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THE MAN IN THE ARENA

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt

Excerpt from the speech “Citizenship In A Republic” delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910

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Prayer

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 (KJV)

There’s never a hit like the one you don’t see coming. It’s the unexpected blows of life that take your breath away and drop you to your knees. When you lose a loved one, receive a negative health diagnosis, or experience tragedy it can leave you feeling hopeless and gasping for air. God’s Word informs us that in this world we will face trials and tribulations, but the flip side of that promise is that although temporarily shaken we can remain steadfast and immovable in the fact that He is bigger than anything we could ever face. Although the flesh may hurt and weep at the time we encounter pain in the world we can rejoice in the fact that He has given us peace and victory through Jesus His Son.

“When the troubles of this world knock you to your knees, you’re in the perfect position to pray.”

-26 Beautiful One Liners-

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Aim High!

“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal, but it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is sin.”

Benjamin Elijah Mays

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Conflict and Triumph

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”

Thomas Paine

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Days Gone By

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3
As I sit here in silence cherishing the memories of days gone by I can’t help but long for the chance to experience them once again. As I’ve grown older I have come to realize that the thing that matters the most in life is perhaps the one thing that I took for granted.
After having a relationship with the Heavenly Father, it’s not the money wasted, possessions lost or opportunities missed that I regret the most. It’s the relationships I neglected that weigh heavy on my heart.
There are so many people along the way that had a positive impact on my life and it saddens me when I realize that I never took the time to say Thank you. As time passed and miles separated I never slowed down to express my gratitude for their selfless love and support.
I always thought there would be time to reunite; a time to get together and catch up, but days turned into months, months turned into years, and years slipped away into eternity.
I hope and pray that one day I see you all again in Heaven, but until that day comes I will hold onto to the precious memories of days gone by.
“It is far better to be a young man with memories than an old man with regrets”
-Anonymous-

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Look for the Gift

Normal Vincent Peale used to say, “When God wants to send you a gift, he wraps it up in a problem.
The bigger the gift that God wants to send you, the bigger the problem he wraps it up in.”
Instead of concentrating on the problem, look for the gift. Wonderfully enough, you will always
find it. What’s more, sometimes the gift, or valuable lesson, can be of far greater value than the cost
of the problem itself. Sometimes, one lesson that you learn in dealing with a problem can be the key
to your long-term success. As Napoleon Hill wrote, “Within every problem or obstacle lays the seed
of an equal or greater opportunity or benefit. Your job is to find it.”

(Excerpt from No Excuses: The Power of Self Discipline by Brian Tracy)

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Efforts and Results

In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. Gifts, powers, material, intellectual and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized.

The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart, this you will build your life by, this you will become.
-James Allen-

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Discipline

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)
One of many definitions for discipline is doing the things that need to be done even if when you don’t feel like doing them. Often times we put off the necessary things in life for those which seem to be more comfortable and pleasing. Although they may seem rewarding for the moment, in the end we wind up paying a far greater price for failure to choose wisely. What we ignore and push aside because it seems hard or mundane will eventually become the source of our pain if continuously ignored. Thus, in order to avoid the pain of regret we must be willing to sacrifice who we are today for what we will become tomorrow.
“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”
Jim Rohn

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The Secret of Success

“Sir, What is the secret of your success?” a reporter asked a company president.
“Two words.”
“And, sir, what are they?”
“Good decisions.”
“And how do you make good decisions?”
“One word.”
“And sir, what is that?”
“Experience.”
“And how do you get Experience?”
“Two words.”
“And, sir, what are they?”
“Bad decisions.”

-Anonymous-

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Be Decisive

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” ~

Theodore Roosevelt