What keeps me traveling

As my lack of patience has taught me, road construction NEVER ends, just as they finish one project they start another. There is always asphalt to be resurfaced, a road to be widened or an exit/overpass to be built. Just like any other road my road of life is always in need of maintenance however it seems as though my construction crew isn't as organized and on top of the work that needs to be done but I have found to keep me from getting stuck in the pot holes that haven't been repaired I can look to short sayings and scriptures to give me a positive outlook and help me become a better person.

Whether it is a Scripture like Enos 1:27 which gives me an eternal perspective, a Hymn like Lead, Kindly Light, or the words of an Apostle of God they have all helped me get through a rough patch. I LOVE the gospel and the guidance it brings, but I have also found other sources that entice and fulfill my secular loves.

The first source being John R. Wooden. He has to be my FAVORITE celebrity! I loved everything about this man, from the way he coached 10 National Championships in a 12 year period a record never to be beat, his incredible value of family and faith in God, to the fact that he is the Greatest Coach of All Time but still lived in an average condo with walls covered in pictures and sweet memories. His book Wooden-A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court is probably my favorite book next to the scriptures. It talks a lot about basketball but a person could know nothing about basketball or maybe even despise the sport and still learn an immense amount from this book. It is not set up like a normal novel instead it is a bunch of really short stories describing the lessons he has learned, with a massive amount of his own quotes and quotes from others intermingled among the pages. This book is one of the best uses of $19.00 I can think of. I could list tons of quotes and smile as I typed each of them out but really you might as well just read the book. However I will give you 5, I can't say they are my favorite because there are far too many good ones to use that word.

"Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

"Don't think you can make up for it [being lazy] by working twice as hard tomorrow. If you have it within your power to work twice as hard, why aren't you doing it now?"

"One of the most powerful motivating tools you can use is the pat on the back. Yes, occasionally the pat must be lower and a little harder"

"Although not all change is progress, all progress is the result of change (and to resist or fear change is often to get in the way of progress)."

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

My second source is Surgeon books and specifically ones about the brain especially by Fred Epstein. I have mentioned before my absolute LOVE for the brain and these books remind me of the wonders of it's work and leave me in gratitude of what I have. I read both If I Get to Five, and Gifts of Time before I knew anything about the tumor that was in my head and I feel these books prepared me to an extent for the approaching problems I faced. (although I could've gotten more out of them, seeing as he described the signs/symptoms of a brain tumor and I was oblivious to that section of the book, until I read the book again following my surgery.) Two other books on my list are Gifted Hands (which my Mother strongly recommends) and Another Day in the Frontal Lobe. Both of which I own but have yet to complete reading them. However I have recently found reading while working out on a stationary cardio equipment is a good use of time as long as I don't mind getting my books a little sweaty.