Sometimes, even the Old Guys need a little extra motivation, and that's what this page is all about. Eventually, I would like this page to be full of stories I've received from readers and visitors to the site who send me their inspirational stories, but until then, I'll try to keep some things on this page to pick you up when you're a little down. Even I need that from time to time. And, as always, Old Guys, I'm always looking for material. If you have something good, please email it to me at oldguyrules@gmail.com. If I use it on the site, I'll put your name next to it and thank you profusely via email.
The Old Guy's Favorite Poem
Invictus
by William Ernest Henley; 1849-1903
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.
The word Invictus is Latin for "Unconquerable." This poem was written by a man who had just had his lower leg amputated because of a tubercular bone in his leg. If you've read my book, it reminds me of what happened to my dad. I love the fact that he's so defiant and refuses to give in to his condition. There's a lesson here for all the Old Guys.
Epitome of an Old Guy
This is a link to one of the most inspirational videos ever. You will love this woman when you are finished with the video. She is exactly what I think every Old Guy should aspire to be.
DON'T EVER be reluctant to show your feelings when you're
happy. Give in to it. When you're not, live
with it.
DON'T EVER be afraid to try to make things better.
You might be surprised at the results.
DON'T EVER take the weight of the world on your shoulders.
DON'T EVER feel threatened by the future.
Take life one day at a time.
DON'T EVER feel guilty about the past. What's done is done.
Learn from any mistakes you might have made.
DON'T EVER feel that you are alone.
There is always somebody there for you to reach out
to.
DON'T EVER forget that you can achieve so many of the things
you can imagine. It's not as hard as it seems.
DON'T EVER stop loving; don't ever stop believing; don't
ever stop dreaming your dreams.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof
Overhead and a place to sleep ... you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a
dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are
more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of
imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you
are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest,
torture, or death... you are more blessed than three billion people in
the world.
If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare,
even in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly
thankful... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the
shoulder... you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in
that someone was thinking of you, you are wealthy enough to have an internet connection and power on, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all. Have a good day, count your blessings, and pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.
A wonderful message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have
taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider
freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more,
but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have
bigger houses and smaller families, more
conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees
but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment,
more experts, yet
more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too
recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get
too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read
too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our
values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate
too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.
We've added years to life not life to years. We've
been all the way to the moon and back, but have
trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've
done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We
write more, but learn less. We plan more, but
accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to
wait. We build more computers to hold more
information, to produce more copies than ever, but
we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow
digestion, big men and small character, steep
profits and shallow relationships. These are the
days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier
houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick
trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do
everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a
time when there is much in the showroom window and
nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can
bring this letter to you, and a time when you can
choose either to share this insight, or to just hit
delete.
Remember, spend some time with your loved ones,
because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to
you in awe, because that little person soon will
grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a
warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the
only treasure you can give with your heart and it
doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and
your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and
an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep
inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish
the moment for someday that person will not be there
again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and
give time to share the precious thoughts in your
mind.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we
take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes
age, weight and height.
Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you
pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull
you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer,
crafts, gardening, whatever.
Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the
devil's workshop."
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you
gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move
on. The only person who is with us our entire life,
is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether
it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants,
hobbies, whatever.Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve
it. If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the
mall, to the next county, to a foreign
country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them,
at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we
take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
If you don't send this to at least 8 people....
who cares?
-George Carlin
God won't ask what kind of car you drove, but He'll ask how many people
you drove who didn't have transportation.
God won't ask the square footage of your house, but He'll ask how many
people you welcomed into your home.
God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, but He'll ask
how many you helped to clothe.
God won't ask what your highest salary was, but He'll ask if you
compromised your character to obtain it.
God won't ask what your job title was, but He'll ask if you performed
your job to the best of our ability.
God won't ask how many friends you had, but He'll ask how many people to
whom you were a friend.
God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, but He'll ask how you
treated your neighbors.
God won't ask about the color of your skin, but He'll ask about the
content of your character.
God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, but He'll
lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of
Hell.
WHAT IS........
The most destructive habit......................Worry
The greatest joy...............................Giving
The greatest loss................Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work...............Helping others
The ugliest personality trait.............Selfishness
The most endangered species.........Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource...............Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm"..........Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome.................Fear
The most effective sleeping pill........Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease............Excuses
The most powerful force in life..................Love
The most dangerous person..................A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer........The brain
The worst thing to be without................... Hope
The deadliest weapon.......................The tongue
The two most power-filled words..............."I Can"
The greatest asset..............................Faith
The most worthless emotion..................Self-pity
The most beautiful attire......................SMILE!
The most prized possession..................Integrity
The most powerful channel of communication.....Prayer
This is a passage from the greatest book ever written, Stephen Pressfield's Gates of Fire. A captured Spartan, the only survivor at Thermopylae, is telling Xerxes, King of the Persians, what it means to be a true king. I think it's perhaps the most eloquent description of a leader that I have ever read.
WHAT IS A KING?
“A king does not expend his substance to enslave men, but by his conduct and example makes them free. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men’s loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake. That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last. A king does not require service of those he leads but provides it to them. He serves them, not they him.”
Stephen Pressfield – Gates of Fire
By Regina Brett The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
Those who matter don't judge me....those who judge me don't matter.
