From the monthly archives:
March 2006
Friday’s Quotes of the Day
IRISH BLESSINGSLots of money, and lots of friends
Health be yours, whatever you do
And may God send many blessings to you!
A roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire.
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
Die happy,
And rate a mansion in heaven.
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How Teachable are You?
Do you believe that you can learn at least something from every person you meet? I’m of that belief - granted, sometimes it can take a little while and it often takes a totally open mind, but, yes indeed, I believe everyone has something worth teaching.
Below are 12 “self test” type questions to help determine how teachable you are. They were devised by Marty Williams and can provide you with a wealth of insight.
- I am willing to listen more than talk.
- I admit when I am mistaken.
- I observe before acting on a situation.
- I am able to agree to disagree.
- I desire information more than answers.
- I enjoy asking questions.
- I am open to suggestions and new ideas.
- I feel comfortable asking for advice or directions.
- I am a patient and willing “student.”
- I enjoy reading for information that is practical and applicable.
- I seek out new perspectives on the questions of life.
- I can appreciate criticism without being deeply wounded.
Okay, let me get this straight. You’re supposed to observe a situation before taking action? You don’t jump in and then ask how deep the water is?! Someone should have broken that to me long, long ago.
Oh, yeah, I have big trouble with that one.
Joi
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Thursday’s Quotes of the Day
“Don’t let other people tell you what you want.” ~Pat Riley
“Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” ~Pat Riley
“Look for your choices, pick the best one, then go with it.” ~Pat Riley
“To have long term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way.” ~Pat Riley
“I always won in my imagination. I always hit the game-winning shot, or I hit the free throw. Or if I missed, there was a lane violation, and I was given another one.” ~Mike Krzyewski
“The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.” ~Mike Krzyewski (This one fascinates me so much, I’m going to have to think about it for awhile.)
“Ability is a poor man’s wealth.” ~John Wooden
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” ~John Wooden
“Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” ~John Wooden
“I learned from my mom and dad, who didn’t have a formal education but had doctorates of love. They told me that if you gave 110 percent all the time, a lot of beautiful things will happen. I may not always be right, but no one can ever accuse me of not having a genuine love and passion for whatever I do.” ~Dick Vitale
“I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can’t trust em.” ~Jimmy Valvano
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” ~Jimmy Valvano
“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.” ~Jimmy Valvano
“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.” ~Jimmy Valvano
Hope your team makes you proud - unless, of course they happen to be playing my beloved UK Wildcats. If that’s the case, I rather hope they make you humble. Sorry, I bleed blue and lose my manners this time of year. I’ll be nice again in a few weeks. I promise.
Joi
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Wednesday’s Quote of the Day
“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” ~Mark Twain
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14 Ways to Get Up On the Right Side of the Bed
Not long ago, I came across these great suggestions for starting your day “Sunny Side Up.” They’re by Becky Stephens, a registered nurse, which means she’s one of the hardest working individuals in the world. Add her profession to a long list of professions I’d never be able to handle. Not even on a good day. Not even for one day!
While I think they’re all worthwhile suggestions, I’d have moved #12 much closer to the top of the list - like, say, #1. And while we’re arranging and rearranging, let’s just knock off the tea and hot chocolate.
14 Ways to Get Up On the Right Side of the Bed
- Stretch your arms and legs.
- Take four big healthy yawns.
- Say a prayer.
- Push back the sheets and jump out of bed.
- Take a shower.
- Look forward to something.
- Exercise for at least five minutes.
- Brush your teeth.
- Think positively.
- Take a walk.
- Breathe deeply.
- Enjoy a hot cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
- Consider who you can encourage today.
- Thank God for the sunshine and the rain and that you have the strength to appreciate whatever the day will bring.
Have a great day - front to back!
Joi
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Tuesday’s Quote of the Day
“There’s no ONE way to dance. And that’s kind of my philosophy about everything.” ~Ellen Degeneres
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21 Suggestions for Success!
I just posted an amazing post on one of my other blogs. Before you think I’ve become maniacally egotistical - the post wasn’t my brain child. (If only!)
It’s called 21 Suggestions for Success, was written by the amazing H. Jackson Brown, Jr., will take less than 3 minutes to read, less than 1 minute to print out, less than 10 minutes to write down, and will change your life.
Hope your week is nothing short of incredible,
Joi
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Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
“Maybe a person’s time would be as well spent raising food as raising money to buy food.” ~Frank A. Clark
You know how I was harping on simplifying ourlives? It was before I started harping on the Barry Bonds controversy and after I was harping on health matters. I believe I called the simplifying post “Down-Sizing the Stress in Your Life.”
I looked around for a great article to toss your way about simplifying your life. By coincedence, one of my favorite magazine columnists had written one. I began reading the article without looking at the author’s name and I thought, “I know this style..” Then I looked at the name, Pamela Lister, and, sure enough, it was an author who never ceases to make me smile.
And we were on the same harp!
Her article is titled, “15 Ways to Simplify Your Life” and it’s a great one.
Have a simple and sensational Sunday!
Joi
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Sunday’s Quote of the Day
“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned,
to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” ~Will Rogers
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The Barry Bonds Controversy
I wonder if people, when they’re writing a “tell all” book ever lie awake at night and think, “By damn, I’m incredibly uncool! I’m trying to better my life by harming another’s… Adding laughter to my family while adding tears to someone else’s….”
Doubtful. I’d wager that they lie awake wondering what other human beings have made mistakes that they can dig up. I guess the fact that so many of us are humans explains why there are so many of these worthless books. And aren’t we humans, on the whole, a pitiful lot. We want desperately for our own mistakes to be forever hidden, but we want those of others to be out there for the whole world to gawk and sneer at.
If you have the ability and resources to write a book and get it published, here’s a “novel” (sorry) idea: Put together something that will help another person. Something that will, after all is said and done, leave the world a better place for having been written.
The recent tattle tale book that has taken aim at Barry Bonds is, like most of these books, getting lots of attention. Sadly, he isn’t the only one who is being hurt. His fans and his family are hurting as well. Worst of all, though, is what this must be like for his beautiful kids. We have no idea what Barry did or didn’t do (and frankly I don’t care - it’s the past and I’m for leaving it there) - but we darned sure know that these children didn’t do anything. They don’t deserve to watch their daddy being treated like a thug.
What’s done is done. The past is the past. If the league, the media, and the fans didn’t suspect or catch anything while it was allegedly happening, what makes them think they have any business going back for it now?
Especially if it isn’t within their power to reprimand every single player who did steroids, every single doctor or trainer who helped them, and every single manager who knew about it. That would be impossible, so call off the witch hunt and quit trying to make one man pay for all of their debt! It’s like a group of people want to stamp the letter S on Barry’s forehead and burn him at the stake. They think that by doing that they’ll purge baseball, and possibly all sports, of the fact that steroids ever existed in the first place.
If the worst did happen, and Barry did do steroids, he has reaped what he sowed an then some. His name will forever by marred by this controversy and scandal.
Imagine that. Your name. The one thing you’ll have forever. The thing that’ll be with you all of your life, then will live on long after you’re gone. His name will always be in the shadow of this mess.
I think he has paid in full.
Now, having said all of that, I will say this: We’ve all seen athletes, actors, singers, models, and (for crying out loud) politicians do terrible things - drugs, drunk driving, brawling, adultery, etc. Most of the time the public has an initial reaction, then watches as the person goes on about their life - usually applauding their ability to “overcome.”
I think a great deal of it has to do with a person owning up to what they did. People, by nature, hate to feel like they’re being lied to. So, if someone in the public eye says something like, “I didn’t inhale…” our back goes up. But if they own up to what they did, we respect that. IF Barry did steroids, he would do himself a world of good to stand up and admit it. It wouldn’t give him his career back, but I believe it would give him his name back.
And, maybe best of all, it’d hurt the sales of a certain book.
Joi
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