[4us]

A friend of mine is reaching her weight loss goal and I had promised to make her a scrapbook of her journey when she did. I was wondering if any of you could share with me any songs, poems or quotes that you might find inspirational or relate to the weight loss journey. I would really appreciate it!
Thanks!
Christine

[Lolene]

Here is one that I like...Lolene

A Woman of Strength

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape...
But a woman of strength builds relationships to keep her soul in shape.
A strong woman isn't afraid of anything...
But a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.
A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her...
But a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone.
A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future...
A woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be unexpected blessings and
capitalizes on them.

A strong woman wears a look of confidence on her face...
But a woman of strength wears grace.
A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey...
But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

I can handle anything that life throws at me.
I may not be able to handle it well, or correctly, or gracefully, or with finesse,
or expediently, but I will handle it.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as
well dance!

Hugs to all my "women of strength" family and friends!

[Joni135]

Christine - what a great idea; how sweet of you....

I have this on my bulletin board. It's by George Allen.

What is a workout?

A workout is 25 percent perspiration and 75 percent determination. Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self-discipline. Doing it is easy once you get started.

A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday. It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind, and toughens the spirit. When you work out regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows.

A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is the badge of a winner-- the mark of an organized, goal-oriented person who has taken charge of his, or her, destiny.

A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence. It is a way of preparing for life's challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.

A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental fitness are the triggers that can release it.

A workout is form of rebirth. When you finish a good workout, you don't simply feel better, YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF.

[Mama Nicole]

Pearl ought to beable to enlighten you

[bizlawchik]

I keep this quote on my bulletin board at work and in my backpack for school...

"Whatever you want in life, you must give up something to get it. The greater the value, the greater the sacrifice required of you. Everything has a price. There's a price to pay if you want to make things better, and a price to pay for just leaving things as they are. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily."

Max Steingart


Also... here's a quote from Sugarland's song Settlin'...

I ain't settlin' for just gettin' by
I've had enough so so for the rest of my life
Tired of shootin' too low so raise the bar high.
Just enough, ain't enough this time
I ain't settlin' for anything less than everything.


And another Sugarland... Something More...

Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate
I believe that happiness is something we create
You best belive that I'm not gonna wait
'Cause there's gotta be something more

There's gotta be something more
Gotta be more than this
I need a little less hard time
I need a little more bliss
I'm gonna take my chances
Taking a chance I might
Find what I'm looking for
There's gotta be something more

[Joni135]

Cassi - those are great....I love Sugarland.

[bizlawchik]

And, of course, my favorite quote, but totally non-related...

"Tact is the ability to tell him to go to **** and have him be happy to be on his way."

[Jrny2aNewMe]

Also slightly off-topic, my all-time favorite is:

Dear Lord:
So far today, I'm doing all right.
I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been gerry, grumpy, nasty selfish, or self-indulgent. I have not whined, complained, cursed or eaten any chocolate. I have charged nothing on my credit card.
But, I will be getting out of bed in a minute and I think that I will really need your help then.

[Dan2112]

There was a moment this week, at the Rush concert, where I was literally brought to tears. The beauty of this song always gets me "right there" if you know what I mean. The music and the message of this song combined never, ever fail to move me. And to see it live was an incredibly powerful moment.

The album this comes from, "Hold Your Fire", is all about the different aspects of taking a journey and how that point of the journey is not about arrival, but the journey itself.. Weight loss, for many of us, is a journey.. And while the ultimate "arrival" is hitting our goal, if we do it right, the journey there teaches us more about ourselves than we could ever imagine. You can read the lyrics here, but I encourage you to find this song and listen to it with the lights off and the volume up... I did find a video of the song on youtube, honoring the Columbia astronauts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm2pKb3idYs

Afterall, this journey we're all on is indeed, a mission...


"Mission"

Hold your fire
Keep it burning bright
Hold the flame 'til the dream ignites
A spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission

I hear their passionate music
Read the words that touch my heart
I gaze at their feverish pictures
The secrets that set them apart

When I feel the powerful visions
Their fire has made alive
I wish I had that instinct
I wish I had that drive

Spirits fly on dangerous missions
Imaginations on fire
Focused high on soaring ambitions
Consumed in a single desire

In the grip of a nameless possession
A slave to the drive of obsession
A spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission

I watch their images flicker
Bringing light to a lifeless screen
I walk through their beautiful buildings
And I wish I had their dreams
But dreams don't need to have motion
To keep their spark alive
Obsession has to have action
Pride turns on the drive

It's cold comfort
To the ones without it
To know how they struggled
How they suffered about it
If their lives were exotic and strange
They would likely have gladly exchanged them
For something a little more plain
Maybe something a little more sane

We each pay a fabulous price
For our visions of paradise
But a spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission

[mgresso]

This is a really good one for a lot of circumstances. I like to have it posted at work. But it can apply to our weight loss journey, too!

ATTITUDE
by: Charles Swindoll
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

[4us]

Thanks for all your input I love them all!

[dolphn545]

Originally Posted by Jrny2aNewMe

Also slightly off-topic, my all-time favorite is:

Dear Lord:
So far today, I'm doing all right.
I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been gerry, grumpy, nasty selfish, or self-indulgent. I have not whined, complained, cursed or eaten any chocolate. I have charged nothing on my credit card.
But, I will be getting out of bed in a minute and I think that I will really need your help then.

Love it!!