Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Inspirational words to live by

MY PAPER, TUESDAY JANUARY 18, 2011, VIEWPOINTS, PAGE A17
From http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/mya180111cnd_opf_files/mya180111cnd.js&ver=Gen
Source Website: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asian%2BOpinions/Story/A1Story20110118-258789.html
By GEOFF TAN, Tue, Jan 18, 2011, my paper



PHOTO: Enjoy today
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PHOTO: Geoff Tan
The writer is a senior vice-president of Singapore Press Holdings’ marketing division.
MY PAPER, TUESDAY JANUARY 18, 2011, VIEWPOINTS, PAGE A17

OVER time, I have amassed a respectable collection of inspirational quotes. Here are the best of them, to help us kick off the new year on a positive note.

The first quote is an anonymous one guaranteed to put those who are, perhaps, somewhat negative and tend to see the glass as half empty in their rightful place.

It defines a "pessimist" as "a person who says that O is the last letter of 'zero', instead of the first letter in the word 'opportunity'".

Time to check ourselves? Speaking of opportunity, Thomas Edison - the famous inventor, scientist and businessman - once said: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

So, I guess sitting around and contemplating the world will probably not bring too many things to pass!

And, if we have not done so yet, this year is as good as any to think things through a little differently, because, as motivational speaker and writer Zig Ziglar has said: "Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude."

But, even with the right mindset, reality has it that not everything we do is guaranteed success.

Life is not necessarily a bed of roses, and there will be setbacks and failures arising from the decisions we make but, as Confucius said: "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Persistence and timing invariably play important roles in how our ideas pan out. Edison was also quoted as saying that "many of life's failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up".

But, before you jump in headfirst and start working really hard, never forget to dedicate a portion of your time to dream dreams!

As Time Warner's Steven Ross said: "There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfil those dreams. Go into the third category because there's virtually no competition."



PHOTO: Green Nature screensaver
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http://www.vrkmphoto.com/screensavers/green-nature-screensaver/

On the topic of dreams, Christopher "Superman" Reeve was indeed inspirational when he said: "So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they will become inevitable."

With this, I would like to wish all of you a dream-filled year ahead.

May you achieve success in whatever you set out to do because, in the words of Benjamin Mays, who was a minister, educator, scholar and social activist, "the tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach".

Go for your goals, but also take time to enjoy the wonderful "now".

I'd like to recall the precious words of B. Olatunji: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift.

That's why we call it the present." Cherish it!
By GEOFF TAN, Tue, Jan 18, 2011, my paper



PHOTO: Quotes
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HELPDESK
我的字典: Wǒ de zì diǎn

Amassed: 积累 jī lěi
Pessimist: 悲观主义者 bēi guān zhǔ yì zhě
Motivational speaker: 激励讲师 jī lì jiǎng shī
Social activist: 社会活动家 shè huì huó dòng jiā



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