“We ought not to judge of men’s merits by their qualifications, but by the use they make of them.” - Charron
 
Are you making the most of the qualities you were born with?

“That is the difference between you and me. You want to lose small, I want to win big.” - Harvey Specter
 
Which are you, a small loser or a big winner?

"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing your dreams." - Joseph Ward Simmons
Are you willing to run the race of your life to secure your dreams?

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." - William Arthur Ward

What blessings are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

"A mistake in judgment isn't fatal, but too much anxiety about judgment is." - Pauline Kael

​How much time do you spend worrying about your past mistakes?

"A superior person is modest in speech, but exceeds in actions." - Confucius

​Do your actions speak louder than your words?

All the Difference in the World
  
Every Sunday morning, I take a light jog around a park near my home.  There’s a lake located in one corner of the park.  Each time I jog by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting at the water’s edge with a small metal cage sitting beside her.
This past Sunday my curiosity got the best of me, so I stopped jogging and walked over to her.  As I got closer, I realized that the metal cage was in fact a small trap.  There were three turtles, unharmed, slowly walking around the base of the trap.  She had a fourth turtle in her lap that she was carefully scrubbing with a spongy brush.
“Hello,” I said.  “I see you here every Sunday morning.  If you don’t mind my nosiness, I’d love to know what you’re doing with these turtles.”
She smiled.  “I’m cleaning off their shells,” she replied.  “Anything on a turtle’s shell, like algae or scum, reduces the turtle’s ability to absorb heat and impedes its ability to swim.  It can also corrode and weaken the shell over time.”
“Wow!  That’s really nice of you!” I exclaimed.
She went on: “I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out.  It’s my own strange way of making a difference.”
“But don’t most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with algae and scum hanging from their shells?” I asked.
“Yep, sadly, they do,” she replied.
I scratched my head.  “Well then, don’t you think your time could be better spent?  I mean, I think your efforts are kind and all, but there are fresh water turtles living in lakes all around the world.  And 99% of these turtles don’t have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells.  So, no offense… but how exactly are your localized efforts here truly making a difference?”
The woman giggled aloud.  She then looked down at the turtle in her lap, scrubbed off the last piece of algae from its shell, and said, “Sweetie, if this little guy could talk, he’d tell you I just made all the difference in the world.”
The moral:  You can change the world – maybe not all at once, but one person, one animal, and one good deed at a time.  Wake up every morning and pretend like what you do makes a difference.  It does. 

​www.marcandangel.com

“Little things affect little minds.” - Benjamin Disraeli
 
Do you allow little things to get in the way of your big goals?

“The best way out is always through.” - Robert Frost
 
Can you see the way through your problems?

“Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.” - James A. Michener
 
What does your character reveal about your perseverance?  

“Confident, simple, factual, no explanation. You made a mistake? Don’t explain it to me for an hour. The truth is one sentence, I don’t need a long story. You tell me you messed up, take responsibility…now you’ve gained my trust.” - Tim Grover
 
How do you gain the trust of others after making a mistake?

As we approach another Thanksgiving Day, ask yourself this question: Are you happy? Everyone wants to be happy, but how do you become happy? According to Benedictine Monk David Steindl-Rast, the way to be happy is to be grateful. Many people think that happiness makes us grateful. But in reality, it's gratefulness that makes us happy. Every moment of your life is a gift given freely to you. In that moment is an opportunity to be grateful. We hold the key to our happiness. If we don't take time to appreciate the moment, we lose the chance to be thankful, and the ability to be happy. This Thanksgiving take the time to enjoy the moment and everything and everyone that makes you grateful. If you do that, you will be immeasurably happy.    

“You cannot control your circumstances, but you can control your character. You cannot control the actions of others, but you can control the choices you make. You cannot control the outcome, but you can control the process.” - Erwin Raphael McManus
 
Are you attempting to control things that are out of your control?

“In victory every warrior looks to be brave and courageous. Yet it is defeat that strips a warrior bare and forces him to see his truest self. The warrior stands where others withdraw.” - Erwin Raphael McManus
 
Are you aware of who you really are?

“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” - Helen Keller
 
Are you refusing to do the things you can do?