One Month to Live by Kerry and Chris Shook

• Live passionately.
  • God did not design us simply to stand by and watch life pass as we wonder why we aren’t more fulfilled. God created us to take risks in faith and to conquer the giants that paralyze us with fear.
• Love completely
  • Love can’t be bought, but it definitely carries a price, and it’s called sacrifice. Love always means risking pain.
    Even in best relationships, there’s a haunting sense of potential loss – if nothing else, the possibility that the other person will die someday, leaving us alone.
  • To accept others means that we stop trying to change them and we start trying to understand them
• Learn humbly
  • When God allows us to go through struggles, problems, and difficulties, we learnt o depend on him
  • Our father uses our wounds to make us stronger and to help those around us
• Leave boldly

   

• How to keep passion burning
  • Love
  • Integrity
  • Forgiveness
  • Enthusiasm

Discover your destiny by Robin Sharma

• You are far greater than you have ever dreamed of being.
• No matter what you are experiencing in your life right now, trust that all is good and unfolding in your best interests
• It might not look pretty, but it is exactly what you need to learn for you to grow into the person you have been destined to become
• You already are everything you have always wanted to become. You simply need to do the inner work required to remove the blocks that have been covering and denying your true nature
• Your wounds must e turned into your wisdom
• Your stumbling blocks can become your stepping stones if you choose.
• Your life can be made even better by the things that break your heart
• Life is a treasure and you are so much more than you know
• The greatest treasures are the treasures that lies within
• Have your beautiful things but do not be imprisoned by them. Own them but do not let them own you. Give the main aim of your life over to far more important pursuits such as discovery of your highest potential, giving yourself to others, and making a difference by living for something more important than yourself. Success is fine but significance is the real name of the game.
• Who you are id not who you truly are. Rather, it’s someone you’ve become as a result of being in this world.
• Each of us creates a story about our lives, even if we tell it only to ourselves.
• Your life is like a thriller – half the fun is not knowing what’s going to happen
• Do your best and let life do the rest
• If you’ve done your very best and lived in according with the laws of nature, whatever comes will be a blessing, even if it initially looks like a curse.
• The Seven Stages

1. Living a Lie
2. The choice
3. Awareness of wonder and possibility
4. Instruction from masters
5. Transformation and rebirth
6. The trial
7. The great awakening to self

• On your deathbed, the only person you’ll have to answer to is the person you look at in the mirror every morning. You’d better be true to him.
• The universe wants us to win. We just need to get out of our own way
• The five daily devotions
  • Devote yourself to rising at 5a.m. each and every morning. Those who get up early are those who get the best from life
  • Devote yourself to setting aside the first 60 minutes of your day as your “Holy Hour”. This is your sacred time to do the inner work required to help you become your best. Read from wisdom literature, meditate, pray, reflect, think deeply about what must unfold over the coming hours to make you feel it was a successful one
  • Devote yourself to displaying a standard of care, compassion and character well beyond what anyone could ever imagine from you. In doing so, you will be doing your part to aid in the building of a new world
  • Devote yourself to displaying a standard of excellence at work far higher than anyone would ever expect from you. Abundance and fulfilment will flow back to you
  • Devote yourself to being the most loving person you know and thinking, feeling and acting as though you are one of the greatest people currently on the planet. Your life will never be the same and you will bless many lives
• No life, no matter how wonderful, is free of problems and challenges
• By taking personal responsibility for what went on within me and by getting to know myself and the root causes of my negative reactions, I could literally minimize recycling in my life.

The Little Manual Of Meditation by Vikas Malkani

• A peaceful life is what all human beings are meant to live.
• It is just that we get so embroiled in our day-to-day concerns, worries, regrets and guilt that we forget this fundamental reality.
• We waste far too much energy on things that are not a reflection of the real world and, in the process, become so accustomed to the negative state of mind that we assume they make up our reality.
• All through our lives we carry with us two burdens – the thoughts and regrets of the past and the worries and expectation of the future
• Meditation helps us to transform the mind. It develops concentration and clarity,
• We become more disciplined and we learn to be patient.
• Choose not to waste your precious present life being guilty about the past or being concerned about the future.

Of permanent value: The story of Warren Buffett

• The big picture for Berkshire shareholders; Buffett is your partner and he is working for you
• Buffett lived beneath his means, insisted on rock-bottom operating costs, plenty of cash on hand and “little or no debt”
• He works very hard
• As a child he was so cautious he walked with his knees bent so he wouldn’t have too far to fall
• His grasp and concentration were so incredible. And his integrity was 100%. If it was a matter of 10 cents, he’d report it. He wanted everything right straight in line.
• He’s very focused. He’s always thinking of the future. He’s been like a shooting star.
• It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it
• You are neither right nor wrong because other people agree with you. You are right because your facts are right and your reasoning is right. That’s the only thing that makes you right.

The seven levels of intimacy by Matthew Kelly

10 reasons people have great relationships

1. They establish a common purpose
2. They clearly define what makes a relationship great
3. They agree on a plan to establish a great relationship
4. They persevere and follow through
5. They hold each other accountable to their purpose and plan
6. They don’t give up in the face of major challenges
7. They get quality coaching

Zen Miracles by Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.D.

Zen miracles commandments

1. Do not lean on others. Do not lean on anything
2. Keep your back straight at all times. Your spine connects heaven and earth. Honor it
3. Loneliness is an unwillingness to communicate freely with all of creation. Remedy this.
4. Do not puff yourself up and put others down. We are all treading on the same earth
5. This particular breath will not come again. Pay attention to it
6. We cannot stop the noises, but we can stop ourselves. We can accept the noise
7. What you are at this moment contains the whole message of what you were
8. You can never see anything worse than yourself
9. Place after place is the right place
10. Don’t put a head on your own head. What’s wrong with your own?
11. Going somewhere doesn’t take you anywhere else
12. Doing nothing is more than enough. Flowers grow on their own

What’s Worth Knowing by Wendy Lustbader

• You don’t need much
• You’ve got to keep a sense of humor
• Kindness is never wasted
• Happiness is in the smallest things
• Learn to like your own company
• Thing you buy won’t make you happy
• There’s always something to see if you keep your eyes open
• Be good to your parents – someday you may understand them
• Make sure you go to Paris
• Don’t let doubt in yourself defeat you

On People

• All that matters is whether someone is a good person
• Everyone needs a little praise
• No one’s better than you, and you’re not better than anyone
• A good listener is someone who’s not talking
• Fools are in this world to make us grow
• It’s not going to get better until we stop passing it back and forth
• Take care of yourself, because no one else will
• Remember that the flesh is weak
• Living things need lots of attention
• Good fortune is having good friends

On time

• Knowing you’re going to die – that’s what really gets you moving
• A long past is a fine possession
• Be careful, or machines will take over your life
• Your days aren’t worthless just because you’re idle
• It’s good to stay put
• Make your days worth remembering
• Take the time, while you have it
• How time goes is up to you
• Picturing the world without yourself in it is good for you

Zen Stories By Brian Bruya

• When your mind is filled with prejudices, the truth that others speak can’t be heard
• When we stop differentiating, halt our delusions, and put an end to all thoughts, the two hindrances of discursive thought and intention will dissolve, and as our minds fill with peace, naturally, there will be nothing we wouldn’t understand
• Don’t get mired into the worlds of yesterday and tomorrow. Instead, live in the world of today. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, experience the beautiful things around you at that moment.
• The ordinary mind is the Dao. You needn’t track through an illusory world to find the principles of Buddhism. Just pay attention to the details of life and try to understand things intuitively.
• Heaven and Hell aren’t places that suddenly appear after death. They exist here and now. Good and evil involve just a single thought, and the gates of Heaven and Hell are ready to open for you at any time.
• Don’t be deluded by external circumstances. When the dualism of good and evil is gone from your mind, only then will you be nearing Zen.
• When pointing out other people’s faults, we often forget that we might be guilty of the same mistake.
• There is no god or evil, no suffering or pleasure. Everything is empty. Even this sentence isn’t worth saying to anyone.
• Don’t project yourself on things you come into contact with, and don’t differentiate between yourself and other things, because so-called subjectivity and objectivity do not exist. The domain of wisdom is in understanding that there is no self, there is no other, and everything is the way it is.
• Colorful and inspiring words will lose their simplicity and cause confusion. Consistency between action and words is the foundation of self-cultivation
• The only one who can help you is yourself
• If we take our time, we’ll achieve our goals faster than if we hurry. This is what is meant by “the ordinary mind is the Dao”.
• Being concerned with gain and loss brings us the feelings of happiness and sadness. We should transcend the concepts of god and evil, gain and loss. Happiness is acting according to the circumstances, whatever they may be
• Using another person’s ideas to enlighten other people is like the blind man carrying a lantern – the light may go out along the way, and you’ll never know
• Everything has its own use. Regardless of some things’ seeming insignificance, everything has its place in nature
• Many people live in a dualistic world of gains and losses, self and object. If the scenery is beautiful, I’m happy; if it’s not, I’m disappointed.
• Don’t dwell on the past. Don’t worry about the future. Experience and cherish the moment. Happiness is acting according to the circumstances, whatever they may be.
• Heaven and earth nurture all things, but we should act without counting on the results and strive for success without dwelling on it. If we can work hard without complaining, we can become one with heaven and earth.
• The perfect person’s mind is like a mirror, neither taking nor welcoming, it responds but doesn’t store.
• If your mind is torn by two conflicting desires, the contradiction will destroy your mind’s unity and tranquility. Just remember, when you should grab something, grab it; when you should let go, let go.
• While we live, we should enjoy the mystery and beauty that are life, rather than worrying about what comes after death. Live today without worrying about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have its own worries.
• Words and actions are two exterior manifestations of our inner thoughts; but most people’s words exceed their actions, even to the point of there being no action at all
• We all experience troubles and worries, but it often happens that our greatest troubles arise from ourselves
• Rich and poor are not functions of how much money we have, but rather, of whether or not we are contented with what we have
• Self cultivation refers to idle conversation, washing your face, eating – all the details of everyday life that should be done with care and sincerity. If performed in this way, every little task will resonate with the truth
• Coming to understand the big questions in life has to be done by oneself, no one else can do it for you. Maintaining other people’s ideas is like the mimicry of a parrot, it might be speaking, but it doesn’t know what it is saying
• Dropping everything must include casting aside the idea of dropping everything. If you continually concentrate on dropping everything, you’ll never reach that realm of purity and tranquility
• What others have come to understand intuitively can never become yours unless you come to understand it though your own efforts
• Everyone has a different way of arriving at the same destination. There is not just one path, and not everyone is fit to travel the same path. By limiting yourself to a certain path, you may actually lead yourself astray.
• Everyone knows what they should do, but how many people actually do it?
• How many people wake up in the morning still figuring out problems from the day before? We should take everything that threatens our peace of mind and throw it out. We should live according to our original nature because the ordinary mind is the Dao.
• Seize the moment; experience the present; don’t let anything slip by. Every evening is a spring evening, and every day is a good day
• If you try to attract the truth through the self, then you’ve yet to completely abandon the self, and you’ll never get to the complete truth. Only by assimilating yourself with nature and sincerely forgetting the self can you be one with the truth.
• We often discover a certain joy in hardship after the hardship is over. If we can discover it while it is happening, then summer will have its goodness and winter will have its wonders

Make the impossible possible by Bill Strickland

• Dreams are just fantasies unless they are rooted in a solid understanding of who you are
• True fulfillment isn’t about chasing some narrow definition of achievement or wealth, it’s about trusting the value of your passions and principles and using them as a base to build a life.
• He never set out to change the world. He only did what he needed to do to be who he was. And I can’t imagine leading a more meaningful life. The lesson is that the first step in living a great life is to live a worthwhile life, and that is what each one of us can do. It’s something we must do if we want our lives to matter and to make a difference.
• Sometimes, the hardest thing about living an exceptional life s realizing what it means, in simplest and most essential terms, to be alive. Just waking up to the fact that you are alive – that each day and each moment you’re on the planet gives you once-in-a-lifetime chance to build the future you dream of – can be an impossibly elusive concept to grasp.
• The sand in the hourglass flows only one way. Don’t waste precious time chasing someone else’s definition of success. Live your life with purpose now. Look for the things that inspire you, trouble you, make you feel most alive, and trust in those things to shape your future. They will give you all your heart could ever wish for.
• A good life isn’t something you wait for, or chase after, or try to possess; it’s something you must create, moment by moment, on the foundation of your dreams.
• A dream is about building something –relationships, identity, quality of experience. Because dreams rise out of genuine human needs, they feed the spirit in a profoundly satisfying way. A genuine dream brings direction, conviction, substance, and satisfaction to your life the moment you commit yourself to it.
• The most important difference between fantasies and dreams is that fantasies are egoistical and self-centered; they isolate you and force you to live your life as a series of win-lose situations. They define success as a matter of the survival of the fittest. Dreams, on the other hand, connect you to the world and to other human beings.
• The ability to base your life on sound substantial dreams is a fundamental requirement of living a meaningful and successful life.

Driven From Within By Michael Jordan

• But looking back wasn’t about celebrating the results as much as it was about understanding the process that produced those results
• There are no shortcuts. I have always believed in leading with action, not words. And I learned very early to follow my instincts. My standards have always been mine alone. I never tried to be like somebody else, or live up to the expectation of others. I don’t believe in following.
• Nothing of value comes without being earned
• It’s hard, but it’s fair
• I understood that the reason I was getting attention was because of the work I had put in up to that point, not because of what I had done to meet other people’s expectations for me
• You have to be uncompromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing, or it can disappear as fast as it appeared.
• What is your thought process like? Nothing much, whatever my guts tell me, that’s what I do.
• There are no shortcuts. There is no way around working hard.
• Give it your best, and all other things will come to you
• I focus on little things. Little things add up to big things
• I have always wanted to know where I fit in with the best.
• Authenticity is about being true to who you are, even when everyone else wants you to be someone else
• Only be accountable for what you can control
• I have never been worried about anyone’s perception one way or another. I’ve never allowed anyone’s opinion to define me. I’m comfortable with who I am. I trust myself.
• I want to allow whatever is going to happen to happen at its own rhythm