September 30, 2010

Is your life full of adventure?

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“Adventure is a state of mind – and spirit. It comes with faith, for with complete faith, there is no fear of what faces you in life or death.”

Jacqueline Cochran, aviator

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When we fly or board a plane, it is really an act of faith because if just one thing goes wrong at 10, 20 or 30 000 feet… and that’s the end of us. But what an adventure it is to take off and relinquish control over our destiny. I like every minute of this state of mind. We can experience a similar feeling on a roller coaster ride, in a hot-air balloon or with skydiving.

These are one of the ways to live life to the fullest among many more.

Do you like to give up control over your life and experience an intense feeling of adventure?

 

 

September 27, 2010

The secret of Nature is patience

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“Adopt the pace of Nature; her secret is patience”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Nature will eventually fix everything… even if we  are not here anymore… especially if we are not here anymore.

 

September 27, 2010

Who will be at your funeral?

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Don’t you think we’re taking this whole Social Media thing a bit too seriously?

Who wants to be on their deathbed  and say” I wish I had more Twitter followers.”

How many Facebook “friends” and Linked In “professional contacts” will attend your funeral?

When my wife wants to get my attention, she asks me; “who will be sitting in the front row at your funeral.”    “Your iPhone, your iPad , your laptop?”

Don’t get me wrong! These are great tools of communication, but how much is too much?

Let’s try to put things in perspective.

My passion or obsession is with time and I wonder, if recently, I have been overindulging and over- investing my very limited time on those platforms.

Let’s put down all our latest gadgets and gizmos, let’s play with our kids, let’s spend time with our wives and husbands, girlfriends or boyfriends while we can.

 

September 25, 2010

Wisdom from a Holocaust Survivor.

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“The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.”

Corrie ten Boom

Holocaust survivor

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It’s not how long we live that is important, it’s the difference we make in this world.

 

September 25, 2010

Road to happiness

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“The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it put your whole soul into it – every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have.”John D. Rockefeller,
Industrialist
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Here is a link of an interesting TED conference…
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September 23, 2010

The secret of life.

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“I think I’ve discovered the secret of life; you just hang around until you get used to it.” 

Charles Schulz

American cartoonist ( Creator of Peanuts)

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September 19, 2010

What would life be without art?

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“Science prolongs life. To consist of what ? Eating, drinking and sleeping? What is the good of living longer if it is only a matter of satisfying the requirements that sustain life?

All this is nothing without the charm of art.”

Sarah Bernhardt

French actress

 

September 2, 2010

The future and the present.

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Clarity, Consequence, Courage, Failure, Fear, Here, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Results, Serenity, Success, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , |
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“The future will depend on what we do in the present”

Mahatma Gandhi

(1869-1948)

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We all know this, it is so simple to understand when we read it. However, the challenge is not only to read it and understand it, the real challenge is to practice what we understand so well.

Yes, practice it day in day out, especially when you have distractions, a bad day or a good day.

Whatever is your dream, your project, your goal, pursue it relentlessly without wasting time.

You need a burning desire to keep you absorbed and focused, even when you have so many responsibilities and distractions.

Will you?

 

August 26, 2010

How dare you being bored ?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Important question, Life, Life leadership, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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“The trouble with life is that there are so many beautiful women and so little time.” 

John Barrymore

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 With 203 countries ( Sovereign states) to visit,

With thousands of cities to discover,

 With 6,8 billion people living on this planet,

With more than 3 000 000 wine bottles to taste,

With millions of books to read,

With thousands of movies to watch,

With so many skills to learn,

With so many things to experience,

With so many people in need or living in poverty,

I could go on and on…

And  a potential of only 36525 days to live.

How dare you being bored?

 

August 25, 2010

Would you like to know your future?

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“If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions.”

“If you want to know your future, look into your present ACTIONS.”

Chinese proverb

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August 24, 2010

Does time have meaning?

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Time, like life itself, has no inherent meaning.
We give our own meaning to time as to life.

JLH

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August 19, 2010

Are You Different From Yesterday ?

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“I can’t go back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”

 Lewis Carroll

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We cannot change the past, we can learn from the past and we can avoid repeating the same mistakes too many times over.

Someone will say;  “This is so obvious!”

Yes it is!

Why do so many of us let our lives be governed by our personal history if we can’t go back to yerterday?

 

August 11, 2010

Do you value yourself?

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See all we have in life is time. From the moment of our first breath, the clock started ticking. The sands of time started to fall down the hourglass and the fuse of our life started to burn down.

Until I value myself, I won’t value my time……..

Unknown author

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July 17, 2010

When I…

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Choices, Life, Life leadership, Now, Procrastination, Results, Success, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Many of us spend and waste a lot of time thinking that things will be better WHEN we lose weight, get promoted, move into a nicer place, make more money, get married, have children, get out of debt, have more free time, get the kids out of the house, retire, recover from a specific injury, illness, or whatever else it is we think needs to change in order for us to be happy.

Life is not “WHEN” ; it is TODAY.

Stephen Lafond

 

May 20, 2010

How to make your life easier?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Life, Life leadership, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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Our life is frittered away by detail…simplify,simplify.

Henry David Thoreau

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How much time do you spend taking care of things that are not important?

How much time do you invest in things that are important?

Do you take time to get rid of what’s not essential?

 

 

 

May 5, 2010

Why not?

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I hear you say “Why?” Always “Why?” You see things; and you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?”

George Bernard Shaw

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This is the reason why we talk about George Bernard Shaw; he dared to say WHY NOT?

How many times in our lives did we say WHY and the main reason was our concern for the opinion of others?

How many times we did not dare SAY THE THING or DO THE THING because of fear or timidity?

Benjamin Franklin used to say ; “Do something worth writing about or write something worth reading if you don’t want to be forgotten an hour after your death.”

Will you dare say WHY NOT ?

 

April 25, 2010

Who’s fault is it?

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“The fault is NOT in the stars, but in ourselves.”

Shakespeare

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How many times do we blame others for what happens or what doesn’t happen to us?

When we point our finger at someone, did you ever notice that at least three of them are coming back towards us?

Confucius used to say; “Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbour’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean”

When you complain about something, 80% of people don’t care about your complaining and some of the last 20% are happy about your misery. Why? Because the first 80% are too preoccupied with their own lives. The remaining 20% are simply envious of you and that makes them secretly happy when something bad happens to you.

What was the question again? Oh yes, Who’s fault is it? Sorry folks, but it’s almost always your fault.

And what if wasn’t ? Well, it’s your responsibility.

 

April 21, 2010

Full Consciousness and full acceptance

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Only when your consciousness is totally focused on the moment you are in can you receive whatever gift, lesson, or delight that the moment has to offer.

Barbara de Angelis

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It seems to me that we are stubborn students of life.

Life seems to tell us; here is a situation you need to face for your own developpement, and yet, most of the time, we will try to avoid the lesson. Why? Because it’s too damned hard! The funny thing about this is; the lesson we try to avoid seems to come back to us in many unexpected ways. Somehow, we can’t escape it.

When we focus on the moment and accept to face what we have to, it is difficult, but it is one of the best way to grow.

What does this post have to do with time?

The sooner we understand this concept and that we put it in practice, the more time we will save to do other activities that we really enjoy. Have a nice day.

 

April 17, 2010

Serenity

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Through my efforts, I gain the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

To live one day at a time;
Enjoy one moment at a time;
Accept the hardships as natural balance;
Taking this beautiful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting in the balance;
That I may be able to see myself as happy in this life.

(Many authors have worked on this one, I don’t know who to give the credit to)

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This is so much easier said than done, but I’ll keep on trying until…

I could try to comment this text over and over again, but the real challenge is to live by it when we are confronted with daily frustrations.

 

April 16, 2010

A life of quiet desperation

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“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”

Henry David Thoreau

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If this is how you feel, there is still a chance to change it. It’s up to you.

Will you?

 

 

April 15, 2010

Time is a tool, not a couch!

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    We must use time as a tool, not as a couch.
    John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-63)
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    If If someone is watching a reality show about dancing on TV, aren’t they using time as a couch?  If someone is taking some dancing lessons with a friend or partner, aren’t they using time as a tool?
    If someone is watching a reality show about singing, aren’t they using time as a couch? If someone is taking singing lessons, entering a karaoke contest or joining a choir, aren’t they using time as a tool?
    If someone is watching hockey or golf on TV, aren’t they using time as a couch? If someone is playing hockey or golf with friends, aren’t they using time as a tool?  Is your satisfaction in the watching or in the doing?Are you a spectator or an actor?

    Which one will make grow you as an individual?

 

April 14, 2010

Bill Cosby On The Key To Success.

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“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

— Bill Cosby, Comedian

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It’s the same concept with time; just like it’s impossible to please everybody, it’s impossible to do everything with the time that is given to us.

So many things and so many people are competing for our attention, this why it is so crucial to choose what are the most important for us in terms of  family time, accomplishments, friendship, work , personal time and so on.

Will you take some time today to choose what are your Top 5 or Top 10 most important projects?

 

April 13, 2010

What teachers make?

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Apparently, Socrates never wrote anything , the knowledge of the man, his life, and his philosophy are based on writings by his students, one of which was Plato who was amongst the most popular. Plato himself was the teacher of Aristotle, and  Aristotle later on became the teacher of Alexander the Great.

We can see how an original thinker (Socrates) had influence on the poet & dreamer (Plato) who in turn had influence on the man of Logic (Aristotle) who finally influenced the man of action (Alexander the Great). The teachings of Socrates still resonate with us directly and indirectly 24 centuries later.

We can see with the previous succession of great people the importance of teaching.

Some of the greatest teachers often work in relative obscurity, it is their own personal passion that helps to shape some of the greatest individuals of the future.

Could you be one of them?

Could Taylor Mali be one of them?

 

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I  really like this guy ( Taylor Mali). Check it out.

 

April 12, 2010

Wisdom from the King of Latte

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“Life is a series of near misses. But a lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future.”

Howard Schultz

American entrepreneur, Chairman of Starbucks.

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In other words, how many times do we miss some incredible opportunities in life because we are so focused on ourselves? Take responsibility for what you want , what you need, what you dream about. Create your own opportunities by getting out of your comfort zone; meeting new people, going to new places, learning new skills and exploring unfamiliar territories.

When was the last time you took a risk?

When was the last time you did something you were afraid of?

 

 

April 11, 2010

Beware complexifiers & complicators

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Beware complexifiers & complicators. Truly, “smart people” …simplify things.

TomPeters

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What you are about to read applies to most of us¸

Living isn’t complicated, feeding yourself  isn’t complicated, finding a roof over your head isn’t complicated, learning new skills isn’t complicated, making new friends isn’t complicated, It’s actually quite easy.

If what I’m writing is valid, Why do so many of us have the tendency to complicate very simple puzzle and transform them into very difficult problems to solve? Are we some kind of maso-psycho-slow-destructive-kamikaze unto ourselves?

When you meet with someone who tells you that something is very complicated,  First BEWARE, then RELAX because it’s probably not.

 

April 10, 2010

Unimportant Things

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“No matter how small and unimportant what we are doing may seem, if we do it well, it may become the step that will lead us to better things.”

Channing Pollock

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This is encouraging and inspiring ! Why ? Because there is always room for improvement

Don’t you think so?

 

April 9, 2010

Stay hungry , stay foolish

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Aware, Awareness, Courage, Death, Decision, Fear, Here, Important question, Life, Life expectancy, Time, Time magagement, Wasting time, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , |
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 I really enjoyed this clip and I’m sharing it with you.

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April 9, 2010

Are you busy like the ants?

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Awareness, Choices, Clarity, Life leadership, Now, Results, Serenity, Wasting time | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?

Henry David Thoreau

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Some people are so busy.Really? Busy doing what exactly ? Do you really want to do what you do everyday ?

If you had 10 million dollars, would you keep doing what you are doing now?

Do you enjoy what you do so much that you would gladly to do it for free?

What is YOUR answer ?

 

 

 

April 8, 2010

Preparation is essential

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Preparation is essential, but even more essential is the willingness to let go of a plan in a flash and off in a revised direction.

Tom Peters  ( perhaps influenced by John Boyd United States Air Force fighter pilot and military strategist)

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If you want to use your time in the most productive way, it is important to plan and prepare, then start and finish.But you have to keep your eyes and your options open to new opportunities when they arise. Your biggest opportunity could turn out to be life changing and life enhancing.

How do you make sure to keep your eyes open so that opportunities don’t pass you by?

 

April 7, 2010

The fear of failure

Posted by stephenlafond under 36525 days, Death, Failure, Fear, Life, Risk, Success | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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One of the things that stands between us and our quality of life, is the underlying fear of death. From the moment we don’t fear death anymore, we don’t fear life either. When we get rid of the fear of dying, we get rid of a lot of others fears with it.

The moment that we become almost fearless, we can enjoy life to its fullest because of our willingness to take risks.

Isn’t it ironic that people who are ready to take on more risk are often the ones who are reaping the rewards? And even when they don’t get the big prize, they are having fun enjoying what they love the most, and that in itself is the reward; the satisfaction of a job well done.

My hope is that some young people understand this concept as early as possible. So much time and frustration could be avoided.

Yes but what if I fail? Try again.

And what if I fail again? Try again , and again, and again.

And what if my friends laugh at me? Ask yourself ; what risk are my so-called friends taking?

Did you take the time to identify YOUR fears of failure?

What are you ready to lose in order to gain something bigger or better?

 

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