Hate leaves ugly scars, love leaves beautiful ones.  ~ Mignon McLaughlin ~

Did I Love Today?

Sadly hatred exists.  As you grew up, you experienced hatred many, many, times.  Sometimes you witnessed it, sometimes you lived it.  Hatred can happen from strangers, and people whom are loved dearly.

Acts of hatred leave people hurting.  It can be a moment of anger that causes pain.  Even old hurts can cause people to cause new hurts to others.  Everyone has been the perpetrator of spreading pain at least once. And everyone has been a victim at least once.

In a world so full of perpetrators and victims, love is a necessary salve to help heal the pains.  A little bit of love might not heal the wounds, but it will make them smaller.  If you have used healing salve on a big wound, you know it takes multiple applications over time for it to heal the wound.

Pains and hurts that don’t leave physical scars can require multiple applications of love to heal.  They may just need a bit of love at the right time.  And you can provide it.

You don’t have to think of love as just for special people.  Love is an opening of the heart, and sharing that little piece of your heart can be some of the best medicine around.  All around you people need a little love, a little healing.   Your heart won’t run empty; in fact, it might overflow from a simple act of love.  ~ MJ Schrader

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Love deeply and you’ll bless more people than you’ll ever know.  ~ The Divine

People living deeply have no fear of death. ~ Anais Nin ~

Did I Live Today?

You woke up.  You are breathing. You are reading this.   These are all signs you are alive, but are you really and truly living your life?

Alive is a simple act.   This is something you are until you are not living.  Too many people lose their way and cease living their lives.  They go about the actions of their day and life as rote functions.  Their interactions are dull.

Perhaps you understand.  Perhaps you had something traumatic happen, and lost your desire to live fully.  Moments pass when even the bravest of souls hides from life.  You can have these times, but make them short.

Look around, life is full of beautiful things.  Flowers, rainbows, hidden splashes of color that shine unexpectedly are all things that can bring you joy.  The sweet smile of a child can bring you a happy smile.  Listen to people laugh, and let the bliss fill you full.

Keep growing.  Learn new things.  Dance, laugh and sing, even if you do it when you are all alone, these things are part of living life.  Spend time with those whom you care about, enjoy their company and let go of the things that irritate you about them.

Living deeply is about enjoying the moments.  Letting go of the irritations and pains that you can’t change yet that come with life, will bring you closer to feeling alive.   Things you can change, don’t complain, and make a difference.  These little things will be a life of true living and growth… ~  MJ Schrader

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A life just surviving is not living…  Live Boldly ~ The Divine

It’s a sign of your own worth sometimes if you are hated by the right people. ~ Miles Franklin ~

The Right Kind of Hatred

Don’t look… but someone hates you.   They hate may hate who you are.  They may hate what you do.  They may hate everything about you.  They may be telling everyone they know how much they hate you…. but even if they tell no one, they still hate you.

They may ignore you.  They may praise you in front of others.  They may praise you to your face. Yet, they still hate you.

What can I do to change their minds?

Be you, always be you.  Always do the right thing and if they change their minds and love you one day, then great!  If they never change their minds and still hate you until the day one of you is no more… then so be it.

Some people find hatred easier than love.  Some people will hate that you actually work towards your goals and a better life.  They will hate that you give, they will hate that you care.  They will hate that you do things.

Sadly some people find it easier to not follow dreams and hate those who do.  People will hate others who stand for something.  People will hate those who strive to make the better world.  People will hate, because it’s easier to hate someone than do something.

While you may wish everyone would love you, sacrificing yourself to make some people happy isn’t the way to go.  You could stop striving, but ignoring the bigger picture of making the world a better place is a loss.   Be you.  Be bold.  Do good.   ~ MJ Schrader

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Keep your eyes on a better world… and the people who think small disappear.  ~ The Divine

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ~ Howard Thurman ~

Vibrantly Alive

Bright colors are said to be vibrant.  They are bright and true.  The vibrant sounds are said to vibrate and throb.  Charming people are said to be vibrant.

All these things are vibrant and there is a unique beauty in them.  The vibrant nature makes them appealing and brings joy.  The secret to what makes them so appealing is their truth.

There is the secret to your life.  If you want a future that makes you happy and that makes the world a better place, then look for what make you feel vibrant.  What fills you with joy and happiness doesn’t just make you happy, it lights the lives of those around you.

Look at a child full of joy.  They run and hum and sing.  Their very nature and joy makes you feel it too.  Think about when you feel incredibly full of bliss, it makes you almost vibrate.  That vibration of joy, like the vibration of the children, spreads quickly.

Find what makes you happy.  Create more of those moments, and full immerse yourself in those moments so you can truly enjoy them and remember them whenever you need a moment of bliss.  You’ll find the world is full of color and full of people eager to see how you create it.  ~ MJ Schrader

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The bliss bar is inside you.  Find it and you’ll have more bliss in everything you do. ~ The Divine

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. ~ Maria Robinson ~

Start Tomorrow Today

Every person has a history.   It is that history that is part of what makes you the unique soul you are. Whatever you may think of your past, it is just that, the past. You can’t change it.

What can you do?

You can obsess over the past and wish you could change it.  Of course all your wishing that you could change the past, won’t change it.  Perhaps you wish your childhood has been spent different, but it won’t change.  History as recent as yesterday is still history that you can’t change.

Sadly you can’t change the last 5 minutes.  If you said something you regret or made a mistake.  Unless you have a time machine, you can’t change those events either.  You can stop living in the past and wishing it had been different.

You can decide that you will change your future.  This could involve things as simple as learning to pause before you speak.  Pausing will help you learn to watch your words.  Think and you guide your path to the future and future happiness.

Your history is the past.  You can’t start over and make a new beginning.  You can change the future and find a way to create a new happiness and guide your life to new joys.  ~ MJ Schrader

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Today is your first step towards a happy future.  ~ The Divine

Only a kind person is able to judge another justly and to make allowances for his weaknesses. A kind eye, while recognizing defects, sees beyond them. ~ Lawrence G. Lovasik ~

Judge Justly

If you have gone into the grocery store lately you have seen displays of apples.  Red delicious, and Granny smith apples once were the main if not only choices.  Now there is Pink Lady, Fuji, Rome, Golden Delicious, Grapples, and other apples grace the produce section.

“Apples are apples,” would be a true, yet that broad statement would hide those different flavors and textures.  Each offers a different flavor and a different texture.  Some are crisp, some are better for baking, some for eating.  If you have tried a couple different types of apples, you know they are different, even though they are the same.

While you know this, how often do you make snap judgments?   A person is late so that means they are irresponsible.  The person with a messy desk is probably not a good worker.   The person who was rude is probably a jerk.

The late person had a flat.  The person with the messy desk could be so absorbed in work, the desk isn’t a priority.  The rude person could have just gotten a phone call with bad news.  This may not be the case, but too often they are judged on perceived connotations that may not be accurate.  It is a broad call that denies people a second chance, or to see the natural ability of a person.

Look beyond the easy judgement and see what all a person has to offer.  They may not surprise you, or they may.  But when you look at what they have to offer the world, what their strengths are, you’ll see beauty and power.  ~ MJ Schrader

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Don’t judge people to quickly for each person has their own unique beauty. ~ The Divine

All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. ~ Pablo Picasso ~

Protect Your Dreams

Christopher Gardner: Hey. Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. All right?
Christopher: All right.
Christopher Gardner: You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.

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Bring back the faith and can do belief of your youth… then dream big once again ~ The Divine

Tell the truth, or eventually someone will tell it for you.  ~ A Toltec Wisdom ~

The Truth Is…

Too often people want the truth, as long as it is the truth they want to hear.   People don’t want to hear that they aren’t loved the same way.  No one wants to hear that their masterpiece is no where near as great as they think.   You don’t want ask for someone’s opinion if all they are going to do is criticize and point out faults or explain how things aren’t what you think.

This is common and natural.  This is why so often couples continue to go out even after “it’s over” because one person doesn’t want to hear the truth or tell it.  Yet this not telling of the truth and being honest about it doesn’t help either party.  In the case of the couple, they continue going out but neither of them really enjoy themselves.  That is until one day someone else points it out, or it suddenly dissolves when the truth comes out.

Denial of truth keeps relationships going that are dead.  It keeps things people from moving forward or dropping dead-weight.  You could hate your job but refuse to admit it.  Yet the longer you stay the more it irritates you.  Eventually one day something will happen and suddenly you will find yourself yelling at your co-workers, or quitting at a moment that is not opportune.   Suddenly the truth reveals and you aren’t in control.

Telling the truth isn’t limited to telling others.  You need to hear the truth as well.  Speak honestly to yourself and others.  Do it as soon as possible, before the truth shows without your control.  ~ MJ Schrader

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The truth can only fly when it’s set free…  ~ The Divine

Life is “trying things to see if they work.” ~ Ray Bradbury ~

Try it and See

Perhaps the biggest conqueror of self-esteem is “defeat.”  If something does not work, it is considered defeat.  Even if you aren’t afraid of defeat, why work on something if you don’t think it will work?

Scientists test things all the time.  Test pilots know the aircraft will break if they push it too far, yet their job is to test that limit.  Chefs test seemingly contrary flavors to create new concoctions.

Each of these people try things to see if they will work, they test the limits between what works and not.  If it reaches a breaking point, then they know where that limit is.  They may move on to other limits or different tests.  Knowing what doesn’t work is as important as what does.

It is all information.  Children know this.  They are constantly testing the environment and by testing they know what they can do.  Many limits are placed on them; they will fall many times before they stand. As they age they pass those limits, and are able to stand, then walk, then more.

Life is full testing, but you are the one who puts the limits on how much testing you will do.  Too often people are afraid of testing things which means they miss out on opportunities and more.  Test the world, test what you think will work.  You may find new solutions or new ideas. ~ MJ Schrader

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Remember airplanes wouldn’t exist if the Wright Brothers hadn’t tested the rules of flight.  Fly on… ~ The Divine

Our ordinary mind always tries to persuade us that we are nothing but acorns and that our greatest happiness will be to become bigger, fatter, shinier acorns; but that is of interest only to pigs.  Our faith gives us knowledge of something better: that we can become oak trees.  ~ E.F. Schumacher ~

Discover Yourself

Every day we slaughter our finest impulses.  That is why we get a heart-ache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognize them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty.  Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths.  We all derive from the same source.  There is no mystery about the origin of things.  We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up, to discover what is already there.  ~ Henry Miller, Sexus ~

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Stop seeing others as having more power than you.  You have it inside yourself… stop and look inside…. ~ The Divine