Soul Words: Emotional Intelligence
Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. – Henry Ford In my twenties, a theory about relationships became very real. Back then, I worked in a three-room office. ‘Clark,’ the department manager occupied a large room that claimed half our space. ‘Everett,’ the assistant manager had a little office. As clerk-stenographer, I shared the small reception area with ‘Logan,’ who handled the department’s legwork. Logan’s desk was behind the door we shared. One day, ‘Logan’ took over the big office. From then on, ‘Everett’ took orders from instead of giving them to ‘Logan.’ ‘Clark,’ the manager who hired me, vanished. While ‘Logan’ was very skilled at our department’s work, he was also buddies with the company’s new superintendent. That day I learned that, in real life, it may not be what you know, but who you know AND who likes you … that really counts. Emotional Intelligence is, “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.” Of this skill, The Center for Creative Leadership writes, “Seventy-five percent of careers are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including inability to handle interpersonal problems; unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict; or inability to adapt to change or elicit trust.” Dave Lennick, an American Express Senior Vice President said, “Emotional competence is the single most important personal quality that each of us must develop and access.” Wondering about your Emotional Intelligence? These materials are not intended for diagnosis. They are offered for personal reflection. Emotional Intelligence Skill-building and Self Awareness A test for school age children A self test for relationships Remember, Getting to know and like people and getting people to know and like you are the two top cards in the game of success. — Source Unknown Succeed and Soar! Inspirational Jigsaw Puzzles Click Here to Visit Puzzle Details Two sizes: 18×24 [500 pieces] or 20×28 [1,000 pieces] Premium 0.2” thick paper stock Vibrant, semi gloss coating Custom size the art and choose your own background color Handsome and sturdy puzzle box with picture on top Click on picture or here to purchase Sun Mint Tea puzzle Shop All Sandra’s Art Puzzles
Keep Advancing
Every step towards your dreams is a step closer to living a life you love. – Unknown For decades, I’ve gathered precious insights. Each one I read is like a breath of life. They lift my spirit and remind of the good we can do and marvelous things we can be. I hope these words of wisdom encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire. I hope the Succeed and Soar web site gladdens your heart. The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. –Epictetus Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground. -Theodore Roosevelt Rejection is the sand in the oyster, the irritation that ultimately produces the pearl. – Burke Wilkinson One man with courage is a majority – Andrew Jackson When you’re going through hell, keep moving. That’s no place to stop. – Unknown Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford Shop Succeed & Soar Galleries Buy art framed, on canvas, as posters as well as puzzles, shirts, infant onesies, phone cases, ornaments, journals, blankets, caps, coffee mugs and more. Each item is individually created. Shop All Collections HERE.
Mistakes a/k/a Sub-Optimal Decisions
You are not the mistake that you made, unless you continue to do it. – Rodney Stotts According to the Tessian Report, “a mistake is a decision or action that produces an unwanted or unintentional result. As emotional beings, humans make mistakes because we cannot always make objective decisions … Because of this, we sometimes make decisions that are suboptimal.” In addition, Kathryn Schulz adds, “The kinds of things that we can make mistakes about are essentially unlimited.” Okay. But some blunders hurt. They haunt, like the pain I feel at choosing to maintain my excellent, eighth-grade attendance record rather than walking my dog home [two miles] and securing her. I thought my little, Cocker Spaniel mutt would wait for me outside the school. I never saw Lady again. A vagabond once sat beside me at a bus stop and asked for a doughnut from the bag I’d just bought. My 33-year-old self was offended. I still regret my huffy, tiny-hearted stinginess. In “7 Reasons Why It’s OK to Make Mistakes,” The Odyssey Online says, “Every mistake … is a valuable lesson gained.” They add, “Your mistake doesn’t define you. … It simply makes you human.” Quora answers the question, What happens when we make mistakes, with: “To be brief we learn our lessons if mistakes are not deadly or fatal.” Okay. A flub, foul-up, fumble or foolishness is survived. A lesson learned. But remorse, regret, pain persists. What to do? Consider: Time passes unhindered. When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well. — Dalai Lama We are built to make mistakes, coded for error. — Lewis Thomas We’ll just have to try to make better mistakes tomorrow. — Alexandra Bracken We all make mistakes, but one of our biggest mistakes is continually revisiting the past. — Bryant McGill This post opens with Rodney Stott’s words about mistakes. See this former drug dealer’s story [3 minutes] Support Stott’s work, The Earth Conservation Corps’ Anacostia Raptor Watch Buy his book, Bird Brother, A Falconer’s Journey Story Talk In Saving Grace, a woman flies to England to escape toxic experiences. Here’s how a British doctor describes her medical care, “Do you know,” shaking his head in disgust, “95 percent of those types of medications are prescribed in America? And America only makes up five percent of the world’s population. … In 1996, the rate of diagnoses for Bi-Polar Disorder was one in 20,000. And do you know what it is today in America? One in twenty. And they think it’s going up to one in ten [because] the drug companies are pushing these terrible drugs.” Saving Grace, by Jane Green: A riveting novel about one woman’s journey to save her family―and herself [Amazon] Good Reads Reviews Shop Sandra’s Gallery Art available with or without text, framed, on canvas, as posters as well as tote bags, tee shirts, journals, puzzles, phone cases, ornaments, face masks, towels, blankets, cups, pillows, shower curtains and more Shop All Art and Collections HERE.
Rumi & Soaring Spirits
Consider Rock bottom became the solid foundation in which I rebuilt my life. – J.K.Rowling Please enjoy this post’s two short videos, chosen to lift the heart and spirit, our awareness and humanity. The first is two minutes long and presents love as transcendent and sacred. Prepare to swoon. As March Madness ends, the second offers basketball as both poetic and energizing. [Did you root for Cinderella St. Peter’s, too?] Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford Presenting art to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thing and inspire. Shop Sandra’s Art This puzzle is a poster from the Contemplative Art that illustrated Succeed and Soar’s Path’s to Joy series. Puzzles are made from premium 0.2” thick paper stock Include a semi-gloss coating that makes the top vibrant Arrives in a puzzle box with artwork printed on top for safe storage Puzzle pieces are unique shapes 18×24-inch 500-piece puzzle is $40— 20×28-inch 1,000-piece puzzle is $44.50 CUSTOMIZE. Use tools with item to: Enlarge, reduce size of art Change placement of art and text Choose background colors Purchase this puzzle. Shop All Collections HERE. Thanks for shopping!
Wisdoms, Understanding Happiness
Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. — Robert A. Heinlein For decades, I’ve gathered precious insights. Each one I read is like a breath of life. They lift my spirit and remind of the good we can do and marvelous things we can be. I hope this web site’s words and images encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire. I hope they gladden your heart. True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future. — Lucius Annaeus Seneca A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. — Unknown The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. — Victor Hugo Live as though life is rigged in your favor. — Rumi The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. – – Mark Twain Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford Beautiful, inspiring Succeed and Soar posters. Sizes from 8”x6.5” to the popular 30” x 23.5” Four Shape Options: Natural, Vertical, Horizontal and Square Printed on acid-free paper with archival inks Includes 1” white border to allow for future framing and mounting View All Posters Thanks for shopping!
Soul Words: Conditional Love
You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. –Buddha This year, Succeed and Soar explores eight, enlightening words. The first was Traumatic Wisdom, when hurtful experiences can elevate and enrich.This post considers, Conditional Love. Of it, Donald Miller said, “No love is conditional. If love is conditional, it’s just some sort of manipulation masquerading as love.” Conditional Love has strings attached. It can exist between friends and within families. WildSimpleJoy says that in these situations, the ‘loved one:’ Rarely feels good enough Is adored in public but not in private Read more If wondering whether a relationship involves Conditional Love, ask: If the ‘loved one’ lost their job, would you stay with them? Would they stay with you? Do you [or they] take more than is given? More questions To avoid being a Conditional lover: Use conflict as a learning experience [rather than to control] Practice non-judgment Learn the other’s love language. Nine more methods As Romantific says, “conditional love is not much better than unconditional love. Usually, with unconditional love, you were iin love in the beginning and now are able to accept the flaws of another person. With conditional love, true love was never there because you were only in the relationship because you wanted to “get something” out of it (more money, a higher social status, etc.). Here’s more With spring approaching, romance in the air and the world brightening, think of Kim McMillen’s words. “When I loved myself enough, I began leaving whatever wasn’t healthy. This meant people, jobs, my own beliefs, and habits – anything that kept me small. My judgment called it disloyal. Now I see it as self-loving.” Remember Courtney A. Walsh’s invitation, Dear Human: You’ve got it all wrong. You didn’t come here to master unconditional love. That is where you came from and where you’ll return. You came here to learn personal love. Universal love. Messy love. Sweaty love. Crazy love. Broken love. Whole love. Infused with divinity. Lived through the grace of stumbling. Demonstrated through the beauty of… messing up. Often. You didn’t come here to be perfect. You already are. You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous. And then to rise again into remembering. But unconditional love? Stop telling that story. Love, in truth, doesn’t need ANY other adjectives. It doesn’t require modifiers. It doesn’t require the condition of perfection. It only asks that you show up. And do your best. That you stay present and feel fully. That you shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt and heal and fall and get back up and play and work and live and die as YOU. It’s enough. It’s Plenty. Courtney Walsh’s book Dear Human: A Manifesto of Love and Invocation to Humanity is currently out of print. Copies can be found at alibris, biblio and abebooks. Here are Five powerful ways to love yourself more Succeed and Soar! The Wisdoms Collection Shop Enriching and Beautiful Posters Click Here to Visit
A View from Forbes and Braddock
A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen. – Winston Churchill Updated January 30, 2025 This post was prompted because we are in the primary election season and, yesterday, I saw where the Fern Hollow Bridge near my home fell a hundred feet. I remain amazed and thankful that at 7am on January 28, so few were on this heavily-trafficked structure and all survived. Read more. Reports I’ve heard about why the bridge’s faults weren’t fixed include gas taxes intended for this purpose paid for state police patrols in towns that can’t afford their own law enforcement. Keep in mind, taxes allow governments to provide health and human services, schools, public transportation, our military, courts, community and regional development, parks and recreational spaces, arts events, higher education and research, waste management, etc. Recently, citizens of my county voted to pay higher taxes to improve our public libraries. I suspect most people don’t like paying taxes that buy ‘Pork Barrels,’ Here are Examples. So, when political candidates promise to cut taxes, consider asking: What government services will end? How will schools and community resources improve? Also, will these politicians lower taxes by reducing pork barrel spending? How will Federal perks be affected? As candidates seek our votes, know how our support be repaid? When elected, how will those politicians spend tax dollars to improve the world and grow prosperity. Because of the fear-mongering that saturates some campaigns, consider how candidates feel about Waverly Presbyterian’s green sign [footsteps from the collapsed bridge]. Tax Humor What’s the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist only takes the skin. – Mark Twain I am proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is, I could be just as proud for half of the money. – Arthur Godfrey Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today. – — Herman Wouk Congress can raise taxes because it can persuade a sizable fraction of the populace that somebody else will pay. – Milton Friedman Wisdoms Collection The inspiring and beautiful work in these Fine Art America collections is available as prints, framed and on canvas as well as on journals, greeting cards, weekender bags, shower curtains, puzzles and much more. Shop Here Thanks for your support! NOTE: size and placement of the art and words]can be changed as well as background colors.
Sharing Joy & Visual Magic
Please enjoy these two short videos chosen to lift the heart and spirit, our awareness and humanity. Both are under five minutes. Please share. Sandra Gould Ford Presenting art to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thing and inspire. Visit Sandra’s Galleries Record inspirations, goals and accomplishments in a Succeed and Soar notebook. They are: 6×8” 120 pages lined on both sides Art printed on front cover [thick paper stock] Inside back cover has pocket for extra paper & pens $15– Click on individual item to purchase or click here to view all spiral notebooks. Thanks for your support!
Inspirations Worth Remembering
The heart is indeed the abode of the soul. – Michelangelo For decades, I’ve gathered precious insights. Each one I read is like a breath of life. They lift my spirit and remind of the good we can do and marvelous things we can be. I hope this web site’s words and images encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire. I hope these wisdoms and inspirations gladden your heart. A generous heart, kind speech, and compassion are the things that renew humanity. — Buddha Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. — Confucius I think it not improbable that man, like the grub that prepares a chamber for the winged thing it has never seen but is to be — that man may have cosmic destinies that he does not understand. And so, beyond the vision of battling races and an impoverished earth, I catch a dreaming glimpse of peace. — Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Silence is also speech. –Fulfulde proverb An early morning walk is a blessing for the day. – Henry David Thoreau Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford SkyScapes Metal Prints Bring artwork to life while decorating with stylish lines and depth Details Image printed directly on 1/16” thick aluminum Select sizes from 6″x8″ to 30″x 40″ Aluminum print offset from wall by ¾” thick wood frame attached to back The high-gloss aluminum compliments rich colors with stunning results See All Metal Prints Thanks for shopping!
Practical
Expect the best. Plan for the worst. Capitalize on what comes. – Zig Ziglar For decades, I’ve gathered precious insights. Each one I read is like a breath of life. They lift my spirit and remind of the good we can do and marvelous things we can be. I hope these words of wisdom encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire. I hope the Succeed and Soar web site gladdens your heart. Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. — Albert Einstein The creative personality seems never to grow old but rather, simply grow. – Alden B. Dow He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary. – Seneca Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself. ~ Source Unknown Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen. – Mark Twain Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford Life Well Lived offers floral photographs, wise words and invitations to see life as a garden of possibilities. This 60-page book offers lots of space for personal notes, sketches and meditations. Here are opportunities to both enjoy life’s seasons and find enrichment. A great gift. * 5×8 $14.50 Preview and Purchase. * 8×10 $19.00 Preview and Purchase. Thanks for shopping! While a How-To Illustrated Wisdom video is developed for Life Well Lived, here’s a helpful companion, Self Care through Visual Journaling: 5 Easy Steps.