Somewhere In Between Life and Death

Life, Death, and Everything In Between

by Jonathan Wells

I have just returned from a memorial service for a dear friend who passed away just before the weekend. Have you ever noticed how much the death of someone close gets you thinking about your own life? I think it’s good to reflect on how our own life is going, and consider where we are, and where we are headed.

As I looked around the room at all the people who came to honor this amazing lady, I thought about how she added value to the lives of so many. There was about a hundred people there, and she had touched the heart of each of them in some way. Isn’t that a wonderful testimony to a life lived well?

Don’t we all want to be remembered like that?

I actually found myself asking: “If my life ended right now, how would I be remembered?” What would people say about my personality, my work, or my contribution? Would they feel better for having knowing me? Would the conversation bring a smile to their faces?
Does that seem like a weird thing to think about? I believe that this kind of thinking has value, and here’s why.

If you don’t like the answers, you can still change them!

You see, once we are gone it is too late to do anything about how we will be remembered. But we’re not gone, and we can still choose what kind of lasting impression we make on the people in our life.
Never, ever, feel helpless when it comes to changing the way others perceive you, or your perception of yourself. You can become whoever you want to become, once you make a decision to change. We all have huge amounts of untapped potential just waiting to be released.

Most of our limits exist only in our head

My friend Jeff Nickles recently wrote an article called: Unleashing Your Dreams: Living Up To Your Full Potential. In it, he makes this comment, “Cut loose your full potential on the world and see what happens.” What do you think would happen if you actually did that? Do you think it would change people’s perception of you? Do you think it would change the way they remembered you? Absolutely!

It would also completely change the way you see yourself, your sense of personal identity. This is because your true self knows what you are capable of, and longs to unleash the power necessary to achieve your goals and dreams.

So what it comes down to is this: Do you want to be the best you can be, or are you willing to settle for some watered down version of yourself? If you said “the best you can be,” then you need to come up with a plan to make it happen.

Here’s a little exercise to help you find direction.

Write the Book of You

Sit down with pen and paper, and briefly recount all the high points of your life that brought you to where you are today. Now fill in the rest of the story exactly the way you want it to turn out. Write in the first person as if it had already happened and you’re doing a biography of your own life.

Make it vivid by including the details and feelings for each of your accomplishments and experiences. Don’t impose limits on yourself. Write the story of how you unleashed your full potential and experienced you life to the full. Get fully involved in the story and let it reflect the incredible joy and satisfaction of a truly rewarding life experience.

Are you inspired?

If you do the exercise, I guarantee you will be inspired, but then what? Obviously, inspiration needs to be acted on or nothing will change. Well this the exact subject that my friend Mike King covered so well in an article called: 8 Steps for Acting on Inspiration. In it, he walks you through some very effective ways to make a timely transition from inspiration to action. I suggest you have a look.

How will you be remembered?

The truth is, you will be remembered the same way you lived. So the real question is, how will you choose to live? It’s a decision that only you can make and the sooner you make it, the sooner your life goes from ordinary to extraordinary.

We are surrounded by beauty, but do we see it?

Are We Missing the Beauty around Us?

Have you every contemplated whether or not the hectic pace of life these days is causing us to lose our appreciation for the beauty around us?

I think we all recognize that this is happening to some degree. Otherwise, we wouldn’t need to be reminded to stop and smell the roses. Granted, we focus on different things at different times. But by rushing to keep up with life, have you ever wondered just how much we might  be missing out on?

The following is a very thought provoking true story.

Here’s the situation

In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2009, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:

The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions

1.  In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour,… do we perceive beauty?
2.  If so, do we stop to appreciate it?3.  Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…………how many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

15 Funny Reasons Not to Take Him Shopping

15 Funny Reasons Not to Take Him Shopping

Written by a devoted husband:

 

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women – she loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Target:

Dear Mrs. Samuel,

Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Samuel, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1) June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people’s carts when they weren’t looking.

2) July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in House wares to go off at 5-minute intervals. .

3) July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women’s restroom.

4) July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, ‘Code 3 in House wares. Get on it right away’. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money.

5) August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway.

6) August 14: Moved a ‘CAUTION – WET FLOOR’ sign to a carpeted area.

7) August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he’d invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged.

August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, ‘Why can’t you people just leave me alone?’ EMTs were called.

9) September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

10) September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11) October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the ‘Mission Impossible’ theme.

12) October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his ‘Madonna look’ by using different sizes of funnels.

13) October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled ‘PICK ME PICK ME!’

14) October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed ‘OH NO! IT’S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!’

And last, but not least:

15) October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, ‘Hey! There’s no toilet paper in here.’ One of the clerks passed out.

PS. If you don’t send this to 12 of your dearest friends, your property taxes will go up, your stocks will go down, and your middle will spread. (How’s that for a curse?!?) What? It’s already come true? Then send it anyway–you’ve got nothing’ to lose!

One Individual's View Of Wisdom

One Individual's View of Wisdom

What is the true meaning of wisdom?

I've always pictured a wise man as a very old man with white hair and a long white beard - a pensive man of few words who offered profound, thought-provoking advice after great deliberation. And I always thought of wisdom itself as ancient, little-known knowledge to be found only in fragile volumes of yellowed parchment!

But is that truly what wisdom is? After interviewing many successful people from all over the world - listening to and recording their success stories and timeless success secrets - I came to believe that every successful person is wise, and he who achieves massive success holds in his mind the true essence of wisdom. Therefore, to find true wisdom, you have to study those who have achieved success very closely and search for the clues they've left behind.

And here's what I discovered to be the TRUE meaning of wisdom...

As brilliantly sated by George Bernard Shaw, "We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for out future.  Being responsible for your life and your future gives you the wisdom you need to fulfill your mission in life. Having a clear vision of your future gives you an unparalleled advantage when it comes to successful decision-making and achieving better results faster.

The truth is, you are responsible. This is probably the foremost trait of ultra-successful people. They take responsibility for their futures, and that gives them the power to reach unmatched levels of success. You have to realize this fact now: "No one can change your life but you."

Anonymous

All Things Considered...

"The past can't see you, but the future is listening."

                                                                                                  ...Terri Guillemets

 

Yesterday, today and tomorrow...

There are two days in every week we should not worry about, two days that should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed, forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. Nor can we erase a single word we've said - yesterday is gone.
The other day we shouldn't worry about is tomorrow, with its possible adversities, 
Its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. 
Tomorrow is beyond our control.
Tomorrow's sun will rise either in splendour or behind a mask of clouds but it will rise. And until it does,we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.
This leaves only one day - today. Any person can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when we add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.
It is not the experience of today that drives people mad - it is the remorse of bitterness for something that happened yesterday, and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
Let us, therefore, live one day at a time!

Anonymous

HOW OLD ARE YOU ?

HOW OLD ARE YOU ?

Date yourself.  Count up the ones you remember:

 1.  Blackjack chewing gum

 2.  Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water

 3.  Candy cigarettes

 4.  Soda pop machines that dispensed bottles

 5.  Coffee shops with table side jukeboxes

 6.  Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers

 7.  Party lines

 8.  Newsreels before the movie

 9.  P.F. Flyers

10.  Butch wax

11.  Telephone numbers with a word prefix (Yukon 32485) or (YU-32485)

12.  Peashooters

13.  Howdy Doody

14.  45 RPM records

15.  S&H Green Stamps

16.  Hi-fi's

17.  Metal ice trays with levers

18.  Mimeograph paper with purple ink

19.  Blue flashbulbs

20.  Beanie and Cecil

21.  Roller skate keys

22.  Cork popguns

23.  Drive-ins

24.  Studebaker

25.  Wash tub wringers

26.  Clothes Lines with wooden clothes pins

27.  Poodle Skirts

28.  Bobbie Shocks

29.  Pressure Cookers

30.  Attic Fans and Window air conditioners

31.  The Edsel

32.  Gun Smoke

33.  Full Prom Dresses, petticoats,hooped skirts and corsages

34.  Oxford shoes and Penny Loafers

35.  Mosquito fogger trucks

36.  Mrs. Francis and Ding-Dong School

37.  Catching Dragonflies on clotheslines

38.  Staying out late and catching fireflies

39.  "Going Steady" Rings, Letter Sweaters and Letter Jackets

40.  The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and Lassie TV Shows

41.  The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet TV Shows

42.  Burma-Shave Signs

43.  Red, White, and Blue Spinning Barber Poles
44.  Brush Hair Rollers and Orange Juice Cans used to roll your hair 

(No doubt, some of you will think of even more items to add to the list.) 

If you remembered:  0 - 5..... You're still young.

If you remembered:  6 - 10..... You are getting older.

If you remembered: 11 - 15..... Don't tell your age.

If you remembered: 16 - 25 ..... You're older than dirt!

Over 25 ...................... Do you know where your burial policy is ?

Everything that lives...

"Everything that lives, lives not alone nor for itself."

William Blake