======================= VOTT IF ... you could get a short, humorous, informative e-mail each week that was insightful and meaningful to your life? ======================= Valuing Ourselves The "nobody is perfect " syndrome has been used to make excuses for an eternity of atrocities. The gist of it is as follows: first you do something that you know you should not do, then you use the catch-all phrase to explain the fact that you have done it. Then if someone disapproves your action, you can say, "Well, nobody is perfect" or if they criticize you, you can go a step further and with indignation attack, "So, you think you're perfect!" There are those who go to the other extreme and figure that everything is perfect, that everything is just as it should be and that there is nothing more to be done. As you can see, both these outlooks advocate exactly the same thing: maintain status quo. This is often the case with viewpoints that appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum - they are really much closer to each other than they profess to be (possibly explaining the problem with politics). It is a real masterpiece of the ego that encourages us to be static in a dynamic universe. Perfection has nothing to do with either of the previous viewpoints or anything in between. In fact, perfection has nothing to do with viewpoints at all. The universe is continuously changing on a micro as well as a macro level. Since we are part of the universe (it's a little hard to get out), we too are changing continuously. That process of change is rejuvenation. Think of it: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life!" Each morning when you awake, you can start your life anew. While you may not be able to make everything suit your particular "wants", you can approach your existence with the fresh enthusiasm that every child shows when they appear on this planet. There is a saying that one cannot step in the same River twice. For the River flows, ever changing itself and its path, sparkling in its movement. That joyous movement is the eternal dance of perfection! Time Tippies The secret to life is to have a table of contents! Well, that may be stretching it a bit far, but there is no doubt that some form of indexing can make things work more smoothly. Efficient readers do not just start into a book, they look through the table of contents to get some landmarks for what they are going to read. This familiarity with the topics make the reading fit into context and as a result understanding happens better and faster. Furthermore, if they want to find information, it is much easier to connect with it through the table of contents, than it is searching through numerous pages. This idea can be helpful in many situations other than reading. You can form a table of contents for just about anything whether it be to locate information, items or tasks. It takes very little effort, can be done at a moment's notice (even on a scrap of paper) and is a really good way to not lose sight of the forest by getting lost in the trees. Inspiration Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), one of the great masters of music, came from a musical family known to the town of Eisenach, Germany for nearly 200 years. He was orphaned by the age of 10 and went to live with his brother, also a musician. Bach's desire and love for music led him to copy his brother's scores by moonlight as it was difficult to obtain music at that time. At the age of 18, he would walk for miles sometimes without food to Hamburg where he could listen to concerts. Obstacles could not restrain Bach's talent and determination. His musical style would set the standard that other composers would follow for years to come. We salute this man whose passion and dedcation to music led him to become one of the most creative and productive composers in history. Funecdotes Richard Sheridan (1751-1816), Irish playwright and witty parliamentary orator, had borrowed five hundred pounds from a friend who kept reminding him of the debt. On one such occasion, Sheridan asked for an additional twenty-five pounds and was naturally met with refusal. Sheridan then complained to his friend: "My dear fellow, be reasonable; the sum you ask me for is a very considerable one, whereas I only ask you for twenty-five pounds." ... with you on your journey Towards Freedom mailto:about@towardsfreedom.com (autoresponder) http://www.towardsfreedom.com (website) information, imagination, inspiration - truly a site for soaring I's ======================= If you ever wish to unsubscribe just do so at http://towardsfreedom.com/suvottif.html#subscription_handling =======================