pruning

We go through life
and forget how quickly
and quietly it is passing away.

We mouth words of love
and reject it by how we live…

We experience so much personal
and social evil and continue to live
as though evil is non-existent
and keep God’s grace at arms length.

We witness the beauty of creation
without raising our hearts and mind
in grateful contemplation.

We get bored by the company we keep
yet run away from silence and solitude.

We talk endlessly with one another
yet hear only meaningless sounds.

We go through a thousand experiences
yet fail to learn and grasp life’s meaning.

- Fr Guido Arguelles, SJ excerpts -

feeling and healing

feelings are symptoms that need to be heard. they carry an important message if we listen to them. feelings that don't get heard fuel addictions..

in my decision making, i still follow my highest values, not my noisiest emotions

conflicts are normal. but when they become prolonged and unresolved, they can cause burnout..

healing your burnout by changing your environment won't solve your problems if your burnout has internal causes

healing low self-worth and taming fears is a life long process

take time to care for yourself

laughter = inner jogging

dream sleep takes care of our mental fatigue

respect your body. befriend it. and be keenly sensitive to its quiet messages..

look for patterns in your day or week where you could get exercise

always try to find new ways of expressing love


- excerpts from simplify and live the good life by bo sanchez -

happy reminders

1. Notice What’s Right
Take all that life throws out you and reframe it with what’s right about the situation.

2. Be Grateful

3. Remember the Kid You Were

4. Be Kind

5. Spend Time with Your Friends

6. Savor Every Moment

7. Rest

8. Move!

9. Put on a Happy Face
Sometimes we have to fake it until we make it. I’m not suggesting that we not be honest, real or authentic, but I’m suggesting, sometimes, we just need to put on a happy face and keep moving forward. Researchers claim that smiling and looking like we are happy will indeed make us happier.

10. Pursue Your Goals
a life full of passion and enthusiasm

11. Finding Your Calling
having a sense of purpose

12. Get into the Flow

13. Play to Your Strengths
One way to achieve flow is by understanding and identifying our strengths and core values, and then begin to use these every day.

14. Don’t Overdo It
What gives you joy and happiness the first time may not work the second time. Set healthy and reasonable boundaries for yourself

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/14-timeless-ways-to-live-a-happy-life/
- alex blackwell -

tension of opposites

life is a series of pulls back and forth.

you want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.

something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't.

you take certain things for granted, even when you know that you should never take anything for granted.

a tension of opposites, likes a pull on a rubber band. and most of us live somewhere in the middle.

which side wins?

love wins. love always wins.

- tuesdays with morrie -

shut up and listen

God suggests when we're feeling uneasy, perhaps low on energy; we should be still and get quiet before him: "Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer" (Psalm 94:19 LB).

But many of us have trouble getting quiet.

once a day, sit down, and just be quiet... get alone for five minutes a day and be completely silent. Ask God a question, and then just sit and listen.

Sometimes we say, "God, I really need your guidance on this," and then we get up and walk off. We don't wait for an answer. Could it be the reason we never hear from God is we never listen?

Learn to take little mini-breaks during the day.. stop and say, "God, I want to tune in on you again. I want to focus in on you." I'm talking about fifteen or twenty seconds. Just stop and be quiet.

Why is this important? Because the race of life is tough and, quite honestly, it's tough to live God's plan for your life. It's important to be still and know He is there.

Get quiet once a day, take one day a week to rest, and always take some sort of vacation at least once a year.

- rick warren -

be you

The ideal conditions that you are looking for don’t exist. We shall never be able to get rid of certain defects. The trick is to know that despite all your flaws you are an extraordinary person.

Yes, you know very well but try to go beyond the limits that you are used to – for ten minutes a day – be that person you have always wanted to be.

If the problem is shyness, stimulate conversation.

If the problem is guilt, feel approved.

If you think that the world ignores you, try consciously to attract everyone’s looks.

You will experience the occasional difficult situation, but it’s worth it.

If for ten minutes a day you can manage to be what you dreamed, you are already making great progress.

- paulo coelho -

facing complex tasks

Sometimes, complexity can be overwhelming. You might feel intellectually paralyzed. So, when you're facing a complex and daunting task, do it in bursts. Your mind has an amazing ability to cope with complexity, but don't expect to comprehend a complex task all at once. Try throwing yourself at it for 30 minutes or an hour. Then stop and do something else. Don't worry about being unproductive for this short time; if you feel too confused, quit early. After a few cycles of this, you will begin to see patterns and outlines. Soon, more organized and specific strategies will come to mind. It works like magic. Eventually, you'll know enough to design a comprehensive plan that will serve your mission.

- (edited) Lessons Learned in Software Testing -

* it helps too if prayer is included in the mix *