Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude

Some beautiful words by Colin Powell. What I loved the most is as I read every sentence, I could think of someone - a friend, family member who has tried to drag me down or make me feel ashamed or unaccomplished about myself. Sometimes my husband wonders why I am a loner. Why I prefer to usually spend Friday nights by myself at home rather than go out for a drink or see some friends. The truth is beautifully reflected in the words below.

The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are… Friends that don’t help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don’t increase you will eventually decrease you. Consider this:
Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don’t follow anyone who’s not going anywhere…With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.“A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.” The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate – for the good and the bad.Note: Be not mistaken. This is applicable to family as well as friends. Yes…do love, appreciate and be thankful for your family, for they will always be your family no matter what. Just know that they are human first and though they are family to you, they may be a friend to someone else and will fit somewhere in the criteria above.“In Prosperity Our Friends Know Us. In Adversity We Know Our friends.”
“Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them.”
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude..”Colin Powell

Light or not so light reading

I've been admonished that what I call light reading is in fact very brutal and tense. In the words of my mother-in-law "Religious Zealot is not de-stressing". She recommends I move to more of a Sophie Kinsella type book which is loaned me over the holidays. Its about a lawyer who decides to wrap her life and move to the suburbs to work as a maid in some stranger's house. For now, however, I am ploughing through more crazy books. Ms. Kinsella may have to wait a little longer.

Running back to my bounty, I picked out Altar of Eden. About 30% done yesterday, I still couldn't get into the story. What sounded promising at first, turned out to be a bad drag. The story starts off in Baghdad, Iraq where some concealed underground lab is ransacked and some of the most precious cargo is towed out. Turns out this cargo is some genetically modified creatures all of whom share one common trait -- heightened intelligence. A few years later this cargo is found, on a ship, in New Orleans and in come the man and woman on whom it falls to protect, understand and find the people responsible.

For the first 30% the story went on and on about a saber-toothed jaguar who was causing havoc in the area after it escaped from the ship with its cub. Now, finally its moving past the cat on to the rest of the story. We'll see where it goes but I am guessing there are no terrorists here so its definitely a different kind of read :-P

Quick reads

As far as reading goes, this year is off to a flying start! After finishing the Gita and learning a lot about attitudes, mind sets and restricting the ego I am starting 2012 on a much lighter note. Primarily because the Gita sucked the life out of my grey cells and I thought to diversify my reading with something fun, light and fluffy.

Another important reason being a colleague had close to 80 books on her Kindle, courtesy of her boyfriend, who hunts them down on websites for FREE!! I was close to tears when she said she would share them with me. So off I went reading. After completing BRAINRUSH II which was really not a bad read, I am still not sure about the alien angle though, I devoured The Twelfth Imam in a matter of days. Now, I am reading The Lion by Nelson DeMille.

Both these books are thrillers and focus on religious zealots who want to kill to spread their message, something sadly occurring frequently in our world today. The Twelfth Imam is based primarily in Iran where the country is feverishly waiting the arrival of the Chosen One to destroy evil and lead them to salvation. Pack in some action from the CIA, a smart agent, his long lost love and you get all the elements for a conclusively speedy, mindless read.

The Lion is also about Islamists militants but with a little twist. Its about Khalil, a guy hell-bent on vengeance for his parents and family that were killed in an air-strike in Libya. Throw in John Corey, former NYPD homicide detective and now a special agent for the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, who will do everything to stop him. The book has a funny tone, Corey can be a sarcastic but funny chap but there are several bloody tones to it as well, as Khalil goes about the country killing innocent folks.

For the next little while, I will speed through the bounty I am enjoying courtesy of my colleague. Maybe at some point I will feel motivated to pick up something a little more stimulating but for now I am loving the perfunctory reading!