Notes to Self: March 2009

Laugh

"Laughter is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life." - Unknown

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)
The human heart creates enough pressure, when it pumps, to squirt blood 30 feet.
(Oh my God!)
A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life, I want to be a pig.)
A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
(Creepy ... I'm still not over the pig.)
Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
(Do not try this at home ... maybe at work.)
The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
("Honey, I'm home. What the....?!")
A flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes ... lucky pig ... can you imagine??)
A catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)
Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life ... quality over quantity)
Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know.)
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmm ...)
Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)
Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(OK, so that would be a good thing....)
A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that.)
Starfish have no brains.
(I know some people like that too.)
Polar bears are left-handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.)
Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig??)

Life As Others See It

I have learnt -

Love:

That when you're in love, it shows.
That love, not time, heals all wounds.
That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

Kindness:

That being kind is more important than being right.
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.

Understanding:

That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life threatening situation.

Revenge:

That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

Spirituality:

That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
That the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

Elders:

That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.

Kids:

That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
That there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.
That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

Relax:

That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
That I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.
That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

Success:

That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
That money doesn't buy class.
That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

(Attributed to: Andy Rooney)

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Books »

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living

Leadership

”A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” ~ Rosalynn Carter

The seven elements of leadership:

Leaders challenge the status quo.
Leaders create a culture around their goal and involve others in that culture.
Leaders have an extraordinary amount of curiosity about the world they're trying to change.
Leaders use charisma (in a variety of forms) to attract and motivate followers.
Leaders communicate their vision of the future.
Leaders commit to a vision and make decisions based on that commitment.
Leaders connect their followers to one another.

(I'll write more on this when I get time).

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