What I Learned from Harry Potter Harry Potter has been a part of my life since I was in high school. I've read the books, seen the movies too many times to count and my daughter is a huge fan. It's become part of who I am. I was sad to see it end. I cried at the beginning of the movie. I cried at the end of the movie. I felt like a part of childhood had died. As I reflect on that moment I realize that as it was such an important part of my life, there are so many lessons I took away from Harry Potter. Lessons I Learned from Dumbledore: "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that." I have that number that I want, the goal that I seek, but if I focus too much on it, I lose sight of today. "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." I don't have to be a marathon runner or fitness guru. "We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Harry, but battle on." Giving up isn't an option. "Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Right Vs Easy Courage is All You Need Trust Yourself
88 Important Truths I've Learned About Life | Raptitude.com Everyone gets drilled with certain lessons in life. Sometimes it takes repeated demonstrations of a given law of life to really get it into your skull, and other times one powerful experience drives the point home once forever. Here are 88 things I’ve discovered about life, the world, and its inhabitants by this point in my short time on earth. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. Photo by Philgarlic Have a lot on your mind? Everyday mindfulness has transformed my life, and the lives of many others.
Improve Your Writing by Avoiding These Twenty Common Grammar Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes Thanks for that! The moot thing seemed wrong and I was going to look it up. Jon Gingerich isn't entirely wrong about "moot." The first definition in the OED, with examples going back to 1563, is: 1. The issue with moot is that the second definition is more common in North American practice, with OED examples going back to 1807. The problem with truly identify the errors of "grammar nazis" is that there isn't even a single standard of written English. Yep. Also, farther isn't strictly limited to distance and further isn't strictly limited to abstract measurements. Tolkein is likely to use the oldest meaning of a word and to avoid words that did not exist before the 1500s or so, by choice.
The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget | Zen Moments - StumbleUpon “Great moments often catch us unawares….” By Kent Nerburn There was a time in my life twenty years ago when I was driving a cab for a living. It was a cowboy’s life, a gambler’s life, a life for someone who wanted no boss, constant movement and the thrill of a dice roll every time a new passenger got into the cab. What I didn’t count on when I took the job was that it was also a ministry. Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a rolling confessional. We were like strangers on a train, the passengers and I, hurtling through the night, revealing intimacies we would never have dreamed of sharing during the brighter light of day. And none of those lives touched me more than that of a woman I picked up late on a warm August night. I was responding to a call from a small brick fourplex in a quiet part of town. When I arrived at the address, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground-floor window. So I walked to the door and knocked. After a long pause, the door opened.
Thinking like a genius: overview Thinking and recall series Problem solving: creative solutions "Even if you're not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future." The following strategies encourage you to think productively, rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. Nine approaches to creative problem solving: Rethink! Exercise #2 illustrates how famous thinkers used these approaches. Exercise #1: illustrates applications of the nine approaches. Text of exercise:Nine approaches to creative problem solving: Rethink! Thinking and recall series Concentrating | Radical thinking | Thinking aloud/private speech | Thinking critically | Thinking critically | Thinking creatively | Mapping explanation | Make your own map I | Make your own map II | Thinking like a genius: Creative solutions | Famous thinkers | Selected thoughts
Kurt Vonnegut explains drama I was at a Kurt Vonnegut talk in New York a few years ago. Talking about writing, life, and everything. He explained why people have such a need for drama in their life. He said, “People have been hearing fantastic stories since time began. The problem is, they think life is supposed to be like the stories. He drew an empty grid on the board, like this: Time moves from left to right. He said, “Let's look at a very common story arc. It starts with her awful life with evil stepsisters, scrubbing the fireplace. “People LOVE that story! He wiped the board clean and said, “Now let's look at another popular story arc: the disaster.” It's an ordinary day in an ordinary town. But the problem is, life is really like this... Our lives drifts along with normal things happening. “But because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with huge ups and downs! That's why people invent fights.
The Art of Influence Secrets to complaining effectively, motivating loved ones, and getting what you want without being a jerk. Illustrations by Lou Brooks Babies and psychopaths have one thing in common: They're excellent at getting what they want. Many of us could learn a thing or two from these creatures, tantrums and dirty tactics notwithstanding. That's not to say that, like these ingrates, we should feel entitled to everything we want. Many argue that as a culture, we need urgent lessons in giving, not getting. But for some, grabbing the brass ring is a constant source of stress and confusion. Were it uniformly advantageous to be aggressive, timid, positive, or negative in pursuit of one's goal, evolution would have selected for only such types. Complain to Win —Not to Feel Worse Kvetch, Bitcher, Debbie Downer: No one likes a chronic complainer, and we've got multiple derogatory terms to prove it. If you decide you want to lodge a complaint, make a plan, says Winch. Figure Out What Others Want
39 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist “The proper function of man is to live – not to exist.” — Jack LondonToo often we go through life on autopilot, going through the motions and having each day pass like the one before it.That’s fine, and comfortable, until you have gone through another year without having done anything, without having really lived life.That’s fine, until you have reached old age and look back on life with regrets. That’s fine, until you see your kids go off to college and realize that you missed their childhoods. It’s not fine. What follows is just a list of ideas, obvious ones mostly that you could have thought of yourself, but that I hope are useful reminders. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. I hope you are finding these suggestions useful. 19. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.