Motivational Mondays: Bill Cosby and You on Motivation & Fear

Thought for the Day: I have been nursing bronchitis all weekend & just got to the blog with less energy than usual. I looked through drafts that I never finished & found this wonderful photo & quote by Bill Cosby. I  decided to use it as a starting point for a conversation with you.

Instead of writing my thoughts on this quote, I'd like to try something different. I'd rather hear your thoughts. What do you think? Are there things that you want, but too afraid to try? For instance, do you hate your current job, but fear trying to find another in a bad economy? Are you unhappy in your current relationship, but afraid to talk about your feelings with your partner? Is your adult child about to make what you feel is a huge mistake, but you are afraid to let them know your opinion, since they are grown & on their own? Do you think that Bill Cosby's recommendation to simply decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it will help you to go ahead & confront the issue? Is being determined the most important element in motivation? Are there other psychological issues that need to be in place to overcome the fears?

Can any of you recall a time when you were afraid to do something, decided that you would do it anyway because it was more important to you & accomplished your objective? I'd love to hear about it.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Moms Demand Action & Mahatma Ghandi

Thought for the Day: Today I copied an image and a quote from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Those of you who have been following my blog know that I have been advocating for stricter gun control laws since the Sandy Hook Tragedy. I have lobbied with Moms Demand Action in DC and am impressed with their tireless efforts. They make political activism easy with twitter and facebook campaigns. I love the quote they used with their Valentine's Day campaign:

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will."        Mahatma Ghandi

When we see things in society that we want to change we must find our inner strength to persevere and stand up for what we believe. Often when tragedies occur, we feel helpless, taking action and joining forces with like minded people, can help us feel empowered. Valentine's Day is a day dedicated to love. Too many lives of innocent children and loved ones are being stolen from us due to lack of sensible background checks for those who wish to purchase guns or to gun owners' carelessness . Too many children are dying when they have access to unsecured guns, leading to accidental shootings by children.

The image above came with a call for action for Valentine's Day. I hope you will tweet, post, and share it and follow the  call to action. Just click on the bit.ly link below & tweet to your senators and congressmen. It will only take a couple of minutes, but it could save lives.

MOM'S Demand Action's VALENTINE'S DAY CALL TO ACTION: Despite the 43 school shootings since Newtown, Congress continues to turn a blind eye to America's gun violence epidemic. Use our Fast-Tweet link to tell Congress our hearts are broken, but our will is strong. And while you’re at it, Tweet them a pic of your Valentine with the hashtags#MomsBrokenHearts and #MomsDemandhttp://bit.ly/MCuDcd - LIKE and SHARE this post!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz on Finding or Creating One's Self

 Thought for the Day: Today I am reposting a quote from Wednesday's Words of Wisdom a year ago. I created a new image to go with it:

  “People often say this or that person has not yet found himself.  But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates.” Thomas Stephen Szasz

     What are your thoughts? Are you trying to find a profession or a job in order to "find" yourself? Or are you creating yourself by exploring your interests, finding your passion & then pursuing a profession?

Dr. Thomas Stephen Szasz*

Thomas Stephen Szasz (1900 -2012), was  a controversial psychiatrist. He was "a well-known social critic of the moral & scientific foundations of psychiatry, & of the social control aims of medicine in modern society, as well as of scientism. His books The Myth of Mental Illness (1960) & The Manufacture of Madness (1970) set out some of the arguments with which he is most associated." (Wikipedia)

    

I hope you will come back tomorrow t=for the answer to Thursday's Psychotherapy Trivia.

Photos: 

* Dr. Thomas Stephen Szasz JennyPhotos.com from Wikipedia Commons

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: Erich Fromm On the Mother - Child Relationship Paradox

Erich Fromm (in 1975)*

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Thought for the Day: Today's Words of Wisdom come from German born social psychologist, psychoanalyst & sociologist, humanistic philosopher, & democratic socialist, Erich Fromm. In keeping with the Mother's Day theme of the last few weeks, I chose a quote on the paradoxical relationship between mother & child:  "The mother-child relationship is paradoxical &, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother's side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother & to become fully independent."

** Photo from Army Photography Contest - 2007

Fromm, a contemporary of Karen Horney who was featured in an earlier post, questioned Freud's theories much to the dismay of the psychoanalytic colleagues. He was particularly interested in the social determination of behavior. His prolific best selling books include Escape From Freedom, one of the first books in the field of political psychology, A Man for Himself & The Art of Loving.

The challenge to both mother & child to find a balance of connection & independence continues for many people throughout their lives. A friend of mine used to say that she would be successful as a mother if she succeeded to have "built-in obsolescence." What are your thoughts on the paradoxical relationship between mother & child?


Photos 
*The picture of Erich Fromm (in 1975) is by Müller-May, © Deutsche Verlagsanstalt. The copyright holder of this image allows anyone to use it for any purpose including unrestricted redistribution, commercial use, and modification. Creative Commons 

** photo from 'Army Photography Contest - 2007 - found on FlicrCC
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http-/www.flickr.com/photos/36196762@N04/4929686899
flickr.com/photos/36196762@N04/4929686899