Daily Quote

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly know how far they can really go."

-T.S. Elliot

You will never know if you like something unless you try it. You will never know if you can do something unless you try it. These are common phrases we hear in everyday life. Some people in general are too used to their own ways of life, and change doesn't come easily. They won't step out of their comfort zone, so there is a lot they don't know. Don't be one of these people. Step outside of your comfort zone, and try new things. You will never know unless you try, right?

Quote of the day

"Give plenty of what is given to you,

And listen to pity's call;

Don't think the little give is great

And the much you get is small."

-Phoebe Cary

Think of those who are less fortunate then you, and reach out to them.

Give lots of what you have to help make the lives of others easier.

Don't be proud or stuck-up and don't go around bragging about 'how much' you gave,

because you can never give too much to those in need.

Don't think that what you have is not much, because there are people in much worse conditions. 

Be thankful for what you have, because you can never give too much.

Quote of the day

"The greatest possession you have is the 24 hours directly in front of you."

-God's Little Instruction Book

Time is incredibly valuable. You only have so much of it, and once it is gone, it can never come back. Use your time wisely, because it is a true gift from God. It is one of the few things you can't buy back. Make with it what you will, but know that it is precious and cannot be exchanged or refunded. 

Small Dog Rescue

Today was an amazing day. I started out the day by going to Petco and volunteering at Small Dog Rescue.

First, when we all arrived at Petco, we waited a few minutes for the van with the dogs to arrive:

This is a picture from the backside of the doggy van. All of the adorable little puppies are inside! From here, I was sent to go fill up the dog bowls with water.

I came back and helped unload dogs with the other volunteers. I also helped unload dog crates (lower right corner) and assemble them inside.

These are just a few of the many adorable dogs that were here today.

After set-up was completed, the volunteers cuddled, walked, took to the bathroom, and watered the dogs. The aim of the volunteers is to encourage people to adopt them by interacting with them. At the end of the day, four dogs were adopted. I caught the dogs' names of three of the four dogs. The following pictures and word descriptions following them were taken from the Furkids website, which can be accessed by clicking here. (Not all of the dogs listed on the site were at shop today.)

*Please note that these descriptions ask to consider adoption- these dogs have already been adopted.

Congratulations to the adoption of Sid Cider!

Hi, I'm Sid Cider, a one-year-old, 25-pound Basenji Mix. My attentive ears and warm brown eyes are on the alert for my forever family. They'll appreciate my winning ways. I would love to be someone's running partner or a friend for children. I am GREAT with kids, if I do say do. I love playing with other dogs! I know sit and am potty trained too! I like cats, but sometimes too much, so a home without cats might be best. Consider adopting me!

Congratulations on the adoption of Tyler Tangerine!

I'm Tyler, a gray Schnauzer Mix who is lucky in life. At just two years old, I was out of time at a high-kill facility. Kind eyes and hearts from Small Dog Rescue spotted my 17-pound fluffy gray frame and knew I was a great fellow. My SDR friends love me because they say I'm such a quiet, calm all-around nice guy. They give me lots of snuggling and praise me for enjoying my grooming time. Imagine that for a fellow just glad to be in loving arms! Once I'm settled in my forever home, they say, my laid-back personality and loveable nature will endear me to everyone I meet. Does that mean tummy rubs and treats for all the tricks I'll learn? Does it include fabulous naps in my very own bed? Yup, my friends say, that's my brand new life, just ahead! Must be 21 years of age and a resident of Georgia to apply.

Congratulations on the adoption of Bree!

Hi, I'm Bree and I was just rescued by Small Dog Rescue! Now I have a chance at a forever home. I'm a Shar Pei/Lab mix and 3 months old. Since I am so young, I am waiting to complete my puppy vaccinations. My first adoption debut will be on April 27th. If you would like to meet me prior to my debut, please fill out an online application and an Adoption Counselor will schedule an appointment for you to visit me at the shelter. WOOF! Must be 21 and a Georgia resident to apply.

Also congratulations to the final dog that was adopted by a volunteer today! I unfortunately didn't catch the name of the dog, but a shout-out to whoever the sweet little puppy is!

I love small dog rescue. It is one of my most favorite service opportunities out there. The beauty of dogs are that most of them will love you for who you are. They don't care what you look like, how you act, your social status, or any of that. They want you for you. They will be your friend when it feels like no one is there. They are compassionate, kind, and wonderful little creatures. I hope everyone will consider helping these little sweeties and volunteer at a local dog rescue center, or even adopt. Serve the dogs, because someday, they might serve you in ways greater then you can even imagine.

Daily Quote

"In order to have a winner, the team must have a feeling of unity; every player must put the team first- ahead of personal glory."

-Paul Bear Bryant

It is better to think about the team as a whole than it is to think about yourself as an individual. Put the team first. This is how you win. You must all work together and want success for the team more than you want it for yourself. You must be united with your teammates, and be good to each other and yourself and opposing teams no matter if you win or lose. Teamwork, unity, and sportsmanship are the keys to winning as a team. Sometimes 'winning' doesn't necessarily apply to sports. It could also be in a job- winning as a business. It could be in a family- happiness and unity calls for winning. It could be anything- as long as everyone is happy and in harmony with one another, there is no way to lose. 

Daily Quote

"The sky is the limit."

-Unknown

I used to not get this one. I thought that it was wrong because there isn't supposed to be a limit. It wasn't until recently when I realized that this meant there was no limit. The sky goes up forever, out into space, into the galaxy... There is no limit. Give everything your all and know that there is no limit to all of the good things in life.

Quote of the day

"I wasn't lucky. I deserved it."

-Margaret Thatcher

You can't just sit there and expect to become something great. You have to work to earn your keep. To move up in life, you have to do more then just sit there and wait on the world. Get up and do something! The sky is your limit!

Quote of the day

"We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by."

-Will Rogers

This one is a little bit interesting because I found it in a quote book called Humorous Quotes. 

This one reminded me of one I thought of myself a little bit earlier this week-

"We can't all start our own businesses, because then there wouldn't be anyone left to work at it!"

When I thought of this, I thought of it in the sense that we are all who we are for a reason, and some of us just happen to be more fortunate then others. But you can get to that level, it just takes hard work. I guess the point I am trying to get across is that everyone is different, and not everyone will be fortunate enough to be the 'hero' or 'business owner' or really anything, because there will still be the workers and curb clappers in life. It is unavoidable.

So help those curb clappers to become business workers, then help those business workers to become bosses, then help those bosses to become heroes. We all should serve anyone and everyone of every ranking. Kindness is important heedless of social ranking. Go out and do something nice for your family or your friends tomorrow, or even today!

Daily Quote

"Integrity is telling the myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people."

-Spencer Johnson

The way I learned 'Integrity' is doing what is right even when nobody is watching. As the quote says, this is telling yourself the truth in a way. Honesty is telling the truth to others. This is so true. You should believe in yourself and believe in others just as you should tell yourself the truth and tell others the truth, too. Honesty and truth are two things that are extremely important in life.

Daily Quote

I love this. 'In every living thing there is the desire for love.'

Everyone wants to be loved. It is part of the human nature. We all need to give as much love as we want to receive, and the kinder you are to someone, the kinder they will likely be to you.

Quote of the day

"He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has."

-Henry Ward Beecher

Who you are determines your future, but also determines if you are "rich" or "poor." To be a rich man, you need to be kind, compassionate, loving, caring, and all of that good stuff. To be poor, you would have to be bitter, rude, unkind, and all of that bad stuff. It isn't hard to change your attitude, it is just difficult to make it real. But be careful, it is easier to become poor after being rich then it is to become rich after becoming poor. Hard, not impossible, though. 

Choose to be the rich man from the start, be careful, make the right decisions  and donate bits of your inner wealth to those in need. As long as you keep a smile on your face, your inner riches will never run out.

Quote of the day

"God can heal a broken heart, but he has to have all the pieces."

-Unknown

This is a beautiful quote, and it is a shame that the author is unknown. At first, I wasn't sure what this meant, but I knew it was beautiful and meaningful. Later, I came to realize what it might mean. Here is my personal opinion of what it means. God can heal a broken heart, but you have to have faith in him and give him your whole heart. Turning to God in times of trouble and the lower points of your life can help you feel so much better. He is there for us. We all just have to give him our whole heart and let him mend it for us. Faith, trust, and love are so important.

Daily Quote

"The glow of one warm thought to me is worth more than money."

-Thomas Jefferson

Happiness is worth more than money. You can't buy happiness. It seems like in life, these phrases are brought up all the time. But they are true. Try helping someone out or being kind to others. See what it does. That feeling is the best thing ever. Thomas Jefferson states in this quote that good thoughts are worth more than money, and it is so true. They really are.

Daily Quote

"A slip of the Foot you may soon recover, But a slip of the Tongue you may never get over."
-Benjamin Franklin

When you physically hurt yourself, in most cases, you will recover. But when you accidentally hurt something or someone or even yourself, you may never be able to take it back. Be careful with what you say. Just like the things you post on the internet, it can never be taken back.

Quote of the day

"Always forgive your enemies- nothing annoys them so much."

-Oscar Wilde

When your enemies do something to you, they do it because it somehow satisfies them to make you feel bad. Don't give them that satisfaction. Forgive them, or even make their insult into a compliment. Nothing bothers them more. This is because they are unable to get at you, and you win. They hate this. To turn an insult into a compliment is simple: If they say that your shoes look stupid, say "thank you for noticing! I am wearing my stupid shoes today!" This also will help put an end to enemies and bullying by slowly making them realize we are all equals and you really can't hurt someone else without hurting yourself.

Daily Quote

"To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others."

-Pope John Paul II

We all need to respect our family members. If we do what they want us to do and they do what we want them to do, then we are all happy. A happy family is a loving family.

Daily Quote

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives"

-Jackie Robinson

We were created to help each other. Even if we don't want to, it is best to help others. Impacting others' lives positively is an incredible thing. Making someone smile can just make your day brighter. Even if you really don't want to serve, just know that life really isn't that important except for the impact that it has (positively) on other lives.

Quote of the day

"Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

Don't be afraid, everything will be ok. Fear is what will make us into cowards. Fear will make us weak. Have no fear and be strong! Be fearless! The only thing you should fear is fear itself.

Quote of the day

"We are such little men when the stars come out."

-Herman Hagedorn 

We all think we are the best. We want to be the best. But when we really stop to think and look around, we need to realize that God is the most powerful and wonderful thing. The creator of the world. Everything we see is in God's hands. We are small and weak in his presence, but as long as we are with him, we are strong.

Happy Spring!

Happy spring, everyone!
Spring is here and is almost in full bloom!
The warm weather and beautiful topography opens up so many new opportunities to do.
Now, you can do more outdoors projects to add on to your indoors ones!
Good luck and have fun!

Daily Quote

"One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it."

-Knute Rockne

Sportsmanship is another great quality to have. Being a fair loser and gentle winner and playing by the rules is a great thing to do. One person doing it is better than a hundred teaching it, because if those hundred aren't practicing it, their teachings are pointless. But not only that. They are lacking sportsmanship. They are depriving the world of much needed people practicing sportsmanship. Besides, it completely is the opposite of what they are teaching. Shouldn't teachers of anything be able to do what they teach? That one man who is actually doing it is way better than a million teaching it.

Practice sportsmanship and be respectful.

Daily Quote

"A 'no' uttered from the deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble."

-Mahatma Gandhi

As I stated in an earlier post, the truth is incredibly important and will decide your future. But in this case, it is way better to say no to something with utmost truth than lie and say yes only to avoid something. Speak directly from your heart, but if the truth isn't exactly what someone wants to hear, bring it to them gently. No matter what you do, don't pile on the lies. It builds up like a jenga tower. Remove (or find out about) one lie and the whole tower comes tumbling down, wrecking everything in its path. Be careful what you say, and speak from your heart.

Quote of the day

"What counts is not the number of hours you put in, but how much you put in the hours."

-God's Little Instruction Book

(Quote referring to Ecclesiastes 9:10a)

How much you do isn't really important. It is the quality of what you are doing. My mother always used to tell me that when I am practicing piano, it would be better to just do 5 minutes as long as the quality is great. Of course, she always ended up making me do more than that anyway, but she opened up my mind to the thought of this. Think about it- if you spent 3 hours on a report or really anything, but you just did it lightly and without really thinking. Do you think you got much done? If you did, what was the quality of it? Now think about this- if you spent only one hour on that report but really put in effort and you are totally focused, how do you think you did now? 

Give your life some quality. Don't just sit there! Use your hours to help better your community, or really reach out to try to help better the world! Our time on earth is short. Make with these hours what you will, but give each of them the quality of a lifetime.

Quote of the day

"The words we use are how we create the circumstances in our lives."

-Kenn Kihiu 

Be careful what you say. Online, your words will stay forever and can be traced. These shape our circumstances because if you are applying for a job, your future boss will likely go looking at everything you have said or done online to see what kind of an online person you are. In real life, the words you say will make an impact on the people you say them to. The way you make the person feel is incredibly important also, because that is the thing that they will remember most. Be careful. They just might have a very important role in your future. 

Besides, it is always good to be careful with what you say. You don't want to make people feel bad, and you don't want a bad online reputation. Choose your words wisely. They can never be taken back.

Daily Quote

"Motivation is what gets you started, but habit is what keeps you going."

-Jim Roan

When you are motivated to do something, it is likely that you will do it. What will keep you going is habit, though. Like almost everything you have ever done, there is some sort of motivation behind it, but the only things that can keep you from quitting is habit. Sometimes, we don't build up a healthy habit and therefore we stop doing whatever we are doing. Take this blog for example. I have made other blogs before, but I stopped posting on them after about 5 posts. This blog, however, I have made a habit to post daily. Even just quotes or reflections on different philanthropies. Motivation in the form of inspiration has helped me get some good roots, but habit is what has let me sprout and grow my leaves.

Daily Quote

"Did you ever know that you're my hero,

and everything I would like to be?

I can fly higher than an eagle,

'cause you are the wind beneath my wings."

-Bette Milder (Wind Beneath My Wings)

Friendship and kindness are two things that will help others out. With a simple action, you can greatly impact hundreds, even thousands, of people. You can even just impact one person- and be the wind beneath their wings.

Quote of the day

"For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth."
-Bo Bennett

You may think that a good reason to lie is to do it so it protects your friends and family. This is a good reason to lie, but there are always still better reasons to tell the truth. Being truthful is a great quality to have in someone, and with this quality you will go far. It is way better to just go ahead and tell the truth and not lie at all, because the longer you hold in a lie, the more it just eats at your insides and tears you apart. It puts a new cinderblock on your shoulders every single day. It is so much better to just say that truth, get all of that pressure and weight and pain off of you, and tell something that is not false. Telling the truth versus letting people find out about it are completely different. When someone finds out the truth their own way, it can tear on them and drag them down more than it was already dragging you down. But when you tell them the truth, then it won't hurt quite as bad. People always appreciate getting the truth told to their faces instead of keeping it in. The truth will get you places, farther than ever. 

Quote of the day

"I knew everything and received everything. But the real happiness, is giving."
-Alain Delon

Knowledge is power, but happiness is the joy of others. Knowing every single thing that there is to know and getting exactly what you want when you wanted is great, but not exactly what will make you happy. People seek happiness in money and belongings and knowledge, but the true happiness is giving. Service. Seeing the difference you have made in someone's life, or seeing the joy of others is really what gives you that warm and full-hearted feeling inside. Find a little time in your life for service. Sometimes, it is just the best way to lighten your day.

Daily Quote

"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway."

-John Wayne

Courage takes a lot of... well, courage! Things that are worth using courage are not the simple and easy things that you do every day, but those things that you usually wouldn't do. According to the thesaurus, courage is a synonym of boldness. Being bold and brave and courageous are things that are hard to achieve. But when you are scared to death, saddle up anyway. 

Daily Quote

"Life is a song- sing it. 

Life is a game- play it.

Life is a challenge- meet it.
Life is a dream- realize it.

Life is a sacrifice- offer it.

Life is love- enjoy it."

-Sai Baba

Use life to your advantages. Life offers so much, and we need to realize it and take up these offers. When life gives you a song, sing it. When life gives you a game, play it. When life gives you a challenge, don't just be lazy and sit there. Get up! Meet the challenge! Life is a dream! We just all need to realize it. Life is a sacrifice- we need to offer our best for the well-doing of others. After all, life is love. We need to give our best and enjoy everything that we can get.

Quote of the day

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

-Maya Angelou

Never hate something that you can't change. There are things that you can change to make better, but for the things that you can't change, it is best to keep an open mind. No matter how badly you dislike something that can't be changed, there is no excuse to fo anything violent or act with anger. Try changing your attitude instead. With a better attitude about something, it is more likely you will eventually learn to love whatever you need to love.

Quote of the day

"Emotions are like snowflakes, except they can't be mistaken for dandruff."

-Unknown Author

April Fools! I have no idea what this might mean. :)