Honor yourself and your dreams . . . .

Can you believe that we are literally half-way through the year already? It has reminded me to think about the goals that we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year. How are you doing? Are you staying on track with the promises you made to yourself? Are you staying committed? ....honoring your passions, your dreams, and your heart? If you've not done so well, it's probably time to re-commit to those goals, or move on. Or perhaps you're sticking with your commitment, but just feel like you're not there yet. Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. Stay the course and remind yourself of the enthusiasm you felt at the beginning of the year when you made those resolutions. For me, I made a firm decision to stay active, honor the healthy habits that had finally become a lifestyle for me, and to reach for the next level of fitness. There is nothing so satisfying as reaching a personal goal, or following your dreams & your passions. I was also determined to stay committed to writing this blog 5 days a week, and I'm grateful there are not too many days when I don't feel inspired to share encouraging thoughts. It truly is a passion of mine. What is it for you?....your career, your fitness level, your relationships? What matters most to you? Honor that! .....and stay committed. Remind yourself that you can live the life you've always dreamed about! Your dreams are an expression of your heart and soul. It doesn't matter that half of the year has passed! It's a new day, and from this moment forward you can create a whole new life for yourself!

Any dream worth dreaming, 

is worth the effort to make it come true.

-Evan Gourley


Dreams Digital Print
by valentina design
via etsy

Your thoughts become your reality . . . .

....not just a little, but a lot! And not just the good thoughts, but the other ones too!

"If you see it in your mind

you will hold it in your hand."

-Bob Proctor

Do you realize what that means? That means that your future, beginning today, will NOT unfold based on your past or based upon the existing conditions of your life, but that it will unfold based entirely upon your thoughts and dreams, your beliefs and expectations.  This is why all things are possible! All things comes from thought, and your thoughts are determined by you.

How cool is that?

From the book Choose Them Wisely

Life is for YOU! . . . .

Happy Monday! 

Make it a great week!

This is The Universe . . . .

This is The Universe....

I'm here to ask you a favor.... something I've never done before, 

and it's a really BIG ONE.... 

Please... just be you... today, this week, for the rest of your life... just be YOU. Not that you haven't been, but I know how impatient you sometimes get... I know of how much you want... and I know that you sometimes doubt yourself, life, even the magic that now surrounds you. Well... don't be impatient, ALL THINGS will be YOURS in time... keep hold of your dreams, they're yours to remind you of what's possible...and please, know that you are SO on track and that "WE" are so, so proud of you, just as you are. 

Just be you, because if you only knew of how much this would mean to all whose lives you touch, and for the difference you will make... there is no other "way" you'd want to be.

-Your biggest fan.

Via Notes from The Universe

Photo via zastavki

Happy Friday!
Have a magical weekend!

What do people live for? . . . .

I came across this video over at The Lettered Cottage, and it made me cry.... happy tears.  You will love this video about ordinary people living extraordinary dreams.  Enjoy.

"I hope your dreams take you....to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known."

-Unknown

Believe . . . .

-Kobi Yamada

Photo via stylist Amanda Moore at 2C

Photo by Jodi Miller 

A No. 2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.

-Joyce A. Myers

Unrealized dreams . . . .

An elderly man, in the final days of his life, is laying in bed alone. He awakens to see a large group of people clustered around his bed. Their faces are loving, but sad. Confused, the old man smiles weakly and whispers, "You must be my childhood friends, come to say good-bye. I am so grateful." Moving closer, the tallest figure gently grasps the old man's hand and replies, "Yes, we are your best and oldest friends, but long ago you abandoned us. For we are the unfulfilled promises of your youth. We are the unrealized hopes, dreams and plans that you once felt deeply in your heart, but never pursued. We are the unique talents that you never refined, the special gifts you never discovered. Old friend, we have not come to comfort you, but to die with you."

-Les Brown

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable.

-Denis Waitley


Believe in yourself
and your dreams WILL come true.
I believe in you.

Be true to yourself . . . .

It's true.......your parents, employers, co-workers, and friends all have needs for you to be a certain way. And in all likelihood, you have complied with and conformed to those expectations, at the expense of your own gifts, abilities, and dreams. If you send messages to the people around you that you will passively allow them to assign you roles that you wouldn't have chosen in a million years - they will. The people who really care about you will try to find a way to help you get what you want, even if it scares them for you to change.

Change can be painful, even when it is change for the better. You have the ability to light up your life like you can't believe, and the sooner you understand that, the better. Your abilities will flourish when they are not controlled by someone else's idea of who you should be. Your authentic self is there, it has always been there, and it is fully accessible to you. You are not the exception to this fact. There are no exceptions. 

Above graphic by NayArts via etsy

workisnotajob . . . .

I was blog surfing recently, perusing holzdesign, when I saw the graphic below that I thought was extremely clever. Turns out it's from a company called workisnotajob.....a design studio dedicated to creative inspiration, typography and visual communications. They tell us "we're pretty busy, splitting our time between our own art, independent projects, music, and well, cups of coffee."   

The more I read about this company, the more I was intrigued! Their charming attitude and appealing philosophy is what prompted me to continue reading. Here,  let them explain........

workisnotawhat?

Good question.

"Work" is the transfer of energy. We enjoy transferring our energy into something creative and inspiring. In fact, we'd like to think it's a wonderful opportunity. 

We go about this by following one basic rule: work

If you are active, it will lead to something, something you can work with. We creatively consider 'work' as pleasant activity that offers free development and individual contribution. 

We make little distinction between work and play and strongly believe in inspiration as the magical power to change the world. Your every day activity and commitment, talent and dedication that exceed business hours define your work. Now, what defines a job again?

For us, this is the pursuit of a dream. We feel that workisnotajob..........Oh and who are you not to live your dream? Whatever yours is, start now. 

We hope you feel it too.

Keep up the good work! (andthankyou).

Happiness's greatest secret . . . .

It's not the realization of your dreams that will bring you happiness; most people adjust their dreams as they go, raising the bar higher and higher, and so it should be. We're naturally insatiable creatures; reaching one goal, we immediately fix our sights on the next. These pursuits are adventures. They keep us growing and they keep us alive, which means that by perpetually changing our goals and dreams, the only constant in our lives is the journey we're on - a journey without end and one that is partly based upon attaining "things" we do not yet have. So the trick is learning to find happiness even while you do not yet have all you want, because you never will! Do you see? If we postpone our happiness until our present dreams come true, it becomes a habit without end. Our achieved dreams constantly being replaced by new dreams. To enjoy life means to enjoy the journey even though the journey itself implies that we are incomplete. This is happiness's greatest secret; master it now and you can coast into "the rest of your life."

From the book Infinite Possibilities

by Mike Dooley

Photo by Cameron McDonald

via

One League

You're enough as is . . . .

How is it that you see least what those closest to you see most --- that you're rare and beautiful, strong and able, accomplished and successful? It shouldn't be like this. It's time you saw what the rest of us see, that you're already enough as is, that you deserve to see your dreams manifest, and that you've already bloomed into the kind of person you dreamed you'd one day become.

Ok?
 Beginning to see?

(It just takes a little practice.)

If every flower

tried to look like another,

they'd forget that they're special

and unlike any other.

From the book Choose Them Wisely

by

Mike Dooley


Photo via Faces

Be true to you . . . .

What do you want? Have you made it a priority? You can't give all that you have to give, to yourself and the world, unless you are first true to yourself. Sound selfish? Good! Selfishness doesn't mean you don't care for others, and it doesn't mean you don't lend a hand where needed. It does mean that you understand that your fulfillment, happiness, and laughter count.....big time! It means realizing that your greatest responsibility as a human is not to save the world but to save yourself, because no one else can or will. And it means honoring your own passions, instincts, and desires so that you can always hear the call of your dreams and respond.

Then, as your dreams begin coming true, others will benefit, even people you don't know. Your life begins getting easier. Your vibrations are raised. You begin living with a newfound lightness, projecting an aura that shines onto the darkened paths of others. And the world does, in the end, become a much better place, thanks to the example you've become.

Be true to yourself

in the games that you play,

or it could be your dreams

that you one day betray.

From the book Choose Them Wisely

by Mike Dooley

Photo via Imgfave

What is your YouTube? . . . .

From the time we are in grade school, we're taught to think that the best answers and ideas are in books or come from someone else's head. What the world really needs to know right now is what kind of dreams and crazy ideas are in your head! 

In 2005 three college guys wished they had a simple way to share videos online with their friends, so they threw together a simple invention - a way for virtually any video to play on any web browser, and started their own little company called........

                                     

One year later they sold their company to Google for $1.6 billion, and Time Magazine named their idea "Invention of the Year."

It's easy to come up with big ideas. Just think of something that everyone agrees would be "wonderful" if it were only "possible", and then set out to make it possible.    -Armond Hammer

From the book 5

Where will you be 5 years from today?

by Dan Zadra

To thine own self be true . . . .

No one can ever know like you do what your dreams are in life....what you aspire to do. No one else can know what fulfills you or what drives you; and no one except you can know what potentials & talents lie dormant inside you. If you feel that you're so far off track that you have no idea who the real you is or what your greatest potentials are, then you're probably asking one of the most asked questions of all time. "What should I be doing with my life?"

Here are a couple thoughts from the book Infinite Possibilities that will help anyone get back on track.....

1) Be yourself. It doesn't matter what "hat" you wear as long as you're you. And by being your real self - true to yourself - you'll automatically be led by your own inclinations and impulses to the roles that will please you most at any given point in your life.

2) Deal with what's on your plate. Embrace your current situation for what it is, and for as long as you remain there, be your best and shine like there's no tomorrow. Don't fight it or you'll create such an attachment with your negative thoughts and feelings that you'll anchor yourself in place! Instead, accept it, go with the flow, approve of yourself, and understand its worth and value, and you will rise above anything unpleasant you may now be facing, releasing yourself from the past and the grip your resistance has had on your present circumstances.

3) Follow the fun. This advice may sound irresponsible to some, but it's probably the most responsible thing you can do. Whether or not you feel lost, always follow the fun. That doesn't mean that life should be one nonstop party. Some of the greatest fun can come from the satisfaction of a job well done, like being a good parent or spouse, or growing a flourishing garden. Almost anything can be fun with the proper perspective. You know what gives you peace and fulfillment--you remember the kind of things you liked as a kid--and in this regard you probably haven't changed much. Think back to those times. Scan your life, past and present, and reacquaint yourself with making fun a joy and a priority.

4) Begin it. Whatever you decide to do, begin it. Even if you're not sure what you should be doing with your life, take baby steps, today, in any direction that may possibly resonate with you. Do something. Anything is better than nothing. Move. Take action. Be the spark. Just do what you can. Weave new steps and thoughts into your workdays and throughout your weekends, and inch forward however possible. Be gentle on yourself, forgiving and compassionate, and don't expect overnight enlightenment. It will come, and it will light your way; that's inescapable. And you can accelerate its arrival by simply busying yourself in each moment, addressing what's before you and simply expecting it soon rather than later.

From the book Infinite Possibilities 

by Mike Dooley

Photo by PETRA VAN RAAIJ  via One League Artists

Life is here . . . .

. . . and it is now.....either we meet it, we live it or we miss it. All life resides in the narrow margin and the broad expanse of the moment. It is in the doing, the dreaming, the feeling and the caring. It is always present in a glorious attemt, a lofty dream, a brilliant insight, an irreplaceable experience, a calming breath, an unbelievable feeling and an irrepressible passion. An unlived life is littered with "could haves," "should haves" and "if onlys." Each moment greets us full of possibility and leaves us hoping we are better for having met. While it is true that we only have right now, there will never be a time when it's not now. Grandma Moses said it best, "Life is what we make it, always has been and always will."

-Kobi Yamada

From the book "be"

Oh, the experience of this sweet life.

-Dante

Photo via Getty Images

"Live" is a verb . . .

Life is waiting for you to live it--your way. There is no "life" without you--only an inert potential that needs you to give it meaning, shape, and purpose. "Live" is a verb; it means to take action, and that's the point. Life is waiting for you to take action, to exercise your free will, to choose your path by using its principles to invoke the magic behind creation in order to live the life you've always dreamed you could live. This is why you're here!

Our actions are our beliefs in motion,

linking the present we know

to the future we expect.

From the book Infinite Possibilities

by Mike Dooley

Photo via Getty Images