Choose To Become An EncouragerWritten by Guy Harris
____________________________________________“...I know that only source of happiness is within me, and I will begin to share it. Like a perfume, I know that I cannot pour it on others without getting a few drops on myself." - Og Mandino, "The Choice" "You cannot antagonize and influence at same time." - John Knox ____________________________________________ The childhood chant "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" is a lie. Do you remember every time you fell from your bike as a child? How about every time you have hit your knee or elbow working around your house? Most people forget these incidents as soon as physical pain subsides. Do you remember some nickname that you hated as a child? Did your parents or teachers ever tell you something that made you feel inferior or weak? Do you remember any negative comments you have received on job performance reviews? If you are like most people, you remember these negative words long after moment has passed. Now consider positive words you have received. Maybe, like me, they came from your family as a child. Maybe they came from a favorite teacher, coach, or mentor. Think for a moment about impact these words have had on your life. Positive or negative, words leave a mark. The mark is not on surface where you can see it, but there is a mark. Here's a story to illustrate my point. As a child, my parents and I lived in North Carolina. Both sets of my grandparents lived in Texas. We visited Texas about twice a year. During these visits, we often split our time between two families. I loved both dearly, but I always wanted to spend more time with one than with other. Both sets loved me. Both treated me well. Both would do nearly anything for me. But there was one big difference. One grandmother called me "precious, angel, baby child" and "my wonderful, precious angel". The other called me Guy. Which do you think was my favorite? You can probably guess where I wanted to spend my time.
| | The Great OpportunityWritten by Neil Millar
I assume you want to be happier. Searching for greater happiness is a wonderful thing whatever level of happiness you are currently at. It could be that you are already enjoying life and just searching for a new idea, or it could be that you have felt negative towards life or experiences life has dealt you. If you feel in anyway negative about life I would like to share something with you.It is human nature to take a look at darker side of life. I have often dwelt on this side. I’ve found that in this negative place I often feel a greater sense of hopelessness and loss. I believe when we have had a traumatic experience it is right that we should feel this way for a time. Perhaps it has been right for you to feel this way. Perhaps it was part of healing process for whatever you have been through up until now. Perhaps looking at negative side of life has served you well up until now – as a form of protection – but I think that in long run that it would be wrong and harmful to your health, and life, for you continue with these thoughts once you have acknowledged that they exist. Let me expand on why I believe this. Whatever life has dealt you, however bad things were or are; there has been a lesson for you to learn from that experience. If you are still in a situation that makes you unhappy it would be wise to review it and see what you can do to leave it or alleviate pain and frustration from it. In ending of an unhappy experience you are released and presented with something that can be used to make everyday from here onwards happier… and that something can be summed up in one word… Out of your hardship, out of your hopelessness and feeling of being lost you will find ‘opportunity’, opportunity to be free of all hardship of past, an opportunity to rediscover yourself, an opportunity to do all things you might like to have done but could not or did not do before. Let me give you an example of day a thought about an opportunity came. The thought came as a shock, so out of place with rest of my thoughts that day that I stopped what I was doing instantly. A few seconds passed and then I began to laugh like I hadn’t laughed in years.
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