Wise Words for You

Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Hate less, love more and all good things are yours.

Benjie Ingram-Moore presented his grandfather with a photo of the thousands of birthday cards he has received Captain Tom Moore, who raised more than £29m for the NHS by walking laps of his garden, has been made an honorary colonel on his 100th birthday. The war veteran will mark the occasion with thousands of birthday cards, including one from the Queen. He said it was "extraordinary" to be turning 100, especially with "this many well-wishers". Head of the Army General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith called Capt Tom "an inspirational role model". Capt Tom is due to spend the majority of the day self-isolating with his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and her family at his home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire. He said he would also speak to other family members via the internet. As well as receiving a personalised card from the Queen, Capt Tom will be made an honorary England cricketer by former captain Michael Vaughan.   Capt Tom will be inf...

Your mind can be a powerful ally or a formidable foe, especially during these stressful times. The simple practices of mindfulness-centered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you train your thoughts to serve you well. If you pay attention to what your mind is up to, you’ll notice that it’s constantly telling you stories. For example, you might have the thought, “If I get sick with the coronavirus, I’ll end up on a ventilator.” Obviously that’s just a story that the mind makes up, because none of us can predict how our bodies will respond to the virus. Some of those at highest risk for complications have ended up with relatively mild cases, while previously healthy people have died. Most of the time you probably don’t recognize such thoughts as stories, though, which is one of the mind’s greatest tricks. Scary thoughts like the example above can feel like direct observations of something that’s true, rather than the mad...

During the gold rush, a man who had been mining in Colorado for several months quit his job, as he hadn’t struck gold yet and the work was becoming tiresome.  He sold his equipment to another man who resumed mining where it had been left off.  The new miner was advised by his engineer that there was gold only three feet away from where the first miner stopped digging. The engineer was right, which means the first miner was a mere  three feet  away from striking gold before he quit. The Moral: When things start to get hard, try to persevere through the adversity. Many people give up on following their dreams because the work becomes too difficult, tedious, or tiresome–but often,  you’re closer to the finish line than you may think , and if you push just a little harder, you will succeed.