Saturday, February 23, 2008
Perfectionism
Perfectionism
“We have the need to be accepted and to be loved by others, but
we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse.
Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an improper image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don't accept others the way they are.”-- Don Miguel Ruiz
“Nothing but perfection may be spelled “Paralysis.” -- Winston Churchill
”After enough mirror gazing, we all develop our cosmic sense of humor.” We no longer try to be perfect, or try to get all our work done in time. We become content with whatever life brings. Just to deal with what comes up without crucifying ourselves or others is enough of a challenge.” -- Paul Ferrini
Ok, so I've got a lot a work to do on the being content with what life brings part without beating myself up! That's why I'ma work in progress :)
“We have the need to be accepted and to be loved by others, but
we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse.
Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an improper image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don't accept others the way they are.”-- Don Miguel Ruiz
“Nothing but perfection may be spelled “Paralysis.” -- Winston Churchill
”After enough mirror gazing, we all develop our cosmic sense of humor.” We no longer try to be perfect, or try to get all our work done in time. We become content with whatever life brings. Just to deal with what comes up without crucifying ourselves or others is enough of a challenge.” -- Paul Ferrini
Ok, so I've got a lot a work to do on the being content with what life brings part without beating myself up! That's why I'ma work in progress :)
Wisdom
Wisdom
"...we need to abandon the idea that wisdom is knowing everything” the whys, wherefores, the how-tos. Wisdom is often more subtle, both far simpler and exceedingly more complex. For wisdom requires the discerning, the listening to, the acknowledgement of nudges and notions, of senses and sensations, of the minute and what we often mistakenly assume is the mundane. Wisdom means listening to the still, small voice, the whisper that can be easily lost in the whirlwind of busyness, expectations, and conventions of the world..
-- Jean M. Blomquist
“Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation. Go find somebody’s hand and squeeze it, while there’s time.” -- Dale Dauten
“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.”-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
higherawareness.com
"...we need to abandon the idea that wisdom is knowing everything” the whys, wherefores, the how-tos. Wisdom is often more subtle, both far simpler and exceedingly more complex. For wisdom requires the discerning, the listening to, the acknowledgement of nudges and notions, of senses and sensations, of the minute and what we often mistakenly assume is the mundane. Wisdom means listening to the still, small voice, the whisper that can be easily lost in the whirlwind of busyness, expectations, and conventions of the world..
-- Jean M. Blomquist
“Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation. Go find somebody’s hand and squeeze it, while there’s time.” -- Dale Dauten
“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.”-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
higherawareness.com
The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority
I ran across this link one day surfing. It touched my heart. So many lost. :< http://www.yadvashem.org/
Spring
Spring is tugging her first tendrils of tease,
The arrival of the seed catalogs taunt of warmer days,
Mrs. Robin has appeared only to shiver in the brisk, cold wind.
Enough, I say – enough!
Bring on the breezes of Spring,
Let me put away the winter’s wood,
The gloves, hats, scarves, and woolens.
Let me bring out the bulbs to plant,
The herbs to weed,
And the gardens to tend.
Oh, Spring, where for art thou?
Original by Diana Roof
The arrival of the seed catalogs taunt of warmer days,
Mrs. Robin has appeared only to shiver in the brisk, cold wind.
Enough, I say – enough!
Bring on the breezes of Spring,
Let me put away the winter’s wood,
The gloves, hats, scarves, and woolens.
Let me bring out the bulbs to plant,
The herbs to weed,
And the gardens to tend.
Oh, Spring, where for art thou?
Original by Diana Roof
Opening the heart
"Everything is made of light; everything is alive. The Great Mystery of life has little to do with intelligence. The universe is not an intellectual process. The intellect is helpful; but our hearts are the wiser part of ourselves." -- Mellen-Thomas Benedict
Heart is a word that refers to many different levels of our being. Essentially, it is the love aspect of soul, capable of making direct, intuitive contact. Soul love is not emotional; it is highly impersonal and intelligent, capable of grasping the essence of someone or something without any projection on our part. Appreciation significantly turns on the heart. Appreciation is not an emotion that arises spontaneously, but a soul quality we can choose. The more often we choose to be appreciative, the easier this choice becomes and the more frequently our heart opens to give and receive love.
"If you open your heart, love opens your mind." -- Charles John Quarto
higherawarenss.com
Choose to be appreciative. I like that! When I choose to appreciate a person, a kind act, a valid attempt, a flower, the sunset. The world opens up for me. I see the joy, the wonder, and the love that God already has here for me. I just have to appreciate it!
Heart is a word that refers to many different levels of our being. Essentially, it is the love aspect of soul, capable of making direct, intuitive contact. Soul love is not emotional; it is highly impersonal and intelligent, capable of grasping the essence of someone or something without any projection on our part. Appreciation significantly turns on the heart. Appreciation is not an emotion that arises spontaneously, but a soul quality we can choose. The more often we choose to be appreciative, the easier this choice becomes and the more frequently our heart opens to give and receive love.
"If you open your heart, love opens your mind." -- Charles John Quarto
higherawarenss.com
Choose to be appreciative. I like that! When I choose to appreciate a person, a kind act, a valid attempt, a flower, the sunset. The world opens up for me. I see the joy, the wonder, and the love that God already has here for me. I just have to appreciate it!
- for Mom's everywhere
I don't know the author - but she was a Mom!
Building Cathedrals
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on thephone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this?? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being.? I'm a Clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.
She's going . she's going . she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned tome with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.
I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied,"Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add,"You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Speak kindly to yourself
“What is this self inside us, this silent observer,
Severe and speechless critic, who can terrorize us,
And urge us on to futile activity,
And in the end, judge us still more severely,
For the errors into which his own reproaches drove us?”
-- T. S. EliotHow do you talk to yourself? Would you talk that way to anyone else? Our thoughts create our reality. How do you typically think about yourself? Do you berate yourself for being stupid, sloppy, forgetful or insensitive? Do you watch yourself with interest, respect and compassion? Stay alert to your self-talk and let go of judgments that don’t serve you.
"Self-acceptance is my refusal to be in an adversarial relationship to myself."-- Nathaniel Branden
higherawareness.com
I really can relate to the self-talk. I work daily, sometimes minute by minute to still the poor self-talk. I really liked the quote by Nathaniel Branden. I will refuse to be my own worst enemy by accepting myself just the way I am - warts and all! The warts are just as much a part of who I am as the non-warty parts! Heck, the warty parts of some of the reasons I am who I am!
Remember me
The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital busily occupied with the living and the dying.
At a certain moment, a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.
When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine, and don't call this my death bed. Let this be called the bed of life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.
Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face, or love in the eyes of a woman. Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain. Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist.
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk. Explore every corner of my brain. Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.
Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all prejudice against my fellow man. If by chance you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or a word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
~ Robert N. Test ~
"We can't take our organs to Heaven ...Heaven knows that they are needed here!"
Become an organ donor - I am.
At a certain moment, a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.
When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine, and don't call this my death bed. Let this be called the bed of life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.
Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face, or love in the eyes of a woman. Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain. Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist.
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk. Explore every corner of my brain. Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.
Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all prejudice against my fellow man. If by chance you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or a word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
~ Robert N. Test ~
"We can't take our organs to Heaven ...Heaven knows that they are needed here!"
Become an organ donor - I am.
"My Feet Are Off The Ground"
I don't know if Tyler Perry actually wrote this. However, the message is awesome. When we think others our own misery lessens.
“My Feet Are Off The Ground"
From Tyler Perry: writer and actor
From Tyler Perry: writer and actor
This morning I awoke and was so frustrated about all of the stuff that I'm dealing with in trying to get this studio open. I was about to open my mouth and start complaining when I remembered something that happened to me about a year ago.
I was walking to my car when this woman who appeared to be homeless started walking towards me. I'm ashamed to say this but I thought, "I don't feel like being hustled today." Then I got quickly convicted. I felt guilty so I started digging in my pocket for some money. As she got closer I noticed that she had the kindest eyes that I had ever seen. As I was reaching into my pocket she started to speak. I thought, "Here goes the sales pitch". She said "Excuse me sir, I need some shoes. Can you help me?" My eyes filled with water because I remember being out on the streets and having only one pair of run over shoes. I was taken aback for a second.
I took her inside the studio and had my wardrobe people find shoes in her size. As she put the shoes on she started crying, praising God and thanking Jesus, and saying, "My feet are off the ground! My feet are off the ground!" Several of the wardrobe people started crying. I was
crying. But I never forgot those words. "My feet are off the ground!" I thought, "Wow! All she wanted was some shoes." She quickly disappeared and never asked me for a dime. I realized that I still had the money in my hand so I went out looking for her. She was gone just that quick so I looked all around the neighborhood for her. I found her standing on a corner looking down at her shoes, still crying. I was so touched. I asked her how she had gotten homeless. She told me that she had AIDS and that she was waiting to get into a shelter. She said that her family had turned their backs on her and that she had no place to go, but she knew that God would make a way for her. I said to myself, "He just did." Her faith and her praise moved me. I took her to a nearby hotel and put her up until she was able to get on her feet. I had someone that worked for me to check on her from time to time and to make sure that she had food and clothes. After about a month or so we lost touch, but I never forgot her.
This past summer I was shooting "Daddy's Little Girls" and this woman walks up to me smiling. I didn't recognize her face, but her eyes were familiar. She had on a really nice dress and her hair was done. It was her! She told me that the little help that I had given her had changed her life. She was in a house now and doing very well.
I said all of that to say this. After I met this woman, every time I think about complaining and mumbling I remember, "My feet are off the ground!"
I wanted to share this with you just to let you know that when say that I am thankful for you, I mean it. And when I say that you are a blessing to me, I mean it. We take so much for granted sometimes that I just wanted all of you to know that I am grateful to God for you everyday. Thank you for being in my life.
~Tyler Perry
Be Still
Remove the filters
“You got to look at things with the eye in your heart, not with the
eye in your head.” -- Lame Deer, Medicine Man of the Oglala
people
“Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world. “ -- Hans Margolius
How many times does our minds race ahead of the moment? What's next, where do I go from here? What am I doing 5 minutes, after work, this evening, tomorrow, this weekend next? Doesn't all the chatter in your head get tiring? It does for me! Live in the moment. That is much harder doing than you might think. Turn off your mind and block the outside influences for 5 minutes. Can't do it? Neither could I - not for 5 minutes. Concentrate on the "now". Listen to your breath as you inhale and exhale. What sensations do you feel? Is the chair hard, your robe scratchy or smooth? Are your fingers and toes cold? Are you tense? Are you cuddling you new babe? What does he smell like? Feel like? Just breath him in. Enjoy him totally for the moment. This moment will never come again - live it to the fullest.
“You got to look at things with the eye in your heart, not with the
eye in your head.” -- Lame Deer, Medicine Man of the Oglala
people
“Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world. “ -- Hans Margolius
How many times does our minds race ahead of the moment? What's next, where do I go from here? What am I doing 5 minutes, after work, this evening, tomorrow, this weekend next? Doesn't all the chatter in your head get tiring? It does for me! Live in the moment. That is much harder doing than you might think. Turn off your mind and block the outside influences for 5 minutes. Can't do it? Neither could I - not for 5 minutes. Concentrate on the "now". Listen to your breath as you inhale and exhale. What sensations do you feel? Is the chair hard, your robe scratchy or smooth? Are your fingers and toes cold? Are you tense? Are you cuddling you new babe? What does he smell like? Feel like? Just breath him in. Enjoy him totally for the moment. This moment will never come again - live it to the fullest.
When you are done being quiet, what did you learn?
Questions
Explore with Questions
"The word “question” is derived from Latin “quarrier” (to seek) which is also the root of “quest.” A creative life is continued quest, and good questions can be very useful guides. Most useful are open-ended questions; they allow for fresh unanticipated answers to reveal themselves . -- Source Unknown
Questions hold the power to draw out answers that surprise us. If we are on an inner journey to greater self-knowledge, we must seek to understand unfamiliar parts of ourselves. The most enlightening answers are released by our subconscious minds or by our intuition. Use questions frequently to go exploring.
Try these out:
- What qualities do you find most attractive in others? How do I exhibit those same qualities?
- What traits do you dislike in others? How do I exhibit those same qualities?
- What is your greatest fear? Why do you fear that? What can I do about it?
- What message is your body trying to get through to you?
- If I didn't put restrictiosn on myself, what would I do next?
- What was a childhood dream? Have I followed through with the dream? How has it changed? Where do I go next?
- What can I learn that takes me out of my comfort zone?
"If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions." -- Susanne K. Langer
"You don't want a million answers as much as you want a few forever questions." -- Richard Bach
I like that - forever questions. I will have to think of some forever questions.
"The word “question” is derived from Latin “quarrier” (to seek) which is also the root of “quest.” A creative life is continued quest, and good questions can be very useful guides. Most useful are open-ended questions; they allow for fresh unanticipated answers to reveal themselves . -- Source Unknown
Questions hold the power to draw out answers that surprise us. If we are on an inner journey to greater self-knowledge, we must seek to understand unfamiliar parts of ourselves. The most enlightening answers are released by our subconscious minds or by our intuition. Use questions frequently to go exploring.
Try these out:
- What qualities do you find most attractive in others? How do I exhibit those same qualities?
- What traits do you dislike in others? How do I exhibit those same qualities?
- What is your greatest fear? Why do you fear that? What can I do about it?
- What message is your body trying to get through to you?
- If I didn't put restrictiosn on myself, what would I do next?
- What was a childhood dream? Have I followed through with the dream? How has it changed? Where do I go next?
- What can I learn that takes me out of my comfort zone?
"If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions." -- Susanne K. Langer
"You don't want a million answers as much as you want a few forever questions." -- Richard Bach
I like that - forever questions. I will have to think of some forever questions.
higher awareness.com
You are worthy!
"A person's worth is contingent upon who he
is, not upon what he does, or how much he
has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an
idea, is in being, not in doing, not in
having."
-- Alice Mary Hilton
As a human being, as spirit manifested in
form, you are innately worthy. Your
worthiness does not have to be strengthened
or improved. However, you may not PERCEIVE
yourself to be worthy.
If you doubt your self-worth, consciously or
unconsciously, you will limit the good things
you will allow into your life.
Do you consider yourself worthy? It may help
to answer these questions:
- Do you find it easier to give than to
receive?
- Do you have as much money as you would
like?
- Do you feel driven to improve yourself?
- Do you value other people's time more
highly than your own?
- How would you feel if someone offered to
pay you a salary of $1 million/year?
If you find you lack self-worth, don't
despair. Just being aware of your self-worth
issues will help you let them go.
"Every achiever that I have ever met says,
‘My life turned around when I began to
believe in me.̢۪"
-- Dr. Robert H. Schuller
"We cannot achieve more in life than what we
believe in our heart of hearts we deserve to
have."
-- James R. Ball
"A person's worth is contingent upon who he
is, not upon what he does, or how much he
has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an
idea, is in being, not in doing, not in
having."
-- Alice Mary Hilton
As a human being, as spirit manifested in
form, you are innately worthy. Your
worthiness does not have to be strengthened
or improved. However, you may not PERCEIVE
yourself to be worthy.
If you doubt your self-worth, consciously or
unconsciously, you will limit the good things
you will allow into your life.
Do you consider yourself worthy? It may help
to answer these questions:
- Do you find it easier to give than to
receive?
- Do you have as much money as you would
like?
- Do you feel driven to improve yourself?
- Do you value other people's time more
highly than your own?
- How would you feel if someone offered to
pay you a salary of $1 million/year?
If you find you lack self-worth, don't
despair. Just being aware of your self-worth
issues will help you let them go.
"Every achiever that I have ever met says,
‘My life turned around when I began to
believe in me.̢۪"
-- Dr. Robert H. Schuller
"We cannot achieve more in life than what we
believe in our heart of hearts we deserve to
have."
-- James R. Ball
Kaylee's South African Wooping Scarlet Canadian Warthog Syndrome Disease Infection Rash/Leprosy
Also known as Gianotti Crosti. WebMD info
General Discussion
Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome is a rare skin disease affecting children between the ages of nine months and nine years. Major symptoms may include blisters on the skin of the legs, buttocks and arms. The disorder is usually preceded by a viral infection.
http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/gianotti-crosti-syndrome
Organizations related to Gianotti Crosti Syndrome
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta GA 30333
Phone #: 404-639-3534
800 #: 800-311-3435
e-mail: http://www.cdc.gov/netinfo.htm
Home page: http://www.cdc.gov/
NIH/National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse
1 AMS Circle
Bethesda MD 20892-3675
Phone #: 301-495-4484
800 #: 877-226-4267
e-mail: NIAMSinfo@mail.nih.gov
Home page: http://www.niams.nih.gov
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
6610 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda MD 20892-6612
Phone #: 301-496-5717
800 #: --
e-mail: N/A
Home page: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/
What car are you?
I'm a Porsche 911!
You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.
Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.
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