“You have to be able to take action in your life without being bumped around like a victim… It helps to recognize that being a self-starter is a set of behaviors that you can adopt.”

This is a quote from productivity consultant David Allen that’s mentioned in The Wall Street Journal.com article “You Just Have to Do It.” It briefly talks about how to accomplish the changes, the new projects, and everything you want to start in your life when all you have in you is your passion.

It’s a great read for someone who’s into a career change or a total life makeover. If you’re tired of making all those New Year resolutions and not being able to accomplish any one of them every year, this will give you a good push.

Anyone, in fact, who’d like to make an improvement in his life, no matter how big or small, can find some inspiration in this short piece. You can read the whole article by clicking on this link - You Just Have to Do It.

Now I feel that my feet and back are aching. Perhaps, it’s from all the holiday shopping and attending parties here and there. And I begin to wonder about 2013.

I’d be a hypocrite to say that I don’t have a sliver of anxiety as the year starts. That I’m simply happy and excited about 2013. I’m not.

My husband and I have a big loan we need to pay soon. The questions my daughter’s asking will become more and more difficult to answer. More of my family and old friends might be relocating. We’ll all be turning a year older. And so on. I can let anxiety eat me up about every single thing in my life until I’m left with nothing.

But I can also choose to live my life – to see challenges as opportunities for me to pray harder and push further to become a better person. I want to stay with this choice. And now I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t.

I believe that we can’t control everything in life, but we’re never given anything we can’t handle. And I’ve always wished to grow old gracefully, especially in heart, mind, and spirit. I think welcoming what I have ahead, no matter how uncertain it is, strengthens my faith about the use of our talents. It also fulfills my wish about maturity.

My final thought this evening: I hope and pray that this year I’ll focus less on the things I don’t have any hold of. Instead, I want to put my efforts on using whatever I have so I can do what I need to accomplish for myself, my family, and the people around me.

What about you? Any thought that’s kept you up on the first night of the year? Care to share your wish or plan for 2013?

]]> http://www.pluginid.com/after-the-feasts-and-fireworks/feed/ 2 http://www.pluginid.com/helen-steiner-rice-quote-on-christmas/ http://www.pluginid.com/helen-steiner-rice-quote-on-christmas/#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2012 23:00:55 +0000 Raquel http://www.pluginid.com/?p=6430 We don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other occasion to think about giving and living in harmony with others. Wouldn’t it be great if we make an effort to be more forgiving and loving to others not just for a day or a season, but everyday?

American poet Helen Steiner Rice said something that we can use to remind us about this. Feel free to share this with family and friends.

Looking for ways to help people around you? Here’s probably the most effective and lasting contribution you can do: help them be the best they can be.

In my professional career, one of the things that make me happy and fulfilled is seeing the people I’ve managed or supported succeed. As a mother, I delight in seeing my little girl practice saying “Thank you” and all the other gracious lines I taught her. Aside from knowing that I did something good, it makes me feel great that it will help them not just for a day or a particular instance. It will help them somehow as they go on in life.

Whatever your role is – a professional or just another member of the family, there is something you can do for the people around you. And here’s an article on some specific ideas on how you can do this is - Top Ten Ways to Help People Realize Their Potential « Power to Change.

Having a Christmas spirit, listing down New Year’s resolutions, or simply enjoying the festive season. It seems that this time of the year brings people to think about being kinder, being a better person.

But what good does being kind really bring us? In my experience, it’s helped me know myself better, gain more self-confidence, and be braver in facing challenges, among many other things.

And here are some more benefits of kindness that I hope will encourage all of us not to get weary about being kind - 10 Ways Being Nice Is Good For You. A good read especially in those times when we’re so tempted to do the opposite.

No one liked Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol. And no one likes a scrooge in real life. We encounter such a person from time to time, and it’s never easy to relate to them.

Here’s a thought from English writer Cyril Connolly to help us deal with someone who’s displaying some kind of self-centeredness. And yes, even if that “someone” is you. Here’s an enlightening way to look at a miser.

This is a reflection on being kind in an unkind world.

When everything around us seems to be full of meanness, we’re never excused not to be kind. But just how can we practice

a little more goodness when everyone is being unkind? We just do.

I used to think that I couldn’t be generous. I thought among the few things I could excel at is being selfish and cruel. But I realized later in life that I was being mean, only because I let myself think that I couldn’t do anything good. I was so affected of what people say about me, especially those who were putting me down.

I think it was the bits of kind words and acts of others towards me that turned my world around. They made me realize that I could be better. It was my choice whether to be good or bad – and not only when it’s Christmas.

For those who need some help in how to give more kind words and acts these days, here are my thoughts on how I try to use whatever I’m given to contribute a little more love everyday.

A heart for giving

If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.” – Bob Hope

There was a time that my husband and I gave a not-so-cheap gift to someone dear to us. We thought that they were really going to like it. I was shocked that that person returned the gift to us without any regret, saying that they didn’t need it so they were just giving it back. It was the first time it happened to me, and I do hope it’s the last. It felt awkward that I didn’t know what to say. It hurt me.

How do you go back to being generous after you’ve experienced such a strange and uncomfortable situation? I don’t know any scientific answer to this. But I realized you’ll really encounter a bad egg every now and then. You’ll get hurt by one, two, or maybe more. But that’s life. Just think about what you’ve gained and move on with the good things you’re planning. Don’t let them derail you.

And what did I gain in that instance, aside from having an unexpected gift for myself? I think it’s a strange way for me to learn more about that person so I’d know how to relate to him in the future. It also made me aware of how others would feel if I do something unkind to them.

Eyes and ears that understand

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” – Epictetus

Human beings are complicated creatures. Sometimes they say one thing when they mean something else. At other instances, they’d appear as if they’re fine, but they actually are not. This is why we need to have eyes and ears that not only see and hear, but understand others’ feelings and decipher what they really want to tell us.

Sometimes my daughter tells me that she’s hungry and would ask for milk. And then she’ll say that she wants a biscuit, she wants to play, and that she also wants to watch TV. The first time this happened I got so irritated. Then I noticed her eyelids were so heavy. She wasn’t hungry, but very sleepy.

I think dealing with people of any age is something like this. There are unspoken or hidden signs that we should watch out for in others if we want to know more about them and to keep a good relationship with them.

A guarded tongue

By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.” – Winston Churchill

My mom has always told me if I wasn’t going to say anything good about others, better shut up. I’ve been quite bad at following instructions, especially with this one. And have I regretted a lot of words I’ve uttered in the past years.

I realized that the best thing to do is apply what I’ve learned in writing to my everyday speech – Edit! And never let out of my mouth what I don’t want people to read when they open a book about my life.

Hands and feet that act on compassion

There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” – John Holmes

Without action, you’ll just have all your emotions stocked inside you doing good to no one, not even to yourself. Walking a few paces to reach that person needing your help and stretching out those arms as far as you can reach are simple workout steps for kindness.

If you’ve been rusty at exercising some compassion, it will be quite an effort at first. But if you just keep at it a few times more, you’ll find it in your system almost naturally. You’d even find ways to make it more challenging even just a notch.

Your whole being

Don’t be yourself – be someone a little nicer.” – Mignon McLaughlin

It doesn’t take bits and pieces for you to be kind. It has to be your whole being. And if you want to really practice kindness in your life, it does take constant effort. It doesn’t end after you’ve participated in a successful medical mission. It continues everyday.

It’s that extra thread of patience you use not to scream your head off at your kid when he’s just spilled soup on your new suit. It’s that added energy that helps you stand up in the crowded train at the end of a tiring workday to give your seat to an old lady.

Being kind doesn’t mean being weak. It’s the other way around. We can only be kind if we stand our ground that we will do the good thing even if other people are being selfish and cruel – and even if people around you are telling you that you can’t do it. It’s a tough task that involves every part of ourselves, but definitely rewarding.

Have you done any act of kindness lately? Or have you received any kind word or deed from someone? Please share them in the comments section. I’m sure it will inspire anyone who reads it.

It’s never enough that we have a formal education about whatever field we want to go into. Having the right attitude pushes us further towards success not just in our respective careers, but in our relationships and important personal decisions.

For those of us who have proven this wisdom about kindness, let’s impart this to our children, nieces, nephews, cousins, students, and everyone else whom we think would need such advice.

Marian Wright Edelman, famed activist for children’s rights, is attributed a stirring quote about this. Feel free to share.

It’s always said that when you give, you receive more blessings – more than what you expect. It also rings true when doing volunteer work while you take care of a professional career. It doesn’t mean that you won’t gain anything for yourself aside from satisfying the need to serve people. You can hone your skills and do better in your profession through participation in volunteer programs.

This article on Forbes, 5 Ways To Grow Professionally While Helping Others, is aimed particularly for those who are just starting their careers. But even if you’ve been in the professional world for quite some time now, you’ll get some ideas that will inspire you as you participate in social responsibility programs and any public service you’re in or you wish to be in.

Click here to read the article.

Thrift is often mistaken as being stingy and selfish. But actually, it is the opposite. Thrift means knowing how you should properly spend your resources for your own good and others’.

It may even be the key to your being more generous. If you’ve been having a hard time giving time to help others, perhaps you haven’t been managing your schedule well.

To help inspire you on being thrifty and generous at the same time, read this article Be Thrifty. Be Generous. from the Heroes of Character site. It’s also a good material to share with your young ones.