Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

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Inner voice, Intuition, Micromanagement, Patton

“If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you’ll be amazed at the results.” – George S. Patton

General Patton is one of my heroes. As we approach Memorial Day, I felt this quote appropriate for today’s Daily Quote.

This quote is about leading people. Have you ever been micromanaged? Do you recall how limiting this type of leadership was when you experienced it? Micromanagers don’t trust anyone. They monitor every single thing their people do because deep down they believe that other people are out to get them. Imagine how frustrating it would be to work for someone like this.

If you are a worker, doing the same tasks every day, you will come upon ways to improve what you do. Something that will achieve better results. Maybe it will help you get the job done more quickly. Maybe it will save your company money. Maybe the idea you have can be marketed and sold. The possibilities are endless unless you have a micromanager for a boss.

Believe it or not, some people micromanage themselves. This is also a really inefficient way to live your life. Take a risk, make a change, listen to your intuition. There is always a better way to do things. If you pay attention you’ll arrive upon one of these solutions that allow you to do the job better, faster, and cheaper than you did initially.

Here’s an example. I have been posting daily quotes to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+ for years. I finally got to the point that there had to be a more efficient way to do this. So, here we are—Daily Quotes on WordPress that I broadcast to each of these social media networks daily. I also get to talk a little to my audience about a quote and what it means to me. Maybe it connects with someone; maybe it doesn’t. The key here is that I didn’t let my internal micromanager get in my way. I trusted my inner voice and went with it.

Well, that’s it for today folks. I hope you enjoyed the quote and my feelings about it.

Until tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

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Horace, Quote, Mind, Conscience

“Rule your mind or it will rule you.” – Horace

Our mind is a very powerful force in our lives. It allows us to interact with our environments, maintain the systems we need to live without any purposeful thinking and is very good at comparing and categorizing our day-to-day experiences. The mind, however, is a horrible task master.

The mind is a horrible task master because of a few inherent aspects that allow really good things to happen, but also really bad things. For example, the mind likes to automate things, because it is efficient. Once you learn to ride a bike, tie your shoes, or pick up food with a fork, the mind automates this task. You literally do these things subconsciously after a little practice.

This same process is what makes the mind dangerous. Good habits like eating right, exercising, proper hygiene, and anything else you can think of that are positive are just awesome when we are doing them subconsciously. Bad habits like smoking, drinking in excess, eating unhealthy foods like processed sugar, unhealthy fats, using drugs (non-prescribed) are horrible for you, but the mind does not differentiate these things. Good or bad, the mind automates to save processing power.

How do we take control? We have to begin listening for that internal voice (Conscience, God, the Universe, whatever you want to call it.) This internal voice is separate from the mind. The problem with this voice is its volume is affected by the attention we give to it. The more you listen to this voice, the louder it gets. Conversely, the more you ignore the voice, the less you’ll hear it.

Try listening to this voice. It will provide you with input that allows you to change your life for the better. It will also give you a nudge when you are doing something wrong or harmful. Initially, the voice will be very quiet. Once you begin listening to it, however, it will grow in volume and will become a very helpful partner.

Rule your mind by going outside of it to get the “right” input. If you don’t, the mind will control you and believe me, it is not a good place to be.

Until tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

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Quotes, Wayne Dyer

“You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

It’s a pretty common human phenomenon to feel lonely when we’ve lost a loved one for any reason. Whether it’s a boy or girlfriend, husband or wife, even a trusted animal companion. Some of us are so afraid of being alone we rush off to the next person we can find if only to fill the emptiness we feel.

This quote is truth. Before you can be happy with others you have to be happy with yourself. Take some time when you’ve gone through a split. Enjoy the freedom to do what you want when you want. To watch whatever show you want without having to cater to someone else’s tastes.

Maybe you can participate in some self-improvement. Exercise, meditate, take a college course, or learn something new. Another thing that may help is contributing some of your time to a charitable function. Working in a food kitchen, packing foods for families or any other like activity will get your mind off of yourself and perhaps, make a few friends along the way.

If you’ve lost a pet, working in a shelter may be the trick. Most shelters always accept volunteers to clean the animal cages or walk the dogs.

Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s quote. Have a great Wednesday!

Until tomorrow!!

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

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Critical Thinking, Mark Twain

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

Mark Twain provides some a quote that caused me to ponder all of the situations where I, in fact, found myself in this situation. Sometimes it’s easy to go with the majority. You do not have to stand for anything. There’s no work involved. At other times it’s hard to go with the majority because you know someone will find out and you’ll be ridiculed, berated, ostracized, etc.

This quote demands the use of critical thinking. It doesn’t matter how many people believe in something. It doesn’t matter what “facts” are presented. The key here is for you to do the work. Critical thinking is not easy. It’s why we have “fake news”, the blind leading the blind, and any other cliché you can think of. People don’t think. They don’t go out and investigate all sides and make a decision based on this information. They just believe what they see and read without putting any effort whatsoever to validate what they are being told, what they read, or what they hear.

Critical thinking requires us to understand what sources were used for a story. Critical thinking requires us to understand how a story compares to other stories claiming the same or different things. Finally, what is the motive behind writing the story in the first place?

Do any of you remember the articles that claimed eating eggs were bad for you? If you read any article about food and how it’s good or bad for you, check the sources of the article. I’m pretty sure you’ll find either an industry advocate or a competitor of an industry behind the article. This is just one example of using your critical thinking skills to really understand the motive, sources, and other reasons for the publication of an article.

If you have any examples when you used your critical thinking skills, offer them in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

See you tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

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Emerson, Quotes

“Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever watched nature? As Emerson states, nature is never in a rush. Nature does what nature needs to and nothing more. The seasons come; the seasons go. The squirrels are constantly gathering food, the bees are collecting pollen from the freshly bloomed flowers, and the crickets can be heard at night.

Unlike us, none of these creatures is in a rush. Their actions are rhythmic, purposeful, and deliberate, following a ritual every day, guided by some internal clock only known to nature, expending just enough energy and nothing more, and always prepared for the changes that are inevitable each year.

Just think about how stress-free our lives would be, if only we could duplicate the economy, efficiency, and rituals of nature. I try to follow rituals on a daily basis because they are quite efficient. You get into a groove at certain times of the day and move from one step to the next. These rituals allow me to do things that I deem very important each day, from eating right, meditating, reading, and exercising.

Setting up rituals is pretty easy. You simply choose some things you would like to do each day, and then you put them on your calendar each day at a set time. It’s easy if you group like-things together like reading habits, exercise habits, writing habits, and any other habit you have built or would like to build.

What daily rituals do you follow? Are they predominantly around getting to work in the morning and going to bed at night, or do you use other times of the day?

See you again tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

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Dimensions of Life, Joseph Addison, Reading

Hello, Readers!

I want to do something different with my Daily Quotes. I want to minimize the quotes and actually put more of a slant to them. This allows me to communicate with you in my own words and also makes this more personal for me.

As some of you already know, I love a good quote. I find them inspiring, funny, and eye-opening. More importantly, I find they spur me to look around inside and gauge my response, almost like a person who walks through a museum and sees that one picture that really impacts them. This is what a good quote does for me.

So, going forward, you’re going to get one quote and the thoughts this quote pulls from me. Feel free to comment with any quotes you enjoy or your take on the Daily Quote I post here going forward.

Have a terrific Friday!!

Quote

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” – Joseph Addison

My Thoughts

I am a huge advocate for physical exercise in all its forms. I am also huge on diet, supplementation, and finding new ways to improve myself physically. If you’ve been following along, I have written articles on what are called the four dimensions of life. This quote spurred me to think about these dimensions and how important it is for us to maintain each one of them so we can live a balanced and happy life.

If you are unfamiliar with the four dimensions of life, they are not mine. They were introduced by late Dr. Steven Covey, author of “The 7 habits of highly effective people.” They are the physical dimension, the spiritual dimension, the intellectual dimension, and the social dimension.

Reading is one of the great ways to learn, explore new ideas, and ultimately, get in the head of the author. Paul Twitchell, one of my favorite authors, suggests that when you read a book, a poem, or listen to music, to imagine the author writing the words of the book or imagine the artist create the painting. This is a really interesting technique because it really adds to the experience of reading.

Another thing Covey suggests is to read broadly. In other words, try a new genre, or read poetry if you haven’t read it before, or even try to read nonfiction, perhaps to learn something new.

Reading is also important because it exercises our ability to visualize. When I read a great book, my skills of visualization are tested because each story is introducing us to a new world, a world born from an author’s imagination. The better we visualize the better the experience of the book becomes.

Reading could be used to improve the spiritual dimension, the physical dimension, the social dimension, or the intellectual dimension. It all depends on what you read, right?

Part of my daily routine is to read at least 1 chapter of a book each day. I typically read more than that, but even if I’m really busy, it is not difficult to knock out one chapter. To establish this habit, start small. Read a page a day or a set number of paragraphs. Pick a time you’ll read each day, whether it’s in the morning or in the evening. I enjoy reading when I get home from the gym and have had my post workout meals, taken my vitamins, and have cleaned up. I find I’m perfectly relaxed and more than ready to explore a new world (start a new book) or continue to visit the world I’m learning about (reading a current book).

What times of day do you prefer to read? Are there any particular genres you gravitate to? What genre of book would you like to read that you haven’t picked up yet?

Have a great Friday all.

Until tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quotes

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Ella Baker, Franklin Jones, Hugh Black, Quotes, wisdom

“The very first condition of lasting happiness is that a life should be full of purpose, aiming at something outside self.” – Hugh Black

“One advantage of talking to yourself is that you know at least somebody’s listening.” – Franklin P. Jones

“Give light and people will find the way.” – Ella Baker

We are all unique and each of us fulfills a purpose. Perhaps you are a housewife, a writer, a gamer, a poet, a singer, etc. Whatever role you fill, realize it is exactly what you are supposed to be doing. If you aren’t happy with your current circumstances change them, but realize that the change doesn’t require a change in your outer world, but your inner one. Happiness is available to you today, but so is sadness. It is your choice.

My Dad made a statement to me when I was younger and complaining about work. He said, “Son, work is only work if you think of it as work. If you think of it as fun, work becomes fun.” It is our internal attitude. It is our awareness, our consciousness, that makes life a joy or drudgery. Change the way you look at your world and your world will change.

Until tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quotes

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confucious, James Barrie, Quotes, Saint Augustine

“Life is a long lesson in humility.” – James Barrie

“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” – Saint Augustine

“Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.” – Confucius

Ahh, humility.

I look at my life and find example after example of what Barrie discusses in his quote. Whenever I have become vain, overconfident, judgemental, I get smacked down by life. It is at this point you realize that we are all here to learn from each other and remember that what we see in others is a reflection of ourselves.

We all have our challenges. We all have weaknesses. The easiest way to conquer vanity is to focus on helping others.

I hope everyone has a great Wednesday!!

See you tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quotes

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Peter Drucker

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

I like this one because it speaks to our ability to visualize, plan, and execute. Visualizing and planning are what allows us to create tomorrow. It’s just that simple.

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” – Peter Drucker

This quote is also a good one. Have you ever seen someone say something, but their body said the opposite? This is what this means. We need to pay attention to words, but also facial expressions, body positioning, and gestures. All of this in combination is what a person is really saying.

“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker

Another Drucker great. No explanation needed on this one.

If you have any great quotes to contribute, provide them in the comments!

See you tomorrow…

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quotes

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H. Jackson Brown, Joseph Campbell, Steve Jobs

“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Yeah, this is a good one. We establish our future by doing things that build that future consistently. Exercise builds the body, learning builds the mind, meditation or prayer builds us spiritually, and spending time and investing in our relationships builds our social networks. Do something each week to build one of these four dimensions of life and your future will truly be bright.

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

I think this is an important aspect of daily living. If we become too invested in how we think things should be going, we lose out on the opportunity to enjoy the spontaneity of the moment. Flexibility is the key because plans never survive reality.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” – Steve Jobs

A great quote to round out today’s daily quotes. This is really a great bit of career advice. How many of us shortchange ourselves by taking the first job available? How many of us settle for something that is secure but unfulfilling? Take a look at your current profession. If you are not anxious to get to work every day and crush it, you may want to consider a job change.

See you tomorrow!!