A reflection for the weekend, my friends:
There is always a miracle just waiting around the corner. But you’ve got to open your eyes to see it.
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There is a quote that I love. Some attribute it to John Lennon. “Everything will be all right in the end. So if it is not all right, it is not yet the end.”
If it is not all right . . . it is not yet the end.
That, you see, is faith.
If people see the snapshot of me in that hospital bed that first night after the fire, they assume that my life is a tragedy. But fast-forward twenty years later and they’d see me standing up at the altar, waiting for a beautiful woman, the love of my life, to walk down the aisle.
“If everything is not yet all right, it is not yet the end.”
If people saw a snapshot of me speaking to four Girl Scouts, behind a desk, staring at a piece of paper, overwhelmed by the moment, they’d assume it’s time for the poor fella to find new work. But fast-forward ten years and they’d see a photo of me speaking in front of thousands of people.
“If everything is not yet all right, it is not yet the end.”
And if people saw a snapshot of me swinging a hammer, wedged awkwardly between two hands with no fingers, they’d likely think this kid should consider a different path. But fast-forward to shortly after my parents’ second fire and they’d see a determined leader orchestrating the rapid rebuilding of a burned-out house.
“If everything is not yet all right, it is not yet the end.”
You see, there is always a chance for redemption.
There is always a chance to rebuild.
There is always a miracle just waiting around the corner.
But you’ve got to open your eyes to see it.
© John O’Leary 2016-2018
adapted from #OnFireBook
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Friends, sometimes in our fast-paced world, we can struggle to see the gifts that are right in front of us. The gorgeous sunrise. The cold winds blowing. The sweet smell of coffee. The infectious laughter of children. But when we open our eyes, we realize that miracles are all around us.
If you’re struggling to see the miracles in your own life, here are three quick tips to help open your eyes to the miracles all around you today:
1. Set aside time for quiet reflection
2. Keep track of all the simple things you experience each day
3. Be thankful for everything- the good and the bad!
Because there is always a miracle just waiting around the corner.. Hopefully, these tips will help to open your eyes to see it!
Today is your day. Live Inspired.
Rich Donnelly spent three decades as a major league baseball coach. To attain this childhood dream, he set everything else aside, including his marriage and children.
Today, Rich shares how he finally chose to live a life of significance v. success. Ever wonder if people can change? My friends, this episode is for you.
#LiveInspired Podcast #110:
iTunes: tinyurl.com/zuyup5e
My website: tinyurl.com/y7axtgdg
Friends, did you know that today is #WorldKindnessDay, a day to make the world a better place by focusing on being a little more kind to one another.
In honor of this special day, I encourage you to do one "Inspirational Act of Kindness" for someone. The act could be unexpected complimentary words spoken or a task undertaken. Or perhaps, you could consider one of the ideas below:
1. Bring bagels and fruit so your colleagues can enjoy breakfast together.
2. Get to your appointment early and spend the extra time opening doors for strangers and wishing them a good day.
3. Pay for your $3 coffee with a $20 bill and smile as you turn around without your change.
No matter how you choose to celebrate #WorldKindnessDay, remember friend that NO ONE ever became poor by being generous. So go ahead and spread some kindness!
Today is your day. Live Inspired.
#KindnessEveryDay #BeTheGood
Happy Monday Friends!
A couple weeks ago, the Powerball jackpot soared to an astronomical $1.5 billion. That’s $1,500,000,000.00!!!
It was so high, received so much media attention, and garnered so much word-of-mouth buzz that many individuals who never play the lottery actually purchased tickets. The lure of being a billionaire and all the travel, homes, cars, meals, pleasure, impact, joy that came with it was simply too much to resist.
And yet, study after study report that the long-term buzz and gratification from instant wealth seldom endures. Perhaps even more surprising, it often brings more agony and unhappiness into the lives of the winners than before they had won. My favorite research around this comes from a 1978 study. Let me tell you about it.
Undoubtedly, upon winning the lottery the lives of individuals change in profound ways. Wondering to what degree, a group of researchers from University of Massachusetts and Northwestern University interviewed three different groups about the level of happiness in their lives: recent lottery jackpot winners; a control group of less fortunate, non-winners (in other words, you and me!); and finally, recent victims of catastrophic accidents who were now either paraplegic or quadriplegic.
The basis of the comparison doesn't seem reasonably fair. And yet the findings were stunning.
While the lottery winners reported the most happiness in the present, it was not overwhelmingly greater than the control group, and was just slightly higher than those who had endured a past catastrophic event.
And after that, the lottery winners’ luck begins to run out.
Asked how they viewed their upbringing, their past circumstances, and their memories, the clear winners on the happiness scale were actually those who had endured a tragedy. In fact, these individuals largely viewed their accidents as pouring the foundation toward something bigger, better tomorrow.
And finally, perhaps most important, when asked about the happiness discovered in the mundane, in other words, the small, but enjoyable things like eating, laughing at a joke, being in nature or visiting with friends, the least happy group were- check your numbers- the lottery winners.
Overall, the study found that winning the lottery didn’t increase happiness as much as researchers thought it would, and a catastrophic event didn’t make people as unhappy either.
It turns out that humans have a tendency of getting used to the things that once made them happy. This bend of taking things for granted is called the hedonic treadmill. In short, the baseline of what brought happiness yesterday requires more to bring the same level of happiness today. In fact, the authors of this 1978 study explain the hedonic treadmill in this way:
"Eventually, the thrill of winning the lottery will itself wear off. If all things are judged by the extent to which they depart from a baseline of past experience, gradually even the most positive events will cease to have impact as they themselves are absorbed into the new baseline against which further events are judged. Thus, as lottery winners become accustomed to the additional pleasures made possible by their new wealth, these pleasures should be experienced as less intense and should no longer contribute very much to their general level of happiness."
And you don’t need to be a lottery winner to be at risk of being on this treadmill.
So, what does some study about lottery winners and accident survivors mean to you?
My friends, the very thing we believe will finally bring peace, satisfaction and happiness into our lives seldom does. Money is great but fleeting, and it doesn’t ultimately satisfy. Rather than bringing happiness into your life, it actually just makes you more of who you already were.
On the flip side, tragic life events are unwanted, unexpected and can be unbearably difficult to endure. But even tragedy doesn't have to derail us. While it may make present days more difficult, it also reawakens within us what actually matters most.
The luckiest, most blessed, most joy-filled among us aren’t the ones smiling because they won the state lottery. No, the real winners are those of us who are aware of the miracle within the mundane, rejoice in the gift within their life, and know that the little details of life are vital and lead to the big things happening.
We ultimately “win the lottery” not by picking a series of random numbers, but by taking inventory of all we have, celebrating all we’ve been given, and believing the best is truly yet to come.
Today is your day. Live Inspired.
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I was reminded of this fascinating study during a conversation with my new friend, Klyn Elsbury. Klyn enjoys a remarkable life. She is a successful speaker, lives in beautiful San Diego, has a boyfriend who’s wild about her, and she’s accomplished more in 30 years than most of us will in a lifetime. She also has cystic fibrosis, her organ function is failing, and she is dying, but instead of focusing on simply how to survive, she spends her days teaching others how to truly thrive. Check out the full conversation here: johnolearyinspires.com/2018/11/4-ways-to-find-your-happy/
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Get #MondayMotivation in your inbox each week: johnolearyinspires.com/monday-morning/
“Never, ever, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.” Randy Pausch
Four kids. Lots of activities. Busy schedules. Work responsibilities. Extensive travel. Hectic lives....
Which is why it was so awesome last night to hang out with just with Beth and a few hundred of our grade school friends at auction party last night. Amazing community and friends came together for fellowship, dinner, drinks, a live auction, all followed by three hours of dancing.
My friends, we haven’t danced that much in a decade... we did NOT underestimate the importance of fun. We certainly took Randy Pausch’s advice and had a blast! 😉
Hoping you had a great weekend and are getting ready for your best week yet!
J
PS: although it all went down in a grade school gym, I’m confident Beth could have easily fit in at any red carpet event in Hollywood.
