Quote of the Day - Goethe

"Do not hurry; do not rest." - Goethe

"A gun gives you the body, not the bird." - Thoreau

Oprah's Lifeclass: Deepak asks, "What Are Your Unique Skills?"

The fifth question Deepak Chopra encourages us to ask ourselves in order to create a soul profile is "what are my unique skills."

I was recently told, "you are the most hopeful person I know." I had not realized it was hope that I had been feeling, but now I see it and appreciate it as a gift. I manage to find hope through any situation. I always return to it, especially regarding matters of love and faith.

"If you can find hope, you might find faith."
              - Sister Delores Hart

I want meaning, I seek meaning, I find meaning. I inspire others to find meaning in their own experiences. I am good at crying, and I enjoy making other people cry - as horrible as that sounds. When people cry it makes me believe they are in a deeper place in their minds or hearts that they do not normally visit. I take pride in being able to cry over one well-written line, one note in a song, a commercial, an idea.

I am good at listening without judgement. People often come to me if not for advice, then to just have their story heard. In return, I am open and honest as often as possible. I see the good in people and choose to trust them. I am not afraid to tell people how much I care and how I feel about them. I can find good compliments to give. I am compassionate and empathetic and some say I can write well. Sometimes, I think I can (or have), too.

I am not skilled at improv, at giving speeches on the fly. I can't think of come-backs, witty one-liners, and I am not great at answering questions under pressure and without careful thought. I am not good at small talk. I am not patient. I am not good at simple math.

I am skilled at sending letters by mail or e-mail and brightening people's day in that way. I can inspire. I am good at reflecting and overthinking. I recognize good dancing, good movies, and good writing. I am good at finding quotations.

Sometimes it is easier to have someone else tell you what your unique skills are. This was one of the more difficult questions to answer.

What are your unique skills? What makes you different than everyone else? What can you do better than anyone else?

Blog Advice: I Need Your Help

Simply put, I want to make my blog better.

What would you like to see? More quotations? More writing? Better writing? Longer posts? Is my blog visually pleasing?

What keeps you from following it? Or what keeps you following it if you do? The topics discussed? The quotes?

I am willing to do the work, and I am working to be more consistent.

My Quotation Journal

Here is what an average page in my quotation journal looks like...

I am almost finished with the journal and am working on transferring all the quotes to a Word Document, in case there is ever a fire and all the words get burned to ashes. I hope to give this journal to someone special some day. From my eyes, it is one of the best gifts I could ever give, not only because of what the journal means to me, how precious it is, but also because of all the ideas and bits of life advice it contains.

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." - Paul Boese

"The decision to forgive touches you to your very core, to who you are as a human being." - Robert Enright

"Forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember." - Lewis Smedes

Oprah's Lifeclass/ Deepak Chopra: "What Sort of Contribution Do You Want to Make?"

The fourth question Deepak Chopra asks is "what sort of contribution do you want to make?" 



I would like to make financial contributions, whether I am giving money to a homeless person or donating to a political or humanitarian organization. Already, I give a small monthly donation to the American Red Cross, I send money to UNICEF every once in awhile, and I have given money to the Obama compaign. Eventually, I would like to give more. I would like to give back to Loyola University Chicago. If ever I win the lottery (yeah right!), I would give most to charity. I understand I can give to individuals, institutions, and organizations in ways unrelated to money by giving my time and using my skills to serve. I do hope to do this, too, but I would also like to make a greater financial contribution.

I would like to contribute by inspiring people to care, be better, give more. I think the whole world is bleeding, and I want to help individuals heal themselves so the world can be better. I wish I knew how to cure closed-mindedness and intolerance. People can change, so maybe some day I will figure out how I can contribute in this way.

I want to make a contribution that lasts. A contribution that spreads. I hope as people become better versions of themselves (something of which we are all capable) others are encouraged to do the same until the whole world is changed.