This MOTIVATIONAL & INSPIRING BOARD is full of wonderful words and thoughts. Read them when you need words of encouragment, words to get you through your day.

Please feel free to post any quotes, words of inspiration, etc. you feel would benefit the board.

Please give credit where credit is due if you know the author

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!

It's Been A Good Year

Look at how far you've come in the last year. And think of how far you can go. Look at all the abundance with which you've been blessed. And think of what you can accomplish with it.

Consider all that you have learned. And think of what you can do with your knowledge and experience. Look at all the people you've come to know. And think of the richness and possibilities that they have added to your life. Reflect on the ones you love, and think of the strength they give you.

No matter what has happened, it's been a good year. You've lived and loved and learned and experienced. Though the lessons may often have been sad, you've lived through the pain, and you've found new joys. Your spirit has soared and your mind has met challenges.

Many things are different than they were last year. Yet you've survived the changes, and made the best of them. You've found strength and purpose in the living. You're alive and living and ready to move forward, full of boundless possibilities.

Look at how far you've already come. And think of how far you can go.

-- Ralph Marston

Time

Money can be saved for later. And money that is wasted can be earned back. But time must be used as it comes, for once a moment is past it will never come again.

You have exactly one chance to make the best of today. And that opportunity is upon you right now. The time you spend today can bring a magnificent and lasting return, or it can bring a lifetime of regret.

Today can never be replaced. It is yours to use right now. You cannot save it for later, but you can turn it into an achievement that will continue to bring value long into the future. Time can be priceless or it can be worthless, depending on what you do with it.

This very day is a vein of the purest gold, waiting to be mined. Your efforts will make that treasure a reality.

PLANT A GARDEN OF SUCCESS!


Plant 5 rows of peas:

Patience
Perseverance
Preparation
Planning
Positiveness

Include 3 rows of squash:

Squash negativity
Squash dieting
Squash deprivation

Add 5 rows of lettuce:

Let us be positive

Let us take responsibility
Let us be in control
Let us reward our accomplishments
Let us be empowered

No garden is complete without turnips:

Turn up with a positive attitude
Turn up with a smile
Turn up with new ideas
Turn up with real determination
Turn up with success

MAY YOUR GARDEN FLOURISH!!!

All of these came from our July 24th board.


"As I journey through life, more and more I learn that accepting myself and my idiosyncrasies - laughing at myself for my ways - gets me a lot further than picking on myself and trying to make myself perfect. Maybe that's really what it's all about - absolute loving, joyous, nurturing self-acceptance."


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"Believe in yourself, open your heart, have faith, celebrate all that is you, trust in your dreams and the Magic will Happen."

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Ask yourself what you are doing today is
getting you closer to where you want to be
tomorrow.

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"Remember one of the universal laws: All things are as they should be in this moment. Let go of the past and accept the gift of the future."



[This message has been edited by Debelli (edited 12-30-2000).]

JUST ONE POUND


Hello! Do you know me?

If you don't, you should. I'm ONE POUND OF FAT and I'm the happiest pound of fat that you would ever want to meet!

Want to know why????

It's because no one ever wants to lose me!! After all, 'm ONLY ONE POUND, just ONE POUND. Everyone wants to lose 3 or 5 or even 15 pounds, but never ONLY ONE. So,
I just stick around and happily keep you fat.

Then, I am free to add to myself, ever so slyly, so that you never seem to notice. That is, until I've grown to 10, 20 or even ore pounds in weight....

YES...it's fun being ONLY ONE POUND of fat...left to do just as I please.

So, when you weigh in, go ahead...just keep right on saying "Oh, I only lost ONE POUND!" (As if THAT were so terrible).

For, you see, if you do this, you'll encourage others to hang around me because they'll think I'm not worth losing. And I LOVE being around you...your arms, your
legs, your chin, your hips and every part of you.

HAPPY DAYS!! After all, I'm ONLY ONE POUND OF FAT.

Dream what you want to dream;
go where you want to go;
be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

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We don't have to do it any better than we can - ever. Do our best for the moment, then let it go. If we have to redo it, we can do our best in another moment, later.
We can never do more or better than we are able to do at the moment. We punish ourselves and make ourselves feel crazy by expecting more than our reasonable best for now.
Striving for excellence is a positive quality.
Striving for perfection is self-defeating. There are days when our best is less than we hoped for. Let those times go. Start over tomorrow. Work things through, until our best becomes better.
There is a time for constructive criticism, but it that's all we give ourselves, we'll give up.
Empowering and complimenting ourselves will not make us lazy. It will nurture us and enable us to give, do, and be out best.

You are the person who has to decide. Whether you'll do it or toss it aside;
You are the person who makes up your mind. Whether you'll lead or will linger behind. Whether you'll try for the goal that's afar. Or just be contented to stay where you are.

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1. As much as my friends and family love me no one can do this for me! If I want to lose weight it is up to me! Friends and family can offer support but in the final decision to eat poorly or not - I HOLD THE FORK!!!!

2. Exercise is not a chore! It is a gift to yourself!!!

3. When you cheat on your weight loss program you are cheating yourself! You also cheating on those who love you and are supporting you!

4. I will not drive myself crazy to lose weight fast. I will reach my goal one step, one day, and one pound at a time.

5. Nothing tastes as good as being slim feels!

6. Remember that it isn't one day that makes the difference in the long run - it is your over all life style!

7. Don't exchange what you want most for what you want at the moment. In other words.... One minute on the lips means a lifetime on the hips!!!

8. I will work harder today to make sure that I am a better person than yesterday.

9. If you do what you have always done, you will get what you've always gotten!

10. Never give up no matter how long it takes!

11. Don't try to solve your problems with a fork!

12. The scale is not the only way to measure success!!!

13. Wrong attitude: I must lose weight to love myself. Right attitude: I love myself enough to lose weight.

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Your presence, is a present to the world.
You are unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be, what you want it to be.
Take days, JUST ONE AT A TIME.

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SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!

This parable is told of a farmer who owned
an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well.
The water wasn't very deep, so the mule could
stand on the bottom. The farmer heard the mule
praying -or- whatever mules do when they fall into wells.
After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer
sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither
the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.
Instead, he called his neighbors together and told
them what had happened...and enlisted them to help
haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him
out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was hysterical.
But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling
and the dirt hit his back a thought struck him.
It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of
dirt landed on his back he should shake it off and step up.
This he did, blow after blow of dirt hitting his back.

"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up."

The old mule repeated to encourage himself. No matter how
painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed the
old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and
stepping up. It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and
exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well.
What seemed like it would bury him, actually helped him, all
because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
That's life.
If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and
refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...the
adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the
very real potential to benefit us. Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember, amateurs built the Ark.
Professionals built the Titanic.

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Begin Again

One of the best things we can do in our lives is this: Begin again

Begin to see yourself as you were
When you were the happiest and strongest you have ever been.

Begin to remember what worked for you
(and what worked against you),
And try to capture the magic again.

Begin to remember how natural it was when you were a child--To live a lifetime in each day.

Begin to forget the baggage you have carried with you for years:
The problems that don't matter anymore,
The tears that cried themselves away,
And the worries that are going to wash away
On the shore of tomorrow's new beginnings.

Tomorrow tell us it will be here every new day of our lives;
And if we will be wise,
We will turn away the problems of the past
And give the future -- and ourselves -- a chance to become the best of friends.

Sometimes all it takes is a wish in the heart to let yourself...BEGIN AGAIN.

Goals are a means to an end, not the ultimate purpose of our lives. They are simply a tool to concentrate our focus and move us in a direction. The only reason we really pursue goals is to cause ourselves to expand and grow. Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy in the long term; it's who you become, as you overcome the obstacles necessary to achieve your goals, that can give you the deepest and most long-lasting sense of fulfillment.


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The people who are the most successful at living are those who can learn to wait successfully. Not many people enjoy waiting or learning patience. Yet, waiting can be a powerful tool that will help us accomplish much good.

We cannot always have what we want when we want it. For different reasons,what we want to do,have,be, or accomplish is not available to us now. But there are things we could not do or have today, no matter what, that we can have in the future. Today,we would make ourselves crazy, trying to accomplish what will come naturally , and with ease later.

We can trust that all is on schedule. Waiting time is not wasted time. Something is being worked out - in us, in someone else, in the Universe.

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"A person who doubts himself is like a man who enlist in the army of his enemy...and bears arms against himself."

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Take it one step at a time. You can do it. Maybe not all at once, but with each step, you'll get closer to where you want to be.

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If you do stray from your goal of eating right, think about your diet as a car and your meals as the wheels that guide your car. If your car was to have a flat tire you would not get out of your car and flatten the other 3 tires instead you would fix the flat tire. The same holds true for your eating habits. If you eat one bad meal don't despair fix it and before you know it your back on the highway of losing weight.

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Sometimes, after we begin to change, things in our life seem to get worse for a time. Our finances, our relationships, or our health seem to deterioriate.

This is temporary; this is a normal part of change and healing. It may be the way things will be for a time, but not for long.

Keep working at change, and the trend will reverse. Before too long, things, and us, will be better than they were before. This time, the foundation will be solid.

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Dare to be yourself.
Emerge,
Unfold,
Unveil your possibilities,
But be natural.
Have no pretenses,
And show your softer side.
Be content,
But don't forget to dream.
And when you do...you will SOAR!

Believe in yourself, in the power you have
To control your own life, day by day!

Believe in the strength that you have deep inside
And your faith will help show you the way!

Believe in tomorrow and what it will bring,
Let a hopeful heart carry you through

For things will work out! If you trust and believe
There's NO LIMIT to what you can do!

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LOSING WEIGHT ISN'T EVERYTHING, BUT THE EFFORT TO LOSE IS.

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Approach each start of the day with something in mind.
And end each day with one word - DONE!

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Here's a few lines that I'd like to express,
that maybe can relieve a fellow dieter's stress.
It's not very fancy, in fact it's quite plain,
but my words are real honest and not too insane.
Live each day to its fullest and never lose faith.
See the goodness and beauty and not just the weight.
The trials and challenges can only enhance
the special person inside, if given the chance.
So stick to your goals even when you're in doubt.
Remember the reasons you first started out.
I will lose all this weight, healthy and wise.
But for now I refuse to be defined by my size!

There once was a girl who ran very slow,
Her true potential she did not know.
In every race she always placed last,
Losing all hope as she got passed.

Her coach encouraged her to just do her best,
Although it hurt her that she couldn't run with the rest.
She went to practice day after day,
Praying to God "Just let me run away."

She wanted to quit she hated the pain.
She didn't know what she had to gain.
One day while she sat at home all alone,
She heard a ring and answered the phone.

" Hello?" she asked in a sad voice.
The caller told her she had but one choice;
"You can cry in pity, you can hide in shame
Or do what you must to get back in the game."

"Excuse me.. but," she began to say.
"No excuses" he replied, "Now be on your way."
She didn't know how, she didn't know why.
She just knew that she must try.

Later that week she ran in a race,
Starting off faster at a quicker pace.
She knew that no one believed she could win;
She was all on her own using strength from within.

As the miles went on, she felt really strong,
Chasing her goal as she went along.
Suddenly the finish line was in her sight,
She knew she could hang on for a finishing fight.

She began to sprint and open her stride.
The crowd cheered on and she filled with pride.
At the finish she was leaning over the line,
Winning as first with a record time.

She looked at her coach, who smiled and said,
"I knew you could do it! It was all in your head!"
A reporter walked up and asked of her name,
"How did you do it? Do you like the fame?"

Questions were asked all and about,
But there was only thing she wanted to shout:
"Anything is possible when you believe
You can attain whatever you set out to achieve."

With that comment she turned with a smile for
"One man's marathon... is another's mile."

--- Copyright © 1999 Lisa N. Redavid
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CHANGE BEGINS WITH CHOICE

by Jim Rohn
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Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to make important changes in our lives. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves."

We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.

We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.

And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life - If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life - and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

Attitude is Everything

Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood.

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it.

I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life.

I choose the positive side of life.

Yeah, right, it's not that easy, you might say. Yes it is, life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations.

You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life.


[This message has been edited by beachfan37 (edited 01-22-2001).]

I had nothing inspirational to say, so I went to my favorite library (the internet). This I found, a quote by John Rohn:

"We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons."

I needed this..... sometimes it's so much easier to eat wrong than to eat right.... but the regret is so painful!!!



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Healthy, Joyful Hugs!

Just For Today

I will live through the next twelve hours and try not to tackle all of life's problems at once. I will learn something useful. I will learn something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will be agreeable. I will look my best, be courteous and considerate. I will not find fault with friend, relative or colleague. I will not try to change anyone but myself. I will have a program. I might not follow it exactly, but I will have it. It will save myself from two enemies - hurry and indecision. I will believe in myself. I will give my best to the world, and feel confident that the world will give its best to me.
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