Everyone is wise until he speaks. -Irish proverb

Therefore knowing when to be quiet may be the greatest genius among men…

One of the most wonderful dialogues ever penned can be found in Margery Williams’ The Velveteen Rabbit. The velveteen rabbit is interested in what “being real” is all about. The wisdom of the skin horse becomes clear in his answer to the foreboding question…

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

“I suppose you are real?” said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.

The ability to be real without pretense is as important as being alive itself.

There are two kinds of stars in the sky; shooting stars and shining stars. Which one are you?
It’s funny how shooting stars get all the fanfare while shining stars don’t seem to get any. Yet shining stars show stability, longevity and can assist in navigation.

Shooting stars may catch your eye for a moment, but then disappear just as mysteriously as they arrived seconds before. People are like stars; it takes a long time to become dependable, trustworthy and great. Many show up with bells and whistles, but lack the character to remain.

Consider your own life; don’t worry about getting all the attention like a shooting star. Over time you will become like the North Star and many will attribute their successful navigation for the simple fact that you were still there.

This T-shirt was posted on Amazon for sale. For some crazy American reason, it has caught on with incredible fervor as the place to comment concerning such fine apparel. Over 1,400 customer reviews have come in on this piece of art and they are hilarious!

I have posted just one of the comments here for your enjoyment. This is just another internet phenomenon that has me splitting my side with laughter… enjoy!

The Comment: So I’m looking for threads that say, “Hey baby…I’m real boss!” when I stumble upon this epic creation. The wolves spoke to me in a language all their own; it was like German, Mongol, and Bitchin all mixed together. I mean, one wolf howlin at the moon is major…but three???
I ordered next-day air (if only there was same day!), and, of course, a size smaller than usual to ensure the closeness of the wolves to my chest hair. When the package arrived, I tore it open, and I SWEAR angels sang. I think it was Freebird. I immediately removed my “No Fat Chicks” shirt, and replaced it with this finery. Lemme tell you: AW YEAH. I’ll spare the details of my conquests since I started wearing this shirt; suffice to say, I’m swimming in a sea of babes the likes of which are usually found on those K-Tel infomercials. I’m also more confident at work, and expect to be promoted to cashier soon. I owe everything to this shirt (I should say “shirts”, since I now own 23 of them).

If you want to read all 1,400 comments, get some popcorn and click this link and scroll down until you reach the comments section.

Twit like a pro is about creating a strategy where people absorb your brain matter through online social media such as Twitter and eventually become you. This is how you make an impact in the earth (Impact: to have an impact or effect on; influence; alter). It’s all about a following my friend; that’s how we change the world. If you have followers then you are a leader. If you are a leader, you are probably going somewhere. If you are going somewhere and people are following you, you will all arrive. If you are going somewhere great, everyone eventually benefits from your lead when they get there!