Ripples v10.04: Preparing for Poopiness!

Ripples v10.04: Preparing for Poopiness!
Jan 28, 2008: a free weekly splash to 17,952 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project

____________________PEBBLE ____________________

What ought one to say then as each hardship comes?
I was practicing for this, I was training for this.
-Epictitus, submitted by Linn W., Milwaukee WI

____________________BOULDER ____________________

The difficulties and
struggles of today
are the price we must pay
for the accomplishments
and victories of tomorrow.
-William J. H. Boetcker, submitted by Joycelyn F., Reedsburg WI

____________________PONDER ____________________

I have been enjoying the east coast recently, stopping in New Jersey to hang out at Montclair State, Rutgers & Rowan universities and also with the of U.S. Tennis Association Eastern Section up in White Plains NY (welcome to all!!)

In all of these presentations, I was helping participants identify skills and actions that would help them excel in their leadership roles. Sometimes we forget that while certain personality types might be more likely to develop some leadership skills, we can all improve our abilities with practice. This is certainly true with facing adversity. While some people are better at facing difficult situations than others, we can ALL improve since life inevitably hands us all difficulties. Some of you know that I often use a technical term for these sorts of challenges: POOPY STUFF!

If life has pooped on you lately, remember that you have successfully dealt with challenges in the past and whether this particular challenge is a sprint or a marathon, you can do it! It may not always be easy, it may not always be fun, but if you can hang in there and do your best you WILL make it through and you will be stronger, faster, better on the other side! And victory will smell much better than the...well, you get the idea.....

Peace,
Paul

Ripples v10.03: Dr. King!

Ripples v10.03: Dr. King!
Jan 21, 2008: a free weekly splash to 17,921 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project

____________________PEBBLE ____________________

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., submitted by Judy A., Carbondale IL.

____________________BOULDER ____________________

Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve.
You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You don't have to know about Aristotle and Plato to serve ...
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., submitted by Allison T., San Luis Obispo CA

____________________PONDER ____________________

Some of us have the day off as the U.S. celebrates Martin Luther King day, and I hope EVERYONE can take a few minutes to notice how many great things are happening, in part because Dr. King's words and actions are still echoing throughout our society.

We are not where we should be in terms of nurturing a diverse society AND we are so much farther along because of powerful voices like Dr. King's.

Celebrate this important day by speaking up for someone else and/or listening carefully to someone who is doing the same!

Peace,
Paul

Ripples v10.02: Come Alive!

Ripples v10.02: Come Alive!
Jan 14, 2008: a free weekly splash to 17,726 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project

____________________PEBBLE ____________________

Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do.
Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong.
-Ella Fitzgerald, submitted by Lin H., Bloomington IL

____________________BOULDER ____________________

Don't ask yourself what the world needs;
ask yourself what makes you come alive.
And then go and do that.
Because what the world needs is
people who have come alive.
-Harold Whitman, submitted by Judy A., Carbondale IL

____________________PONDER ____________________

I spent some time this week at Iowa State University to help fire up some new and transfer students and then bipped over to hang out with some passionate RAs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (and I forgot to ask them why the heck there are so many cats running around campus...they could open a cat safari and make some money!).

The presentations I gave were different, but both included messages about embracing the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the upcoming semester. I want to tell them (and you!) that while school and work and life all have lots of "need to do" tasks, it is important to your heart and to your soul that you also pursue some "want to do" projects. Carve a few minutes today, or at least an hour this week, to take some "want to" action like talking with someone in a career you have fantasized about or googling a curious topic. Pursuing educational degrees & careers are potentially more rewarding if you find a path for which you have passion. So come alive, Ripplers, COME ALIVE

Peace,
Paul

Ripples v10.01: Actualize!

Ripples v10.01: Actualize!
Jan 7, 2008: a free weekly splash to 17,496
from Paul & The Ripples Project

____________________PEBBLE ____________________

What would the child you once were,
think of the adult you have become?
-Mike Mertes, submitted anonymously

____________________BOULDER ____________________

..The far goal of education--
as of psychotherapy, of family life, of work, of society, of life itself-
is to aid the person to grow to fullest humanness,
to the greatest fulfillment and actualization of her highest potentials,
to her greatest possible stature.

In a word, it should help her to become
the best she is capable of becoming,
to become *actually* what she deeply is potentially.
-adapted from Abraham Maslow, submitted by Brenda Halfman, Wausau WI

____________________PONDER ____________________

Welcome to 2008, and to the beginning of our TENTH YEAR of sending out RIPPLES: YIPPEE!

In addition to taking action this week to ACTUALIZE yourself, I need your help ACTUALIZING our membership. Each December we lose a pile of subscribers because emails expire and people forget to subscribe their new email addresses (or maybe they are finished being Ripply?). This is a great time of year to tell your family and friends about our happy newsletter, so if you could take a minute to forward this issue to just a couple of people that would be most Ripply of you. It would also help if you tell them how long you have been subscribing and why you like it! I am hoping that in our 10th year, we are able to reach 20,000 subscribers!

Thanks, and good luck ACTUALIZING your self in 2008!

Peace,
Paul