Warm Holiday WIshes

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Christmas is Forever - Happy Holidays

 

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Christmas Views

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It's Christmas

Source: dvd-ppt-slideshow.com

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A Christmas Card from Mother

A Christmas Card from Mother  (Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today Issue 359)

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com

 

My mother . . . As the sun was about to rise one summer’s morning, her spirit departed from a full and happy life. She was ready.

Fall followed summer, then winter—Christmas morning arrived.

On the breakfast table this eventful Christmas morning was a beautiful Christmas card from . . . Mother. The writing on the envelope was unmistakably here . . . just the name: Clement.

Perhaps because of the suddenness of this pleasant surprise—perhaps because of the habit of seeing my name on the envelope containing a Christmas card from Mother each Christmas morning – perhaps because I believe in miracles – or perhaps in the thrill and expectancy of reaching for the envelope to open it I did not at first think this strange.

As I read and enjoyed the pleasurable surprise of seeing her very discernible handwriting in the signature – “Mother” – a feeling of amazement came over me. A Christmas card from Mother!

After a long pause, I read the card to those she loved so dearly: Jessie, Clem, Donna and Norman . . . my wife and my children.

As I was reading, I kept seeking a logical explanation for – A Christmas Card from Mother. (If you would like the explanation, if you would like to learn how to make someone truly happy on Christmas Day or a birthday, read below.)

Explanation of a Christmas Card from Mother

While getting out our Christmas ornaments, Mrs. Stone ran across many of the lovely Christmas cards we had saved, including . . . A Christmas Card from Mother. My wife’s thoughtfulness in placing the card at my breakfast place brought me much happiness. Perhaps you can give this joy to a dear one, too.

Source: Success Unlimited. W. Clement Stone. Editor and Publisher. December, 1962, Pgs. 2 & 17.

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Lessons Learned from Living are the Most Valuable

A Christmas Card from Mother | Napoleon Hill Yesterday & Today Issue 359

Source: lumixgexperience-Cluke

Lessons learned from living are the most valuable ones. These experiential happenings often “cut us to the quick” as the Wizard of Oz tells Dorothy when she challenges his authenticity. Doing intensifies and cements the experience because it is in the “doing” that we live, move, and have our being. Through our bodies we internalize the experience and that is what makes it more profound.

Unless you have directly experienced something, you may think you understand what the actual feeling is like, but it is not until you do that you will know the difference between an imagined occurrence and an actual experience. The difference is intense. Many times people console others by saying “I know how you feel,” but those who actually have walked in your footsteps comfort with just silence and their physical presence. Words do not suffice.

In this lifetime, we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. This experience is tied to the lessons that we are here to learn. All lessons are not popular or positive ones. Many are horrific and feel like a sucker punch right in the solar plexus. Once experienced, it is hard to forget something like that, so we learn a valuable lesson and keep on living but with eyes now wide open.

Death forces us into accountability with life. We already know the end result, but why is it we defer the good that we can now do until the opportunity has passed us by? Regret does not feel as good as joy in a job well done. When we are enthusiastic, passionate, and living the life we imagine, in the time of loss we will have stored up good memories that serve to console us. It is comforting to know that we contributed to the good of the whole, and did not fail to act when the opportunity was there for us.

Today, just for once do something extraordinary for someone who least expects it and maybe doesn’t “deserve” it. Feel the good that you can create and do it just to delight in the experience of playing the role of “do-gooder.” Each and every one of us can be a philanthropist if we just act on our highest imaginings. What legacy of experiences are you actualizing now?

Vintage Essay from
 Judy Williamson, Director

Napoleon Hill World Learning Center

Purdue University at Calumet 

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Life Challenges - Expect a Miracle from Humble St Nicholas

Call to ACTION - It’s time for your letter to Santa.

Do you have an idea or problem that you or the world needs to work on today?  

Write a letter detailing your heartfelt concern to Santa - either personal or global- and request the gift of a solution from this humble St. Nicholas. As you state the problem, be aware of potential ideas and

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com

perhaps solutions that come to mind. Whether fantasy or reality, write them down as they occur.  

As you brainstorm within your letter, consider how by composing your letter you are setting up the expectation for an answer. Give yourself freedom to be a seeker of a positive outcome even if your reality is currently negative. Write your “Dear Santa” letter on your best stationery, in your best hand-writing, and place it in an envelope.  

Remember to date and sign it too.

Now, put it right where you know Santa will find it, and listen in your heart to hear his response. When the time is right, once again put pen to paper and allow Santa to dictate his response to you.  

Expect a miracle. Santa always delivers on schedule!

Action Assignment 49 from NapoleonHill.org

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10 Great Affirmations for a Success-Filled and Prosperous Life

10 great affirmations that make you feel great just by saying them and with daily practice they will lead to a success-filled and prosperous life, from the folks at Mind Movies because it changes your mindset.

Meditation helps a lot here.

So go ahead, increase your prosperity consciousness!

1-  I am successful in everything I do.
2-  My life is filled with abundance.
3-  Every cell in my body vibrates with positive energy.
4-  I am worthy of love .
5-  I easily manifest my dreams.
6-  I am calm and relaxed in every situation.
7-  Money flows freely and abundantly into my life.
8-  My potential is limitless.
9-  My heart is a magnet that attracts more of everything I desire.
10- I radiate love and happiness every single day.
 

Quick tip:  At the end of reading these affirmations, say 'I choose to create all of this or
something better to attract even more than my imagination allows me to see right now'!

So I hope you enjoyed reading them :) I challenge you to say some out loud today and see how great
it makes you feel.

Natalie, Mind Movies

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My Favourite Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Quotes - We Will Never See Another Like Him

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for. But, my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.  Nelson Mandela's statement before Pretoria Supreme Court, 20 April 1964





Source: Guardianlv.com



I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.  

A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.  

Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping

it will kill your enemies.

 

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

Source: ourstorian.files

There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.

 

Give a child love, laughter, and peace, not AIDS.

 

I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a thousand unremembered moments produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, Henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise.

Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/m/mandela_nelson.html#0QXQ4ViHaA7ysrdS.99

Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.

I do not want to be presented as some deity. I would like to be remembered as an ordinary human being with virtues and vices.

I do not want to be presented as some deity. I would like to be remembered as an ordinary human being with virtues and vices
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/m/mandela_nelson.html#0QXQ4ViHaA7ysrdS.99

Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/m/mandela_nelson.html#0QXQ4ViHaA7ysrdS.99

Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/m/mandela_nelson.html#0QXQ4ViHaA7ysrdS.99

Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.
Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/m/mandela_nelson.html#0QXQ4ViHaA7ysrdS.99

Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand115689.html#FYY7bo28G5HFT3FS.99

Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nelson_mandela_2.html#ohPb0YsFPTd0GrUF.99

Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nelson_mandela_2.html#ohPb0YsFPTd0GrUF.99

Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nelson_mandela_2.html#ohPb0YsFPTd0GrUF.99

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5 Daily Practices to Help You Forgive - It Will Cure Whatever Ails You

Forgiveness will cure whatever ails you.
Iyanla Vanzant

The number one topic our customers ask us about is forgiveness. We get hundreds of calls to our office and hundreds of comments on our social media pages each day from people who want more advice on how to forgive—their families, friends, partners, coworkers or just themselves.

It was in early 2000. I certainly heard about Iyanla for many years, but didn't get the chance to meet her until I talked to our attorney. 

Ken, who was also Iyanla's attorney, had some insight about Hay House and Iyanla working together, so he arranged for us to meet. After a brief meeting in Los Angeles, I was very moved by the ideas that Iyanla had. So I flew to DC to find out more.

I had dinner with Iyanla and her daughter Gemmia in Georgetown. I remember that evening so clearly. I loved every minute of the time and conversation we shared.

Iyanla and her daughter were amazing. When I saw how passionate they were about helping others to heal and grow, I knew we shared a similar vision. We kept in touch after that, with more ideas on how to bring Iyanla's message to Hay House.

Then the unthinkable happened. Gemmia was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. And on Christmas morning the following year, Iyanla hugged her daughter for the last time.

As a parent, I couldn't imagine the painful journey Iyanla now faced. I remember some of the words she wrote at that time: "My daughter wasn't the only one who died that day." Iyanla named her family, her marriage, her ministry, her faith in God, her purpose and so many other things among the fatalities. "Most important of all, when my best friend, my middle child, took her last breath, my sense of self died along with her. I was a woman whose dance card was suddenly filled with death and whose heart has shattered into a million pieces."

But somehow, she turned around and did the unthinkable. Iyanla dug deep, learned how to see beyond her wounds and pick up the pieces. Somehow Iyanla found forgiveness and peace—even after all she had been through.

Iyanla is a great teacher. She tells it like it is. She lets us know how we get caught up in our stuff, how we get stuck in our relationships and our drama of what other people have done to us. She says we're too quick to judge and too slow to forgive. But what I love about Iyanla and her new book is how she gives us a plan to put into action: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything.

As Iyanla says: "You cannot unhear what you have heard. You cannot unsee what you have seen. What you can do, however, is stop wishing that whatever happened in the past hadn't happened."
And she ought to know.

Reid Tracy , Hay House (Present Moments)

5 Daily Practices to Help You Forgive
Iyanla Vanzant

What I have learned during my 30-year sojourn through the science of personal and spiritual growth and healing is that forgiveness will cure whatever ails you. The other thing I am totally convinced of is that while forgiveness ain't easy, it's the most important inner work you can do within your mind and heart.

Most of us were never taught that any experience that comes into your life comes by energetic invitation. For this reason, it is imperative that you learn how to keep your energy clear. The practice of forgiveness is your ticket to clarity, vitality, and freedom.

Over the years, I have received hundreds of thousands of letters written by people from all walks of life. Many reveal excruciating stories of sorrow and suffering. At one time, I would write long responses, offering condolences and possible explanations for the tragedies people had endured.

Then my daughter passed away, and I was inconsolable. I ended a 40-year relationship, and I was enraged. I was forced to move out of my dream home, and I was ashamed and degraded.



Source: Islamzpeace files

If you know anything about my life story, you know that I have been to some very dark places. Through every experience of my "life breakdown," the only thing that made me feel as if I was still in possession of my right mind, with the capacity to make it through the darkness, was forgiveness.

Even when I didn't know whom to forgive or why I should forgive, I said the words. I wrote them in my journal. I cried and screamed, pouted and sometimes I even stomped my feet in resistance, but in the end I learned to forgive everyone for everything, including myself. In the process, I discovered something extraordinary. I discovered peace.

My new book Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything is my loving challenge for you to come out of the darkness and into the light. In it, I share my practice that will help you to clear the decks of your mind and heart to create the space necessary for you to live with more love for yourself and others.

1- Still Your Mind — Begin your day by stilling your mind for at least 5 minutes. You can also listen to one of your favorite meditations.

2- Begin a Forgiveness Journal — Get yourself a Forgiveness Journal and a special pen and start writing. Give yourself permission to be radically honest with yourself about yourself. Write your most heartfelt thought or memory to access your innermost thoughts and beliefs.

3- Read a Forgiveness Prayer — Read a Forgiveness prayer twice a day—once silently and once aloud. Hearing this prayer will align you with the Holy Spirit, as it is the presence of the Creator that responds to our slightest request. Here is a sample of a Forgiveness prayer from my book:

Dear God:

Today, I ask for and open myself to receive a new image of myself. I recognize that in Your eyes, I am perfect as I am. I understand that if there is anything about my body that I choose to change, You have empowered me to do so. I have the power of free will. I have the power of choice. Today, I am choosing to change how I see myself, change how I speak to myself, change how I present myself to the world. I am choosing to see myself as You see me. I am choosing to surrender, release, and heal all negative, toxic, unloving thoughts about my body and to accept myself as Your beautiful creation. I ask, if there is anything within me that is not pleasing to You, that it be lifted. I ask that all habitual, unconscious thoughts, beliefs, and memories about my body be brought into alignment with Your thoughts, beliefs, and plans for me. I ask for the strength and courage to make any changes that are required so that I will accept myself, honor myself, and love myself as You do.

  I let it be!  And so it is!

4- Relax and Restore — Listen to my Gratitude Meditation that I have included here. This meditation will help to restore your mind and heart to balance.

5- Be Sure To Do something good for yourself today!

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Use a Surrender Box - Let Go of your Burden

A surrender box is a tool to let go of our burdens

so the universe can take care of them for us.

 

Surrender Box
Source: writeonjournals.yolasite.com

There are times when our minds become too full. Our to-do lists, worries, plans, and dreams may be so crowded together in our heads that we don’t have room to think.

We may believe that we are somehow taking care of our desires and concerns by keeping them at the forefront of our minds. In maintaining our mental hold on every detail, however, we may actually delay the realization of our dreams and the resolution of our worries because we won’t let them go. At times such as these, we may want to use a surrender box.

A surrender box allows us to let go of our worries and desires so the universe can take care of them for us. We write down what we want or need to happen and then place the note into a box.  

By writing and placing our thoughts in the box, we are taking action and letting the universe know we need help and are willing to surrender our feelings. We give ourselves permission to not concern ourselves with that problem any longer and trust that the universe is taking care of it.

 

You may even want to decorate your box and place it in a special place. Your surrender box is a sacred container for your worries. Not only do you free up space in your mind by letting go of our worries and desires and dropping them into your surrender box, but you are giving your burden over to a higher power. Once we drop our worries and desires into the surrender box, we free our minds so we can be fully present in each moment.

Surrendering our worries and concerns and placing them in the hands of the universe doesn’t mean that we’ve given up or have been defeated. Instead, we are releasing the realization of our desires and the resolution of our worries and no longer concerning ourselves with their outcomes.

It’s always fun to go back and pull the slips of paper out of the box once your requests have been granted. And it’s amazing how quickly problems go away and dreams come true when we finally let go and allow a higher power to help us.

 

Madisyn Taylor, DailyOM 

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Creed of Thanksgiving for Riches

Creed of Thanksgiving for Riches

Sunset, Trinidad

Money is the most common form of wealth and hence financial security is the most sought-after goal. Our entire national economy is based on the profit motive and let us hope that nothing ever happens to remove or stifle that incentive of reward for personal initiative. It is the basis of the American way of life.

Is it any wonder then, that the desire for wealth or gain is a powerful motive for action? Uncontrolled, this desire leads to greed. When it is controlled and guided by a worthwhile definite goal, it is a source of constructive action which may bless and enrich the lives of men and women.

Our suggested creed concerning material riches may be summarized in a few short statements:

I give thanks daily, not for mere riches, but for wisdom with which to recognize, embrace, and properly use the great abundance of riches I now have at my command. I have no enemies because I injure no man for any cause, but I try to benefit all with whom I come in contact, by teaching the way to enduring riches. I have more material wealth than I need because I am free from greed and covet only the material things I can use while I live.

Source: PMA Science of Success. Educational Edition. The Napoleon Hill Foundation. 1961. Pg. 25.

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