Success Quotes

Here are some great success quotes for a little "midweek inspiration."

"Success is a state of mind. 
If you want success, start thinking 
of yourself as a success." 
Dr. Joyce Brothers

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, 
is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle

In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.
Author Unknown

You are never a loser until you quit trying.
Mike Ditka

Texting Some Love Your Way

I found this great site that will send you SMS messages (texts) on whatever topic interests you, whenever you want it to! It's www.4info.com

I always love getting some "random inspiration"... especially when I'm having a tougher than usual day. So, I get the "inspirational quotes" sent to me at 9AM every morning.

You could also get "diet tips" sent to you at around 11 or 12, right before lunch, so you think twice about your lunch choices. You could get daily weather alerts sent to you like an hour before you leave for work, so you make sure you're appropriately dressed...OR, if you're like my husband, and for some reason, you find baseball exciting (haha) you can get a text sent to you with MLB updates (if someone got traded or something)

Another cool thing you can do with this, if you don't necessarily want the daily text, is to use it as a resource. Once you sign up, (which solely involves registering your phone # with them) you can text virtually anything to their # (44636) and get a response. Like, if you are on the road and you need a phone number, text the business name and city to 44636 and they'll text you back with all the information you need. OR you can text them your astrological sign and they'll text you back with your daily horoscope! You can do this for every option (news, living well tips, weather, etc...) Might be kinda fun to do while sitting in a waiting room or something....

If you're so popular that you get too many texts already, than you can disregard this, but if not, I'd highly recommend at least checking it out. There isn't any spam and you don't get anything other than the text that you request. You can also cancel anytime-

What Have You Given Today?

"As you give so shall you receive"

- St. Francis

Here is a great Q to ask yourself if things are not necessarily going your way:

"What have I given lately?" 

Feeling unloved? Have you been loving to others? 

Feeling unappreciated? Have you shown appreciation for others?

Feeling like you have no friends? Have you been a friend to others?

The basic philosophy is never wrong... "What you withhold from the world, the world will withhold from you." 

So, if you aren't seeing results in a particular situation, whether you choose to be honest with yourself or not, try asking yourself "what am I withholding, or not giving that have created these circumstances for me?"  If you think you're giving all you can, you obviously aren't. It is a basic law of the universe, there's no arguing with it... 

A great example is in your relationships. I know that when I'm not feeling appreciation from somebody, it's because I'm not showing it. So, when I think that my husband doesn't appreciate me, I ask myself, "when was the last time I HONESTLY showed appreciation for him?" There is ALWAYS something to appreciate, to love, to be thankful for. Find it, focus on it, apply it (from the goodness of your heart, insincerity and doing it for selfish reasons get you nowhere) and I guarantee things will turn around for you :) Happy Monday!

Myers-Briggs

I officially took the Myers-Briggs Test  years and years ago... but I recently took an abbreviated version on my Facebook account! It is, hands down, the best personality test out there as far as the length it goes to, to describe your personality type. It is also very helpful in dealing with others, because if you understand what their personality type is, it helps you to understand why they act they way they do, and also how to better "relate" to them.

The real test is quite lengthy, and costs some moola to take, but here is the best "free online one" that I found: 

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

Here is another site which offers an extensive description on your particular personality type. It covers every aspect of your personality, including your career, relationships, love life, etc... 

http://www.personalitypage.com/high-level.html

In case you were curious, I am an ENTJ :) If you take the test, leave a comment and let me know what your type is! (Also let me know how accurate you find it to be)

My type is an ENTJ :)

For My Girlfriends...

Some of my favorite friendship quotes for some of my favorite friends...

• "I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends." 
  - Walt Whitman
  
• "Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say."
  
•  "Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same."
  
• "A good friend is hard to find, hard to lose, and impossible to forget..."
  
• "How lucky I am to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to."
  

Law of Attraction

Remember:

  

"You are a living magnet. Whatever you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts."                           -Brian Tracy

It's all about the Law of Attraction...

If all you think about is debt, even if it's finding ways to get out of it, you're still focusing on your current state of lack, and your thoughts and actions will continue to surround you in debt.  Instead focus on ways to prosper. Remember Mother Theresa would never go to an "Anti-War" rally, rather she would be a huge supporter for a "Pro-Peace" one. There is definitely a difference. 

Watch the language you are using in your head, even if you have the best of intentions... Is it "Anti-something?" OR Pro-related?

A Little "Hump Day" Inspiration

I can't tell you how important it is to not get "sucked in" to all of the negativity that's out there today... if you do, it will paralyze you. 

Here are some inspirational quotes about looking at the "brighter side" of things, to help get you through to the weekend:

• It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
  Chinese Proverb
  
• That which does not kill you makes you stronger.
  Neitzsche
  
• When one door closes another opens. But often we look so regretfully upon the closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us.
  Helen Keller
  

• Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it

  John Maxwell

Good Monday Quote

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could." 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Isn't that great?! Happy Monday!

In Honor of Dugan...

Dugan was my family dog, our "little man of the house" until Randall came along :) 

He was a golden retriever (best breed ever!) that we unfortunately lost last July...

One of the hardest days of my life! 

Anyways, I know now that he is my angel, so in honor of him, here are a few of my favorite "dog quotes" that any dog lover can appreciate:

• Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
  -- Roger Caras
  
• My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am. 
  -- Author Unknown
  
• To err is human, to forgive, canine.
  -- Author Unknown
  
• I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
  -- Rita Rudner
  
• Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really. 
  -- Agnes Sligh Turnbull
  
• Keep in mind ... to a dog you are family, to a cat you are staff.
  --Author Unknown

Gratitude

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being." 

-Goethe

I am a very strong believer in gratitude. You'll hear me talk about it alot on this blog... 

It is so important that we live our lives in gratitude because regardless of the situation, (or the person) there is always something to be grateful for. I actually have a gratitude journal that is both on paper and in my mind. Every night, before I go to bed I think of 5 things that I can be grateful for that day. Some days it is MUCH harder than others... but even something so simple as a kind gesture from a stranger needs to be recognized and appreciated. 

The past few nights, my gratitude has been consumed with the positive response I've gotten from this blog. I can't tell you what it means to "expose yourself," (in a way) and to have it be received so graciously. I read the quote by Goethe (above) and it reminded me of you all... you've helped and encouraged me to realize things about myself that I didn't even know existed! So I just wanted to say "thanks!" 

Hope you can continue to find some good stuff in here, and pass along to anyone you think might enjoy as well!

Eckhart Tolle

It's not a strange coincidence that Eckhart Tolle's (ET) "A New Earth" is one of my favorite books, AND it was Oprah's Book Club pick... hmm...

Regardless,  after reading 3 of his books, his impact on the way I live my life has been so profound... it has totally altered the way I view my life, my relationships, and my priorities. 

I'll probably bring up ET, in some form or another throughout this blog, but all I can do here is give you a basic premise of his books, and suggest that you read them! (The bonus is that, because Oprah is such a fan, there is an "online course" that you can take from her website, that details and explains each chapter, because these books tend to get a little wordy and confusing at times) Here is a link to her online web class (you can even read one chapter, then watch the class for that chapter) A New Earth Webcast

Here's a brief introduction on one of his points that I can really relate to:

He talks of the present moment. He explains that unfortunately, most of humanity tends to go through life "unconsciously." That is, we spend so much time in our heads and in our thoughts... that we are not experiencing what is NOW.  Think about it...what is in our thoughts? The past and the future. Either we are dwelling on something that happened in the past, or living in the past (if our life seemed better at that point), or wishing things turned out differently... OR... we are worrying about the future, or thinking that "life will be better in the future."  ET tries to show us the power of living in the present moment. I think everyone can relate to that, and agree with him on that. Think about how many precious moments you could be losing, by being so consumed with the chatter in your head about who wronged you that day, or "what's going to happen tomorrow?" A great example is if you have children, because it seems like a day passes... and they are all grown up! Why would you waste a minute of the short amount of time they actually spend with you,  on worrying about something that you have no control over anyways (the future) or dwelling on something that already happened (the past)? One of my favorite lines in ANE is... "this too will pass..." All everything is, is just a moment, and it will pass. Good things AND bad things. Were you really THERE in that moment? Did you experience it? Or were you so caught up in your head that it was wasted? 

OPRAH

Ok.. I can't believe that I've had this blog for 3 days and have not put anything down about Oprah! I've been a huge fan of hers for a really long time... and thanks to my amazing little sis, I actually got to go see her this year! (It was the one with Montel Williams...really good!!) 

Anyways, I love her show, so Tivo it if you don't already... you will learn SO much :)  I also think she has a great website! When I was working, and in my car alot, I would actually download and listen to her Soul Series, which are a series of spirtual based interviews that she does for her radio station. (Radio gets old, and I can only call so many people!) Anyways, they are really interesting, so in case you're interested, here is the link: Soul Series Webcast

Great Quotes (books/plays)

I love a great quote... I'll definitely be posting some of my faves on the site every now and then.

Here are a few quotes from some great books/plays:

• "For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." 
  — William Shakespeare, Hamlet
  
• "There are years that ask questions and years that answer."                                                                                                          — Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
• "Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists." 
  — Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
  
• "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."                       - JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"                                                                                                       — Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love

The 5 Love Languages

In one of my earlier posts, I posted the quote from Captain Corelli's Mandolin, about LOVE. This quote kind of goes hand and hand with a book that I just finished reading called "The Five Love Languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman. I know this book has been around for a while, but I just have to talk about how interesting and TRUE I found it to be. It basically agrees with the fact that love changes with the relationship. You're never going to be in that same "in love/unconscious love/crazy phase" like you were in the beginning. Once that subsides (usually once you're married, but time frames are different for everyone) You need to figure out what language your significant other understands as love. There are 5 different languages; Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, Physical Touch, and Words of Affirmation. A great example is in my marriage, I recognize love through Acts of Service and Words of Affirmation. I give love by doing Acts of Service and gift giving. My husband took the test and he recognizes love through Physical Touch (bottom on my list) and Words of Affirmation. So, here I am doing things for him and giving him gifts, thinking I'm showing him love and he is not recognizing it! It's like I'm showing love in French, and he only speaks English! Anways, great book. Quick and easy read and I think that a lot of marriages would benefit. There is also a version for Singles (which I have not read) that I bet would be great too. Here is a link to Dr. Chapman's website: http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/learn.html Also, here is a link to a great quiz that will help you to discover what your love language is: http://www.greaterquest.com/LoveLanguages.asp As with all books, let me know if you decide to read it or if you've already read it and tell me what you think!

One of my fave love quotes

 "Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides...

And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident...”

-          Captain Corelli's Mandolin

I love this quote because I feel like it so accurately describes marriage. I know that I, as well as friends of mine struggle with the fact that married life is not like those first few years of dating... and we seek to consider the marriage as flawed because the "unconscious love" as I like to call it, is gone.  I think that if people realized that NOBODY lives in that initial unconscious love on a permanent basis, a lot of marriages would be saved.