Theme for this week (6/7 - 6/13): Positive Thinking, inspired by this quote from last week....
"Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise." 
- Author Unknown

From the song 'Only Time' by Enya:

Who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows, only time
And who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose, only time

Who can say why your heart sighs
As your love flies, only time
And who can say why your heart cries
When your love lies, only time

Who can say when the roads meet
That love might be in your heart
And who can say when the day sleeps
If the night keeps all your heart
Night keeps all your heart

Who can say if your love grows
As your heart chose
Only time
And who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows, only time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfYIMyS_dI

So how should you live when you’re not sure how things are going to turn out? Solomon says, “Don’t play it safe—take risks.” In other words, you have to live confidently. You can’t hide just because life won’t cooperate. Don’t avoid blessings because of the concerns that come with them. Don’t say, “I can’t get married. What if difficult struggles come up between me and my mate?” Or, “I can’t have children. How will I know they won’t be born with a birth defect?” Or, “I can’t start a business. What if it folds?” Or I can’t join the military. I might get deployed.”422 God wants you to step out in faith and take risks. He yearns for us to stop playing it safe. In Eccl 11:1-6, Solomon will pass on two insider tips that will help us to take some risks and avoid playing it safe.
- Study By: Keith Krell from the Series: The Good Life: Ecclesiastes, No Risks, No Rewards (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)
http://bible.org/seriespage/no-risks-no-rewards-ecclesiastes-111-6

"Of all the people I have ever known, those who have pursued their dreams and failed have lived a much more fulfilling life than those who have put their dreams on a shelf for fear of failure." 
- Author Unknown

"I like to bet on people, especially those who have taken risks and failed in some way, because they have more real-world experience. And they're humble."
- Mark Pincus

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." 
- Robert F. Kennedy

Not the right risks.....

Movie: Set If Off
https://youtu.be/ha-jTyYTAbQ

"A life lesson for me is, how do you muster the courage to take on a new risk? Whether it's starting up a business or taking on a new project or expedition. I think the risks that we take are all relative to the risk-taker."
- Ann Bancroft

"There are always risks in battle. It's a dangerous business. The trick is to take the right ones.' [said Halt].
'How do you know which are the right ones?' Shigeru asked.
Halt glanced at his two younger companions. They grinned and answered in chorus, 'You wait and see if you win."
- John Flanagan, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

What are you willing to risk a lot for? A new job, a new life? Something else?

"A thing is only as great as the amount a person is willing to risk for it. If you are not willing to risk anything, then the thing mustn't be so great at all."
- Madeline Claire Franklin, The Poppet and the Lune

From the song 'The Gambler' by Kenny Rogers:

On a warm summer's eve
On a train bound for nowhere
I met up with the gambler
We were both too tired to sleep
So we took turns a-starin'
Out the window at the darkness
The boredom overtook us, and he began to speak

He said, "Son, I've made my life
Out of readin' people's faces
Knowin' what the cards were
By the way they held their eyes
So if you don't mind my sayin'
I can see you're out of aces
For a taste of your whiskey
I'll give you some advice"

So I handed him my bottle
And he drank down my last swallow
Then he bummed a cigarette
And asked me for a light
And the night got deathly quiet
And his faced lost all expression
He said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy
You gotta learn to play it right

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

Now every gambler knows the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep
'Cause every hand's a winner
And every hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for
Is to die in your sleep"

So when he finished speakin'
He turned back for the window
Crushed out his cigarette
And faded off to sleep then somewhere in the darkness
The gambler he broke even,
but in his final words
I found an ace that I could keep

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

You've got to know when to hold 'em
(When to hold 'em)
Know when to fold 'em
(When to fold 'em)
Know when to walk away
know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw5LaEzEcJw

Would you take more risks if you could directly affect or control the time you have to live?

Movie: In Time
https://youtu.be/YRSBiTF3wNw

"Person after person ... said their biggest regrets were not things they had done, but things they had not done… the risks never taken."
- Robert Peek, Blog Post, Living life fully means taking some risks, 2/2011,
http://robertpeek.com/2011/02/12/living-life-fully-means-taking-some-risks/

"We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness."
- Maxwell Maltz

"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash."
- George S. Patton

"Nella vita: chi non risica, non rosica," he said finally, his voice quiet. "In life: nothing ventured, nothing gained. My mom used to tell us that. It's been a long time, but I can still hear her saying it."
- J.M. Darhower, Sempre

"To win you have to risk loss."
- Jean-Claude Killy

"By risking failure, disappointment, disillusion, but never ceasing in your search for love. As long as you keep looking, you will triumph in the end."
- Paulo Coelho

"Everything's a gamble, love most of all."
- Tess Gerritsen, The Sinner

From the song 'Taking A Chance' by Whitney Houston:

There's a chance that maybe in this life I'll find
True love and peace of mind
There's a chance that maybe I can reach my goal
And soar to the other side
Good things come to those who wait
I'm just afraid that I might sit here and wait too late

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyLd3l3r29E