Courage

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968, American Civil Rights Leader, Nobel Laureate in Peace

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It takes a lot of courage to stand up for what is right when everyone else turns the other way. It is easy to take the popular choice but it takes tremendous strength to go against the grain in what we believe is true. That is not to say we must be contrarian to everything. We must be objective. We must look at the facts and determine what the truth is. It may be that 99% of the time the popular choice is right, but in that 1% when we know the popular choice is wrong, we must go with our instincts. In doing what we believe, we can live a dignified live without regrets.

Hope

"We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes." - John F. Kennedy 1917-1963, 35th U.S. President

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Barack Obama became the first black president in the history of the United States today. He stood there amongst the million or so people who came to witness history being made and delivered his speech, without fear.

Although great expectations are on his shoulders, it is not whether this one man can single-handedly steer his country and perhaps the world out of its troubles. No, that's only part of it. What is inspiring about today is what Mr. Obama represents. And that is hope. Hope for the millions upon millions of Americans and perhaps the billions in the world.

When there is hope, there is less fear. And when there is less fear, there are more brave actions. It is this powerful spirit that will drive the willpower to move forward towards recovery. When there is hope, the recovery has already begun.

Depression Stance

"This is my depressed stance. When you're depressed, it makes a lot of difference how you stand. The worst thing you can do is straighten up and hold your head high because then you'll start to feel better. If you're going to get any joy out of being depressed, you've got to stand like this." - Charlie Brown, Cartoon Character by Charles Schulz 1922-2000, Cartoonist

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I simply love the quote above. It speaks to a universal truth that body and mind are intertwined - body affects mind and mind affects body. Do those things that help you feel better no matter how stupid it may seem at that very moment, and guess what, you might just feel better! Think silly thoughts and guess what, your body suffers. One feeds on the other.

Start small. Take baby steps. Before you know it, everything looks clearer. Afterall, how can you see the sun when your head faces the ground, right?

Fear

"You can conquer almost any fear if you will make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind." - Dale Carnegie 1888-1955, Writer, Lecturer

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Think of this scenario (not an experiment I am recommending but I'm sure older siblings will find it fun) - a kid is in a lighted room and is happily playing; when asked to close his eyes, he'll happily do it without any consequences. However, turn off the light and the child screams. Why? Nothing has changed in the room other than the light going off. It was dark when he closed his eyes and everything was ok.

The darkness in the room heightened the kid's feeling of being vulnerable. The unknown is what fear is all about and it's all in the mind. Fear also about unmet expectations. The kid did not expect the room to be dark - it was lighted and turned dark.

It's so important to put fear in its place and not let it consume us. If the light goes out, don't panic. Just stand up, go and turn on the light. If the light won't come on, leave the room. This is obviously easier said than done. The point is when fear creeps in, stay calm, because more often than not, things will get better as time passes. Assess the situation, yes, but don't take drastic actions without looking at things with a rational mind.

Persistence

"I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison 1846-1931, Inventor, Businessman

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In never giving up, we can never fail. This is persistence. This is truly easier said than done. This is also what separates those who succeed from those who don't.

To believe in something so much as to never give up is extremely admirable. As the above quote by Thomas Edison shows, a positive attitude and a bit of humor helps tremendously.

Love

"Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear." - John Lennon 1940-1980, Musician, Peace Activist

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The act of giving love is so powerful, contagious and all-encompassing. The recipient is filled with an unexplainable warmth that radiates like the ripple effect of water through the vast ocean that eventually comes back to touch the sender. Although it is reassuring that love will always be returned in some way, when we give love, let's give it unconditionally with no expectation of a return.

Compassion

“The dew of compassion is a tear.” - Lord Byron 1788-1824, Poet

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If we can still shed a tear, there is hope that compassion is alive and well. When was the last time we cried? Whether it is in reaction to a sad movie, a nostalgic song, human tragedy on the news or some emotional memories, we need to cry, even if it's a little, lest our human side be left to dry.

It seems, in the state of the world today, compassion is being set aside, in favour of a focus on economics or war. As examples, donations are at an eighteen-year low at the United Way because people are looking after their own pockets first and the world is seeing not less, but more hostility. Whether at a personal or state level, the lost of even a bit of compassion is putting lives at risk.

The next time you turn on the news, watch a movie, listen to a song or reminisque, tell yourself it's okay to cry a little for that is compassion.

Do Something

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein 1879-1955, Physicist, Nobel Laureate

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Inaction is truly dangerous. We read stories from time to time of those who simply look on and do nothing as a victim is being taken advantage of. How different are the inactions of the onlookers than the actions of perpetrator? By doing nothing about evil, we become guilty of a worse crime.

Let us not make the world a more dangerous place by doing nothing in the face of evil.

Pick A Road And Go!

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.” - Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) 1832-1898, Author, Mathematician, Logician, and Photographer

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A new year brings new adventures and discoveries. Many are saying it will be a tough year ahead and maybe it will be. But, that is no reason to stop moving, no reason to stop the adventure, no reason to stop the discoveries. It is more a reason to forge forward.

Whatever path we may decide take, it will certainly lead "there", wherever "there" is. We can try to see and imagine the destination all we want, but more often than not, when we get there, it is totally different what we saw or imagined. We may reach there and end up on a different road, and that is fine too. Just keep moving!