Slow Dance

A poem written by a teenager with cancer


Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done!
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

All that she wants to convey is that..."LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST"

The Top 10 Ways to Start Living Your Life

The Top 10 Ways to Start Living Your Life :

Life either happens to us, or we take hold of life and live it.

1. Give yourself permission to claim your life. That's right?Permission. You're the only one who can decide you are in charge of your life. Even though it feels like you're not supposed to do so, Turn off the internal editors, the old tape recordings, and the rules that didn't come from you.
2. Define what living means to you. It's not as hard as it sounds. Just picture yourself at the end of your life looking back. What words Would you want to describe how you lived your life and who you are as a person.
3. Stop living in the future. Every time you think "someday" or "when I have time I will," stop.. Ask yourself, "Why not now?" Think about This sentence, "I always wanted to, but never did." Start doing the Things you always planned to do. Choose your life every morning. Plan One thing you will do that day to feel alive.
4. Surround yourself with people who enjoy living. They've obviously discovered how to have a life and live it. Why not hang with the pros?
5. Lay down your pain and your anger. Carrying them around makes Living harder and less fun. It doesn't bring anything, and it steals a Lot.
6. Let the losers win. Don't argue about things that you don't care about. Unless there's some real threat, let the folks who have something to prove, prove what they need to. Why waste your living Time trying to fix what's wrong with them?
7. Create energy. Jump to forgiveness and love, then figure things out. Most conclusions we jump to are not only wrong, they're negative. Negative conclusions lead us to prepare a defense. Being on the Defensive isn't living. It's hiding from life.
8. Learn the physical symptoms of when your head and heart become disconnected. We know when we're having a knee jerk reaction, when we're feeling sorry for ourselves, and when we're being blind to people's feelings. We can remember how it felt physically while we were behaving badly. Get to know those symptoms, and you can stop the behavior. Living life will feel a whole lot safer because you won't be in danger of shooting yourself in the foot.
9. Take small risks that push your boundaries in every way. The joy of Life is packed in learning that matches our skill set. When we stretch just a bit intellectually, physically, emotionally, we grow. Living is Growing. Even your cells know that.
10. Value and protect the people and the places you care about. Let the people you care about come first, and let everyone know that you do. Re-read numbers 1 and 2.

Some Motivational Quotes

"Mistakes, obviously, show us what needs improving, without mistakes, how would we know what we had to work on?"

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work."

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength, but through persistence."

"Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later win a little more."

"An obstacle is often a stepping stone."

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

"Enthusiasm is the engine of success."

Value

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a Rs.1000 note. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this money?”

Hands started going up.

He said, “I am going to give this Rs.1000 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the note.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?”

Still the hands were up in the air.

“Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth Rs.1000

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special – Don’t ever forget it!

Difference between Infatuation and Real Love

There is a vast difference between infatuation and real love.

Enumerated here below are the differences. Find out if you are really in love and not just infatuated.

Infatuation

Infatuation is a feeling; real love involves a commitment also. Infatuation is just love of emotion. Real love though, is love of devotion. Only the emotions are affected in infatuation, but in real love both the Emotions and the Will are involved.

Next, a person "fall into" infatuation, but "grows into" real love. Gentlemen, have you ever seen a girl who was so beautiful that you thought you'd faint? This is infatuation. It is based totally on physical attraction; Often you don't know much in-depth about the person you so-called love. Thus infatuation is mostly biological.

Also remember, never tell a woman you love her, unless you are willing to marry her. Then, infatuation is basically selfish where real love is basically selfless. Infatuation is more interested in satisfying yourself and your "feelings" than it is in the other person.

Real love is primarily interested in the other person. It seeks to give instead of get. Love unselfishly seeks the highest good for the other person.

Lastly, infatuation is weakened by time and separation where real love is strengthened by time and separation. This does not mean that there will be no pain in separation. On the contrary, there is great pain in separation if you are truly in love.

Love

Now you understand what is infatuation, let us now go on to discuss about Love.

1. Love is Patient
The word translated "patient" means to wait patiently for the fulfillment of expectations. When you have difficulty dating this girl and she does not want to come out of her shell, if you truly love her, you will not complain and blame her, you must look at the situation from her point of view – maybe she is having some problems which prevented her from coming out. You must react to it with patience and understanding.
Have you ever met someone you liked so much that you wanted to push the relationship and make it progress faster? Sure you have! Love, however, Love is willing to give the relationship time to grow at a natural pace . It does not push but is willing to wait for the relationship to grow at a rate that is satisfactory to both parties.

2. Love is Kind
Love seeks to encourage and build up on others. It respects the feelings and emotions
of others. It finds its greatest satisfaction in making others happy, i.e. Compliment one another, magnify the others strength, Listen to one another. Pay close attention to what each of you has to say and make each other feel that what each says is important, etc.

3. Love is not Jealous
Jealousy usually indicates an insecure and immature heart. Love wants the best for others, but jealousy is possessive. Jealous is reflected in the childish statement, "If he is going to talk to her, then he can just forget about me!" Often, one person wants to totally possess the other and to restrict her relationships with others.

4. Love is not to Brag
Love is not a windbag and is not anxious to impress. Often, a guy will brag to a girl, trying to impress her so that she will like him. A truly great person, however, does not need to exalt himself. Others will exalt him.

5. Love is not Arrogant
Love is not conceited, boastful, cocky or stuck up. Love, instead, is humble and has a servant attitude . Sometimes, a guy may come across to a girl with an "I can take you or leave you" attitude. His demeanor implies, "You ought to be thankful that somebody as neat as me is dating you". Of course this is not love.

6. Love always Covers
This word cover means to pass over in silence, to keep confidential. Love is patient with faults of others. It doesn't criticize or broadcast to the world the faults of others. Love is present even when it knows the other is not perfect.

7. Love always Perseveres
Love always stands its ground and holds out . It will outlast anything. It will even love on the face of unreturned love. Real love will last through all sorts of trials, tribulations and stresses.

8. Love is not Provoked
This means that love has a long fuse. It does not become irritated and angry. It is not easily offended. Love does not seek its own. This is the heart of love. Love is other-centered not self-centered. Love says, "I love you, I want to give you." Selfishness says, "I love you, I want you!"

9. Love does not act Unbecomingly
This means that love does not behave disgracefully, dishonorably, or indecently. It does not embarrass others by its actions. It is characterized by tact and sensitivity. This also means that love should have good manners. Be sure to do little things like opening doors for your girl or offering her your arm when you walk together.

10. Love is Forgiving
Lastly, this is a MUST for a successful love story. If a guy is not willing to forgive and forget when his girlfriend is only an hour late, he is not exhibiting love. Love doesn't hold grudges when it has been wronged. It doesn't remain resentful.

The Six Pillars of Character

Trustworthiness

Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country

Respect

Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements

Responsibility

Do what you are supposed to do • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your choices

Fairness

Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly

Caring

Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

Citizenship

Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment

One to Ten words

The most selfish ONE letter word "I" - Avoid it.
The most satisfying TWO letter word "WE" - Use it.
The most poisonous THREE letter word "EGO" - Kill it.
The most used FOUR letter word "LOVE" - Value it.
The most pleasing FIVE letter word "SMILE" - Keep it.
The fastest spreading SIX letter word "RUMOUR" - Ignore it.
The hardest working SEVEN letter word "SUCCESS" - Achieve it.
The most enviable EIGHT letter word "JEALOUSY" - Distance it.
The most powerful NINE letter word "KNOWLEDGE" - Acquire it.
The most essential TEN letter word "CONFIDENCE" - Trust it.

Seven Tips to Improve Self Esteem

1. Love Yourself
Love and accept yourself just as you are, without conditions attached. It does not matter where you are born, what is your family background, what is your financial status, what is the color of your skin, what looks you have etc. etc. What matters is first do you Love and accept yourself – before others do. When you indulge yourself in your love you improve the way you feel about yourself. You improve your Self Esteem.

2. Work on your Strengths
There is no one who has no strengths. Everyone is good at something, know what your good at and give yourself a pat on the back. Do things that bring this quality out into the open. Exercise it, make it stronger.

3. Learn to Accept Compliments
It’s hard to accept a compliment and not to dismiss it as being ridiculous. Someone has an opinion and it should be respected, even if you do not agree with it. If people think good about you then maybe you should too.

4. Share and Help others
The more you share the more you grow. Nothing makes you feel a warm glow than when you unselfishly help others. Just do a good deed, help someone out, doesn’t have to be big and it doesn’t have to cost any money.

5. Keep away from Negative friends
Hang out with people who are positive and support you. It may be fun to bitch and moan but if you hang out with these types of people you will eventually become one of them. You may have noticed that people who bitch and moan are never happy.

6. Think Positive
Thoughts are Things. Take a positive view on everything. Think Positive, Feel Positive and achieve Positive results. Affirm positive words and phrases everyday to your self.

7. Stop Comparing yourself with others
Don’t start comparing your self to other people. Saying you are poor compared to others is just going to make you miserable. If you look at how you were yesterday and how you are today and there is an improvement then that is great. If there is no improvement then you know you need to improve your efforts.


Take Action Now:
This article will be a waste of time if you do not take any action, Now. The only person who can change you is you. Reading this post will not change you unless you get emotionally involved with the information and make a decision to change.

Count your blessings

I've never made a fortune,
and it's probably too late now.
But I don't worry about that much,
I'm happy anyhow.

And as I go along life's way,
I'm reaping better than I sowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven't got a lot of riches,
and sometimes the going's tough.
But I've got loving ones all around me,
and that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for his blessings,
and the mercies He's bestowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke,
and the sun peeped through again.

So Lord, help me not to gripe,
about the tough rows I have hoed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage,
When the way grows steep and rough.
I'll not ask for other blessings,
I'm already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy,
to help others bear their loads.
Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

When I think of how many people
in this world have it worse than I do.
I realize just how blessed most of us really are.