All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
William Shakespeare

As You Like It, 2. 7

Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.
Vincent Van Gogh

Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn't fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn't dreamed of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that, dreams. And our aspirations easily collect dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher.

The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can't do this. It's too hard. It's too impossible. No one can do this.

However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble, bee no one has told it so. So fly it does.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things you know you can doí. Under another header, write the things you might be able to do.í And under one more, list the things that that are impossible for you to do.

Now look at all the headers strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things you know you can doí. Check them when you are able to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of your goals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the other header-the one that reads you might be able to do.

As of the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ëimpossible for you to doí to the list of things you might be able to do.

As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And the impossible begin to seem possible after all.

You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, and start working towards that goal little by little. However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic.

Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.

On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams, there has to be had work and discipline. But take note that that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one.

Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, No pain, no gain? That is as true as it can be.

So dream on, friend! Don't get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible = I'm possible

Make this day the best day ever for someone that does not expect it, but why,who and how?
(This post is for you Lisa ;-)

Short: The best days in my life has been when:
1. I did something for those who could not pay me back, were homeless, tired or had lost their hope.
2. Someone made me feel important and precious, not because of me doing something, but despite of me doing something.

Why make this day the best ever for someone that does not expect it?
1. Because you are going to feel better. They are going to feel better, and you both will experience wonderful things.
2. Because this life is weird, this world is cold (not thinking of global warming).
3. Because doing it will change your life for ever.

Who should I make this day the best ever for (the one that does not expect it)?
1. Enter a quiet room. The first person that comes to mind that will not expect it, could be the person
2. Or, the poor person on the sidewalk.
3. Or, the lonely person that is passing your way
4. Or, the wife or the husband or the kid that is struggling
5. Or, just the… you'll know.

How should I make this day the best ever for someone that does not expect it?
1. You'll know in your hear right there and then.
2. Or, buy some great lunch for two, and sit down next too that person and share the meal
3. Or, give that someone a great hug and tell him or her that they are precious.
4. Or, there are endless possibilities…

Hug, arthur

Siobhan Brown is a great inspiration. If you have not visited her site, you should, but first take a look at this video. Wish you all a great day where ever you are!!!

With a world full of lazy people, developing self discipline can give you an enormous advantage in life. Find out why self discipline is important, and how you can develop it.

The Temptation To Live An Undisciplined Life
In today's society we live in a world where temptations are everywhere. We have TV, video games and sports to ensure we never get bored. So is it any wonder that people struggle to focus on their school work, their jobs or their relationships? After all, why should you do something which is boring or hard, when you can do something that's easy and fun instead?

Well the reality is you don't have to do boring stuff and work hard, no one is forcing you to do that. Although if you choose not to do these things it is very likely that your school grades, job or relationships will suffer as a result.

Why? Because the things that are worth having in life, the things that have real long term value and meaning, are often the things that require time, effort and hard work.

But if we live in a society that makes having fun so easy, how can we focus on obtaining the things that really matter in life, when temptations make it so easy to do otherwise?

Self Discipline In Life
The answer to this question is self discipline. Discipline is the ability to force yourself to do something that you know you must do, even if you don't feel like it. In other words, discipline allows a person to resist the temptation of TV, video games and sports. Thereby allowing them to concentrate on their school work, jobs and relationships. The things that really matter and add value to your life.

At the risk of sounding like a bore, I don't mean to say that discipline means you canít have fun in life. No, that would be silly. We all need time for fun and entertainment, but there must be a balance, otherwise you will most likely fail to succeed in life. This is the reason self discipline is so important in life, especially in todayís society which is constantly tempting us to choose the easy way out.

Developing Self Discipline
Whilst practicing self discipline may require lots of hard work and a strong will to master, eventually the more you discipline yourself to resist succumbing to the temptations of life, the more your self discipline will strengthen. In turn this makes it easier to apply discipline in the future.

So developing self discipline is just like any other skill in life. At first it will be hard, but the more you practice the stronger and easier it will become. In a world that is made up of largely undisciplined and lazy people (especially those living in developed countries) having strong self discipline will give you an enormous advantage in life.

I do believe that not mentioning self discipline would be a terrible lie. It's easy to believe that you can become "beautiful", fit, skinny and rich by using this or that product. Marketing is a powerful "tool", and it is capable of putting all the logical things we know aside in a split of a second!

Anyway: Never forget that you are great, the only you in the history. Go out and cheer up someone today!
arthur ;

Summary:
We all have the same basic human needs. But how we choose to satisfy them can affect our lives in many ways. Find out more about the fulfillment of human needs.

Even though we are all different, we each have the same 6 basic human needs. These needs must be satisfied, otherwise we feel uncomfortable where we are, with our lives and ultimately with ourselves. Each of these 6 needs therefore have a very strong influence on your behavior, and even affect the type of success you achieve in life.

Security
The first and most fundamental human need, is the need for security. This need can come in many forms, such as the need for financial security, physical security or emotional security.

Before any other need is fulfilled people always seek to obtain a minimum amount of security in their lives. For example, if you were being chased by a tiger, your first concern would be finding safety. You would then think about other things such as finding something to eat. Providing you didn't get eaten first!

The amount of security we settle for will vary, although in general people make sure that they have a minimum amount of security first (such as finding a house to live in) before they move onto fulfilling other needs. Later this need may be returned to, and greater security may be sought after.

Comfort
Once you have an acceptable level of security in your life, the next natural human need is that of comfort. So once you have that house to live in, you will now want to decorate and add furniture to it. So that it is comfortable to live in.

The need for comfort can be an extremely powerful motivator of human behavior, as quite simply, people like to feel comfortable! However this need always comes after you feel secure where you are.

Leisure
Once you have obtained an acceptable level of security and comfort, your next need is for leisure. People value leisure time very highly, and so behavior is strongly motivated to achieve it. However leisure is a double edged sword.

People who value leisure too much may fail to fulfill other needs, such as by becoming lazy and lacking ambition. Conversely people may become highly productive in order to be able to experience leisure, such as by going on holiday.

Love
Love is perhaps one of the most strongest human needs, and can make people do all kinds of things. We all value love, and go to great lengths to obtain it. Without love, we feel lonely and our self esteem suffers.

Respect
Everyone desires to be respected by others. As children we often do things to impress our friends in order to gain their respect, and we do the same although in different ways, as adults.

Respects makes a person feel important and valuable. Without respect you will question your worth and importance as a person.

Purpose
Without purpose you will lack direction and meaning in life. Purpose is something that you believe you were put here to accomplish. It is why you exist and what you work for.

However many people struggle to find their true purpose in life, but for those that do, there can be perhaps no other stronger human need that will inspire and motivate behavior.

Importance Of Our Human Needs

As you can see, people all have the same basic human needs. However we are all different in how we choose to fulfill those needs. Some people may be happy with just security, comfort and leisure. Whilst others strive to fulfill all their needs.

For those who choose to fulfill only a few needs, they usually experience lots of fulfillment in one area of their life, such as comfort. However this is ultimately affected by the lack of fulfillment in other areas of their life, such as security.

For example, if all you are concerned about is comfort, and don't bother to get a job, ultimately your security will be threatened as you will no longer be able to pay the bills. Therefore in order to experience true fulfillment and satisfaction in life, it is essential to work on fulfilling all your basic needs.

Did I mention Spirutual, I guess not, but that aspect is totally up to you.

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.

Reinhold Niebuhr

There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.

~Mark Twain

Read about Mark Twain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

When my mind is still and alone with the beating of my heart,
I remember things too easily forgotten:
The purity of early love,
The maturity of unselfish love that asks --
desires -- nothing but another's good,
The idealism that has persisted through all the tempest of life.

When my mind is still and alone with the beating of my heart,
I can find a quiet assurance, an inner peace, in the core of my being.
It can face the doubt, the loneliness, the anxiety,
Can accept these harsh realities and can even grow
Because of these challenges to my essential being.

When my mind is still and alone with the beating of my heart,
I can sense my basic humanity,
And then I know that all men and women are my brothers and sisters.
Nothing but my own fear and distrust can separate me from the love of friends.
If I can trust others, accept them, enjoy them,
Then my life shall surely be richer and more full.
If I can accept others, this will help them to be more truly themselves,
And they will be more able to accept me.

When my mind is still and alone with the beating of my heart,
I know how much life has given me:
The history of the race, friends and family,
The opportunity to work, the chance to build myself.
Then wells within me the urge to live more abundantly,
With greater trust and joy,
With more profound seriousness and earnest service,
And yet more calmly at the heart of life.

Paul Beattie




Paul Beattie was a Unitarian Universalist minister, serving in congregations including in Kansas City, Missouri, and last at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, PA. He was also president of the Fellowship of Religious Humanists, among his many involvements.