Goals & Growth

The happiest life is that which constantly exercises and educates what is best in us.

Hamerton

Energy and persistence conquer all things.

Benjamin Franklin

A man who finds no satisfaction in himself will seek for it in vain elsewhere.

La Rochefoucauld

It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Don't bunt. Aim out of the ballpark.

David Ogilvy

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.

Logan Pearsall Smith

I can't get no motivation

Ever feel unmotivated? Everyone has a moment like that. I'm having a moment myself. I've learned it's ok to feel that way but I cannot stay in that ditch. Here are some quotes to get me back on the road.

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."--Henry David Thoreau

"Sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny."--George Dana Boardman

"The best way out is always through."--Robert Frost

"Constant dripping hollows out a stone."--Lucretius

Stop smoking... then what?

Motivation to stop smoking right now!

Health Benefits

• Hands and feet become warmer from improved circulation.
• Blood pressure and pulse rate lower and approach normal.
• Mouth and hair no longer smell of smoke.
• Senses of taste and smell improve.
• Cough disappears and phlegm production returns to normal.
• Stamina increases significantly.
• Energy level is higher.
• Field of vision increases by 15 to 20 percent.
• Risk of all diseases caused by smoking is reduced - emphysema, heart attacks, and cancers of all types.

Emotional Benefits

• You have improved your self-image.
• You have put yourself in charge of your life.
• You have a feeling of accomplishment and self-respect.
• You are becoming happier, less depressed.
• Never again will you have to plan every activity around cigarette smoking.
• Never again will you have to make excuses, or feel guilty about needing cigarettes.
• Never again will you have to go back into the house to be sure all cigarettes are extinguished.
• Never again will you have to take inventory of smoking paraphernalia before you leave your home or office.
• Now you can hold on to the excitement of being a winner and bask in a sense of well-being.

Social Benefits

• You now project an image of self-control that is not available to smokers.
• Your house, car, and clothes don’t smell of cigarettes.
• You will have more time to devote to family and friends.
• You will not become a burden on your family members because of illnesses related to smoking cigarettes.

The following are the benefits of quitting smoking that follow are in accordance to the timeline before which the smoker has quitted smoking like:

• After 20 minutes - Smoking causes increase in blood pressure. This high blood pressure is very harmful as it increases the danger of heart attack. But as soon as we quit smoking the risk minimizes and blood pressure rate becomes normal.
• After 8 hours - Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood are greatly reduced; oxygen levels in the blood return to normal. The chances of a heart attack start to fall.
• After 10 hours - Carbon monoxide (CO) level becomes half after 10 hours of quitting smoking. Carbon monoxide is one of the major pollutants that produce bad effects on cognitive skills and health. It also affects the oxygen, which is one of the most vital substances, which are necessary for survival. When the carbon monoxide level is high, it decreases intake of blood from lungs, which can lead to many serious problems. We increase our energy levels by smoothing the passage of oxygen as we restrict the carbon monoxide level by quitting smoking.
• After 24 hours - If you successfully completed 24 hours, it is a marvelous starting, for the chain smokers that provides them strong bearing power, less level of tiredness after exercise and quick recovery.
• After 48 Hours - When move to 48 hours from one whole day, it gives us a totally new experience as nicotine is removed from their body, which earlier has resulted in bad side effects by causing stomachache, vomiting and it also develops the probability of hypothermia.
• After 72 hours - Bronchial tubes begin to relax; energy levels increase. Breathing becomes easier.
• After 2-22 weeks - After 2 to 22 weeks of quitting smoking you will get rid of bad circulation and also of numerous other disorders like slow cold feet, skin healing, peripheral vascular disease (PVT), and Raynaud’s disease.
• After 1 year - After you quit smoking for 1 year, you will reduce the risk of heart attack to half. According to the studies conducted in U.K, smoking results in around 20,000 deaths due to heart diseases (Smoking and Heart Diseases).
• After 10 years - After reducing the danger of heart attack our good habit of quitting smoking results in minimizing the danger of lung cancer to half.
• After 15 years - After 15 years person who once was chain smoker leads a healthy life as a normal man who has never smoked. At last the good habit has repaid back.

http://www.stop-smoking-tips.com/benefits-quitting-smoking.html

Benefits of Smoking Cessation

• Every breath I take feels so clean and refreshing
• I'm not tired during the day...yet I sleep like a rock at night
• I have more stamina, endurance, and confidence
• More cash in my pocket
• My clothes don't stink
• I'm not ashamed of smoking anymore
• My anxiety level has gone way, way down
• I can breathe!
• I'm working out like a champ
• I am in control of ME
• No more coughing
• I'm eating better--I used to substitute cigarettes for food a lot
• I can smell again
• My complexion is much better
• My heart feels relaxed...like it can do more work with less effort now
• Less heartburn and indigestion
• More respect for myself
• No need to worry about attending events where I can't smoke
• My house smells good! My car smells good!
• No more fear of fire caused by smoking
• I spend money on my health now, like working out at a health club, instead of on cigs
• My sinus problems are gone!
• My allergies and asthma have improved
• I don't feel like a hypocrite
• I can sing again!
• No more time wasted smoking
• Whiter teeth
• Fresh breath
• Sharper thinking
• Pride in myself
• No more guilt about exposing family and friends to secondhand smoke
• Confidence in my ability to achieve whatever goal I set for myself!

Smoking cessation is hard work at times, especially early on, but dig your feet in and give it all you've got. Remind yourself daily about why you want to quit smoking, and picture yourself as a contented ex-smoker, free of the need to light up every hour on the hour.

Smoking cessation is not out of reach, it’s doable, and you have the ability to make it happen, right now. Believe it and believe in yourself.

http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/shouldiquit/a/benefits.htm

Inspirational quotes

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"All of our dreams can come true -- if we have the courage to pursue them." -- Walt Disney

"If you can't do it today what makes you think you will do it tomorrow?" -- YusufTura

"All things are difficult before they are easy" -- John Morley

"There are three types of people in the world. 1. Those who see a problem. 2. Those who are the problem. 3. and those who solve the problem. The first two are a dime dozen. What you have to ascertain is this, which one are you. (Shared by Paul Stanley) "--unknown

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we often might win, by fearing to attempt." -- William Shakespeare

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"- - Wayne Gretzky

"In one hand I have a dream, and in the other I have an obstacle. Tell me, which one grabs your attention?" -- Henry Parks

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice."--Wayne Dyer

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." --Barack Obama

Motivational Quotes

"That which is bitter to endure may be sweet to remember."--Thomas Fuller

"The first and the best victory is to conquer self."--Plato

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be."--David Viscott

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."--Eleanor Roosevelt

"You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?""--George Bernard Shaw

"Complaining will not change things in your life; only action will. Make a list of all you need to do to change what doesn't work in your life and, little by little, begin making those changes."--Susan Jeffers

"The price of success is much lower than the price of failure."--Zig Ziglar

"Constant dripping hollows out a stone."--Lucretius

"If you think you can or can't your right"--Henry Ford

"The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become." - Charles DuBois

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way."-- Satchel Paigeclip of a new movie coming out with Renee Zellwiger: "Never look in the rearview mirror darling, it doesn't matter what's behind you"

Vince Lombardi: It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.

Benjamin Franklin: You may delay, but time will not.

Lee Iacocca: You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance.

Vincent Lombardi: The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince.

Anthony Robbins: The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.

Roger Bannister: The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.

Author unknown: The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.

Carl Sandburg: The time for action is now. It's never too late to do something.Harold

Wilkins: The world of achievement has always belonged to the optimist.

Heraclitus: There is nothing permanent except change.

Swedish Proverb: Those who wish to sing, always find a song.

Elie Wiesel: Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.

Harriet Beecher Stowe: When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

Quintus Horatius Flaccus Horace: Who has courage to say no again and again to desires, to despise the objects of ambition, who is a whole in himself, smoothed and rounded.

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Obstacles are those things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." ~ Hannah Moore

“Unless You Puke, Faint or Die, Keep Going!” – Jillian Michaels

“Kites rise highest against the wind; not with it.” – Sir Winston Churchill

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.” – Robertson Davies

“It is better to wear out than to rust out.” – Richard Cumberland

“Obstacles are those things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” -Hannah Moore

"There are only 2 choices; make progress or make excuses.” – Ellen Mikesell

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills

“Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible.” – Frank L. Gaines

“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.” – Oprah Winfrey

“First you fuel the desire, then the desire will fuel you.” – Napoleon Hill

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“There is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving. It is not about speed or gold medals. It is about refusing to be stopped.” -Ambry Burfoot

“If you haven’t got the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?” – Jeffery J. Mayer

“If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s OK. But you’ve got to shoot for something. A lot of people don’t even shoot.” – Robert Townsend

“If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page” – Mark Houlahan

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher

“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” — Charles A Beard

Resolutions

Resolutions... i think we can take on any challenge with the right attitude!

I mean don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly a type A personality but I've found these steps help me a lot.

1. Set realistic goals

2. Focus on 1 goal at a time

3. Take baby steps

4. Allow room for error: do NOT get down on yourself

5. Have patience and faith: It does get easier as you make it a habit. It's a process.

6. Be proud of your progress

7. If you're tempted to quit, stop thinking about the goal itself and remember the reasons that led you to set the goal in the 1st place (maybe even write them down to go back to)

8. Keep going!

Quote by George Washington on friendship

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.”
-George Washington

kindness quotes

“To love someone is nothing, to be loved by someone is something, but to be loved by the one you love is everything”

“Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us.” --John N. Mitchell

Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. ~Robert Brault

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble. ~Charles H. Spurgeon


It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. ~Author Unknown


Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.


Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are. ~Author Unknown

Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not. ~Samuel Johnson

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~Leo Buscaglia

A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses. ~Chinese Proverb

Healing

"Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future."-- Lewis B. Smedes

“When I stand before thee at the day's end, thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing.” --Rabindranath Tagore

'Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are."-- Rachel Naomi Remen

“We are all broken and wounded in this world. Some choose to grow strong at the broken places.” --Harold J. Duarte-Bernhardt

"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl." --Stephan Hoeller

Keep going!

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there!" - Will Rogers

priority vs option quote by Kelly Angard

"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option."-- Kelly Angard

Hope but be realistic

"Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door." -Coco Chanel

more quotes

"The best way out is always through." --Robert Frost

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it." --Martin Luther King

"Peace of mind comes from not wanting to change others."--Gerald Jampolsky

"As we learn about mental illnesses and disorders we learn a lot about ourselves along the way"

"Forcing ourselves - or anyone else - to face the truth, usually doesn't help. We won't face the facts until we are ready. Neither will anyone else. We may admit to the truth for a moment, but we won't let ourselves know what we know until we feel safe, secure, and prepared to deal and cope with it." --Excerpt-The Language of Letting Go (author) Melody Beattie

Narcissism Quotes

“Whoever loves becomes humble. Those who love have, so to speak, pawned a part of theirnarcissism.” --Sigmund Freud

“Among all the emotions, the rich have the least talent for love. It is possible to love one's dog, dress or duck-shooting hat, but a human being presents a more difficult problem. The rich might wish to experience feelings of affection, but it is almost impossible to chip away the enamel of their narcissism. They take up all the space in all the mirrors in the house. Their children, who represent the most present and therefore the most annoying claim on their attention, usually receive the brunt of their irritation.” --Lewis H. Lapham quotes

"I guess there were red flags everywhere but I didn't know what narcissism was."

"No one ever builds true happiness at the expense of someone else"

Conversation with a narcissist: "Me, me, me, me, me, ok, that's enough talk about me. So, what do YOU think of me?"

quotes

You're on the road to success when you realize that failure is only a detour.
- Anonymous

Change your thoughts and you change your world.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Remember sadness is always temporary. This, too, shall pass.
- Chuck T. Falcon

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

A man never likes you so well as when he leaves your company liking himself.

- Anonymous

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

One hundred percent of the shots you don't take don't go in.
- Wayne Gretzky

Courage faces fear and thereby masters it
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life.
- Burton Hills

The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
- Allan K. Chalmers

The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.
- Helen Keller

A man is not old until regrets start taking place of dreams.
- Anonymous

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt

Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make yourself a happier and more productive person.
- Dr. David M. Burns

Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.
- Henry Van Dyke

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.
- Thomas a Kempis

Interesting...

Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people.
- André Dubus

It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.
- Seneca

the steeper the mountain the harder the climb the better the view from the finishing line

--Anonymous

Dreams

Cleaning

To dream that you are cleaning, implies that you are removing some negativity in your life and overcoming major obstacles. You are moving ahead toward a new stage in your life. In particular, if you are cleaning your house, then it signifies that you need to clear out your thoughts and get rid of your old ways and habits. You are seeking self-improvement. Alternatively, the dream may be a metaphor that you need to "come clean" or tell the whole truth about some situation or matter.

To dream that you are cleaning an object, represents an aspect of yourself that is not working or functioning as well as it should. If you are cleaning the refrigerator or oven, then it indicates that you are getting to root of a matter or situation. It may also indicate negative feelings about the female role or that you are feeling inferior or stuck in some area of your life.

To dream that you are cleaning out a desk, suggests that you are getting rid of the burdens that has been weighing you down. You are acknowledging your new choices, decisions, and a new sense of freedom.

To dream that you are in your underwear, signifies a situation that has created a loss of respect for you. Alternatively, it symbolizes some aspect of yourself that is private. If you feel ashamed of being seen in your underwear, then it indicates your hesitance in revealing your true feelings, attitudes, and other hidden habits/ideas. If you are not bothered by being in your underwear, then it suggests that you are ready to reveal or expose something that was previously hidden.

To dream that you are in the bathroom, relates to your instinctual urges. You may be experiencing some burdens/feelings and need to "relieve yourself". Alternatively, it may symbolize purification and self-renewal. You need to cleanse yourself, both emotionally and psychologically.

To dream that you are sweating, suggests that you are experiencing some overwhelming anxiety, stress, fear, or nervousness in your life. This dream may serve to remind you that in order to achieve success, you need to endure the struggle and efforts that go along with success. Alternatively, it may signify a kind of cleansing or ridding of bad karma. You may be going through an emotional cool-off period.

To see cords in your dream, symbolizes a lack in independence in a situation or relationship. You are feeling restricted or tied down. If the cord is being cut, then it indicates that you are breaking those relationships that have held you back.

To see your own reflection in the mirror, suggests that you are pondering thoughts about your inner self. The reflection in the mirror is how you perceive yourself or how you want others to see you. You may be contemplating on strengthening and changing aspects of your character.

Dreammoods.com