Focus Up Philosophers simply learn how to look above the clouds, mists or fog to higher thoughts of the ascendant good, true and lovable thoughts over our world of effects. My premise is that anyone can be a philosopher. Think, learn, (Listen to good books on CD is a thought) read, (good literature preferrably) write, laugh, listen to good and uplifting music, (I like much of doo wop and musician friends I’ve met and known), live-really live and examine life and remember to enjoy what you do. Those are some of the tenets that help us to be philosophical. Below are some quotes that you can use to focus a little higher than the everyday life that you live daily. Use them to think about during the day. Sometimes you may want to write them on a sticky note to stick on the bathroom mirror or kitchen reader board. They may be stuck on the front door and go in the pocket as we walk out the door. On the dashboard of the car, don’t let it interrupt good driving. If one does a random focus up once a day that may assist them to get out of a mood or lift up their spirits or allow them to think through a challenge-opportunity and do better. Sometimes we get turned down for something we want or think we need. I know sales people do, parents do, husbands do, and wives too. Focus up and choose to learn from every experience. Lesson learned; pick a new path and move on. Ruth Bader Ginsberg did just that and look where she is today.
I like to think that we can focus up at least once an hour. It seems to me that it can get us moving and motivated to do and be the best we can be and do. As a friend used to say and, “Do be do be do.” Try writing one of these quotes somewhere that you will see it, at minimum daily, at best hourly. Then go be your best self, no one can be a better you, and do your best. It sounds simple and yet what I think we all know, is that it may not be easy. Another way to focus up is to find something to laugh at. Try laughing at yourself! I know it may not initially sound like fun to laugh at yourself. Try laughing out loud, even if you haven’t done anything laughable and see how much fun it can become. At first you may want to do it without anyone knowing what or specifically who you are laughing at. Seriously, laughing can be fun, especially if you are laughing at yourself. When we laugh at ourselves it takes away the power of another who might think of laughing at us or our mistake. Please don’t laugh at others to make them feel less than good about themselves. Let’s endeavor to make all people feel and act a little better by knowing us. The concept is being a positive light for family, friends, acquaintances and new people we meet every day. My SWIC premise is S. smile, W. wave, I. interesting, C. comment. Do this for virtually everyone you encounter! When you meet, encounter or pass by anyone there is almost always something you can say or do to inform them you are a ‘focus up’ person. In the grocery store, sports game, movie theatre or wherever, smile at everyone and see how many return your smile. Some days I keep track in the grocery or hardware store on my fingers. You can judge yourself, evaluate your attitude good, bad or indifferent with the number of return smiles. Let us know your top number of return smiles, waves and/or interesting returns of comments you get in a day. One day I walked down the hallway of an airport and got a 98% smile return. Take a guess where. J.F.K. airport New York City. We will reward the top number of smile returns so tell us your very best number in a day. As for interesting comments. Find something that you think or see or like to comment to a person (stranger) on. I got an interesting return of a comment the other night at a film noir movie festival. The lady, who was older than me, was emigrated from England years ago and still had her English accent. I really like English accents and told her so. We talked a little up until the film noir movie started. It starred Robert Mitchum who my dad had gone to college with. Robert Mitchum made a diabolical bad guy in the movie. This lady had lived in the U.S. for lots of years and kept her British accent. She chose to because she got so many compliments on it. I guess many Americans, as I do, in general like the British, and Australian accents.
A third way you can use or relate to this blog is to contribute. Send us your best quote. Either one from someone else, please quote the person. You may want to write one yourself. Our group will decide what goes in. Yes, it’s true we have a group of Focus Up Philosophers. They’re great and have been listening and focusing up via texts for several months. To join tune in weekly and ‘like’ us. We’ll have a sign up posted soon.
May I share one good focus up quote from my family? My mom told us, when I was just a kid, “Get an education, nobody can take that away from you.” Please see the *B.B. King quote in the list of quotes.
Oz was a neophyte who had just made it to the other side of the multi faceted wizard reader board. Dorothy and the others offered him the opportunity to live up to his potential. The potential of him becoming a master wizard. Yes? Now, we can learn from these masters quoted below. They’re simply people who didn’t quit doing whatever it was they wanted to do. In the very beginning they may have been afraid of playing the piano for family or friends, flying a plane, singing and playing the guitar, mandolin or ukelele on stage, walking the tight rope or balance beam. Whatever it was they wanted to do they did, despite fear, apprehension or trepidation. Then after stepping out in consciousness once or twice and finding they didn’t sink into the muck and the mire they took another step. Then after hard or arduous work, study and due diligence they mastered their field and got on with life. Winston Churchill got defeated as prime minister and yet came back for reelection years later. Read some of his ‘Finest hour and I have nothing to give but my blood sweat toil and tears’ speeches. Success may not be a straight line. Like a sailboat one may have to sail (tack and jibe) with the winds of fortune to get to the promised land of rewards and perceived success.
Some friends in the theatre, when I lived in New York City used to laughingly ask how do you get to Carnegie Hall? ‘Practice, practice, practice’ was one answer another was ‘one step at a time’. We sometimes shared the concept that perfect practice makes perfect. We met a pianist we like, Reuel check him out. I remember the quote and not the pianists name. If I miss one day of practice I notice. Miss two days of practice and my mother notices. Three days of practice and the audience notices. Also try singing mantras with Karl Anthony. Go to the theatre and see a live performance, it’s interesting. Film Noir is fun. They’re the ‘B’ movies (usually black and white) from the ’50’s and ’60’s.
R. Buckminster Fuller failed and failed in business. He decided that he could either make money or make sense. He thought the two to be diametrically opposed concepts. He decided to make sense! The geodesic dome and dymaxion everything were some of his contributions to us. Plus writing several books and making up many of his own words and some of his own language. Good reading is the Grunch of Giants and Critical Path. Bucky, near the end of his life earned a great deal of money, I mean a lot of money to offer a week of his service to companies or organizations who needed or wanted his assistance. I was blessed to hear his last two talks and will always remember him. Last public talk, he taught the whole audience triangling. A math of multi dimensions. More dimensions than plane geometry or flat oriented mathematics. At the time I could do it in my head, he made it so understandable. I heard that Doctor Einstein thought that triangling could prove his unified field theory.
Enough about others’ stories. Here are a few quotes to mull over and see if there’s one that resonates with you. There is a ding and clunk theory. If something goes ding like the ringing of a bell on a crystal clear summer morning, then that’s the right one for you. If it goes clunk, then you simply move on. The liberty bell cracked and now it just goes clunk. Good looking bell, but it just goes clunk. People go to see it all the time. If you have a chance go see it on a beautiful summer day in Philadelphia, PA. You’ll see the crack it’s a big one. Other than its clunk it’s a handsome bell!
Look over these quotes and see if any go ding for you. If not so much, write your own. Or you can rewrite one and make it your own. Kind regards, Ernie
Quotes can change lives. Ever look, listen and learn from the world around.
Never, never, never, never give up. Winston Churchill
Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. Henry Ford
We become what we think about. Earl Nightingale
There is scarcely a master that I have not studied the best of their works. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
You will find something more in (the) woods than in books. Saint Bernard
You are made in the image of what you desire. Thomas Merton
What I do is reflection and the study of the great masters. Edgar Degas
Love is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others. The Wizard of Oz
When there’s trouble hanging over me, (I) touch the sky. Karl Anthony
We are the United States of Amnesia. Gore Vidal
Before all masters, necessity is the one who teaches best. Jules Verne
It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel affected by it. Voltaire
All women are forces of nature, I believe in their power. Stephanie McMahon
Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. Mohandes Gandhi, the Mahatma
*The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you. B. B. King
The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates
Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life. Aristotle
Whatever possession we gain by our sword cannot be sure or lasting. The love gained by kindness and moderation is certain and durable. Alexander the Great
Pull down the good, the true and the lovable philosophies from the raincloud of knowable things. Ernest Nylander
People say that motivation doesn’t last. Well neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily. Zig Ziglar
Hope is the bedrock of this nation. Remember that history will not be written for us, but by us. Barack Obama
We design our lives through the power of choices. Richard Bach
I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me quiet strength and dignity. Michelle Obama
A woman is like a tea bag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. Eleanor Roosevelt
Often in life things you judge as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune. Ruth Bader Ginsberg
My aim is to cherish myself as I am. Elle McPherson
As usual there is a great woman behind every idiot. John Lennon
We live in a world where sports have the potential of eliminating racism, sexism and discrimination. Jackie Joyner-Kersee
The quality not the longevity of one’s life is what is important. Martin Luther King Jr.
One individual can begin a movement that turns the tide of history. Jack Canfield
When you know clearly what you want, you will wake up every morning excited about life. Mark Victor Hansen
Let your life reflect ever emerging good. Christian Sorensen
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. John F. Kennedy
Be happy for this moment, for this moment is your life. Omar Khayyam
Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and any government that supports them. George W. Bush
Take a pen to write, then you will see the miracle of writing. Lailah Gifty Akita
Anything, yes everything can be improved with a higher, better, even a joyful thought. This is new and improved thinking, rising above the clouds for ‘focus up philosophers.’ Ernest Nylander
Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death. Albert Einstein
They (you) must be prepared to want to learn- not as something they (you) need to do, something they enjoy doing. They (those who don’t know how) will have to learn how to learn. Peter Drucker
Lifelong learning is our lifelong enterprise.’Focus Up Philosophers’ Ernest Nylander
We’re open for your good thoughts and quotes…..