Thomas Edison & Audrey Hepburn

Both quotes on today’s show were posted by my mother, June Gibson 

Holbrook who has been supporting Daggers Of The Mind in so many ways. 

Thanks, Mom!

 

Thomas A. Edison, Inventor

 

“The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it 

usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work.”

 

You deserve a break today. Get the service you deserve. Advertising today 

spends a lot of time telling you what you deserve even though you haven’t 

done anything to earn it.

 

I remember some friends who were a few years younger than my wife and 

myself who spent all their time saying if someone would give them a 

chance like we got life would be great.

 

First of all, the chances we got happened at the point that we earned 

them. When we bought a house, it was because we had waited long enough 

and our finances were in order to do it. 

 

When they reached a similar age and financial status, they bought a house 

too. Then it all went south. He got fired from a couple of great jobs, 

then they divorced and everything went to pot.

 

What was so different about the two situations? One thing is that we 

never felt we were owed anything. It never occurred to us that we would 

or should be given a chance. We made our own, and to this day continue to 

do what it takes to maintain what we have earned.

 

This is not to “toot our own horns” so to speak, but it seems that most 

of our society believes they are owed more than they ever have the 

intention to earn.

 

Ginger Rogers

 

“The only way to enjoy anything in this life is to earn it first.”

 

Have you earned what you have? Or are you just sitting hoping someone 

will give you a handout? I remember hearing stories about the Great 

Depression in the 1930’s where farmers committed suicide when faced with 

taking a handout from the government. The shame was just too great.

 

That shame seems to be a thing of the past these days. A good work ethic 

is also in serious decline. Where are you in all this? Have you believed 

the advertising hype that says you are owed a living? Or are you doing 

your best, earning your own way and the self respect that goes with it?

 

A final quote:

 

“We must protect our limited resources for those who are truly in need 

and who are doing all they can to be self-sufficient.”

 

Paul LePage, Governor of The State of Maine

 

Thomas Edison On Wikipedia

 

http://www.thomasedison.com/

 

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Audrey Hepburn, Actress and Humanitarian

 

“I saw but one glaring truth: These are not natural disasters, but man-

made tragedies for which there is only one manmade solution-- Peace." 

 

Audrey Hepburn is best known for her acting roles in some of the most 

iconic movies of the 50’s and 60’s, but her greatest contribution to 

humanity was through her work with UNICEF. 

 

From Wikipedia:  She appeared in fewer films as her life went on, 

devoting much of her later life to UNICEF. Although contributing to the 

organisation since 1954, she worked in some of the most profoundly 

disadvantaged communities of Africa, South America and Asia between 1988 

and 1992. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 

recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in December 1992. 

 

A month later, Hepburn died of appendiceal cancer at her home in 

Switzerland at the age of 63.

 

What an amazing contribution to make for good in this world. When most 

with her fame and success simply live the good life, she devoted herself 

to helping those whose circumstances made it impossible for them to help 

themselves.

 

While there are few who are as noble as that, there are many things we 

can do to help others around us as we travel through this life. Our best 

is to help others learn to be self sufficient so that when no one is 

around to help, they can learn to live on their own. Don’t simply give 

someone a fish, TEACH them to fish. Then you have fed them for a 

lifetime.

 

One organization that fulfills this mission is the Project Self

Sufficiency Foundation. It is found at www.pssfoundation.org. 

 

From their website: Project Self Sufficiency Foundation is a non-profit 

organization that supports low income, single parents working toward an 

educational goal to become economically independent. Our foundation's 

goal is to raise the funds needed to provide the tools and support that 

will help parents achieve their independence. This is a powerful 

initiative for these parents, as it will change the pathway for their 

family, many times, breaking the cycle of abuse and building their self-

esteem, which ultimately leads to a better future for generations. Thank 

you for your interest and we look forward to your support!

 

Another such organization is called Partners In Housing at 

www.partnersinhousing.org. 

 

From the website:

PIH provides a self-sufficiency program, not a housing program. The 

emphasis of our program is helping people learn the skills they need to 

be economically independent. To participate in the program, all adults 

must be willing and able to work and, most importantly, be motivated to 

achieve self-sufficiency! 

 

Giving others the tools to lift themselves up makes the change permanent. 

Invest in charities of that type and the world will actually become a 

better place, one success at a time!

 

Another Audrey Hepburn quote:

 

“Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm. 

As you get older, remember you have another hand: the first is to help 

yourself, the second is to help others.”

 

 

 

UNICEF on Wikipedia

 

Audrey Hepburn on Wikipedia

 

Audrey Hepburn on International Movie Database

 

www.pssfoundation.org

 

www.partnersinhousing.org

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Smokefan14 gave Daggers Of The Mind a 5 star rating and review on iTunes! 

Thanks so much for the help! Here’s the review:

 

“A unique, thought provoking, interesting podcast that doesn’t need bad 

language and filth to make it successful. Jeffrey Holbrook keep it up 

buddy. Remember, Think Deeply!”

 

It really helps when you rate and review the show in iTunes. It makes it 

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Martin Luther King, Jr. & John Lithgow

This first quote was posted by Rachel Ward, who has been so supportive of 

the show from the very beginning. Thanks, Rachel!

 

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear!"

 

What happens when you see someone you feel good about? Love happens in 

various degrees and is not only assigned to your life partner. There are 

many people that you feel affection for when you see them approach. 

 

Knowing you are in for a good conversation, that this person likes the 

same things you do, or has deep understanding of a similar painful 

situation you each have experienced, gives you a sense of love deep 

inside. You LOVE to see them coming and want to spend time with them.

 

This also a has beneficial effect on your body systems and contributes to 

a sense of health and well being.

 

A link to an earlier episode of Daggers Of The Mind that describes these 

benefits will be included in the show notes.

 

http://jeffreykholbrook.blogspot.com/2014/10/adam-sandler-halle-berry.html

 

But what about hate? What type of reaction do you have when a hated 

person approaches?

 

Another quote:

“Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it 

injures the hated.”

 

Coretta Scott King

 

We are all familiar with the effect of stress on the body. We’ve heard 

about the ulcers, heart attacks etc that can result from extended stress 

over time. The uncomfortable feeling you get when that person you just 

can’t stand is approaching causes immediate changes in your chemistry and 

you will actually FEEL worse in short order.

 

While it is natural to not like to be around those who mistreat you, 

don’t extend that feeling into actual hate.

 

Will Smith said:

 

“Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you 

bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will 

consume you too.”

 

Your mental state directly translates into action. You think it before 

you do it. The influences of love or hate will be the springboard for 

your next move. Who are you going to be? People are programmed to sense 

your mood and intentions when you step out into their presence. What will 

they feel from you? The harshness of hate, so that they shy away and 

avoid you? Or do you speak the language of love and compassion that 

nurtures those around you, and makes you healthier at the same time?

 

Seems like an easy choice to me! How about you?

 

 

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Historic "I Have A Dream" Speech

 

 

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Wikipedia

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Actor John Lithgow

 

"Time sneaks up on you like a windshield on a bug."

 

High velocity windshields. The big enemy of flying bugs everywhere. Many 

insects can bump into things in mid-flight with few problems, but when 

something moving as fast as a car windshield on the highway intersects 

their path, the result is, well, terminal.

 

Whatever your beliefs, there is coming a day when your life will be over. 

The older you get, the faster time seems to travel. Your first 20 years 

took forever. Your last 20 years are over in the blink of an eye.

 

In the King James Bible, Psalms 90:10 says:

 

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of 

strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and 

sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

 

The old measurement of a score is 20 years. You can do the math, but in 

the scheme of history, we are all just a flash in the pan.

 

 Another quote:

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”

 

William Penn

 

How are you managing your flash in the pan? What kind of impact is your 

life having on others? A friend of mine, Jan, always says that we should 

walk a gentle path through life. Being a friend to others and kind in 

general will go a long way to fulfillment.

 

Being famous has absolutely nothing to do with having a wonderful, 

meaningful life that benefits others and the world. The number of those 

in your close circles has greatly increased, thanks to social media. Be 

kind and sympathetic, and help where you can. Sometimes all it takes is 

to listen when someone else needs to get something off their chest.

 

We recently lost our beloved cat, Grizzlie, and since everybody on 

Facebook knew about him anyway, an announcement was made of his death.

 

The outpouring of sympathy was so amazing, and so helpful for my wife. 

She is disabled and Grizzlie was a major comfort and companion for her 

since I work a late shift at work. I loved the little guy too, and am so 

grateful for the sympathy from so many friends.

 

You’ll never know how much one well placed little word can change the 

world. Those close to you can have their lives enriched and fulfilled by 

your actions and attention to their well being. This is the ultimate 

expression of a life well lived. Use the time you have wisely.

 

A quote from Barbara Bush:

 

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one 

more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You 

will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a 

parent.”

 

John Lithgow on Twitter

 

John Lithgow's Website

 

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I would like to give an extra special thank you to DigBy Marks and Joe of the “In The Dig” podcast for quoting me and letting everyone know about daggersofthemind.com. 

“In The Dig” is a great podcast all about safety and best practices 

regarding excavating, both in the industry and for homeowners too! You 

can find them at inthedig.com. A link to the episode will be included in 

the show notes.

 

 

http://www.inthedig.com/2015/02/03/bobkipp/#comment-461

 

Go to Daggers Of The Mind and check out the links to subscribe to the show using iTunes, Stitcher, and Tunein. You can also play all the episodes, each with its own handy player!

 

Download this episode!

Liam Neeson & George Bernard Shaw -DOTM020

Liam Neeson (suggested by Jake Lanham)

 

“Why would anyone ever tell anything personal to a journalist?”

 

The job of a journalist is to gather information and then tell the public, slanted in a way that seems interesting and exciting to them. Celebrities have traditionally had trouble with journalists who are constantly prying into their private lives hoping to find shocking things they can disclose.

Paparazzi are another breed altogether, almost rabid in their devotion to getting compromising images of celebrities to sell.

How about your own situation? Even if you are not a celebrity, there are people around who are trying find out private things about you they can disclose to others. These intrepid individuals are called gossips.

Gossip is a tradition as old as communication. The gossip feels the need to know things others don’t so they can ‘WOW’ everyone with the secret knowledge in order to gain importance for themselves.

The gossip just isn’t happy with normal facts however, and it usually takes something shocking to really make them feel superior. If the original facts aren’t shocking enough, they lie, using additional embellishments to make the tales more exotic.

All of us know gossips, and may try to avoid them, but they can be quite resourceful in gathering information on you. Just don’t tell anyone personal things until you know absolutely you can trust them. Once a person misuses information you have entrusted them with even once, mark them and never trust their discretion again. Trust is earned, and that trust can be destroyed in an instant. 

Another thing that would help is to avoid behaviors that gossips would find interesting in the first place. People complain of boring lives, but it sure can go a long way to avoiding being a gossip target! Don’t forget, they are watching for you to slip up and give them fodder for the rumor mill.

Will Rogers said,

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.”

If you have nothing to hide, they have nothing to tell!

One more quote:

“Gossip is the Devil’s radio.”

George Harrison

 

Liam Neeson on The International Movie Database

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George Bernard Shaw

 

“If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you’d best teach it to dance.”

 

Did you ever do something you were really ashamed of? Of course, we all have. Sometimes I will remember a moment of some public faux pas I committed in childhood, and get embarrassed all over again. Like that time in the 1st grade I was adamant that my middle name started with a C, not with a K like the girl in the next desk was saying. When she was proven right, I was mortified. I didn’t even know how to spell my own name.

These moments are in all of us, but even if something was a life changing event for ourselves, it is likely that no one else remembers. While they won’t constitute a negative for others in their relations with you, they have the potential to become a positive experience for your personal development.

As embarrassing as “the great name misspelling incident” was, it was also a positive, life forming moment. I vowed never to be caught in public again not knowing how to spell something. It started a life long romance with reading that has always served me well. I have fallen from this lofty standard on occasion, but rarely. But hey, This skeleton dances.

The new year always conjures up visions of renewal and fresh starts. Sounds like a good idea. Try not to get bogged down in the enormity of how big that skeleton is. As I said before, others can’t see your skeleton. They are too busy hiding behind their own.

You may ask, “but what am I supposed to do if my skeleton is so big it is in the way of living my life?” There are things like prison terms, public displays of drunken behavior, and other things that were so public and memorable that others look at them and say, “I am really glad I didn’t do something like that!” 

These things are really a challenge, I admit, but it’s time to let those bones rattle and shake as you move out from behind them. If everyone knows anyway, why hide it? Hiding means you are so ashamed you can’t show your face. It’s time to own up to it. It will also diffuse the gossips mentioned in the first segment of this episode. If you talk about it, there is no attraction for them since it is already public.

If you are a writer, write a blog or book about the lessons you learned from the experience. The more you acknowledge and deal with things that were very public to start with, the more others will begin to understand and take you seriously. It becomes clear that you are reformed and ready to get on with life. Publish a Kindle book and you may help a LOT of people and make a buck too!

Another thing, since everyone else has idle skeletons in their own closets, things they fear will be disclosed, you can be an example to others of how to deal with them. Your experiences will encourage others to leave their “bare bones existence” and live again.

It’s time for the skeletons in your life to dance. Eventually, the skeletons will cease to be, and you will have room for some new clothes and shoes in there.

 

George Bernard Shaw on Wikipedia

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I would like to give an extra special thank you to Dave Jackson of the schoolofpodcasting.com for including Daggers Of The Mind in his new book, “My Favorite Podcast is…    Understanding Audience Loyalty. Dave is a great guy and a man of incredible compassion and integrity.

My Favorite Podcast Is.... Understanding Audience Loyalty on Amazon.com

 

Featured Episode on Dave Jackson's School of Podcasting

 

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If you would like to give us some clean celebrity quotes to share, or just want to tell us what you think of the show, email us at  feedback@daggersofthemind.com. 

 

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Morgan Freeman & Mother Teresa -DOTM019

Morgan Freeman

 

“I gravitate towards gravitas.”

 

Dictionary.com defines gravitas as:

1. seriousness or sobriety, as of conduct or speech. 

Are you a goof off, or do you take life a little more seriously? Is the world just a huge playground, or are you honestly waiting to play until the chores of the day are concluded? Is playtime something you have earned, or is being frivolous and reckless your M.O.? 

Responsibility can be no fun at times. Those unpleasant things that must be done, and can’t seem to be avoided intrude on our lives almost daily. How do you decide to handle this? 

Some, like Mr. Freeman take the sober approach to first get those things accomplished, leaving the mind clear for a short vacation before resuming.

Others work so hard at avoiding work that it would be much easier to do the actual work in the first place.

How to cope? The drudgery of everyday tasks can be dealt with in a systematic manner to reduce the unpleasantness.

If you are in an environment where it is permitted, listen to music. We’ve all heard it said that Music soothes the savage beast.

A lot of times something as simple as having a list of items of accomplishment that you can mark off as you go, gives a strong reminder of how much you are getting done and also how close you are to being finished. I use this method daily and would be lost without my little lists. I stay organized on the back of my old business cards from my photography days. It has the added benefit of recycling an otherwise unusable item.

While I don’t advocate this just to get your life in order, your partner in life can have a strong role in your responsible behavior. Both of you are good at some things and not so good at others. My wife and I, while having many similarities have special talents and aptitudes the other doesn’t possess. Without just taking each other for granted, we recognize and rely on each other to deal with those things we each are best at. 31 years later, we are still taking care of each other, and this makes us even stronger.

It’s time to take your life seriously. Fun is even (dare I say it?) FUNNER when you have earned it. Your mind is clear and there is nothing standing in the way of a little, on the spot vacation. How about a cup of tea right now? You’ve earned it!

 

https://www.facebook.com/MorganFreeman

 

Morgan Freeman on International Movie Database

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Mother Teresa of Calcutta

 

“One must really have suffered oneself to help others.”

 

Take a moment and think of some really bad circumstances that occurred in your life in the past. Divorce, death of a child, a parent, foreclosure on your home, job loss….. These are just some suggestions, your list will probably be different.

We all have suffered at one time or the other and were forced to persevere to the end until recovery was finally possible for you. I know you are glad that time in your life is over, but there is something really amazing you can do with the lessons learned  and wounds that have not quite healed.

Since you aren’t the only one to go through some of these things, your experience with them could provide some valuable insight when another person is faced with a similar circumstance. Your level of experience gives you the unique opportunity to have a positive impact on another’s life that a trained councilor may not be capable of. Councilors are told how to teach you to handle difficult times, but true empathy can only be given by someone who has experienced the same awful circumstances.

Suffering, as unpleasant as it is, has the potential to foster tremendous experience and growth in the person who is afflicted by it. When you see another suffering in a similar way as you have, you can provide a light to guide them through the darkness so their experience is easier, and they can avoid some of the permanent scarring that can come from it.

One person who suffered way beyond what a human should have to is Helen Keller. She was able to see and hear at birth, but a disease took away both at 19 months. Imagine how isolated you would be if you could neither see OR hear. 

It took her teacher, Anne Sullivan (who was also visually impaired)  more than a month to get the concept across to Helen that putting an object in one hand while spelling the name of it in the other constituted the naming of that object. The breakthrough came while running cool water over her hand. 

From this beginning, Helen eventually became an author and lecturer, and was the first deaf and blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree.

She was active until suffering a series of strokes in 1961, and died in her sleep in 1968 aged 87. Her accomplishments (including the Presidential Medal Of Freedom) are too numerous to recount here, but links to her life story will be included in the show notes at daggersofthemind.com.

 

We’ll finish with one more quote:

“All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.”

Helen Keller

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller

 

Newsreel footage of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan

http://wn.com/helen_keller_&_anne_sullivan_(1928_newsreel_footage_with_open_captions_and_audio_description)

 

 

 

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