Swiped from mnmlist.com: the only thing you can change

You can’t change your entire life.

You can only change your next action.

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You can’t change a relationship with a loved one.

You can only change your next interaction.

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You can’t change your entire job.

You can only change your next task.

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You can’t change your body composition.

You can only change your next meal.

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You can’t change your fitness level.

You can only start moving.

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You can’t declutter your entire life.

You can only get choose to get rid of one thing, right now.

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You can’t eliminate your entire debt.

You can only make one payment, or buy one less unnecessary item.

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You can’t change the past, or control the future.

You can only change what you’re doing right now.

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You can’t change everything.

You can only change one, small thing.

And that’s all it takes.

I am not taking credit for this- just wanted to share! :)

Today, we should

Do something that makes you think. Solve a problem. Crack a code. Play some chess.
Find a newspaper and do the crossword! Just get your brain working. It feels weird and strangely good. Here are some suggestions to get your synapses firing:

http://www.logic-puzzles.org/
You're given limited information and, using a chart, have to fill in the blanks.

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/games/Cryptoquote.html
Crack the code to read the message.

http://thinks.com/daily_crossword.htm
Daily crossword puzzles

http://www.jigzone.com/
Jigsaw puzzles

:)

Decisions

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"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action,
you haven't truly decided."
-Tony Robbins
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My decision that I've FINALLY acted on: reading the news more. I made FOX and BBC my homepages yesterday. Operation be more involved in the world and have something to talk about. (For example, today is a day of mourning in Moscow, Russia)

p.s. I don't know about you, but puppies always make me feel better. That and reading a good book. :) Have a good Tuesday.

Source: lululemon.com

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• Drink FRESH water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.

• A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress.
• Do one thing a day that scares you.
• Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions.
• Write down your short and long-term GOALS four times a year. Two personal, two business and two health goals for the next 1, 5 and 10 years. Goal setting triggers your subconscious computer.
• Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.
• Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.
• That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least.
• Stress is related to 99% of all illness.
• Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.
• The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!
• Friends are more important than money.
• Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life.
• Take various vitamins. You never know what small mineral can eliminate the bottleneck to everlasting health.
• Don’t trust that an old age pension will be sufficient.
• Visualize your eventual demise. It can have an amazing effect on how you live for the moment.
• The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.
• Live near the ocean and inhale the pure salt air that flows over the water, Vancouver will do nicely.
• Observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain.
• Practice yoga so you can remain active in physical sports as you age.
• Dance, sing, floss and travel.
• Children are the orgasm of life. Just like you did not know what an orgasm was before you had one, nature does not let you know how great children are until you have them.
• Successful people replace the words “wish”, “should” and “try” with “I will”.
• Creativity is maximized when you’re living in the moment.
• Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce. Mediocre is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and will give you a lousy life.
• lululemon athletica creates components for people to live longer, healthier and more fun lives. If we can produce products to keep people active and stress-free, we believe the world will become a much better place.
• Do not use cleaning chemicals on your kitchen counters. Someone will inevitably make a sandwich on your counter.
• SWEAT once a day to regenerate your skin.
• Communication is COMPLICATED. We are all raised in a different family with slightly different definitions of every word. An agreement is an agreement only if each party knows the conditions for satisfaction and a time is set for satisfaction to occur.
• What we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
• The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.

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Enjoy!

When was...

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I don't know about you guys, but I am personally so GLAD it is Friday. I'm still weak from being sick and my body can not wait to get some more rest. TGIF!

Getting There

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"Most of what you do with your free time revolves around habits, so you’ll have to make a habit of working toward your dreams. Developing new habits takes time, diligence, and practice."
-tinybuddha

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!
:)

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:)

March 14 = 3.14...

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Happy Pi Day! :D

If I'm lucky, I might be eating some pie later today (banana cream if I'm really lucky)- how about you?
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Today's bonus points: go to piday.org and gain some knowledge!

Doing new things isn't just fun,

it will open up a world of opportunity and a new way to look at life.

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr

Tasking, Time, and Enjoying

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I was recently reading a very good article on using time wisely from that awesome other inspirational blog, tinybuddha, when I noticed that it stated a contradiction. First, saying one should single-task... and then a few bulletpoints down saying one should double-task. Whah?!

I thought about it for a moment before realizing what it was really saying (please excuse the dead-bird imagery):

Killing one bird with one stone is good. (Single tasking)
Doing one thing at a time, such as enjoying a refreshing beverage, is a good practice. It allows the mind to focus on one thing, take that thing in, and enjoy it fully.
Killing two birds with one stone is good, and possibly better. ("Double" tasking)
Doing one thing that accomplishes two ends is even better as far as making good use of time. Think of playing tennis or chess with a friend (you're maintaining a relationship AND building your skills). Or maybe you invite a neighbor over for dinner (doing a good deed AND eating AND having someone to test your new recipe on-bwahaha)
Killing two birds with two separate stones at the same time is not good. ("Multi" tasking)
(Let me take this opportunity to say that texting while driving is NOT OKAY. I don't want to pull out a statistic (as Mark Twain said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."), but a surprising number of people wind up in the emergency room every year from WALKING while texting. Just don't. Whoever you're talking to can wait.) Multitasking is, simply, doing multiple things poorly at the same time. Not to mention that you can't really enjoy something you're not focusing on.

I encourage you to read the tinybuddha article linked to above for more on making the most of your time! :)

Something I Found, Awesome

Want to buy this shirt? Go to: http://wordboner.spreadshirt.com/-I10186416

Huggy Thursday

Hugs are great. Hugging a friend.. or a pillow... (or a pillow while looking at your friend, like, "Yeah, this is what you've got coming, buddy.")...

...hugging a cute little animal (gently, of course)...

...Hugging a best friend...

...or anyone you feel a connection with...

...even if that someone is a tree...

...maybe you'll want to hug 'old movie' style...

...or 'you're my best furry little buddy' style...

So let the hugs flow! Even a kitty can do it!

Just be careful when giving hugs to cacti,

And if the hug fails, go ahead and try again. :)

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Then always keep the door open, so that opportunity doesn’t have to knock.

Also termed as "planned happenstance" it is your responsibility to "create your own luck" instead of waiting for things to magically fall into your lap (they won't). You have to initiate your own luck by taking positive action to create opportunities for yourself. Remember that the good things in life are earned :)

If you're interested in reading some articles about this topic, I have a few I could recommend :)

Where There's a Will...

You only need TWO things to DO ANYTHING:

1) a WILL
2) a WAY

You can't do anything until you have these two things. A plan and the willingness to carry it out. More often than not, it's the will that is lacking.

Another route to happiness

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mnmlist (and enjoy your Friday!)

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This is one of those infrequent times when I share a little bit about myself. :) I don't know about anyone else, but there are a few fantasies I have always sort of had, and I can't explain why. And, they tend to be of places. The one I want to bring up in particular is of a big window letting light pour onto a bed with fluffy white blankets, pillows, and sheets. Whenever I go off daydreaming about my future home, this image is there. Simple, bright, and beautiful (and clean, because I love the clean).

At the heart of it, I believe that all of us are simple and want simple things. Love, happiness, safety, etc. And in a world where we are always wanting more more more and even in a blogosphere that is full of stuff-lust, it's healthy and even a relief to remember that it's all pretty simple. Going with this idea, here is today's bit of inspiration:

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"Stop buying unnecessary things.
Toss half your stuff, learn contentedness.
Reduce half again.

List 4 essential things in your life,
stop doing non-essential things.
Do these essentials first each day, clear distractions
focus on each moment.

Let go of attachment to doing, having more.
Fall in love with less."

source: mnmlist.com
Thanks to Katie for finding this!

The Statement You Are About to See is a Complete Lie

You do not need any more money than you have right now (even if that means none) to be happy. Really!

Think about this one:

The grass isn't greener on the other side, it's greener where you water it.

If-

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Today

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“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity [or felineity] cannot survive.” -Dalai Lama

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FRIDAY!

Why?

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Inspiration for the Year of the Tiger

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Happy Chinese New Year, Everyone!
And have a great week. :)
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"There is only one success, to be able to spend your life in your own way." (anonymous)

Oh yeah, and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

The most important

"The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet."
~Shunryu Suzuki

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TGIF! :)

Try

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Have a good Monday. I mean it. You deserve it.
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photo by Amy Krill

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Have a good weekend; get out there.

Don't push off your opinions or feelings.

source:weheartit

To all you procrastinators out there...

"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you won't do anything with it." ~M. Peck

Happy February!

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"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love."
-Rumi

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May this be the best February yet! Cheers!

Remember:

Life is beautiful!
Have a nice Sunday, everyone :)

Outlook

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"Your outlook on life is a direct reflection on how much you like yourself."
-Lululemon

On the way

source:weheartit

“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
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Happy Monday.

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"Winter is long, but Spring will come."
-Amy, in a rare moment of wisdom

Thankfully, we can simulate spring by starting things afresh.
We (your awesome inspire-ers) are shaking off the winter blues by switching up templates (hope you like this one).
What will you do to shake off the blues?
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Please pause to answer our poll. Or the next post will be a frowny face.