To the world, you may just be somebody...
But to somebody, you may be the world.

"Men with sight see things as they are.
Men with insight see things as they could be."
Copyright © 2003 Joseph P. Martino

~~~~~

Either you control your attitude or it controls you.

~~~~~

    The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
    Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
    It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
    It will make or break a company...a church...a home.
    The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day, regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
    We cannot change the inevitable.
    The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
    I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
    And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.

~~~~~

     Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say.
     When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
     He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
     Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
     Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, "Mike, you have two choices today.  You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood.
     Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.  Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
     "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
     "Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."
     I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
     Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back
     I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"
     I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
     "Weren't you scared?  Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
     Michael continued,"..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."
     "What did you do?" I asked.
     "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity!"
     Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'."
     Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that everyday we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Author Unknown
Submitted by DkSdBubba

~~~~~

"Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. Life would undergo a change of appearance because we ourselves had undergone a change of attitude."  -- Katherine Mansfield

~~~~~

Attitude is everything. You simply cannot be beaten if, at the end of the day, some tiny part of you can still whisper, "I will try again tomorrow."

~~~~~

Top - Directory

UGLY
Author Unknown

     Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and shall we say, love.
     The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly.  To start with, he had only one eye, and where the other should have been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. His tail has long since been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch. Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby striped-type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!"
     All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave.
     Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If ever picked up, he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, whatever he could find.
     One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor's huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly mauled. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was apparent Ugly's sad life was almost at an end.  Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. I must be hurting him terribly I thought. Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear.  Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.  At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.
     Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for. Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be Ugly.

Author Unknown
Submitted by Zaxgram

~~~~~

Top - Directory

AND, AND, AND...
A Motivational Story
Submitted by TrollPtrol

    Peeking out from the corner of my desk blotter is a note, slowly yellowing and bent from time. It is a card from my mother, containing only four sentences.  In it, she praises my abilities as a writer without qualification.
    Each sentence is full with love, offering specific examples of what my pursuit has meant to her and my father.  The word "but" never appears on the card, however the word "and" is there almost a half dozen times.
    Every time I read it -- which is almost every day --  am reminded to ask myself if I am doing the same thing for my daughters. I've asked myself how many times I've "but-ted" them, and me, out of happiness. I hate to say that it's more often than I'd like to admit.
    Although our eldest daughter usually got all A's on her report card, there was never a semester when at least one teacher would not suggest that she talked too much in class. I always forgot to ask them if she was making improvement in controlling her behavior, if her comments contributed to the discussion in progress or encouraged a quieter child to talk. Instead, I would come home and greet her with, "Congratulations! Your Dad and I are very proud of your accomplishment, but could you try to tone it down in class?"
    The same was true of our younger daughter. Like her sister, she is a lovely, bright, articulate and friendly child. She also treats the floor of her room and the bathroom as a closet, which has provoked me to say on more than one occasion, "Yes, that project is great, but clean up your room!"
    I've noticed that other parents do the same thing. "Our whole family was together for Christmas, but Kyle skipped out early to play his new computer game." "The hockey team won, but Mike should have made that last goal." "Amy's the homecoming queen, but now she wants $200 to buy a new dress and shoes." But, but, but.
    Instead, what I learned from my mother is that if you really want love to flow to your children, start thinking "and, and, and..." instead.  For example: "Our whole family was together for Christmas dinner, and Kyle mastered his new computer game before the night was through." "The hockey team won, and Mike did his best the whole game." "Amy's the homecoming queen, and she's going to look gorgeous!"
    The fact is that "but" feels bad -- "and" feels good. And when it comes to our children, feeling good is definitely the way to go. When they feel good about themselves and what they are doing, they do more of it, building their self-confidence, their judgment and their harmonious connections to others. When everything they say, think or do is qualified or put down in some way, their joy sours and their anger soars.
    This is not to say that children don't need or won't respond to their parents' expectations. They do and they will, regardless of whether those expectations are good or bad. When those expectations are consistently bright and positive and then are taught, modeled and expressed, amazing things happen. "I see you made a mistake. And I know you are intelligent enough to figure out what you did wrong and make a better decision next time." Or, "You've been spending hours on that project, and I'd love to have you explain it to me." Or, "We work hard for our money, and I know you can help figure out a way to pay for what you want."
    It's not enough just to say we love our children. In a time when frustration has grown fierce, we can no longer afford to limit love's expression. If we want to tone down the sound of violence in our society, we're going to have to turn up the volume on noticing, praising, guiding and participating in what is right with our children.
    "No more buts!" is a clarion call for joy. It's also a challenge, the opportunity fresh before us every day to put our attention on what is good and promising about our children, and to believe with all our hearts that they will eventually be able to see the same in us and the people with whom they will ultimately live, work and serve.
    And if I ever forget, I have my mother's note to remind me.

Author Unknown

Top - Directory

Top - Directory

You will find "Thoughts..." throughout our Website, usually placed at the bottom of the page -- and relevant to the subject of the page.  For example, these thoughts are listed on the Telephone Services page for Butler County, PA in our Neighborhood Webs.

Top - Directory

We had so many links to other Inspiration & Motivation Web sites that we made a separate page!  Inspiration & Motivation - LINKS

~~~~~

If anyone knows who wrote any of the items we share with you on our pages, will you tell us please?  We think these are all wonderful writings and we'd love to thank the authors and give credit where credit is due!

~~ Top of Page ~~

Quick Links to the INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION Pages from ButlerWebs:
Inspiration & Motivation - Home Page
[ Courage, Encouragement, Motivation ] [ Family ] [ Life In General ] [ Happiness ] [ Love & Romance ] [ Links for Inspiration and Motivation Web Sites ] [ Religious - 5 Pages! ]  [Christmas Poems] [Christmas Stories]

Quick Links to the General Webs Categories from ButlerWebs:
General Webs - Home Page & Index
[ America & The 50 States ] [ Animals, Pets & Critters ] [ Automotive ] [ Camping & Hiking ] [ Collectibles - Items For Sale ] [ Computers & Internet ] [ Entertainment ] [ Fishing ] [ Friends & Friendship ] [ Gambling - Bingo, Casinos, Lottery ] [ Gardening ] [ Holidays, Observances, Celebrity Birthdays ] [ Hunting ] [ Inspiration & Motivation ] [ Just For... ] [ Military - Armed Forces ] [ Music & Song Lyrics ] [ Older Folks & Seniors ] [ Parents & Grandparents ] [ Recipes, Food & Beverage ] [ Sports ] [ September 11, 2001 - America's Tragedy ] [ Travel & Vacation ] [ Weddings ] [ Word Fun ]

Contact Us to share something with other visitors,
with questions, suggestions, or to report an error or broken link.

This page was last edited 05/11/06.