Inspirational quotes

  • Competition,  Inspirational quotes,  Motivation,  Rumi quotes and poetry

    And the winner is …

    “Take someone who doesn’t keep score,who’s not looking to be richer, or afraid of losing,who has not the slightest interest evenin his own personality: He is free.” ~Rumi  A little competition is a good thing. It can keep us motivated and productive. In the business world, for instance, a competitive spirit gives us an edge. In sports, you can’t have much of a game without competing against another team or contestant. Somebody’s gotta win, right? That said, I’ve always felt uneasy around competitive folks who act as if everything in life is a race or a contest — the folks who always worry that they’re not getting the biggest piece of…

  • Books change lives,  Inspirational quotes,  Personal growth

    The joys of reading

    “The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” ~Alan Bennett, The History Boys I’m a lucky reader with an active book club in my own neighborhood. Once a month, I get to walk down the street or around the corner to a friend’s home to discuss a novel or memoir that I might…

  • Aging well,  Grief and loss,  Inspirational quotes,  Personal growth,  Risk taking

    When one door closes …

    “When certain people walk away from you, or certain opportunities close their doors on you, there is no need to hold on….Take it as a direct indication that these people, circumstances, or opportunities are not part of the next chapter in your life. It’s a sign that your growth requires someone different or something more, and life is simply making room.” ~Marc & Angel Hack Life I’ve faced a lot of closed doors, having worked in journalism for 40 years. The internet has changed this business in countless ways, closing down (or shrinking) many favorite print publications that regularly published my work. Like so many of my fellow journalists, I’ve…

  • Happiness,  Inspirational quotes

    Within our reach

    As we work on our resolutions in the new year, it’s easy to lose sight of the good things within our reach right now. While big goals inspire motivation, they also keep us hyper-focused on the future. For instance, we might convince ourselves that we won’t be happy until we drop another 15 pounds, find the perfect job, or remodel the kitchen. Walt Whitman believed that happiness is attainable in the present moment. Think of the pleasures and victories you’ve enjoyed so far this year. ~CL

  • Inspirational quotes,  Nature

    True Nature

    “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” ~Vincent van Gogh Like many other parts of the country, we were hit with a major snowstorm this weekend. Luckily, our neighborhood didn’t suffer through a power outage, nor did we get quite as much snow as our local meteorologists predicted. Still, after an exceptionally mild winter start, the weekend storm was a big blast of reality. Watching the blizzard outside our windows Friday night, I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of our first snowfall of the season. In the morning, however, after discovering that we’d lost some tree branches, it didn’t look so pretty. Regardless, as today’s quote…