01May 2013 by CJ

Strength does not come from physical capacity

Life & Living, Youth
So often the trivialities of life consume us. Societal demands cause us to live stressful lives filled with anxiety as we struggle for relevance and acceptance in this material based world. We assign value to the unimportant, while shunning those whose presence we come to discover we could never live without. But there are some people who’ve developed an understanding of what is truly valuable in life. People with incredible strength to overcome hardships that might otherwise cripple the average human being. Fred Rogers always carried around an inspiring quote by Mary Lou Kownacki which read simply, “There isn’t anyone you couldn’t love once you’ve heard their story.” This blog has enabled me to hear some incredible stories from people all over the globe. And each one has profoundly influenced…
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16May 2012 by CJ

Getting even doesn’t mean that you’ve really won anything

Life & Living
What is the first thing we often think of after someone has wronged or disrespected us? Getting even. But as Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” It’s human nature to want to inflict the same kind of pain and punishment on our attackers, but at the end of the day what does that really accomplish? Yes, getting even might gain you some temporary satisfaction, but inevitably you’ll find yourself riddled with disappointment that you’ve compromised who you really are. Of late I’ve been struggling with this – so angered and frustrated by others complete disregard and disrespect that I’ve actually contemplated stooping to their level as a means of getting even. But each time the thought pops into my head…
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25Jan 2012 by CJ

Get out of your comfort zone to be what you might have been

Life & Living
I’m not a big fan of change, even though typically the end results are beneficial to some part of my life. Still, I like being wrapped in my comfort zone like a warm, familiar blanket you’ve had hanging around for years. But that resistance can oftentimes rob you of opportunities, which may exist outside the safe haven you’ve created in your own little world. Opportunities which might establish new relationships, foster new careers and open your mind to new ideas you’ve been resistant to embrace. When you think about it logically, every decision we make poses some kind of risk to our routine. An upheaval of our day-to-day practices for a greater unknown, which many times can frighten even the most courageous of individuals. One such area has always been…
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