Ripples v7.32: Ripples of WHAT MATTERS MOST!
Monday, August 29, 2005
a FREE weekly splash from Paul & The Ripples Project
spread a smile today: http://www.TheRipplesProject.org/Rippler01.html
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Things which matter most
must never be at the mercy of
things which matter least.
-Goethe, submitted by Yani D., Salem OR
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o
How different our lives are
when we really know what is important to us,
and keeping that picture in mind,
we manage ourselves each day
to be and to do
what really matters most.
-Stephen R. Covey, submitted by Yani D., Salem OR
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
This week I returned home to hang out with the RAs at University of Wisconsin - Madison\'s private residence halls and then drove down to fire up some new students at University of Illinois - Chicago. I spent Friday afternoon with student affairs staff and DePauw University and then helped their first year students celebrate their first week at college with a few laughs and a few things to ponder. After spending time with these groups, it is obvious that new students, those who work with students, and probably most of the rest of us face in our work and lives many more options and choices than we have ever had before. Success and happiness depends upon our ability to wade through those myriad options and decide which path to choose, which options are best for us.
It is my firm belief that much of our stress evolves from the incongruence between values and schedule. Your values are what is important to you, and your schedule is a list of how you spend your time. If you believe that family is important to you but a glance at your calendar doesn\'t indicate some family time, your schedule is incongruent with your values. If you say \"man, I need to study more\" but you do not block off study time in your schedule, more incongruence and therefore more stress. The same is true for down time, fun time, solo time, social time, reflection/prayer time. I dare you to make sure you are marking some time on this week\'s schedule to attend to WHAT MATTERS MOST. And then of course, you gotta DO IT!!
Peace,
Paul
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Ripples v7.31: Ripples for TAMING DRAGONS!
Ripples v7.31: Ripples for TAMING DRAGONS!
Monday, August 22, 2005
a FREE weekly splash from Paul & The Ripples Project
over 13,000 subscribers and growing every week!
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth....
tame the dragon and the gift is yours.
-Noela Evans, submitted by Jill B., Fennimore WI
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Character cannot be
developed in ease and quiet.
Only through experience
of trial and suffering
can the soul be strengthened,
vision cleared,
ambition inspired, and
success achieved.
-Helen Keller, submitted by Shellie L., Parker CO
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
This was another travel-filled week as I began in California to spend a day with student leaders at University of the Pacific. Then it was back to the midwest to visit my buddies who each year create the Leadership Safari at Central Michigan University, as well as an energized group of peer mentors attending a symposium at IUPUI in Indiana.
I sensed that participants at each stop were excited about the possibilities that lay ahead for them; I also sensed that many of them worried about countless challenges also present. I tried to gently remind them: they will not succeed IN SPITE of those challenges; instead, it is precisely BECAUSE they dare to face those challenges that they can strengthen their skills and their resolve to conquer those internal and external obstacles that might otherwise limit their opportunities.
This week we all need to put on our bravest face and TAME A DRAGON, whether that dragon is an obstacle to a personal goal we\'re seeking, a seemingly immovable barrier to success in a work project, or an interpersonal conflict that diminishes the potential of a relationship. Go for it, my friend: GO FOR IT!
Oh, and with the strike at Northwest Airlines, the painful withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and of course the ongoing crises in Iraq, Darfur, and elsewhere, please know I am counting on you to help me send out into the world an extra dose of
Peace,
Paul
Monday, August 22, 2005
a FREE weekly splash from Paul & The Ripples Project
over 13,000 subscribers and growing every week!
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth....
tame the dragon and the gift is yours.
-Noela Evans, submitted by Jill B., Fennimore WI
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Character cannot be
developed in ease and quiet.
Only through experience
of trial and suffering
can the soul be strengthened,
vision cleared,
ambition inspired, and
success achieved.
-Helen Keller, submitted by Shellie L., Parker CO
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
This was another travel-filled week as I began in California to spend a day with student leaders at University of the Pacific. Then it was back to the midwest to visit my buddies who each year create the Leadership Safari at Central Michigan University, as well as an energized group of peer mentors attending a symposium at IUPUI in Indiana.
I sensed that participants at each stop were excited about the possibilities that lay ahead for them; I also sensed that many of them worried about countless challenges also present. I tried to gently remind them: they will not succeed IN SPITE of those challenges; instead, it is precisely BECAUSE they dare to face those challenges that they can strengthen their skills and their resolve to conquer those internal and external obstacles that might otherwise limit their opportunities.
This week we all need to put on our bravest face and TAME A DRAGON, whether that dragon is an obstacle to a personal goal we\'re seeking, a seemingly immovable barrier to success in a work project, or an interpersonal conflict that diminishes the potential of a relationship. Go for it, my friend: GO FOR IT!
Oh, and with the strike at Northwest Airlines, the painful withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and of course the ongoing crises in Iraq, Darfur, and elsewhere, please know I am counting on you to help me send out into the world an extra dose of
Peace,
Paul
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Ripples v7.30: Ripples of INVENTING OURSELVES!
Ripples v7.30: Ripples of INVENTING OURSELVES!
Monday, August 15, 2005
a FREE weekly splash from Paul & The Ripples Project
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
\"How does one become a butterfly?\" she asked pensively.
\"You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.\"
-Trina Paulus, submitted by Michelle P., Lincoln NE
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily.
If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented.
Those who tower over us omnisciently and laugh will invent us….
So to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise.
-Maya Angelou, submitted by Dana M., Waukesha WI
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
I\'m back on the road, and this week I spent some time helping K-12 educators get geared up for another year at the John Muir Academy in Lodi WI, and then returned to western North Carolina to help the new students at UNC-Asheville start their year off on a positive note.
For many of us, the fall means \"back to school and/or work,\" and therefore becomes a fantastic opportunity to create a fresh start. Is there some skill or habit or attitude that you would like to acquire? If so, this might be an ideal time to INVENT YOURSELF even if your life doesn\'t revolve around an academic calendar. Maya Angelou\'s words above warn us that if we do not take charge of the process, someone else may very well come along and doing the inventing. I prefer to have YOU be in charge of YOU, and I will be in charge of ME!
On your mark, get set, INVENT!
Peace,
Paul
Monday, August 15, 2005
a FREE weekly splash from Paul & The Ripples Project
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
\"How does one become a butterfly?\" she asked pensively.
\"You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.\"
-Trina Paulus, submitted by Michelle P., Lincoln NE
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily.
If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented.
Those who tower over us omnisciently and laugh will invent us….
So to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise.
-Maya Angelou, submitted by Dana M., Waukesha WI
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
I\'m back on the road, and this week I spent some time helping K-12 educators get geared up for another year at the John Muir Academy in Lodi WI, and then returned to western North Carolina to help the new students at UNC-Asheville start their year off on a positive note.
For many of us, the fall means \"back to school and/or work,\" and therefore becomes a fantastic opportunity to create a fresh start. Is there some skill or habit or attitude that you would like to acquire? If so, this might be an ideal time to INVENT YOURSELF even if your life doesn\'t revolve around an academic calendar. Maya Angelou\'s words above warn us that if we do not take charge of the process, someone else may very well come along and doing the inventing. I prefer to have YOU be in charge of YOU, and I will be in charge of ME!
On your mark, get set, INVENT!
Peace,
Paul
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Ripples v7.29: Ripples of THE TAPESTRY!
Ripples v7.29: Ripples of THE TAPESTRY!
Monday, August 8, 2005
a FREE weekly splash from Paul & The Ripples Project
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
-Albert Einstein, submitted by Karen K, Milwaukee, WI
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o
We don\'t accomplish anything in this world alone ...
and whatever happens is the result of
the whole tapestry of one\'s life and
all the weavings of individual threads
from one to another that create something.
-Sandra Day O\'Connor, submitted by Katie M., Cedarville, IL
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
A few months ago I was contacted by Mike M. here in Madison who had received a Ripples card at a United Way event. He was excited about The Ripples Project and was planning the closing ceremonies for Madison\'s AIDS Ride (almost 200 riders spent 4 days biking throughout southern Wisconsin to raise money for AIDS Network). Mike wanted the riders and volunteers to receive a ripple card so they could be reminded of the important ripples they were creating. He didn\'t realize at first that Ripples is sent out from Madison, nor did he know that I was a long-time volunteer and former staff member at AIDS Network.
We eventually met in person and arranged to have me distribute the cards at the event this week. I was able to speak to them for a few minutes, thanking them for the incredible ripples they had created by raising money and then enduring a VERY challenging four days of hills and heat and more hills.
It was so apparent to me that everyone present had put much time, energy and passion into this important cause, and it reminded me again that it takes ALL of us pitching in to keep making our planet a better place to be. I am thankful that Mike reached out to us so we could be a part of the celebration, and I am thankful to all of YOU because together we have created such a large community of ripplers who are out there weaving this remarkable tapestry called LIFE!
Enjoy your tapestry, and ENJOY TODAY!
Peace,
Paul
Monday, August 8, 2005
a FREE weekly splash from Paul & The Ripples Project
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
-Albert Einstein, submitted by Karen K, Milwaukee, WI
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o
We don\'t accomplish anything in this world alone ...
and whatever happens is the result of
the whole tapestry of one\'s life and
all the weavings of individual threads
from one to another that create something.
-Sandra Day O\'Connor, submitted by Katie M., Cedarville, IL
=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o
A few months ago I was contacted by Mike M. here in Madison who had received a Ripples card at a United Way event. He was excited about The Ripples Project and was planning the closing ceremonies for Madison\'s AIDS Ride (almost 200 riders spent 4 days biking throughout southern Wisconsin to raise money for AIDS Network). Mike wanted the riders and volunteers to receive a ripple card so they could be reminded of the important ripples they were creating. He didn\'t realize at first that Ripples is sent out from Madison, nor did he know that I was a long-time volunteer and former staff member at AIDS Network.
We eventually met in person and arranged to have me distribute the cards at the event this week. I was able to speak to them for a few minutes, thanking them for the incredible ripples they had created by raising money and then enduring a VERY challenging four days of hills and heat and more hills.
It was so apparent to me that everyone present had put much time, energy and passion into this important cause, and it reminded me again that it takes ALL of us pitching in to keep making our planet a better place to be. I am thankful that Mike reached out to us so we could be a part of the celebration, and I am thankful to all of YOU because together we have created such a large community of ripplers who are out there weaving this remarkable tapestry called LIFE!
Enjoy your tapestry, and ENJOY TODAY!
Peace,
Paul
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)