I enjoy bass fishing, deer hunting and golfing in the south.
You can give without loving,
But you cannot love without
Giving.
- Amy Carmichael
For a crowd is not company;
And faces are but a gallery of
Pictures; and talk but a tinkling
Cymbal, where there is no love.
- Francis Bacon
Do not keep the alabaster boxes
Of your love and tenderness sealed
Up until your friends are dead.
Fill their lives with sweetness,
Speak cheering words while their
Ears can hear, and while their hearts
Can be thrilled and made happier by
Them.
- Williams Childs
We have an opponent in this state
That we work every day,
365 days a year, to dominate.
- Coach Nick Saban
It's a game that 365 days a year
Everybody has got to live with
The results.
- Coach Nick Saban
Don’t look at the scoreboard.
Dominate your opponent for
60 minutes.
- Coach Nick Saban
Thank You Lord… I come before You todayAnd there’s just one thingThat I want to sayThank You LordThank You LordFor all You’ve given to meFor all the blessings thatI cannot seeThank You LordThank You LordWith a grateful heartWith a song of praiseWith an Outstretched armI will bless Your nameFor all You’ve done in my lifeYou took my darkness andGave me Your lightThank You LordThank You LordYou took my sin and my shameYou took my sickness andHealed all my painThank You LordThank You LordThank You LordI just wanna thank You LordThank You LordI just wanna thank You LordThank You Lord - Don Moen https://thetruthabout.net/faith/ 
Today I choose to live with Gratitude
For the love that fills my heart,
The Peace that rests within my spirit
And the voice of Hope that says
All things are possible.
- Anonymous
Gratitude for what I have,
For who I am, for the God I know,
Injects joy into life, hope into faith,
Meaning into the moment.
- J. Randal Matheny
To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant,
To enact gratitude is generous and noble,
But to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
- Johannes A. Gaertner
Think, Choose, Do…
List five "negative" blessings
(Difficulties, sufferings, heartaches, sickness, etc.)
Which God has used in your life to show his goodness.
Remember significant people in your life to whom you
May still express your thanks.
Ask yourself for the next week…
"How can I be a blessing to someone today?"
- J. Randal Matheny
I’m thankful for every moment.
- Al Green
The thankful receiver bears
A plentiful harvest.
- William Blake
Give thanks for a little
And you will find a lot.
- Hansa Proverb
Be Thankful…
Be thankful that you don't already have
everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look
forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities
for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength
and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the
setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.
- Helen Dowd
Joy is a heart full and a
Mind purified by gratitude.
- Marietta McCarty
If you are really thankful,
What do you do?
You share.
- W. Clement Stone
Not what we say about our blessings,
But how we use them,
Is the true measure of our thanksgiving.
- W.T. Purkiser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvswocNN-g8
Glen Campbell
"Try a little Kindness"
For in the final analysis, our most basic common link, is that
We all inhabit this small planet; we all breathe the same air,
We all cherish our children’s futures, and we are mortal.
- John F. Kennedy
All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt
In our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have
Salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the
Ocean. And when we go back to the sea … whether it is to sail
Or to watch it … we are going back from whence we came.
- John F. Kennedy
If the United States ever experiences an attempt at a coup
To overthrow the government, it will come from the CIA.
The agency represents a tremendous power and total
Unaccountability to anyone.
- John F. Kennedy
The biggest thing is to
Focus on winning football.
Don’t get caught in all the
Clutter.
- Coach Nick Saban
We have a goal for how many
Explosive plays that we want to make.
We don’t want to make those explosive
Plays at the expense of making poor
Decisions that are going to turn into
Turnovers and interceptions.
Taking care of the ball and managing
The game is more important than that.
- Coach Nick Saban
There are two pains in life.
There is the pain of discipline
And the pain of disappointment.
If you can handle the pain of discipline,
Then you'll never have to deal with the
Pain of disappointment,
You play for your team and what your
Team can do.
You want your team to dominate so that
They can be successful.
You really want to win on your ability to
Execute, not on someone else's inability…
You don't really want anything bad to
Happen to the other team;
You just want your team to play well.
- Coach Nick Saban
Ideas are a dime a dozen.
People who put them into
Action is priceless.
- Anonymous
It’s not how much we have,
But how much we enjoy that
Makes happiness.
- Charles Spurgeon
Dare to dream,
But even more importantly,
Dare to put action behinds
Your dreams.
Your willingness to try is the
Difference maker.
- Josh Hinds
The key to unlocking my
Potential is within me.
It is in the power of my
Thought, my vision and
My commitment.
- Anonymous
Most people reserve celebration
For some future
"special day."
I choose to celebrate each and
Every day as a special
day.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Gratitude doesn’t change the scenery.
It merely washes clean the glass you
Look through so you can clearly see
The colors.
- Richelle E. Goodrich
There is no substitute
For hard work.
- Thomas Edison
The price of anything is
The amount of life you
Exchange for it.
- Henry David Thoreau
You can’t control others’ acts,
But you can control your reaction
To their acts,
And that is what counts most to you.
- Napoleon Hill Foundation
The more tranquil a man becomes,
The greater is his success,
His influence, his power for good.
Calmness of mind is one of the
Beautiful jewels of wisdom.
- James Allen
At the end of the day it’s
NOT about what you have
Or even what you’ve accomplished
… It’s about who you’ve lifted up,
Who you’ve made better.
It’s about what you’ve given back.
- Denzel Washington
Often people attempt to live
Their lives backwards;
They try to have more things,
Or more money, in order to do
More of what they want so that
They will be happier.
The way it actually works is the
Reverse.
You must first BE who you really are,
Then, DO what you need to do,
In order to HAVE what you want.
- Margaret Young
Humor is man kinds
Greatest
blessing.
- Mark Twain
Let love’s bright sunshine play upon your heart;
Come now unto your gladness, peace and rest.
Bid the dark shades of selfishness depart,
And now and evermore be truly blest.
- James Allen
To do good is noble;
To teach others to do
Good is nobler
And no trouble.
- Mark Twain
www.haydenchilds.net
Appreciation is the purest vibration
That exists on the planet today.
- Abraham Hicks
The smallest act of kindness is
Worth than the grandest intention.
- Oscar Wilde
No service is too small and none too great,
From the giving of a cup of cold water to
The laying down of one’s life.
- Anonymous
Our deeds determine us as much
As we determine our deeds.
- Anonymous
Good depends not on things
But on the use, we make of
Things.
- Anonymous
He that does good for good’s sake
Seeks neither praise nor reward,
But he is sure of both in the end.
- Anonymous
Veterans Day Prayer
God of peace,
We pray for those who have served our nation
And have laid down their lives
To protect and defend our freedom.
We pray for those who have fought,
Whose spirits and bodies are scarred by war,
Whose nights are haunted by memories
Too painful for the light of day.
We pray for those who serve us now
Especially for those in harm’s way.
Shield them from danger
And bring them home.
Turn the hearts and minds
Of our leaders and our enemies
To the work of justice and a harvest of peace.
Spare the poor, Lord, spare the poor!
May the peace you left us,
The peace you gave us,
Be the peace that sustains us
Be the peace that saves us.
Christ Jesus, hear us!
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer!
Amen.
- Concord Pastor
America’s Veterans have served their country
With the belief that democracy and freedom
Are ideals to be upheld around the world.
- John Doolittle
My heroes are those who risk their lives every day
To protect our world and make it a better place…
Police, firefighters and members of our armed forces.
- Sidney Sheldon
To honor our national promise to our veterans,
We must continue to improve services for our
Men and women in uniform today and provide
Long overdue benefits for the veterans and
Military retirees who have already served.
- Solomon Ortiz
Some Gave All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib5hGk3fK8g
Each day try to find some way in which
your work can be improved.
- Earl Nightingale
The man who has no goal who doesn't
know where he's going, and whose thoughts
must therefore be thoughts of confusion and
anxiety and fear and worry ...
becomes what he thinks about.
- Earl Nightingale
The best day, today;
The best play, work;
The greatest puzzle, life;
The greatest thought, God;
The greatest mystery, death;
The best work, work you like;
The greatest mistake, giving up;
The most ridiculous asset, pride;
The greatest need, common sense;
The most dangerous person, a liar;
The best town, where you succeed;
The most expensive indulgence, hate;
The greatest invention of the devil, war;
The most disagreeable person, the complainer;
The greatest secret of production, saving waste;
The best teacher, one who makes you want to learn;
The biggest fool, the boy who will not go to school;
The greatest deceiver, the one who deceives himself;
The worst bankrupt, the soul who has lost enthusiasm;
The cheapest, easiest and most stupid thing to do, finding fault;
The cleverest man, the one who always does what he thinks is right;
The greatest bore, one who keeps talking after he has made his point;
The greatest comfort, the knowledge that you have done your work well;
The most agreeable companion, the one that would not have you any
Different than you are;
The meanest feeling of which any human being is capable, feeling envious
Of another's success;
The greatest thing, bar none, in the world, love … love for family, home,
Friends, neighbors and for the and in which we enjoy our freedom.
- Earl Nightingale
People on the path of growth apply certain principles that allow them to achieve more and lead rich, rewarding lives. If you’re on the path to success, you are a different person than you were five years ago. You think differently. You act differently. You see the world differently. In short, you’re growing and evolving.
But unlike our physical growth, where we can clearly see and gauge our progress (or lack thereof), it is often difficult to measure our personal and professional growth. There is no simple test we can take to assess personal growth, but here are some “signposts” that we can use to gain insight into where we stand.
As you read through this article, measure your present situation against these signposts of personal and professional growth. Consider if you already embrace these ideals or how you might implement them on a more consistent basis.
1. Don’t Fix Blame or Make Excuses.
You realize more and more that pointing a finger at others is not the
answer to your problems. Instead, you take personal responsibility for your own
results and your own happiness. You focus on your attitude, your skills, your
actions, and your discipline.
2. Don’t Look Back
Dwelling on unpleasant events in the past won’t change them and it only
makes you feel rotten in the present. So why do it? Part of accepting personal
responsibility is the recognition that, at any point, you can change the path
you’re on. Learn from the past, but don’t obsess on it. Instead, take action
today to create a positive future.
3. Guard the Sanctity of Your Thoughts.
You no longer doubt that your thoughts are creating your reality. And, if
that’s the case, why would you ever think negatively? You’re disciplining
yourself to focus on what you want — as opposed to what you don’t want.
4. Have a Sense of Gratitude Every Day.
When you’re young, you tend to take everything for granted your health,
the roof over your head, and the food on your plate. As the years go by, you
suddenly experience the “darker” side of life. Either you or your relatives or
friends face serious illnesses. You personally know people in their 30s, 40s,
or 50s who die. Instead of complaining about the things in your life that
aren’t perfect, you choose to be thankful for the many gifts you’ve been given.
You identify with the sage advice of Eddie Rickenbacker, who once said, “If you
have all the fresh water you want to drink and all the food you want to eat,
you should never complain about anything.”
5. Laugh a Lot More Especially at Yourself.
Several times each day, you find yourself letting out a hearty belly laugh.
You take your work seriously but not yourself. Whether you’re with clients,
colleagues, friends, or family, make sure to laugh. You’ll feel better and have
a lot more fun.
6. Get Excited About Something.
When you’re living in the flow of life and up to your highest potential,
you’re enthusiastic. You don’t have to go around slapping people on the back,
but you’re upbeat and alive. You get up in the morning with a purpose, and you
look forward to the day’s activities. People can just look at you or speak
with you and immediately pick up on your positive energy.
7. Take Some Risks.
No one is asking you to go skydiving or put your physical health at risk.
However, the path of growth demands that you venture into the unknown. That’s
where you discover yourself and find out what you’re capable of achieving.
You begin to get ideas and visions about great things you can accomplish, and
you have the courage to go after them! Instead of just thinking about doing
something, you take action and do it!
8. Be Less Concerned with What Other People Think.
Do you still need to get someone’s approval before making a decision? On
the path to success, you’re willing to do what you think is best for you even if someone else won’t like it. On fundamental issues such as your career,
your relationships, and your goals, it’s fine to get advice. But in the end,
it’s your view that counts. You’ll never be happy following someone else’s plan
for your life.
9. Place More Emphasis on Honesty and Integrity.
Even when no one is looking, you do the right thing. Your aim is to build
solid long-term relationships, both personally and professionally, and you
can’t accomplish this unless you’re a person of character and integrity. Aside
from being good to others, this is for your own self-interest. You see,
whatever you send out in life will come back to you like a boomerang. You know
that for people to treat you with honesty and respect, you must treat them the
same way.
10. Stop Trying to ‘Fix’ Others.
You’ve learned that a little self-development can be dangerous. While
you’ve begun to see that there’s a better way to live and you’re anxious for
others to “see the light” as well, you recognize that everyone has his or her
own path to follow — and that you don’t decide the rate at which someone else
progresses. So, instead of “converting” others, you continue to work on
yourself and find that your example is more powerful than any sermon you can preach.
11. Take the Opportunity to Lift Someone Else.
You remember how tough it was for you at each level of your life and your
career, and how challenging it is right now! Furthermore, you know that you are
where you now are, in large part, because some people believed in you,
encouraged you, and helped you. You make a point to do the same for those who
can benefit from your experience.
12. See Things in Perspective
Your list of what’s truly important in your life continues to shrink. You
work hard and enjoy whatever material comforts you have, but “things” are not
as essential to you as they once were. You recognize that your health and
well-being and that of your loved ones is what really matters. You no longer
let little day-to-day annoyances (at work or at home) dictate the attitude,
pace, or results of your day.
13. Listen More … and Ask Questions.
You’ve learned to tame your ego a bit and don’t feel the need to always be
the center of attention. You realize that when you’re talking, you’re not
learning anything. You balance your conversations and make sure to draw other
people out by asking questions. You’re more interested in learning about their
thoughts, ideas, and insights on various issues, their careers, and their
families. Every person has a fascinating story to tell, and you want to hear
it!
14. Discover That Discipline Is Fun.
You never thought you’d say that! Yet it’s true. To build physical fitness,
you exercise several times each week. To develop a successful sales career, you
pay attention to the basics, day in and day out. You’re no longer looking for
the “quick fix” or “quick buck.” Instead, you know full well that you must put
in the effort before you can reap the reward. You find tremendous satisfaction
in sticking with something and mastering it over a period of time.
15. Set High Standards for Yourself and Others.
Careful, this isn’t about achieving “perfection.” Rather, on the path to
success, you simply have the desire to reach more and more of your potential.
You no longer settle for less than your best effort. And, as you see more of
the potential in others, you encourage them to develop their talents as well.
These are 15 signposts on your road to personal and professional success. I’m sure you can add several more items as well, based on your own experiences. Keep these ideas in front of you on a regular basis to gauge your progress. Apply them consistently and you’ll enjoy phenomenal results plus a tremendously exciting journey!
- Jeff Keller
