10-31-2014

Mary’s Minute

 

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace & gratitude.”                                    

- Denis Waitley

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

- Mohandas Gandhi

 

We all know that happiness is more of a state of mind than anything tied to material things or events.  We often say that being happy is a choice, but we also know that it is not always that simple.  I really like these two quotes about happiness because they give us a bit of a road map to choosing happiness.  Waitley explains that happiness is about living life with “love, grace, and gratitude,” while Gandhi takes it even further by saying being happy is thinking, saying, and acting in unison.  Following Gandhi’s advice, we may need to work on changing one or more of these elements in our lives to achieve true happiness.  We may need to think differently in order to match what we say and do; speak differently to match our thoughts and actions; or act differently to connect with our thoughts and words I am a big fan of Gandhi quotes, and this is the first time I have stumbled across this one.  I like the advice, and it is something that I am going to consciously try to use in my life as I constantly strive to choose happiness!

Have a great week and be happy!

                                                                                                Mary

10-17-2014

Mary’s Minute

"The pessimist complains about the wind.  The optimist expects it to change.  The leader adjusts the sail."                                                                                           - John Maxwell

 

There are so many things in life that are out of our control.  This quote is offered as a metaphor, but it also provides an example of something that is out of our control - the wind/weather.  We can complain, we can expect, or we can try to use each situation to our advantage.  When something negative happens to us, complaining is an option, but one that will not change the situation or make us better.  We can accept or expect as an optimist would do, or we can be the courageous leader who sees every experience as an opportunity to move us forward.  Being an optimist makes life more enjoyable for us and the people around us, but this quote takes it a step further.  It isn’t always enough to see the best, but we also need to act in a positive way.  Even a negative experience can be positive if we use it as an opportunity for growth.  Life is full of challenges that cannot be avoided.  We are not given the choice of what will be tossed in our path.  We are, fortunately, equipped with the ability to choose how we react.  We can be pessimists, optimists, or leaders.  We can complain, accept, or adjust the sails in order to make the most of every situation.  We are Commodores, so I think we know how to adjust the sails!  Sail on!

                                                                                           Have a great week!

                                                                                                       Mary

10-10-2014

Mary’s Minute

“Often people ask how I manage to be happy despite having no arms and no legs. The quick answer is that I have a choice. I can be angry about not having limbs, or I can be thankful that I have a purpose. I chose gratitude.”

~ Nick Vujicic

I believe that the ability to be grateful is a wonderful gift.  It helps us see the world in a positive way and spread that optimism to the rest of the world.  Vujicic’s ability to feel grateful takes the principle to a new level, and one that I think requires a greater sense of inner peace to achieve.  Gratitude must be something that we feel internally based purely on what we have.  Gratitude cannot be a competition.  We cannot feel grateful for what we have so long as we have more than others.  The joy we feel in life needs to be genuine and cannot be susceptible to jealously when others have more or achieve higher, even if in our minds we were more deserving.  Nick Vujicic certainly must look around and realize that other people do have arms and legs, but he is not angry or bitter because he was given less; he is grateful.  This isn’t always easy, and sometimes it is a reminder to not look too closely at others, but to focus on ourselves.  Gratitude cannot be conditional.  Gratitude is a gift that comes from within and is not linked to the condition of others.  When we reach this level of gratitude, we truly have taken the gift to a new level.

                                                                                                                Have a great week!

                                                                                                                Mary

10-03-2014

Mary’s Minute

 Growing up my dad often told my siblings and me, “Remember what Jesus said, ‘Love one another.”   Quoting Jesus and using the word, “love” may evoke romantic or religious sentiment, but that is not at all what my intent is here.  For me what my dad meant and what matters to me most with my family and in all I do, is treating people with kindness.  What is life really about?  Whether it is the way we want our own children to interact or the way we want our school climate to feel - it all boils down to how we treat people.  Thinking of love as a sense of genuine caring, what we all really want in the world is love.  Taking it even farther, we have to wonder what our nation and world would be like if people practiced the simple act of love or kindness more.  Kindness matters.  Treating people with respect is important.  Perry Central is a special place because people care about each other, and they understand that treating people with kindness and respect is the basis for learning and being.  I feel fortunate that I learned from my parents early to, “Love one another.”

Have a great week!

Mary