Enthusiastic Ideas
A Good Word for Each Day of the YearReadings That Will Revitalize Your Thinking
Ease (July 15)
There are a number of helpful things we need to be able to do, and we should be willing to pay the price (discipline, sacrifice, hard work) to do these things easily. Most good things are hard before they’re easy; that’s just the way the world works.
Therapy (July 14)
There are many times when a friend will need to hear the healing words that we can speak to them. It takes wisdom (and hard work), but we can learn to use the gift of language in such a way that those who hear our words are helped — and even healed.
Moments (July 13)
With each moment, especially the ones that bring intense joy or sorrow, we get a glimpse of something beyond our workaday world, something that calls to us. Our best moments, then, are those in which we answer the call to dream, to grow, and to live.
Wholeness (July 12)
Wholeness does not come from trying to unify the various parts of ourselves; it comes from taking our rightful place in relation to the larger reality outside of ourselves. There’s no peace in our conscience without doing our duty in the world.
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WORDS ARE VERY special things. I love them, I respect them, and I believe that getting “thinky” about the words we use is a very healthy exercise. So I’ve written a book that gives you a single positive word to think about every twenty-four hours: a good word every day. Like my other books, this one is a daybook. There is a short, one-page reading for each day of the year, and what I’d like you to do is read the book at the rate of one page per day. Sure, you can browse ahead or go back and review. That’s fine. Just promise me you’ll really meditate on no more than one page each day. If you’ll try this habit, you might like it. — GPH
THESE TWO BOOKS — Enthusiastic Ideas and More Enthusiastic Ideas — would be placed in the “positive thinking” section of the library, I suppose. I don’t mind that, although I fear that being put in that category means the books will not be taken seriously by some people. Unfortunately, books about “positive mental attitude” have a reputation for being fluffy: nothing more than cotton candy for the mind. Whatever the reasons for that reputation might be, I don’t believe the situation has to be the way it is. A writer should be allowed to address the issue of positive thinking at a deeper level.
If we happen to be living in a less than wonderful way, the last thing we need is for someone to try to help us by pouring “positive mental attitude” syrup over the facts. The positive thinking we need won’t come from dreaming or ignoring reality; it will come from the (sometimes painful) alignment of ourselves with principles of proven validity in human character and conduct. So as a speaker and writer, I get in people’s faces and challenge them to change in significant ways. There’s nothing fluffy about it, believe me. — GPH
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Never use the expression “mere words.” Words are never “mere.” They are strong and beautiful. Use them carefully, for language is both a powerful gift and a serious stewardship.