OUR DEEPEST FEAR

I have enormous admiration and respect for the great thinkers throughout history; individuals who, with their insight and wisdom, help us all to live better lives.

It is my opinion that Marianne Williamson is one of these individuals.

Through her written words as follows, she is able to remind us who we really are and what influence we each have on the world around us. I hope you enjoy this writing as much as I do.

Note: this writing is often mistakenly cited as being written by Nelson Mandela, however, the true source of this writing is author, Marianne Williamson.  Enjoy.  – daniel w. jacobs

OUR DEEPEST FEAR

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

By Marianne Willamson

Marianne Williamson

QUOTES from the COTTAGE

1. Look at your dream as reality – then live the dream.

2. Promises don’t deliver, people do.

3. Ideas are senior to things.

4. Conceive it, believe it and you will see it.

5. Give others something of value in exchange for their attention.

6. Perception is reality created by perception.

7. Dreams and nightmares alike are kept alive by constant attention.

8. Trust can be not be bought or sold – it is either freely given or it doesn’t exist.

9. The past isn’t going anywhere and the future will be there when you arrive. Live in the present and plan for the future.

10. The thoughts and feelings you have right now – create your future.

11. To ensure longevity, enjoy the process, not just the reward.

12. You may as well be yourself – it’s the only you there is or ever will be.

13.  Any problem that doesn’t ever resolve, is being held in place – by you or someone else, or both.

14. Expectations are future. Whether you expect success or failure, happiness or sorrow, trust or betrayal, it is your expectations that create and attract these things to you.

15. They’ll think you’re interesting when you know they are.

16. Sanity, happiness and power are a direct consequence of living a life of simplicity, truth and worthwhile purpose.

17. You’re as free as you’ll let yourself be . . . splurge on it.

18. The price of freedom is never too great – when the cost of indifference is so dear.

19. If you doubt your own reality, your doubts become more real and your reality less secure.

20. A steady diet of canned media chatter can lead to truth decay.

21. Your power to expand is infinite – as is your ability to limit yourself.

22.  Imagination fuels and stimulates futures.

23. Knowledge without imagination does not lead to accomplishment.

24. The past is a has been – the future is a could be.

25.  The first step to creating the future you want is to remove the self-imposed limits on your imagination.

26.  The end product of doubt, worry and fear is only more doubt, greater worry and increased fear.

27.  Your creation of time, circumstances and conditions of life determine where you have been, what you are and what you will become.

28.  Once you set up the idea that something is too painful to experience, you have at that moment allowed yourself to be harmed by that thing.

29.  Your future unfolds in minute increments with inexorable certainty.  Even a slight shift of viewpoint will often precipitate enormous positive changes in your life.

30.  You carry with you the seeds of your future – planted, nurtured, given life and sustenance by your continued attention on, and awareness of them.

31.  The relationship between an individual and a group is symbiotic.  The individual is the source of power for the group – and the unifying strength of the group empowers its members.

32.  Negative thoughts and feelings require constant attention to mature into serious problems for you.  Much better to let them fade away.

33.  What attracts your attention can be a powerful influence on your thoughts and feelings, which inspire action . . . or inaction.  Which suits you best?

34.  Happiness and success have a hard time finding you if you’re always being someone else.  Be yourself, it’s the only you there ever has been, or ever will be.

35.  Doubts and fears require constant nurturing and attention to turn into reality.

36.  Positive expectations create a vacuum, drawing good things towards you . . . negative expectations work the same way.

daniel w. jacobs
(c)2006-2010, all rights reserved

THE DEATH OF COMMON SENSE

Lori Borgman

FORWARD: Lori Borgman is the true author of the essay, “The Death of Common Sense.”  She is a national treasure, a present-day Will Rogers, from a female perspective in my mind.  She is also a syndicated columnist and successful author of several books.

This writing is often incorrectly attributed to either Anonymous or Author Unknown in various altered forms on the internet to which Lori replies that she has been called many things as a writer, but to be called Anonymous hurts most of all.  I love her writing, infused with a fresh, delightfully wholesome combination of wisdom and wit.

From her website she has said the following.  “There seems to be a resurgence of interest in my piece, “The Death of Common Sense”.  Here is the original version as it was printed Sunday, March 15, 1988.”   It is presented here – with her permission – for your edification, enjoyment and enlightenment. – daniel w. jacobs

The Death Of Common Sense

Three yards of black fabric enshroud my computer terminal. I am mourning the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense. His obituary reads as follows: Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering.

Rules and regulations and petty, frivolous lawsuits held no power over C.S. A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet.

C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice).

A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, the Technological Revolution and the Smoking Crusades, C.S. survived sundry cultural and educational trends including disco, the men’s movement, body piercing, whole language and new math. C.S.’s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus.

In the following decades, his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state rules and regulations and an oppressive tax code. C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf.

His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure.

As the end neared, doctors say C.S. drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding regulations on low-flow toilets and mandatory air bags. Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last.

Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit.

Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought. Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.

© Lori Borgman | Sunday, March 15, 1998

Visit this writer at www.loriborgman.com

MY FAVORITE QUOTES

FORWARD:  When I come upon a quote that is particularly meaningful to me, I don’t  think it happened by accident.

I believe that when it appears in my universe, does so because I have decided that I need it, or something like it at that moment in my life.

For instance, when I feel I’m ready for a heady dose of expansion, like when I need to break out of some old habit or pattern of living, usually the first things that show up are things that I should have confronted and handled long ago; things that may have been inhibiting my ability to move out and expand to other areas.

These things tend to presenting themselves to be handled once I make the decision to expand.  Like cleaning out a closet that is long overdue in having order put in, it’s a mess when I first start.  Persistence and endurance will win the day however, and order will once again prevail.

So it is with most aspects of my life.  Once I decide that I am going to set upon a course for expansion of some type, the weakest link in the process inevitably and invariably shows up to command my attention until it’s taken care of.  I never shy away from this phenomena, instead, I welcome it.  It proves to me that I have ignored, neglected, or hidden from things that I should have faced head on, long ago.  Now I have the chance to address these issues and put them terminatedly behind me, exposing an exciting new future to move into!

So – because they appeared in my universe – the quotes to follow are some of my favorite ones, in no particular order.  I’ve also included some of my own, because they also fit the criteria I’ve set for inclusion.

I hope you find one or more that may hold some meaning for you as well.

- daniel w. jacobs

MY FAVORITE QUOTES

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

The price of freedom is never too great – when the cost of indifference is so dear. – daniel w. jacobs

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. -Abraham Lincoln

Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.  – Albert Schweitzer

We project ourselves on everyone else.  We see hate in others because we ourselves hate.  We see love in others because we ourselves love.  We see talent and potential in others because we believe those qualities are in ourselves.   When we see others as a hopeless case, it’s because we feel that way about ourselves. – Brian Austin Whitney

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. – Frank Tibolt

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. – Benjamin Franklin

This is the true joy in life – being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining the world will not devote itself to making you happy.  I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake.  Life is no brief candle to me, it is a sort of splendid torch, which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it to future generations.  – George Bernard Shaw

Your creation of time, circumstance and conditions of life determine where you have been, what you are and who you will become. – daniel w. jacobs

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. – Theodore Roosevelt

Nothing can truly harm you – unless you have decided priorly that such a thing is harmful. When you set up the idea that anything is too painful to experience, you also set it up so that you can be harmed by that thing. – daniel w. jacobs

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy.  What a man can be, he must be. – Abraham Maslow

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. – Theodore Rooevelt

People have an insatiable demand and desire for surprise. – daniel w. jacobs

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Your power to expand is infinite – so is your ability to limit yourself. – daniel w. jacobs

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world.  The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. — George Bernard Shaw

It’s never too late to be who you really are. – daniel w. jacobs

My creed for art in general is that it should enrich the soul; it should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise . . . a part of yourself you never knew existed. – pianist Bill Evans

Even a slight shift of viewpoint can precipitate enormous changes in your life.   Your future unfolds with inexorable certainty, but in minute increments. Big changes, when they do occur, they have preceded by countless small ones.  Ultimately, we all carry with us the seeds of our future – planted and given life and sustenance by continued attention on them – continuing to thrive by your continuing awareness of them. – daniel w. jacobs

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. – Hans Hoffman, abstract expressionist painter.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill

Every time I’ve done something that doesn’t feel right, it’s ended up not being right. – Mario Cuomo

Criticism can often expose hidden harmful intent.  Sometimes it is only revealed by subtle signs embedded in the words or actions of the critic exposing the existence of something not apparent in the message.   Stay alert; listen with your eyes, see with your ears, trust your instincts and act or re-act accordingly. – daniel w. jacobs

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others. – Sir Winston Churchill

Wisdom begins by calling things by their right name.- Ancient Chinese proverb

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo Da Vinci

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. – George Washington

The willing contribution, coordination and cooperation of the individuals in the group lead to a strong and expanding entity. It is a symbiotic relationship, as a group thus empowered becomes a greater source of strength and power for the individuals creating it.  – daniel w. jacobs

Our enemies of today are the forces of privilege and greed within our own borders. – Franklin Roosevelt

Don’t worry about people stealing an idea. If it’s original, you will have to ram it down their throats. – Howard Aiken

Doubts and confidence alike require constant nurturing and attention to become reality.  – daniel w. jacobs

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite. – John Kenneth Galbraith

” . . . genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.” – Edith Sitwell

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others. - Sir Winston Churchill

You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance. – Ray Bradbury

Accept good advice gracefully – - as long as it doesn’t interfere with what you intended to do in the first place. – Gene Brown

A steady diet of canned media chatter can lead to truth decay. – daniel w. jacobs

In all recorded history there has not been one economist who has had to worry about where the next meal would come from. – Peter Drucker

ON LOVE – an essay

FORWARD: This essay, written in ink on a piece of lined yellow paper, was folded up and slipped into the clear plastic holder for Polaroid photographs, where it has been since I wrote it.  I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it up.  This was an essay written in my own hand in the  spring of 1968.  I was struck at how much the writing sounds like me, even then.  It was initially untitled but I have now decided to name it, “On Love.“

So, here it is, as it was written forty-one years ago, with only minor edits – and incidentally only a matter of months after I met the one who eventually became and still is, my lovely wife, Myrna. – daniel w. jacobs

ON LOVE – an essay

We all have an overwhelming desire to be needed – to be wanted – appreciated  – to be loved.

In order to fulfill this desire we must first be willing to give love; second, we must know that we can love; and finally, we must be satisfied with the love we hold for ourselves before we can determine what qualities we could love in another.

This love must be given freely – with reflection and deliberation – as it necessitates and forms obligations for which sacrifices must be made.

We can see that the love for oneself cannot be an inward, selfish kind that only takes, but must rather be a giving, outpouring, unselfish kind that recognizes and expresses the best that is in us.

When you discover love of your own being, don’t be afraid to reveal it.  For you have uncovered one of the basic principles of happiness – one of many that are needed to be really happy.

When you discover this love in another and she in you, then you have begun to uncover the true secrets of happiness.  You now have a chance  to make it blossom and grow into all that you both wished for.

For it is this mutual warmth, affection, admiration, enthusiasm, respect, love – seldom found – that forms the foundation of true happiness – cherish it as yourself.

daniel w. jacobs
written in the spring of 1968
© 1968-2020, all rights reserved

VALUE OF ART

The triangle of perception, reality and considered value are inextricably intertwined in art.  Any change in one invariably affects the other two – to your advantage or not.

daniel w. jacobs
(c) 2009 – 2020, all rights reserved

SIMPLE TRUTHS

To avoid adding to the glut of truth decay inundating our minds and eroding our senses at an ever-increasing velocity, I’ll cut to the pith of the matter at hand, tendered solely for your enlightenment and possible amusement.

All truths are basically simple –and the following two provide no exception:

1.  Indecision = inaction.

2.  Decision = action.

I have long treasured the message that decision and commitment are the open sesame to success in any endeavor, and I’ve sought to enlighten others to the power of this simple truth.

Your intention and resolve alone will provide the energy and drive to overcome known and unknown obstacles and keep you focused when uninvited distractions appear to slow your progress.

Simply, when your decision is made without doubt from self or others; without any attention given to logical “reasons” why something is impossible; without even acknowledging barriers that present themselves as invitations to quit; then the universe begins to go into agreement with your decision, not the reverse.

The decided ambition to accomplish something can cut through imagined obstacles like they don’t exist – which in fact they don’t outside your own consideration of them.  If you don’t think something as an obstacle, it isn’t.

A clear, positive decision, made by the individual free of doubt, effort or force, is the source of  your power.  It is impervious to efforts and forces counter to its purpose.

There is a bit of magic to this, which when used, opens the door to effortless mastery of living the life you desire.  In fact, it strengthens from use – and is weakened only by disuse or neglect. Your decision – made without doubt – is the key to aligning the forces of the universe to help you accomplish your aims, desires and goals and purposes.  Further, it activates emotions in yourself and others, which are the bridge to decisive action in bringing the desired result into being.

Why not try this simple truth and let the universe go into agreement with you for a change?

daniel w. jacobs
(c) 2009-2020, all rights reserved

GOLDEN RULES FOR WRITING WELL

1. Don’t abbrev.

2. Check to see if you any words out.

3. Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.

4. About sentence fragments.

5. When dangling, don’t use participles.

6. Don’t use no double negatives.

7. Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.

8. Just between you and I, case is important.

9. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.

10. Don’t use commas, that aren’t necessary.

11. Its important to use apostrophe’s right.

12. It’s better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.

13. Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.

14. Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop

15. Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.

16. In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas to keep a string of items apart.

17. Watch out for irregular verbs that have creeped into our language.

18. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

19. Avoid unnecessary redundancy.

20. A writer mustn’t shift your point of view.

21. Don’t write a run-on sentence you’ve got to punctuate it.

22. A preposition isn’t a good thing to end a sentence with.

23. Avoid cliches like the plague.

24. 1 final thing is to never start a sentence with a number.

daniel w. jacobs

THE SEEDS OF YOUR FUTURE

Leonardo da Vinci

“In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time.”

This quote by Leonardo da Vinci, started me thinking about how present time links the past with the future.

It’s clear that the past is kept alive and carried forward through memories of, reactions to, and continued awareness of what has come before.  And if my attention is fixed on negative emotions from the past – such as failure, loss, despair, hopelessness, blame, resentment, fear, or regret, these are carried with me.

Conversely, if my thoughts are on positive feelings of happiness – action, competence, confidence, serenity, forgiveness, friendship, love of life, self and others – these are carried along with me into my present time.

So, whether positive or negative, my perception of life, the environment, people and situations in present time, is colored accordingly.

Ultimately, the seeds of your future are created and carried with you at all times – brought into being by your decisions, thoughts, ideas and feelings about life at any moment and kept alive by your continuing attention on them. If neglected or ignored, they eventually wither and die.

In this manner, present time becomes a prediction of your future.

My discovery though, was something I hadn’t considered before: the future does indeed unfold with inexorable certainty, but in extremely minute increments. It doesn’t happen all at once.

This is not to imply that it takes a long time, it only takes as long as necessary to bring it about. Big changes do occur, but only when countless small ones have preceded them.

Therefore, to create a future that you desire, begin right now – in present time.  Start with one clear, unambiguous decision of what you intend to accomplish.  For at that moment the universe begins a process of aligning to your dictates, rather than the reverse, and bringing about the changes you desire.  Act as if your present time were your future . . . for it soon will be.

So, prepare the soil, plant the seeds in your present time, nurture, care for and protect their growth until they develop into a future that can sustain a new life on their own.

Soon the seeds of your future begin showing up as a desirable present time . . . just as you hoped.

Enjoy the ride.  I know I will.

daniel w. jacobs
(c) 2009-2020, all rights reserved

Written as a gift to my friends on my birthday on the twentieth of May 2009.

INVISIBLE FOOTPRINTS

You’re doing it all the time . . . and so am I.

Our physical footprints leave impressions of where we’ve been and the direction of where we’re going.

But there are also footprints of another kind – the  “invisible footprints” that we’re leaving all the time that can have a much greater impact and are infinitely more powerful. They are formed from the ideas in our minds; our attitudes which, when put into action or inaction, leave a lasting imprint or impression for others to witness or experience.

Now we’re all born with this handy, jim-dandy, automatic mental camera. It operates to record every thought we think, anything we look at, feel or experience. It can take more pictures per second than you can shake a stick at and what’s more, it never runs out of film, batteries or memory. Then we store up all these pictures for some reason, or perhaps for no reason at all.

For better or worse, our ideas are largely formed from these pictures of experience. Inevitably these pictures – thoughts, memories and ideas of pleasant or painful experiences – are shared through viral word of mouth, or whatever media, and passed on to others and influence them as well; it’s just human nature.

It is the interactions and experiences with others that create the invisible footprints that you leave behind.

I suppose at this point I could draw a long philosophical beard and introduce a theory of societal reciprocity wherein we tend to treat others as we have been treated – responding to a positive action with another positive action, and responding to a negative action with another negative one – but maybe another time . . .

I’m just saying that if you’re alive, you’re interacting with others.  Whether you like it or intend it or not, you’re leaving behind your own invisible footprints through your thoughts, ideas, words, and actions or inactions.

Ideas can inspire either action or inaction and both have consequences on your life and the lives of others. The invisible footprint you make on others can have a potent impression on others long after you have gone . . . just as those left by others do to you.

Make sure the unintended consequences of your actions or inactions with others leave behind a positive unexpected benefit – because the invisible footprints you give are remarkably similar to those you receive.

daniel w. jacobs
(c) 2007-2020, all rights reserved

BEWARE OF GEEKS BEARING FORMULAS

FORWARD: In the midst of a surfeit of (bad) investment advice for tough times, one voice stands out like Mars at perihelion.  Here is a quote from one who has seen it all; endured it all and still remains on top.  His words are worthy of serious consideration in my opinion as they bear universal applicability in areas far beyond the world of finance.  – daniel w. jacobs

Warren Buffett

“Approval . . . is not the goal of investing. In fact, approval is often counter-productive because it sedates the brain and makes it less receptive to new facts or a re-examination of conclusions formed earlier.

Beware the investment activity that produces applause; the great moves are usually greeted by yawns. Investors should be skeptical of history-based models.

Constructed by a nerdy-sounding priesthood using esoteric terms such as beta, gamma, sigma and the like, these models tend to look impressive.

Too often, though, investors forget to examine the assumptions behind the symbols.

Our advice: Beware of geeks bearing formulas.”

This now off-quoted quip above, comes straight from Warren Buffett’s open letter to Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholders.  His legendary investment savvy has now another five-word summary worthy of his reputation.  My hat is off to him . . . again.

daniel w. jacobs
(c) 2009-2020, all rights reserved

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS defined

The following is the 2007 winning entry from an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term.  This year’s term: Political Correctness.

“Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”