Inspirational quotes
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How do we look?
“Ten years from now it won’t really matter what shoes you wore today, how your hair looked, or what brand of jeans you bought. What will matter is how you thought about yourself, how you lived, what you learned, and where you applied this knowledge.” ~Marc and Angel Chernoff, Marc & Angel Hack Life Everywhere I look, I’m bombarded by ads for products that promise to erase wrinkles, hide age spots, and make me look 10 years younger. Several of my girlfriends have found the courage to let their hair go gray — and they look beautiful — but I haven’t mustered the courage to do the same. It’s human nature…
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Take a breather
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” ~Etty Hillesum Are you the person who needs to be running 24/7 in order to feel valuable? Are you ever ashamed to admit you need a nap? Is your conversation usually weighted with references to how busy you are? Rest is good for body and soul, and wonderful things happen when we allow ourselves to unwind. Our muscles recover, our stress levels drop. We’re more receptive to fresh ideas when we sit still, breathe deeply, and welcome the silence. When we’re relaxed, we’re also more fun to be around. What would happen…
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Truth-seeking
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” ~Thomas Jefferson Deep down, most of us know the difference between right and wrong, truth and lies. Yet in today’s political culture, too many folks in power don’t respect the truth. Worse yet, their followers don’t seem to mind, listening only to what they want to hear. Here’s a true thing: It takes time and willpower to research the facts, examine all sides of an issue, set aside your own biases, and consider the consequences of all potential outcomes. Thinking for yourself is hard work. At the end of the day, though, you can rest knowing you’ve tried your best…
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The hero on your journey
“It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” ~Joseph Campbell Mythologist Joseph Campbell believed that everyone’s life is a “Hero’s Journey.” Along the way, there are metaphorical dragons to face. We each encounter life-changing challenges or setbacks (sometimes other people) that stand in our way. And while we rarely realize it until later, our biggest challenges and darkest moments contain the greatest lessons. For starters, there was the time I had both hips replaced within five months, in my forties, after a crippling battle with osteoarthritis. Though my surgical recovery took a while, I learned a…
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When things get crazy
“The world is a puzzle. There’s no need to make sense out of it.” ~Socrates If old Socrates thought his world was a puzzle, I wonder what he’d think of our world today? Sometimes, the best we can do is throw our hands in the air and surrender to the chaos — without adding any more to it. That doesn’t mean we should give up entirely, of course. As any good philosopher will tell you, there are situations we can’t change or control. But we can always take care of our own little corner of the world — and aim to find peace and sanity there. ~CL Photo: Clifford’s Coffee…
