We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves

"We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves."
~ François Duc de La Rochefoucauld

To deny sex is to deny life.

"To deny sex is to deny life. To reject art is to impoverish yourself, rejecting pleasure and growth. To accept sex and art together is to add to oneself, to be positive instead of negative. Erotic cinema . . . reveals us to ourselves with increasing artistry."
-- William Rotsler

until we change our restless, discontented mind we shall never find true happiness

"We could change our home or our partner countless times, but until we change our restless, discontented mind we shall never find true happiness.”

~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

It is a mistake to pursue happiness and to seek to avoid suffering by deceiving and humiliating other people

"We should practice by showing one another love and helping one another. It is a mistake to pursue happiness and to seek to avoid suffering by deceiving and humiliating other people. We must try to achieve happiness and eliminate suffering by being good-hearted and well-behaved."
-- Dalia Lama

Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet”

-- Albert Einstein

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."
~ Oscar Wilde

Your mountain is waiting.

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way.”

-Dr. Seuss

The only gracious way to accept an insult is to ignore it...

“The only gracious way to accept an insult is to ignore it; if you can't ignore it, top it; if you can't top it, laugh at it; if you can't laugh at it, it's probably deserved.”
- J. Russel Lynes

I’m not just some bitch looking to make a dollar.

“It’s important that people see that I am honest. I’m not just some bitch looking to make a dollar.”
- Marilyn Monroe

Knowledge is experience; anything else is just information.

"Knowledge is experience; anything else is just information."
~ Albert Einstein

A woman who gives any advantage to a man may expect a lover -- but will sooner or later find a tyrant.

"A woman who gives any advantage to a man may expect a lover -- but will sooner or later find a tyrant."
-- Lord Byron

Try not. Do or do not.

"Try not. Do or do not."
-- Yoda

A fine quotation is a diamond in the hand of a man of wit...

"A fine quotation is a diamond in the hand of a man of wit and a pebble in the hand of a fool."
~Joseph Roux, (1834 - 1905)

To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.”
- Aldous Huxley

A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.

"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself."
~Jim Morrison

Life is about Creating Yourself

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~George Bernard Shaw

A woman must not depend on the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself.

"A woman must not depend on the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself."
-- Susan B. Anthony

If a company is only focused on profits, they miss the big picture and will always be scurrying...

"The people who receive the most are the ones who give the most. This is true of individuals, but also for businesses. If the focus is on how can we give the absolute best service, then the profits will follow. If a company is only focused on profits, they miss the big picture and will always be scurrying ...for business... instead of having clients chasing them."
~Susan Bagyura

Take the best into your mind and only that.

"Take the best into your mind and only that. Nurture it, concentrate on it, visualize it, pray over it, surround it with faith. Never start a day of any undertaking without praying about it. You will get your best results that way."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.

"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 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

If you don't get out of your comfort zone, you will never go where you wish you were

"If you don't get out of your comfort zone, you will never go where you wish you were" ~Chip Esajian

The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing knowledge.

"The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing knowledge."
- Albert Einstein

Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
- Og Mandino

There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women.

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL."
-- Lynn Lavner

Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere.

"Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be Revelation."

~ Eileen Caddy

A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.

"A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner."

~ English proverb

To be successful, all doubts, fear and folly must be removed from within.

"To be successful, all doubts, fear and folly must be removed from
within."

- Codrut Magheru

Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.

"Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry — all forms of fear — are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."

~ Eckhart Tolle

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly."
~ Albert Einstein

Don't fuck with a man that sleeps next to a woman he never screws. They're unpredictable.

"Don't mess with him...Trust me, you don't fuck with a man that sleeps next to a woman he never screws. They're unpredictable."
-- ShitMyDadSays

Love is like a precious plant; you can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboards or just think it's just going to get on with itself...

"To work on this relationship with Yoko is very hard and we've got the gift of love. But love is like a precious plant; you can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboards or just think it's just going to get on with itself or like a pet. You've got to keep watering it; you've got to really look after it. In love you have to water and be careful of it and keep the flies off"

-- John Lennon

(John said "you know" many times, which I removed from this quote.)

Taking the wrong path in life is never fatal to your life destination……staying on it is.

"Be not afraid of mistakes or making a wrong turn. Taking the wrong path in life is never fatal to your life destination……staying on it is."

- Michael Brown

Choose being kind over being right, and you'll be right every time.

"Choose being kind over being right, and you'll be right every time."

~ Richard Carlson

If you can dream in, you can do it.

"If you can dream in, you can do it."
-- Walt Disney

Remember that very little is needed to make a happy life.

"Remember that very little is needed to make a happy life."

- Marcus Aurelius

Do not try to seem wise to others.

"Do not try to seem wise to others. If you want to live a wise life, live it on your own terms and in your own eyes."

- Epictetus

Life is not about win-and-lose.

"If you think you have nothing to lose, you win. If you think you have something to win, you lose. Life is not about win-and-lose. Life is about being or not being, expressing or not expressing, who you are. Don't do things for personal benefit and don't do things to avoid personal damage. Do things to feel personal authenticity. Your life will make sense no matter what is going on around you."

- Neale Donald Walsch

Why should one follow the spiritual path?

"Why should one follow the spiritual path?" Amma replied, "This is like the seed asking, "Why should I go beneath the soil, sprout and grow upward?"

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

~ Dr. Seuss

Am I, or the others crazy?

"Sometimes it is hazy.
Am I, or the others crazy?"

- Albert Einstein

Dreaming about being an actress, is more exciting then being one.

"Dreaming about being an actress, is more exciting then being one."
- Marilyn Monroe

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
-- Lao Tzu

To undermine a man's self-respect is a sin.

"I have no right, by anything I do or say, to demean a human being in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him; it is what he thinks of himself. To undermine a man's self-respect is a sin."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

If you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.

"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
- Marilyn Monroe

Your amazing purpose is waiting for you...

“Your amazing purpose is waiting for you to create the victorious mindset to see it”
~Chip Esajian

Do not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same.

"Do not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same. The crisis is the greatest blessing that can happen to people and countries, because crisis brings progress. Creativity is born of anxiety as the day comes from the dark night..."

- Albert Einstein

Am I or are the others crazy?

“A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?”
-- Albert Einstein

Remember, you only have to succeed the last time.

"Remember, you only have to succeed the last time."
— Brian Tracy

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing — that's why we recommend it daily.

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing — that's why we recommend it daily."

— Zig Ziglar: Author and motivational speaker

You can only save one life and that is yours. The rest you can throw a lifeline.

"You can only save one life and that is yours. The rest you can throw a lifeline."
- Rumi

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says "I'm possible".

"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'."
~ Audrey Hepburn

If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative.

"If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive."

~ Bettie Eadie

There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way.

"There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way."
- Christopher Morley

To undermine a man's self-respect is a sin.

"I have no right, by anything I do or say, to demean a human being in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him; it is what he thinks of himself. To undermine a man's self-respect is a sin."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Some people have so much respect for their superiors they have none left for themselves.

"Some people have so much respect for their superiors they have none left for themselves."
~Peter McArthur

Don't mistake the Bridge, or the Dark Tunnel, for the Destination.

"Don't mistake the Bridge, or the Dark Tunnel, for the Destination."
-- Nanice Ellis

Every time you don't follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness.

"Every time you don't follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness."
~ Shakti Gawain

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity

"In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity"
~ Albert Einstein

Always say "yes" to the present moment.

Whereas before you dwelt in time and paid brief visits to the Now, have your dwelling place in the Now and pay brief visits to the past and future when required to deal with the practical aspects of your life situation. Always say "yes" to the present moment. - Eckhart Tolle

He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”
~ Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu was a philosopher of ancient China and is a central figure in Taoism (also spelled "Daoism"). Laozi literally means "Old Master" and is generally considered an honorific. Laozi is revered as a deity in most religious forms of Taoism. Taishang Laojun is a title for Laozi in the Taoist religion, which refers to him as "One of the Three Pure... See More Ones".

According to Chinese tradition, Laozi lived in the 6th century BC. Historians variously contend that Laozi is a synthesis of multiple historical figures, that he is a mythical figure, or that he actually lived in the 4th century BC, concurrent with the Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States Period.

Once you've acquired the requisite knowledge to achieve your goal...

"Once you've acquired the requisite knowledge to achieve your goal, all thought must cease and action must take precedent. At a certain point, thought becomes the enemy. Successful people must learn when to shut off their thinking, and just get their bodies to move."
~Melinda Bassett, 2010.

Kick your own ass if necessary

"Kick your own ass if necessary."
~ Anthony Robbins

Set your sights high, the higher the better.

"Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way."
~ Eileen Caddy

Balance the goal is balance.

Balance the goal is balance.
We need balance between work and play.
We need balance between giving and receiving.
We need balance in thought and feelings, we need balance in caring for our physical self and our spiritual self.
A balanced life has harmony between a professional life and a personal life.
There may be times when we need to climb mountains at work.
There may be times when we put extra energy into our relationships.
But the overall picture needs to balance. Just as a balanced nutritional diet takes into account the realm of our nutritional needs to stay healthy, a balanced life takes into account all our needs: our need for friends, work, love, family, play, private time, recovery time, and spiritual time.

If we get out of balance, our inner voice will tell us. We need to listen.

-- Tassy Pink

Go for extraordinary happiness in your life, and see the wonderful in others

"Go for extraordinary happiness in your life, and see the wonderful in others"
~ Chip Esajian

To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness.

"To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness.

To think good thoughts, however, requires effort."

- James Clavell

Ego has a voracious appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets

"Ego has a voracious appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets."
~ Nathaniel Bronner Jr.

We do not receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey through the wilderness...

"We do not receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey through the wilderness, which no one else can make for us, which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world."

~ Marcel Proust(1871 – 1922) French novelist, critic and essayist

I saturate all the cells in my body with love, and they become vibrantly healthy.

"The one person I am with forever is me. My relationship with myself is eternal, so I choose to be my own best friend. I choose to love and accept myself and talk to myself as I would to a beloved person in my life. I saturate all the cells in my body with love, and they become vibrantly healthy. I re...late with love to all of life."
- Louise L. Hay

When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender that is strength.

"When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender that is strength."
~Arnold Schwarzenegger 1975

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who couldn't hear the music

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who couldn't hear the music."
- Nietzsche

Follow your wildest dreams, wherever they may take you...

"Follow your wildest dreams,
wherever they may take you...

Celebrate each moment you're given,
for your time on earth is precious...

Remember to believe in magick,
look and see it all around you...

Let your spirit be a beacon,
lighting the way through darkness...

In the end it's love that matters,
and how your life is truly measured"

-- Jessica Galbreth

You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want

“You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
~ Zig Ziglar

A man who is "of sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key.

"A man who is "of sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key."
~ Paul Valéry

Create from the inside. Don't worry about the outside. It will happen by itself.

"You have to have a blueprint. Meditation is about the inside. You have to meditate. Create from the inside. Don't worry about the outside. It will happen by itself."
- Dattatreya Siva Baba

Never react emotionally to criticism.

"Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business."
~Norman Vincent Peale

A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.

"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him."
~ David Brink

Criticism

"Criticism is easily avoided by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing."
- Aristotle

Our interpretation of time influences our biology

Many experiments have shown that our interpretation of time influences our biology. An astonishing fact is that more people die in our culture on Monday mornings at nine o'clock than at any other time of the week. - Deepak Chopra

Laughing at our mistakes ...

"Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it."
- Cullen Hightower

Hindu New Year

Hindu New Year is celebrated according to the Hindu Lunar Calendar- Panchanga. The popular name of the Hindu New Year is Vikram Samvat. In the Indian Calendar, seasons follow the sun, months follow the moon and days both sun and moon. This era of Vikram Samvat began in 57 BC. To correspond with the solar calendar, 57 years are subtracted from the Hindu Year. Thus, the New Year begin with the first day of Kartik Maas following Deepawali Amaavasya.

History of Vikram Samvat
The origin of Hindu New Year relates to the legendary Hindu King Vikramaditya in 57 BC. According to the legend, King Gardabhilla (in 12th century CE) abducted a nun by the name of Saraswati. She was the sister of the famous Jain monk Kalakacharya. The helpless monk sought help of the Saka ruler in Sakasthana to defeat Gardabhilla. He was defeated and captivated by the Saka King. Though later released but Gardabhilla retired to the the forest where he was killed by a tiger. His son, Vikramaditya (brought up in the forest) later invaded Ujjain and pushed out the Sakas. Thus, to celebrate this event, he commemorated a new era called Vikram Samvat.

Hindu New Year Celebrations
Multifarious religions are practiced in India and so are the celebrations of various festivals. Hindu New Year is celebrated with gaiety and pomp all over India. Verve of the festival can be seen mostly among the people of North India and Gujarat. New Year in Southern India also emphasize the Hindu New Year but the date and New Year traditions vary.

* Punjab : New year starts on 13th April.
* Assam : New year starts on 14th or 15th of April.
* Bengal : New year starts on 14th or 15th April.
* Gujarat : New Year starts on Karthik Shukla Pratipada.
* Kerala : New year starts in the month of Medam (on the day when the Sun enters in the constellation Leo).
* Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka : New Year falls on Chaitra Shuddha Prathipade.
* Sikkim : New Year starts on 18th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar.
* Maharashtra : New Year starts in the month of Chaitra
* Tamil Nadu : New year starts on 13th or 14th of April.


People light oil lamps and decorate the house with auspicious flowers those with the color like pink, red, purple or yellow. Rangoli design is also an attractive part of New Year decorations. Indians get up early in the morning, take bath and wear new clothes. They bring home deities of Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of wealth) and Lord Ganesha. Prayers are offered and prasad is distributed among the family members. At the time of New Year, gifts and sweets are exchangd with each other. People consider this festival to be an auspicious time to begin New Year

Source: http://www.newyearfestival.com/hindu-new-year.html

What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains, and is, immortal.

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains, and is, immortal."
-- Albert Pine

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
~ Cyril Connolly

Never, never, never, never give up.

“Never, never, never, never give up.”
~Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) British Statesman, Prime Minister, Author

What we think we become

"What we think we become."
-- Buddha

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
-- George Orwell

You don’t just grab a ruler and tell everyone to whip their dicks out...

“Calm down. You don’t just grab a ruler and tell everyone to whip their dicks out. You stuff your crotch and keep your pants on.”
-- ShitMyDadSays

Monsters are real.

"Monsters are real. And ghosts are real too. They live inside us. And sometimes they win." - Stephen King

=STOP PLAYING THE GAME=

TAO TE CHING

Learning consists of daily accumulating.
The practice of the Tao consists of daily diminishing;
decreasing and decreasing, until doing nothing.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.

True mastery can be gained
by letting things go their own way.
It can not be gained by interfering.

=STOP PLAYING THE GAME=

You are playing a game with the entire world. Sometimes it can be enjoyable and fun, but most of the times it's hard and complicated. Sometimes it can just be sadistic and cruel.

Your ego loves playing the game. It loves comparing itself to others to see who is winning. To see who has the most money. To see who has the most power. To see who is the best. To see who is happier. To see who is making the most out of their life.

Every person you meet your ego is sizing them up. Deciding who is ahead in the game.

But here is the catch. We may make the comparisons but we constantly feel we are losing. We know there is something out there we don’t have. We may not even know what it is. We just have that empty feeling that tells us it is missing.

Guess what? That empty feeling isn't going to go away. If we look out into the world to fill the void, the empty space may actually get bigger and bigger. We are chasing something we can never catch.

We are playing a game in which there can be no winner. Yet we keep playing the game and sometimes the game flies completely out of our control.

Your mind has over 50,000 thoughts a day. Are you going to tell me you are in control of all those thoughts? Do you even know what those thoughts are? Most are repetitive and useless. The same thoughts that you have over and over every day, but accomplish nothing. Most just bring worry and misery.

Even though you aren't consciously aware of all the thoughts you know they are there. You can feel them. There is that underlying current of unease that is in all of us. Sometimes we feel it more intensely. Sometimes in moments of intense anger or grief it can overwhelm us. But even in moments of relative peace we can still feel it lurking in the background.

The game keeps us searching, comparing and fighting for relief but there is none. Perhaps brief flashes of liberation, but they are always fleeting.

So is there anything we can do?

Yes!

Quit playing the game.

Surrender. Just give up. Decide you are not going to play the game anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying give up on life. I am saying end the game. Now watch what happens in your life.

Turn your life over to your higher self. Trust in the part of you that is infinite. A part of you that, believe it or not, is omnipotent & all knowing. Why in the word would you want to limit yourself to your finite mind? A mind so cluttered and full of lies and deceit that it really can't even see the world for what it truly is.

Accept that you are more than this jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions, walking sometimes aimlessly in a trap of flesh and bone. Realize that you have the ability to access infinite possibilities. Understand there is no need for competition, because everyone has this ability. Everyone is pure unlimited potential. You can coordinate the universe so precise that anything you desire is possible.

How?

Embrace the unknown and uncertainty. Know that everything you could ever want is yours for the taking. Just don't get caught up in the "how" and "why" anymore. Find the joy in yourself. What makes you feel good? Let that feeling guide you. If you are having fun in what you are doing, everything else will take care of itself.

But most won't believe it. Most are just going to continue playing the game. For them the struggle is never going to end. Sad.

Stop playing the game.

[4]Paradigm Shift Today Links: http://www.paradigmshifttoday.com/shiftclass.html

Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.

"Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings."
-- Arthur Rubinstein

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.
-- Albert Einstein

You must do that which you think you cannot do.

“Believe in yourself. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You must do that which you think you cannot do.”
-- Eleanor Roosevelt

Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

"Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
~Thomas Edison

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
- Ghandi

We create our universe as we go along

"We create our universe as we go along"
~Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) British Statesman, Prime Minister, Author

Life should not be...

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow What a Ride'"
-- Hunter S. Thompson

Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it

"Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it; for action has magic and grace in it." -- Goethe

Expose yourself to your deepest fear...

"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free."
~~ Jim Morrison (1943 – 1971) American singer, songwriter, poet, writer and filmmaker.

A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude

"When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude."
- Elie Wiesel

For all our insight, obstinate habits do not disappear until replaced by other habits.

For all our insight, obstinate habits do not disappear until replaced by other habits. - Carl Jung

You have to want to conquer.

“We all have great inner power. The power is self-faith. There's really an attitude to winning. You have to see yourself winning before you win. And you have to be hungry. You have to want to conquer.” ~Arnold Schwarzenegger 1981

If someone breaks your heart, cry a river, build a bridge and get over it

"If someone breaks your heart, cry a river, build a bridge and get over it!"
~ Josée Côté

There are people who say "I'm runing out of time." ...

There are people who say "I'm runing out of time." They have deadlines to meet. For them the clock is moving faster as a result of their internal perception of time. Their heart rates are faster, their blood pressure is higher. And when they suddenly drop dead of a heart attack, time has indeed run out for them. They have converted their internal experience of time running out into a physical experience.
- Deepak Chopra

When you are inspired...

When you are inspired... dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be. - Patanjali

we in california have never been afraid of "getting in trouble"...

"we in california have never been afraid of "getting in trouble" we're just like the girl on jerry springer screaming "i do what i want!" the point is there's money to be made people."

-- Nancy Giovannoni, in regards to California legalizing and taxing marijuana (link)

You have to trust in something

"You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny,
life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let
me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
-— Steve Jobs: Co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc.

Your destiny is not tied to people who walk away from you.

"Your destiny is not tied to people who walk away from you."
~Joel Osteen, famous christian preacher.

There are some that only implore words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts

"There are some that only implore words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts."
-- Voltaire

Love Yourself

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world."
- Lucille Ball

The best job goes to the person who can get it done...

"The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses."
~ Napoleon Hill

The healthy man does not torture others.

"The healthy man does not torture others. Generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers."

-- Carl Jung

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary.

"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary. The evil it does is permanent."
-- Ghandi

A human being is...

"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us "universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest...a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness."
~~ Albert Einstein

You become what you think about

"You become what you think about."
~Earl Nightingale

It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.

"It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations is an admirable work, and I studied it intently. The quotations when engraved upon the memory give you good thoughts. They also make you anxious to read the authors and look for more."
~ Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

British Statesman, Prime Minister,
Author, Roving Commission: My Early Life, 1930, Chapter 9

Life does not accommodate you; it shatters you.

"Life does not accommodate you; it shatters you. Every seed destroys its container, or else there would be no fruition."
-- Florida Scott-Maxwell

There is no shortcut to life.

"There is no shortcut to life. To the end of our days, life is a lesson imperfectly learned."
--Harrison E. Salisbury

The inability to open up to hope...

The inability to open up to hope is what blocks trust, and blocked trust is the reason for blighted dreams.
- Elizabeth Gilbert

Time is free, but it's priceless.

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.”
-- Harvey MacKay

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
-- Steve Jobs, Co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc.

The edge...

"The edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the one`s who have gone over."
-- Hunter S. Thompson

No person is your friend who...

"No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow" ~Alice Walker

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
- Henry David Thoreau

Focus all of our resources

"Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives."
~Anthony Robbins

Twenty years from now...

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
- Mark Twain

Where is there dignity unless there is honesty?

"Where is there dignity unless there is honesty?"
- Cicero

No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly

"No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this, we become free."
~~ the Buddha

Take care of the luxuries...

"Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves."
- Dorothy Parker

Be someone

"How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone."
- Coco Chanel

Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.

"Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes."
- Confucius

New ending

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."
~ Maria Robinson

Understanding the 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviors

10) Gossip

We humans are evolutionarily set up to judge and talk about others, no matter how hurtful it might be, researchers say.

Here's how Oxford primatologist Robin Dunbar sees it: Baboons groom each other to keep social ties strong. But we humans are more evolved, so we use gossip as social glue. Both are learned behaviors.

Gossip establishes group boundaries and boosts self-esteem, studies have found.

In many instances, the goal of gossip is not truth or accuracy. What matters is the bond that gossiping can forge, often at the expense of a third party.

"When two people share a dislike of another person, it [gossip] brings them closer," says Jennifer Bosson, a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida.

---

9) Gamble

Gambling, too, seems to be in our genes and hard-wired into our brains, which might explain why such a potentially ruinous behavior is so common.

Even monkeys gamble. A study that measured monkeys' desire to gamble for juice rewards found that even as potential rewards diminished, the primates acted irrationally and gambled for the chance to get a wee bit more.

A study published in the journal Neuron last year found that almost winning activates win-related circuitry within the brain and enhances the motivation to gamble. "Gamblers often interpret near-misses as special events, which encourage them to continue to gamble," said Luke Clark of the University of Cambridge. "Our findings show that the brain responds to near-misses as if a win has been delivered, even though the result is technically a loss."

Other studies have also shown that losing causes gamblers to get carried away. When people plan in advance how much to gamble, they're coldly rational, a study last year found. But if they lose, rationality goes out the window, and they change the game plan and bet even more.

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8) Stress Out

Stress can be deadly, raising the risk for heart problems and even cancer. Stress can lead to depression, which can lead to suicide -- yet another destructive behavior that's uniquely human (and glaringly not on this list).

But exactly why we stress is difficult to pin down. These truths will resonate with many, however: The modern workplace is a source of significant stress for many people, as are children.

More than 600 million people around the world put in 48-hour-plus workweeks, according to the International Labor Organization. And advances in technology -- smartphones and broadband Internet -- mean a blurring of the lines between work and free time. About half of Americans bring work home, according to a recent study.

The stress of being a parent while also working is borne out by a 2007 study that found older people feel less stress.

"Many older workers are empty-nesters," says researcher Gwenith Fisher, an organizational psychologist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research (ISR). "They don't have the same work-personal conflicts that younger and middle-aged workers deal with, juggling responsibilities to children along with their jobs and their personal needs."

Health experts suggest exercise and adequate sleep are two of the best ways to battle stress.

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7) Nip, Tuck, Plump and Tattoo our Bodies

By 2015, 17 percent of U.S. residents will be getting cosmetic procedures, the industry predicts. Some would call it self-edification, of course, or art, or a way to kill time or perhaps rebel against authority. But in general, and given that people have died from cosmetic surgery procedures, what makes so many people so intent on artificially remaking themselves?

First, it's worth noting that while options at the body shop have never been more varied, the practice is ancient, often tied to cults and religions or power and status, and in fact much of the modern nip, tuck, paint, poke and plump procedures are benign compared with some ancient practices. People have reshaped their heads, elongated their necks, stretched their ears and lips, painted their bodies or affixed permanent jewelry for thousands of years.

Perhaps the strongest motivations nowadays are to be beautiful, however one might define that, or simply to fit in with a particular group.

The lure of beauty can't be denied as a prime motivator to nip and tuck. Studies have shown that shoppers buy more from attractive salespeople; attractive people capture our attention more quickly than others; and skinny people have an easier time getting hired and promoted.

"There's this idea that if you look better you'll be happier. You'll feel better about yourself," says psychologist Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women & Families. "And logically that makes so much sense, because we live in a society where people do care what you look like."

A sign of the times, as Baby Boomer age: While cosmetic surgery sales sagged during the recession, wrinkle-blasting laser treatments have skyrocketed.

---

6) Bully

Studies have found that half or more of grade-school children experience bullying. A European study in 2009 found that children who bully at school are likely to also bully their siblings at home. That led a researcher involved in the study to speculate that bullying behavior often starts at home.

"It is not possible to tell from our study which behavior comes first, but it is likely that if children behave in a certain way at home, bullying a sibling for instance, if this behavior goes unchecked they may take this behavior into school," said Ersilia Menesini of the Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Italy.

But bullying is not just child's play. One study found that almost 30 percent of U.S. office workers experience bullying by bosses or coworkers, from withholding of information critical to getting the job done to insulting rumors and other purposeful humiliation. And once it starts, it tends to get worse.

"Bullying, by definition, is escalatory. This is one of the reasons it's so difficult to prevent it, because it usually starts in really small ways," says Sarah Tracy, director of the Project for Wellness and Work-Life at Arizona State University.

Experts say to combat workplace bullies, respond rationally, specifically, and consistently.

Why do we do it? To gain status and power, psychologists say. And for some, it may be hard to resist the behavior. Researchers have seen bullying behavior in monkeys and speculate that the behavior may stretch way back in our evolutionary tree.

---

5) Lie

Nobody knows for sure why humans lie so much, but studies find that it's common, and that it's often tied to deep psychological factors.

"It's tied in with self-esteem," says University of Massachusetts psychologist Robert Feldman. "We find that as soon as people feel that their self-esteem is threatened, they immediately begin to lie at higher levels."

Feldman has conducted studies in which people lie frequently, with 60 percent lying at least once during a 10-minute conversation.

And lying is not easy. One study concluded that lying takes 30 percent longer than telling the truth.

Recent studies have found that people lie in workplace e-mail more than they did with old-fashioned writing.

It's a whole other matter whether people really mean to lie in many instances. Figuring that out requires coming up with a complicated definition of lying.

"Certain conditions have to be in place for a statement to rise to the level of a lie," explains philosophy professor James E. Mahon of Washington and Lee University. "First, a person must make a statement and must believe that the statement is false. Second, the person making the statement must intend for the audience to believe that the statement is true. Anything else falls outside the definition of lying that I have defended."

Animals are also known to be capable of deception, and even robots have learned to lie, in an experiment where they were rewarded or punished depending on performance in a competition with other robots.

---

4) Cheat

Few human traits are more fascinating. While most people would say honesty is a virtue, nearly one in five Americans think cheating on taxes is morally acceptable or is not a moral issue, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. About 10 percent are equally ambivalent about cheating on a spouse.

People who espouse high moral standards are among the worst cheats, studies have shown. The worst cheaters tend to be those with high morals who also, in some twisted way, consider cheating to be an ethically justifiable behavior in certain situations.

Cheating on spouses by celebrities and politicians thought to be moral leaders has become rampant. The behavior has a simple explanation, experts say: Guys are wired to want sex, a lot, and are more likely than gals to cheat. The behavior may be particularly likely for men with power.

"People don't necessarily practice what they preach," says Lawrence Josephs, a clinical psychologist at Adelphi University in New York. "It's not clear to what extent people's ethical values are actually running what they do or don't do."

---

3) Steal

Theft can be motivated by need. But for kleptomaniacs, stealing can be motivated by the sheer thrill of it. One study of 43,000 people found 11 percent admitted to having shoplifted at least once.

"These are people who steal even though they can easily afford not to," says Jon E. Grant of the University of Minnesota School of Medicine.

In a study in 2009, participants either took a placebo or the drug naltrexone -- known to curb addictive tendencies toward alcohol, drugs and gambling. Naltrexone blocks the effects of substances called endogenous opiates that the researchers suspect are released during stealing and which trigger the sense of pleasure in the brain.

The drug reduced the urges to steal and stealing behavior, Grant and colleagues wrote in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Theft may be in our genes. After all, even monkeys do it. Capuchin monkeys use predator alarm calls to warn fellow monkeys to scatter and avoid threats. But some will make fake calls, and then steal food left by those that scattered.

---

2) Crave Violence

Violence is found throughout recorded human history, leading some researchers to conclude that we crave it, that it's in our genes and affects reward centers in our brains. However, going back millions of years, evidence suggests our ancient human ancestors were more peace-loving than people today, though there are signs of cannibalism among the earliest pre-history humans.

A study in 2008 concluded that humans seem to crave violence just like they do sex, food, or drugs. The study, reported in the journal Psychopharmacology, found that in mice, clusters of brain cells involved in other rewards are also behind their craving for violence. The researchers think the finding applies to human brains.

"Aggression occurs among virtually all vertebrates and is necessary to get and keep important resources such as mates, territory and food," said study team member Craig Kennedy, professor of special education and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. "We have found that the reward pathway in the brain becomes engaged in response to an aggressive event and that dopamine is involved."

Many researchers believe violence in humans is an evolved tendency that helped with survival.

"Aggressive behavior has evolved in species in which it increases an individual's survival or reproduction, and this depends on the specific environmental, social, reproductive, and historical circumstances of a species. Humans certainly rank among the most violent of species," says biologist David Carrier of the University of Utah.

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1) Cling to Bad Habits

Perhaps everything else on this list would be far less problematic if we were not such creatures of habit. In fact, studies have found that even when the risks of a particular bad habit are well-known, people find it hard to quit.

"It's not because they haven't gotten the information that these are big risks," says Cindy Jardine of the University of Alberta. "We tend to sort of live for now and into the limited future -- not the long term."

Jardine, who has studied why people cling to bad habits, cites these reasons:

-- Innate human defiance

-- Need for social acceptance

-- Inability to truly understand the nature of risk

-- Individualistic view of the world and the ability to rationalize unhealthy habits

-- Genetic predisposition to addiction

People tend to justify bad habits, she says, by noting exceptions to known statistics, such as: "It hasn't hurt me yet," or, "My grandmother smoked all her life and lived to be 90."

---

Source: http://www.livescience.com/culture/top10-destructive-human-behaviors-100122-1.html

Anyone who has never made a mistake...

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
- Albert Einstein

3 Financial Dangers of Social Media

Anyone who doubts the power of social media to affect finances need look no further than the example of Kansas City Chiefs football player Larry Johnson.

The all-pro running back cost himself $213,000, and ultimately a job, by posting anti-gay slurs on the micro-blogging service Twitter -- in 140 characters or less, of course.

Career trouble is just one way a badly managed social media presence can hit your pocketbook. Following are three areas where social media could damage your financial life, and how to avoid such pitfalls.


Employment

Andy Beal, CEO of the social media monitoring platform Trackur.com, says jobseekers should assume potential employers will do a Google search of candidates' names. Social media profiles typically appear near the top of the search page.

If you have questionable pictures or posts on a public profile, take them down or make the profile private to avoid trouble.

Also, steer clear of negative talk about a prospective employer on any social media platform, Beal says. Many companies monitor mentions of their brand throughout the Web, he says.

He cites the case of a Twitter user who posted about a new job offer from Cisco, but expressed doubt about "the daily commute" and "hating the work." A Cisco employee noticed the tweet and demanded to know the name of the user's hiring manager.

Even employees who think their jobs are safe can sabotage themselves by being too honest online about their personal lives, or by posting feelings regarding a boss, client, co-worker or company for whom they work.

"We've seen a lot of cases of people publishing status updates that have gotten them in trouble," says Justin Smith, founder and editor in chief of Inside Facebook. "People have said things that have caused problems with their boss because of what they said about their work or because they've shared some other kind of private information about work online."

Caroline McCarthy, a staff writer at CNET News, says the best defense against such mistakes is to use plain old common sense. Remember, anything that appears on the Web is just a screenshot away from spreading quickly, despite the best efforts of social media users to keep it private.


Debt Collection

Social media has become a key tool for collection agencies trying to track down debtors, says Michelle Dunn, CEO of the American Credit and Collections Association and author of "Do's and Don'ts of Online Collections Techniques."

"If they don't have a good phone number or the mail's being returned, a lot of them use Facebook to find out if they have a different address or their employment information," Dunn says.

Many bill collectors who think they've found a debtor on a social media site will keep an eye on that individual's online presence, Dunn says.


"They don't necessarily have to post anything to them; they just watch what that person is posting," she says.

Setting a social media profile to allow anyone -- not just friends -- to look at postings can make your profile a particularly rich source of information, she says.

"People post things about if they've gotten a new home or a new vehicle," Dunn says. "People just post such private things about their lives, and the whole world is watching."

Privacy laws should preclude a collections professional from contacting and humiliating you on your social media page, Dunn says. However, some debt collectors violate those legal and ethical boundaries and assume false identities as a means of getting information, she says.


Scams

Social media sites ask for, and often get, a large amount of personal information from users. Unfortunately, identity thieves may use that information to perpetuate scams, especially if you use personal information when creating security passwords, McCarthy says.

"If you have a public Facebook profile that gives your birth date and your parents' names and that kind of thing, they can provide the answers to security questions that your bank might have on its Web site," she says.

Even if your profile is private, identity thieves may find other ways to get your information, Beal says.

"We see spammers, we see hackers, we see people trying to sell products using fictitious profiles," he says. "There was a study done a few years ago where one group created a specific fictitious profile and the number of people that accepted their friend request ... was pretty high."

For this reason, be careful about adding social networking "friends" you don't know in real life, says Beal.

"Social networking is not a popularity contest," says Beal. "I don't add anyone to Facebook or LinkedIn unless I know them."

And remember, just because a social media site asks for information doesn't mean you have to give it, Beal says.

Finally, McCarthy recommends never sending money to someone who asks for it over a social media service. Smith says that there have been reports of scammers hijacking accounts and posing as friends.

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/108692/financial-dangers-of-social-media

be kind whenever possible.

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."
~ His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

Time is the coin of your life...

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."
-- Carl Sandburg

Important things

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
- Dale Carnegie

My religion is kindness

"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."
~ Dalai Lama

There are two things you should never be mad at

"There are two things you should never be mad at: Those you can change and those you can not."
-- Plato

Free advice

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Maybe a happy ending is just moving on

"Maybe a happy ending is just moving on."

-- Quote from the movie "He's Just Not That Into You"

The Man who Sold his Life for Money

There once was a boy who dreamed of being a millionaire. By the time he was 10, he spent all his waking hours and dreamful nights fantasizing about being the richest man in the world. He had his first business by the time he was twelve and made more money mowing lawns and shoveling snow than all the kids in the neighborhood - combined. He was pleased but it was never enough. He was always looking for more ways to get rich - he didn't need it to be quick but he did have to know that he was continuously working hard to make his fantasy a reality.

In high school he missed his prom because he had to work at the local food chain - he didn't consider taking the night off like the other kids. He figured that once he was rich, there would plenty of time - besides it is just a prom and one night of his life. Weeks later when he was working his second job, his parents weren’t too happy when he missed his graduation, but he didn't care. His only priority was to fulfill his financial dreams. With his tenacity and dedication he did extremely well in college. He focused his entire attention on his studies and for the first time his work was a secondary priority. He was smart enough to know that an advanced education was necessary in order to create wealth.

He met his very first girlfriend in college. If she didn't relentlessly pursue him, he never would have even noticed her despite her stunning looks and friendly personality. They started dating and before long they were deeply involved. Of course she complained that work and school came before her but he wasn’t sure what the problem was with that - after all if you want to have a great life, you need more money than God. She never did understand this and soon ended the relationship. He was too focused on more important things to be hurt by the break up.

About six months later he met a young woman that he pursued. He actually loathed the way he acted around this girl but felt compelled and almost hypnotized by her. To his horror and dismay she actually convinced him to take a day off and go to the park with her. The whole time he was there he couldn't think about anything else but the money he was loosing and he was afraid that this one day of hooky would start a pattern and he would never succeed in life. After that he saw her less and less and wasn’t so compelled to be around her. But he was around her enough to get her pregnant.

She wanted to have the baby and get married but this infuriated him. If he got married and had a baby now, his whole life would be ruined. His plan was to get married in five years when he was 27 and then have 2 children - one at 32 and the other at 38 - he hoped they would boys and he could teach each of them to take over one business or another. So there was no way he was going to give up his fool-proof plan. He has seen what happens to people when they let life control their destiny and he will never be one of those naive people.

The next day he picked her up and took her to get an abortion. She cried all the way there and back, and for months afterwards. He knew it was for the best and tried to convince her of that everyday. She would pretend to believe him to get attention but the next day would come and the tears would be falling again. Eventually he learned to ignore her "irrational crying fits". When the crying finally stopped, he thought she was over it but she actually just learned to cry alone in the middle of the night.

Years passed and when he turned 27, he asked her to marry him with the promise they would have a child in 5 years. Although she still felt hurt, abandoned and betrayed by him, she deeply loved him and agreed to marry him. If only she knew things would get even worse and after 6 miscarriages she would be told by three different fertility experts that the forced abortion she had years ago created irreparable damage and she would never bear a child.

She had always dreamed of a Cinderella-like wedding but when she shared her wedding plans with him, he raised his voice and said "That might be your plan but it is not mine". Her parents were dead and whatever type of wedding they had, he would have to pay for. By then he had over a million dollars in net worth and could certainly afford it but he felt it was a waste of his hard earned money - and would not throw it away on a silly one day dream. He never did see that it was also a once in a lifetime dream. She argued with him for weeks but in the end she sacrificed the wedding for the marriage. The next day they went down to the hot and smelly court house and got married. She wore her regular work clothes because she was too depressed to make any real effort at looking good. She also didn't have the red and pink long stem rose bouquet he promised her but forgot to pick up.

Years passed and the man started 3 new businesses - doubling his net worth. He was good at what he did and it showed. His financial dream was getting closer and he knew he would do whatever it took to attain it - even if it took the rest of his life and a million sacrifices. He believed that when he had complete financial abundance, he could finally relax and be happy.

What he didn't see coming was the day he came home to discover his wife had left him. He found a note on the table that said something about her being emotionally starved for love and attention and every time she looked at him, she remembered her broken dreams and her broken heart. She also added, "please don’t look for me" - he never did.

Two months later, the divorce was final. When she came over to pick up her copy of the papers, he asked her why she refused a settlement, alimony and assets. She dropped dead in her tracks and looked at him like a wild animal viciously protecting herself - and said "How can you think I would take the very thing that ruined our marriage and destroyed me and my unborn baby? Why didn't you just have an affair with someone - I could have competed with?" Before he could open his mouth to respond, she was gone and all he could hear was the hostile echo of the front door violently slamming shut. After that day he gave very little thought to the things she said - he never did figure out what she meant.

It was no surprise that he used his new single status as an opportunity to throw himself into his work even more and before long it paid off. He had more money than he knew how deal with. But it still wasn't enough – there were still people richer than him and that wasn't acceptable. He worked every day for the rest of his life. He never remarried but did have a daughter as result of a drunken one night stand. Although he never saw her, she would write to him several times a year. He would never acknowledge her letters or the things in her life that she shared with him. He did send her money for practical things on a regular basis but never once did he send her any special presents or even acknowledge her birthday.

The only relationships he ever had were with his secretary and his dentist - both remained completely professional. They each hid their distaste of him very well - or he just didn't care enough to notice. He never took a vacation, bought a nice car or lived in a beautiful house which he very well could afford. He just didn't see the value of trading his hard earned money for frivolity. He never sent or received birthday presents, Christmas cards or any invitations, He lived an empty, solitary life and never made the time to try to figure out what was missing and how to get it.

Alone on his death bed he tried thinking of anything he was taking with him. He relentlessly searched for hours and realized that anything that might have been valuable to take with him when he passed was traded for money. As he finally understood it was a price too great to pay, he realized it was that wisdom that he would take with him from this world - and maybe he could still pass that on.

He used every last once of strength to write a short note, and as he closed his tired eyes, he took his very last breathe.

Almost 2 weeks later when the police responded to a call about an odd smell, they found his dead decaying body. It was a typical type of call except they were profoundly intrigued to find a huge smile of satisfaction embedded on the man's hardened face. And then they found the note in his stiffened right hand. It said:

"To whom it may concern. On this day of my death, let this note act as my final last will and testament.

No more and no less than $5000.00 will go to my daughter and son in law specifically for that vacation they keep putting off. A note with the money should say "Please learn from this dying man who is leaving this life with only one bit of wisdom. Don’t ever sell your life for money in the belief that money will buy you a life - it won't.

All remaining money will be buried with me in a locked and guarded tomb - not because I believe I can take my money with me but rather because I don't want to infect anyone with the dis-ease that ultimately killed me - and burden them with a life of self imposed imprisonment. Be free now and not wait for life to give you permission or provide you the right conditions - by human nature, it never will. And know in the end I die a peaceful man because I finally found the answer I unconsciously spent my whole life seeking. Now in the last moments of my life, I choose life.

One more thing, please find my wife and bring her three dozen long stemmed red and pink roses with the following note, "I'm sorry for breaking your heart and your dreams - and I’m sorry it took me so long to recognize just how sorry I would be. Now as money no longer has any meaning to me, I can feel all the feelings that I pushed down my whole life so I could stay focused on the illusion that wealth could be found by accumulating money. Now I can feel all the love for you that I buried before I knew what it was. I'm glad I do now. I love you".

The officer put the note back in the old mans hand and quietly walked out the door. The other cop could barely hear him say "I've got something to undo - that old man just saved my marriage and my life - and if you think the old man’s message is about money - think again".

Source: http://www.nanice.com/Transform-your-relationship-with-Money-and-Your-Life-a30.html

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to... be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-- Marianne Williamson