Inspirational Living: Life Lessons for Success & Happiness

Listen to episode 370 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: The Dignity & Power of Honest Work. Edited and adapted from The Royal Path of Life by T.L. Haines and L.W. Yaggy.

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Today’s reading was edited and adapted from The Royal Path of Life by T. L. Haines and L. W. Yaggy, published in 1882.

There is dignity in labor — in toil of the hand as well as toil of the head — in toil to provide for the bodily wants of an individual life, as well as in toil to promote some enterprise of world-wide fame. All labor that tends to supply our wants, to increase our happiness, to elevate our nature (in a word, all labor that is honest) is honorable too.

Labor clears the forest, and drains the swamp, and makes "the wilderness rejoice and blossom as a rose." Labor drives the plow, scatters the seeds, reaps the harvest, grinds the corn, and converts it into bread, the staff of life.

Labor provides daily sustenance to the thousand millions of the human family. Labor gathers the gossamer web of the caterpillar, the cotton from the field, and the fleece from the flock, and weaves it into raiment soft, warm, and beautiful —the purple robe of royalty and the gray gown of the peasant being alike in its handiwork.

Labor molds the brick, splits the slate, quarries the stone, shapes the column, and rears not only the humble cottage, but the gorgeous palace, the tapering spire, and the stately dome. Labor (diving deep into the solid earth) brings up its long-hidden stores of coal to feed ten thousand furnaces, and power the electricity of millions of homes.

Labor explores the rich veins of deeply-buried rocks, extracting the gold and silver, the copper and tin. Labor smelts the iron, and molds it into a thousand shapes for use and ornament — from the massive pillar to the tiniest needle, from the ponderous anchor to the wire gauze, from the mighty fly-wheel of the steam-engine to the polished ring on the finger.

Listen to episode 369 of the Inspirational Living podcast: Imagination Rules the World | Habits of Mind. Edited and adapted from Stepping Stones to Success by Horace D. Hitchcock.

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Today’s reading was edited and adapted from Stepping-Stones to Success by Horace D. Hitchcock, published in 1916.

"Imagination rules the world,” said Napoleon, and it is true that this quality of mind has been a notable factor in the success of all great men and women. Each one of us possesses the quality in some degree, and it should be cultivated.

A common understanding of imagination implies its relation to something fanciful, unreal, impossible — as in the case of the imagination of a novelist. But all imagination is based on actualities. Exaggerated imaginations often produce improbabilities, but they are never wholly lacking in possibilities.

The faculty of imagination should not be considered as a part of the mental equipment needed only by artists, musicians, poets, and writers. It is utilized in everyday life, in all fields of endeavor. It often forms the the root of happiness and prosperity for many who realize its possibilities.

Great happiness comes often through a well-developed imagination. Through it, we can overlook the commonplace — and color the dull, uninteresting things of life into things of beauty and delight. It then becomes a great power for contentment and joy — and who is there who is not always seeking contentment?

Listen to episode 332 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: Make Every Moment Count | Unexpected Farewells. Edited an adapted from Week-day Religion by James Russell Miller. A special sample episode from our patron series Our Sunday Talks.

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Today’s reading was edited an adapted from Week-day Religion by James Russell Miller, published in 1880.

Every hour there are partings, thought to be only temporary, which prove to be forever. One morning a young man bade his wife and child good-bye and went out to his work. There was an accident on the street, and before midday his lifeless body was borne back to his home.

It was a terrible shock, but there was one sweet comfort that came with wondrous power to the crushed heart of the young wife. The last hour they had spent together had been one of peculiar tenderness. Not a word had been spoken by either that she could wish had not been spoken. She had not dreamed, at the time, that it would be their last conversation. And yet there was nothing in it that left one painful recollection, now that she should meet her husband no more.

Through all the following years of loneliness and widowhood, the memory of that last parting was an abiding joy in her life, like a fragrant perfume or a bright lamp of holy peace.

Life is very critical. Any word may be our last. Any farewell, even amid glee and merriment, may be forever. If this truth were but burned into our consciousness, if it ruled as a deep conviction, and had real power in our lives, would it not give a new meaning to all our human relationships?

Would it not make us far more tender than we sometime are? Would it not oftentimes put a rein upon our rash and impetuous speech? Would we carry in our hearts the miserable suspicions and jealousies that now so often embitter the fountains of our loves? Would we be so impatient of the faults of others?

Would we allow trivial misunderstandings to build up strong walls between us and those whom we ought to hold very close to us? Would we keep alive petty quarrels year after year? Would we pass neighbors or old friends on the street without recognition because of some real or fancied slight, some wounding of pride or some supposed injury?

Listen to episode 331 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: Success Means Traveling the Hard Road. Edited and adapted from Volume VI of Harper's Monthly. A special sample episode from our patron series Our Sunday Talks.

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Today’s reading is another episode from our patron-only series Our Sunday Talks, which was edited and adapted from Volume VI of Harper's Monthly, published in 1852.

There is an aim which all Nature seeks. The flower that opens from the bud (the light that breaks the cloud into a thousand forms of beauty) is calmly striving to assume the perfect glory of its power. And the child, whose proud laugh heralds the mastery of a new lesson, unconsciously develops the same life-impulse, so as  to prove the power it has felt as its own.

This is the real goal of life shining dimly from afar — for our fullest power has never yet been attained. It is a treasure which must be sought (its extent and distance being unknown).

No person can tell what they can do, or suffer, until they have tried. Their path of action broadens out before them. And, while that path appears, there is power to traverse it. It is like the fabled hill of Genius that ever presents a loftier elevation above the one attained. It is like the glory of the stars which shine by borrowed light — each seeming source a tributary to one more distant, until the view is lost to us.

We only know there must be a life-giving center. And to the steady mind, though the goal of life be dim and distant, its light is fixed and certain — while all lesser aims are but reflections of this glory in myriad-descending shades, which must be passed, one by one, as the steps of the ladder on which we mount to Heaven.

People have an unfortunate predilection to pervert whatever God throws in their way to aid them, and thus turn good to evil. The minor hopes which spur us to action are mistaken for the final one. And we often look no higher than some mediocre wish, allowing that to rule us which should have been our servant. From this false view (in turn) rises little exertion, for it is impossible for us to believe in something better.

We all aim at self-control and independence while in the shadow of a power which controls us, whispering to ourselves, "Thus far shalt thou go, and no farther." But how apt is self-indulgence to suit this limit to its own measure, and suffer veneration and doubt to overgrow and suppress the rising hope of independent thought.

Listen to episode 326 of the Inspirational Living Podcast: The Secret of the Great Life | Spiritual Consciousness. Edited and adapted from In the Light of the Spirit by Christian D. Larson.

Spiritual Podcast Excerpt: Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast. I’m going on holiday to visit family for the next three weeks, and will be unable to record new podcasts. But as a special gift to you, during this holiday period I’ll be sharing old episodes of Our Sunday Talks, which is a series that we offer exclusively to our patrons.

Coming up in 2019, we will be starting a new patron series “30 Seconds to a Beautiful Life,” which will be a daily video series, where I deliver to you an inspiring message to get your day started. To become a patron and gain access to our special content for patrons, visit LivingHour.org/patron. Thank you.

Today’s reading was edited and adapted from In the Light of the Spirit by Christian D. Larson, published in 1916.

When we examine our mode of living, we shall find that we dwell upon the spiritual side of life only on rare occasions. Most of the time we allow our consciousness to reside upon the personal or material side of life, and it will remain there for days, weeks, or months. We find that during this period our soul activity becomes passive, and consequently the personality does not have the benefit of that greater spiritual power which is necessary in order that we may meet and overcome every problem and condition in life.

This being true, it is important that we learn to live, more and more, upon the spiritual side of consciousness, so that we may gain possession of a larger measure of this higher power, which alone can emancipate the personality and give higher wisdom to the mind and intellect.

We are not here to drift with the stream or to fold our arms passively and say that we will let the best come to pass. The truth is, that if there be anything we want, we must work for it. If we wish to make life ideal, we must make it so ourselves.

The things we desire do not come to us simply through mere passivity or expectation. We are living in an imperfect world, a world which is in the process of growth; therefore, we meet undeveloped conditions on every side. And if we remain in a passive condition, or simply drift with the stream, many of those undeveloped conditions will come into our own world — and not only disturb the order of our personal existence, but produce a great many adverse conditions, both within ourselves and in our environment. For this reason, we must make ourselves stronger than all those conditions; that is, we must rise above adversity both in wisdom and in power; and this is made possible only through the continuous expression of the soul.

Listen to episode 324 of the Inspirational Living podcast: The Adventure & Enigmas of Life and Death. Edited and adapted from The Adventure of Life by Robert W. Mackenna.

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Today’s reading was edited and adapted from the Adventure of Life by Robert W. Mackenna, published in 1919.

The world is full of enigmas, and one of the greatest is life. We know neither what it is nor what its purposes may be, and we are perplexed by the mysteries which it enfolds. But the mysteries, and the difficulties, and the hard problems which it presents should impel us to seek earnestly for their solution rather than drive us into a backwater of indolent apathy.

Half of life's charm lies in its mysteries. If all the enigmas were removed it would be no more interesting than would be a game of chess in which every move is mapped out for the players before they sit down at the board. The existence of the human intellect demands the contemporaneous existence of mysteries — the knife needs the stone to sharpen it.

It is a mighty task to run a Universe, and something far beyond the power of you and I. Most of us find the ordering of our own little portion of life a task more than sufficient for our talents. Let us leave the Universe to God — and seek instead the solution to our own problems. Right at our feet (if we will grope and look), we may find a clue.

Sometimes the clue is fine as gossamer, and now and then we lose it in the tangled and intricate maze of circumstances. But if we can grasp it, and follow it, we shall find that it grows stronger before our eyes, until it becomes a cable strong enough to lift us out of the quagmire of doubt and set us with firm feet upon the high road to knowledge.

Listen to episode 316 of the Inspirational Living podcast: The Success Principles | What You Need to Succeed. Edited and adapted from Ready Money by George H. Knox.

Inspirational Podcast Transcript: Welcome to the Inspirational Living podcast. I have some important news to announce today. Our new hardcover book Evermore: 50 Life Lessons for Spiritual Growth is now available for purchase. This is the final installment in our trilogy of “Life Lesson” books, which also includes Evergreen and Everest.

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Now, on to today’s reading, which was edited and adapted from Ready Money by George H. Knox, published in 1905.

I WISH that every person might cultivate in their lives an invincible determination to do and to be. Why shouldn't everyone be a magnificent success? Why shouldn't people discover their great possibilities, and a magnificent personality which can grow and blossom like a beautiful flower? Why shouldn't people take up the study of enthusiasm and make good will, progress, and enterprise part of their law of life?

This great world is big enough, and good enough, and grand enough for every man and woman to succeed in. And it is possible for every person on earth to rise higher and higher in the scale of life until this earth is a perfect paradise.

Think of the desire we may cultivate, and the inspiration which could be ours if we would but appropriate the enthusiasm, the courage, the energy, and the zeal that the great people of every age have left as a blessed heritage to humankind. Think of the glory of putting heart and soul, and inspiration and zeal, into your work, and making it the pride of your life and the admiration of the world.

It's the only way a person can reach their potential, and obtain the blessings that follow. It's the only natural way to live. Think of what it all means! Not simply that you will profit from your work (success means vastly more than profit). It will mean that you have conquered, and have achieved your place in the world. It will mean a greater personality, a greater usefulness, the realization of your hopes, and a heritage you can leave to the world which will encourage future generations of women and men.

Listen to episode 311 of the Inspirational Living podcast: Making the Most Out of Life. Edited and adapted from Ready Money by George H. Knox.

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Today’s reading was edited and adapted from Ready Money by George H. Knox, published in 1905.

What is nerve? Nerve is that which enables a person to hang on and either lose everything or win out. It is undertaking more than ordinary things. It is taking big risks on one's own ability. It is holding the fort against all-comers. It is doing the thing which the ordinary person thinks is impossible. It is setting your standard twice as high as your colleagues would set it for you, and then reaching it. It is burning your bridges behind you and staking your all on your own endeavor.

It is taking chances that are not chances — to ordinary people the risk would be enormous, but the man and woman of nerve is not even taking chances because they know they can carry the thing through and do not allow themselves to become side-tracked, or even annoyed by the people who say it can't be done.

Nerve consists not only in undertaking a hard task, but in everlastingly and unflinchingly standing by your work when your friends have given up in despair. That is the truest test of nerve. It is nerve that gives us our airplanes and Atlantic cables below the ocean. It is nerve that belts our continents with railroads and enables entrepreneurs to build up enterprises that astonish the world.

Nerve is that which enables one to calmly and unflinchingly face an unpleasant task, or a seemingly unendurable condition, when duty requires it.

Don't jump to the conclusion that people are trying to cheat you. It is all right to be businesslike; you must be. But it is all wrong to be unbusinesslike. It is all wrong to tie your business up in such a way that you have to depend either upon the honesty or the judgment of someone else to enable you to succeed in fulfilling your promises.

Listen to episode 310 of the Inspirational Living podcast: Overcoming Your Only Enemy. Edited and adapted from Self-Investment by Orison Swett Marden.

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Today’s reading was edited and adapted from Self-Investment, by Orison Swett Marden, published in 1911.

We can make our minds art galleries of beauty or chambers of horror. We can furnish them with anything we please. We think in mental images. They always precede the physical realities. Our mental pictures are copied into life, etched upon our character. Our whole physical economy is constantly translating these images, these mental pictures, into our lives.

A thousand times better to allow thieves into your home and steal your most valuable treasures, to rob you of money or property, than to allow the enemies of your success and happiness — discordant thoughts, disease thoughts, morbid thoughts, jealous thoughts — to enter your mind and steal your comfort, rob you of that peace and serenity without which life is a living tomb.

Whatever you do or do not do for a living, resolve that no morbid, discordant, sick thoughts shall get access to your mind. Everything depends upon keeping your mental faculties clear and clean. Keep the holy shrine of your mind, God’s temple, pure and free from all your thought enemies.

A discordant thought, a morbid mood, when once harbored, breeds more discordant thoughts and more gloom. The moment you harbor the one or the other it will begin to multiply a thousandfold, and grow more formidable.

Do not have anything to do with discord or the offspring of morbid moods. They spoil everything they touch. They leave their wretched impression on everything. They rob one of hope, happiness, and efficiency. Tear down all the dark pictures from your mind, all the black images. Dispel them. They only mean mischief, failure, paralysis of ambition, and the death of hope.

We must stand on guard at the door of our thoughts; keep out all the enemies of our happiness and achievement. We have no real enemies except those which live in our own minds, which are generated by our own passion, prejudice, and selfishness.

Listen to episode 309 of the Inspirational Living podcast: Self-Reliance: The Key to Self-Respect. Edited and adapted from Self-Investment by Orison Swett Marden.

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Today’s reading was edited and adapted from Self-Investment by Orison Swett Marden, published in 1911.

The average person is capable of independence and self-reliance, yet comparatively few people ever develop their ability to stand alone. It is so much easier to lean, to trail, to follow somebody else, to let others do the thinking and the planning and the work. One of the worst faults of the typical person is that (if they do not possess commanding talents in some particular direction) they usually do not think it worthwhile to make the most of what they have.

Do not think that, just because you are not a born leader, you are a born follower. A lack of great commanding qualities of leadership is no reason why you should not cultivate what you have. We never know what resources or possibilities of strength are ours until we put our powers to the test. Many a person has proved themselves a great leader who did not seem to be so naturally — who showed at first very little evidence of self-reliance.

Leaders do not copy. They do not reflect the opinion of the majority. They think. They create. They make their own program and carry it out.

How few people stand for anything in particular! The majority are merely so many individuals in the census; they help make a little larger crowd; but how few of us stand above or beyond our fellow citizens and are self-sufficient!

Almost everybody you see is leaning on something or somebody. Some lean on their money, some on their friends; some depend upon their clothes, their pedigree, their social standing; but how seldom do we see someone who stands fair and square on their own feet; who goes through life on their own merits, and is self-reliant and resourceful.

In later life we never quite forgive those who have allowed us to lean upon them, for we know that it has deprived us of our birthright. A child is not satisfied when a parent shows them how to do a certain thing. But watch the joy on a child’s face when by actually doing it they have conquered the thing themselves. This new sense of conquest is an added power that has increased their self-confidence and self-respect.