Power of a smile...

"Happiness looks gorgeous on you."

Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

One day at a time...

"Just breathe."

- Anonymous

Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Happy hour...

"Is it time for champagne yet?"

- Anonymous

Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Rising up...

"You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It won't happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, "I don't care how hard this is, I don't care how disappointed I am, I'm not going to let this get the best of me. I'm moving on with my life."

- Pinterest.com

There are so many things in life we end up needing to mourn; that great apartment or house we didn't get, a job/promotion/award that went to someone else, a relationship we thought would last forever, a friendship that just doesn't seem to work anymore, foods that our body is seemingly at war with etc. What can we do, but acknowledge the understandable sadness, anger and disappointment. Then maybe sulk for a bit, Lol ;)  ... and then hopefully cheer up and move forward with curiosity and hope. Just sayin'. Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

I know or I can?

"I know when to stop. I know when to let things go. I know when to move on. But "I know" is different from "I Can" ...

- Flickr.com

Profound. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Live by design...

Some bold laws from Dianna Kokoszka, author, coach, trainer, Entrepreneur of the Year, Woman of the Year:

1. Focus on the solution, not the problem.
2. Complaining is a garbage magnet.
3. What you focus on expands.
4. Do what you have always done, and you will get what you have always gotten.
5. Don't compare your insides to other people's outsides.
6. Success is simple, but not easy.
7. Don't listen to your drunk money.
8. Clarity is power.
9. Don't mistake movement for achievement.
10. Spontaneity is a conditioned reflex.
11. People will grow into the conversations you create around them.
12. How you participate here is how you participate everywhere.
13. Live your life be design, not by default.

Look her up. No question, she knows what she's talking about! Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Too serious?...

"A good lesson in keeping your perspective is: Take your job seriously but don't take yourself seriously."

- Thomas P. O'Neill

"The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don't have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it."

- Chris Pine, actor

This can take time, practice, patience and kindness to ourselves and others. Being "triggered" and smoothing out long standing rough edges - not so easy. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Heaven and hell...

"Everyone who has ever built a new heaven first found the power to do so in his own hell."

- Friedrich Nietsche, philosopher

No escaping the tough times in life, that's for sure, but some of the best things come out of the dumps. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

No fair continued...

"The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places."

- Bryant H. McGill, American author, speaker and activist in the fields of self-development, personal freedom and human rights

Nice to hear someone say it out loud. In the corporate world, they say the easiest way to get rid of someone is to promote them upward and out. It's not so easy to fire someone. Yikes! Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

The question of love...

What is true love? Does the Hollywood or Jane Austen brand of  romantic love exist? Should love take work? ... etc... I think we may be at the mercy of our experiences and observations to date. I hear so many people refer to the latest divorce statistics or the one or two happily married couples they know of. Fair points. Even a high profile motivational speaker I met one day talked about "realistic" expectations and putting a limit on just how perfect we expect a relationship to be. I mean, does perfect really exist in life anyway? Not really. On the other hand, some relationships are easier than others and there's no doubt we are more compatible with some people than others. Maybe it's a matter of deciding on more joy, and a higher level of connection and compatibility for ourselves. Just sayin'  :) 

Blessings,

Chatgirl 

Not fair ;)...

"The only thing that makes life unfair is the delusion that it should be fair."

- Dr Steven Maraboli

Good point, Lol ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Wanting...

"If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever."

- Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior

There's another quote that says something like "As soon as you stop wanting something, you get it." Another quote says "What you focus on expands, so spend lots of time thinking about what you want." So, moral of the story, keep the wanting in check?

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Harnessing aggression...

"The wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win."

- Chinese statesman Zhuge Liang, also known as Crouching Dragon

The goal is to harness aggressiveness constructively; be brave, crafty and graceful in the face of fear and rely on strategy and good timing instead of brute strength.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Self-discipline...

"Success means doing things you don't want to do."

- Rory Vaden, Author, Inspirational Speaker and Self-Discipline Strategist

Rory Vaden's book Take the Stairs is a #1 Wall St Journal, #1 USA Today and #2 New Work Times best seller. Rory is the world's leader on defining the psychology around modern day procrastination, and "Priority Dilution," a term he coined. He talks about conquering fears and taking immediate action in our lives. Might be some good motivational reading.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Please yourself...

10 Ways to Please Yourself!

1. Stop doing things you don't want to do!
2. Communicate clearly!
3. Stop people pleasing!
4. Say what you really mean!
5. Trust your instincts!
6. Never, ever talk down to yourself!
7. Follow your inspirations!
8. Don't be afraid to say "No"
9. Don't be afraid to say "Yes"
10. Be your own best friend!

- compliments of  all-greatquotes.com

Having said that, of course there's a balance between pleasing ourselves and wanting the people we care about to be happy too :)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

No fair...

"Not every day is a good day,  live anyway.
Not all you love will love you back, love anyway.
Not everyone will tell you the truth, be honest anyway.
Not all deals are fair, play fair anyway."

- pinterest.com

I like that :) Helps you live with yourself and sleep soundly at night. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Chillax...

"Within you is the power to rise above any situation or struggle, and transform into the brightest, strongest version of you EVER!"

- Pinterest.com

I'm beginning to realize, with life being the long and winding road it is, that going with the flow may be crucial. Reacting and agonizing over every misstep is draining and on top of it, life is certainly not fair. Okay, so we're never gonna be Gandhi, but things might be easier if we can chillax even a tad more. I'm really gonna try and take my own advice, Lol! Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Broken...

"Strength of character isn't always about how much you can handle before you break, it's also about how much you can handle after you've broken."

- livelifehappy.com

Defeat is a special kind of pain. We have no choice but to dust ourselves off and set a new course.  :( Just sayin' ...

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Buy in....

Is it just me, or is it a struggle motivating ourselves at times? Even if we're typically disciplined and task-oriented, there are days when the couch (or some form of escapism) is more appealing. So if we can't even get buy in from ourselves, we might need to build in some breathing room for others, when we want or need them to do things for us. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Emotional courage...

Valued therapists talk about the importance of emotional courage in our quest for joy and peace in life. This involves being profoundly honest to self and others. When we know who we really are and we can accept what we need to do for our own stability, well being and happiness, we have a better shot at meeting our own needs. From there, we can say 'yes' or 'no' to others. With good boundaries, we can choose or not choose to do do things out of duty and obligation (rather than manipulation and guilt), with careful forethought and consideration for how this will affect our level of self-care. This is not actually that easy because it involves standing up to people and having our own backs. For example, family members may make us feel responsible for giving of ourselves when at times would be better off taking care of ourselves. Selfish or self-care? Just sayin' ....

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Auto pilot...

"The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to seeing them that we call them ordinary things."

- Hans Christian Anderson

Yup. Auto pilot and/or pre-occupation with this or that! Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Secret of life...

"The secret of life," said sculptor Henry Moore to poet Donald Hall, "is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for your whole life. And the most important thing is -- it must be something you cannot possibly do."

Hmmm.... For me, I guess it's wanting/needing/trying to understand human nature. Yup, fits. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Inner "manic commentary"...

"The voices in our heads are our constant companions. They fill our inner sanctuary with streams of manic commentary. Often we're not fully cognizant of the bedlam, since the outer world dominates our focus. As soon as we close our eyes and turn our attention inward, we are immersed in the jabbering babble. Spend unprecedented amounts of quality time with the still, small voice at your core -- the wise guide that is often drowned out by all the noise."

- Rob Brezny

A lot of wisdom out there speaks to how fearful and crazy making our brains can be. Be nice to quiet the stress of it all. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Lot in life...

I was reminded of my favourite therapist's wisdom. I'll paraphrase; "Some things are just our lot in life. We cannot change who our parents are or where we were born. We cannot change the things that have happened to us." In other words, some of the "wounds" and "limitations" we are destined to carry with us for life. And that's the best we can do. Just sayin'

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Resistance...

"The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

Life will always bring challenges, that's for sure. Sigh. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Transcendent....

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.
Impossible is not a fact.
It's an option.
Impossible is not a declaration.
It's a dare.
Impossible is potential.
Impossible is temporary.
Impossible is nothing.

- Muhammad Ali, 1942-2016

Rest in peace brave warrior.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

"Don't do what I did, ask what I asked" (Re: Eat, Pray, Love journey)

"Many people write for advice on replicating the Eat, Pray, Love journey. They believe the geographical journey will give them the same result. What's the name of the Naples pizzeria, they ask? But it's not about the pizza, it's about the questions we ask. Ask, what do I want to do with my life? What I want more of? Less of? When was I happiest? What was I doing then? Who makes me feel the world is full of possibilities? Who doesn't? Ask the right questions; become a scientist of your own experience."

- Elizabeth Gilbert, Author of Eat, Pray, Love

We're all on our own journey, right? :)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

"Keep showing up" ...

"When we try and don't succeed, it hurts. But the worst response is 'If this is what it feels like to give 100 per cent, I'll never do it again. I'll never trust/tell anyone my dreams/love.' If you say that, what's the rest of your life to be? You're going to be in death's waiting room, paying bills till your time's up. If you can have happy moments, you're not done yet. Keep showing up. There's no success more meaningful than being a curious and engaged human being."

- Elizabeth Gilbert, Author of Eat, Pray, Love

Quitting is always an option, but probably doesn't feel as good as succeeding at something we kept trying at. Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Perspective shift...

"Evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit. Despair is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic genius. Pleasure is your birthright. Receptivity is a superpower."

- Rob Brezny, Author of Pronoia is the Antidote for Paranoia

Makes you think... Just sayin' ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl