The Man and His Friend

A man quarrelled with his friend.

"I have been much deceived in you," said the man.

And the friend made a face at him and went away.

A little after, they both died, and came together before the great white Justice of the Peace.
It began to look black for the friend, but the man for a while had a clear character and was getting in good spirits.

"I find here some record of a quarrel," said the justice, looking in his notes. "Which of you was in the wrong?"

"He was," said the man. "He spoke ill of me behind my back."

"Did he so?" said the justice. "And pray how did he speak about your neighbours?"

"Oh, he had always a nasty tongue," said the man.

"And you chose him for your friend?" cried the justice. "My good fellow, we have no use here for fools."

So the man was cast in the pit, and the friend laughed out aloud in the dark and remained to be tried on other charges.
~Robert Louis Stevenson (Fables)

Quote:

When everything seems upside down ... STAND ON YOUR HEAD! ~ Unknown

Assumptions ...

We all make them. We must make assumptions, on many different levels, just to get through
the day. Yet assumptions can be very limiting, when we forget that we're making them.

Making assumptions can hinder communication, such as when you assume someone understands
what you're talking about, and they don't. Assumptions can limit creativity, when you dismiss ideas with a hasty "that'll never work."

Here's an assumption that will neutralize assumptions -- assume the preposterous.
For example, assume that it would be bad to get more new business, and then look at the reasons why. What you learn might improve your profits.

Remember that behind every judgment you make, there are assumptions. What are yours?
The same old assumptions, often lead to the same old results.

To break new ground, break free of your old assumptions. Challenge them, flip them around,
turn them upside down, and you'll see many new, exciting possibilities. ~ RM

I like that!
To Assume is to make an "A$$" out of "u" and "me".

my dad use to say ...
"don't go assuming things because it will only make an a$$ out of "u" NOT "me""

Serenity Of Knowing
The world is a palette of varied beauty with subtle and not-so-subtle differences in brilliance and hue. But, like all we perceive subjectively, many things can fail to meet our expectations. People don't behave as we'd wish them to, situations turn out differently than we'd imagined, and the end result is often unhappiness. The remedy is acceptance - an open-minded, understanding perception that brings the serenity of knowing every individual, situation, or difficulty is unique and valuable in some way. It is a mode of respect for differences, of seeing beyond faults or disappointments and reaching contentment.

Though acceptance necessitates recognizing and acknowledging situations or attitudes that exist in the present, it does not imply that you need also give your approval. To approve or to disapprove is to judge, but in accepting, you simply understand that all situations and all people are in a constant state of flux. Likewise, each of us is also in the process of changing and by choosing to accept ourselves (in the past, present, and future); we can truly begin to understand who we really are. Acceptance is freedom from the need to retain preconceived notions, control of others, favored outcomes, or the anxiety that can come when the unexpected occurs. It is more than tolerance, though resisting the urge to react to the choices of others is a large part of the process. Rather it is a patience and gentleness that extends outward, beginning in one's own soul and extending to other people and the world at large.

Sometimes the process works in reverse because accepting others can be easier than accepting oneself, though the latter is the inevitable result of true acceptance. In fostering acceptance, the need to judge is quelled because the belief that others ought to live up to your expectations (or 'should thinking') is eliminated because everything is evolving and deserves to do so without interference. And in letting growth happen and understanding that each person, place, thing, or situation is as it is meant to be, a blissful quiet of the mind and strong feelings of worth can be realized. ~ OM

Not me. I am Queen of Assumption. I look at things and Assume all will turn out well. It usually does. Attitude is a critical factor in life.

Quote:

Attitude might not catch fish, but it helps when you don't. ~ Unknown

The process of human change begins within us. We all have tremendous potential. We all desire good results from our efforts. Most of us are willing to work hard and to pay the price that success and happiness demand.Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, that produces the intensity of our activity, and that predicts the quality of the result we receive is our attitude.

Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.

No one else "makes us angry." We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose, not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.

If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.

If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value, which must be protected accordingly. Beware of the vandals and thieves among us who would injure our positive attitude or seek to steal it away.
Having the right attitude is one of the basics that success requires. The combination of a sound personal philosophy and a positive attitude about ourselves and the world around us gives us an inner strength and a firm resolve that influences all the other areas of our existence.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn (Jim Rohn International & Apple Seeds)

*Thanks to Snowy for the attitude spark.

Quote:

Gratitude is the best attitude. ~Author Unknown

The Cricket
North American folktale

Once two friends were walking down the sidewalk of a busy city street during rush hour. As is the case in most cities, there was a lot of noise: car horns honking, trucks rumbling by, feet shuffling, people talking. And amid all this noise, one of the friends turned to the other and said, “I hear a cricket.”

“No way,” her friend responded. “How could you possibly hear a cricket with all of this noise? You must be imagining it. Besides, I’ve never even seen a cricket in the city.”

“No, really, I do hear a cricket. I’ll show you.” She stopped for a moment, then led her friend across the street to a big cement planter with a tree in it. Pushing back some leaves she found a little brown cricket.

“That’s amazing!” said her friend. “You must have super-human hearing. What’s your secret?”

“No, my hearing is just the same as yours. There’s no secret,” the first woman replied. “Watch, I’ll show you.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out some loose change, and threw it on the sidewalk. Amid all the noise of the city, all of the people within thirty feet turned their heads to see where the sound of the money was coming from.

“See,” she said. “It’s all a matter of what you are listening for.”
~ Doorways to the Soul, Elisa Davy Pearmain

She said, “It’s all a matter of what you are listening for."
I think gratitude is a lot like that. You sometimes have to listen closely to be able to hear it. So, what are you listening for? Amidst all the noise of your life, amidst all the confusion and the running around and the uncertainty and the disappointment, what is it that you discover when you listen most closely to the world you know best? ~ Rev. Mark Stringer

*hugs*
Thanks for posting this and all these Mum. I always enjoy reading them.

Welcome.... I have to add Kudos for the "acceptance" post as well. Nice.