Oh........

What a Wonderful World Louis Armstrong from noktasat on Vimeo.

What's your challenge this week? . . . .

Good Monday morning to you! I've said this before....every Monday we get another chance to begin again.  Another chance to complete a task that we may have been putting off. Is there something that you've been procrastinating about?  Don't postpone it anymore! Wouldn't it be great if Friday arrived and you were able to put that task behind you?  It's only 5 days away!  Do you have the discipline it takes? It is often way too easy to do nothing, to let it sit, or to say it can wait. Gather up every ounce of your strength and use your willpower muscle or lose it! When Friday arrives, and you've completed the challenge, reward yourself! Decide today what that reward will be and focus.  Come back on Friday, and let me hear from you about  your accomplishment! You can do it!

The more you exercise your will power, the stronger you'll get.

"It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it."

-Vince Lombardi

Pure pleasures of birthdays . . . .

It's my birthday weekend and I'm ready to celebrate! I love posting the"Pure Pleasures" of life, so today I'm sharing some of the things I adore about birthdays. 

What do you enjoy about birthdays?

Cupcakes.

Candles.

Celebrating with friends.

Party hats.

Indulging.

Surprises.

Happy Friday!

Have a lovely weekend!

Photo credits:

#1, 3 & 5 via Getty Images

#2 Miwaza Jemimah via flickr

#4 Sara Seeton via flickr

Photo by James Strack via One League Artists

Top graphic from the book Live Good

by Kobi Yamada

Photo via  Anthropologie

What will matter . . . .

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, 

hours or days.

All things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten

will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power 

will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned 

or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations

and jealousies will finally disappear.

So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans 

and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important 

will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from

or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?

How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not your success

but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned

but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity,

compassion, courage, or sacrifice

that enriched, empowered or encouraged others

to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence

but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew,

but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories,

but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered,

by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.

-Unknown

Photo via Google Images

Photo by Konstantin Sutyagin via flickr 

You have the power . . . .

Happy Friday!  Is your day shaping up the way you would hope? If not, ask yourself what one thing you could do today that would make a positive difference in your life and the lives of others. First of all, begin by adjusting your attitude.  What are you telling yourself today about who you are and what you can do? Do you believe that you can't make a difference? That you have no power? That you're not important enough? I read an article recently that said "Until you can recognize the magnificent potential that is locked up inside you, strapped down by all those negative beliefs, you will not be able to release it and live to your full potential." Thank you Johan Campbell! How amazing is that? His article goes on to say, (and I'm paraphrasing); We are so busy trying to please other people, often at the expense of our own desires, that we have no time for our own happiness. This you must know..... there are people who love you, there are people who care about you but until you learn to love yourself, until you learn to care about yourself, until you learn to respect yourself, you will never truly appreciate the love, care and respect of others. 

You have the greatest power of any living thing on this planet. You have the power of choice. You have the power to choose how to behave, what to say and when to say it. You have the power to control your attitude. You have the power to make a difference.

Act as if what you do 
makes a difference.

It does.

-William James

Mistakes are a fact of life . . . .

You've got to have an atmosphere 

where people can make mistakes.

If we're not making mistakes,

we're not going anywhere.

-Gordon Forward

We have all failed many times, although we may not remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn't you? Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat? Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs. We can't worry about failure. Our biggest worry should be about the chances we miss when we don't try. 

And how true are these words from Dan Ward?........Rather than acknowledge a mistake, nations have gone to war, families have separated, and individuals have sacrificed everything clear to them. Admitting that you are wrong is just another way of saying that you are wiser today than yesterday.

Mistakes are a fact of life.

It is the response to the error

that counts.

-Nikki Giovanni


From the book I  Believe In You

Via Notes from the Universe

Photo by Shelbie Dimond via Flickr

Graphic via the notebook doodles

Find your wings! . . . .

Everyone has inside him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!

-Anne Frank


Happy Friday!
Have a lovely weekend!


Photo via Google Images

What signals are you sending? . . . .

Imagine that all your actions, including the comments that you make, are like drops of water falling into a pond. The ripples they make represent the signals that you send out to the people around you. As the waves hit the bank they turn and come back toward you. Most of the time, by sending out goodness, we can expect goodness to come back to us. I understand that this doesn't happen 100% of the time. We will always encounter those who choose to keep their best behavior to themselves. But I have found that if you live your life this way, the rewards are much greater than you expect.

If our thoughts are dark and our view of life is bleak, only the dark and the bleak will find us. Make a point of focusing your mind on positive thoughts. View your life as full and rich. Learn to trust and love all that you have and all that you are. It is then that the waves of goodness will come splashing back and shower you with the warmth and love that you desire.

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

-Mother Teresa

Stepping stones . . . .

We literally have infinite potential to achieve our goals.....even those that seem the most far-off. Mark out realistic stepping stones toward your aims, and try each day to work toward reaching another stone. Most importantly, do not feel disappointed if, on one day, you make only half your intended progress, or even no progress at all. The mere act of thinking about your goals will bring you closer to them. Believe in yourself!

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now 

and make a brand new ending.

-Unknown

Laugh it off . . . .

The alarm has just gone off, and the urge to go back to sleep is insistent. There is nothing funny about waking up for work; you're likely thinking about why you didn't get enough sleep, or who stole all the covers, or how someone's snoring kept you up half the night. What could possibly be funny about this awful hour in the morning? What person in their right mind wakes up laughing, asks your tired, grumpy self. 

• Lying on your back, eyes closed, think back on a ridiculous thing you (or someone you know) did that now makes an outrageously hilarious story.

• Remember a time you laughed really hard. Who were you with? What happened to make you laugh?

See if you can coax a chuckle out of your calamities. Learn to laugh at yourself more often. Lighten up, so laughter can spill forth from your everyday routine.

From the book Five Good Minutes

Photo via One League Artists

Friendships and growth . . . .

Being honest with a friend about a problem between the two of you, and having your thoughts embraced, is probably the most cleansing, wonderful feeling that can take place between two people who love each other. It's never an easy thing to do. As a matter of fact, it's pretty hard. But I've realized that there is nothing more necessary than doing so. Do you have a friend with whom you've been forthright with? Have you felt that once you've gotten to the other side of the conversation, it truly is purifying? Not only that, but at this stage you are allowed to begin again! How great is that? You are allowed a new starting point! It would be wise to remember how precious friendships are, and to remember how few opportunities we have to develop depth with another person. If you've had that chance, cherish it. Nurture it. Value it. Look after it.  Protect it, and realize that those kind of friendships are rare, will never come easy, and should be honored.

Photo via Google Images

I believe . . . .

Simple advice . . . .

A United States Brigadier General once said, "I will provide you with the one piece of advice which I believe will contribute more to making you a better leader, will provide you with greater happiness and self-esteem and at the same time advance your career more than any other advice which I can provide you. Any one of you can do it. And that advice is that you must care!"

Bad things don't happen

because we care, they happen

when we don't care.

-Elizabeth Matthews


Photo by James Strack via One League Artists

Life Is Wonderful . . . .

This song, "Life is Wonderful" by Jason Mraz is completely sweet and full of meaning.

It truly does 'take the one to have the other'.

Enjoy, and have a wonderful weekend! 

Photo via Google Images

I'm getting there . . . .

• Get back on track after a long holiday weekend.  √
• Find new inspiration.  
• Complete one random act of kindness......(anonymously).
• Eat healthy after a weekend of complete indulgence.  
• Say thank you - (out loud).  √
• Pay attention.  √
• Give one thing away.
• Nurture one friendship.  √
• Fix something.
• Laugh.  √
• Clear my inbox.  
• Enjoy the journey.  √

Have a wonderful day!  √

Pure pleasures . . . .

A handwritten note.

Fresh summer vegetables.

Relaxing on the beach.

Finding the perfect dress.

Knowing you have so much to be grateful for.

Ice cold milk. (With cookies, of course.)

My '79 Super Beetle.

 All photo's via Google Images

except

'Relaxing on the beach' via One League Artists

and 'Finding the perfect dress' via Lerkenfeldt Photography

In case you didn't know, you couldn't tell, or you haven't heard; if you're reading this right now on a computer, you're rich. If you have somewhere to go today, you're connected. And if there is anyone, anywhere, who for any reason knows where you are in this moment, you are loved.

via Notes from the Universe

Photo by Stacy Magallon via flickr