What You Imagine is Not Always Based on Reality

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” is a sentence a lot of people believe is true until they jump the fence and find out it’s been fertilized by their imaginations. They thought other people were living a better life because they were looking from the outside; when they got to experience that life up close and personal, they were disappointed because their expectations and reality were so different.

Being tempted to jump the fence is not a bad thing unless you jump without reflecting why you need to move from your current location. When you identify the cause behind your discontent, you are in a position to fix the real reason why you’re unhappy.

If you jump without finding out the real reason, the circle will just begin again. The following quotes are worth noting;

• “The person who is unhappy in a small house will be equally unhappy in a big house.”
• “A person who his happy with themselves will bring happiness with them everywhere they go.”
• “The Devil doesn’t come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you’ve ever wished for.” ~Tucker Max

The last couple are true for most people.

• “Lead me not into temptation. I can find the way myself.” ~Jane Seabrook.
• “Let ye who have not been tempted cast the first remark.”
• “Logic will take you from A to B. Your imagination will take you everywhere.” ~Albert Einstein.

 

 

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Common Sense is Not Always Easy To Follow

Common sense often over simplifies incredibly complicated situations but when you look back at how you solved the problems you were experiencing, you often resorted to common sense ideas. The following are just a few common sense ideas I’ve gathered over the years.

• “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
• “It can take years to realise the only place short cuts work is on a keyboard.”
• “The most important lesson to learn from any mistake is to not make that mistake again.”
• “People with common sense are hard to find.”
• “If you don’t look where you’re going, you’ll end up going where you’re looking.” ~Crash
• “Give somebody enough rope and they will surely hang themselves.”
• “You can force a lot of things but you can’t force life.”
• “Experience can lead to common sense but not everybody learns from experience.”
• “Forgive your past; pay attention to the present because it’s a gift denied to many.”
• “A door mat will clean everybody’s shoes but even that wears out eventually; that’s the equivalent of trying to please everybody all the time, you become a door mat.”
• “Don’t start anything unless you intend to finish it.”
• “Actions speak louder than words.”
• “Overcome your insecurities; If you don’t know how, ask somebody else.”
• “A Positive attitude attracts positive results.”
• “Stop trying to impress people who don’t know you exist.”
• “When you cross a bridge, decide whether is needs to be burned or not, and be prepared to die with that decision.” ~ No regrets.
• “You will face enough real problems in your life, don’t invent problems by over thinking.”
• “Understanding what’s within your power to control is vital for your sanity.” ~“Let it go.”
• “Respect yourself.”
• “Successful people do not get to be successful by wishing for success, they get there by working for it.” ~ “I became an overnight success after 25 years.”
• “I don’t know but I will find out.” Is a good answer.
• “The only thing you can change in an instant is your attitude, everything else takes time.”
• “I know what you’re thinking,” is guesswork at best, and foolishness at worst.
• “People will spread lies far quicker than they will share the truth.” ~C’est la vie.
• “If plan A doesn’t work, don’t worry there is another 25 letters in the English alphabet.”
• “It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” ~Mark Twain
• “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”
• “Take a deep breath and release it slowly.”
• “There is 8760 hours in a year, don’t allow what happens is 24 hours spoil the other 8736.”
• “Failure is not the end, it’s merely the beginning of a new journey.”
• Have a life motto. “I have complete control over my thoughts, emotions, actions and words.”
• “What you believe is often more real than the truth.”
• “You cannot live a positive life with a negative attitude.”
• “The most important person you need to know is yourself.”
• “Everything will work out for you in the end, otherwise it’s not the end it’s merely the end of another chapter in your autobiography.”

Please leave your own favorites in the comments section below.

Gratitude Begins with the free stuff

I bet it’s FREE

Gratitude begins with appreciating all the stuff you get for nothing because, if you don’t appreciate those things, you will not appreciate all the stuff you have to pay for.

Let’s look at some of the things we get for nothing but often take for granted.

Oxygen: It’s all around us, and we get as much as we need for nothing. Some people take it for granted, but others treasure it as a way to relax; when they feel under pressure for any reason, they go outside and breathe deeply, after a couple of minutes everything is under control again. It truly is a wonderful substance.

Light: The Sun brightens everybody’s mood, it’s a lot easier to smile on those days; it also provides us with the light we need, it helps us by providing the means to create vitamin D, and yes, it’s free. Without the sun our planet would not exist at all. Mind you, too much Sun is not good for you, but that’s a story for another day.

Life: There is no turnstile on the way in to this world, no passports or tickets need to be bought. There might be times in your life when you wish it was otherwise but in reality those events are few; we normally spend a lot more time thinking about sad times than experiencing them.

Health: The majority of people are healthy but they rarely appreciate that good health until it is taken away, then all you hear is, why didn’t I look after myself when the choice was mine.

Water: The most plentiful substance on the planet, approx 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered in the stuff, and if you live in a place called Ireland, you will find it falling out of the clouds most days.

The ability to learn: Everybody, regardless of their station in life has the ability to learn; we learn to communicate with our mothers first, then we learn how to get around, first it’s a swim backwards across the floor before we master the art of moving forward, this it’s followed by gaining control of our hands and knees to get where we’re going a little bit faster, we then find something solid to stand beside and take our first tentative steps, more than likely this will be along the couch, then it’s that first step to independence which is followed by a pirouette and a rough landing on the floor; the first of many; after a while we learn to waddle, walk and run.

You get the idea; we are remarkable creatures, capable of learning anything and everything.

Nature: We are surrounded by plants and animals; yes, even the weeds flower in wonderful colours for us to enjoy if we choose to see them a flowers instead of something that needs to be killed.

In life, there is a great deal to be grateful for, but like anything you get for nothing; nothing can be what is thought of it.

• “If you think for a while about all the stuff you get for nothing, it will brighten up your day; if you think about it every day; it will brighten up your life.”

Share Images Your Friends will Love to Share

Social media platforms will only work for you, and your business if you provide content that your friends and customers want to see and share with their friends. The following sentence is the most important message for business owners.

• Your customers will only share information that reflects and enhances their public persona.

Time is also an issue that business owners need to take into consideration, people are pressing the like button on more Facebook business pages every day, so that means it will be increasingly difficult to get their attention because of the increased number of posts flowing through their Facebook timelines.

• So how are we as business owners overcome this dilemma, one answer is to pay Facebook to promote their posts or they can post pictures, they are the most liked and talked about posts on Facebook.

The following is a collection of the pictures I have posted on my own Facebook page that created the most engagement.

Being positive works for everybody.

Value your customer’s time as if it was your own.

Spreading happiness is always good for business

Motivation is a good trait to be associated with your business.

Every brand should have a sense of humour.

Helpful hints are appreciated.

Laughter is universal

Every image you share on any social media platform enhances your business’s brand, when you associate happiness, positiveness, motivation, humour and open mindedness with your brand, you are well on your way to creating a successful online community.

• Keep it simple to make it memorable.

More images can be found on my Facebook page.

What You Do Not Do is A Choice Too

Every time you make a decision, you’re deciding what you’re going to do, but you’re also choosing what you’re going to reject. When the choice is between things, it’s not that important but when you choose between people, the choices you make can can have long-lasting consequences.

“The only people I give my loyalty to are the people who have never given me a reason to question their loyalty.”

 

Knowing is Enough You Do Not Have To Prove it to Anybody

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.”

This quote is normally associated with religion but it can be equally applicable to self-esteem.

If you believe you’re intelligent and wise, you don’t need to prove it to anybody. If you don’t believe you’re intelligent and wise, you will never be able to prove this to other people.

People who are happy with who they are don’t spend their valuable time trying to prove this to other people. “A lion doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of a sheep.” ~ Old saying.

When I was younger I used to think being right was important, I had to show people how clever I was; as I’ve matured, I’ve learned that proving I’m right is not important. I am wise enough now to know everybody has their own truths, I question mine from time to time to see if they’re still true. I’ve stopped questioning other people’s truths, that’s their responsibility.

Below are a few of my favourite quotes about this topic.

• “A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” ~William Shakespeare.
• “I could agree with you but then we’d both be wrong.” ~Anon
• “Nobody was ever offended by your silence.” ~Anon
• “It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” ~Abraham Lincoln.
• “Wise men are not always silent but they know when to be.” ~Anon
• “Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” ~Plato.

“What you say will be remembered and used against you in every debate you participate in.” ~Be careful of the ammunition you supply to your enemies.

Do Not Be Your Own Enemy

“Nobody can forgive you if you do not forgive yourself too.”

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and find out that the prisoner was you.” ~Lewis B. Smedes.

“Some of the greatest battles are fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.” ~Ezra Taft Benson.

“You have within you the ability to live a peaceful life.” ~Anon

“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” ~Elbert Hubbard

“Nobody can hurt you emotionally without your consent and that includes you.”

The Choices We Make Determine Our Attitude to Life

We have two choices in life, we can spend our time thinking why did it happen, or we can accept what happened was meant to happen and spend our time wondering what wonderful things are coming our way.

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference and the great thing is, you’re in control.”

Do Not Try To Change Somebody You Love, Change Yourself or Set Them Free

 “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.” ~Richard Bach.

“You can love a warm summer’s day but you can never own it, it’s there for everybody to enjoy.”

You Have To Experience Everything You Were Meant To Experience

Most people accept you cannot change your past, you can only change how you think about it; imagine if you applied the same logic to every area of your life. Think how much happier your life would be if you knew you were on the right path, and there was no way to fall off the path unless you started fighting against the future you’re meant to live.

Accepting your destiny doesn’t mean there will be no problems to solve because sometimes you have to go through a storm to appreciate the sunshine on the other side. Some people spend their entire life trying to go around a storm they have to experience and wonder why there is no sunshine in their life.

‘Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.’~Vivian Greene.

Nobody Can Put You Down Without Your Agreement

One of the greatest journeys in life is overcoming insecurity, and that doesn’t mean you don’t care about what other people say, it means you have so much faith in your own abilities, you no longer allow other people’s opinions affect your emotional state of mind.

If you believe you’re too skinny, too fat, too tall, too short, too poor, too rich, too intelligent, too stupid, too undeserving, too privileged, too quiet, too loud; you always will be.

The most important lesson you can learn in this life is. “Believe there is somebody who is so powerful they will make your dearest wishes come true; it’s better if you can believe that person is you.”

 

You Need To Let Your Future Happen Naturally

“When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.”

“Don’t try to see things in people they do not possess.”

“Don’t look for happiness because it can’t be found unless you bring it with you.”

“Create a vision of your future and let it happen.”

 

 

Hard Times Create Survivors

“Weak adults are created by parents who are too caring.” Babies are fighters, they have to fight their way into this world through the smallest tunnel imaginable, they cry out loud if their needs are not being satisfied. It’s up to parents to harness this fighting spirit and create an adult who can come up with a resolution to every problem they will face on their journey through life. 

The problem with some parents is they see babies as defenceless and vulnerable who need them to do everything for them; as the baby grows into a teenager, the parents don’t change, they still try to do everything for them at home, and even in school, they try to fight every battle for them. This doesn’t help the child or the adult they will become because they don’t know how to find a resolution to their problems, at every turn they go back to their parents, or they end up being bullied throughout their entire life.

A good parent will not fight their child’s battles but they will arm their children with the weapons they will need. Self-respect and respect in that order with a sprinkling of modesty are the most important weapons they will need.

“Cotton wool insulates nobody from life’s problems.”

“You survived every battle you faced because your parents were strong enough to let you go.”

 

 

You Have The Solution to Every Problem

Do you want to be successful?

“Success is about overcoming obstacles because everybody will have to climb their barriers to reach success.”

Do you want a peaceful life? 

“The world of full of people who believe everything they need to find peace can be found through acquiring wealth.”

What are you willing to pay?

“Money will not help you to get what you truly need.”

“Working your mind and body will get you everything you need.”

 What you really need to accomplish.

“When you find peace within, everything you need will flow into your life.”

“The greatest battles of life are fought everyday between what you think you want and what you really need.”

 A lot of people confuse needs and wants.