Day 38 Question 38:

What are some of your favorite quotes/book excerpts?

I thought I would change things up a little today to serve everyone a big slice of inspiration.  I am one that loves to read.  I love to read everything from philosophical books to fiction stories to trashy reality TV magazines.  I print out a lot of articles on different topics from various websites to read at the gym while trekking away on the elliptical.  I find it amazing how much inspiration and creativity I feel while I am reading these articles and just peddling away.  I thought I would take the time to share some of my favorites with you as a source of inspiration and happiness.  We all get caught up in the madness of everyday and I wanted to offer you some words of encouragement and well-being.  I like to read these quotes daily just to remind myself of how beautiful and hopeful life really is.  I even have some written on Post-Its taped to my bathroom mirror so I can see them everyday.  I hope you take them in and hold them near and dear to you.

“In life we cannot always do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”~Mother Teresa

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~Leo F. Buscaligia

“We cannot change our past.  We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.” ~Charles Swindoll

“Always laugh when you can.  It’s cheap medicine.” ~Lord Byron

“Remember that anytime you’re filled with resentment, you’re turning the controls of your emotional life over to others to manipulate.” ~Dr. Wayne Dyer

“If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.” ~Barbara Angelis

“Life is unchartered territory.  It reveals its story one moment at a time.” ~Leo Buscalgia

“You control your future, your destiny.  What you think about comes about.  By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be.  Put your future in good hands-your own.” ~Mark Victor Hansen

“Looking down on disappointment only blinds you for what’s ahead, you can always benefit from a loss as long as it is a lesson to you.” ~Unknown

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.” ~Charles Dickens

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~Dalai Lama

“People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.” ~Anne Frank

“Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.  What you see reflects your thinking.  And your thinking but reflects your choice of what you want to see.” ~A Course in Miracles

“The spiritual journey is individual, highly personal.  It can’t be organized or regulated.  It isn’t true that everyone should follow one path.  Listen to your own truth.” ~Ram Dass

“Where the heart is willing, it will find a thousand ways.  Where it is unwilling, it will find a thousand excuses.” ~Arlen Price

“Live life fully while you’re here.  Experience everything.  Take care of yourself and your friends.  Have fun, be crazy, be weird.  Go out and screw up!  You’re going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process.  Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it.  Don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.” ~Anthony Robbins

“Our world is like a boomerang.  If we throw anger, anger comes back; if we throw love, love comes back.  If we throw negativity, negativity comes back; if we throw positivity, positivity comes back.” ~Author unknown

“Everyday is a new chance to choose.

Choose to change your perspective.

Choose to flip the switch in your mind.  Turn on the light and stop fretting about with insecurity and doubt.

Choose to do your work and be free of distraction.

Choose to see the best in someone, or choose to bring out the worst in them.

Choose to be a laser beam, with focused intention, or a scattered ray of light that doesn’t do any good.” ~Ishita Gupta

“If you want to succeed in your life, remember this phrase: That past does not equal the future.  Because you failed yesterday; or all day today; or a moment ago; or for the last six months; the last sixteen years; or the last fifty years of life, doesn’t mean anything…All that matters is; What are you going to do, right now?” ~Anthony Robbins

“Dare to be remarkable.” ~Jane Gentry

“This life is yours.  Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well.  Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly.  Take the power to control your own life.  No one else can do it for you.  Take the power to make your life happy.” ~Susan Polis Schutz

“Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker.  When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.” ~Sue Patton Thoele

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” ~Oscar Wilde

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.  I can choose which it shall be.  Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet.  I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~Groucho Marx

“Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.” ~Buddha

“To love yourself as you are is a miracle,

and to seek yourself is to have found yourself, for now.

And now is all we have, and love is who we are.” ~Anne Lamot

“Imagine all the people living life in peace.  You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.  I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.” ~John Lennon

I wanted to share this quotes/excerpts with everyone because even though sometimes it does not seem it, life really is short and passes us by so quickly.  I am 33 years old.  I remember celebrating my 18^th birthday and sitting on my bed in my college dorm getting ready to go home for Thanksgiving break.  That was 15 years ago.  That is absolutely mind-blowing.  I always thought like was this big mystery but I have come to realize that it is not a mystery at all.  It is an abundance of opportunities…opportunities to experience love and beauty, opportunities to correct your mistakes and fix any faults you don’t like about yourself, opportunities to practice compassion and see life outside of yourself, opportunities to learn an endless amount about all of the things you are curious about.  I believe you aren’t able to experience these things if you aren’t focusing on happiness…for yourself and for others.  Life is going to get us down and things are going to seem beyond unfair.  There will be times when the only thing that seems right is to just give up.

I left these quotes with you because even through the hardest times there is hope and there really is a light at the end of the tunnel.  As I always say, everything you do and think in life is a choice.  I hope you choose to be happy and realize that happiness is a journey not a destination (it took me a long time to learn and accept that).  I know so many of you don’t know me as a person (as an actual physical being) and I am only 1 person among billions but I truly believe (from my mind and from my experiences) that once you are able to accept things as they are and embrace them then the world because a much more peaceful place.  Things seem to come a whole lot easier and seem to make a lot more sense.  A lot of people might think of all of what I say as just some hippie mumbojumbo but I am always willing to challenge people.  I have found when you expose yourself to something outside of your norm, something you know nothing about, something you have doubts about, a lot of the time you find yourself to be surprised how drawn to things you never thought you would be.  You feel a connection to certain things.  You feel a comfort within yourself.  Humanity has does this giant shift and to be completely honest, as a population we have become very selfish.  Life has become a competition to beat each other at different games.  The thing is, life is not about any of these things at all.  Humankind is about compassion and respect.  I don’t care what religion you follow, what the color of your skin is, what country you are from, what your social status is, how much money you have, etc.  No matter what, as human beings we should focus on kindness.  We should embrace the opportunity to learn from each other without trying to be better than each other.  Sometimes I hear myself in my own head and think maybe I am being over the top with all of my positive affirmations and talk about happiness but then I realize it is what I truly care about.  If I didn’t focus on these things I wouldn’t be me.  I do not believe I am a saint (trust me I have done some things that would be considered very un-saint like in my day) but I have goodness in my heart because I want to continue to better myself but also help, mentor, care for, encourage, and believe in those around me.  Perfection is an impossible concept because it is something that is different for everyone.  I have a hard time seeing good in some people but I know it is there.  I believe some people have a hard time seeing good in themselves.  IT IS THERE!!  I know it may sound cheesy and to some it may be something that they roll their eyes at and think it is a pipe dream but I want people to be happy.  I want people to let go of their stresses and those things that cause them anger, hurt and pain and ask for help if they need it.  I want people to experience love on every level.  I want people to look back at their lives when they are old and gray and love the journey they have taken…I want them to be able to say they fell in love with life a little more every single day.  That is what I want.  :0)