Which is more valuable?

Your possessions will be passed onto someone else.

Your time, however, is yours to spend anyway you desire.

You will invest your time in various pursuits, such as:

MARRIED OR SINGLE?

This is a major time investment and leads to two vary different paths for your life.

If MARRIED is your choice, then your time decisions must be shared with your partner.

EMPLOYEE OR ENTRPRENEUR?

If you spend your time as an EMPLOYEE, your time commitment is usually decided by your employer.

The ENTREPRENEUR choice could be initially or always a big time investment that doesn’t end after an 8 hour day.

CHILDREN

Children, of necessity, will demand large investments of your time because you are a parent forever.

RECREATION

We all need to spend time away from all the responsibilities we carry.

Hopefully, you’ll develop a passion for some kind of recreational activity that refreshes your soul.

PRAYER

Some time should be spent thanking GOD and seeking help in difficult situations.

If not today, when?

 

 

Words, Words, Words!

We all can express ourselves verbally, but what have we accomplished thus far?

Let’s take Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, as an example.

She was born a minister’s daughter in East Germany, poor and spending her first 35 years under a communist dictatorship.

For a while, she lived in an apartment building that had been bombed during World War II and never repaired.

Yet, despite every excuse for failure, she got a masters degree in Physics, learned English and with guts and perseverance held the European Union together for 16 years.

I know this is a dramatic example of a major accomplishment.

But, what’s wrong with having high expectations of yourself?

You only “Go Around Once.”

MAKE IT COUNT!

If not today, when?

If you’re sleep deprived — and who isn’t these days? — you’re probably familiar with the impact on your body and psyche.

You’re plagued by sleepiness and yawning, you may suffer headaches, and you can easily feel anxious, irritable or depressed.

You can now add an unsteady walk to that list.

A new study sheds light on the association of a lack of shut-eye and your gait — thus potentially affecting your ability to walk purposely, avoid obstacles and keep your balance.

“The results show that gait is not an automatic process, and that it can be affected by sleep deprivation,” said study author Hermano Krebs, an adjunct professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. (CNN)

Many of us don’t sleep well or long enough.

Sleep is an essential ingredient of good health.

Do your homework.

Seek out remedies that can help you sleep better!

If not today, when?

It’s a fair question to ponder.

You see, God has invested certain qualities in you.

So, the question is, “Is GOD getting a good return on HIS investment?

Only you know the answer because you have travelled down different paths that were the ones you decided to take.

Are you making life better or worse for those with whom you are in contact?

Have you shown genuine appreciation for the gift of life?

Are you using your time on earth wisely because that is the question that we all must answer when our time has come?

I believe we will be held accountable for the things we did and did not do.

Did we reach out to “These, the least of thy brethren?”

We were all put here to make this “A better place” for others not so fortunate.

If not today, when?

It’s an important question.

There are only two things in our lives, fact and perception.

And fact doesn’t count!

Many factors go into how people perceive you:

YOUR APPEARANCE

This is probably the most compelling factor. 

Of course, your appearance includes your body and your clothing.

THINGS YOU SAY

Also a big influence on others’ perception.

This category also includes not only what you say, but the quality of your vocabulary and pronunciation.

YOUR BEHAVIOR

Do you have “Good Manners?”

Are you unnecessarily overbearing and assertive?

Do you compliment others for a “job well done?”

Are you considerate of others’ feelings?

YOUR FRIENDS

You are definitely judged by the company you keep.

If your friends are trouble makers, you’ll be considered one also, automatically.

CONCLUSION

The manner in which you are perceived will impact all phases of your life.

Always be mindful of how you come across to others!

If not today, when?

The well known football coach, Lou Holtz, has always practiced his W.I.N. theory.

He learned early in life, while growing up in a very poor family just living on the edge of survival, that doing WHAT’S IMPORTANT NOW could lead to a successful life.

It’s similar to choosing between what you want to do and what you should do.

Because of his harsh conditions, he didn’t have the luxury of doing what he wanted to do.

I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know.

My question for you is, “Will you become a person who strives to do WHAT’S IMPORTANT NOW as a part of your daily life?”

It won’t be easy, but it has the potential to put you on paths of success in reaching every goal you want to achieve.

DO WHAT’S IMPORTANT NOW!

If not today, when?

Over many aspects of your life, including the weather.

Now that winter is approaching, as an example, it is staying dark later into the morning hours.

We woke up at 7AM to go swimming at an indoor pool this morning and it was pitch black and  raining outside.

So, do you allow weather to affect your mood?

If so, you’re in for a rough time because, with climate change upon us, the weather is becoming even more unpredictable.

Weather, over which you have no control, is going to do whatever it’s going to do.

So, why get upset about something “You can’t control?”

And BTW, that applies to many other things that you worry about.

Fix the things you can fix and ignore the rest!

If not today, when?

It’s a fact every school child knows: Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.

It’s a truth that feels ancient and inevitable, an unassailable certainty that draws hundreds of climbers to attempt the summit each year — because, in the words of George Mallory, one of the first mountaineers to conquer it, “it’s there.”

However, this fascination with the mountain whose historic Tibetan name is Qomolangma (“Holy Mother”) is a modern phenomenon and the first reconnaissance mission to its slopes was completed just a century ago, on October 25, 1921. (CNN)

So, people climb Mount Everest “BECAUSE IT’S THERE!”

It’s an accomplishment that brings great joy, great memories and a self-esteem boost.

I had that same experience when I decided to become a crewmember on racing yachts that travelled the length of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

I did it “BECAUSE IT WAS THERE!”

The euphoria I felt after each race was indescribable.

They added to the quality of my life!

Take on an adventure “BECAUSE IT’S THERE!”

If not today, when?

 

Italy’s new national airline, ITA Airways, took to the skies last week, but all is not well on the ground of Italian aviation.

Former Alitalia flight attendants protested this week against job losses and pay cuts in a particularly Italian way — by taking their clothes off.

At the Campidoglio — the center of power in Rome for around 2,000 years and whose main square was redesigned by Michelangelo — about 50 female former flight attendants turned up in their Alitalia uniforms, then removed them to stand in their underwear, chanting “We are Alitalia.”

Theirs was a demonstration to protest not only against their job losses, but also against the contracts awarded to those who have been retained by ITA Airways. (CNN)

Around the world and definitely here in the U.S., employees are protesting unfair working conditions.

In addition to protesting, many are just quitting in hopes of a better opportunity elsewhere.

We have never seen such a massive revolt of the working class before.

Perhaps, employers should look in the mirror.

If not today, when?

What does “Dare To Live” mean?

I think it means to turn dreams into goals.

It means that you should strive to accomplish something that’s really important to you.

It could be losing weight so that you reach a self-established weight limit.

Or, it could mean GOING BACK TO SCHOOL either to learn a well-paying trade or to obtain a degree in some professional specialty.

Whatever it is that you want, it may require an effort you never thought you were able of.

You see, the world doesn’t limit your possibilities.

YOU DO!

It takes courage to pursue a new direction for your future success.

Others may try to discourage you, but it’s your life, not theirs!

DARE TO LIVE!

If not today, when?