posted by Jim on Jul 21
Cabin Snips
Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the “right stuff” to turn our dreams into reality.
–James Womack
It takes a deep commitment to change and an even deeper commitment to grow.
–Ralph Ellison
Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
–John Wooden
When you have vision it affects your attitude. Your attitude is optimistic rather than pessimistic.
–Charles R. Swindoll
posted by Jim on Jul 21
Cabin Snips
“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
– Henry David Thoreau
“Live simply that others might simply live.”
– Elizabeth Seaton
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
– Hans Hofmann
“You know you have reached perfection of design not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
posted by Jim on Jul 16
Cabin Snips
“I put a piece of paper under my pillow, and when I could not sleep I wrote in the dark.”
Henry David Thoreau
“You can be a little ungrammatical if you come from the right part of the country.”
Robert Frost“
You must write every single day of your life…You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads….may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”
Ray Bradbury“
“You become a writer because you need to become a writer - nothing else.”
Grace Paley
When genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.”
D.H. Lawrence
Thoughts from Jim;
Do you like to write prose, poetry, novels, fiction? Many of the great writers had safe places where they could pursue their passion of writing. They had their writers huts, poetry sheds, or some area of their home that they could sequester themselves in and just allow the creative juices to flow. Many of the tiny houses and cabins, such as the new Zen model or the Wildflower would be perfect for this in your garden or backyard.
posted by Jim on Jul 14
“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point.”
- Harold B Melchart
“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”
- Earl Shoaf
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life’s about creating yourself.”
- George Bernard Shaw
“Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.”
- Jim Rohn
posted by Jim on Jul 8
“Let go. Learn to flow with all the changes that come up. Loosen up and relax.”
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
“If we don’t try, we will not know.”
Ayya Khema
“The essence of our experience is change. Change is incessant. Moment by moment life flows by and it is never the same. Perpetual alternation is the essence of the perceptual universe. A thought springs up in your head and half a second later, it is gone. In comes another one, and that is gone too. A sound strikes your ears, and then silence. Open your eyes and the world pours in, blink and it is gone, too. People come into your life and they leave again. Friends go, relatives die. Your fortunes go up, and they go down. Sometimes you win and just as often you lose. it is incessant change, change, change.”
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
“Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one’s being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom.”
D. T. Suzuki
Thoughts from Jim;
The winner of the $50 Home Depot gift card in the Cave Man Contest is
JoAnn Melton from St Louis, MO
Have you ever wanted that special place to retreat to? To write, to paint, to sew, to contemplate, to practice yoga?
Take a look below at our Zen Studio!
posted by Jim on Jul 7
“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”
Karen Ravn
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”
Walter Winchell
“Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, you’ll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
Douglas Bader
Thoughts from Jim;
I am remembering a story….
When I was a junior estimator at a framing contractor, several big projects came in, and I volunteered to take them on. One was Princes’ dream home, another was a large commercial project. A seasoned estimator at another company commented’ “You do not even know what you doing!” and that still did not deter me. That is a fault/strength of mine, some projects may be just too big for me, or too complicated, and surrendering or saying it can’t be done is not an option, yet I admit that I will bite off more than I should at times.
A lot of this trait comes from my childhood of growing up in a farming community of northeastern Wisconsin. We did what we had to do and found a way to get the job done. My sons and family refer to me as a DIY kind of guy and over the years, I have learned that if you really want to do something, finding a way is always possible. I would describe myself as a “do-it-yourselfer” to a fault. And then, it is always wise to remember that calling in a “pro” may be the better discretion of valor. Building a piano, a piece of furniture, a car, running a CAD program, designing a web site, or seeking counseling, it is better to go to the pros.
So, are you a DYI kind of person?