Kathzoofus

A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most.

When I picked up my 7 year old from school today I saw the quote below written on a diversity art project made by a fellow student: "What you see depends on what you are looking for." I don't know if the student authored it but I really liked the statement. All the glass half-empty people in the world...the ones that don't get that this could very well be their one and only spin around the block of life...they are looking for the wrong things. They are missing things like budding trees, the smell of the lilacs and frogs singing...they are focusing on the mosquitos and the bunnies that eat their gardens. Life isn't supposed to be easy - the bunnies are hungry...plant two gardens - one for them and one for you. Life isn't any easier for me, than it is for you, than it is for the people down the road from either one of us. Enjoy what you have...focus on what IS working, what IS making you happy, what you ARE achieving...that positive energy at...

We crazy Americans are trained and wired to GO GO GO! Things must be done NOW, YESTERDAY, IMMEDIATELY. We rush through trying to get to the end goal - be that goal a stable, committed and happy relationship or completing a project around our house. Some things are meant to cook slowly. Simmer, baby, simmer.

" I would rather have the challenge of reigning in a race horse then having to kick a mule." ~Unknown Go be a race horse today and see who around you can keep up with your productivity, enthusiasm and SPEED!

People who matter are most aware that everyone else does, too. ~ Malcolm Forbes

Some things are worth repeating .

I believe that if we stand up and take responsibility for our mistakes we risk many things but the knowledge we gain is worth much, much more. I believe that risk and failure and success and experience and about a million other things build character...or take away from it. I believe happiness is not about good luck or good fortune but rather a decision that we make with each experience that we have. I believe that all peace and happiness starts within and moves without. I do not believe you can reverse that. I believe we can waste a lifetime blaming ourselves or blaming others for the problems in our life or our world or we can spend a lifetime doing something about it. I believe whether you make a conscious decision or not, you are setting an example for somebody. I believe like attracts like, who and what do you want to attract? I believe good memories are better than good inheritances. I believe what you say isn’t half as important as what you do. I be...

"I know God promises not to give me more than I can handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much." ~Mother Teresa

We live in a very noisey world: Traffic, people, computers humming, washing machines, dishwashers, vaccuums, music, televisions, phones, doorbells, alarms, alarm clocks, answering machines, hard soled shoes on hard floors... When is the last time you sat in silence? Have you ever, at the end of a busy day, stopped for 5 minutes to lie in silence on your living room floor, your couch, your bed? Five minutes of silence. Try it.

"Regrets are a waste of time. They are the past crippling you in the present." ~Katherine (played by Lindsay Duncan) Under The Tuscan Sun

"The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it." -- Norman Schwarzkopf

Play what is in your hand. Wishing that you had better cards will get you nowhere. Discarding what you have in your hand makes room for new cards.

Nothing meaningful ever comes to us quickly or easily. "There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." ~Unknown

Lately I've been thinking a lot about POWER. In my charisma class I explain the three power types: 1. Power Over 2. Power With 3. Power Within I teach these power types with regard to how we interact with people, not in relation to objects. All three power types can be both positive and negative. Obviously, being annoyingly optimistic and generally sunny *ahem* in disposition, I tend to focus on the postive of each. But lately, I've been thinking of the things that we give power to...sometimes necessarily, sometimes not. The objects that I don't focus on in class. Lately, I have been giving a lot of power to time. It has had Power Over my life in the sense that I don't feel like I have been doing a good job of managing it. What are some other things that we give power to - is there anything in your life these days that seems to have more or less power than it should? Discuss...

I truly believe that sometimes, we are the best company we can be in. I love the company of others. There is nothing more exciting, more invigorating than dialogue and interaction between people. Exchanging ideas, information, thoughts and feelings can be a powerful and exciting exchange. But if life is about balance, shouldn't we try to spend time in our own company? I have so many great friends and a close and wonderful family. We share many laughs and create incredible memories on a regular basis. But I also create my own memories. When I sink deep into my pile of throw pillows and sit in the absolute quiet of the night I am able to climb into the depths of my own mind...my own soul. I make myself laugh, take a walk down memory lane and create new ideas for a new present and reconsider where I want to journey to in the future. My journals are filled with page after page of thoughts and ideas. Life philosophies, spiritual beliefs, reminders of how things on...

Ta-Da!

Character is built in the valley. It is good to not only have character, but be a character. What are your thoughts on character?

"Life asks us to make measurable progress in reasonable time. That's why they make those fourth grade chairs so small - so you won't fit in them at age twenty-five!" - Jim Rohn

My girlfriend Denise sent this to me: To realize The value of a sister Ask someone Who doesn't have one. To realize The value of ten years: Ask a newly Divorced couple. To realize The value of four years: Ask a graduate. To realize The value of one year: Ask a student who Has failed a final exam. To realize The value of nine months: Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born. To realize The value of one month: Ask a mother who has Given birth to a premature baby. To realize The value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper. To realize The value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet. To realize The value of one minute: Ask a person Who has missed the train, bus or plane. To realize The value of one-second: Ask a person Who has survived an accident. To realize The value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has Won a silver medal in the Olympics. To realiz...

"I have learned that self-esteem is just that--SELF-esteem. Not wife-esteem or lover-esteem or even sponsor-esteem. It has to come from ME, not from other's opinions of me." One of my closest friends sent me that quote the other day. It comes from an al-anon book and when I read it I just nodded my head and wondered how many people are truly capable of this? So many of us rely on the nice things that others say to build our esteem up and when it stops we begin to feel deflated. When we don't get the support and love and respect from another we begin to crumble. Sometimes slowly. Sometimes quickly but nonetheless what others think of us, how we are treated and how they make us feel impact how we think of ourselves. There are probably endless things we can do to build our own self-esteem. I do a few things. Sometimes I meditate to clear away the muck and bring in clean thoughts, ideas and feelings. I've used a pendulum to keep me tuned into my intui...