Tag Archives: World Today

Inspiration

Christmas Should Be the Cure

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Why Christmas should cure people.

christmas wonder
Christmas should be a time of wonder, and if it isn’t, look within yourself.

It is easy to see the problems with the world today, life’s issues seem to force themselves into our consciousness.  There are those without enough to eat, no family, no home and no hope of anything any better.  This is impossible to fix completely but Christmas gives us our best opportunity to make changes in the quality of life for all people.  How come we so often miss the mark?  Why is it that so many people are not really happy on Christmas?

Commercialism Robs Gratitude

greedmas
Too often it seems Christmas lists look like this. Greed is not good.

The increase in commercialism around this time has made Christmas the season of expectations not of gift giving and gratitude.  People, especially young people, spend the holiday wrapped up in what is being wrapped up for them.  Rather than being concerned with the feeling of Christmas which has always been love, they are worried about what is in this for them.

I feel old when I say I remember a different time, but I do.  There were small gifts that were really appreciated by those receiving them.  I remember not only receiving gifts that were thoughtful, and just what I wanted, and I remember searching for just that perfect gift that cost under five dollars for my parents or siblings.  It was a simpler time, even though Christmas was commercialized then, it was nowhere near the media advertising blitz it is today.

It is no wonder people are so messed up around Christmas, if your intake of expensive electronic gizmos and gadgets doesn’t equal the price of a small import car, the holiday is a failure.  Where did we go wrong?

The Magic of Christmas

gratitude of Christmas
Try some of these thoughts and emotions this year.

It doesn’t have to be that way, and it is simple to reclaim.  If you are Christian then remember the actual meaning of the holiday.  The message is one of love, power, and wonder.  If you aren’t Christian but like the holiday, simply remember that the act of giving is a good thing, and has the power to transcend culture, distance, and differences of all kinds.  Giving is a two-part transaction, which should never be forgotten.  On the one hand, there is the giving of a gift.  It simply has to be given with an open heart, to make someone else happy.  That is it.

The second part of the transaction is receiving, with gratitude, and appreciation, that someone else in the world cares enough about you to take the time to find you a gift. There was a time in life, that I took gifts for granted myself, but age and time have made receiving gifts of any kind a wonder.  I appreciate the thought, even more than the gift itself, because that is the real treasure anyway.

This is the magic that comes with this season each year and seems to be lost in the commercialism and greed that pervades the holiday.  The act of giving is powerful, but the feeling of gratitude for the gifts and love of another can carry you to new heights.  Having a gratitude in your heart can allow you to find the strength to make it through tough times because it is not really how much crap you accumulate in this life, it is how much others care about you and your presence in their lives that matters in the end.

It Will All Be OK

So when you start to feel overwhelmed with the season and find that you are getting frustrated with the commercialism and greed that seems to be all around you, then you need to look inside yourself and find the spirit of giving and the gratitude for all that you have.  If that is your focus you will have a much more pleasant holiday season and life.

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Articles

Letting Go and Moving On

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by Jonathan Hilton

ten quotes changeSometimes a change will come as quick as an Earthquake totally changing the landscape of your life.  Other times changes happen so slowly as to be almost imperceptible to the observer.  Yet no matter the time they take, change is constant, and powerful, like a river carves a great canyon where none existed before, change affects your life each and every day.

I say this because there have been many changes over the past year for me to absorb.  Experiencing the events happening in my life right not is the easy part, but for me to actually let all of the past go, that has been the hard part.  Yet all things do change and all things do eventually end.

Even though I know that there was an ending many years ago, I still kept a hope alive that in time there would be a reconciliation in some way.   I always wanted to make sure that I was available, should this moment arise.  This thought has been stopping me from living let-go1life to its fullest, and the change that is taking place is that it ends today.

This is no monumental feat or grand accomplishment, in fact to all other people it will mean nothing at all.  Yet to me it is the ultimate in letting go.  I have forgiven, I have understood, but I have never let go, and it is time that I did.

So when you look at the world today, looking up at the clear blue sky, or later tonight seeing the moon hanging in front of its pitch black canvas, understand that in a small way, the world is different today than it was yesterday and a very small part of that is because it was finally time to let go and say goodbye to yesterday and accept the promise of the future.

Questions

How Great I Am

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How Great I am Muhammad Ali
How Great I am!

by Jonathan Hilton

There are many motivating things that I have come across over that past two years, and one of the most motivating people of the last half of the 20th century has been Muhammad Ali, championship boxer.

Not because he was a great boxer, but because he transcended boxing and provided inspiration that can be applied to every day life.

It doesn’t really matter what your goals are or what you really want to accomplish, if you believe in yourself like Ali did, you will have an excellent chance of achieving your goals.  I publish his affirmations with a sense of pride, because I know “How Great I Am.”

I am sure that Ali never thought that his thoughts from so long ago would ever amount to anything more than motivation for the fight he was about to undertake.  He even admitted himself that he was trying to convince himself and everybody else that he was the greatest, if he said it often enough and loud enough, people would start to believe him.

This is true to all of us, if you say how great you are, and believe it, you will be!

Below is the most motivational video of all time.  Watch it and you will feel that there is nothing you can’t do.

One of his poems The Legend of Cassius Clay:

This is the legend of Cassius Clay,

I Can Fly Muhammad Ali
I Am The Greatest

The most beautiful fighter in the world today.
He talks a great deal, and brags indeed-y,
Of a muscular punch that’s incredibly speed-y.
The fistic world was dull and weary,
But with a champ like Liston, things had to be dreary.
Then someone with color and someone with dash,
Brought fight fans are runnin’ with Cash.
This brash young boxer is something to see
and the heavyweight championship is his destiny.
This kid’s got a left, this kid’s got a right,
If he hit you once, you’re asleep for the night.

Ali provided the examples of great personal affirmations that anyone can use to help motivate them to accomplish any thing.

After defeating Sonny Liston the most feared fighter of his time, this affirmation was spoken:

“I knew I had him in the first round. Almighty God was with me. I want everyone to bear witness, I am the greatest! I’m the greatest thing that ever lived. I don’t have a mark on my face, and I upset Sonny Liston, and I just turned twenty-two years old. I must be the greatest. I showed the world. I talk to God everyday. I know the real God. I shook up the world, I’m the king of the world. You must listen to me. I am the greatest! I can’t be beat!”

Before fighting Ernie Terrell in 1967 Ali let the world know what he thought of his opponent.

I think Terrell will catch hell at the sound of the bell.
He’s going around saying that he’s a championship-fighter,
but when he meets me he fall 20 pound lighter.
He thinks that he’s the real heavy weight champ
but when he meets me, he’ll just be a tramp
Now I’m not sayin’ just to be funny, but I’m fightin’ Ernie because he needs the money

Last night I had a dream, When I got to Africa,
I had one hell of a rumble.
I had to beat Tarzan’s behind first,
For claiming to be King of the Jungle.
For this fight, I’ve wrestled with alligators,
I’ve tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning
And throw thunder in jail.
You know I’m bad.
just last week, I murdered a rock,
Injured a stone, Hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.
I’m so fast, man,
I can run through a hurricane and don’t get wet.
When George Foreman meets me,
He’ll pay his debt.
I can drown the drink of water, and kill a dead tree.
Wait till you see Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali was the greatest because he not only professed his ability and went on to back it up, he also led the way for all people, everywhere, if you truly believe that you are the best, the greatest and you will succeed, then there is no power on the face of the Earth that can stop you from achieving and experiencing your greatness.  How Great I am!

Other Muhammad Ali quotes I like.

I’m retiring because there are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.

Joe Frazier is so ugly that when he cries, the tears turn around and go down the back of his head.

Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wildlife.

It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.

I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ’em out, I pick the round

Since I won’t let the critics seal my fate, they keep hollering I’m full of hate.
But they don’t really hurt me none, ’cause I’m doing good and having fun.

Conclusion:

There is no person alive who can tell you that you are not capable.  There is no person alive who can tell you that you don’t have the talent.  There is no person alive who can tell you you are no good, washed up, a loser….only you can tell yourself these things.  You have the talent to be the greatest at whatever it is that you decide to do.  You simply have to believe how great you are, fight all the critics, enjoy the journey and in the end you will be The Greatest.

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