To Perform Best in Life, Remember these six Zig Ziglar Truths…

Born to Win at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1442339683/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=3523323321&ref=pd_sl_2i9acs9v7a_b

Zig Ziglar a loved author and motivational speaker taught timeless lessons of success before his passing two years ago this month. He encouraged people to live a life of no regrets in his last book, Born to Win!

Here, in an excerpt from the book, listing some of Ziglar’s principles—how you can improve yourself and accomplish valuable, holistic success in life:

• We generally get from others and ourselves what we expect.
• If you expect to lose, you will. If you expect to be average, you will be average. If you expect to feel bad, you probably will. If you expect to feel great, nothing will slow you down. Moreover, what is true for you is true for others. Your expectations for others will become what they deliver and achieve.

As Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.

• You find what you look for in life. If you look for the good things in life, you will find them. If you look for opportunities to grow and prosper, you will find them. If you look for positive, enthusiastic friends and associates who will support you, you will find them.
• Never make a promise without a plan. Far too many people make promises they can never keep. They may have the best intentions in the world to keep their promise, but if they have not made a plan to keep it, they will not be able to do it.
• Happiness, joy, and gratitude are universal if we know what to look for.
• All people want happiness and joy in their life, but you have to know what produces real happiness and how to do the things that produce it.
• The moment you begin to worry about the things you want and the things you do not have in life is the moment you will lose your gratitude for what you actually have.
• If you are ungrateful, you will never be satisfied, content, or joyful about your life.
• The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful at all times.

 

Citizenship a “right to have rights”…

 

In listening to President Obama tonight, November 20, 2014, brings to mind another time in this country when prejudices were alive and thriving within the borders of the United States of America. The blood of the first true American runs through my veins and I am having a problem with the views of “immigration” in this country by the “descendants” of immigrates. These people are now citizens of this country by either birth or becoming a citizen after coming to the United States. The rhetoric has not changed throughout the years. It is like being ugly and poor, if you are not beautiful, rich and powerful you chances of getting into the “club” are zero.

My father was born in 1903, he, his mother and their people Southeastern Chickasaw’s were not recognized as American citizens until 1940, by then he was married and had two children; I was one year old.

In 1924, The Act governing Native Americans did not include those born before the effective date of the 1924 Act and it was not until the Nationality Act of 1940 that all born on U.S. soil were citizens; my father was thirty-seven years old before he was to be recognized as a “REAL AMERICAN CITIZEN”. Many Native Americans, who were granted citizenship rights under the 1924 Act, may not have had full citizenship and suffrage rights until 1948. My father’s right to be a citizen of the United States of American was granted to him by “Immigrates or the Descendants of immigrates”

I have to wonder what my father and those who came before him, those who were drove from their lands, walked the Trail of Tears, those who help build this country would have to say about how we look upon the way those in power, the people we voted into office are reacting to today’s immigration decisions, have they forgotten their ancestors who came to this country and were welcomed with open arms.

I believe we need to stop and think about how we look in the eyes of other countries, to people who may want to make America their home. How many of us do not respect our President, how we are not accepting change.  Are we moving forward or backward?

This is only my opinion and mine alone, of one who watch their father being discriminated against as a child. A father who was not allowed, to walk down the same street next to a powerful white man. A father who worked hard to make a living with little education. A father who would take food off our table to give to someone passing through who was hungry and did not have a job. A father who would fight for all people, be understanding of differences, and fight against discrimination. My father, a True American!  

Getting off my soap box…11.20.2014 ajm

Change in your life…

“Nothing will change in your life if you don’t do something different from what you have been doing”. E. Perry Good

~

The posting for today developed from a quote by E. Perry Good, speaker, trainer, corporate coach, and author sent to me by my son in a mass family mailing.   My answer back to him was that, “We (I) try to focus on today more than the future as all we (I) have is today”.

In sharing a “little” of myself with my readers today, as a family research, reading books and trying self-help methods have been a part of my family for many years.  It does not mean that we use all but we try. Living day to day is a struggle to many and not unique to only me!

Today, I lean toward my spiritual self instead of organized religion. My life scales are at any given moment tipping with uneven weight of happiness or sadness. Most of my life was based on “Church”, raised up in a country church where style meant overalls and outdated dresses, an old upright piano that needed tuning and a banjo could raise the roof with off key voices and hands held toward the ceiling in hopes God would hear our praises. I taught “Sunday School” from eighteen until I was twenty-six years old. Then life gave me reason to look inward to my spiritual self and this is where my beliefs have resided since that long ago day.

With that said I stopped participating in organized religion; however almost three decades of studying the Bible my belief in some of the philosophy it provides by its authors is a part of who I am today. E. Perry Good is right nothing will change if you do not do something different from what you are doing today.

This post is not intended to push any religious values on anyone; I believe it can be applied to all who want to bring change in their lives. I have written down some of these Bible viewpoints to share that melds with the words of E. Perry Good. The insight of Biblical authors can be a template for life by all people.

• Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (My favorite saying Angels can be anyone carrying a message of help )
• Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
• Be content with what you have.
• Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
• It is more blessed to give than to receive.
• Be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
• Stop all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander in your life.
• Do not let the sun go down on your anger.
• Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your own mind.

 

Even at my age, I look at myself as a “WORK IN PROGRESS”. I break my own rules about life and how I live it, I have to start over many times, rethinking my life, my own behavior and I truly believe that we are only “done” with improvement in our lives when we take our last breath. I will never be perfect, my flaws are many, but the hope to transformation my life never ceases. Hope for a better self should never die. In addition, I do believe that we should live for today, for tomorrow may never come.

11.18.2014 ajm

 

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Elouise Renich Fraser…

Elouise Renich Fraser

 

What a joy to read the work of Elouise Renich Fraser…check out her blog and purchase her work at Amazon.com. ajm

 

Blog

http://tellingthetruth1993.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/what-about-the-women/#comment-823

At Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Elouise-Renich-Fraser/e/B001KI7U22/

 

Who is she, Elouise Renich Fraser?  She would tell you…

First-born of four daughters, preacher’s kid, survivor

Musician, theologian, educator

Wife, mother, grandmother

Intuitive, reflective

Good girl-bad girl, God’s beloved daughter-child

Unpredictable, rebellious, stubborn, determined, sensitive, persistent

Sometimes courageous truth-teller

Thank you…

Some of America’s  “Hero’s”, we must always remember them in our hearts.

 

Thank you for your support in reblogging the last post.  First, FEMA should never ask for refunds on money they have given to support those in need.  Second, as Americans we get more support during these disaster’s from private funding…we support and care for each other more than our government does.  Third, our support to other countries also comes from private funding, from the hearts of Americans; I see the numbers that our government gives but does it go to the right people, the people in need?  Time to get down off the soap box…but too many who are less fortunate are forgotten on a regular basis in the USA; they need our voices.  Thank you so much for visiting and reading Libretto.  11.10.2014  ajm

 

 

On Sale at Amazon.com…

IN SEARCH OF WORDS

 

Ann Johnson-Murphree Poetry Books – A Collection of Poetry

Weekend Visit with Aunt Ira Mae…

Day before yesterday I left all of you with Aunt Ira Mae’s “do’s and don’ts” of moving into senior housing, her accounting of the Manor; her moving to Hell-Town, USA and many of its inhabitants, the people from “hell” as she deems them. Let me start by saying that I have visited her and that I do not believe all senior housing is as the Manor; not all people in the Manor or town are like those that she has encountered. However, I have witnessed those who appeared to be friendly, turn within time.

My introduction to her neighbors was they walked, shuffled, or wheeled up and down the hall trying to get a glimpse of new people. My first impression of Independent living was, “Aunt Ira Mae, are you sure this is not a nursing home”?

Upon leaving, the gathering room was full of blue haired old battle-axes, yes their actions gave this impression; they migrated to the lounge area by the elevator. Any one that tells you old people cannot see, do not believe them. They were like vultures waiting for the death of a road kill, peering with their tiny beady eyes at me, knowing that their minds were wondering how I was related to Ira Mae. I smiled and kept moving.

This weekend I made a quick visit, the “Warden” as Aunt Ira Mae named her, and her sidekick that she named “Mouth”, met me outside the elevator. “Ain’t you the woman who moved her Aunt in here”, hollered the Warden. Mouth replied, “Most people think she is a crazy woman, moved in speaks to no one, we know she smokes and drinks; and she is gone all day”! I looked at them respectfully and smiled as I walked away.

The Warden bellowed out, “We ain’t going to like her”.

I got in my car and left…like Aunt Ira Mae says, “She takes her shot of Jack every day and just keeps telling herself to breath damn’it”.

Since I have now heard from her I will need to call her tonight and “catch up” on the gossip.

 

10.27.2014 ajm

 

A Sachet of Poetry…

 

About adoration, aspirations and yes asylums…

• “Tears are words that need to be written.”
  Paulo Coelho
   
• http://www.amazon.com/Sachet-Poetry-Adoration-Aspirations-Asylums/dp/1500483354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414339421&sr=1-1&keywords=ann+johnson-murphree+paperbacks

 

Books at Amazon.com……………..

Ann Johnson-Murphree Poetry Books – A Collection of Poetry
The 8×11 coffee table books that will display well . The matte cover is classy and inviting. Within each book the reader will find approximately fifty poems.  A length pleasing to browse, read one or more; they will find a connection, a meaning and a purpose in each poem.

 

Thank you for your support.  ajm

Well, I’m in good company…