Meekness, a word many people don’t usually know well and if they do they just throw it in the wagon with gentleness, but they are different just like joy and happiness. I don’t know where I first heard it described like this but I absolutely love it “Meekness is strength under control” and that’s just it you could have the ability to destroy the world but you control your anger and that’s meekness. Meekness isn’t weakness even though it rhymes its quite the opposite I personally believe you must have an indescribable amount of strength to be meek instead of looking down and laughing we should be looking up and praising those who are meek. You may not even realize that you’re doing it but try to be meek that’s my challenge try it for a week or so control your power and use it for good. I have nothing else to say so... it’s time for quotes.
“Glances of true beauty can be seen in the faces of those who live in true meekness.” - Henry David Thoreau
“Humility is not cowardice. Meekness is not weakness. Humility and meekness are indeed spiritual powers.” - Swami Sivananda
“Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.” - Leo F. Buscaglia
“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength” - St. Francis de Sales
Man, that’s some deep stuff, ok I hope you enjoy and don’t forget my challenge be meek. Thanks for reading
- Brent
Joy
Joy is a powerful emotion defined by Webster’s as, The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. Although I think the last one, the prospect of possessing what one desires, defines it best and is what I will focus on. What do you desire in life, friends, love, religion, a new ipad? Whatever it is, when you possess it, will bring an overwhelming sense of happiness and joy to you and then you will understand. Although joy doesn’t come and go like I said it’s an overwhelming sense of happiness that brings you an inner serenity. Like that new ipad for example. You get it and you’re all excited but then the next ipad comes out and you keep wanting more. You didn’t truly desire the ipad you just wanted it and I’m not saying you can’t want things but joy is not something you get from things, It’s brought about by something worthwhile like love, or religion. Sorry to say this, but friends will let you down, family will let you down, but religion and a friend in God will never let you down. Now let’s look at some quotes because I’ve said what I want to.
“Joy is increased by spreading it to others” - Robert Murray McCheyne
“When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace, love, prosperity, happiness... all the good things.” - Maya Angelou
“Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow” – Helen Keller
“Nothing I've ever done has given me more joys and rewards than being a father to my children.” – Bill Cosby
“Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness” - Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy
Thanks for reading - Brent
Time
Time. Time is limited. Time is burnt. Time is wasted. Time is used. Time is…gone. Time is a thing many people take for granted. I know I spend more time than I should just sitting around and watching TV. We spend countless hours just sleeping every day. I’m not saying you should become one of those freaks living off five-hour-energy; by no means do I want you to do that. Sleep is important but the point I’m making is that we use time up and before long it’s gone. You could be in a car accident on the way to work tomorrow time is not endless. Be patient though. Always be patient. Patience is not wasting time it’s just using time more profitably just make sure your moving forward. So I challenge you to a Pokémon battle. Haha, just kidding. I challenge you to not waste time as I just did but rather to use and enjoy your life. Make it worthwhile. Remember, life is over in the blink of an eye and after that is eternity so while you’re having fun climbing Mount Everest bring a Bible with you.
“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” ~ Dr. Seuss
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid of standing still.” ~ Chinese proverb
“Half of today is better than all of tomorrow” ~ Jean de la Fontaine
“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.” ~ Harvey MacKay
“Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.” ~ Anonymous
So now I hope you waste no more time. ~ Brent
Self-Control
There used to be a sign in my science teachers room that said “You are in charge of you.” I feel like that illustrates my point very well. Self-control is defined by Webster’s as restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires. You can have self-control over many things. Speech is especially something people I have day-to-day contact with need to work on, so I shall focus my efforts on oral self-control. In James 3:2 it says For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. It goes on to talk about how the tongue can set ablaze a large fire or build up others. We can’t have both. So my challenge to you is to be the man who bridles his tongue. Watch your language don’t set the fire but rather use your tongue to cement the bricks of the wall of friendship. Try it for a week and I guarantee you will feel goods at the end of the week. Now for some wise quotes by wise people.
“Liberty is the prevention of control by others. This requires self-control and, therefore, religious and spiritual influences; education, knowledge, well-being.” ~ Lord Acton
“By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.” ~ Grenville Kleiser
“Man cannot live without self-control” ~ Isaac Bashevis Singer
“Self-help and self-control are the essence of the American tradition”~ FDR
“If a man will understand how intimately, yea, how inseparably, self-control and happiness are associated, he has but to look into his own heart, and upon the world around,...Looking upon the lives of men and women, he will perceive how the hasty word, the bitter retort, the act of deception, the blind prejudice and foolish resentment bring wretchedness and even ruin in their train.” ~ James Allen
Self control is powerful, I hope you see that. Don’t forget the challenge. ~Brent :)
Kindness
Kindness is something that just a little bit goes a long way. With just a little bit of kindness you can turn a bad day into a good day for both you and the person you are giving it to. But what is kindness? I’ll quote Albert Schweitzer with saying “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” I know it’s not the best definition but a good one at that. Kindness is a hard virtue to describe because it’s so broad. A nice word that builds up someone can cause hostility and trust to go away. Just remembering someone’s birthday is a small act of kindness that does the same thing. Let me sum it up and say happiness is anything that brings wholesome happiness to someone. I don’t know what else to say about the subject but my friends who died more than 100 years ago do so I’ll let them talk to you.
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” ~anonymous
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ~Lao Tzu
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear, and the blind can read” ~Mark Twain
“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” ~ Og Mandino
“It is the characteristic of the magnanimous man to ask no favor but to be ready to do kindness to others.” ~Aristotle
Can you show kindness to your fellow man? The answer is yes. Will you show kindness, well that’s up to you. ~ Brent =)
Mt. Excellence
When you’re climbing to the top
Do not ever think to stop
Do not grumble, not a squeak
Just keep climbing ‘till you reach the peak.
Whether leading 100 men
Or yourself and the fellow within
Once your falling it’s hard to slow
Just climb harder and you will grow.
While you’re climbing toward the sky
It gets steeper, you’ll have to try
Working hard and you will hence
Conquer great Mt. Excellence
Conformity
In a world that is so worried about fitting in we many times don’t think about how dangerous it is to join the crowd. The essence of conformity is just that, joining the crowd. The reason this is so dangerous is that this is truly the root of many common evils in this world. If your child, or brother, or maybe even you are bullied at school or work or anywhere really it is 99% of the time because they aren’t conforming. So you would think the easy way would be to conform but think about it. If you have ever read 1984 it is all in essence the epitome of a dystopia the reason all of it happens is because of the fact everyone is conforming. Another downside if you just think about it would be that everyone would be the same all had the same hair, the same clothes, same shoes, Do you really want to be part of that? No conformity is a MONSTER. Conformity is the root of the holocaust, the Salem witch trials, and the red scare. This was all aimed at people who were different, or who they accused of being different and everyone went along with it. Nobody learns from the past. Get away from the crowd. Be a leader. I have recently let go of nearly every idea of conformity I was holding to. I have never been happier. But don’t take my word for it. Wise old men can say it much better than I.
“Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth.” ~ JFK
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” ~ John Masons
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter, don’t mind.” ~ Dr. Seuss
“To be oneself and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity” ~ Irving Wallace
“I, for one hope that youth will again revolt and again demoralize the dead weight of conformity that now lies upon us.” ~ Howard Mumford Jones
“I’d be interested to see what the conformists would do if the majority were nonconformists” ~ Me
So why would you want to be part of the group that starts a second holocaust or such? Revolt and demoralize conformity before it’s too late. ~Brent
“Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth.” ~ JFK
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” ~ John Masons
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter, don’t mind.” ~ Dr. Seuss
“To be oneself and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity” ~ Irving Wallace
“I, for one hope that youth will again revolt and again demoralize the dead weight of conformity that now lies upon us.” ~ Howard Mumford Jones
“I’d be interested to see what the conformists would do if the majority were nonconformists” ~ Me
So why would you want to be part of the group that starts a second holocaust or such? Revolt and demoralize conformity before it’s too late. ~Brent