Your Need To Know

I invite you to read the free books that are available for download on this site. To me, they are inspirational and have helped me to achieve my own personal growth and understanding. Today I was getting my daily dose of inspiration and motivation by again reading “The Magic Story” by Frederick Van Rensselaer Dey.

Frederick Van Rensselaer Dey was born in Watkins Glen, New York, February 10, 1861. He was educated at the Havana N. Y. Academy, and later graduated from the Law School of Columbia University. Dey took up story writing for amusement while convalescing from a serious illness, and later made it his life work. Two of his earlier books, “The Magic Word” and “The Magic Story,” written in 1899, were extremely popular.

The Magic Story
I was sitting alone in the cafe and had just reached for the sugar preparatory to putting it into my coffee. Outside, the weather was hideous. Snow and sleet came swirling down, and the wind howled frightfully. Every time the outer door opened, a draft of unwelcome air penetrated the uttermost corners of the room. Still I was comfortable. The snow and sleet and wind conveyed nothing to me except an abstract thanksgiving that I was where it could not affect me. While I dreamed and sipped my coffee, the door opened and closed, and admitted - Sturtevant.

Sturtevant was an undeniable failure, but, withal, an artist of more than ordinary talent. He had, however, fallen into the rut traveled by ne’er-do-wells, and was out at the elbows as well as insolvent.

As I raised my eyes to Sturtevant’s I was conscious of mild surprise at the change in his appearance. Yet he was not dressed differently. He wore the same threadbare coat in which he always appeared, and the old brown hat was the same. And yet there was something new and strange in his appearance. As he swished his hat around to relieve it of the burden of snow dposited by the howling nor’wester, there was something new in the gesticulation. I could not remember when I had invited Sturtevant to dine with me, but involuntarily I beckoned to him. He nodded and presently seated himself opposite to me. I asked him what he would have, and he, after scanning the bill of fare carelessly, ordered from it leisurely, and invited me to join him in coffee for two. I watched him in stupid wonder, but, as I had invited the obligation, I was prepared to pay for it, although I knew I hadn’t sufficient cash to settle the bill. Meanwhile I noticed the brightness of his usual lackluster eyes, and the healthful, hopeful glow upon his cheek, with increasing amazement.

“Have you lost a rich uncle?” I asked. (continued) Download “The Magic Story” here in pdf

My task is done. I have written the recipe for “success.” If followed, it cannot fail. Wherein I may not be entirely comprehended, the plus-entity of whosoever reads will supply the deficiency; and upon that Better Self of mine, I place the burden of imparting to generations that are to come, the secret of this all-pervading good, -the secret of being what you have it within you to be.

Almost everyone has heard the hit single “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy. Bobby Mcferin’s simple message surely made a lot of people feel better by telling them not to worry.

Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is good for your health. Being happy actually helps protect you from the stresses of life. And by now, we all know stress is linked to the top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.

To be happy is relatively easy. Just decide to be a happy person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people, for most of the time, can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook on life to be. He coined the phrase “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” The choice is simple really. Choose to be happy.

Happiness can be found in everyone. Increasing our happiness is a way to make our lives more wonderful and healthier. Here are several ways you can do this:

Attitude of Gratitude -Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much for which to be thankful. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely. Thank the cook for a wonderful dinner and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Thank the mail carrier for bringing your mail. Thank the police officer for making your place safe, and thank God for being alive.

Total Recall – Remember the happiest past events in your life. Keep pictures or momentos of these events in your home or office where you will see them daily.

No News is Good News - News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can’t start their day without their daily dose of news. Try to think about it. 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news doesn’t seem to be a sensible thing to do.

Can’t We All Just Get Along - Our personal relationships are essential to happiness. People are different. Accept people for who or what they are. Avoid clashes and constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. If arguments seem unavoidable, still make an effort to understand the situation and you might just get along better.

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights - Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Develop an efficient personal time management skill. Time management involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood and utilized. These basic skills can give you that extra reserve to achieve the results you desire.

Tickle the Funny Bone - Laugh and laugh heartily everyday. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say – “Laughter is the best medicine.”

Express Yourself - Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Try not to keep pent up anger or frustrations. This is bad for your health. Instead, find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.

Git-R-Done - Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. We get a feeling of being competent when we complete our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us; they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel are worthy of your time.

Learning is a Joyful Exercise - Try to learn something new everyday. Learning makes us expand and broaden our horizons and could give us more opportunities in the future.

Get Off The Couch - Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was created to do. Feel alive.

These are just a few simple things you can do everyday to help you be happy.

Always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Gina

We all want good results from life. We all want good results in our work, in our home, and in all of our contacts with other people. The single most important factor guaranteeing good results, day in and day out for every day of our lives, is a healthy attitude.

Attitude is defined as “the mental position with regard to a fact or state; the feeling or emotion toward a fact or state”. And it is our mental position, feelings and emotions (our mood) toward others that determines the mood of others toward us. Our attitude tells the world what we expect in return. If we project a cheerful attitude, it says to everyone we come in contact with that we expect good cheer.

We all tend to live up to our expectations, and others give to us what we expect. It’s our attitude towards life that determines life’s attitude toward us. This is an example of the “Law of Cause and Effect“. We produce causes all day long, every day of our lives. Everything we say or do will cause a corresponding effect. If we are cheerful and happy, others will reflect that good cheer back to us. We are the ones other people enjoy being around. We get back what we put out. That’s why each of us determines the quality of our own live’s.

What is the quality of your attitude? Do people tend to react to you in a smiling, positive manner?

Our attitude is something we can control. We can establish our attitude each morning when we start our day. (Actually, we all do that anyway, whether we realize it or not). The attitude that we present to the world today will be reflected back to us by all the people in our world. A great attitude will produce great results; fair attitude, fair results; poor attitude, poor results. Our surroundings are a mirror and will always reflect us. So if a person will control their habitual attitude, they will control the quality of their life.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yes, but it’s not quite that easy. Learning a new habit takes time and most people never think about their attitudes at all. Most people begin each day in neutral, with neither a good or bad attitude. They just react to whatever they encounter and they will reflect that. If it’s good, they will reflect that. If it’s bad, they will reflect that too. If we could make a habit of establishing a good attitude every day, our world would change dramatically.

To help you get started, here is a simple and easy habit to establish - Every time someone asks you “How are you today?” always respond with a very positive “Wonderful!” Regardless of how you feel, or what’s going on in your life, or what ever challenges you are facing at the time, make your reply the same. “I am wonderful”. Make this your standard response to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors or perfect strangers. I guarantee you a dramatic improvement in your overall attitude, your well being, and your life.

Gina