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“Your mindset matters. It affects everything – from the business and investment decisions you make, to the way you raise your children, to your stress levels and overall well-being.” Peter Diamandis
Motivation Mondays: MINDSET – #WorldPopulationDay
Motivation Mondays: MINDSET – Honor #WorldPopulationDay
Resolutions are a wonderful thing if we can keep them, but many resolutions go by the wayside because we have not done anything different with our mindset. Monica Johnson
I have found that the more I honored others, the more they honored me and the more fulfilling my career became. In the business arena, I have been surrounded by people with awesome skills. The difference between good and great is determined by the mindset you choose to bring to the work. The concept of honor should be part of that mindset. Douglas Conant
Tomorrow is World Population Day and we are at 7.5 billion souls on planet earth. How will we sustain this growth? What will be its impact on global environmental sustainability, socioeconomic development, and climate change? Whether we choose to embrace the rest of the world or pretend we are the only ones in it, we will be impacted. Since 1989, when UNDP responded to the excitement generated on July 11 1987 as the Day of 5 Billion, and created World Population Day, it hasn’t looked back. It has tackled many issues facing the world from empowerment to education to ending poverty and more. With each new year, as our global population continues to explode, our scientific community remain concerned that unless we all get involved in dealing with issues affecting the earth, we will have a hard time making our planet sustainable for us, our grandchildren and beyond.
This year, the theme for World Population Day focuses on Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations. When we are able to provide adequate healthcare and family planning options to the 214 million women in the world who need it, we are helping each other stay healthy, raise families we can feed, educate and support, and we are helping reduce infant mortality rates in poverty stricken areas where the survival rate for babies and young mothers are terrible.
But what has our mindset got to do with it? Our attitudes towards our planet, our fellow men/women, our conspicuous consumption/waste of resources, and our abuse of planet earth are the result of our mindset; a careless disregard for our natural and finite resources, and a dismissal of others who share our planet. Think about it. When we control all the natural resources in certain parts of the world and deprive others of their basic, fundamental right to food, shelter, education and healthcare, we are contributing to the denial of Mother Earth’s abundance to all her children. When we make great effort to reduce our carbon footprint and do our bit to extend green life on our planet, and support sustainable practices that benefit all globally, it is our mindset that pushes us to act in a way that honors EVERYONE, not just our own. Therefore, our mindset will impact the present and future trajectory of our lives.
“I truly believe in positive synergy, that your positive mindset gives you a more hopeful outlook, and belief that you can do something great means you will do something great.” Russell Wilson
Motivation Mondays: MINDSET – #WorldPopulationDay
What I’m trying to do is get a change in the mindset so people move from a level of mere tolerance to total acceptance and eventually to celebrate diversity. If you feel comfortable with one another, it doesn’t matter whether we live in which neighborhood but we can interact with one another freely. It’s a mindset. Najib Razak
We’re so lucky where we live, but we’re so out of touch. Everyone’s mindset is made to feel that refugees are a problem, but it’s more than that. They’re human beings, too. They were forced from their homes. Sonny Bill Williams
My greatest challenge has been to change the mindset of people. Mindsets play strange tricks on us. We see things the way our minds have instructed our eyes to see. Muhammad Yunus
How Can We become Positive Contributors to World Population Day? We must start from a place of concern and compassion for all earth’s children. Stay informed and engaged about population trends. We live in a diverse world with people who live in other cultures and have beliefs that are vastly different from ours, we can move from tolerance to acceptance by changing our thinking and by seeing others as we wish them to see us… as members of our global family. We must drop the poverty mentality that is pervasive in certain parts of society and recognize that by helping those in need, we are not depriving ourselves of anything. Instead, we are creating meaningful engagements and new relationships across what once seemed like the unknown. Refugees are not our problem, our poverty mentality and false beliefs about them are a product of a negative mindset that refuses to acknowledge their humanity.
If we, as members of the human race, work on changing our mindset about each other, we will leave a legacy of peace and abundance to the next generation… But it must start with each of us in our hearts and in our homes. It is our narrowmindness that often stands in the way of our own success. We must start to let go of the warped idea that we have more or less value than the next person. ALL of us are important to someone and can make a difference in the life of another. Do not fall for the ridiculous notion that being relevant is the preserve of the few. Recently, I read an article about a man who started what became a multi-million dollar company in his basement. He was determined to create a product that would benefit others and his software for phones became a huge success. His wife and mother-in-law were doubtful when he started and tried to discourage his effort but, his mindset was focused on achieving his goal. When we focus our minds on what must be done, we can move mountains.
READ: The man who built a $1bn firm in his basement
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for June/July 2017 are:
06/05 – World Environment Day, 08 National Best Friend Day, 08 World Oceans Day
06/11 – 11 Trinity Sunday, 14 Flag Day
06/18 – 18 Father’s Day, 19 Juneteeth, 20 World Refugee Day, 21 Summer Solstice/International Yoga Day, 23 Intn’l Widow’s Day, 24 Ramadan Ends
06/25 – 25 Eid al Fitr, 26 Against Drug Abuse Day,
07/04 – Independence Day,
07/11 – World Population Day, 14 Bastille Day
07/16 – National Ice Cream Day, 18 Nelson Mandela Day
07/23 – Parents Day, 28 World Hepatitis Day
07/30 – International Friendship Day
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2017?
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.
— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab
More Below! Read more…
Photo Challenge: Build A BRIDGE…
“True teachers use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.” Nikos Kazantzakis
Photo Challenge: Build A BRIDGE…
Local Attractions: TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE
We build too many walls and not enough bridges. Isaac Newton
Bridges become frames for looking at the world around us. Bruce Jackson
In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future. Alex Haley
We can’t cross that bridge until we come to it, but I always like to lay down a pontoon ahead of time. Bernard Baruch
Okay let’s confess; I LOVE bridges and architecturally complex buildings. I love bridges because they serve a bigger role than their utilitarian function as a throughway. They are great connectors as they also serve as symbols of unity and connection. To cross a bridge is to step into another realm, area or community and we go because we want to make a connection. They also take a lot of risk, manpower and planning to construct. It is a rare bridge where lives were not lost during its construction so, they remind us of man’s enormous drive and effort to pull communities together so we can continue to mourn, celebrate and interact on many levels. My images are of the Tappan Zee Bridge, the George Washington Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, Bear Mountain Bridge and a few others in the NY area. Come back for more.
“Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.” Audre Lorde
Photo Challenge: Build A BRIDGE…
Photo Challenge: Build A BRIDGE…
Go to the truth beyond the mind. Love is the bridge. Stephen Levine
We have a long way to go before we are able to hear the voices of everyone on earth, but I believe that providing voices and building bridges is essential for the World Peace we all wish for. Joichi Ito
There are two kinds of comics; there are the ones who build bridges, and then there are the people who walk across the bridges as though they built them. The bridge builders are few and far between. Ron White
Whenever I find myself near a bridge or about to cross one, I feel a great urge to capture the moment in a photograph. Yes, I have a ton of bridge photos but they are filed away on an external drive so, until I have a chance to search them and share a few more photos, we will have to enjoy the shots above and below…
More Below! Read more…
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Motivation Mondays: Dream BIGGER – Independence Day
You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling. Christopher Nolan
The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. Oprah Winfrey
Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us. Wilma Rudolph
It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Why dream BIGGER? What does Independence Day/July 4th have to do with it? Tomorrow, we will celebrate Independence Day which means that we will revisit the commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4 1776; this day/date not only signifies the birth of the United States of America and the liberation of her original thirteen colonies from British rule but, it is proof of the bigger dream held close to the hearts of many Americans who wanted their freedom from British dominance. If the men who had gathered to sign and ratify this declaration had chosen to wait until they received full permission from the King, they’d still be a colony. By the same token, many of us sit around waiting for others to give us permission to reach our full potential when, in fact, we must seek it and embrace it. While achieving our biggest dreams might seem impossible in the beginning, every effort we make, every belief and dream we hold close to our heart, and every person we help along the way, add to our success quotient because to dream bigger means to also help others dream bigger. We dream bigger to push our boundaries and encourage ourselves/others to remember that our potential to succeed is infinite. Until we step outside of our safety nets and let go our need to control everything that happens to and around us, we will never realize our fullest potential. Why dream bigger? Why not?
Why does Independence Day give us an opportunity to dream BIGGER and aim for huge goals? Before I moved to the USA, my impression of it was of a nation where everything seemed larger than life. Americans have big personalities, big cars, big houses and a huge belief in the greatness of this nation. While some might disagree with this observation, it is what many on the outside see and that becomes an attraction to folks who imagine pushing the boundaries of their lives. In so many nations around the world, there are strict social hierarchies that make it almost impossible to move between socioeconomic classes. If you are born into a certain group or class, your path is X. While there are some who are able to push beyond those boundaries, not enough can do so and that makes the USA a fascinating country to move to. Of course, moving here offers no guarantees but, there are many who have been able to transcend the limitations they experienced in their native lands. The point is that we can adopt the same big dreams in our lives, and in our native lands and support leaders who want the best for all their people. If our leaders dreams are not altruistic and only self serving, nothing will change. But we can do our bit by dreaming bigger too and by embracing the process it takes to reach our goals. As we join our loved ones to celebrate July 4th, take a moment to educate those around you on the history of Independence Day, read the Declaration of Independence and teach your loved ones about the long journey that got YOU here. After all, this is a nation of immigrants. It is not enough to eat, drink and be merry… take time to teach yourself and others about how this impacts your own dreams, celebrate your independence, cherish the liberties you enjoy, and stay motivated to ensure that others can have access to the same rights we wish for our loved ones and ourselves.
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” Harriet Tubman
Motivation Mondays: Dream BIGGER – Independence Day
Motivation Mondays: Dream BIGGER – Independence Day
Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours. Les Brown
Let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations. Ryunosuke Satoro
Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source – a Sower of Dreams – just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true. Sarah Ban Breathnach
How do we learn to dream BIGGER? For starters, we must believe we are worthy of greatness. Now this does not mean that our greatness must fit a specific pattern or mirror the greatness we see in X, Y and Z. Nope. It means that we are willing to buckle down and do the inner work to tap into our own strengths and gifts, and then do the heavy lifting that is required to accomplish our dreams. Often, we see people copying others who have achieved a modicum of success without stopping to think about their own potential and skills and, perhaps, their own ability to come up with an original, innovative idea that would set them apart from the crowd. When I think of some of the global companies with recognizable brand names that we all know today, Coca Cola, Google/Alphabet Inc, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, Pepsi, McDonald’s and a host of others, what set them apart from their competitors were their original business concepts and their perseverance to grow their brands. They focused on the dream the founders had and worked to meet that dream. They were not only interested in creating a product that would serve their local community and give them a quick buck, they were determined to make their mark on a global scale and to do so even as naysayers told them it was not possible. They had a singular focus to offer something of value to the marketplace and then expand their business beyond their immediate market and expand further. They could have chosen to limit their expansion by making excuses and not even trying and that is what holds many of us back. If, like the forefathers of the American Constitution and Declaration of Independence, we take a chance on life and refocus our attention on goals that will benefit not just us and our family but our community and beyond, we will slowly and surely get to that day when it will come together in a way that we could never have imagined.
What separates the successful from the rest of us? Again and again, whenever I’ve had the opportunity to ask very successful people about the genesis of their achievements, they have all said that they knew deep inside that they had something of value to share with the world and that they were intent on making a difference in the lives of people. Even though their success brought them great wealth, they didn’t do it for the money. Read my line again, they did NOT pursue their dream for the monetary benefits. The money came when their passion met their market and people welcomed what they were offering. So, focus on your game and do the work because you love it, you would do it for free, and you would eat and sleep on it, even if there was no financial remuneration involved. Stay true to that passion… and do the work. It is golden.
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for May/June 2017 are:
06/05 – World Environment Day, 08 National Best Friend Day, 08 World Oceans Day
06/11 – 11 Trinity Sunday, 14 Flag Day
06/18 – 18 Father’s Day, 19 Juneteeth, 20 World Refugee Day, 21 Summer Solstice/International Yoga Day, 23 Intn’l Widow’s Day, 24 Ramadan Ends
06/25 – 25 Eid al Fitr, 26 Against Drug Abuse Day,
07/04 – Independence Day,
07/11 – World Population Day, 14 Bastille Day
07/16 – National Ice Cream Day, 18 Nelson Mandela Day
07/23 – Parents Day, 28 World Hepatitis Day
07/30 – International Friendship Day
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2017?
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.
— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab
More Below! Read more…
