Diane von Furstenberg's 10 Rules to Live By.....

Via Pretty Stuff

Our thoughts are where everything begins. With this principle, you can bring virtually anything you can imagine into your life. You've heard this before....what you think about, you bring about. You want more love, more joy, more laughter in your life? If you are focusing on heartache, sadness and ill feelings, you leave no room for the good stuff! Give this a shot today......set those thoughts aside, and imagine your life, (not someone else's).....your life, full of love, joy & laughter. Watch as the players and props in your life are rearranged to bring you the happiness that you deserve.

What are your thoughts?

Choose them wisely!

Happy Friday, my friends!

Have an awesome weekend!

Photo via Lovely Liv Tyler

27 years . . . .

"A long marriage is two people 

trying to dance a duet 

and two solos at the same time."

-Anne Taylor Fleming

Happy Anniversary to my husband.

Thank you for the dance.

xo

5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Gandhi...

1. Be the Change

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

Be the example, be the leader.  If you lead properly people will follow, and together you will change the world.  Anyone can complain, anyone can blame, and most do, but if you desire to change, then “you” be the change.

2. Ask the Right Questions

“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.”

The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions that you dare to ask.  Are you asking the right questions?  Are you asking the right people?  You can’t get answers, without questions; you can’t make progress, without an inquiring mind.

3.  Always Act

“Have a bias towards action – let’s see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away.”

If you’re going to be biased, be biased towards making something happen today.  Tomorrow never comes, any progress to be made, must be made today.  It must be made right now! If you don’t act now, you don’t have a future, just a longer today.  Gandhi said, “The future depends on what we do in the present.”

4. Forgive

“The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

It’s not “weaklings” who are quick-to-forgive; it’s those who are strongest.  The ability to forgive quickly is a sign of strength.  How strong are you? If you’ve been weak in the past, you can begin today to be strong.

5. Monitor Your Beliefs

“Your beliefs become your thoughts.  Your thoughts become your words.  Your words become your actions.  Your actions become your habits.  Your habits become your values.  Your values become your destiny.”

In short, your beliefs will create your destiny.  What do you believe?  What do you believe about yourself, your future, and your potential?  What you believe, you will surely become.

Mr. Self Development is an author who teaches a motivational and practical guide to success. Please visit him at Mr. Self Development.com.

Getting things done . . . .

Happy Monday to you! I am happy to be home, and even happier to be slipping back into my daily routine.  I have a "to-do" list that may take me a few days to get through, and it reminds me of my friend who gets so much joy from the actual "checking off" of the list. As a matter of fact, we often laugh about it because we both realize that it seems silly to get so much satisfaction from doing that, but we know that it's all about the fulfillment of a completed task. To us it feels more like a "ta-da" list! Getting things done, and moving on...yep, always feels so good. A few tips.....be sure to prioritize and keep it short,  otherwise you will begin to feel overwhelmed and you may end up walking away from the entire list. Make it doable, and tackle one thing at a time. You can always add to your list once you've completed a few things. By the end of the week........ you get to enjoy the satisfaction of having it behind you, and the Ta-da!

Have a wonderful day! 

......so do you, and you, & you too! ♥


Photo via lindcherry

Manhattan bound . . . .

Once again, I'm heading to New York this morning for a long weekend and looking forward to enjoying the city during this time of year when the weather is perfect.....sunny & low 70's.  I am not one to head to the city with big plans of taking in several shows or waiting in line for many tourist attractions. I've been there enough to know that I just want to settle in, visit a few of my favorite stores and restaurants, but more importantly, to wander the streets & enjoy the neighborhoods. I especially look forward to snagging a seat at a sidewalk cafe so I can sip a glass of wine, people watch, and take photographs. It truly is one of my favorite things to do. I could table-hop all afternoon at different outdoor cafe's in several different neighborhoods in the city,  just to enjoy the experience itself, the beautiful weather, the fresh air, and the people passing by.

Cheers!

Do you have a favorite outdoor cafe?

If I ever get the chance, 

I would SO leave a note like this on someone's car!

Good Monday morning to you!

Make it a great day!

Happy Friday!

Have a lovely weekend!

Photo by Nils Odier via Agent Bauer

A WOMAN IS OFTEN MEASURED BY THE THINGS SHE CANNOT CONTROL. SHE IS MEASURED BY THE WAY HER BODY CURVES OR DOESN'T CURVE,  BY WHERE SHE IS FLAT OR STRAIGHT OR ROUND. SHE IS MEASURED BY 36-24-36 AND INCHES AND AGES AND NUMBERS, BY ALL THE OUTSIDE THINGS THAT DON'T EVER ADD UP TO WHO SHE IS ON THE INSIDE. AND SO IF A WOMAN IS TO BE MEASURED, LET HER BE MEASURED BY THE THINGS SHE CAN CONTROL, BY WHO SHE IS AND WHO SHE IS TRYING TO BECOME. BECAUSE EVERY WOMAN KNOWS MEASUREMENTS ARE ONLY STATISTICS, AND STATISTICS LIE.

Thank you, 

for this great ad.

The blame game . . . .

We've all heard this one, right?......"When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that three of his fingers are pointing at himself." Unfortunately, there will always be times when other people and/or circumstances  contribute to our problems, but it is up to us to OWN the problem, rise to the occasion, and take responsibility for our own happiness. When something doesn't meet our expectations, many of us operate with the assumption, "When in doubt, it must be someone else's fault." Stop playing the "blame game" and create the life you want for yourself. When you stop blaming others for anything and everything in your life, it doesn't mean that you don't hold people accountable for their actions, but that you hold yourself accountable for your own happiness, and especially for your reactions to other people and the circumstances around you. When the house is a mess, rather than assuming you're the only person doing your part, clean it up! When you're over budget, figure out where you can spend less money. Most important, when you're unhappy, remind yourself that only you can make yourself happy. Blaming others takes an enormous amount of mental energy. It's a "drag-me-down" mindset that creates stress and disease. Blaming makes you feel powerless over your own life because your happiness depends on the actions and behavior of others, which you cannot control. When it's all said and done, we are the reason for our successes and failures. It's time for us to take responsibility for our own life. When you stop blaming others, you will regain your sense of personal power. You will see yourself as a choice maker. Life is a great deal more fun and much easier to manage when we stop blaming others.

"A man may fall many times, 

but he won't be a failure until he says someone pushed him."

-Elmer G. Letterman

Once upon a time . . . .

Happy Monday!

Make it a great day!