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Marianna Williamson Quote on How All Human Behavior Is Either Love Or A Call For Love

    “The way of the miracle-worker is to see all human behavior as one of two things: either love or a call for love.”

    Marianna Williamson

    Beyond the Quote (Day 405)

    I have been a Martial Arts Instructor for my entire professional life and have had the privilege of working with thousands of students of all ages and from all different backgrounds. Based on all of the human behavior that I have experienced, I see it as the same: either as acts of love or as calls for love. And usually, it’s the students who are acting out the most who are calling for love the loudest.

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    Sadio Mané Quote on Luxury and How He Choses To Give Back From What He’s Been Given

      Sadio Mané Quote on Luxury and How He Choses To Give Back From What He's Been Given

      “Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 diamond watches and two jet planes? What would that do for the world? I starved, I worked in the fields, I played barefoot, and I didn’t go to school. Now I can help people. I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing. I have built schools [and] a stadium; we provide clothes, shoes, and food for people in extreme poverty. In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very poor Senegalese region in order to contribute to their family economy. I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.”

      Sadio Mané

      Beyond the Quote (273/365)

      What an incredibly refreshing perspective coming from one of the worlds premier soccer players whose net worth is upwards of $15 million. Mané is someone who made it out from intense poverty-stricken conditions and could easily choose to live a life of luxury and riches that I’m sure he dreamed of when he was starving, working the fields, or playing barefoot as a young boy. But, he hasn’t forgotten his roots and he chooses instead to live his life giving back “a little of what life has given him.” But, “a little” doesn’t feel, to me, to be the right choice of words.

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      Mark Ruffalo Emmy Award Acceptance Speech on Using Privilege To Fight For Those Less Fortunate

        Mark Ruffalo Emmy Award Acceptance Speech on Using Privilege To Fight For Those Less Fortunate

        “[Our story] asks a big question, how are we going to deal and honor and take care of each other and our most vulnerable people? And we do that with love, and we do that with compassion, and we do that by fighting for them. And that’s what we have to do today. We have to come together with love, for each other. And if you have privilege, you have to fight for those who are less fortunate, and more vulnerable. And that is what is great about America, our diversity. One thing I’ve learned from my wife and children, is that we’re stronger together when we love each other and we respect each other’s diversity. And so we have a big, important moment ahead of us. Are we going to be a country of division and hatred? A country only for certain kind of people? Or are we going to be one of love, and strength, and fighting for those—all of us—so all of us can have the American dream and the pursuit of life, and liberty, and love, and happiness, in this great country of ours? That’s what we’re facing right now. So get out and vote, make a plan, and vote for love and compassion and kindness. I love you all. Thank you so much.”

        Mark Ruffalo, Emmy Award Acceptance Speech

        Beyond the Quote (262/365)

        Our first priority is to ensure that we are able to care properly for ourselves. Next, is to ensure that we are able to properly care for our family and loved ones. What’s next is where we are all given a destiny altering choice that can—quite literally—reshape the structure of our world. We can choose to either move from “properly cared for” to “overly cared for” or we can choose to continue broadening our circle of care outwards. In other words, with privilege, we can choose luxury or greater impact. The path you choose, and the degree to which you choose to follow that path, can alter the very essence and purpose of your life.

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        John C. Maxwell Quote on Greatness and How One Is Too Small A Number To Achieve It

          John C. Maxwell Quote on Greatness and How One Is Too Small A Number To Achieve It

          “One is too small a number to achieve greatness. No accomplishment of real value has ever been achieved by a human being working alone.”

          John C. Maxwell, Leadership Gold

          Beyond the Quote (234/365)

          Big accomplishments don’t just happen. They’re an accumulated result of many small happenings. This is true for most anything in life. Big accomplishments in health are a product of the accumulated effect of the daily meals and workouts. Big accomplishments in business are a product of the accumulated effect of the smaller component systems that are put into place. Big accomplishments in relationships are a product of the accumulated effect of the smaller conversations, actions, and efforts that went into them. If you want to accomplish something big, the focus should be on accumulating more and more of the small.

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            “Kobe [Bryant] was a serial winner who could fire up his teammates and steel himself like a warrior monk. But few people have seen another side to Kobe: the man who performed Make-A-Wish requests after almost every home game—and many road games—throughout his career. I got to document a few of those nights when Kobe was there for kids and their families as a different kind of hero—one who understood the profound impact of basketball beyond simply winning and losing. Behind Kobe’s relentless determination was a gentle and sober compassion.”

            Andrew Bernstein, via Mamba Mentality (Page 206)

              “Perhaps the most counter-intuitive truth of the universe is that the more you give to others, the more you’ll get. Understanding this is the beginning of wisdom.”

              Kevin Kelly, Blog

                “If you feel called upon to alleviate suffering in the world, that is a very noble thing to do, but remember not to focus exclusively on the outer; otherwise, you will encounter frustration and despair. Without a profound change in human consciousness, the world’s suffering is a bottomless pit. So don’t let your compassion become one-sided. Empathy with someone else’s pain or lack and a desire to help need to be balanced with a deeper realization of the eternal nature of all life and the ultimate illusion of all pain. Then let your peace flow into whatever you do and you will be working on the levels of effect and cause simultaneously.”

                Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now (Page 203)

                Iain Thomas Quote On Giving People A Chance and How Everyone Is Someone

                  “Joan of Arc came back as a little girl in Japan, and her father told her to stop listening to her imaginary friends. Elvis was born again in a small village in Sudan, he died hungry, age 9, never knowing what a guitar was. Michelangelo was drafted into the military at age 18 in Korea, he painted his face black with shoe polish and learned to kill. Jackson Pollock got told to stop making a mess, somewhere in Russia. Hemingway, to this day, writes DVD instruction manuals somewhere in China.  He’s an old man on a factory line.  You wouldn’t recognize him. Gandhi was born to a wealthy stockbroker in New York.  He never forgave the world after his father threw himself from his office window, on the 21st floor. And everyone, somewhere, is someone, if we only give them a chance.“

                  Iain Thomas, I Wrote This For You

                  Beyond the Quote (176/365)

                  What do you see when you look into the eyes of another human being? Do you see a person for what they appear to be? Do you see them for who they were? Do you see them for who they could be? It depends on the person, I suppose. When I look into the eyes of another human being, I try to see someone who, when given a chance, can become somebody. Somebody who has limitless potential inside that is only but waiting to be molded and realized. Somebody who is capable of great things. Somebody who can make a real difference in their world. I see this in almost everyone. But, not everybody sees it in themselves or others.

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                  Clay Jensen Quote on Choosing To Live and To Keep Moving, Whatever Happens.

                    “Whatever happens, keep moving. Get through it. Choose to live. ‘Cause even on the worst day, there are people who love you. There’s new music waiting for you to hear; something you haven’t seen before that will blow your mind in the best way. Even on the worst day, life is a pretty spectacular thing.”

                    Clay Jensen, Graduation Speech, 13 Reasons Why (Season 4)

                    Beyond the Quote (173/365)

                    If you’re going through hell… keep going. I mean, why would you want to stay in hell? Not moving doesn’t seem like an option when hell is where you find yourself—so don’t fool yourself if you’re in some kind of hellish reality. Keep moving. Whatever happens. No matter how hard things get. Keep moving forward in some kind of direction that’s going to take you away from where you are and out of the hell that you might find yourself in. What’s the alternative?

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                      “A person who makes selfish choices or acts contrary to their conscience will never be at peace. A person who sits back while others suffer or struggle will never feel good, or feel that they are enough, no matter how much they accomplish or how impressive their reputation may be. A person who does good regularly will feel good. A person who contributes to their community will feel like they are a part of one. A person who puts their body to good use—volunteering, protecting serving, standing up for—will not need to treat it like an amusement park to get some thrills.”

                      Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 250)

                        “Stillness is not an excuse to withdraw from the affairs of the world. Quite the opposite‚ it’s a tool to let you do more good for more people.”

                        Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 249)

                        Kahlil Gibran Quote on Giving To Others That Which You Most Hope To Receive (and Knowing What to Give)

                          “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

                          Kahlil Gibran

                          Beyond the Quote (118/365)

                          Once a group of 500 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each person a balloon. Each person was then asked to write their name on it using a marker. Then all of the balloons were collected and put in another room.

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                          Jonathan Carroll Quote on Kindness in Small Gestures

                            “I firmly believe in small gestures: pay for their coffee, hold the door for strangers, over tip, smile or try to be kind even when you don’t feel like it, pay compliments, chase the kid’s runaway ball down the sidewalk and throw it back to him, try to be larger than you are— particularly when it’s difficult. People do notice, people appreciate. I appreciate it when it’s done to (for) me. Small gestures can be an effort, or actually go against our grain (“I’m not a big one for paying compliments…”), but the irony is that almost every time you make them, you feel better about yourself. For a moment life suddenly feels lighter, a bit more Gene Kelly dancing in the rain.”

                            Jonathan Carroll

                            Beyond the Quote (90/365)

                            Don’t let ideas of the grandiose stop you from acting in thoughtful, kind ways today.  Don’t let your desire to change the whole world (or have a huge impact) stop you from doing anything at all for those who are already in your world.  Brainstorming and coming up with master plans is great, but it should never be at the expense of those who surround you throughout your brainstorming process.  Never underestimate the power of small gestures done in selfless, loving ways, for those gestures may prove to be the very foundation for so much else in your life.

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                            The Dalai Lama Quote on Handling Problems by Zooming Out and Looking From a Broader Perspective

                              “When we help others, the focus of our mind assumes a broader horizon within which we are able to see our own petty problems in a more realistic proportion.  What previously appeared to be daunting and unbearable, which is what often makes our problems so overwhelming, tends to lose its intensity.”

                              Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness

                              Beyond the Quote (60/365)

                              This is where the idea of “first world problems” comes from.  We will complain about and feel overwhelm from the problems that are prevalent in our world—as small or as large as that world is.  If our world is small from inexperience or lack of opportunity, then our small problems will appear to be big.  If our world is large from a plethora of experiences and plentiful opportunities, then even our “large” problems will appear to be small.  If what we have to complain about, for example, is some stupid thing someone said to us, and our world is small and we don’t have anything else affecting us, then why would we complain and worry about anything else?  That which doesn’t immediately affect us doesn’t immediately concern us.  The entire scope of our focus is directed at the only thing that is calling for it, which in this case, is the stupid thing someone said to us.  That is our entire world and that is our only problem to focus on.  Until it’s not.

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                                “When you spend a lot of time in a hospital and you know a lot of other people with your condition you start to see patterns emerge in the way that they take care of themselves.  I saw these two different extremes: There were these patients who did not give any sh*ts and just never did their treatments, were completely un-compliant, would hide under their covers and not talk to any of the doctors, and were pretty much just giving a giant, “F U” to life — and then there were the patients who were overly compliant, that were perfect with their treatments, that were perfect with their health care, and wanted so desperately to be a good patient.  And I saw both of these extremes fail.  I saw people who spent every single waking hour of the day focusing on their health and trying to get better and I saw them pass away before I did.  I saw them pass away without having become anything more than just a patient.  I saw them pass away without having made anything in the world that they were proud of.  And of course the other end didn’t work either because they happened to die as well.  So I was trying to find some kind of balance.  If I only lived to get better, if I only lived for fixing myself, for getting healthy—then what was I actually contributing to the world?” ~ Claire Wineland (20), EEM LA 2018