Mind: Quotes

Quote of the Day (30/11/2005)

Khalidah — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 09:35:00 GMT

The first sight of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left.

- Chicago Tribune

I am sure that we all remember all the times that our moms yelled at us to turn the volume down cause everyone in the house are not able to listen to each other.

My mom used to fight with me all the time because I just thought that it is not the same if you listen to music at a lower volume; it will not give the same effect. The eighties were quite crazy in this regard and I remember telling mom that Tina Turner was actually related to me and that’s why I feel so attached to her, and mom used to call me "majnooneh"

I can't help but smile when I think of those good old days. I was never able to study unless I was listening to music or watching TV. Me and my friends; we all had collections of posters and photos of our favorite singers, but we did not dare hang them in the rooms as that was just too taboo J

I really don’t remember when the first sign of maturity appeared with me, because I got so tied up with studying and working and it became of minor importance that I listen to loud music. Of course I still listen to music; but not too loud!

Actually; I give my sisters at home a hard time about this, asking them to turn it down, but naturally; they never listen to me and mom keeps laughing as they are actually getting back at me for her, so I guess it is true what they say: what goes around does actually come around.

Quote of the Day (29/11/2005)

Khalidah — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 12:17:00 GMT

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl* and have wrinkles

– George Eliot, 1819-1880, English Female Novelist (pen name of Mary Ann Evans)

I was talking to one of my best friends last night, and he was telling me that if I force myself to smile; I will feel internally happy and this will reflect on everything I do or say; it will even affect those around me and they will start feeling happy as well.

Thinking about what he said; I believe there is a ring of truth to this and that it does make a difference to you and those around you if you were wearing a smile rather than a gloomy face.

We all remember the great saying that you move less muscles in your face if you smile and this translates to less wrinkles (I don’t think that cosmetic companies would appreciate what I am saying here … kidding J)

This small humanly gesture that we call a smile; it makes your face look more beautiful, yet we are so mean to ourselves and those around us by not smiling. It has become a culture in Jordan that we Jordanians do not smile, and keeping the scowl is actually "wajaha" or reflects seriousness. But who said that a mile contradicts with this? Why do we deprive ourselves from this feeling?

So remember that after you brush your teeth, show them off by smiling even if to yourself in the mirror, and see what this does to your morale. Verify these theories of the connection between smiling and happiness; maybe these guys are right after all and we have been left out all that past time.

Don’t forget what they say: Keep smiling because you will never know who is falling in love with your smile.

*Scowl: Frown

Quote of the Day (28/11/2005)

Khalidah — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 09:36:00 GMT

The most damaging phrase in the language is: "It's always been done that way."

-Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

Once I read a story about five monkeys: "What Fools Can Learn From Apes." The story goes:

"Start with a cage containing five monkeys. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the monkeys with cold water.

"After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result -- all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water.

"Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

"Now, turn off the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

"Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, replace a third original monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

"After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys which have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs.

"Why not?

"Because that's the way it's always been around here."

It's really funny; how we follow the way things have been done always without asking ourselves why or what can be done to improve it. Why are we afraid of change? Is there an internal feeling inside each of us to stop us from daring and attempting to reach out for what we really want? Are we afraid of the cold water?

Think with me; isn't this what is really holding us back from realizing our full potential and making our dreams come true?

Why don't we have the courage to change?

Quote of the Day (27/11/2005)

Khalidah — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 09:26:00 GMT

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work

--- Aristotle

That says it all.

I can't remember how many tasks I performed with great joy regardless of how difficult or unpleasant to others they are ... I really enjoyed and they turned out to be perfect.

On the other hand; there were tasks that I did not like, and they were the hardest to finish.

Sometimes it is not about how easy or difficult a task or a job is; it is actually how we feel about it. Are we happy where we are? What pulls us out of bed every morning to come to work and carry on with tasks; some see them as easy and others see them as hard?

I remember that I read somewhere; that others' jobs seem easier than ours, and the more they perfect it the easier it seems.

I think what makes a difference is how much these people are enjoying their jobs and how much they are loving doing it.

What about you? Do you love what you are doing? And if not; what would you love to change about it?

Quote of the Day (24/11/2005)

Khalidah — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 09:15:00 GMT

If you were born lucky, even your rooster will lay eggs.

-Russian proverb

There are two philosophies in life; one that says that luck does not exist, and the other states that everything in life is based on luck.

In all cultures; we have read and heard about luck. Poets and writers mentioned it many times and they believed that some people were born under a lucky star and that made their lives easier and more comfortable.

Let's face it; if you look around you or scan the people that you know; you will realize that there are some people who did not have to struggle for anything; life just came to them as simple as that. So what is it? Is it luck? or attitude? or luck? :)

This morning; the first thing that came to my mind is this proverb. I don't know why; but maybe I am just not feeling lucky today, or as they say: I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but then I remembered; my bed has only one side.

There must be a reason why this became a proverb the Russians inherited and spread it to other cultulers, and there must be a ring of truth to it; otherwise; its spell would have been broken ages ago.

What do you think? Does luck exist? And does it really affect our lives? Should we believe that some people are lucky and some aren't?

Quote of the day (23/11/2005)

Khalidah — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 12:04:00 GMT

Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost part of your life.

-- Michael Leboeuf (an internationally published author, business consultant, and a dynamic professional speaker)

Isn't it amazing how a simple sentence holds so much meaning?

It is true that when you waste your time, you are actually losing precious minutes of your own life, not someone else's.

Each moment we spend is an investment in ourselves, and everything we do is a result of a choice, so if we choose to waste our time or allow others to waste it for us, how smart is this choice? and what is the Return On Investment (ROI) that we will get?

If we ask ourselves every time what we will gain if we do something or don't do it, I believe that we will have better control and management of our time and life in general.

Save yourself from emptiness and use your time wisely!

Quote of the day

Khalidah — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 15:11:00 GMT

My future starts when I wake up every morning…Every day I find something creative to do with my life.

- Miles Davis

Go on ... read it again and again
It means that today is the beginning of the rest of your life, no matter how long or short, it starts today ... so stop wasting your time and energy thinking and crying over a past that will never come back ... there is no time machine that will take you back and allow you to make things better ... so what can we do?

The only thing we can do is to keep moving forward, because the journey will not stop because one passenger decided to step down and think of going back ... he will be left behind!!!

Life is a wonderful experience ... open your heart and mind and make the best of each day because guess what? you will never get the chance to relive any second that passes, you only have one shot ... so you better be good at aiming