What Makes A Great Partner

1. Someone who knows what you need before you say it.
2. Someone who knows when to laugh and when to cry.
3. Someone who truly listens when you have something to say.
4. Someone that's there for you during the good and bad times.
5. Someone who is caring.
6. Someone who loves you with all their heart and soul.
7. Someone who is interested in reality and not as a fashion display.
8. Someone who is honest.
9. Someone you can trust them like a sibling, confide in like a friend but most of all, love as the great lover they are.
10. Someone who is open and responsive.
11. Someone who is never critical and ill-tempered in respect to your needs.
12. Someone who's there for you no matter what.
13. Someone who is trustful.
14. Someone who is a friend.
15. Someone who gives a shoulder to cry on.
16. Someone with a great sense of humor.
17. Someone who has things in common with you.
18. Someone who takes time to listen and enjoy you for who you are and tries not to make you something else.
19. Someone with a constant open ear, open heart, and open mind to accept and love people for who the really are.
20. Someone who will always be there to support your ideas without argument and love you for everything that you are.
21. Someone that can get a point across without yelling.
22. Someone that remembers all the cute stupid stuff you love.
23. Someone that has a personality with qualities you don't have yourself, but admire greatly in them.
24. Someone who realizes you're two separate people, and appreciates the differences.
25. Someone who can sense a mood problem, and not take it personally.
26. Someone who can make you happy when you are sad.
27. Someone who tells you the truth even if you don't want to hear it.
28. Someone who will not hurt you intentionally.
29. Someone who is a sweet, romantic person who cherishes you no matter what.
30. Someone that you can laugh with.
31. Someone who you can feel comfortable with and that you don't care what kind of weird stuff they see you do because you know they will still love you no matter what.
32. Someone who will love you in spite of your little idiosyncrasies.
33. Someone that would do anything to show how much they care.
34. Someone who is a great pal, a great kisser, and a great lover!
35. Someone who allows you to be yourself around them.
36. Someone who will respect you.
37. Someone who cherishes your hopes and is kind to your dreams.
38. Someone who knows you're not perfect, but treats you as though you are.
39. Someone who listens with their heart and is your source of inspiration.

An Enduring Measure of Fitness: The Simple Push-Up

As a symbol of health and wellness, nothing surpasses the simple push-up.

Read article here.

You Are the Best You

“On Judgment Day, Mr. Lewin said, God will not ask, “Why were you not Moses?” He will ask, “Why were you not Sam Lewin?” The goal in life is not to attain some imaginary ideal; it is to find and fully use our own gifts.”~ Gay Hendricks from The Big Leap

That’s fantastic. Another theme we hit on again and again and again is the Idea that we need to QUIT COMPARING ourselves to anyone!!!

Buscaglia : “You are the best you. You will always be the second best anyone else.”

Emerson : “Envy is ignorance. Imitation is suicide.”

Osho : “Each person is born with a unique individuality, and each person has a destiny of his or her own. Imitation is crime, it is criminal. If you try to become a Buddha, you may look like Buddha, you may walk like him, you may talk like him, but you will miss. You will miss all that life was ready to deliver to you. Buddha happens only once. It is not in the nature of things to repeat. Existence is so creative that it never repeats anything. You cannot find another human being in the present, in the past, or in the future who is going to resemble you exactly. It has never happened. The human being is not a mechanism like Ford cars on an assembly line. Never imitate anybody...”

So Osho tells us imitation is crime while Emerson tells us it’s suicide. Those are strong words. Are you trying to be someone else? That’s NOT gonna help you take the Big Leap into your Zone of Genius. Answering these questions will though:

What are your amazing gifts?!?
How can you fully use them?!?
When do you feel most alive?
What work do you do that doesn’t seem like work?!

Model of Courage - Flo Hyman

Flo Hyman was arguably the best women's volleyball player to ever play the game. Standing at 6'5”, Hyman not only stood tall, but also stood out. Known for her aggressive defense, powerful hitting and endless determination, Hyman also was recognized for her selfless attitude, bright smile and contagious energy. At the age of 31, her life came to an end as a result of heart failure due to a genetic disorder called Marfan's Syndrome, a rare disorder of the connective tissue that affects the formation and functioning of the heart.

Hyman grew up in Long Beach, Calif., and started playing volleyball in high school. She later joined a club team and her play earned her a college scholarship and an invitation to compete for the U.S. national team, which was based in Pasadena, Texas. She was an All-American at the University of Houston from 1974-1976 and began her career with the national team in 1974. She played a key role in establishing the United States as a world power in volleyball. From 1974 up until the time of her death, Hyman competed in every major competition that the USA team qualified for, including the 1977 and 1981 World Cups and 1978 and 1982 World Championships. Her team qualified for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, where they went on to win the silver medal.

Famous for her strength and power, Hyman also earned the nickname "Clutchman." Her 6'5” frame and quick arm swing produced a 110mph spike. She received the Best Hitter award at the 1981 World Cup games and was selected to the All World Cup Team, which consisted of only six women in the entire world. Because of this, Hyman will always be considered one of the most dominating athletes to ever play the sport. Olympic teammate Rita Crockett once said, “There has been nobody even to compare to her. Even to this day I've never seen anyone better.” At the time of her death, U.S. Olympic Committee official George D. Miller said, “She was the finest female volleyball player in the world.” Arie Selinger, national team coach and 1984 Olympic coach called her “The Goddess of Volleyball.”

"To be true to one's self is the ultimate test in life. To have the courage and sensitivity to follow your hidden dreams and stand tall against the odds that are bound to fall in your path. Life is too short and precious to be dealt with in any other fashion. This thought I hold dear to my heart, and I always try to be true to myself and others that I encounter along the way.” --Flo Hyman

Model of Courage - Helen Adams Keller

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us”.- Helen Keller

Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama on June 27, 1880. When she was nineteen months old, her life changed dramatically. She fell ill suddenly and the doctors did not expect her to live. Miraculously, the fever subsided but Helen’s illness had taken away her sight and hearing.

Helen grew up to be a very difficult child, terrorizing her family with her bad behaviors and temper tantrums. Looking after her has became too much of a challenge for them.

However, the situation changed on 3 March 1887. It was the day when Annie Adams Sullivan, a 21 year-old graduate, from the Perkins School for the Blind, was engaged to become her governess and teacher.

Annie taught Helen how to finger spell through repeated use of the manual alphabet with finger movements. But Helen was unable to understand what her teacher was trying to tell her. She also did not understand what the finger movements meant. Unable to express herself, Helen continued with her temper tantrums and screaming.

The epiphany came for Helen Keller on 5 April 1887. On this fine summer day, Annie brought Helen to a water pump. As the cold water splashed over Helen’s hand, Annie repeatedly spelt out the word “water’’ onto her hand.

Something about the coolness in the water may have brought out the meaning of the finger movements within Helen as she suddenly realized what her teacher has been trying to reach out to her.

In 1900, Helen started attending classes at Radcliffe College and Annie followed along. She industriously spelt lectures and notes onto her pupil's hand. When Helen completed her course four years later, she became the first deaf and blind person to graduate from a college.

At the same time, Helen has begun her writing career. Famous books included her autobiography, “The Story of My Life” and others such as “The World I Live In” and “Out of the Dark”.

After graduation, Helen and Anne traveled the world, giving inspirational lectures and sharing her experiences and beliefs to enthralled crowds. She was best remembered as an advocate for people with disabilities and she campaigned tirelessly, raising money to alleviate the living and working conditions of those who are blind and deaf-blind.

Besides writing many books and articles on blindness, deafness and socialism, Helen also appeared before state legislatures and international forums. Her effort brought the world's focus on problems about the blind as well as creating awareness on the need for preventive measures.

Despite the broad range of her interests, she founded Helen Keller International in 1915. It is a non-profitable organization, supporting and doing research on prevention of blindness. At the same time, Helen also gave her support to the programs conducted by Helen Keller Services for the Blind as well as Helen Keller National Center for the Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults.

In 1964, Helen was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. A year later she was elected to the Women’s Hall of Fame.

Helen Keller continued tirelessly with the good work until her death on 1 June 1968. She has been described as “the woman who showed the world that there are no boundaries to courage and faith; and her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of”.

Helen has proven that people with disabilities or inconveniences are not born to die and they not only can be independent but at the same time, have similar abilities to give endless contributions towards society as normal human beings.

Are you sometimes plagued with countless problems and difficulties that make you feel like it is the end of the world?

When facing such challenges, image yourself as Helen Keller, shut out in a black hole where you are not able to reach out to anyone.

Be touched by Helen’s never-ending spirit and courage. Never give up on your beliefs and preserve till the end.

If Helen is able to get out of her black hole and get ‘reborn’ again, so can you.

Habit

I am your constant companion;
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am at your command.

Half of the tasks that you do you might just as well
Turn over to me and I will do them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done.
After a few lessons, I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of all great people
and the regret of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine but I will work with all its precision
Plus the intelligence of a person.

Now you may run me for profit or you may run me for ruin.
It makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me and
I will lay the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

I am called Habit!

Author unknown

Courage: 10 Truths You Should Know

We are all leaders in one way or another. Whether you are the Chief Executive of an organization or a mother managing the children and household, you are a leader. And there are all kinds of leaders. However, a common characteristic of all great leaders is their willingness to be different and unconventional. This takes courage. Just being a leader doesn't mean that one has courage, but courage can make one a more effective leader and experience the extra-ordinary life.

Defination

So, what is courage? I found an interesting definition. 'Courage: The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear or bravery.'

Here are 10 truths about courage you should know:

1. Courage begins on the inside.

Courage is the energy of the truth in your heart. Courage is born of love and compassion. Courage is the ACTION of obeying your conscience.

2. Courage is never giving up, keeping at it no matter what.

Courage enables a person to stand firm and get through difficult situations. It is unconditionally sticking to your stance that you think is right and positive.

3. Courage is contagious.

When a leader demonstrates courage, it encourages others to want to follow. Courage will inspire commitment from the followers.

4. Courage is not the absence of fear.

Courage is feeling the fear and doing what you need to do anyway. Courage is the act of facing your fears. Courage overcomes the fears.

5. Courage creates strength.

Every time you have the courage to face your fears, you become a stronger person.

6. Courage is about choice.

It is choosing to be bold. To act courageously, one needs to know what the right choice is. Be clear about your dream and vision

7. Courage begins things.

C. S. Lewis once said that the virtue of courage is a prerequisite for the practice of all other virtues. So, courage is a precursor for Faith, Love, Change, Persistence, Authenticity, Trust, Service and every other virtue.

8. Courage is the virtue that makes us willing to pay that price.

Cowardice makes us say, "The price is too high; I will not pay it. It is too hard. I will seek the easier, less costly choice." So, courage may require a heavy personal price or sacrifice.

9. Courage is maturity and wisdom.

The opposite of courage, cowardice, means real death. A coward has no personality and no ideals.

10. Courage is something we need every day.

We need it to do even the simplest things, but especially when we face serious problems and dangers.

How can you strengthen your courage and risk taking ability? Here are some suggestions.

Go and do something that you are afraid to do. This might be white-water rafting, bungee jumping, or some similar activity.
Stop avoiding confrontation.

Take a giant step - we often get stuck in our comfort zone. Remember: It’s not about not being afraid.

Move ahead in spite of your fear/despair.

Ten Lessons from Noah's Ark

The Biblical story of the great flood (see Genesis 6:1-9:17) has been around for a long time. It has counterparts in many other cultures. Each generation has learned much from the story -- and so can those of us in the coaching community! Needless to say, "Always build on the highest ground possible", because character always counts! Here are ten more:

1. Always plan ahead.

There wasn't any rain in the forecast when Noah started building the ark.

2. Don't listen to your critics.

Listen instead to your heart, and then dowhatever has to be done. The neighbors might have taunted when Noah was blocking their driveway -- but he had the last laugh as soon as the rain began falling!

3. Stay physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally fit.

You never know but that when you're 600 years old, someone might come along out of the blue and ask you to do something REALLY big!

4. Don't seek to go it alone.

Always travel, at least, in pairs, because two heads are better than one.

5. Speed is not always an advantage.

The cheetahs were on board, but so were the snails; and they all arrived safely on dry ground at the very same time.

6. Handle Conflict with certainty.

If you can't fight or flee from adversity -- at least make certain you have an idea that can float in the battlefield of ideas!

7. Don't miss the boat!

Never forget this underlying truth: that ultimately when all is said and done, we're all in the same boat!

8. Be flexible in your thinking.

Remember that amateurs built the ark while professionals built the Titanic and the Challenger Space Shuttle.

9. Remember that Fear is nothing more than "False Evidence Appearing Real".

The woodpeckers on the INSIDE are often a bigger threat to your overall well being than the storms raging on the outside.

10. Remain faithful and optimistic.

No matter how bleak things look, if God is traveling with you, there's always going to be a rainbow of peace on the other side of the storm.

This article was from Dr. James S. Vuocolo, D.Min., C.P.V.A., C.P.B.A., Certified Behavior
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The Gift of Time

All other good gifts depend on time for their value. What are friends, books, or health, the interest of travel or the delights of home, if we have not time for their enjoyment? Time is often said to be money, but it is more-it is life; and yet many who would cling desperately to life, think nothing of wasting time.

Life must be measured rather by depth than by length, by thought and action rather than by time. Time is often said to fly; but it is not so much the time that flies; as we that waste it, and wasted time is worse than no time at all.

The life of man is seventy years, but how little of this is actually our own. We must deduct the time required for sleep, for meals, for dressing and undressing, for exercise, etc., and then how little remains really at our own disposal!

Time indeed, is a sacred gift, and each day is a little life.

Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning with $86,400, carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day.

What would you do?
Draw out every cent, of course!
Well, everyone has such a bank. It's name is time.
Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.
Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose.
It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.
Each day it opens a new account for you.
Each night it burns the records of the day.
If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back. There is no drawing against the tomorrow.
You must live in the present on today's deposits.
Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!
The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.

And remember, time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.

What Would You Have Done With the Gift of Life

In today's materialistic world, many of us chase after possessions, power and status. We never stop running. We are always working for that extra dollar. We are never contented with what we have.

And so, we are drawn to work longer and harder and faster. We compete and we tear others down. We look good on the outside but deep down we feel empty. And so we immerse ourselves in what pleases our senses. For there is always a more fanciful car out there waiting for us, there is always a bigger house in a more classy neighborhood. These will never bring fulfillment for they are temporal and they satisfy our desires for a moment.

I came across this note and it spoke to me and re-kindle my view of life to issues that matters.

"You won't have to answer to anyone
or fulfill their expectations -
not your parents or your business associates or your spouse.

WHAT WILL YOU HAVE DONE WITH THE GIFT OF LIFE?

The answer will be important to you then,
so the question should be important to you NOW.

The course of your life is determined by ....

- the RELATIONSHIPS you form
- the DECISIONS you make
- the ACTIONS you take

Each has the potential to change your life."
~ John C. Maxwell

Significance

A Blessed Mothers' Day to all Mothers. May God continue to bless you and give you wisdom in all you do.

A sociological study in which 50 people in their near 90s were asked one question:

If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?

And there were 3 answers that kept surfacing from the people:

1. If I had it to do over again, I would REFLECT MORE
2. If I had it to do over again, I would RISK MORE
3. If I had it to do over again, I would DO MORE THINGS THAT WOULD LIVE ON AFTER I AM DEAD

These near centenarians didn’t wish for more money, power or fame. They wanted to get beyond themselves and do something that mattered, boldly and purposely. They recognized the value of a life given to significance.

Steven Covey's 2nd Habit is "Begin with the End in Mind"

That can be rather scary if we apply this principle in relation to our life. At the end of our life ...

- what would we like to be?
- how do we wish to be remembered?
- what legacy would we like to leave behind?

Yes, Covey compares it with a ...... Funeral !

Imagine going to the funeral of a loved one. You're getting out of , walking into the chapel or funeral parlor. You see the flowers and the other people entering. You feel the sadness of loss and the joy of having known.

Feel into that.

You walk to the front and look into the casket and suddenly come face to face with YOURSELF. You realize this is YOUR funeral.
You sit down and look at the program in your hand. Reading the description of your life and seeing the people who will be talking about you. What do they say? How does the program capture your life? What do your closest loved ones say about you? Your spouse or children? Your friends and colleagues?

... Now, fast-forward twenty-five years from today. Imagine that scene of your own funeral. You have that program in your hand. What does it say? You watch your loved ones get up and speak about you and their love for you. What do they say? Who were you in their eyes?

Take some time today/this week (right now?!?) to sit down and really reflect on this.

Well, this is a rather queer way to begin with the end in mind when at our own funeral.

The Law of Harvest

One of the main hindrances to living our full potential is selfishness. As long as we focus on our own wants and desires, we can never experience the fullness of living. Many of us know these words of wisdom – whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Just as the farmer plants good seeds if he hopes for a bountiful harvest, we too must plant good seeds in the fields of our families, businesses and personal relationships.

If we want happiness we have to sow some happiness seeds by making other people happy. Go find somebody to cheer up. If we want to reap friendships, we need to sow a seed and be a friend. We need to sow first.

The reason why people are not growing is because they are not sowing. At times we are too engrossed with the affairs of our lives that we have no time for others. But the law of the harvest is that sowing precedes reaping. We need to get some seed to the ground first. We need to be more seed-oriented instead of self-oriented. That’s the way to receive a harvest and experience the fullness of life.