If you are reading this because you are facing some great challenge, or struggling with some difficulty that seems overwhelming, then I hope you find the inspiration you need to renew your faith and lift your spirits. The insight or solution you seek is close at hand ....

IF 

Rudyard Keating 

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream  - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat these two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - what is more - you'll be a Man, my son

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The Power of One

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to you!

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Don't Quit
Unknown

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high;
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.
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Be Willing to Dare

To find what you seek in the road of life,
the best proverb of all is that which says:
"Leave no stone unturned."
Edward Bulwer Lytton

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The Burdens We Share

The young man was desperate and felt at the very end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in fervent prayer. "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear it's weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then open the door, look around and pick any other cross you can cope with"

The young man felt a flood of relief. "Thank you, Lord," he sighed, and did as he was told.

As he walked and looked around the room he saw a multitude of different crosses; many so large that the tops were not visible. Then he spotted a relatively tiny cross leaning against a far wall. "I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered.

The Lord replied, "My son, that's the cross you brought in."

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Making A Difference

Once upon a time there was a woman who used to go to the ocean to do her writing. She would walk along the beach for inspiration, before she began her work.

One day she was walking along the shore and she saw a young boy moving like a dancer. As she got closer, she saw that the boy wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As she got closer she called out a greeting to the boy,"Good morning, young man! What are you doing?"

The young boy paused, looked up and replied with courtesy, "Throwing starfish in the ocean." and then returned to focus on what he'd been doing.

Curious, she asked him "And, why are you throwing starfish  in the ocean?"

The boy answered patiently "The sun is coming up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

The woman was incredulous and then amused by this.

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and many thousands of starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young boy listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it out into the sea, past the breaking waves and said thoughtfully, "Maybe so, but it sure made a difference for that one."

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From A Distance .....God Is Watching Us

A beautiful video clip which features the inspirational song of Bette Midler, and serves to remind us that we all need to help each other ........ More than one half of the world's population is living in poverty, sometimes we need to ask ourselves if we've done our bit to help

"I shall pass through this life but once.

Therefore, if there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do for another, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
- William Penn's inspirational poem

For great resources on self-motivation and inspiration, see Personal Development