Now there’s a scary thought—our thoughts determine what we become. This means that we need to choose our thoughts very carefully or we run the risk of becoming something we don’t want to be. As we choose our thoughts, it’s important to keep in mind that positive thoughts lead to positive lives while negative thoughts lead to negative lives. As Buddha put it, “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves

We haven’t had any appreciable rain where I live in quite a few months, and it’s been very hot as well. Last night, things finally changed—we got a downpour along with a noticeable drop in the temperature. This morning when I went on my walk, the first thing I noticed is that everyone I met on the sidewalk was smiling—they were so happy for having gotten a cooling rain.

Many of us tend to underestimate the positive impact that a text or email sent to a friend to let them know you’re thinking of them or ask how they are doing can have on them. So, if the impact is going to be low, why bother doing it?

As I mentioned in last week’s Reminder, I fell on my knee and ruptured the quadricep tendon in my right leg. As a result, I spent two weeks in a hospital while the tendon was reattached. This resulted in my wife Marcia and I being on the receiving end of lots and lots of kindness.

A few weeks ago, I fell on my knee and ruptured the quadriceps tendon in my right leg. As a result, I spent two weeks in a hospital while the tendon was reattached. From the time I got there until the time I was discharged I was shown nothing but the utmost kindness from the hospital’s many healthcare professionals who took care of me—it was unbelievable!

My daughter Katie sent me an issue of the internet publication called the Purpose Fairy. This issue contained a list of things we should give up if we want our lives to be easier and happier. One in particular caught my attention and that was the need to impress others.

Far too many people have bought into the myth that failure is fatal and is something that should be avoided. In reality, failure is the world’s most effective learning experience. Most of our greatest accomplishments were made possible through failure–learning to walk, ride a bike and drive. Why should the rest of our life be any different?

One of the things I have observed over the years is that when a kind person gets sick or otherwise faces adversity, people quickly line up to help them. On the other hand, when an unkind or selfish person faces adversity, nobody cares which means they have to face their adversity alone. This can be sad as well as scary. What’s going on here is simple and straightforward.

We’ve all heard the phrase: “Don’t worry, be happy.” While it may sound trite, numerous medical and psychological studies show that this is sound advice to live by. These studies found that that happiness causes good things to happen across a number of fronts. For example, happy people have higher incomes, more fulfilling marriages, healthier…

Inspiration, that special stimulus that arouses our thinking, feeling and action is necessary before we can accomplish anything worthy of note. In the words of German Poet, Johann Von Herder, “Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they are a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.” Those sparks…