Acquire Wisdom and Live with Passion: Values

Showing posts with label Values. Show all posts

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Today is a gift.

“Time is more valuable than money.
You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.” - Jim Rohn

Someone said, "Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present." And yet, many don't really know how to appreciate it until it is gone.

If you don't have a plan for your life, you can't manage your time. Just ask yourself this question: "If all my days are like today, what will be my future?" and ponder over it. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.

Below are more questions for us to realize the value of time...

To realize the value of one year:
- Ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of one month:
- Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one day:
- Ask a daily wage laborer with kids to feed.
To realize the value of one hour:
- Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of one minute:
- Ask the person who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one second:
- Ask a person who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond:
- Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

"Time is equal to life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life." - Alan Lakein

Our time is indeed precious and limited. Plan your life well because lost time is never found again. Let us take all the necessary action now. May we have the wisdom to employ our time wisely.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Keep out of debt

"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. "- Proverbs 22:7

Many people are one paycheck away from bankruptcy because they have no savings and spend every dime they make. If you're servicing debt you don't have any money for yourself and your family! You are then working whole life not for yourself and your family but for the bank.

Below is an advice from Warren Buffet, the second richest man in the world.

“Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself and remember:

Money doesn’t create man; it is the man who created money.
Live your life as simple as you are.
Don’t do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel good.
Don’t go for brand name; just wear those things in which you feel comfortable.
Don’t waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend on those who really are in need.
After all it’s your life so why give chance to others to rule your life.”

Your discipline today will govern you tomorrow. Do you agree?

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Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Happy New Year 2008

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

As a new year cascades forward with new beginnings....

May all of us be blessed with Happiness and Well being to last throughout the year

H ours of happy times with friends and family

A bundant time for relaxation

P rosperity

P lenty of love when you need it the most

Y outhful excitement at lifes simple pleasures

N ights of restful slumber

E verything you need

W ishing you love and light

Y ears and years of good health

E njoyment and mirth

A ll your tomorrows are bright

R emembrances of happy years!

The Spirit of Christmas

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14

May Christmas time remind us the act of being selfless and forgiving, and the Light of Christmas brings cheer to you and your loved ones!

Grace be with you all.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Make the days count

“Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” - Seneca

Two weeks ago, my cousin brother died of pancreas cancer. Then, my colleague's father passed away due to sickness. A couple of days later, another of my colleague's father also passed away after stroke for a couple of days. Indeed, we must live life fully because it is appointed for everybody to die eventually. We must learn to make every act count, since we are going to be here for only a short while.

Many people are fond of counting their troubles. However, you will be much better when you start to count your joys.

Abraham Lincoln said, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." He was right. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. I will chase them out of my mind and replace them with happy thoughts.

What You Can and Cannot Control
You cannot control the length of you life; but you can control its width and depth.
You cannot control the contour of your face; but you can control its expression.
You cannot control the weather; but you can control the atmosphere of your mind.

Why worry about things you cannot control when you can keep yourself busy controlling the things that depend on you?

Let us not count the days but make the days count! Do not waste another day.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

May Your Wishes Comes True

We all do worry about all kinds of things. Most of the times we worry about things over which we obviously have no control.

The bible tells us in Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

May We Always Have:
Enough happiness to keep us sweet;
Enough trials to keep us strong;
Enough hope to keep us lively;
Enough sorrow to keep us human;
Enough failure to keep us humble;
Enough success to keep us eager;
Enough friends to give us comfort;
Enough wealth to meet our needs;
Enough faith to overcome despair;
Enough enthusiasm to keep us looking forward;
Enough determination to make each day better than yesterday.

Knowing What Matters Most

(Adapted from FL Sam's post; Original Author: Unknown)

The Long Wait
A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5 years old son waiting for him at the door.

"Daddy, may I ask you a question?" "Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man. "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?" "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily. "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy. "If you must know, I make $20 an hour." "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down, looking up, he said, "Dad, may I please borrow $10?"

Angry Reaction
The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday and don't have time for this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

React Differently On Second Thought
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10 and he really didn't ask for money very often.

The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

"Are you asleep, son?" He asked. "No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy. "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man. "It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

Angry Again
The man seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

Understand The Message From This Story
This is just a reminder to all of us who are working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent sometime with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $20 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family and friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Photo 1 by free2bjcphotos taken from this source
Photo 2 by Unhindered by Talent taken from this source
Photo 3 by absolutwade taken from this source

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Monday, October 08, 2007

Life - The game we should play extremely well

“Life is the only game in which the object of the game is to learn the rules” - Ashleigh Brilliant

Life indeed can be interesting, challenging, and fun. Consider yourself blessed, if you have compelling choices in your life. To move on, you have to make some decisions, experience the consequences, and grow from there.

“Life is like a game of tennis; the player who serves well seldom loses” - Anonymous

“To win you've got to stay in the game.” - Claude M. Bristol

“The way a man plays a game shows some of his character. The way he loses shows all of it.” - Anonymous

A game is a lot more fun and you will keep playing with greater motivation if you expect some difficulties, obstacles and varieties. Likewise, if all of your attempts succeeded the first time or instantly, life can be really boring!

Learn the rules of life well. Be patient and you can be a better player of the game of life. Life is indeed a constant learning experience. Those who truly understand the purpose and meaning of life can have a wonderful fulfilling life.

Photo 1 by QatariyaaH taken from this source
Photo 2 by Telstar Logistics taken from this source

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Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Do things in the order of importance

“Our choices in life are made according to our sense of our own worth” - Kaylan Pickford

With the Internet, we are all overloaded with pages of information to read, and explore. There is no more lacking in term of Information nowadays. However, we need to sift through and takes in quality information. Only then we can make use of the knowledge comprehended in our daily living.

Don't put the cart before the horse. Learn to do things in the order of importance.

Take a look at the following quotes and see what comes to your mind.

“We must be silent before we can listen.
We must listen before we can learn.
We must learn before we can prepare.
We must prepare before we can serve.
We must serve before we can lead.” - William Arthur Ward

"Change before you have to." - Jack Welch

“Your actions, and your action alone, determines your worth.”- Evelyn Waugh

Before doing anything, always remember to consider whether it is right or wrong. Do consider seriously what's worth living for? Think before you act and go and do something that is worth doing! Things should be done in the order of importance.

Photo by sean dreilinger taken from this source

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Friday, September 28, 2007

Quality Expectations

“The Quality of Expectations determines the Quality of our Action.” - A. Godin

According to PBN.com, In the last five years, there is an increase in customers’ expectations in terms of:

Customer service levels – 81.3%
Competitive pricing – 75.0%
Faster turnaround – 68.8%
Product quality – 43.8%

What about your own expectations about yourselves? Are you happy with how you are living your life now? It is good that we spend some time and think about it. Our wrong expectations may hinder our path in life because it is very seldom that an individual exceed his own expectations.

“Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our Attitudes and Expectations.” - Earl Nightingale

“If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.” - Norman Vincent Peale

“When we create something, we always create it first in a thought form. If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting and envisioning pleasure, satisfaction and happiness, we will attract and create people, situations, and events which conform to our positive expectations.” - Shakti Gawain

“Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.” - Denis Waitley

"Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy." - Brian Tracy

Although, it maybe hard to live up to other people expectations, but don't give up on yourself. If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right too! Make very sure that you have great and quality expectations to do better.

Photo by kkimpel taken from this source

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Friday, September 21, 2007

Remember to KISS?

"All the fun is in how you say a thing." - Robert Frost

KISS is an acronym of the phrase "Keep It Simple, Stupid". Another version of the phrase is "Keep It Short & Simple" which you might hear quite often before you deliver your speech or presentation to a group of people who have a very tight schedule.

Sidney Smith wrote: "The writer helps us the most who give us the most knowledge, and takes from us the least time."

If you understand this principle well, you will always try to keep your writing short and simple by going straight to the point.

I love short and simple quotes because they are easy to remember and give remarkable impact. Below are some of those short quotes that I love:

"Men learn while they teach.
"Conceit is the quicksand of success."
"Today is the future I created yesterday."
"I look within to find my treasures."
"Good, to forgive; Best, to forget."
"Our attitude determines our altitude."
"You never know what you can do till you try."
"You never miss the water till the well runs dry."
"We are often our own worst enemy."
"Mistakes are the best teachers."
"Delegate but don't forget."

The above short quotes can be good topics for blogging!

In commercial world, very few thin books make big money even though their content can be superb because many could finish reading those books without the need of buying. However, in blog I tend to believe that we don't need long posts because many people don't really have time to read as there are so many blogs nowadays. Besides, since we blog daily, breaking a long post into multiple posts should be more effective.

What is your view about this? By the way, if you have short quotes you love, please share in your comments. Thank you.

Photo 1 by sierraromeo taken from this source
Photo 2 by ario_j taken from this source

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Thursday, September 13, 2007

Don't reject your blessings

“Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.” - Socrates

What you are today is God's gift to you. What you make of yourself is your gift to God. He is waiting for that gift right now. Make it something extraordinary.

Do take note that blessings may comes in different package.

Take a look at this story:

The Gift
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, in the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study and told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "with all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was a very successful businessman. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away and had willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago.

With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse: Matthew 7:11 "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father, who is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

(Source: Internet; Author Unknown)

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Photo 1 by Colin 30d taken from this source
Photo 2 by nAODI taken from this source
Photo 3 by teemus taken from this source

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Friday, August 31, 2007

50th Years of Independence

Today, Malaysia is celebrating 50th years of independence.

May all Malaysians continue to live in peace and harmony and have a fair and equal chance of success.

A happy birthday to Malaysia!

Some Questions for Malaysians to ponder

Do you appreciate the meaning of Merdeka?
Are we more united after these 50 years?
Is everyone really being treated fairly?
Are we experiencing a brain drain? What are the causes?
Is there really a fair opportunity to education, employment and business?
Why is there still discrimination?

“Any discrimination, like sharp turns in a road, becomes critical because of the tremendous speed at which we are traveling into the high-tech world of a service economy.” - Clarence Thomas

"Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing." - 1 Peter 3:8-9 (NKJV)

Beware of Too Much! - Be moderate!

I came across this news item in the BBC News dated Monday August 13, 2007:

"A teenager is taken to hospital after overdosing on espresso coffee while working in a sandwich shop."

Well, is Coffee really that bad? I don't think so. However, overdose of caffeine is dangerous.

Anyway, too much of anything even finest thing can be bad. Too much water and you drown. Too much food and you get sick. Even having too much money can sometimes be worrisome having to worry of thieves breaking into our house or kidnap our love ones. Good works and good health are the exception that I can think of.

"Too much work, too much vacation, too much of any one thing is unsound." - Walter Annenberg

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" - Matthew 6:19

"If a person studies too much and exhausts his reflective powers, he will be confused, and will not be able to apprehend even that which had been within the power of his apprehension. For the powers of the body are all alike in this respect." - Maimonides

“Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them! There is great freedom in simplicity of living. It is those who have enough but not too much who are the happiest.” - Peace Pilgrim

“The happiness of too many days is often destroyed by trying to accomplish too much in one day. We would do well to follow a common rule for our daily lives - DO LESS, AND DO IT BETTER.” - Dale E. Turner

What do you think? Do you have any problem knowing how much is too much?

Photo by Tojosan taken from this source

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Saturday, August 11, 2007

Great Gift Suggestions

“The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

According to Benjamin Franklin -
“The best thing to give

to your enemy is forgiveness;
to an opponent, tolerance;
to a friend, your heart;
to your child, a good example;
to a father, deference;
to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you;
to yourself, respect;
to all men, charity.”

What do you think? Do you have any other great suggestions?

Photo by MicheKerr taken from this source

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Thursday, August 09, 2007

Dare to be different for good!

A lot of time we hear people say "Majority win" Let's take a look at some quotes left by wise men and see what they says.

“The minority is sometimes right; the majority always wrong.” - George Bernard Shaw

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." - Mark Twain

“The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.” - Ralph W. Sockman

Take a look at this story:

Which one will you choose? What is your decision?
A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track. The train came, and you were just beside the track interchange. You could make the train change its course to the disused track and saved most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make.

..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....

Choice that majority make
Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place? Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.

Sacrifice the minority?
This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

Reasons to be different
The author of this story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens.

If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

(Source: Internet; Author Unknown)

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one. "Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right."

“All progress occurs because people dare to be different.” - Harry Millner

“If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking.” - General George S. Patton

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. - Romans 12:17

What do you think?

Photo 1 by notorious d.a.v. taken from this source
Photo 2 by Al Howat taken from this source

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Monday, July 09, 2007

Be Courteous and Considerate

One of the good thing I could recalled when I was working in Woodstock, Connecticut, USA is that people there are very courteous and considerate. They won't slam the door behind you. They will hold the door and wait for you. That is indeed a good culture.

It is sad to hear this sayings: “It is difficult to find a courteous person today who isn't trying to sell you something”.

Everyone gets along better when they're considerate of each other. What do you think?

“When employees respect each other and get along in the workplace, it's amazing how productivity increases, morale increases and employees are more courteous to customers.” - Maureen Wild

“The habit of being uniformly considerate toward others will bring increased happiness to you” - Grenville Kleiser

"Take care, be kind, be considerate of other people and other species, and be loving." - John Lithgow

“A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.” - St. Basil

“You should always be courteous and considerate. For most professionals, it's a small world. People know each other and you don't know when you'll run into them again.” - Ben Dattner

I am looking forward to hear from you the experiences you had.

Photo 1 by KRHamm taken from this source
Photo 2 by zorilla taken from this source

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Saturday, July 07, 2007

Live a balanced life

Nowadays, in our lives, we are taking on so many roles that we ought to constantly remind ourselves to do our best to find the right balance. As for me, I am a Husband, Father, Son, Manager, Employee, Friend, Christian, Preacher, Blogger and the list can just go on.

"People with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"At times, it is difficult to keep a proper balance in our lives. But, over time, an improper balance will lead to problems." - Catherine Pulsifer

“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.” - Brian Tracy

“Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance, your understanding of how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other. It embraces judgment, discernment, comprehension. It is a gestalt or oneness, and integrated wholeness.” - Stephen R. Covey

"In fact, everyone should take time out once in a while to recharge and revitalize their energy. The key is to have a balanced life." - Michael Lee, CPA

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony." - Thomas Merton

Bill Gates says "In my 20s, I worked very, very hard. I have a much more balanced life now."

Check out: The Interactive Wheel of Life - maybe it can help you to find and map your life balance.

Well, what is your balance? Is it family, work and service?

Photo 1 by Sipula taken from this source
Photo 2 by bubblestar taken from this source

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Monday, July 02, 2007

Be contented with what you have

"That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest."

"A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world." - Joseph Addison

“He who is contented is rich”- Lao Tzu

“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.”

The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach. - Lin Yu-t'ang

"It is right to be contented with what we have, but never with what we are." - James Mackintosh

The bible tells us in 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NKJV)

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Photo by eyeore2710 taken from this source

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Simplicity is the Key

"The aspects of things that are most important to us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity." - Ludwig Wittgenstein

Have you ever seen a piece of commercial software where the next version is simpler rather than more complex? According to MSDN blog, Windows Vista is said to have over 50 million lines of code, whereas XP was said to have around 40 million.

"The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials."

“Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated.” - Confucius

"Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means."

"It can be difficult to make things simple and it can be simple to make things difficult."

Anyway, remember to keep things simple!

Photo by Starfires taken from this source

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