Daily Inspiration 5-24-12

"EVERYTHING is always and completely subject to personal interpretation." -- Albert K Strong I was looking at some quotes under the heading of Achievement. At the beginning, it states this: "We achieve to the degree that we overcome the negative. Achievers are willing to pay the price of achievement. They sacrifice, struggle, work on, perhaps alone, weary, and discouraged, and yet at each step overcome the negative. Overcoming the negative is the price of achievement--the price of greatness." So here are a few of the quotes on the next couple of pages: "There are no gains without pains." -- Benjamin Franklin "There is no success without hardship." -- Sophocles "No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown." -- William Penn "The world is so constructed, that if you wish to enjoy its pleasures, you must also endure its pains. Whether you like it or not, you cannot have one without the other." -- Swami Brahmananda "The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it." -- Jean Baptiste Moliere "The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honour. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved." -- Samuel Smiles Heck, even the Bible has it going on: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. -- Revelation 3:21 Now, here's my quote: "As you believe, so it will be unto you." I'm sure I robbed that from someone smart and sophisticated. Heck, that's in the Bible too. And all these quotes and hundreds more like them I've heard all my life, and it's no dang wonder that people are timid about going for it, as they have so much pain, anxiety, struggle, endurance, and more. It's all uphill to get to the downhill. Based on that, the downhill better be pretty darn good! BUT! I stopped believing that stuff and guess what? It isn't a struggle except in your own mind. It isn't uphill except in your own mind. There are no thorns except in your own mind. No gall or cross either. There is no honor in the struggle or the overcomement except in your own mind. There is no pain or hardship except in your own mind. All of these things are subject to your own interpretation just as all of these quotes were their interpretation (or maybe they didn't want you to know how easy it was so they didn't have to share. . .). Ever heard one of those really famous songwriters say, "hey, I wrote that song in 5 minutes and it was the easiest song I ever wrote and look at it now!" There are millions of quotes just like that because they believe it is easy. They are having fun with it instead of taking it SO DAMN SERIOUS! You know what else? You get to choose. . .

Where Did I Put That Easy Button. . .   Spread Some Joy Today--Give someone some encouragement. In fact, give them a bunch of it. Lavish it on them, like hot maple syrup on a stack of fresh buttermilk pancakes. Let it drizzle over the sides. Lift up the cakes and pour some in there too. Who's counting calories?