TheLeaderInside.com

“Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy”

~~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

About three days ago I was at the local super market to pick up a few groceries. The parking lot was quite full, so I had to park some distance from the entrance to the store. As I got out of the car, I noticed an elderly woman who was parked in one of the handicapped parking spaces near the front of the store.

She was in the process of loading her purchases into the trunk of her car. She had a large bag on the bottom shelf of her shopping cart and was struggling to lift it from the cart into the trunk. I was still quite a distance from her and as I walked toward her I watched as several people walked by her with little more than a glance. One or two people actually looked at her in her predicament and walked right by without offering to help.

Why is it that we so often feel that we don’t have the time or the energy to extend ourselves to others with the small gestures that compose what we call common courtesy? It sometimes seems that this kind of social awareness belongs to the past, to smaller towns and slower times.

“Don’t flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become.”

~~~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

How often have you been on the receiving end of someone’s courtesy? Did you feel touched in some good way? When someone simply makes the effort to look us in the eye, smile, and greet us properly when entering a room — that person stands out of the crowd. It seems these people carry with them the elegance and grace of another time, and we are always thankful for our contact with them. Common courtesy is a small gesture that makes a big difference.

One of the essential components of common courtesy is the ability to look outside yourself to see when someone needs help or acknowledgment. Another component is to give courtesy freely, without expecting anything in return. People may not even take notice, much less return the kindness, but you can take heart in the fact that you are creating the kind of world you want to live in with your actions.

“He who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love”

~~~ Proverb

By the way, the lady was a person after my own heart — the bag at the bottom of her shopping cart was a big bag of bird seed — something I too, often have in the bottom of my shopping cart. And yes, I did help her lift it into her trunk.

“When music and courtesy are better understood and appreciated, there will be no war”

~~~ Confucius

Namaste!

And, as I always say in closing — remember these words …

You are the most precious gift you can give yourself. Every day look in the mirror and say, “I’m available to more good than I have experienced, realized or imagined ever before in my life!” Do this every day while you look into your own eyes.

You are special — and you are loved. You are the greatest gift you can be.

Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

~~~ Buddha

~~~ DBL-R

P.S. Remember, that if you have one of the “readers” — like My Yahoo, My MSN, or the Google Reader, or any of the others, you can get our blog sent to you automatically, whenever I post to it. Just click one of the buttons over on the left side to add it to your reader.
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Speaking of offering a bit of help to a friend, I have a friend in the United Kingdom who is looking for some help from all of us. Last year, she was diagnosed with and treated for Breast Cancer. Today, she counts herself among the survivors. However, many are not so lucky.

She and her daughter are going to participate in a “MoonWalk” to help raise funds for cancer research. This is a 26.2 mile walk through London and will take place this summer. They are already beginning their training.

She is asking you to help spread the word about this by telling your friends and colleagues to go to her web site to learn more about this event. If you have a web site or a blog yourself, putting her link on it would be a great help. Help her out by making comments about it on your MySpace or FaceBook pages, or any other ways you can think of to help.

The blog URL is http://www.teampinkandsparkly.com – you can read the full stories there.

The fundraising page is http://www.justgiving.com/pinkandsparkly

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As you know, I do practice sitting, silent meditation every day in my life. Recently, I did a podcast about this for another blog that I read. Take a moment and click this link to hear what meditation means to me and what it does for me.

My Meditation Podcast

In my meditation I use what I truly believe is the most powerful personal growth and mind development tool on earth. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” – then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.

Regular, daily meditation can give you …

(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels —

— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.

With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — just click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution

— The Holosync Solution

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[tags]peace, inner self, The Secret, Law of Attraction, dreams, spiritual energy, action, value, inner balance, enlightenment, destiny, manifestation, meditation, patience, gratitude, tolerance, acceptance, body balance, life cycle, beginnings, endings, positive thinking, ego, silence, consciousness, staying grounded, cycle of life[/tags]

“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.”

~~~ John Ed Pearce

Although I know that I’m not alone when I say that I’m glad the end-of-year holidays are over, I still feel as though when I dare say it out loud, as I’m doing here, that it’s some sort of sacrilege. As I get older my ability to be comfortable with all the stress and changes that take place in the home environment during this season seems to be rapidly diminishing.

For most of us, home is our haven. It is the place where we come when we need to rest. It is the place where we are able to recharge our batteries when we’re worn out. It is the place where we find safety and where we can relax in comfort so that we can do a better job of facing the challenges of the world outside our doors. For many, it is the one place where we can find the peace, comfort and tranquility we all desire. I know it is for me.

I’m fully aware that true peace can only be found when we’ve achieved lasting peace within ourselves. Why is it that it often seems to be nearly impossible to attain that inner peace unless we’re deep in meditation or by ourselves? Why is it that when our space is disrupted by events happening outside our homes our inner peace seems to vanish? These disruptions that invade our senses can come from many areas — world events — the local news on television with all the violence being reported — the drama that always seems to be a part of the relationships with friends and family — the health issues that accompany old age — and, for me lately, computer glitches.

“He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.”

~~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In many ways, I have the luxury of being able to spend a great deal of time alone. As a writer, the isolation without distractions is vital to being able to keep the creative juices flowing. All of my readers here know that I strive constantly to find peace. As I say in all my postings — “peace within — peace without — peace in the world — peace for all beings” — and most importantly — inner peace.

“When a writer knows home in his heart, his heart must remain subtly apart from it. He must always be a stranger to the place he loves, and its people.”

~~~ William Morris

I’m not altogether certain that I truly understand that quote, but it seemed appropriate to include it here. I’m also aware that I seem to be rambling in my writing this morning. I’m struggling to find the sense of inner peace that I had yesterday, but seemed to have lost today. I’m not as peaceful in my space today as I would like to be and I’m not finding the answers I often find as I go through the process of writing. So, if you find yourself scratching your head and wondering, “What the heck is he going on about?” — I apologize. I’m confused right along with you.

In the novel that I’m writing, there are many similarities between the life of the main character and my own. To be completely truthful, this novel is based a great deal on my own early life. The character in this book is in a constant search for a sense of home — a place where he can find his true haven and be protected from the dangers of the world outside himself. In the closing chapters of the book, which I haven’t written as yet, the character, while still a young man, will find that using violence as a way to solve problems is a huge mistake, and he will then embark on his search for peace.

I guess that today I’m focused on the closing chapters of the life of the person on whom my book is based, and wondering if true inner peace will have been attained.

“Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.”

~~~ Christian Morganstern

Namaste!

And, as I always say in closing — remember these words …

You are the most precious gift you can give yourself. Every day look in the mirror and say, “I’m available to more good than I have experienced, realized or imagined ever before in my life!” Do this every day while you look into your own eyes.

You are special — and you are loved. You are the greatest gift you can be.

Shanti … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

~~~ Buddha

~~~ DBL-R

P.S. Remember, that if you have one of the “readers” — like My Yahoo, My MSN, or the Google Reader, or any of the others, you can get our blog sent to you automatically, whenever I post to it. Just click one of the buttons over on the left side to add it to your reader.
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As you know, I do practice sitting, silent meditation every day in my life. Recently, I did a podcast about this for another blog that I read. Take a moment and click this link to hear what meditation means to me and what it does for me.

My Meditation Podcast

In my meditation I use what I truly believe is the most powerful personal growth and mind development tool on earth. It’s the The Holosync Solution. I knew that meditation was a vital element to nurturing my soul — to opening myself to the universe — and this tool has allowed me to achieve and receive the benefits of deep, long-term meditation — and to achieve it much more quickly. If you’re having trouble “getting meditation to work for you” – then the The Holosync Solution is what you’re looking for.

Regular, daily meditation can give you …

(1) Increased intelligence and creativity.
(2) Lower stress levels — and with that — increased ability to handle whatever the world tosses your way.
(3) New levels of self-awareness and inner peace.
(4) The healing of emotional issues at the deepest levels —

— it’s definitely worth taking the time for this powerful practice every day.

With a One-Year 100% Iron-Clad Guarantee, you can now do so with no risk whatsoever — just click any of the links that say … The Holosync Solution

— The Holosync Solution

====================================================================

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[tags]peace, inner self, The Secret, Law of Attraction, dreams, spiritual energy, action, value, inner balance, enlightenment, destiny, manifestation, meditation, patience, gratitude, tolerance, acceptance, body balance, life cycle, beginnings, endings, positive thinking, ego, silence, consciousness, staying grounded, cycle of life[/tags]