Inspirational Thoughts

As we end the first month of 1999, here is a little reminder of how we can all keep that holiday spirit going through out the year.

How to Really Love a Child

	Be there
	Say yes as often as possible
	Let them bang on pots and pans
	If they are cranky, put them in water
	If they are unlovable, love yourself
	Realize how important it is to be a child
	Go to a movie in you pajamas
	Read books out loud with joy
	Invent pleasures together
	Remember how really small they are
	Giggle a lot
	Surprise them
	Say you are sorry
	Say no when necessary
	Teach feelings
	Heal you own inner child
	Learn about parenting
	Hug trees together
	Make loving safe
	Bake a cake and eat it with your hands
	Go find elephants and kiss them
	Plan to write a novel
	Make lots of forts with blankets
	Let you angel fly
	Tell your own dreams
	Keep the glean in your own eye
	Encourage silly
	Plant licorice in your garden
	Open up
	Speak softly
	Express your love a lot
	Speak kindly
	Paint their tennis shoes
	Pain their faces
	Search out goodness
	Sing directions
	Sing love
	Cook with mud
	Talk about life
	Talk about peace
	Handle with care
	FORGIVE!

A little bit more

Today is an excellent day for small, incremental improvements. Whatever is working for you, find a way to improve it just a little. There's no need to make a huge, momentous change, just a small one, something you can do right now.

If you called just one additional potential customer each day, over the course of the next month you would talk to about 20 new people. If you learned just one more new word each day, in the next year you would increase your vocabulary by more than 300 words.

Small improvements can add up over time into big accomplishments. Look around you. Consider the work you do each day. Think about how you could do it just a little bit better.

In a marathon race, each stride taken by the winner is just a little bit longer and a little bit faster than each stride taken by the 100th place finisher. Yet over the course of the race, that small difference adds up in a big way.

Do just a little bit more today, and tomorrow too, and each day after that. Anyone can make just a small improvement, and that can make a big, big difference.

-- Ralph Marston

Imagine

Imagine you have the opportunity to take a trip across the country. You can stop wherever you'd like, spend however long you want at any location, and have no set timetable. Are you going to focus solely on your destination and simply drive there? Or are you going to let go of the need to arrive anywhere at any particular time and enjoy the scenery, the people you meet along the way, and the places you linger in?

Every day you have the opportunity to go on a "cross-country" trip a once in a lifetime, twenty four hour adventure that'll never be repeated any other day. How do you wish to spend the time? By enjoying every minute and stopping to savor every unique opportunity, or by simply focusing on your goals and trying to achieve them?

Today, you can reach any destination or any goal you set for yourself. But how you do so will determine how enjoyable and memorable today will be. The runner who only looks down at the road will surely reach his/her destination, but won't have the same experience as the runner who looks at the road as well as notices the sights, sounds, and smells around her.

Today, make an effort to notice one person's face, one facet of nature, or one event on your journey to tomorrow.

Today's Goal: Today, I'll take time to notice what's around me instead of just what's ahead of me.

Tim Connor, CSP; speaker, trainer, and author

Unable to find what you're looking for? Search the entire site to find information about any subject we have information on. Instructions: Type a word or words into the form below and press the Search button. You may use "quotation marks" to search for a phrase. Adding a plus sign (+) before a word or phrase will require its presence; adding a minus sign (-) before a word or phrase will require its absence.

Home • Parents' Corner • Parents' Corner Archive • Professional Corner • Professional Corner Archive • Case in Progress • Case in Progress Archive • Inspirational Messages • Inspirational Messages Archive • Direct Services • Consulting • Seminars, Workshops, and More • Special Events • Recommended Reading • Recommended Reading for Children • Ask the Experts • News Flash • Current Question and Answer • Understanding the Lingo • About the Team • Testimonials • Fees, Location, and Details • Typical Development: Makenna • Typical Development: Lacey • Resources • PrivacyStatement • Confidentiality