Believe in yourself . . . .

It's not who you are that holds you back,

it's who you think you're not.

-Author Unknown

Do you believe in yourself? Do you give yourself the credit you deserve? Self belief, self-confidence, self esteem...whatever you choose to call it, when you believe in yourself, your life becomes much less difficult. You achieve more, you have less anxiety and you grasp opportunities as they arise. It is a wonderful feeling when you know you can stand by your decisions, rely on yourself in difficult situations and overcome obstacles. Keep your life focused on believing in yourself and all that you are capable of, and you will soon grasp that stronger sense of who you are. Stop comparing yourself to others. Instead, turn that sense of envy or jealousy into a desire to reach further for yourself! Don't be afraid to push yourself a bit. You might surprise yourself. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, so don't let anyone tell you differently. Have faith in your abilities, and keep smiling.

I believe in you!

You CAN get back on track . . . .

You ate too much. You drank too much. Don't be so hard on yourself! The holidays will always include more indulging than normal. Step away from the scales, and give yourself a day or so to get back in to your healthy lifestyle. Take stock of where you are and where you want to be. Visualize yourself at your ideal weight and start back on that positive track once again. Be happy you have a chance to start over fresh! Love yourself for caring enough to take care of your body. You only get one.

Gratitude . . . .

"In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy."

-Brother David Steindl-Rast

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

-Melody Beattie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Look for their graces . . . .

With Thanksgiving approaching tomorrow, many of us will be spending time with family. For many of us it will be a wonderful day of plenty. . . lots of good food, football, family and relaxation. Unfortunately, many families will face situations that include uneasy feelings, turbulent situations or unnecessary drama. It is far easier to be critical of our family members and neighbors than of ourselves. When we continually judge others we do not have to look at our own weaknesses, and we have an explanation for everything that goes wrong. If you are looking at your family through a dirty window, be aware that it is quite possible that your own window is streaked, and when you clean it, your family improves dramatically. If you look through the window of blame, you will never find peace. Before you make a judgement, learn the facts and circumstances accurately. The knowledge you gain may change your opinion. Look for people's graces and not their faults. It is then, that you will find peace.

Wishing you a day full of grace & appreciation.

Are you there yet? . . . .

Engage your mind . . . .

"Exercise alone provides a lot

of physical benefits.

However, if you also adopt a strategy that engages your mind while you exercise, you can get a whole host of psychological benefits fairly quickly."

True joy . . . .

"To experience true joy

is to feel yourself

smiling on the inside."

New York City bound . . . .

I am off to Manhattan, and should arrive just about the time the sun sets. I am really looking forward to a fun weekend! I always try to hit all my favorite spots, and add a few new ones while I'm there. A couple of my stops include Ralph Lauren on Madison Avenue.

"To me, it's the most beautiful store in the world: the details, the world it creates, the mix, the textures. It's a store that has an emotional impact. I've watch so many people come into it and be dazzled when they enter."

- Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren - Madison Ave.

Another stop for me is the Apple Store in which I try to pop in for a class or two. The Fifth Avenue store is stunning. It is an underground store, which is marked by a 32-foot street-level glass cube, and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Apple Store exterior - 5th Avenue

Apple Store interior - 5th Avenue

I have so many favorite places in SoHo and The West Village. They are two of my favorite neighborhoods, and it's a perfect way to spend an afternoon wandering around, taking in the coffee shops, wine bars, restaurants & boutiques. A few of my favorites are Po' on Cornelia St., a tiny quaint pastisserie called Ceci Cela on Spring Street, i tre merli on 10th Street, and in Union Square, I will always order the Pad Thai at Spice.

Po' restaurant - Cornelia Street in The West Village

Ceci-Cela Patisserie - Spring Street in SoHo

i tre Merli - 10th Street in The West Village

Spice - 13th Street in Union Square

Nurture your relationships . . . .

People, even more than things,

have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed,

and redeemed;

never throw out anyone.

-Audrey Hepburn

Playtime . . . .

I believe there is a hidden child in all of us that wants to play. For some reason, as we get older, we play less often. . . . but we shouldn't! We need the pleasure of play like we need our vitamins. It keeps us fit, both mentally & physically. Stuart Brown, M.D. says it energizes us and enlivens us. Its eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities. It produces joy, freedom and satisfaction. I'm sure it must be our brain's favorite way to learn! I believe we reveal what kind of person we are while we're playing, and it is said that you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. So, as Michael Jordan once said....."Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game."

"We don't stop playing because we grow old;

we grow old because we stop playing."

-George Bernard Shaw

Silver lining . . . .

I am loving these photographs in muted shades of silver and grey. It gives me a perfect soothing feeling for a rainy Monday morning. There are so many colors that compliment these tones.....her red lipstick, the baby blue eyes, the clear glass, and the stark black. This has me thinking about the approaching holidays, and gives me inspiration for what to wear, tablescapes, and decor ideas.

Photo via .la douleur exquise.

Photo by Brooke Fasani

Photo via Google Images

Photo via .la douleur exquise.

Photo via Polyvore

Necklace by Antica Murrina

Photo by Brooke Fasani

Affirmation . . . .

Photo by Alexa Singer

Every day I choose

to send loving, healing energy

to the planet.

What I do with my mind

does make a difference.

-Jason Mraz

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

It is possible . . . .

Photo by Becky Kiil via flickr

It is possible to be happy and joyful most of the time. You just have to look at little children and see their natural joy. You may say that little children are free and don't have anything to worry about, but you are free too! You are free to choose worry or to choose joy, and whatever you choose will attract exactly that. Worry attracts more worry. Joy attracts more joy.

- from Daily Teachings by Rhonda Byrne

Amazing GRACE . . . .

It feels good to just say the word. It is described as an "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion or action; a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment." I think of someone who has grace as having integrity as their foundation. It is someone who commands respect in a way that no others do. You can count on them! They give you their word and you know they will follow through. They will never let you down. And they honor the people around them. Now that's grace!

They are people who are successful on their own terms and never compromise, use or abuse their femininity or masculinity. Grace is a state of being when you open up to all wonders of the world. It is when you feel at peace with yourself, so much so, that you don't need to react to what is going on around you. The band U2 says it's a thought that changed the world, and that it finds goodness in everything. Grace makes people thoughtful in every way. Who wouldn't want to be thought of in this manner? When you are not needy or pushy, you will notice that people respond to you differently. You become their calm reference point. It is an atmosphere in which people want to be in.....a much more relaxed atmosphere. And when you have grace, everything is possible.

If you want to see how much more is possible in your life when you are graceful, here are four areas of your life to start with.

1. Manners:
Don’t just be polite for the sake of it. Please, say it with a genuine smile. Listen with your full attention to what the other person is saying, without putting your own story into the picture. The benchmark is "did I just make today more wonderful for that person?"

2. Morals:
Adapt the codes of conduct which give a moral backdrop to our lives. It is not a question of can I do this and not get caught, or how far can I push the boundary. The moral code is within you. The benchmark is "can I sleep peacefully tonight?"

3. Standards:
What do you stand for? What do you represent to the outside world? Standards create the structure of your life and standards are built on what you are committed to. Integrity is the foundation. The benchmark is: "how much can I be trusted?"

4. Style:
We each have our own way to express our identity in this world. Our style is a discreet language which impacts our surroundings subliminally. The beauty of your own style reflects how comfortable you are within yourself. How do you describe your style? Is your style noisy, untidy, trashy or crude? Straighten this up and start being graceful. Do you dress to display your sexuality and sensuality, or to radiate your grace? A quick test is ask yourself "what do people remember about me: what I was wearing or who I am?" The benchmark is "how much does my life flow with ease?"

“Grace is to the body, what good manners are to the mind”

-Francois de la Rochefoucauld

Partial text by Guru Kaur

If Today Was Your Last Day . . . .

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."

-Sydney J. Harris

I have made it my mission to live a "no regret" life. That means I am willing to take more risks than I may have in the past. I don't want to be stifled by fear, wishing I had done something, or taken a chance. I don't want the fear of looking foolish to keep me from doing something that could bring me joy. What risks have you been unwilling to take? Have you thought about changing careers? Following a dream? Calling an old friend? Forgiving your enemies? Opening your heart to another person? Travel to an unfamiliar place? There are so many opportunities that we could seize if we stopped the "what ifs". I don't want to leave this life thinking more about what I didn't do than what I did. So do whatever it takes! Live each moment like your last!

I'm sharing this very inspirational video with you today called If Today Was Your Last Day  by Nickleback.

It just takes a second . . . .

We have 86,400 seconds in our day today.

Use one of them to say "thank you".

Sweet prints . . . .

Taking the positive approach will always be irresistible to me. These sweet prints from Studio Mela drew me in faster than I could say 'support a worthy cause'.

Dont' give up . . . .

Photo via One League Artists

Photo via Google Images

"The number one reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go, instead of how far they've gotten."

- Vaibhav Shah

If you've started. . . . hang in there and keep going! You will be so glad you did!

If you haven't started. . . . now is a perfect time to hit the streets or treadmill. Take your favorite music with you and make it fun! I'm here to cheer you on! You'll have more energy, get sick less often, have a better attitude, more self-confidence, and have less stress. There are so many reasons to exercise, and you owe it to yourself to get, and stay healthy. You, after all, are the most important person in your life.

How much can the heart hold? . . . .

The love of partnerships

Photo via Google Images

The love of a child

Photo by Brooke Fasani

The love of friendships

Photo via Getty Images

The love of life

Photo via Google Images

The love of a pet

Photo by Antonio Cangiano via flickr

The love of God

Photo via Google Images

......and there's STILL room for more!

Read any good books lately? . . . .

“You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”

-Paul Sweeney

Finding inspiration . . . .

I am so inspired by these beautiful photographs of the GAP Ad Campaign, even though a few of them are from seasons past. I love beautiful photography. I know I am inspired when I feel my emotions stir. I immediately feel drawn in. It can even begin to shape my thoughts. I find inspiration in so many different ways....books, blogs, music, photography, design, color, art, quotes, nature, friends, exercise & especially humanity. There is nothing like people watching to motivate and encourage you!

What inspires you?

Josh Duhamel

Anne Hathaway

Liv Tyler

Will Arnett & Amy Poehler

John Mayer

Angie Harmon & Jason Sehorn

Hugh Dancy