Meaningful Mondays

Why do seeds grow down before they grow up? Over time, great traditions become the roots that strengthen families, and create stability in a world of volatility and uncertainty.

"Happiness comes and goes. But, when life is really good or life is really bad, having meaning gives you something to hold on to."   - Emily Esfahani Smith Some groups offer a cheap form of belonging. That is not meaningfulness.

Is there a relationship between gratitude and self-control? "Man's greatest enemy is himself. Man, in his weakness is the creature of circumstances. Man, in his strength is the creator of circumstances." -  William George Jordan, 1905

"How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?"  - Dieter Uchtdorf Hands on the tablecloth that keep on helping.

What is the #1 question I get asked from highly successful leaders? And, how does the answer to the following question lead to the answer to their question: "What is the you that makes you-- you?"

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others." - Pericles "Legacy is not what you leave. Legacy is how you live." -LMB Why do you you needlessly torture yourself with comparison and competition? There is no such thing as low self-discipline!

WE The People.. Are we losing the concept of society-- where all sorts of people come together in the common aim of pursuing the common good?  Has the We become Me?

Is there a relationship between Meaningfulness and Happiness? If so, which one drives which? 4 Pillars of Meaningfulness: Belonging; Purpose; Transcendence; Story Telling.

"The "truths" we cling to shape the quality of our societies as well as our individual character." ... Dieter Uchtdorf The "AmaGoogleFace" Dilemma.

What distracts you from what matters most? What is the difference between True Wealth and False Wealth?

What do you value more than money?

15,220,770 texts sent each minute. Trillions each day! "The irony of our time is that we have guided missiles but misguided men." - Martin Luther King. Have you ever found it perplexing that we can go all the way to the moon and back, yet, we struggle to start a conversation across the road or across the aisle?

What is True Legacy? Am I saying you can find ways to be grateful FOR Harvey, Erma or Cancer? NO!!! But you can be grateful IN. Being IN gratitude creates True Legacy.

Adversity does not build Character, it reveals it." ... James Allen "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." ... Helen Keller "America is great because she is good. But, if she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. Alexis de Toqueville Knowing the Good, Desiring the Good, Doing the Good.

I REALLY BLEW IT!!! "True happiness is ... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future."  - Seneca "Unfortunately, I chose to limit my gratitude. Being truly present magnifies the joy of our gratitude."  - L M Brower

"Losers gather in small groups and complain about the coaches and players. Winners assemble as a team and find ways to win." Mother Teresa: "What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family" "If you hold an anti-war rally, I shall not attend. But if you hold a Pro-Peace rally invite me"

Frustrated? Overwhelmed? Exhausted? What is one very simple thing you are afraid to do because you fear you don't deserve it? Learn how that one thing can bring you intentionality, clarity and empowerment. Attract don't chase.

"Motivation follows action." Motivation without action is a "Someday". If it doesn't serve your future; make you better and/or benefit society - find a better "Someday".

MAY I BE A GUARD FOR THOSE WHO NEED PROTECTION A GUIDE FOR THOSE ON THE PATH A BOAT, A RAFT, A BRIDGE FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO CROSS THE FLOOD MAY I BE A LAMP IN THE DARKNESS A RESTING PLACE FOR THE WEARY A HEALING MEDICINE FOR ALL WHO ARE SICK A VASE OF PLENTY, A TREE OF MIRACLES AND FOR THE BOUNDLESS MULTITUDES OF LIVING BEINGS MAY I BRING SUSTENANCE AND AWAKENING ENDURING LIKE THE EARTH AND SKY UNTIL ALL BEINGS ARE FREED FROM SORROW AND ALL ARE AWAKENED - SHANTIDEVA, INDIAN BUDDHIST SAGE   700 A.D.

“Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren’t any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about. So be that one person.” - Buckminster Fuller