Winning Words 10/15/12
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”  (J.P.Morgan)  I’ve read that we have 35 chances each day to change the direction of our life—not just one fork in the road, but 35.  The same article said that intuition, hunches and gut-feelings should not be dismissed.  They are the brain’s way of taking shortcuts.  A significant decision probably put you where you are today.    ;-)  Jack

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Happy Monday morning.  The brain's way or the Holy Spirit's prodding?  We are given little moments of hunches and intuition and perhaps God gives us a direction.  We can choose it or not.  That's what I believe they are.////FROM JACK:  Here's something for you to think about today.  Can predestination and free-will work together?

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  That is AMAZING...35 chances a DAY??!   I must be too content where I am to perceive them! (And I know i should move to a smaller place "in town"! ) Herman Edwards, the football analyst once said, "Your problems are never bigger than your purpose."  HEY How about your Tigers??! Cardinals are doing well, too..tho that is small consolation to a Cub fan! :-)  Two huge decisions seem to govern most lives: The choice of a life-partner, and profession.  I'll have to be alert for my other 35 daily....////FROM JACK:  My son flew in from Minnesota yesterday for a week of business.  At breakfast today we had an interesting discussion on how choices (more than 35) have affected our lives.

 FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE.:  What about your conscience?////FROM JACK:  Is it possible that not everyone has a conscience?  Is a sense morality necessary before there's a conscience?////HAWKEYE:  I believe we are all born with a conscience. The Bible talks about it, from Genesis to Hebrews. A conscience can be seared and lost.////JACK:  So you think that a person is born with a sense of moral values?  It's the old debate...Nature or Nurture?

 FROM MY FLORIST:  This one is very cool.////FROM JACK:  ...and the Tigers are very hot!

 FROM BM IN MICHIGAN:  One would hope that the “significant decision” had positive results.  While just one decision might have worked for some people, I quickly thought of at least four for me:                 The opportunity and choice to go to U of M.                       
Following a vocational counselor’s suggestion that an accounting curriculum might be the best for me, after   
                              floundering in other directions.
 Proposing to Margie.
 Leaving a very good, secure public accounting position to go out on my own.
But, are these really so unique?  What do you think?////FROM JACK:  They are unique, because each of us is unique, with our own personal choices to make.  Your result of choices was also dependent on the response choices of the U of M (whether or not to admit you); the counselor (what shall I advise this person?); Nargie had to choose whether or not to accept; finally, new clients had to choose whether or not to go with a brand new firm.

 FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS:  These were wise and wonderful words today; thanks for sharing.  I’m a big fan of intuition but have never read anything about the 35 forks… nice!////FROM JACK:  Have you come across any forks today?////BBC:  Yes,  but just recognized one and imagine many more have passed by un noticed.////JACK:  Sooo...we're deciding, even when when we don't know that we're deciding.

 FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER:  The question is, "which decision was more significant?" And then, again, does it really matter? We couldn't change it, even if we wanted were so inclined. It's a row of dominoes.////FROM JACK:  In other words, you're saying that we only "think" that we make decisions.

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  thanks for these WW this morning. I have a habit I've been trying to break for a long time. Especially other people can see it's not a practical habit. Now I think I see from your WW that it's about making a decision not to be where I am and choosing to go in any one of the other 35 paths forward. Go back to the beginning of when this habit seemed beneficial and try to figure out if I really don't want to be there anymore and try to figure out which of the other 35 choices could also be beneficial but also practical. Thanks for these WW counsellor!!!!!FROM JACK:  Counsellor?  I don't know about that, but as Popeye used to say:  "I yam what I yam!"

 FROM LBP IN MICHIGAN:  I've come to the decision that hunches and gut-feelings are most often God giving me a nudge when I've gotten off track. All-in-all I'm often better off for listening to them. I would have missed a big deadline today if I hadn't listened to a gut-feeling. ////FROM JACK:  Philosophers and theologians have long argued about the location of the soul.  Is it in the head, or the heart...or could it be in the gut?////LBP:  Why does the soul have to be localized to a single organ?////JACK:  OK...if not in one organ, how about in one body.  It reminds me of the mother who was trying to explain to her little daughter that God is everywhere.  The child asked, "Is he in the sugar bowl?"  The mother replied, "Yes!"  With that, the little girld quickly put the cover on the bowl and yelled, "I got him!"

FROM KF IN MICHIGAN:  A good thing to ponder at the end of the day! What choices did I make and were the results positive/negative?  I keep coming back to this one!////FROM JACK:  Several people have commented on this quote and how it caused them to make some decisions.