Charles Schultz Philosophy

Charles Schultz Philosophy

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through, and you'll get the point. 


1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America. 

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress 

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

   

 
How did you do? 

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners . 

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one: 

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with . 

Easier? 

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.

They are the ones that care. 

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia " 

(Charles Schultz)

What's Your Approach to People?

It’s said that William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli were great leaders but intense rivals. Gladstone, leader of the Liberal Party, is considered by many to personify the best qualities of Victorian England. A career public servant, he was a great orator, master of finance, and a staunchly moral man. He was made Prime Minister of Great Britain four different times, the only person in history to achieve that honour. Under his leadership Great Britain established a national education system, instituted parliamentary reform and saw the vote given to a significant number of people in the working classes. Disraeli, who served twice as Prime Minister, had a different kind of background. In his thirties he entered politics and built a reputation as a diplomat and social reformer. His greatest accomplishment was masterminding Britain’s purchase of the Suez Canal. Both men accomplished much. But what really separated them was their approach to people! The difference can be best illustrated by a story told by a young woman who dined with each of the two rival statesmen on consecutive nights. When asked for her impression of them, she said, ‘When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.’ There’s an important lesson here. Good leaders win the confidence, trust and friendship of people they lead by taking the spotlight off themselves and putting it on others. In fact, this principle will work for anybody. It’s why the Bible says, ‘…in honour giving preference to one another.’ (Romans12:10 NKJV)

By Bob Gass

8 Winter Tips for Healthy Living

A better diet, a little more exercise - healthy living is easy if you take it one tip at a time.

Holidays, stress, post-holidays, even more stress -- who has time for taking care of ourselves?

You do! Resolve to follow these eight; diet, exercise, and lifestyle tips, and you can be good to yourself this winter - and all year long.

1. Enjoy the Benefits of Yogurt

It's creamy smooth, packed with flavor -- and just may be the wonder food you've been craving. Research suggests that that humble carton of yogurt may:

·                                 Help prevent osteoporosis

·                                 Reduce your risk of high blood pressure

·                                 Aid gastrointestinal conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and constipation

Ready to take home a few cartons of yummy yogurt? When buying think low-fat, make sure the yogurt contains active cultures and vitamin D, and keep tabs on sugar content.

2. Help Holiday Heartburn

Getting hit with heartburn over the holidays? Help is at hand! Try these hints and you can stop the burn before it starts:

Nibble: Enjoy your favorite foods -- but in moderation. No need to heap on the goodies (or go back for seconds and thirds!). Packing your stomach with food makes heartburn much more likely.

Know Your Triggers: Certain foods feed heartburn's flame. Typical triggers include foods full of sugar and fat -- think pumpkin pie slathered with whipped cream. Instead reach for complex carbs like veggies and whole-wheat breads -- or at least share that dessert!

Get Up: Stretching out for a nap post-meal is a great way to guarantee you'll get reflux. Instead, keep your head higher than your stomach -- or keep right on walking, away from the dinner table and out the door. Light exercise is a great way to prevent heartburn.

3. Kiss Holiday Cold Sores Good-bye

Holidays: That busy time for toasting the coming year, savoring seasonal sweets, staying up late -- and cold sores?

If you find you're more prone to cold sores (also called fever blisters) during the hectic holiday season, you may be your own worst enemy. That's because lack of sleep, too much alcohol or sugar, stress, and close physical contact (think auntie's smooches) can all contribute to outbreaks.

So, to help keep your kisser cold-sore-free this year -- or to keep from passing your cold sores to others -- try these tips:

·                                 Don't overdo the holiday goodies -- maintain a healthy diet.

·                                 Get plenty of rest.

·                                 Wash your hands.

·                                 Don't share food or drink containers.

·                                 Discard used tissues.

·                                 Don't kiss on or near anyone's cold sore -- and don't let them near yours!

4. De-Stress With Meditation

The bad weather, the seasonal pace, work: If this time of year has your stress meter spiking, it may be time to close your eyes, breathe ... and get a little repetitive.

Repetition is at the heart of meditation's soothing power. The act of banishing thoughts, focusing on your breathing, and repeating a single word or phrase, fires up your body's natural relaxation response.

And meditation can do more than soothe away stress. Research shows it may help lower blood pressure, boost immunity, reduce PMS symptoms, even aid in fertility and the delivery of a new mom's milk.

5. Start a Winter Tradition: Family Workouts

Grandparents are in town, a flurry of kids is underfoot, and you're wondering where you'll find time for a quick winter workout. Here's a thought: Why not get everyone involved with these simple workouts?

Walking: It's suitable for young or old, with a pace that's sedate or speedy. Try these ideas to get the gang on their feet:

·                     Do laps at the mall. If you shop, cart your own packages and then unload them in the car after every store.

·                     Disguise the walk as something else. Toss a ball as you stroll, fling a Frisbee, or take the dog to the park.

·                     Instead of driving, walk over to your favorite local restaurant.

·                     Take part in a holiday fund-raiser, like the Arthritis Foundation's Jingle Bell Run/Walk

Make the Living Room Your Gym

When everyone's on the couch chatting, or watching TV -- why not sneak in a little calorie burn, too?

·                                 Do crunches: Sit on the edge of the couch, hands gripping the edge at your side, then bend knees, lifting them toward your chest.

·                                 Leg lifts: Use the same position as above, but lift your legs straight up, instead of bending them.

·                                 Trim those triceps by doing dips off the couch edge.

·                                 Build your biceps: Grab a bottle of water or a can of soda and do curls.

6. Eat Locally

Organic may be today's healthy-eating watchword, but don't forget this phrase too: eat locally.

Some nutritionists think eating locally may be even more important than eating organically. That's because a vital factor in a food's nutrient profile is how long it took to get from farm to table: A head of locally grown lettuce, for example, may be more nutrient-dense than one shipped coast to coast.

Does this mean you should forgo pesticide-free foods when they're available? No, but it's a great idea to make room on your plate for locally-grown goods too, even if they haven't been grown the organic way. Better yet: Eat locally and organic, when you can.

An easy way to get local -- and often organic -- food on the table: Join a CSA (community-supported agriculture). CSAs help you form a relationship with a local farm, which then provides you with fresh, local produce, even milk, eggs, or cheese. Some also function twelve months a year. Find a CSA near you at LocalHarvest.org.

7. Try These 3 Simple Diet & Exercise Tips

Go Slow: You don't need to do a diet slash-and-burn. If you cut just 200 calories a day you'll see slow (and easy) weight loss. Skip a pat of butter here, a cookie there and you're on your way!

Start Small: Banning junk food from the cupboards or boosting fiber may be your goal, but think baby steps. Switch from potato chips to low-fat popcorn, for example, or toss a carrot into your brown bag lunch.

Just Show Up: Don't feel like working out today? Don those exercise clothes anyway. Still not in the mood? Fine. But chances are good that once you're dressed, you're also motivated and ready to go!

8. Invest in Your Health - Literally

If you have a high-deductible insurance plan, you're probably eligible to deposit tax-free cash into a health savings account (HSA).

HSAs help you sock away savings now for medical expenses later. Open an HSA and each year you can stash $3,050 for yourself ($6,150 for a family) -- tax-free. And if you don't use up the balance in your HSA this year, it simply rolls over into the next year, and the next -- and continues to grow tax-deferred. Intrigued? Talk to your human resources department to find out if you're eligible.

Whichever healthy steps you take this year -- eating better, exercising more, saving -- remember they're an investment in you and your future. So follow these steps toward better health -- or take your own. Bank a little more sleep this year. Set aside stressful differences. Stock a healthier pantry. Salt away ... a little less salt. It's your body -- and your future!

Pray About Everything

The four-year-old son of a missionary family in Africa spotted a picture of a little pink dinosaur in a magazine and set his heart on having one. His mom knew it was impossible (the magazine was three years old), but her son never doubted God would come through for him. Ten months later, on Christmas Eve, a box from home arrived. At first glance it seemed to contain something special for everyone - except a four-year-old boy. Then they reached the bottom - and they were stunned. The lady who sent the box had no way of knowing God would use her to answer a little boy’s prayer. Before taping up the box, at the last minute, she tossed in the one item impossible for his parents to provide - something so insignificant no rational adult would ever have been foolish enough to ask God for…a pink plastic brontosaurus from a fast-food restaurant promotion! Sometimes we feel foolish bothering God with little things, but we shouldn’t. The Bible says: “Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” God is interested in every detail of your life; if something is important to you, it’s important to Him. In Bible times two sparrows were sold for a cent (on sale you could buy five for two cents!) yet Jesus said, “Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it…the very hairs on your head are all numbered” (Mt 10:29-30 NLT). When you learn to trust God in little things, you’ll be able to trust Him in big ones.

By Bob Gass

Handling Family Problems

In order to bless all the families of the earth, Abraham had to start with his own family. Before a man could qualify for leadership in the New Testament church, they examined his home life (1Timothy 3:5). Their thinking was, ‘If he doesn’t succeed there, don’t enlarge his territory.’ But if you’re going to enjoy God’s blessing as a family you must learn to cope with difficulties. So: 1) Try to remember that you’re all on the same team. Don’t take your frustrations out on your loved ones. Too often, home is where we go when we’re tired of being ‘nice.’ 2) Before you speak, get the facts. Nothing’s more damaging than jumping to conclusions. ‘Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything’ (Proverbs 13:3 NLT). 3) Handle it with wisdom. List all your options and you’ll be more objective. That’s how you’d handle a problem at work; why not do the same with your family? 4) Find something good in the situation. Scott Peck writes, ‘It’s only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. It’s through the pain of confronting them that we learn.’ No matter how bad things seem, every situation holds something positive - look for it. 5) Make sure they know you love them. It’s okay to express how you feel so long as you do it graciously. But make sure your family knows you love them. When people feel loved they can weather almost any crisis. Think: when do you need God’s love most? When you deserve it least! Try to follow suit.

By Bob Gass

Coffee and Your Health

Say it’s so, Joe: The potential health benefits -- and drawbacks –- of coffee.

Coffee may taste good and get you going in the morning, but what will it do for your health?

A growing body of research shows that coffee drinkers, compared to nondrinkers, are:

·          less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia

·          have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes

“There is certainly much more good news than bad news, in terms of coffee and health,” says Frank Hu, MD, MPH, PhD, nutrition and epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

But (you knew there would be a “but,” didn’t you?) coffee isn't proven to prevent those conditions.

Researchers don't ask people to drink or skip coffee for science's sake. Instead, they ask them about their coffee habits. Those studies can't show cause and effect. It's possible that coffee drinkers have other advantages, such as better diets, more exercise, or protective genes.

So there isn't solid proof. But there are signs of potential health perks -- and a few cautions.

If you're like the average American, who downed 416 8-ounce cups of coffee in 2009 (by the World Resources Institute's estimates), you might want to know what all that java is doing for you

Two Stories about Marriage

Story one: Deborah K. Johnson writes: “My seven-year-old daughter wanted to take violin lessons, so I took her to a music store to rent an instrument. Hoping she would understand the importance of making a commitment to practice, I explained that lessons were expensive. I was willing to make the financial sacrifice if she promised to work hard. ‘There may be times you’ll feel like giving up,’ I said, ‘but I want you to hang in there!’ She nodded, understanding, then in her most serious voice she said, ‘It will be just like marriage, right, Mom?’”
Story two: A husband asked his wife, “Tell me, dear, have you ever been in love before?” She thought for a moment and replied, “No, darling. I once respected a man for his great intelligence. I admired another one for his remarkable courage. And I was captivated by yet another for his good looks and charm. But with you, well, how else could I explain it, except love?” Have you been finding fault with your mate instead of remembering the qualities that attracted you to them? Attitudes are like weeds, they spring up overnight and if you don’t deal with them they take over the whole garden. Don’t let that happen! Next time you’re too busy to show love, or you react in anger, read these words: “Love is patient and kind. Love…does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged…Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1Co 13:4-7 NLT).

By Bob Gass