This first quote was supplied by my wife and love of my life, Dee Holbrook
Actress Maureen O’Hara
“Above all else, deep in my soul, I'm a tough Irishwoman.”
Some of my favorite classic movies had Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne in them. Ms. O’Hara’s characters always had a toughness, but were still able to maintain a ladylike feel.
I always admired this combination in her and other women I knew growing up, and am proud to say I married a wonderful woman with a similar disposition and bearing. In her quote, she clearly defines the self image she has, and her life bears this out. She is true to herself, and isn’t ashamed of it.
Do you have realistic image of yourself, or are you busy trying to hide from what you really are? Many people seem to be not only ashamed, but downright fearful of what they are deep in their hearts.
You can tell people who never look honestly at their core self. They are usually very pompous and pushy and use this mask to make sure nobody finds out how badly they feel about themselves. Of course, pompous and pushy tells everyone else the real story, and the only person they fool is themselves.
All of us have thoughts and emotions we don’t want others to know about, but have you given yourself an honest evaluation lately? Never be afraid to look hard at yourself in your inward mirror and be honest.
Do you like what you see? No? Well, it’s time to take an inventory of what you don’t like and start making some changes. Wouldn’t it be better to actually become the person you want to be? If you only put on an act, other people will see right through you.
Steven Covey
“In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do.”
My wife and I often see someone, and comment on how beautiful they are. Interestingly enough, they are rarely physically stunning models or athletes. We have always felt that fully ¾ of a person’s beauty comes from inside. How they are animated, their attitude and bearing, their kind and sympathetic looks; these are the things that spell out true beauty. As a person ages and their body begins to deteriorate, this ¾ of their beauty will remain. Those who only have the physical, will lose everything.
Be sure of who you really are inside. Evaluate yourself and become a better person. Don’t be that person who loses it all.
Maureen O'Hara in the International Movie Database
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Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
Think back on what you have been talking about today. What was the subject matter? Ideas, events, or people? Great, average or small?
Seems kind of harsh, doesn’t it? Most people discuss all three at various times, but the key is in deciding how much time you spend on each category.
A person who only discusses ideas would be one of those fabled geniuses who are so lofty in their thinking that they can’t even carry on a decent conversation with the average person. They make amazing leaps in mathematics and science, but forget to eat and sleep if someone with a less brilliant mind is not around to help. We need the advances in our knowledge, but the genius isn’t perfect.
Average people lead more average lives, and talk about the weather, sports, vacations, work and the everyday milestones we all run into. The vast majority of us are in this category, and the world couldn’t function without us. Production of goods and services happens in this group. Average people make the world go round. In the process, they spend time looking after the genius types making sure they don’t starve while thinking deep thoughts.
Ok, last and certainly least are the small minded individuals that spend all their time gossiping about those they feel inferior to, namely, everyone else. Not much in the way of production going on here, they would rather tear down what others are doing to feel better about themselves, rather than contribute to society. We all know them well. Like the ancient Vikings, they conduct raids on the Average minds on a regular basis, and even take prisoners sometimes.
Now that they have been defined, which group of minds is best? One of the surprising things is that there is some serious blurring of the lines at the borders of each group.
Small minds, in additon to attempting to hold the Average folks hostage with their secret knowledge, sometime only ply their trade part time and are Average movers and shakers otherwise. This is good, but staying out of other people’s business altogether is better.
A quote by another First Lady, Dolley Madison:
“It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people's business.”
Mrs. Madison is a truly respected First Lady. She is known for her courage when the British Army was advancing on the White House during the War of 1812. She saved the portrait of George Washington and a lot government property and papers when the White House was burned. There was no room for their personal property, so she made the decision to leave it.
This brings up the next group. People considered average often have dramatic leaps of insight that can be brilliant. Genius IQs are in their ranks undetected because they also possess social skills. Who knew? Many times the best organizers are those with average IQs who have very specific talents.
The moral of the story is that everyone has a mind worth using and improving. Everyone has talents and aptitudes that compliment the skills of others. Lets all make it a goal to be better tomorrow than we are today.
One final quote from Abraham Lincoln.
“I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”
Eleanor Roosevelt in Wikipedia
National First Ladies Library Article
http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=33
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