To change and to improve are two different things.

Posted on 12 March 2013 by philosiblog

To change and to improve are two different things. – German Proverb

"Un, yeah, you changed your look!" But is the haircut an improvement?

“Un, yeah, you changed your look!” But is the haircut an improvement? Don’t feel too bad, it should grow out in a few weeks, a couple months tops!

What does that mean?
There are many important distinctions in life, and this is one of the more important ones. Being dissatisfied with something or some aspect of your life is as good a reason as any to make a change.

The point of the quote is to not confuse change with improvement. It is very much a possibility that things will be worse after an arbitrary change. The trick is to put enough thought and enough effort into your change to help make sure it will be a change for the better, or and improvement.

It’s kind of like changing pants. If you keep both the clean pants and the dirty pants in the closet, and aren’t particular about where you grab a different pair, you could just as easily grab one from the dirty pile as from the clean pile (or nicely folded or hung, depending on how you store your clean laundry).

Why is carefully selecting improvements important?  Continue reading →

Posted in doing, improve, obstacles, plan, question, self improvement | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Love is when you don’t have to be with another person to touch their heart!

Posted on 11 March 2013 by philosiblog

Love is when you don’t have to be with another person to touch their heart! – Torquato Tasso

Nearly everyone loves the concept of Justice. The image, of the scales held high in one hand, the sword in the other, is universal.

Nearly everyone loves the concept of Justice. The image, of the scales held high in one hand, the sword in the other, is nearly universal. Do you feel Justice touch your heart?

What does that mean?
Most of us have been there. Even if it is from loss, perhaps the passing of a beloved grandparent, we feel them in our heart, even though they are not there. While this quote is most likely about a romantic love, I believe that this property can be found in nearly every type of love.

Love of freedom, love of country, love of your family, love for a brother or sister, love for your friends. All have something in common, you miss them when they are not there, whether it is they or you who are absent, there is a longing, a touching of your heart.

They can also, especially in absence, be a comfort, touching your heart. On a long trip, on a rainy day, after an argument or disagreement. Even in absence, you know that the love is there. To me, that is the heart of the quote, that feeling that never leaves you, no matter what is happening or where you are.

Why is the concept of unrequited love important?  Continue reading →

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Just as we encourage physical hygiene to preserve our health, we also need a sense of emotional or mental hygiene too.

Posted on 10 March 2013 by philosiblog

Just as we encourage physical hygiene to preserve our health, we also need a sense of emotional or mental hygiene too. – Dalai Lama

How often do you wash your hands, to keep your physical health? How often do you check your heart and mind for cleanliness?

How often do you wash your hands, to preserve your physical health? How often do you check your emotional and mental hygiene (cleanliness of heart and mind)?

What does that mean?
Do you wash your hands before eating, or do you enjoy putting germs from who knows where into your mouth? Do you bathe and otherwise clean your body to help keep it healthy?

These are the things we do to help keep our physical selves healthy. But what do you do to keep your sense of mental and emotional health? How do you wash your heart or your mind? What do you do to clean up and get rid of the things which might cause illness?

The quote implies that we have well defined methods for maintaining our physical health. The quote says we need the same kind of thing for our emotional and mental health as well. The only question it leaves open is the effectiveness of our methods, and how evenly we apply them.

Why is hygiene for our emotional and mental aspects of ourselves important?  Continue reading →

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The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it.

Posted on 9 March 2013 by philosiblog

The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it. – Seneca

Hoping for good luck. Is that a good strategy, or do you think hard work and doing your best is a better way to get what you want?

Here’s hoping for good luck. Is that a good strategy, or do you think you should put your best effort into what you do?

What does that mean?
Which team hopes more for good fortune (or good luck), the team which has worked hard and prepared for the contest, or the one which hasn’t done the work to prepare? Which one would be considered more deserving of the good fortune of the victory?

Who hopes for a winning lottery ticket, the person who has saved their money carefully, or the person who has spent it recklessly? Who hopes for love, the kind and gentle souls, or the less pleasant people? Are you starting to see a pattern in this?

In my experience, the people who have put the least effort into an endeavor are the ones who hope the most for good fortune or plain dumb luck. Often, it is because it’s their only chance to get what they want. Instead of doing the work, and putting in the effort, they want something simply handed to them.

Why is putting your best effort into life important?  Continue reading →

Posted in attitude, desire, effort, improve, procrastination, success | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Gratitude is the antidote to the two things that stop us: fear and anger.

Posted on 8 March 2013 by philosiblog

Gratitude is the antidote to the two things that stop us: fear and anger. – Tony Robbins and here

You can be angry about being sick. You can be afraid of how sick you are. Or you can be grateful for a warm bowl of soup and a sandwich.

You can be angry about being sick. You can be afraid of how sick you are. Or you can be grateful for a warm bowl of soup and a sandwich. I’d be grateful. How about you?

What does that mean?
The more complete quote is “Gratitude is the antidote to the two things that stop us: fear and anger. Fear is why we don’t take action and anger is why we get stuck. You can’t be grateful and angry simultaneously. You can’t be fearful and be grateful simultaneously. So it’s really the reset button.”

That sounds pretty straight forward, doesn’t it? Can you remember a time when you had a heart full of gratitude, but were afraid? The one will drive out the other, as they are natural antagonists. The same goes for having a heart full of gratitude and being angry. You can’t be both at the same time.

By choosing gratitude, we can push these unhelpful emotions to the margins and allow ourselves to get back in the game, to take action, to become unstuck. That is why he called it the antidote, because that is really what it can do, provided you can find a way to be grateful.

Why is being able to show gratitude important?  Continue reading →

Posted in anger, fear, gratitude, observation, risk, thankful | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Everyone feels benevolent if nothing happens to be annoying him at the moment.

Posted on 7 March 2013 by philosiblog

Everyone feels benevolent if nothing happens to be annoying him at the moment. – C.S. Lewis

Somehow, I don't imagine she is feeling benevolent. While it may be cute on a young child, I doubt that's how you want everyone to think of you, is it?

Somehow, I don’t imagine she is feeling particularly benevolent at the moment. While it may be cute on a young child, I doubt that’s how you want everyone to think of you, is it?

What does that mean?
This is another age-old truth. It is easy to be benevolent when things are going your way. It’s easy to be happy, to be generous, gregarious, and all those other fun things, so long as the sun is shining, so to speak.

However, when things aren’t going as well, it’s a little harder to be happy, isn’t it? It’s harder to be kind, to be generous, to be benevolent, or even be nice. When we are annoyed, it becomes part of who we are, and what we project to others.

What does that tell us about ourselves as people? To me, this quote urges us to be aware of how our mood, specifically how annoyed we are, as this has a serious impact on how we react to others. I believe it also urges us to try to be more positive in our outlook and towards each-other.

Why is a positive attitude important?  Continue reading →

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A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.

Posted on 6 March 2013 by philosiblog

A man paints with his brains and not with his hands. – Michalangelo

If you didn't know what a violin looked like, how would you know you were done?

If you didn’t know what a violin looked like, how would you know you were done? Sidewalk chalk art, like life, works best if you know where you are going.

What does that mean?
But, I wondered, how does your brain hold the brushes? All silliness aside, this quote is about seeing what you want to create in your head, before even picking up the brushes. It would also apply to those flashes of insight where, part way through a painting, you realize that a few tweaks could really improve the painting.

And, of course, the same applies to other art forms, be it sculpting or photography. He also has a series of famous quotes about sculpting, including simply setting the sculpture free of the extra material, and carving only to the skin of the creature within.

All of these go back to knowing your destination. If you know what you want, you know when you get there. If you’re just headed off in that direction, when will you get there? How will you know you when you have finished? Yes, life requires flexibly, but without a destination, you simply wander.

Why is knowing what you want important?  Continue reading →

Posted in confidence, destination, knowledge, motivation, preparation, question | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, “It might have been.”

Posted on 5 March 2013 by philosiblog

For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, “It might have been.” – John Greenleaf Whittier

Does it matter what you were thinking of saying? Learn from your hesitation.

Does it matter what you were thinking of saying? Learn from your hesitation. Next time, take action. No regrets.

What does that mean?
This quote is about regret and sadness. It is about what might have been, if only action had been taken. It comes from the poem “Maud Muller,” which is about a young and beautiful girl who meets a wealthy judge from the local town. Both are attracted to the other, but neither says anything. They each go on with their lives, wondering what might have been.

A longer section of the poem ends like this (lines 101-106) :

Alas for maiden, alas for Judge,
For rich repiner and household drudge!
God pity them both! and pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall;
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”

This is, unfortunately, something that nearly all of us will have in common, if not already, eventually. How many times has someone you wanted to meet slipped away while you were busy trying to find the best words to use when introducing yourself?

And that’s just the topic of the quote. What other areas in your life have the words “it might have been” hanging over the memory of something you did or failed to do? Yes there is a price to pay for trying and failing. But I believe the price of not trying is often much higher.

Why is living without regret important?  Continue reading →

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By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Posted on 4 March 2013 by philosiblog

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. – Benjamin Franklin

Someone's earthquake emergency bag. I'd add some chocolate. What would you add?

Someone’s earthquake emergency bag. I’d add some chocolate. What would you add?

What does that mean?
This quote has existed in various forms in most cultures throughout time. It is an eternal bit of wisdom, recognized by some of the greatest minds, and recorded in many books. Life comes fast. Things happen, sometimes we expect it, and sometimes we don’t.

The difference between the two is our level of preparedness. If we are ready (prepared), we stand a chance of making things work out for the best. However, if we have not prepared, our odds of taking advantage of, or even of surviving the situation, are greatly diminished.

What would happen if there was a terrible storm, and you weren’t prepared? Compare that to how things might be if you had been prepared. In short, when life happens, you are either prepared, or you are not. Being prepared is primary based on your ability to anticipate a situation, plan a response, and then act.

Why is preparation important?  Continue reading →

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Through education we have to lead people to see that concern for others is actually in their own interest.

Posted on 3 March 2013 by philosiblog

Through education we have to lead people to see that concern for others is actually in their own interest. – Dalai Lama

From the text that accompnied the image, this young man shaved his head as part of a fundraiser against cancer. He gets it, do you?

From the text that accompanied the image, this young man shaved his head to help raise funds to fight against cancer. Showing concern for others. He gets it, do you?

What does that mean?
This quote starts by recognizing one of the primary truths of life. We cannot force people to do or understand anything. We can only educate them and lead them to the truth.

The quote then concludes that it is in the best interest of everyone to show concern for their neighbors, their friends, strangers and even their enemies. While some may draw the line before they got to ‘their enemies,’ at least we can agree on the others on the list.

By helping others to understand the interrelation of all people, we can begin to bring the family of humanity closer together. Yes, there will always be the crazy cousin or grumpy uncle in the mix, but we are all family. Being concerned for one another is part of what makes us human.

Why is concern for others important?  Continue reading →

Posted in conscience, education, friendship, giving, help, thankful | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Woo Hoo! Philosiblog is two years old!

Posted on 2 March 2013 by philosiblog

Two years ago, my first post went up. Now, some 741 posts later, the blog is two years old.

I wanted to thank all of you for your kind words and your interaction over the years, and to let you know that until I run out of quotes, I plan to continue posting something each day.

Thanks again for the support, and I hope you take some time to examine your life, sooner rather than later.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.

Posted on 2 March 2013 by philosiblog

One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. – Seneca

You don't have to be someone's clone to understand them. Everybody's happy on payday, right?

You don’t have to be someone’s clone to understand them. Everybody understands that it’s common to be happy on payday, right?

What does that mean?
This quote is about what a true friend is, and the qualities they bring to the relationship. Most of us are friends with someone because of how we feel when we are around them. How they make us feel is based on a lot of things, but one of them is addressed by today’s quote.

I have found a few people in my lifetime that just clicked. We instantly knew each other, and were finishing the sentences of the other that same day. We simply understood each other. To me, that is what this quote is all about. Understanding.

Not everyone understands you at the same level. Some might understand you in the context of work, others might understand your approach and loyalties in sports. Regardless of how much of you, or which parts of you, they understand, it is a wonderful thing to find in another person. And it is a quick way to make a friend.

Why is understanding between friends important?  Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, friendship, listening, observation, truth, understanding | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.

Posted on 1 March 2013 by philosiblog

Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity. – Will Smith

How many of these people are thinking realistically about their chances to win the race?

How many of these people are thinking realistically about their chances to win the race? Be great, don’t settle for less!

What does that mean?
That’s quite a slap in the face, isn’t it? Being real has just been equated with mediocrity, with not really doing much or making much of a difference. But is it true?

I found this quote interesting, because after a few moments of thought I believed it to be true. Now I’ll try to explain it and convince you as well.

Why would the phrase ‘being realistic’ pre-destine you to a life of mediocrity? What would Thomas Edison or Nicola Tesla invented if they had decided to be realistic instead of pursuing their dream? What about Rockefeller, Morgan, or Getty? Where would they be if they had been realistic?

Greatness, being the antithesis of mediocrity, comes from daring to think great thoughts and take great risks. In short, to be great, you pretty much have to throw being realistic right out the window, and get crazy. What do you think, now that I’ve laid out my position. Do you agree?

Why is daring great things important?  Continue reading →

Posted in accomplishment, common sense, dream, innovation, plan, setting an example | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.

Posted on 28 February 2013 by philosiblog

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want. – Ben Stein

If this is the yacht you want for retirement, you're in luck! They're plentiful and cheap. If you want to cross an ocean, however, you're going to need a bigger boat.

If this is the yacht you want for retirement, you’re in luck! They are both plentiful and cheap. If you want to use it to cross an ocean, you are going to need a bigger boat.

What does that mean?
Well, that doesn’t sound like rocket science, does it? I mean how obvious can a quote be? If you want something, the first step is to figure out what it is, right?

But how many of us could list the five or ten most important things we needed or wanted to get out of life, and be specific? Given his bio, I would guess this was a quote from one of his financial planning workshops. In that vein, can you be specific about your retirement goals?

If you don’t know where you are going, how will you get yourself from where you are to where you want to be? Again, it sounds really obvious, but how many people know exactly what they want to do, and know when they have arrived at that destination?

Why is knowing exactly what you want important?  Continue reading →

Posted in decision, hope, love, plan, thinking, work | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman.

Posted on 27 February 2013 by philosiblog

Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman. – Marian Anderson

If you were watching movies in the late 1970's and into the 1980's, you probably have a fear of sharks.

If you were watching movies in the late 1970’s and into the 1980’s, you probably have a fear of sharks. But what would you do if you were in the water at a beach and saw one?

What does that mean?
Fear. The very word scares some people. That isn’t so bad. However, sometimes, that fear causes them to act in a way that’s not particularly appropriate. Usually it is quite illogical.

Sometimes, though, the fear really digs in deep and warps the person to the point where they are willing to do terrible things. They might even do things which are wildly out of character for that person. All because of the impact of a deep, lasting, unresolved fear.

And that is where fear becomes a disease. When it gets deep inside of you, and you can’t shake it, kind of like a bad chest cold that won’t go away. Unfortunately, like that cold, fear can be passed from person to person, and even generation to generation. Fear has been called many things, but this quote calls it a sickness, and it’s hard to argue with the logic.

Why is knowing what you fear important?  Continue reading →

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