Archive for the ‘Thought of the Day’ Category
Tuesday, February 18th, 2014
Winston Churchill described a fanatic as someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.
Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
Tags: fanatics, Winston Churchill
Posted in J. Elke Ertle, Thought of the Day, Walled In Berlin | Comments Off on Winston Churchill on fanatics
Monday, February 10th, 2014
If you think that serving on a committee is a time consuming and thankless task, consider Harry Chapman’s advice. It may put a whole new spin on the situation. Here is what he recommends:
“Having served on various committees, I have drawn up a list of rules: Never arrive on time; this stamps you as a beginner. Don’t say anything until the meeting is half over; this stamps you as being wise. Be as vague as possible; this avoids irritating the others. When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed. Be the first to move for adjournment; this will make you popular; it’s what everybody is waiting for.”
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com. Walled-In is a story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War.
Tags: committee, Harry Chapman
Posted in J. Elke Ertle, Thought of the Day, Walled In Berlin | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 28th, 2014
One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever face in life is whether to walk away or to try harder.
–Anonymous
That’s my thought of the day for you. What do you usually do?
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com. Walled-In is a story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War.
Tags: decisions, life decision, try harder, walk away
Posted in J. Elke Ertle, Thought of the Day, Walled In Berlin | Comments Off on One of the hardest decisions in life
Monday, January 20th, 2014
Follow the three R’s: Respect for self; respect for others, and responsibility for all your actions.
–Dali Lama
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.
Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal
Tags: Dali Lama, respect, responsibility
Posted in J. Elke Ertle, Thought of the Day, Walled In Berlin | Comments Off on the three R’s
Monday, January 6th, 2014
Mind versus heart – intellect versus emotion. Powerful players in the human struggle. Sometimes these two forces collaborate. Sometimes they compete. We’d like to think that we have full control over the outcome of these battles when, in fact, we are often quite oblivious to the influences that wrestle within us. The nature of the conflict and of the bias of the individual determine the winner.
One of my favorite quotes–author unknown–goes like this:
“The Mind replays what the heart can’t delete.”
Only a better understanding of the power of these forces leads to control over them. Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom shows us an example of the mind versus heart struggle. Which one, do you think, wins in this memoir?
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com. Walled-In is a story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War.
Tags: control, emotion, heart, human struggle, intellect, mind
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Monday, December 9th, 2013
As we grow in maturity and wisdom, we learn that although we cannot choose what life will deliver to us we can choose how we will respond. As we begin to live our lives more consciously, going back and sifting through the events that helped shape our lives, examining how and why different emotions are triggered in our hearts, we can begin to build an entirely new framework for who we want to be, instead of simply accepting who we ended up being. Through this deep understanding of the events that have influenced our lives, of the values we hold most dear, and of the things we need to be happy, we can begin the exciting process of taking control of our lives. From that solid foundation, we can act freely and fearlessly, knowing that our actions will reflect our being out in the world.
— From the editors of Random Acts of Kindness
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on the home page of http://www.walled-in-berlin.com. Walled-In is a story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War.
Tags: conscious living, maturity, values, wisdom
Posted in J. Elke Ertle, Thought of the Day, Walled In Berlin | No Comments »
Friday, December 6th, 2013
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
–George Bernard Shaw
For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.
Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
Tags: creating yourself, finding yourself, George Bernard Shaw, life
Posted in J. Elke Ertle, Thought of the Day, Walled In Berlin | Comments Off on About life
