Random Quotes

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
- Proust

"The essence of knowledge is, having it, to use it."
- Confucius

"Every human being's essential nature is perfect and faultless, but after years of immersion in the world we easily forget our roots and take on a counterfeit nature." - Lao-tzu

We can do anything we want as long as we stick to it long enough.
Keller, Helen

There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.
Shakespeare, William

What doesn't kill me makes me stronger.
Camus, Albert

Keep sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow-perhaps it all will.
Ecclesiasties

Patience is the companion of wisdom
St. Augustine

It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.
Syrus, Publilius

You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.
Gandhi, Indira

Experience is what you get when you do not get what you want.
Anonymous

Making mistakes simply means you are learning faster.
Agor, Weston H.

No man can reveal to you ought, but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.
Gibran, Kahlil

If you wait for tomorrow, tomorrow comes. If you don't wait for tomorrow comes.
Senegalese proverb

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
James, William

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.
Thoreau, Henry David

When the student is ready, the master appears.
Buddhist proverb

3 rules of work
1. out of clutter, find simplicity.
2. From discord find harmony.
3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Einstein ,Albert

No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.
De Mille, Agnes

In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity.
Einstein, Albert

A knowledge of the path cannot be substituted for putting one foot in front of the other.
Richards, M. C.

I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has to get down to work.
Buck, Pearl

The crisis of yesterday is the joke of tomorrow.
Wells, H. G.

The answer is simple; if you want something very badly, you can achieve it.
Jones, Margo

There is no failure. Only feedback.
Anonymous

I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among the creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of kindness and compassion.
Falconer, William

We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make.
Edelman, Marion Wright

Only those who do nothing make no mistakes.
Anonymous

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.
Anonymous

Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.
Churchill, Winston

To be nobody-but-yourself--in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else--means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
E. E. Cummings

You will never find time for anything. You must make it.
Buxton, Charles

When one door closes another one opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.
Bell, Alexander Graham

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo

When a man finds no peace within himself it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
Rouchefoliocauld, L. A.

The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work.
Anonymous

Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster. And if you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you.
Nietsche, Frederick

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
Adams, John Quincy

Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.
Disraeli, Benjamin

Half the failures of this world arise from pulling in one's horse as he is leaping.
Hare, Augustus

Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.
Montapert, Alfred A.

Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.
Tolkein, J. R. R.

Nothing endures but change.
Heractilus

Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
Rogers, Will

Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.
Lorimer, George

Concentration is the secret of strength.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo

Certain defects are necessary for the existence of individuality.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang

Man must strive and, in striving, must go wrong.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang Von

Keep spiritually sound and be persistent. Persistence is the key. Just never stop believing in your dream.
Aquila, Deborah

The saints are the sinners who keep going.
Stevenson , Robert Louis

Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control.
Kline, Richard

The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.
Frost, Robert

Ain't no man can avoid being born average, but ain't no man got to be common.
Paige, Satchel

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Mead, Margaret

It isn't whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up.
Lombardi, Vince

Home run hitters strike out a lot.
Jackson, Reggie

Great people aren't those who are happy at times of convenience and content, but of how they are in times of catastrophe and controversy.
King, Dr. Martin Luther Jr.

Failure is the path of least persistence.
Unknown

When the Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, He'll ask not whether you won or lost, but how you played the game.
Rice, Grantland

Don't compromise yourself, you are all you've got.
Joplin, Janis

At the head of every river lies a spring.
Bennie Rice

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre-minds.The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices, but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.
Einstein, Albert

The key to everything is patience! You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
Anonymous

Never give up!Never give up!Never give up!
Churchill, Winston

Turn your face to the sunshine and all shadows fall behind.
Keller, Helen

The difference between a pipe dream and a great idea is persistence.
---Anonymous

If you can imagine it you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it.
Ward, William Arthur

When making your choice in life, do not neglect to live.
Johnson, Samuel

Dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows.
Thoreau, Henry David

Life is a cup to be filled not drained.
Anonymous

If one is the master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time insight into and understanding of many things.
Van Gogh, Vincent

What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible.
Roethke, Theodore

Luck is when opportunity knocks and you answer.
Anonymous

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.
Thoreau, Henry David

Expect your every need to be met, expect the answer to every problem, expect abundance on every level, expect to grow spiritually
Caddy, Eileen

Magic has often been thought of us the art of making dreams come true; the art of realizing visions. Yet before we can bring birth to the vision we have to see it.
Starhawk

Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams you want to realize. Your words are the greatest power you have. The words you choose and the use establish the life you experience.
Croquette Sonia

Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities
Ebaugh, Sue

Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.
Bernhardt, Sarah

The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.
Fosdick, Harry Emerson

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Thoreau, Henry David

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Roosevelt, Eleanor

Dream is not a revelation. If a dream affords the dreamer some light on himself, it is not the person with closed eyes who makes the discovery but the person with open eyes lucid enough to fit thoughts together. Dream- a scintillating mirage surrounded by shadows- is essentially poetry.
Leiris, Michael

Where all is but dream, reasoning and arguments are of no use, truth and knowledge nothing.
John Locke, John

In bed my real love has always been the sleep that rescued me by allowing me to dream.
Pirandello, Luigi

You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?"
Shaw, George Bernard

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
Thoreau, Henry David

Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.
Updike, John

Team Membership and Leadership - Points to Ponder

I am willing to give credit where credit is due - however I do not know the source of the below lists. If you know where these points come from or who authored them, please let me know so that I can add appropriate footnotes. Thank you.

8 Points to Team Membership

1. Understanding the Context and Purpose
2. Contribute ideas
3. Listen
4. Accept Decisions
5. Clarify Tasks
6. Co-operate
7. Accept Coaching
8. Demand Review

Team Member Traps

1. Keeping quiet
2. Not listening
3. Getting on with your job regardless
4. Doing other people's work
5. Wandering off
6. Fragmenting the team
7. Proving you were right
8. Ignoring Coaching

8 Points to Team Leadership

1. Explain the Context and Purpose
2. Identify the critical issues (separate from constraints)
3. Encourage contributions
4. Make Decisions
5. Assign Tasks
6. Monitor Progress
7. Coach
8. Review

Team Leader Traps

1. Not seeing members' point of view
2. Getting over-involved in the action
3. Feeling that you have to have the answer
4. Being the technical expert
5. Ignoring social and programming issues
6. Fixating on one issue
7. Fear of standing out

Discover Your Passion!

Wow when looking at back at how long its been since I really started thinking about my passions; defining them; and setting purpose & clarity - it's been a LONG time, years already!

I have discovered that many-a-times my passion focus sometimes shifts depending on how I feel.
Which only reaffirms the ever so popular saying:

Photo Source: http://magnificentquotes.tumblr.com/post/15042283052/life-quotes

23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you crooked speech,
    and put devious talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder[a] the path of your feet;
    then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.

a.k.a. simplified version of Proverb 4:23 means, 

"Be very careful about what you think.

Your thoughts run your life."  

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+4%3A23-27&version=ERV

Sometimes what I think about, read about, watch on T.V., or learn about online, etc... affects my 'mood' and thus influences my thinking and... in the end, ends up interfering with my True Passion (Purpose).

If you've already discovered your passion and have put it into practice then Congratulations! You sense of fulfillment and joy in being able to live your passion must be reflected in your wonderful work that you do!

However if you're still looking, searching, wondering about "What is your passion?" or if you kind-of get a sense that you know but now are wondering "What am I supposed to do now?" - no worries, you're not alone!

Millions of people live their everyday lives not getting that "sense of fulfillment & joy" in their daily activities or chosen career paths ...But that doesn't mean all hope is lost! Reclaiming your purpose and its chosen path can be a change you choose to make; it's a choice you alone need to take.

Making changes in your life don't necessarily need to be drastic and life-altering; sometimes just looking at things differently can make all the difference! You don't need to quit your job; leave your relationship; jump off the boat to make things happen... For some, yes - some of these drastic changes are needed; however for the majority of us, small changes are all that's needed!

Remember: "Understanding and Learning about yourself & who you truly are are key elements in establishing your true-connection." ~ Tammy Mathieu

Here are a few tips, questions, and quotes to get you started... thinking!

QUOTES:

"Working at a job to build your resume is like withholding sex till you retire." ~ Warren Buffet
Find work in something you are passionate about; live your passion everyday and enjoy it! Why wait till you retire to do what you love - choose to live it, do it as part of your career. And if it can't be part of your career, have your 'job' somehow jump-start your off-work passion. This way your purpose is to keep 'working' to fuel your passion!

"You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." ~ Jim Rohn
Choose your surrounds (and friends) wisely. You are worth it. How can you grow and evolve if everyone around you is at a lower or same-level as you are. 
You probably won't keep climbing the stairs or continuing on your journey if the ones around you aren't challenged or motivated in the "same" way/things you are. Thus leaving you with a sense of guilt, which probably keeps all of you in the same spot. Shake things up & change things!

"First they IGNORE you,
then they LAUGH at you,
then they FIGHT you,
then you WIN." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
If no one stood out, everything would be the same. Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution - let go of judgement, and embrace change. Sometimes letting go of what was and what is...  allows for what could be to come.
And remember, not everyone will always agree - and it's not your job to defend, but to understand. You won when you made the choice. 

"Become a self-expert. If you don't know what you're looking for you're never going to find it." ~ unknown
Do you know who you are? What you like / don't like? What are your unique strengths, values and experiences? If you're not clear about yourself - how do you expect anyone else to be?
Yes, you will find work/career/jobs... and do what others tell you to do. Although once you've become a self-expert, you'll then be the one telling people what you can do for them.

Here are a few links / quotes I found relating to "Discovering Your Passion":

Whether we choose to listen to our inner voice is up to us.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/Caroline-Myss-on-How-to-Find-Your-Purpose-Video#ixzz2BlGzHHl0

This video's (interview) is about a Graphic Designer's transition to Photography HOWEVER it's underline message is more profound...http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LxxFSU6doDo#!

Vocation doesn't come from a voice "out there" calling me to become something I'm not. It comes from a voice "in here" calling me to be the person I was born to be.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/What-are-You-Meant-to-Be-Doing-Find-Your-Calling#ixzz23jLFRKw4

Questions to ask yourself:

WHAT IS IT YOU COULDN'T DO WITHOUT / LIVE WITHOUT DOING?
Discover that --> and then LIVE it!!

Fill-in the blanks: "When my life is ideal, I am ..." [try using a ___ing verb here; and use present tense].
Be as clear and precise as you can.
Focus on who you are and what means most to you.

When my life is ideal, I am enjoying complete financial freedom.
When my life is ideal, I am living in the home of my dreams.
When my life is ideal, I am exploring the world.
When my life is ideal, I am sharing my love and wealth.
When my life is ideal, I am creating beautiful art.
When my life is ideal, I am  relaxing and meditating daily.
When my life is ideal, I am welcoming people into my life and into my home.
When my life is ideal, I am playing with loved ones in my beautiful backyard.
When my life is ideal, I am openly connected at all levels with my spouse.
When my life is ideal, I am allowing myself to receive.
When my life is ideal, I am living for the now.
When my life is ideal, I am enjoying life with lots of health, energy, stamina, and vitality!
When my life is ideal, I am having fun in everything I do!
When my life is ideal, I am inspiring others to discover their passions.
When my life is ideal, I am living my passions!

The more you write them down the more some will seem to jump out at you! You'll also feel a deeper connection with some more than others... narrow down your list till you feel comfortable with a for-now Top 5!

Review your Top 5 and apply them as much as possible to your daily activities.
Every few months, do a self check-in to see if you Top 5 are still applicable... they may need a little word-smithing... or if you see yourself NOT living some of your chosen Top 5 Passions, ask yourself why?
Is it really something that still has meaning for you? Should it be in your Top 5? Maybe your list needs a review...

Also as you go-along your journey (daily life) maybe create yourself some "markers" for your Top 5 Passions to help encompass its true value/meaning.
Stay focused and clear. And try to be as positive as possible.
For example:

When my life is ideal, I am allowing myself to receive, accept and trust.
markers:
- I've let go of my past.
- I am accepted by everyone.
- I'm rejoice in giving and receiving.
- I love and am loved.

When my life is ideal, I am creating beautiful art.
markers:
- I express myself via "Art" (photography; poetry; music; sketching; painting).
- I take time to "smell the roses" and "view the sunset".
- I go with the flow.

When my life is ideal, I am enjoying complete financial Freedom.
markers:
- I am able to spend joyfully.
- I am financially abundant.
- I am living in my "house" by the water, in the countryside.
- I am "work-free".
- I am receiving money from various sources / external means.
- I am able to give and help others.
- I am able to travel the world and share with everyone my journey.