Tag Archives: quotes by US presidents

SOAPBOX of the week: new year, old wisdom

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“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”     – John Quincy Adams, US President

Gooooooood morning, race fans! How’s the ride so far? Let me guess. As soon as the second hand strikes and Dick Clark alarmclocks the world onto a clean slate, you set to full throttle and take off like a mid-life-crisis man in a new Corvette.

With heart pounding and champagne in your eyes, you decide that you will take the wheel and make things go your way this year, come hell or high water. Righting the wrongs. Shaking the systems. Cutting the fat. Testing the waters. Revolutionizing the resolutions. Painting a free-wheeling, forward thinking phantasmagoric mural of all that is, was, and ever will be the real future perfect you deserve. All in the name of an unyielding loyalty to the natural selection of self, at least until about mid-February.

I must confess, I too burn a rouge of rubber just as eagerly each year. Even ponder the thought that the heavens will magically open up and confetti my little field of dreams with all the blessing and adornments that I’ve kept cooped up for the past twelve months. Sound familiar? Well, I have both good and bad news for you.

Bad news first: A supercharged vehicle won’t get you through the roadblocks any faster. No matter how much shifting and strategizing you perform, the course will dictate your life’s journey. Not the other way around. And if you’re thinking you can brainstorm your agenda-ed TripTik into an immediate reality, think again. Enough with the red line, race fans, you’re libel to blow the whole engine again.

Now for the good news: You’ve already done the work. You’ve got the ride, the route, and reason for success in all pillars of your future. So, recline with the resonating truth that patience remains the worthwhile virtue that will never fail to fuel your expedition. Coast over your holographic horizon to discover another bountifully balanced year ahead, in body, mind, and spirit. And embrace the magical open road.

Copyright 2000-2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman. 
This vignette is an excerpt from Pure Soapbox… a cleansing jolt of perspective, motivation, and humor  (July 2008)
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

SOAPBOX of the week: a wish for tireless thankfulness

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A special feast from the book “Pure Soapbox”…  SOAPBOX vignette #57

thanks•giv•ing – n. an act of giving thanks; an expression of gratitude

Hope you’re hungry, because this timely concoction of culinary soapboxing doles out not one, but two servings of epicurean delight to drive home a notion that so very many of us have overlooked, and continue to pass over.

In black and white, the operative word here is giving. Needless to say, the actual form of the thanks takes on as much importance as the act itself. Some slaps on the back are best soft-served with a smile. Still, this world-renowned date for thanks-giving has been anchored in time by our forefathers in an unyielding attempt to showcase its kinetic nature. And so, I ask that you humor me with this two-for-one homage to the aromatic brilliance of a few of connoisseurs of the Canon.

1st Course
“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart
 as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”   – Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. President

You are the main ingredient and you’re alive and kicking! You may even have all your fingers and toes, as well as a college education, and the luxury of pushing pause to digest this meal of literary morsels. Burrow in and bear- hugbearhug the irrefutable fact that you are truly blessed, and, in turn, equally limitless in opportunities to show appreciation for the gifts you’ve received.

2nd Course
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation  is not to utter words, but to live by them.”     – John Fitzgerald Kennedy, U.S. president

Go ahead and dish ‘em out however you choose, stuffed between hors d’oeuvres or piled high atop Mom’s fabulous pecan pie. Fifty bucks says your belly-full sensation of satisfaction comes not from the feast of fruitcake, but from your dynamic expression of thanks for the boundless bounties before you. Fill your Tupperware with these leftovers…and season the rest of your days with provisions that’ll never spoil…regardless of the cook!

 

Copyright 2000-2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman.  Excerpt from Pure Soapbox… a cleansing jolt of perspective, motivation, and humor, published July 2008.
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

SOAPBOX Officially Goes Live!

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I’ve been known as “The Soapbox Queen” for years now.  Seizing any opportunity to create a stage-for-one, I’ve crafted a signature way to motivate, entertain and educate folks with but a single weapon: quotes.  My unique, compelling formula of commentary and dialogue taps the power of profundity and insight often overlooked in quotes.  But I needed a word to encapsulate this concept, so I coined the term SOAPBOX™ and got to work to bringing it to life by bringing it to people however they’ll best dig it…in a book, in a blog, in an online talk show, you name it!

In a nutshell… a SOAPBOX™ is motivation with a swift kick in the pants that dares you to step away from conventional band-aid therapy and hopeful horoscopes, and embrace the forward-thinking wisdom of the most influential people of our time. The SOAPBOX™ blog is the first step to the release of a special collection I’ve created for my upcoming book, Pure Soapbox  …a cleansing jolt of perspective, motivation and humor. It’s my way to connect with folks from all walks of life, from all over the world -even before the book launches! So…without further ado, I give you the premiere SOAPBOX™ of the Week:

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“A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.”     – Thomas Jefferson

Even the most easy-going of folks get riled up over things that simply don’t make sense or make life more complicated.  When “That’s just the way it goes” doesn’t cut it anymore, perhaps it’s time to show some muscle.  Start your own revolution.  Let ‘em know you’re not asleep at the wheel nor a spoke in it.   Voice your opinion.  Blaze your own path.  Bend the rules.  Don’t do what Dad says.  Order off the menu.  Park in that reserved spot.  Play hooky.  Heck, quit altogether!  It’s ok to buck the system that’s got you jumping through hoops.  Confronting the powers that be will reinstate your own guiding principles and might bring freedom to a fellow inflamed citizen.

Copyright 2008, Kimberlie Dykeman.