Change

Adapt, cope, remain flexible and foster a positive attitude amidst life's ups and downs.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

The Unstoppable Human Spirit: Cpl Todd Love, US Marine who lost 3 limbs in Afghanistan, completed grueling 10-mile Spartan Race


Photo courtesy of Kevin High Photography
Photo courtesy of Kevin High Photography

In making New Years Resolutions these guys can offer inspiration to all of us.





The Unstoppable Human Spirit is the best description of what drives such a person to rise to new challenges.  

In spite of the grave situation this man faces, he does not give-up on himself ; instead he takes on new challenges, such as this grueling ten mile obstacle course... or even wrestling an alligator!


When Cpl. Love is not involved in an iron man competitions, skiing, surfing, or skydiving, he wrestles alligators in Florida
When Cpl. Love is not involved in an iron man competitions, skiing, surfing, or skydiving, he wrestles alligators in Florida




@newswatchcanada 
RT  

Cpl Todd Love, US Marine who lost 3 limbs in Afghanistan, completed grueling 10-mile Spartan Race







Strength: Triple amputee and Marine Corporal Todd Love makes his way to the finish line of The Beast event of the Spartan Race











Todd Love, Leesburg, VA - Super Spartan


Link: http://blog.spartanrace.com/tag/todd-love/


Read More:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2195897/Triple-amputee-veteran-completes-grueling-10-5-mile-endurance-race-called-The-Beast-hours-honor-fallen-U-S-soldiers.html






Thursday, December 26, 2013

Quotes



"In the argument over the what and the when, I believe the what will invariably win over the when."  Taking the Long View, Jean Riboud, CEO, Slumberger


Feeling the pure joy of work and success - jumping out of bed in the morning charged up to accomplish something in the day ahead - is necessary for an entrepreneur.
- T. Boone Pickens


I hate to fail, but when it's time to take a bath, I get in the tub...
- T. Boone Pickens

 ...................

Gerald Loeb:

The person who studies a problem from every angle and defines the risks, aims and possibilities correctly before he starts is more than halfway to his goal.

Diversification is necessary for beginners but the real great fortunes were made by concentration.

In the end, we are judged by our contribution.



.............................


 Small attempts repeated, will complete any undertaking...


The virtue of prosperity is temperance; the virtue of adversity is fortitude. -Francis
Bacon, 1625



















"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
—Henry David Thoreau: American author, poet, and philosopher



The more confused you are about what your goals are, the more likely you are to make a mistake.



There is nowhere we can go to hide from our mind.
- Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche


Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. 
Robert Louis Stevenson 


« Wisdom is learning what to overlook. » William James

« I advise you to say your dream is possible and then overcome all inconveniences. » Les Brown

 
Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth thrown in; aim at Earth and you will get neither. —  C.S. Lewis




Wherever you go, there you are.  

- Jon Kabat Zinn,

Change has to come for life to struggle forward. ― Helen Hollick

I am done with the past, the future has plenty of room for change.


« An unjust peace is better than a just war. » Cicero

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." Warren Buffett

A man is but the product of his thoughts, what he thinks, he becomes. - Mohandas Gandhi





What areas are CEOs getting coaching in? The priorities of CEOs and boards often differ.







Friday, December 20, 2013

A Dance to the Music of Time

 

“Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.”

 Henry David Thoreau quotes (American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817-1862)


 ............................

Still busy "In Search of Lost Time" and "A Dance to the Music of Time" becomes something else about time to worry about.  

Is it a phenomena of getting on in years that makes time start to move so quickly?

Time is all we have.  We can't buy more.  It never slows down so we can catch up with it.  It is hard to define even though we can measure it.

Time is free but it is priceless.  You cannot own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.




http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/The_dance_to_the_music_of_time_c._1640.jpg
A Dance to the Music of Time

Painter  Nicolas Poussin
Year 1634-1635
Type  Oil on canvas
Dimensions 82.5 cm × 104 cm (32.5 in × 41 in)
Location The Wallace Collection, London


 

A Dance to the Music of Time (painting)


Four figures, holding each other by the hand, dance in a circle, as Time plays a lyre on the right.

The scene is set in the early morning, with Aurora, goddess of dawn, preceding the chariot of Apollo the sun-god in the sky behind; the Hours accompany him and he holds a ring representing the Zodiac.

According to Bellori, Rospigliosi's original idea was inspired by Boitet de Frauville's
'Les Dionysiaques', which describes the passing of time and the cycle of the seasons.

According to this story, the god Jupiter (Greek Zeus) gave Bacchus and wine to the world in order to compensate for the miserable living conditions mortals must endure after Time and the Seasons complained.

The male dancer with the crown of twigs was originally intended to represent the god Bacchus as well as the season Autumn, followed by Winter, Spring and Summer.

As Poussin developed the painting, however, this theme gradually transformed into the concept of the cycle of life and fortune.

Today it is widely accepted that Dance to the Music of Time was meant to represent the passing of time, and the different stages of life on the rapidly revolving wheel of fortune: poverty, labor, wealth, and pleasure.

Poverty is the male figure at the very back of the circle, with his back turned towards the viewer. He dances barefoot, in keeping with his humble status, and looks longingly towards Labor, his dancing partner on the right.

Labor, a muscular young woman also dancing barefoot whose bare shoulders and covered hair indicate her hard work, eagerly twists to grasp Wealth's hand.

Wealth, dancing in golden sandals and robes, disdainfully takes Labor's hand and gazes outward with haughty self-propriety.

Finally, Pleasure gazes knowingly at the viewer with a sly smirk.







Link:  A Dance to the Music of Time




Deteriorata

Deteriorata!

Last Modified On: April 29, 2007
 

The following poem was not found in an old Baltimore church:
Introduction

You are a fluke
Of the universe.
You have no right to be here.....
Deteriorata! Deteriorata!

Go placidly
Amid the noise and waste.
And remember what comfort there may be
In owning a piece thereof.

Avoid quiet and passive persons
Unless you are in need of sleep.

Ro-tate your tires.
Speak glowingly of those greater than yourself
And heed well their advice,
Even though they be turkeys.

Know what to kiss.....and when!
Consider that two wrongs never make a right
But that THREE.........do.

Wherever possible, put people on hold.

Be comforted that in the face of all aridity and disillusionment
And despite the changing fortunes of time,
There is always a big future in computer main-te-nance.

Chorus
You are a fluke
Of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
And whether you can hear it or not
The universe is laughing behind your back.

Remember the Pueblo.

Strive at all times to bend, fold, spindle and mu-ti-late.

Know yourself.
If you need help, call the FBI.

Exercise caution in your daily affairs,
Especially with those persons closest to you.
That lemon on your left, for instance.

Be assured that a walk through the ocean of most souls
Would scarcely get your feet wet.

Fall not in love therefore;
It will stick to your face.

Gracefully surrender the things of youth:
The birds, clean air, tuna, Taiwan
And let not the sands of time
Get in your lunch.

Hire people with hooks.

For a good time call 606-4311;
Ask for "Ken."

Take heart amid the deepening gloom
That your dog is finally getting enough cheese.

And reflect that whatever misfortune may be your lot
It could only be worse in Milwaukee.

Chorus
You are a fluke
Of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
And whether you can hear it or not
The universe is laughing behind your back.

Therefore, make peace with your god
Whatever you conceive him to be---
Hairy thunderer, or cosmic muffin.

With all its hopes, dreams, promises and urban renewal
The world continues to deteriorate.

GIVE UP!
Reprise
You are a fluke
Of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
And whether you can hear it or not
The universe is laughing behind your back.





Performed by National Lampoon on "National Lampoon Radio Dinner," a 1972 recording by Blue Thumb Records. Lyrics by Tony Hendra.


 

 

 .......................................

The Original

Desiderata


Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world in full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is: many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Often attributed as "Found in Old Saint Paul's Church, Baltimore: Dated 1692."
Actually, Desiderata was written in 1927 by an obscure Indiana lawyer and poet named Max Ehrmann. Sources include: The Washington Post, November 27, 1977.