Here is your Tuesday STORY on: SELF DEVELOPMENT We live by our own knowledge and experience; we cannot deny that. But the real harm is when we don’t use it. It is amazing to find that most every person wants to improve themselves, yet allow so much knowledge and experience to pass them by. Those who don’t understand wisdom will concede that to progress we need to value all our GOOD moments and chart them. This is of course inaccurate, as we need to value our mistakes as it is these that lead us forward. If we only ever use the moments of excellence to guide us, we could be waiting a long time for that next moment to arrive. However, should we value every mistake we instantly correct our path and are unlikely to step down that dead end road again? The difference between the two approaches is that the person who learns from every moment of glory may only need to remember one principle every week. This could be defined as being lazy. Yet the person correcting mistakes and learning from them will expect nearer 100 to overcome each week. The greater skill and craft comes from those who practice more. There is no denying that the value of the better moment is important, but the skill comes from those who understand that constant use of your senses improves their clarity. Without this clearness of vision we’ll fall into the same trap over and over again. Today’s excerpt includes a wealth of experience from a well respected author and television presenter. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED I Have Learned that... ... the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. ... when you're in love, it shows. ... just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day. ... having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world. ... being kind is more important than being right. ... you should never say no to a gift from a child. ... I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way. ... no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. ... sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. ... simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult. ... life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. ... we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for. ... money doesn't buy class. ... it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular. ... under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved. ... the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can? ... to ignore the facts does not change the facts. ... when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you. ... love, not time, heals all wounds. ... the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am. ... everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile. ... there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks. ... no one is perfect until you fall in love with them. ... life is tough, but I'm tougher. ... opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss. ... when you harbour bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. ... I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away. ... one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them. ... a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. ... I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it. ... when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, you know that you're hooked for life. ... everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it. ... it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation. ... the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done. (By Andy Rooney) QUOTE: "Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that don’t work.” (Thomas Edison)