Failure does not exist. Failure is simply someone else's opinion of how a certain act should have been completed. Once you believe that no act must be performed in any specific other-directed way, then failing becomes impossible. - Wayne Dyer
I find this fascinating, the concept that failure does not truly exist. Imagine going through life and never having that fear of failure hang over your head. There would be no pressure, no shame, no self-doubt, that would be a great world to live in. On the other hand, failure can be a great motivator, I know there have been times I would not have have accomplished much if not for that pressure not to fail and to continually prove myself. I guess it's finding that place where fear of failure is not an inhibitor, but a motivator. As well, to base success and failure not on someone else's conditions but standards I have set for myself. I suppose it's looking at life as though the only person I truly can fail is myself, just as much as I can only be a success based on what I consider success to be. I'm not sure if that's a good thing?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Zero-Based Gratitude
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
- Albert Einstein
Zero-Based Gratitude
Perhaps you have heard of zero-based budgeting as a technique for governments, businesses, and occasionally individuals. Zero-based budgeting is in contrast to traditional incremental budgeting. In incremental budgeting, one starts with the budget for the last year, or other period, and prepares a budget for the next period based on the budget for the last period - incorporating whatever increases, or very occasionally decreases, are deemed appropriate.
Zero-based budgeting begins with a base-line of no expenditures, rather than the base-line of last year's expenditures. Each and every proposed expense must be justified on its own merits rather that falling back on the argument that it was in the last year's budget, and that everybody expects and demands it.
Most people's gratitude is incremental gratitude. If they receive a raise, a bigger house, a third car, a new love interest, or a healthy new baby, they are grateful. If they lose their job, are forced to downsize, have a tiff with their spouse, or have an illness in the family, they are disappointed and angry. Why disappointed and angry? Because they have not been blessed with as much today as they were yesterday.
Suppose our gratitude could be zero-based gratitude. With zero-based gratitude, we would be grateful for everything we had each day - regardless of whether it was more or less than yesterday. With zero-based gratitude, I can be grateful for a warm comfortable one-bedroom apartment, even if I had a four bedroom house yesterday. I can be grateful for being able to walk, even if I could run yesterday. I can be grateful all the people, the love, the food, the shelter, the services, the health, that I am blessed with today, regardless of what I had yesterday. With zero-based gratitude, I can be grateful each day for the gift of life itself.
Consider adopting the ongoing practice of zero-based gratitude.
http://www.dreamthisday.com/
- Albert Einstein
Zero-Based Gratitude
Perhaps you have heard of zero-based budgeting as a technique for governments, businesses, and occasionally individuals. Zero-based budgeting is in contrast to traditional incremental budgeting. In incremental budgeting, one starts with the budget for the last year, or other period, and prepares a budget for the next period based on the budget for the last period - incorporating whatever increases, or very occasionally decreases, are deemed appropriate.
Zero-based budgeting begins with a base-line of no expenditures, rather than the base-line of last year's expenditures. Each and every proposed expense must be justified on its own merits rather that falling back on the argument that it was in the last year's budget, and that everybody expects and demands it.
Most people's gratitude is incremental gratitude. If they receive a raise, a bigger house, a third car, a new love interest, or a healthy new baby, they are grateful. If they lose their job, are forced to downsize, have a tiff with their spouse, or have an illness in the family, they are disappointed and angry. Why disappointed and angry? Because they have not been blessed with as much today as they were yesterday.
Suppose our gratitude could be zero-based gratitude. With zero-based gratitude, we would be grateful for everything we had each day - regardless of whether it was more or less than yesterday. With zero-based gratitude, I can be grateful for a warm comfortable one-bedroom apartment, even if I had a four bedroom house yesterday. I can be grateful for being able to walk, even if I could run yesterday. I can be grateful all the people, the love, the food, the shelter, the services, the health, that I am blessed with today, regardless of what I had yesterday. With zero-based gratitude, I can be grateful each day for the gift of life itself.
Consider adopting the ongoing practice of zero-based gratitude.
http://www.dreamthisday.com/
Why I love my parents...
So I'm helping my mom to prepare Thanksgiving dinner and she sets aside the turkey neck for my Nonna. I'm sitting there looking at the turkey neck and decide to ask "Mom, what if they've been tricking us for all these years and that's not really the turkey's neck, but the turkey's shlong?" straight faced she turns to me and says "Tina, if that was the turkey's shlong, we'd be idolizing it, not eating it".
My dad and I stopped by a Chinese restaurant for dinner the other and as we were leaving I noticed a car with a bunch of little ribbon bows tied to the radio antenna. I ask "does that serve any purpose?" my dad's response had me pissing my pants "Yes Tina, it indicates that the driver's an asshole."
And that my friends is why I love my parents!
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