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If the top scoop slips off, what are the odds he will focus on the scoop on the ground, at the risk of what is left in the cone? You don’t want to learn that lesson twice!
What does that mean?
This quote is urging us to go against a basic force of human nature. If you drop one thing, what do you look at, the one you dropped, or all the things you didn’t drop?
Just like the kid with the three-scoop ice cream cone, when the top scoop slide off and hits the floor, what do they do? They look down. And they lean over a little bit, and the second scoop falls off.
Have you ever done that? It’s not a lesson you forget. But still, we tend to be like that child, staring at the lost ice cream scoop, at the risk of the remainder of our desert.
Why would we do that? I have no idea. But I’ve done that and seen it plenty of other people do the same thing. The quote urges us to avoid looking at our losses, but instead, to look at what remains.
This is a matter of focus. If you are looking for, and focused on, what has been lost, you will see nothing but loss. That’s not going to be good for your attitude or motivation, is it? Somehow, I doubt it.
Why is focus important? Continue reading
Is this possible, or impossible? Look closely, it’s a real place, not something from the imagination of MC Escher. Are you tricking yourself into believing that something is impossible?
What does that mean?
This quote is from a poet and writer of ballads in Hungary in the 1800s. Given the way poets tend to write things, this makes perfect sense.
Many things are impossible, given our present knowledge and technology. But dreams are not ruled by the laws of physics, at least most of the time.
And so it is in love, at least according to the poets and the hopeless romantics. But can this romantic notion be applied to a broader definition of love?
Can love conquer all (to paraphrase another quote)? Love of country, love of charity, love of justice? These have prevailed throughout the ages, and I believe they can triumph even in the face of impossible odds.
Why is belief important? Continue reading
How much peace of mind would you guess this guy has? It’s obviously the computer’s fault.
What does that mean?
Everyone I know is looking for peace of mind. If they have none, they want some. If they have some, they want more. And I include myself in that group. How about you?
The thing that we keep forgetting is that peace of mind is like happiness. It does not exist in the outside world. If we have it, it is because it is within us, not because of our surroundings.
The quote reminds us that we need to stop looking outside of ourselves, and check within if we wish to find what we desire. Peace, happiness, fulfillment, these are the things most of us seek. But none come from outside of ourselves.
We have these things within us, and it is up to us to remember to abandon our pursuits of them outside of ourselves and to remember to seek them within ourselves. It might take some practice, but we can cultivate peace of mind, we just have to do the work.
Why is peace of mind important? Continue reading
Could you remain in the present and enjoy the sunset? Would you be worried, thinking of what was going to come next? One thing at a time, stay focused on the present.
What does that mean?
This quote is about relaxing and being ‘in the moment.’ How often do we hurry to get here or there?
How often do we rush to finish something so that we can then rush to work on the next thing on our list? How often do we spend an evening worrying about tomorrow, instead of relaxing?
Yes, it is important to think about the future, and to plan for it. However far too many of us spend so much time thinking of the future, we ignore the present, until it has become the past.
That time is gone, and if it was spent worrying or being anxious, it was largely wasted. We allowed a perfectly enjoyable moment to slip by while we engaged our overactive, and quite negative, imagination to run away with us.
Why is the present important? Continue reading
Ever been that person? Ever been paralyzed or intimidated or just plain scared? All because of a bad memory, of something which happened a long time ago? Let it go.
What does that mean?
We’ve all seen a bad movie, once. But do you go back and see it again and again and again? Not usually, right?
That is what this quote is about, the repeated viewing of a bad movie or a bad memory. Neither makes much sense, but many more people go over a bad memory time and time again.
To me, the life/movie is a good parallel, as nearly all of us have a life, and most of us have seen a bad movie. The question becomes why will we refuse to go back to watch a bad movie, but will go back to watch a bad memory?
What if we could walk out of a bad memory, just like we might walk out of a bad movie? It can be done, with varying degrees of success. And a lot of effort. I have done it, and I believe you can as well.
Why is letting go important? Continue reading
Travelling so fast the plane stretched several inches as it heated up at Mach 3, was it possible? Yes. And the reason it existed was to see things without being seen. Now they are Museum Pieces, as we have satellites to do that, so now it is no longer worth flying.
What does that mean?
This is the measure of human ingenuity. So many things which were once considered impossible are now routinely done. The word impossible is almost a punch-line in a barely funny joke.
We humans seem to take the label ‘impossible’ as a challenge. And with amazing regularity, change the impossible into the possible, and then into the practical. That’s just how we roll.
The quote finishes by asking the question of worthiness of the challenge and of the product. Is it possible to build a rocket ship to take people to Mars? Yes, but is it worth doing, given the astronomical price?
Is it possible to get a set of flat-ware made from Titanium? Sure, but is it worth doing, given the expense and difficulty? We can accomplish almost anything we set our minds to do. Do you really need that much strength and lightness?
Why is “Why?” important? Continue reading
The artist said that life got in the way, and that’s why the painting is unfinished. Excuse or reason? We can’t tell how busy his life is, or what priority his paintings are to him.
What does that mean?
This is a line from a much longer text, about 6 tweets long. The full text will be attached at the bottom of the post, and this is the 4th paragraph in the quote.
This quote starts by asking us to not make excuses for our difficulties or failures. The tough things take time and effort. If you keep trying, you stand a better chance than if you quit. That is all that excuses are, the foundation for quitting.
So if we aren’t going to quit, we need to focus on something other than what isn’t working or why we can’t do it. The quote urges us to focus on why this is a ‘must’ in our lives. This will help us build our resolve as well as our motivation.
With our resolve steeled and our motivation re-motivated, we should be ready to get back into it, and learn from the last round of effort. With those lessons in mind, it’s time to apply motivation, focus, and lessons to the next attempt. Because it must happen!
Why is avoiding excuses important? Continue reading
Sometimes, it takes a little creativity to help yourself improve by eliminating excuses.
What does that mean?
This is an interesting way of putting forward the question. How would you find ways to become better if you didn’t think you had imper-fections?
To find a way to improve, the first step should be the declaration of a need to improve. The greater the margin for improvement, the easier the first step will be, and the greater the distance you will cover.
If you want to be good, and you’re already pretty good, you’re going to have trouble finding those little things where you can try to improve. However, if you start from a position of having a long way to go, it’s easier.
By starting from the standpoint that where you are (no matter how good that may be) is the definition of wicked, you define a broad field for improvement, and a fair bit of incentive as well. And that is a big bonus.
Why is improvement important? Continue reading
The coach or dad? Does it matter if they are encouraging them and helping them improve?
What does that mean?
This is a quote often used to woo a lover, or to smooth things over with a loved one after an issue has been resolved. However, again, I believe the quote can be applied to a larger group than just our lover. I believe that this quote can be applied to nearly all of humanity, if we are willing to try.
This is a shortened version of a longer quote, which is:
“I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.”
With the longer quote in mind, this could easily be applied to a mentor or teacher. It could also apply to many of your closer friends, those who helped you learn more about yourself.
It can also apply to anyone who believed in you, who encouraged you when you may have had doubts about yourself or your abilities. It is my belief that this quote is about all the best motivations we have as humans.
Why is encouragement important? Continue reading
He doesn’t seem to be angry, yet. His peace of mind looks to be destroyed. Trouble may be on the horizon. His ability to function, diminished. Will he learn how to calm himself?
What does that mean?
At the beginning of the quote, it talks about how anger destroys our peace of mind. I don’t know about you, but when I’m angry, my peace of mind goes away quickly. These two are, in my opinion and experience, antagonist emotions.
And while it is possible to get into trouble when in other emotional states, if one is angry, it seems to be far easier to accomplish. Anger and trouble are often seen walking together. It’s an unpleasant combination. If you haven’t been there, trust me, you don’t want them to visit you.
That brings us to the close of the quote. Anger and our ability to function properly. As humans we function on logical and emotional levels. Anger messes with our logic, and completely twists our emotions. That’s a one-two punch to proper function, right?
Why is working on remaining calm when angry important? Continue reading
There are still places where certain books are banned because of content or author. Protect children, but let the rest of us learn.
What does that mean?
This is a variant translation of a longer quote, which talks about being the bearer of bad news, and his willingness to do so, in a good cause. The example used was telling sailors about to leave of an approaching storm.
This quote is an interesting twist on the longer version of the quote. None the less, it poses an interesting question. How bad would an author have to be before you would refuse to cite them, even if their words applied?
Was Nero too brutal and bloody for you to ever quote him? What about Hitler? Is there anyone who you would write off because you considered them to be too bad of a person? That is an interesting thought, isn’t it?
What if the ‘bad’ used wasn’t modifying the character of the author, but their quality of writing? Is there anyone who has writing so bad that you would not quote them under any circumstances? Can you explain why?
Why is valuing wisdom important? Continue reading
Fail! To achieve driving success, you will have to learn from this experience, and try again.
What does that mean?
While some might feel this quote is overly optimistic, I believe it is exactly right. When we are born, we can do nothing. We can hardly breathe.
We can’t feed ourselves unless something is put in our mouths. We’re a mess. Any progress from there is a success. As we grow, we try more things, learn what works and what does not, and have continued success.
Yes, there may be a setback or two (or three, if you’re really unlucky), but eventually you succeed at walking, talking, and feeding yourself. You were not born to fail, although some choose that path.
Life is challenging. Each day brings some old and some new challenges. We easily rise to conquer some of them, others are a bit more difficult. But if we keep learning and keep trying, we will eventually succeed.
Why is persistence important? Continue reading
If you don’t recognize this icon of American Politics, this is Honest Abe Lincoln. He could not tell a lie, so rumor has it.
What does that mean?
This quote is about a quality which I have fairly strong feelings: honesty. I believe that anyone who expects you to lie to them has at least an ego problem, if not many others.
This quote states that being honest will likely cost you a number of friends. Telling people the hard truths will offend some. That’s OK. If they walk out of your life in a huff, even better.
The ones who leave, they weren’t really friends, were they? They may have been close acquaintances, but my definition of a friend requires an ability to tell and receive the truth, even the ones which are a little unpleasant.
The quote ends by saying that the ones who remain, those are your true friends. They can take the truth, although they may give you some coaching on tact afterwards. These are the people who are strong enough to take the truth, and to give it back to you, when you need it most.
Why is the truth important? Continue reading
About 60 years ago, this tree was planted as a small thing. It didn’t grow quickly, but it did keep changing, day by day. It didn’t look like it had changed, until they looked back.
What does that mean?
This is about things moving slowly but relentlessly. A day doesn’t seem very long, but changes do happen. Each day, a little different. A little bit of drift this way or that.
Then, “suddenly” you notice everything is different. Well, it’s been changing the whole time, but you hadn’t noticed until just now. And that is how life tends to come at you.
Consider what has happened in the last year. What about the last decade? Somehow, the changes seem so much greater, don’t they? Especially in the active years, from the time you’re out of college until your kids are out of college.
Whether it is the small changes in a town, a tree, your partner, your kids, your business, or even in you, there is always a little bit of change.
Why is perspective important? Continue reading
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