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living well
It’s Time for a Change
BY BOB MUELLER
Can you bend without breaking?
New thought and new action - how simple it sounds and how difficult it is! Most of us tend
to be shackled by old habits of thought. When crisis threatens, it is all too easy to go on
acting or reacting as we did before.
But great rewards await men and women who can change the pattern of their thinking to
meet new conditions or new challenges. I have proof of this in my own experience. When
I first left my career in ministry as a Roman Catholic priest at the age of 41, I had no
intention of becoming a fundraiser for Hospice. I first became a hospice chaplain and
thought I would remain in that ministry the rest of my days. Then I attended the
Fundraising School in Indianapolis and decided to take on the role of director of
development at Hospice of Louisville. Reviewing my life, I decided that I really wanted to
make a difference by making things happen for Hospice by helping the organization raise
money.
The decision to act anew was not easy. Some of my friends and family counseled against
such a drastic step. I took the step anyway. I have never regretted it for an instant.
Today, many of the people who come to me for help and advice are suffering from a kind
of rigidity caused by blind adherence to old patterns of thinking and acting. They cannot
adapt to changing conditions. They find it so difficult to bend that sometimes they break.
Quite often, in my efforts to help such people, I quote Abraham Lincoln’s words, “We
must think anew — and act anew.” When problems beset us, or when there seems to be
no solution, we must not act rigidly. We must not look at our difficulties from old, habit-
worn, outmoded points of view. We must think anew, and with the new thoughts will come
the power and confidence to act anew.
You may find much satisfaction in analyzing, planning, and contemplation, but change
only starts when you take the first step. Even a small step is important because small
changes practiced consistently, transform great ideas into big results.
I love the story of an old man in a little frontier town who had lived in the same house for
50 years. One day he surprised everyone by moving into the house next door. Reporters
from the local papers descended on him to ask him why he had moved. “I guess it was
the gypsy in me,” he replied with a self-satisfied smile.
Be open to change, face your fears, and give up controlling behavior. Focus on the
success of others, be willing to keep learning, and be willing to persevere.
A quote I read daily that someone gave me after one of my talks is wonderful:
Help me to fulfill my destiny
To the very best of my ability
To live the rest of my life
With honesty, honor and integrity
And to bring joy and happiness
Into every life I touch.The Good and the Bad
We have the capacity to dream, to hope and to aspire. But sometimes we do not realize
our dreams; our hopes are dashed to the ground; our fondest ambitions are thwarted.
Then we know the pain of disappointment and frustration. On the other hand, we also
have the possibility of knowing the thrill of achievement. In order to have the possibility of
one, we must be willing to accept the possibility of the other.
A team goes out on the baseball field to play a game. They give their best but they are
beaten, and defeat is hard to bear. They could have avoided their defeat by not playing
the game. But also they would have denied themselves the chance to win. If we play the
game, then we must accept both the possibilities of winning and losing.
Sooner or later, all of us become the person we see ourselves to be. If you develop
creative faith in yourself, eventually your faith will recreate you. If your mind is obsessed
by thoughts of insecurity and inadequacy, it is because you have allowed such thoughts
to dominate your thinking over a period of time. The only way to overcome those
thoughts is by putting into your mind a positive pattern of ideas.
Bob Mueller is vice president at Hospice Foundation of Louisville. Bob can be emailed at
bmueller@iamtodayswoman.com. Bob has two books: Look Forward Hopefully and The
Gentle Art of Caring.
It’s Time for a Change
BY BOB MUELLER
Can you bend without breaking?
New thought and new action - how simple it sounds and how difficult it is! Most of us tend
to be shackled by old habits of thought. When crisis threatens, it is all too easy to go on
acting or reacting as we did before.
But great rewards await men and women who can change the pattern of their thinking to
meet new conditions or new challenges. I have proof of this in my own experience. When
I first left my career in ministry as a Roman Catholic priest at the age of 41, I had no
intention of becoming a fundraiser for Hospice. I first became a hospice chaplain and
thought I would remain in that ministry the rest of my days. Then I attended the
Fundraising School in Indianapolis and decided to take on the role of director of
development at Hospice of Louisville. Reviewing my life, I decided that I really wanted to
make a difference by making things happen for Hospice by helping the organization raise
money.
The decision to act anew was not easy. Some of my friends and family counseled against
such a drastic step. I took the step anyway. I have never regretted it for an instant.
Today, many of the people who come to me for help and advice are suffering from a kind
of rigidity caused by blind adherence to old patterns of thinking and acting. They cannot
adapt to changing conditions. They find it so difficult to bend that sometimes they break.
Quite often, in my efforts to help such people, I quote Abraham Lincoln’s words, “We
must think anew — and act anew.” When problems beset us, or when there seems to be
no solution, we must not act rigidly. We must not look at our difficulties from old, habit-
worn, outmoded points of view. We must think anew, and with the new thoughts will come
the power and confidence to act anew.
You may find much satisfaction in analyzing, planning, and contemplation, but change
only starts when you take the first step. Even a small step is important because small
changes practiced consistently, transform great ideas into big results.
I love the story of an old man in a little frontier town who had lived in the same house for
50 years. One day he surprised everyone by moving into the house next door. Reporters
from the local papers descended on him to ask him why he had moved. “I guess it was
the gypsy in me,” he replied with a self-satisfied smile.
Be open to change, face your fears, and give up controlling behavior. Focus on the
success of others, be willing to keep learning, and be willing to persevere.
A quote I read daily that someone gave me after one of my talks is wonderful:
Help me to fulfill my destiny
To the very best of my ability
To live the rest of my life
With honesty, honor and integrity
And to bring joy and happiness
Into every life I touch.The Good and the Bad
We have the capacity to dream, to hope and to aspire. But sometimes we do not realize
our dreams; our hopes are dashed to the ground; our fondest ambitions are thwarted.
Then we know the pain of disappointment and frustration. On the other hand, we also
have the possibility of knowing the thrill of achievement. In order to have the possibility of
one, we must be willing to accept the possibility of the other.
A team goes out on the baseball field to play a game. They give their best but they are
beaten, and defeat is hard to bear. They could have avoided their defeat by not playing
the game. But also they would have denied themselves the chance to win. If we play the
game, then we must accept both the possibilities of winning and losing.
Sooner or later, all of us become the person we see ourselves to be. If you develop
creative faith in yourself, eventually your faith will recreate you. If your mind is obsessed
by thoughts of insecurity and inadequacy, it is because you have allowed such thoughts
to dominate your thinking over a period of time. The only way to overcome those
thoughts is by putting into your mind a positive pattern of ideas.
Bob Mueller is vice president at Hospice Foundation of Louisville. Bob can be emailed at
bmueller@iamtodayswoman.com. Bob has two books: Look Forward Hopefully and The
Gentle Art of Caring.