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Newsletter Vol. 3. No. 1 - January 2008 |
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It’s 2008 and a New Year. January
Newsletters always tend to begin with articles about setting goals and
New Year Resolutions that we struggle to keep. I’m going to abandon
that tradition this year and bring you New Year Inspiration instead –
reflective thoughts that may move your spirit and cause you to live
your life differently in 2008. Featured in this issue: Remember What is Important in Life What we need to know to be successful in life – personally or professionally – Let the New Year begin! 
Maree Harris |
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This was sent to me in an email. I don’t know the original author.MH. When things in your life seem almost too
much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the
mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine... Then he produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things;
your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your
favourite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only
they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all
your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for
the things that are important to you. One of the students raised her hand and
inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you
asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may
seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a
friend." Happy New Year! Simple Truths – The Gift of Inspiration
Discovering
the work of Mac Anderson, founder of Simple Truths, was a valued one in 2007.
He produces beautiful books, with an accompanying The books and DVDs are
gathered together under themes like: Leadership, Customer Service, Attitude,
Selling, Teamwork, Inspiration, Making a Difference. They are excellent gifts
for staff, colleagues, friends and family. They can also be used to inspire and
motivate staff at staff meetings, being a powerful builder of culture.I am not
on Mac Anderson’s payroll. I just want to share with you something, I believe,
has much value. I recommend you go to his website and have a look for yourself:
www.simpletruths.com The article below is from one of his books. To a Child, Love is Spelled T-I-M-E In the faint light of the attic, an old man, tall and stooped, bent his great frame and made his way to a stack of boxes near one of the little half-windows. Brushing aside a wisp of cobwebs, he tilted the top box toward the light and began to carefully lift out one old photograph album after another. Eyes once bright but now dimmed searched longingly for the source that had drawn him here. It began with the fond recollection of the love of his life, long gone, and somewhere in these albums was the photo of her he hoped to discover. Silent as a mouse, he patiently opened the long buried treasures and soon was lost in a sea of memories. Although his world had not stopped spinning when his wife left it, the past was more alive in his heart than his present aloneness. Setting aside one of the dusty albums, he pulled from the box what appeared to be a journal from his grown son’s childhood. He could not recall ever having seen it before, or that his son had ever kept a journal. Why did Elizabeth always save the children’s old junk? he wondered, shaking his white head. Opening the yellowed pages, he glanced over a short reading, and his lips curved in an unconscious smile. Even his eyes brightened as he read the words that spoke clear and sweet to his soul. It was the voice of the little boy who had grown up far too fast in this very house, and whose voice had grown fainter and fainter over the years. In the utter silence of the attic, the words of a guileless six-year-old worked their magic and carried the old man back to a time almost totally forgotten. Entry after entry stirred a sentimental hunger in his heart like the longing a gardener feels in the winter for the fragrance of spring flowers. But it was accompanied by the painful memory that his son’s simple recollections of those days were far different from his own. But how different? Reminded that he had kept a daily journal of his business activities over the years, he closed his son’s journal and turned to leave, having forgotten the cherished photo that originally triggered his search. Hunched over to keep him from bumping his head on the rafters, the old man stepped to the wooden stairway and made his descent, then headed down a carpeted stairway that led to the den. Opening a glass cabinet door, he reached in and pulled out an old business journal. Turning, he sat down at his desk and placed the two journals beside each other. His was leather-bound and engraved neatly with his name in gold, while his son’s was tattered and the name “Jimmy” had been nearly scuffed from its surface. He ran a long skinny finger over the letters, as though he could restore what had been worn away with time and use. As he opened his journal, the old man’s eyes fell upon an inscription that stood out because it was so brief in comparison to other days. In his own neat handwriting were these words: Wasted the whole day fishing with Jimmy. Didn’t catch a thing. With a deep sigh and a shaking hand, he took Jimmy’s journal and found the boy’s entry for the same day, June 4. Large scrawling letters, pressed deeply into the paper, read: Went fishing with my dad. Best day of my life. The Farmer and the Donkey - A Story about RESILIENCE In these challenging and changing times we confront complexity, uncertainty,
ambiguity and paradox every day. A quality, that has become both essential for
survival and a way to enhance the quality of our lives, is resilience. This
story, whose author is unknown, hopefully will inspire a commitment to the
development of resilience in your lives. MH. One day a farmer’s donkey fell down
a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out
what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be
covered up anyway – it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all of his neighbours to
come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into
the well. At first, the donkey realised what was happening and cried horribly.
Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovels later, the farmer
finally looked down into the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each
shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He
would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbours continued
to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.
Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the
well and happily trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you,
all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and
take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the
deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake if off, and take a
step up. |
