More from and about
tom walsh
(biographical info at bottom of page)

  

You can help me by reminding the person that beauty isn't about
comparing ourselves with others, but about the part of us that
shines when we love others and love life.  It's not all physical and
it's not all spiritual, but a tender combination of all that we are.

   

If we're to live our lives fully, we must ask ourselves constantly just how we're affecting others.  We must look at our actions and our words and be very honest when we try to see how we treat other people.  Are we spreading love and peace and hope, or are we contributing to the negative in the world? Are there any parts of ourselves that we picked up in childhood that we don't like seeing in others, but that we practice regularly?

      
Encouragement is potentially one of the strongest forces in the world.  And it's free--completely free.  It doesn't cost me anything to encourage someone, but the payback down the road--a payback I'll probably never see--is more than worth the few seconds it may take for me to utter an encouraging word or three.
  
We have the power to make this world a more positive place by putting out more positive thoughts and energy into the world, and kindness is one of the best means for doing so.
  
What many people don't realize is that we can change our attitudes towards life. It takes some work, but it can be done. The more we accept other people and their faults and quirks, the less judgmental we become. The more we decide to share the goodness that's within us, the less selfish we become, and the less likely we are to hoard or hang on to material things. The more we learn about other people's emotional or physical problems, the more understanding and compassionate we become. Your attitude is one of your gifts to the world, all day, every day. What kind of gift do you give? And is it a gift that remains steady no matter what happens to you?
   

Awareness is a choice, and sometimes it takes effort. But it’s never disappointing if we truly put some effort into it. The rewards for our effort already surround us all the time, but they’re awards that we miss constantly until we make the decision to open our eyes and our hearts to the beauty that’s always everywhere.

     

When we ask ourselves why we're here on this planet, I'm pretty
sure that the answer is closer to "finding out who I am" than
it is "accomplishing more things than my neighbor."

   

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Peace among the crowd is a beautiful goal to strive for, and a
great gift when you accomplish it. Let everyone else hurry and make
sure that everyone knows what they think; in the grand scheme of life,
getting your two cents' worth in isn't always important.

   

When was the last time you stopped to listen to the wind blow through
the trees? Or stopped to listen to a river as it flowed past you, or the
crickets and frogs and other living things as they make their music? When
was the last time you listened--truly listened--to a favorite song, paying
attention to the lyrics, the drums, the rhythm, the guitars or strings?

   

How much beauty goes unnoticed as we hurry from place to place during
the course of our busy days? How many flowers and trees do we go by
without noticing their colors or their marvelous complexity or their scents?
How many rainbows go unseen by how many people because we close
ourselves up indoors when it rains to "protect" ourselves from the elements?
How many snowfalls go unenjoyed because it's too cold outside or we don't
want to bother to put on our gloves and coats and boots
and hats to keep us warm and dry?

   

    
tom walsh was born in Southern California and grew up in a Navy family, moving several times from coast to coast. After majoring in Spanish in college, he moved to Spain for a year, Germany for another year, and back to Spain for most of another year. He also spent four years as a Russian linguist/ intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, and has a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning. He's a student of life, literature, and languages, and he's constantly trying to learn what he can about life and living so that he can pass the lessons on and help other people live fuller and richer lives.

After years of teaching college, he took a year with his wife and moved to the Grand Canyon, where he worked at lodges and hiked in the Canyon as much as he could. After that year, he made a major change and started teaching high school, where he hoped that he would be able to make a more significant contribution to the students with whom he works. He continues to teach high school now, as well as working on his website and doing as much writing as he can.
  

    

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Other people:  Alan Watts - Albert Einstein - Albert Schweitzer - Andy Rooney - Anne Frank - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Wilson Schaef
- Annie Dillard - Anthony Robbins - Ari Kiev - Artur Rubenstein - Barbara Johnson - Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Franklin
- Benjamin Hoff - Bernie Siegel - Bertrand Russell - Betty Eadie - Booker T. Washington
Charlotte Davis Kasl
- Cheryl Richardson - Cristina Feldman - C.S. Lewis - the Dalai Lama - Dale Carnegie - Deepak Chopra
Don Miguel Ruiz
- Earl Nightingale - Elaine St. James - Eleanor Roosevelt - Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emmet Fox
- Frederick Buechner - George Bernard Shaw - George Santayana - George Washington Carver - Gerald Jampolsky
Harold Kushner
- Harry Emerson Fosdick - Helen Keller - Henry David Thoreau - Henry James - Henry Van Dyke
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Henry Ward Beecher - Hugh Prather - Immanuel Kant - Iyanla Vanzant - Jack Canfield
James Allen
- Jennifer James - Jim Rohn - Joan Borysenko - Joan Chittister - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - John Izzo
John Ruskin
- Joni Eareckson Tada - Joseph M. Marshall III - Julia Cameron - Kent Nerburn - Khalil Gibran
Leo Buscaglia
- Leonard Jacobson - Leslie Levine - Lucinda Bassett - Lydia Maria Child - Lynn Grabhorn - Marcus Aurelius
Marianne Williamson
- Martin Luther King, Jr. - Maya Angelou - Melody Beattie - Michael Goddart - Mitch Albom
Mohandas Gandhi
- Morrie Schwartz - Mother Teresa - M. Scott Peck - Nathaniel Branden - Nikos Kazantzakis - Norman Cousins
Norman Vincent Peale
- Og Mandino - Oprah Winfrey - Oriah - Orison Swett Marden - Pau Casals - Peace Pilgrim - Phillips Brooks
Rabindranath Tagore
- Rachel Carson - Rachel Naomi Remen - Rainer Maria Rilke - Ralph Waldo Trine - Richard Bach
Richard Carlson
- Robert Frost - Robert Fulghum - Robert Louis Stevenson - Russell Baker - Sarah Ban Breathnach
Shakti Gawain
- Soren Kierkegaard - Stephen Covey - Stephen C. Paul - Sue Patton Thoele - Susan L. Taylor
Sylvia Boorstein
- Thich Nhat Hanh - Thomas Carlyle - Thomas Kinkade - Thomas Merton - Tom Walsh - Victor Cherbuliez
Wayne Dyer
- Wilferd A. Peterson - Willa Cather - William James - William Wordsworth - Zig Ziglar

   

       
    

Yes, life can be mysterious and confusing--but there's much of life that's actually rather dependable and reliable.  Some principles apply to life in so many different contexts that they can truly be called universal--and learning what they are and how to approach them and use them can teach us some of the most important lessons that we've ever learned.
My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.