Cancer Survivors' Fund

Celebrate your days
What makes one day different from another? What makes Thanksgiving a special day for many? What makes the 4th of July a holiday in the U.S.? What makes the first day of school special? What makes Sundays like Sundays? What makes your birthday a special day? What makes any day special?
The day is the day it is. Days themselves do not call themselves the days of the week. They don’t even know the names of the days of the week. Days don’t say: “Today I am Monday. Tomorrow I am Tuesday.” Days themselves don’t even conceive of yesterday or today. Days themselves offer themselves to you the same every day. “Here, take me,” the day says, “and make of me what you will.”

And yet every day is not lived the same. What makes the difference between a great day and a so-so one? If it isn’t the day itself, it must be you then. A day is like an ace dealt to you. You can use an ace as a ten or one.
You set the dial of your day.

There are certain days you anticipate. Your very anticipation sets the tone of your day. Anticipate golden days, beloveds. By your anticipation, you set up your day to a certain frequency. When you don’t look forward to a day, you also set it to a certain frequency. Will you turn that dial and set your days to happiness?

You are the prime ingredient of your day. You make your day. No one else does. You set up the perimeters of your day. You are the one who gives a name to it. If Thanksgiving Day is your favorite day, then let every day be a celebration of thanksgiving. If you like birthdays, consider every day your birthday. That is the truth, of course. Every day is your birthday. You are born anew every day. Leave your old self behind, and recreate yourself today.

Celebrate life. What matters the number of the day or whether it is weekday or weekend? It’s a day. It’s welcome day. It’s a universal day. It is today.

Leap out of that bed and go to the greet the day that delivers itself to you so generously. Be generous with all your days.
Consider the day an express elevator you ride on. This elevator goes up. It reaches one floor at a time. The elevator keeps going up. Your days are a stream of life. The stream of your days doesn’t start and stop. There is no separation between the stream today and the stream tomorrow. The elevator of days you ride on is a continuum. There really is no pause, no break between one day or another.

You believe in days. Now believe in good days, and better and better days, and make them so. Celebrate your days ahead of time. You are riding in an elevator that goes up and up. How far will you reach today? How far do you want to reach?
You may roll over in bed, yet days just keep going on. They go straight up. Go with your day. Fly with them.
And, yet, live this day as it was delivered to you. Fill in the lines. Make this day magnificent. Make this day superlative. Make this a marvelous day. Grow the kind of day you want. Nourish it well. Give it action, and give it rest. Treat today like the royal guest it is. Lay out the welcome mat for today. Carry today over the threshold. Have a great day.

Copyright © 1999-Now Heavenletters™

Dream Big

If there were ever a time to dare,
to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing,
it is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily-
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that's your aspiration,
something that's your dream.

You owe it to yourself
to make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig Deep.
Stretch.
Dream big.

Know, though, that things worth doing
seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
pack it up,
and call it quits.
those times tell you
that you are pushing yourself,
that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
determination,
and the right tools,
you can do great things.
Let your instincts,
your intellect,
and your heart
guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new
brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.
Do it right.

--- Macintosh ad from 1991

In this special moment in life ...
Think freely. Practice patience.
Smile often. Savor special moments.
Make new friends. Rediscover old ones.
Tell those you love that you do. Feel deeply.
Forget trouble. Forgive an enemy.
Hope. Grow. Be crazy. Observe miracles.
Make them happen. Discard worry.
Give. Give in. Trust enough to take.
Pick some flowers. Share them. Keep a promise.
Look for rainbows. Gaze at stars.
See beauty everywhere. Work hard. Be wise.
Try to understand. Take time for people.
Make time for yourself. Laugh heartily.
Spread joy. Take a chance. Reach out.
Let someone in. Try something new.
Slow down. Be soft sometimes. Believe in yourself.
Trust others. See a sunrise. Listen to rain. Reminisce.
Cry when you need to. Trust life. Have faith.
Enjoy wonder. Comfort a friend. Have good ideas.
Make some mistakes. Learn from them. Celebrate life.

http://www.cancersurvivorsfund.org/SuccessStories/Motivational/2016.htm

www.cancersurvivorsfund.org 11/20/2016 Do You Pass The Delayed Gratification Test?It used to be that we all had the ability to be resilient. Life almost forced us to be. People were made resilient by World Wars, economic hardship and isolation. Today, we live in a society where resilience is not highly valued nor tested as o...

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/charity/homepage.html?orig=%2Fgp%2Fbrowse.html%3Fnode%3D12745394011&ein=76-0608215

Be a Story Teller, Not Just a Speaker
Speakers are ordinarily people, from teachers to grandparents, from mountain climbers to cancer survivors. The platform provides them with a privilege and awesome responsibility to share their stories in a way that helps the audience to “wake up.” Good stories make people say, “Wait a minute. I can think or act differently about everything than I did before.” Stories are everywhere. Speakers learn to retrieve them and retell them to audiences as a way to show their humanness to show they care; to open people to possibility thinking and how making mistakes will lead to the courage to finally help them succeed. Because most of us define our thoughts visually, great stories help to enhance and even transform our lives.
Be unique. Think funny thoughts. Live and re-live your story when you are telling a story. Words are critical so be sure to pause when necessary and be in the now. Your words need to create an image in the audience’s mind so that they can remember your story. They may be a step away from their own story. This will strengthen the connection between you and them.
What is your story?

The Paradoxical Commandments



1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

THOUGHTS FOR THE TIMES

You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

SO…

You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others because no one else is in the contest for being you.

THEN…

You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due, and you'll be a most vital mortal.

DARE TO BELIEVE…

That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

Take a Chance
(From Ruben Gonzalez's book "Becoming Unstoppable.")

The most successful people in the world are risk takers. As soon as they see an opportunity, they move quickly and make something happen. They have a special quality that sets them apart from less successful people. They take initiative in everything they do. Successful people accept responsibility and take action when they see something needs to be done. They don't suffer from paralysis of analysis. They just do something. Anything that will get them closer to their goal.

By taking action - massive action - they build momentum and soon good things start to happen. My business coach likes to say, "Most people need to think less and act more." Another of my mentors always says, "Done is better than perfect." Another way to say it is - implement now, perfect later. If you want to succeed, be willing to fail. To succeed big, be willing to fail big. To succeed fast, be willing to fail fast.

Successful people are willing to try different approaches to reach their goal. They are not worried about failing. They are just focused on the result. They just throw mud on the wall knowing that if they throw enough, some of it will stick. They never focus on the approaches that didn't work. There's no tie for that. Wallowing with self pity is for losers. Winners simply learn from their mistakes and quickly try a different approach.

The faster they move, the more energy they have. The more different things they try, the more likely they are of succeeding. They make a game out of it. And they never take their focus away from the goal. Their attitude is - there is always a way. I will find a way. I will succeed.

A national survey of octogenarians revealed that their biggest regret in life was not having had taken enough risks. Think about that! What they're saying is they realize they did not live life to the fullest and they missed out.

When you turn eighty you don't want to have that regret. So go for it. Take a chance. Do something. You'll be glad you did.