I know the story may seem too much for others to follow. I myself may not be capable of replicating such an act. This episode, though, has a greater message than the money sign:

Authentic people are opportunistic.
They are predators, hungry and passionate;
They look around for any opportunity,
Opportunity to help and to be a blessing.

Authentic people are warriors,
They don't wait to be engaged in battle;
Nor they wait to be told
They get out of the line and engage.

Authentic people are human;
They respond rather than react,
They consciously and decisively
Perform unique acts of kindness...

photo: via ramascreen | Blog: john b. bejo

Remember Skylab?

 

Remember Skylab? For those who were born in the 80's onward, Skylab was the United States' first space station. That 100-ton space station, I remember, caused so much publicity and fears. They said it would wipe out a populace once it hit the ground.

On the radio, I heard weird stories like people who committed suicide for fear of the Skylab; some rushed into marriage. It was crazy.

T-shirts, stickers, junk foods, restaurants had always Skylab logos in them. Cults and ephemeral prophets came out too to prophesy the end of the world.

However, what I really remember when I think of Skylab was not those crazy things: it was a t-shirt with a typical 70's psychedelic design with a big print on it: SKY LOVE. 

Well, perhaps it was just a play of word, or a marketing flick, or a real douse of inspiration to find something good amidst that chaos. Nevertheless, I thank God for the t-shirt and the person who made it. My memory of Skylab was not at all bad.

I realized it’s not hard to find beauty and inspiration even in the most chaotic of the situations. All we need is a childlike imagination and a believing heart.

~~~ Sky Love ~~~

photo: Sky love @ Google image

Remember Skylab?

 

Remember Skylab? For those who were born in the 80's onward, Skylab was the United States' first space station. That 100-ton space station, I remember, caused so much publicity and fears. They said it would wipe out a populace once it hit the ground.

On the radio, I heard weird stories like people who committed suicide for fear of the Skylab; some rushed into marriage. It was crazy.

T-shirts, stickers, junk foods, restaurants had always Skylab logos in them. Cults and ephemeral prophets came out too to prophesy the end of the world.

However, what I really remember when I think of Skylab was not those crazy things: it was a t-shirt with a typical 70's psychedelic design with a big print on it: SKY LOVE.

Well, perhaps it was just a play of word, or a marketing flick, or a real douse of inspiration to find something good amidst that chaos. Nevertheless, I thank God for the t-shirt and the person who made it. My memory of Skylab was not at all bad.

I realized it’s not hard to find beauty and inspiration even in the most chaotic of the situations. All we need is a childlike imagination and a believing heart.

~~~ Sky Love ~~~

 

 

Zillion Words

If a picture speaks a thousand words, then these pictures should speak zillions. Pass them on :)
 





 






Share the light. Share this page :)

photo: Google images

A Glimpse From The Book of Eli

 

In this post apocalyptic film, the mob leader Carnegie sought the book that could bring him power over the people.
It's the same book that they claimed caused the great war: every piece of that book was burned.
Eli had the last one which he protected with his life.
During his escape with Solara, Eli recited from his memory the great and famous piece from it, which protected him all the way as he traveled amidst the lawless and dangerous North America:
 
 
 
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.
Psalm 23

A Hard Battle

 

 

  

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." -Plato

photo: supersonicphotos' @ flickr

Meet Josh

(Second part of THE 3 COOLEST WAYS TO CONQUER WORRIES)
 
Yesterday I promised to elaborate on these 3 coolest ways to conquer worries. Honestly, I was hesitant at first to use the word 'cool' in this blog, it sounded too hyped. However, while gathering my ingredients for this menu, the feeling of being cool is consistent all the way. I realized while I was looking for adjectives to describe those people who implemented this method, consciously or unconsciously, they looked really cool.

~~~~~~~~~
If you have a worry problem, do these three things:

Ask yourself: “What is the worst that can possibly happen?”
Prepare to accept it if you have to.
Then, calmly proceed to improve on the worst.”
~~~~~~~~~

Meet Josh (not his real name): when he knew that the company was shutting down, he said, "Okey, okey,…so what will happen to us?" While some were giving bitter remarks and attempted to resist the change, Josh sorted out his options. "So, first, although it will surely affect us and our families, this won't kill us. We're still alive and able." With this Josh implemented the method: 'What is the worst thing that can possibly happen?' Yes, he would lose his job, but it's not yet the end of the world. He was still alive and able.
As most of us did, he called his wife and explained things. Yes, I heard some bitterness and frustrations in their conversations, but what was really happening was that, he was preparing his wife to accept the upcoming changes: change in his paycheck, change in their benefits, change in their lifestyle. - Josh could have read the book I was referring to you, or maybe not, but he did exactly what it said. See? He was already in the second phase: ACCEPTANCE. This is really important. This could have been the hardest phase. Acceptance is like dying, but once you are able to say, "Let go, and let God..." the healing and mending starts. "...unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)" Life begins again.

The next thing Josh did was to make calls. Yes, he called his former associates  in the industry right away and asked them to help him find a new job!  He 'calmly proceeded to improve on the worst.' Life continues.

photo: clappstar's @ flickr

The 3 Coolest Ways to Conquer Worries

I was probably one of the worst worriers in the world,
at least I used to be. I could vividly remember how a friend rebuked me: “John, will you please stop walking around? Sit down! You’re intoxicating! PLEASE!” As I sat down, I felt my shirt heavy with sweat. After some talk and clarification, I realized that all my worries were not so real after all. Well, perhaps I was just so excited, or stressed, or I just loved to worry. I don’t know. They said it’s in my genes.

Most psychosomatic diseases start with stress. Worry-triggered stress leads to high blood pressure which is the most important risk factor for stroke. 

Every 53 seconds, someone in America has a stroke. About 600,000 Americans will have a stroke this year - and 160,000 of them will die. In fact, stroke is our nation's No. 3 killer and one of the leading causes of disability. *

But don’t get me wrong about stress. The fact is we need a certain amount of stress in order to function normally. We don’t want to eliminate stress at all. What we want to do is to build efficient ways to handle stress brought about by excessive worries. As we all know, some handle stress by smoking or eating too much or by shopping. Most of these methods, however, are not only ineffective and expensive; they’re also burning, bloating and deadly. They create more stress in the process and hurt our loved ones: the cycle goes on and on.

Here are the 3 coolest and time tested ways to conquer worries. They’re not mine; they’re parts of the book by Dale Carnegie “How to Stop Worrying, And Start Living.” I used to memorize them, but now, they’re parts of my nerve patterns.

If you have a worry problem, do these three things:

Ask yourself: “What is the worst that can possibly happen?”
Prepare to accept it if you have to.
Then, calmly proceed to improve on the worst.”

Sound simplistic? Or you may ask, “How should they be implemented?” But since we already passed the 380 words threshold as of the moment, and I don’t want to stress you out with too much information, I’ll elaborate on these steps tomorrow: full with vivid, cool and practical examples you can implement right away. See you tomorrow

Click here to proceed

 

* source | photo: cuckove's @ flickr