Time travel experiment #1

Imagine that right now, you have arrived here in the past in your younger body.  You only have a short time in which to tell your present day self what you know of the future.  You must write down your message so that it won't be forgotten and you only have 2 minutes to do it!

What would you change about your future?  What is important?  What could you say that could improve your life?

Get some paper and a pen and write yourself a letter right now.  This could be the most important letter you ever get!

STOP reading this and write that letter!

...
...
Did you write it?  If not- GO DO IT!

OK, now that you have a letter from your future self, sit down and read it.  Pretend that you don't remember writing it (your FUTURE self wrote it, not your PRESENT self).

What did you tell yourself?  Do you believe what you wrote?  What are the things that your future self says to do to fix your future?  Remember that this letter was so important that you found a way to travel back in time to warn yourself!

Are you satisfied with what you wrote?  Could you improve it?

OK, now go think about it for an hour, then come back and try the experiment again.

Here is a copy of the letter that I received from my future self.  I know that If I did not follow what my future self wrote then my future would turn out to be less than it could be.  I can avoid so much pain and suffering if I follow his advice.  You know what?  I have been doing what the letter says since I got it 2 weeks ago and I feel great!  I am getting healthier and happier.  I have written plans for my future and defined steps to get me there.  I WILL make the world a better place!

Thank you... me!

Dear Darrell,

This morning I climbed into a time machine and travelled 20 years into the past.  I woke up here in your present and am writing you this to tell you about your future.  There are things that you need... MUST do!

1. Start exercising every day!  Make it a daily habit that you enjoy- if you don't, your future will SUCK! Trust me!

2. Be Happy- You have always been a happy person, but the future holds a lot of painful experiences.  You gotta stay positive if you are gonna come out on top.  If you are happy, then those around you will be too!

3. Give- your time, your talents- everything you have will not be too much.  The more you give, the more you get.

4. Love!  Your heart is bigger than you know- FILL IT UP!

5. GOD - HE is ALWAYS with you. FIND HIM!

Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid!

There is a REASON you are here!

You have a PURPOSE!- you are on a QUEST!

So many things to do!

I    m   ou  t o f     t me

DARE SOMETHING WORTHY

fr m yo ur futre selff

Darre  l__

                  \__ .

My favorite animal

This is the funniest thing I have seen in a long time!
It reminds me of my son and the times he got into trouble for "telling the truth".

My Favorite Animal

Our teacher asked us what our favorite animal was, and I said, "Fried chicken." She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else in the class laughed. My parents told me to always be truthful and honest, and I am. Fried chicken is my favorite animal. I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA. He said they love animals very much. I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office. I told him what happened, and he laughed too. Then he told me not to do it again.

The next day in class my teacher asked me what my favorite live animal was. I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, just like she'd asked the other children. So I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken. She sent me back to the principal's office again. He laughed, and told me not to do it again.

I don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am. Today, my teacher asked us to tell her what famous person we admire most.

I told her, "Colonel Sanders".

Guess where I am now...

Remember that when you teach your children to be honest, you are going to have to accept the truth- no matter HOW FUNNY it is!

The friendship oath

I don’t know the origin of this poem as I received it as part of an Email chain letter so it has probably circulated the globe several hundred times!

If you know who wrote it please let me know.

I add it here as a point of inspiration. Please reflect upon it.


MY OATH TO YOU...

When you are sad.....I will dry your tears.

When you are scared.....I will comfort your fears.

When you are worried......I will give you hope.

When you are confused.....I will help you cope.

And when you are lost...and can't see the light,
I shall be your beacon...shining ever so bright.

This is my oath.....I pledge till the end.

Why you may ask?....Because you're my friend.

Signed: GOD


Think about your own friends… are you angry with them for some word or deed?
Isn’t your friendship worth fighting for? Aren’t YOU worth it?
To have a friend is to BE a friend. So what are you waiting for?
Go help someone. Believe me, it will do YOU more good than it will them.

The cost of a Miracle

I was speaking to a friend of mine about the power of faith yesterday.  She was facing some tough times and didn’t see how it could all work out.  I told her that with faith anything is possible.  She was skeptical but she said she would “try it”.  Today, just before she opened her Email she decided to “test the ability of faith” by asking for a “sign”.  The first Email contained the following short story and was sent to her by an old friend that she had not seen in years.

After she stopped crying she forwarded the Email to me asking “HOW DOES THIS WORK?!”

I told her that HOW is none of our business! Don’t question it, Just do it!

So start believing and have faith!

The cost of a Miracle

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.

She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even.. The total had to be exactly perfect.. No chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment.
Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!

'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick....and I want to buy a miracle.'

'I beg your pardon?' said the pharmacist.
'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?'

'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.

'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'

' I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money..'

'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago . 'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audible. 'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.'

'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.' He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.

'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?'

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost....one dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child.

In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law.

Miracles are purchased with faith, not with coins.

The richest person in the world is the one with the most faith.

“ASK and it shall be given.”

New Years Resolution...

Are you avoiding making a resolution because you are tired of failing to keep them?

Tired of disappointing yourself?
Well maybe it is because you are intentionally setting yourself up to fail.  That's right INTENTIONALLY....
Sound crazy?  Well it isn't.  Most people do this to avoid pain, they THINK that loosing weight, or getting into shape is gonna be painful, so they do things so they will give up.  They give themself an easy out and find ways to justify being unhappy. 

Blame someone else- "I can't loose weight because I'm Italian... It's genetic, everyone in my family is fat!"  This was a good friend of mines excuse.  He weighed 295 pounds... and he was only 5 foot 7 inches tall!  His height IS genetic, he is the tall one in the family, but his weight was a result of his environment.

The only thing genetic about them being fat is they all eat HUGE meals together as a family!  After dinner they couldn't do anything because they were about to explode!  Sure they have fun while they stuff their faces, but give me a break!  The only thing they did together was eat.  Their whole life revolved around food, and why change that when it gives them so much pleasure!  I loved having dinner with them because it was just like an "Olive Garden" commercial!  My face actually hurt afterwards from laughing so much!  The only problem was that my stomach hurt too- not from laughing, but from eating soooo much!

So why did he choose to loose weight?  He had a heart attack and almost died... at 35 years old!  That wake-up call gave him a new perspective on life- "Change your ways or die!"... so he changed... but not overnight.  He was smart enough to know that change takes time.

How did he do it?
He still ate with the family, but he ate slower, and gradually reduced the size of his portions.  He still went back for 2nds... and even third helpings, but they were smaller.  He also drank a lot of water.  A glass of water for every glass of wine... and he used to drink a LOT of wine!  These were not massive changes to his lifestyle, in fact, most people didn't even notice his initial weight change- but he did.

He expanded his family fun away from the dinner table.  "Food is still very important to us" he told me. "Don't get me wrong- I still eat the same foods, but just not like it was my last meal!"  "Instead of 2 hours at the dinner table, we split it in half.  One hour eating and having fun, and the other hour playing in the park, pretending we are kids again.... and you know what? - WE ARE KIDS!"

 People then started asking him what he was doing because he seemed happier.  That is what excited him the most.  His friends noticed his ATTITUDE change BEFORE they saw the weight loss!  In a months time he bought a shorter belt, and in another month he needed smaller pants... and this weight loss was just by reducing his calorie intake to a human scale.

He then started taking walks in the park after dinner with his wife and kids.  Pretty soon he started an exercise program which included swimming at the YMCA.  Today his whole family is healthier and happier.
His new years resolution saved his life: 
"Loose weight and get healthy". 
If he can do it so can you!

So make a resolution.  Make it a daily habit, and take baby steps.  Don't try to run a marathon the first day! Walk to the mailbox twice a day. Think about it and you will find a plan that works.

Here's a personal example that works for me:
 I have a bad habit of setting at the computer and getting so focused on what I am doing that I loose all track of time.  The next thing I know 8 hours have gone by!  I missed lunch, and my back is killing me!  How did I fix this?  I set a reminder on my computer so it tells me to get up and move every 30 minutes.  When the timer goes off, I get up and do something- even if I just walk to the bathroom and back!

Do SOMETHING little each day.

What if you chicken out and don't make a resolution?
YOU LOOSE!

A famous basketball player once said: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take".
So start shooting!
If you miss, then adjust your technique and shoot again.
don't let a missed shot stop you from having fun!

You gotta remember that LIFE IS A GAME!
You make the rules, so why are you making it so hard for you to win?

Change what you think is required for you to enjoy life... THAT"S RIGHT, it's a CHOICE!
Choose to be happy and your whole life will change.  Stop looking at life as though you are the last dog in line of a dog sled team! The view from back there isn't very pretty! Put yourself in the front of the line!

Make a resolution!
DO IT!
Make one right now!