Ripples v9.05: Gorilla Toughness

Ripples v9.05: Gorilla Toughness
1/29/07: a free splash from Paul & The Ripples Project

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

It's a little like wrestling a gorilla.
You don't quit when you're tired,
you quit when the gorilla's tired.
-Robert Frost, submitted by Allison K., WI

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= WAVE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Please help me WAVE to some new Ripplers:
student leaders at Mississippi University for Women &
the talented high school leaders they hosted at the
Hearin Leadership Conference this weekend.

Also, longtime Rippler Deb T., of Cudahy WI
mentioned Ripples on a listserv and several
credit union folks from around the country
subscribed, so a ripply WAVE to them too!!

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Your toughness is made up of
equal parts persistence and experience.
You don't so much outrun your opponents
as outlast and outsmart them,
and the toughest opponent of all
is the one inside your head.
-Joe Henderson, submitted by Rob G., Lewisburg PA

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= SPLASH =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

If you have recently given up on something (or someone), or are strongly considering throwing in the towel on a project that just isn't progressing like you hoped, I dare you to be GORILLA TOUGH this week and give it one more solid push. Print out these quotes and tape them to your computer so you can hang in there. GO FOR IT!

Peace,
Paul
p.s. I have a gift to give you soon that I hope you will enjoy! Imagine sitting by a peaceful pond listening to calm music....more details next week.

Ripples v9.04: Being The Poem.

Ripples v9.04: Being The Poem.
1/22/07: a quick splash from Paul & The Ripples Project

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

If you cannot be a poet, be the poem.
-David Carradine, submitted by Cindy K, Green Bay WI

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Love the earth and sun and animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labor to others...
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.
-Walt Whitman, submitted by Cindy K, Green Bay WI

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= WAVE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Please give a big WAVE to new subscribers from
Community Financial Credit Union in Michigan.
It was a joy to hang out with them last week!

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

This weekend a beautiful blanket of snow settled on Madison. It may have limited our Ripply town meeting to four happy souls, but it was great fun to chat about The Ripples Project and similar efforts underway to create a community of positive-acting folks. I hope to implement some of the ideas we generated within the next few months, so watch for more Ripply Potential!

Regarding this week's theme: if The Ripples Project is a poem, YOU are the lines. So here is a dare: go out there, take your gifts and share, show the world you care!

Peace,
Paul

Ripples v9.03: Dr. King!

Ripples v9.03: Dr. King!
1/15/07: a quick splash from Paul & The Ripples Project

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Man must evolve for all human conflict
a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation.
The foundation of such a method is love.
-Martin Luther King, Jr., submitted by Judy A., Carbondale IL

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

The past is prophetic
in that it asserts loudly that
wars are poor chisels
for carving out peaceful tomorrows.

One day we must come to see
that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek,
but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.
How much longer must we play at deadly war games
before we heed the plaintive pleas
of the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?
-Martin Luther King, Jr., submitted by Cathie M., Madison WI

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= SPLASH =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

For everyone here: please, please PLEASE take some action this week to honor Dr. King. Make peace with a co-worker, reach out to a struggling friend, speak up on behalf of someone who needs it.

For Madison area Ripplers, join us for a Ripply Town MeetUp! A few of us are gathering next week in Madison to explore how to make the world a more ripply place. This Sunday, January 21, 4pm at "In the Company of Thieves" Coffee Shop, 908 E Johnson St, Madison (608) 204-9797 If you think you might come, let me know in advance if possible!

More info here: http://theripplesproject.org/smf/index.php?topic=209.0

In honor of Dr. King, I send you now an extra big splash of....

Peace,

Paul

Ripples v9.02: Treating People Right!

Ripples v9.02: Treating People Right!
1/8/07: a quick splash from Paul & The Ripples Project

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.
-Henry Boye, submitted by Kathy L., Mendota Heights MN

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration,
I can humiliate or humor,
hurt or heal.

In all situations,
it is my response that decides whether
a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and
a person is humanized or de-humanized.

If we treat people as they are,
we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become what they are capable of becoming.
-J.W. Goethe, submitted by Kelly P., Ontario OR

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= SPLASH =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

I need help gathering examples of TREATING PEOPLE RIGHT!

Have you recently (or ever?) been in a situation where you were receiving service (restaurant, hotel, retail store, etc.) and the person said or did something unexpected that "made life joyous?" Reply and share it with me! Anyone who responds by Thursday morning with a brief example will get a copy of all the examples (and I think it could be a great list.).

If you cannot think of one, then make a splash this week by making an extra effort to be nice to someone that isn't expecting it.

Peace,
Paul

Ripples v9.01: New Directions!

Ripples v9.01: New Directions!
1/1/07: a quick splash from Paul & The Ripples Project

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

You cannot change your destination overnight,
but you can change your direction overnight.
-Jim Rohn, submitted by Sarah B., Burlington WI

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

We owe it to the past to use its gains worthily
and to advance from the point at which it left off.

We owe it to the future
to prepare a generation better than ourselves.
We owe it to the present to 'live',
to live with all the expansion of heart and soul,
all reaching out of our personality
towards those relations appointed to us.
-Charlotte Mason, submitted by Judy A., Carbondale IL

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Welcome to 2007! The new year always brings an opportunity for NEW DIRECTIONS, and that includes here at The Ripples Project! Below is a new section with content that used to be here in the PONDER area. Some times I have ended a PONDER with a challenge: "this week, try to...." Other times I have mentioned a book or website that might be worth a peek. The SPLASH section will appear occasionally to serve as a special home for these small actions that could make an immediate SPLASH in your life: call, visit, read, surf, experiment, etc. Try it, you may like it!

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= SPLASH =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

In the spirit of the new year and this week's theme of NEW DIRECTIONS, I dare you to spend 5 minutes answering 5 questions at this quick retirement planner: http://www.Fidelity.com/MyPlan . * I know, some of you may feel you are too young to think about this....there are others here who wish someone would have nudged them to think about this earlier. If you find it useful, let me know!

Another splash to consider: would you like to meet other Ripply people? We are convening a Ripply Town Meeting on Sunday afternoon, January 21 here in Madison.

Peace,
Paul
*This is not a paid advertisement, nor an endorsement of an organization. I just thought it had Ripply Potential and it is okay if you disagree!