We reproduce below a very insightful article from personal development coach Marc Chernoff. We’re certain that it will help you to start thinking in a different way about the things that matter. Take a look.
’At some point life slaps all of us with a good reminder that shifts our perspective. Personally, I have been slapped with several of these reminders over the years. And today, I want to pass a few of them along to you…
1. Everything that happens helps you grow, even if it’s hard to see right now
Circumstances will direct you, correct you, and perfect you over time. Sometimes these circumstances knock you down, hard. There will be times when it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong is going wrong. And you might feel like you will be stuck in this rut forever, but you won’t. When you feel like quitting, remember that sometimes things have to go very wrong before they can be right. Sometimes you have to go through the worst, to arrive at your best. Because our most significant opportunities are often found in times of great difficulty. Thus, you will face your greatest opposition when you are closest to your biggest miracle.
2. The way you feel about people and situations will shift, and that’s OK
Things will seem totally different to you at some point in the future, just as you feel different now than you did in the past. So remember, just because you liked something at one point in time doesn’t mean you’ll always like it, or that you have to go on liking it at all points in the future as an act of loyalty to who you are as a person, based solely on who you once were as a person. To be loyal to yourself is to allow yourself to grow and change, and challenge who you once were and what you once thought. The only thing you ever have to be for sure is unsure, and this means you’re growing, and not stagnant or shrinking.
3. There will always be more tough changes to make
Growth is painful. Change is painful. But in the end, nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you do not belong. Again, you’re not the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago. You’re always growing. Experiences don’t stop. That’s life. It takes a great deal of courage to admit that something needs to change, and a lot more courage still, to accept the responsibility for making the change happen. But doing so is worth every bit of effort you can muster.
4. Those who complain the most, accomplish the least
It’s always better to attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed. It’s not over if you’ve lost; it’s over when you do nothing but complain about it. If you believe in something, keep trying. Don’t let the shadows of the past darken the doorstep of your future. Spending today complaining about yesterday won’t make tomorrow any brighter. Take action instead. And regardless of what happens in the long run, remember that true happiness begins to arrive only when you stop complaining about your problems and you start being grateful for all the problems you don’t have.
5. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts
The mind is your battleground. It’s the place where the greatest conflict resides. It’s where half of the things you thought were going to happen, never did happen. But if you allow these thoughts to dwell in your mind, they will succeed in robbing you of peace, joy, and ultimately your life. You will think yourself into a nervous breakdown, into depression, and into defeat. You are what you think. You can’t change anything if you can’t change your thinking. A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset. When you wake up, take a second to think about what a privilege it is to simply be alive and healthy. Breathe onto the bathroom mirror, just to see how amazing your breath looks. The moment you start acting like life is a blessing, I assure you it will start to feel like one.
6. You were born with the ability to change someone’s life.
Don’t ever waste it. Be kind. Be present. Be someone who makes a difference. In a gentle way, you can shake the world. Truth be told, the purpose of life is not just to be happy in your own little bubble; it is to be helpful, to be honorable, to be compassionate and kind, to have your life make some kind of difference that you have lived and lived well. Go ahead; leave the world a little better than you found it.
7. You can best serve yourself and others by giving yourself what YOU need
That’s right, your needs matter more than you can imagine. Don’t ignore them. Sometimes you have to do exactly what’s best for you and your life, not just what seems best on the surface for everyone else. Decide this very minute to never again beg anyone for the love, respect, and attention that you should be showing yourself. Today, look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I love you, and from now on I’m going to act like it.” Because the truth is, when we practice self-love and self-respect, we give ourselves the opportunity to be happy. And when we are happy, we become better friends, better family members, and better lovers.
8. Everyone you meet serves a purpose in your life
We meet no ordinary people in our lives. If you give them a chance, everyone has something amazing to offer. They may not be what you expected or wanted, but their presence is important. Some people will test you, some will teach you, and some will bring out the very best in you. So be thankful for everyone in your life. Yes EVERYONE! It’ll be hard sometimes, but do your best to be grateful for the rude, difficult people too. They serve as great reminders of how NOT to be.
9. You are not alone in feeling weird and alone
I used to think I was the strangest person in the world, but then I thought about how there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels weird and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine him or her, and imagine that he or she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and reading this, you now know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you. I often feel and think and struggle much like you do. I care about many of the things you care about, just in my own way. And although some people do not understand us, we understand each other. YOU are not weird and alone!
Afterthoughts…
I hope you will have a wonderful day today, that you will dream boldly and dangerously, that you will make something that didn’t exist before you took action, that you will love and be loved in return, and that you will find the strength to accept and grow from the troubles you can’t change. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and wisdom in this crazy world), that you will, when you must, be wise with your decisions, and that you will always be extra kind to yourself and others.
The floor is yours…
What else would you add to the list? What’s one good reminder you try to keep in mind to keep yourself on track? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts and insights.
Source: marcandangel
Gideon Robinson is a normal little 5-year-old who also happens to be undergoing chemotherapy. After he proposed to his favorite nurse at the hospital, the answer was both adorable and shocking!
Facebook/The Adventures of Iron Gideon
Just A Regular Kid
Gideon Robinson is just a typical kid who likes to play Legos and video games. However, unlike other kids his age, he’s been practically living at Rady Children’s hospital in San Diego, where he receives life-saving medical treatments.
Facebook/The Adventures of Iron Gideon
He Has Leukemia
Gideon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in November. After his admission into the hospital, he’s been spending a lot of time away from family and friends. But, his cancer hasn’t stopped him from making brand new friends at the hospital.
Facebook/The Adventures of Iron Gideon
Tall Sarah
Sarah Richards is Gideon’s favorite nurse. To him, she’s tall, hence his cute nickname for her. She’s been helping him through his chemo treatments, and he totally adores her.
Gideon’s mom, Sosy Robinson, told TODAY:
“She just spoils him with attention and Legos. She really knows the way to his heart. Even if she’s not assigned to his room, she’ll come and bring him Legos.”
Nurse Sarah has definitely gone out of her way to make sure Gideon is taken care of during his hospital stays.
Facebook/The Adventures of Iron Gideon
Mastermind At Work
Gideon’s adoration for Tall Sarah soon lead to questions of whether or not she was single. After he found out his favorite nurse wanted to get married, his head was spinning with ideas on how to propose to her.
Facebook/The Adventures of Iron Gideon
Will You?
When Tall Sarah joked to Gideon that she wished her boyfriend would propose, he stepped in and took the lead by asking her to marry him.
Gideon told TODAY:
“I wanted to marry her to make her laugh like she makes me laugh.”
So the big question is… did Tall Sarah say yes?
Facebook/Sosy Robinson
Of Course!
After Gideon got down on his hands and knees to pop the biggest question of his life, he was ecstatic when Tall Sarah accepted his proposal without hesitation. She said he could be her hospital husband!
Screenshot via YouTube
Watch as Gideon proposes to his favorite nurse.
Awesome Nurse
Chemo can be rough on grown adults. But, for a child to go through such treatments, the support of family, friends, and hospital staff is crucial to helping them heal. Sarah Richards went above and beyond the call of duty to make Gideon feel at home. It’s no wonder Gideon wanted to marry her!
Treats for Valentine’s Day should both look appetizing and be amazingly delicious.
We have gathered six great recipes to please your beloved. Learn them and use them!
Use a coarse grater and separately grate the hard-boiled eggs, beet and cheese.
Seed the pomegranate and chop the walnuts.
Put the ingredients in layers: chicken breast, fried onions, mayonnaise, eggs, cheese, mayonnaise, walnuts, beet, mayonnaise. Top the salad with pomegranate seeds, as shown in the picture. This dish is ready! Enjoy!
Tarts
chocolate-kiss
gigamir
Ingredients:
puff pastry
Dijon mustard
tomatoes
two heart-shaped cookie cutters, one small and one big
Directions:
Take a puff pastry and, using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out hearts.
Set aside half of the cutout hearts. Take the remaining ones and cut little hearts from them using the smaller cookie cutter. You now have large hearts and one heart outline per cookie.
Combine two halves by topping the big heart with its outlined heart. Spread the mustard on the inside and put a slice of tomato on it.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cook your tarts at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 8 minutes.
There’s room for comfort and a place to properly store everything in its right place even in the smallest homes. And some of the solutions people have come up with over the years to solve the issue of domestic storage are truly ingenious.
We’ve discovered some of the most simple and accessible of these ideas which might help you to create order in all corners of your home.
1. With the help of a coat hanger and the rings from a shower curtain, you can solve the problem of where to hang your scarves.
ftdofsmcp
2. This fold-out ironing board, which fits perfectly into a cupboard, can save a lot of space.
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3. It’s possible to set up shelving for cans and spices even in the narrowest spaces of the kitchen.
decorismo
4. You can use those sliding cupboards for storing pots and pans rather than bottles.
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5. This activity mat for kids easily turns into a bag, so you can quickly tidy up all those small toy pieces in just two seconds.
ayngo
6. Some wire stretched across an empty picture frame is a great place to hang jewelry, and it will also help to decorate your home.
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7. These kind of attractive magazine holders can also be used to store all kinds of things which you’ve never found a good place for.
pinterest
8. You can paint a used egg carton and place it in a drawer to create additional storage space.
pinterest
9. Installing fold-out shelves is a great way to create additional space in the kitchen.
pinterest
10. A shelve designed for holding a painting can also become a really useful storage space in its own right.
couldawouldapica
11. Use the space under your bed to maximum effect — you can fit tonnes of stuff under there!
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12. The most vital things which you use every day will always be to hand if you put them on a plate or bowl normally used for fruit.
propos
13. This simple and functional shelf allows you to save a great deal of space in the bathroom.
pinterest
14. Shelves for spices can also serve you well as additional storage space in the bathroom.
pinterest
15. Whereas the rack you might normally use for books and magazines in the bathroom can come in handy in the kitchen — especially if you attach it to the inside of a cupboard.
hewandmakersmother
16. The lids of saucepans will take up a lot less space if you store them on the inside of cupboard doors like this.
pinterest
17. Installing additional shelves in the refrigerator will let you store twice as many bottles and cans.
couldawouldapica
18. If you put folded up wires in the cardboard toilet paper rolls, they’ll be easy to find and won’t get tangled together.
instructables
19. A narrow chest of drawers like this can be really useful in the bathroom.
pinterest
20. A little shelf like this for your wash basin is perfect for a small bathroom.
Kids are always getting up to all kinds of mischief, or just doing things that make you laugh. They rarely think even for a second about the consequences of what they’re doing, or realises just how funny they look. Sometimes, you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. We think laughter is always the better option. Take a look at these photos; we think you’ll agree!
When visiting a building site it’s important to wear the appropriate safety gear.
How to have a good time on Father’s Day.
Looks like the pump’s broken. Don’t worry, I’ll fix it!
One might say this child is very sweet. In this case, quite literally!
Mom said not to lay a finger on the cake. But she didn’t say anything about using my teeth!
Hey, you! Give me back my magic wand!
Leave them alone with the cat for five minutes, and someone will end up very annoyed!
Finally! Their batteries ran out.
Well, you have to find something to do while you’re waiting ages for your food…
Children are like cats. They can sleep in any position.
Her first pigtail.
How about I scrub your back?
I don’t fall asleep that easily!
It’s tiring work going to the toilet. Very tiring…
Trust me, this is the only way he’ll get over his cold…
You don’t need to go on holiday to lie on the beach. Just have kids!
The mother just got tired of her 13-year-old son being spoiled and taking all household chores for granted. He took everything she had done, and continued to do for him, for granted.
So she decided to write him a letter to confront him and the problematic situation.
Her letter was posted on Facebook and has since gotten hundreds of thousands of shares. I can totally understand why.
Here is the mom’s letter as originally posted on Facebook.
Many have questioned the mother’s decision to publish the letter on Facebook, and how her son earns money. She explained both in this Facebook post:
“He is a Youtuber. And the posting was an accident. I meant to post to just family and friends; and yesterday I couldn’t figure out why I had over 100 friend requests. I actually thought maybe my account got hacked or something. Yes, I could take it down, but so many people have already read and seen it at this point.”
Personally, I think this mom’s actions are perfectly valid. Share your comments and share this to inspire other parents perhaps considering doing the same 🙂
Keeping baby entertained was big brother’s specialty when he pulled out a little toilet paper for a magic trick. Baby watched intently on big brother’s hand as he placed a few squares of toilet paper inside. In complete fascination, baby watched as brother made the toilet paper disappear. Watching his face light up with pure wonder made big brother proud. His trick is no secret, and watching him toss the toilet paper across the room can only make you chuckle.
But baby’s innocence and joy shown in his reaction is worth more than gold. To keep baby occupied, big brother repeated his trick, and little baby boy only enjoyed the trick the more he saw it. It was like a complete mystery how the toilet paper disappeared every single time.
It took little effort on big brother’s end, but it was worth every second of his time to share the smiles of his little brother. It’s the little things in life sometimes that can make such a difference to others. An “I love you” is shown through little moments like these, and proves that actions speak louder than words – even if it’s taking the time for a simple magic trick.
This mom was in tears when a ordinary visit to the mall with her mentally challenged son became an emotional experience as she met this amazing gentleman. Read their beautiful conversation below.
Many have questioned the mother’s decision to publish the letter on Facebook, and how her son earns money. She explained both in this Facebook post:
“He is a Youtuber. And the posting was an accident. I meant to post to just family and friends; and yesterday I couldn’t figure out why I had over 100 friend requests. I actually thought maybe my account got hacked or something. Yes, I could take it down, but so many people have already read and seen it at this point.”
Personally, I think this mom’s actions are perfectly valid. Share your comments and share this to inspire other parents perhaps considering doing the same 🙂 
