| "Your beliefs determine your prosperity."
People who believe money is the only measure of prosperity are likely to spend their lives falling short. Conversely, those who see prosperity in terms of wealth of happiness, tend to believe their lives are full of riches, which in itself attracts more and more.
Today, take stock of what you have in your life. Instead of focusing on what you don't have, put your attention to the rewards you have already received and those that are all around you waiting to be appreciated.
Reflect on your loved ones, your surroundings and your talents – for you are prosperous indeed.
©Jane Powell  NO STRINGS ATTACHED
How important is it to offer our love, especially to those closest
to us, with no strings attached?
Ernest Hemingway wrote a poignant short story called "The Capital of
the World." In it he tells about a Spanish father who wants to
reconcile with his son who has run away to Madrid. In order to
locate the boy he takes out this ad in the El Liberal newspaper:
"Paco, meet me at the Hotel Montana at noon on Tuesday. All is
forgiven. Love, Papa."
Paco is a common name in Spain, and when the father goes to the
square he finds 800 young men named Paco waiting for their fathers.
What drew them to the hotel? As Hemingway tells it, it was the words
"All is forgiven." I notice that the father did not say, "All WILL
BE forgiven IF you do this or that." Not, "All WILL BE forgiven WHEN
you do such and such." He simply says, "All is forgiven." No strings
attached.
And that's the hard part - un-attaching the strings. Wiktionary
tells us that the origin of the expression "no strings attached" may
go back to ancient times when documents were written on parchment
that were rolled up and secured with a string. The Babylonian Talmud
in Tractate Bava Metzi'a tells of a man who gives his wife a bill of
divorce on such a parchment, but holds onto the string so that he
can snatch it back, should he choose to do so. The divorce,
therefore, is not considered valid since he will not give it freely.
Similarly, love, forgiveness or friendship that is given with
strings and conditions attached are a sham and not valid, since they
can be snatched back at any time.
An unknown author beautifully portrays the possibilities of
no-strings-attached love in this heartfelt story titled "The Rock."
"As she grew older her teenage daughter became increasingly
rebellious. It culminated late one night when the police arrested
her daughter for drunk driving. Mom had to go to the police
station to pick her up.
They didn't speak until the next afternoon.
Mom broke the tension by giving her a small gift- wrapped box.
Her daughter nonchalantly opened it and found a little rock
inside.
She rolled her eyes and said, 'Cute, Mom, what's this for?'
'Read the card,' Mom instructed.
Her daughter took the card out of the envelope and read it. Tears
started to trickle down her cheeks. She got up and lovingly
hugged her mom as the card fell to the floor.
On the card were these words: 'This rock is more than 200,000,000
years old. That is how long it will take before I give up on
you.'"
This mother is not saying, "I will love you IF." Instead she says
that she will love her daughter forever and nothing can change
that. No strings attached.
When we learn to love like that, I think we'll understand the words
of Emmett Fox, who said, "If you could only love enough, you could
be the most powerful person in the world."
Steve Goodier  Fulfillment is yours
You've waited long enough. This is the day to take action.
The excuses are quite reasonable and understandable, and yet they have brought no value to your life. Let go of those comfortable excuses, and step forward into the bright, direct light of achievement.
The hours in this day will quickly pass no matter what you choose to do with them. So you might as well make full use of them to create meaningful value.
If you're not sure what to do, take a moment and reach deep inside. Remind yourself of the things that mean the most, and do what truly strengthens and supports those things. If the disruptions and distractions erode your focus, reach inside again. Commit yourself with your actions, over and over, to live true to your highest vision. This is your life and today is your opportunity to make a difference. Get busy, because fulfillment is now yours to create. Ralph Marston
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