Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In

by Brian Flatt, of Positive Blatherings

“Whenever you fall, pick something up.” ~Oswald Avery

There are plenty of people in this world who know how to be successful. But how many of them know how to fail?

When you fail, that’s when you become stronger—you learn to pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and move on.

These are also opportunities to learn and to help others as you come back up. As the quote above says, when you fall pick something up. I would add that when you fall, you should pick someone up too.

I used to envy other people, thinking them more successful than I may have been. But I have done a lot in my life, seen a lot of things, worked with lots of different kinds of people. I have been successful and I have failed, and I think it is this that has allowed me to be a more grounded human being.

I have learned that it takes all kinds of people to run the world, and that the ones running the world are not always the smartest.

I have worked underneath supervisors who make you wonder how they graduated from high school, and I have met truck drivers out on the road who are smarter, more educated and more widely read than some of our recent US Presidents and CEO’s of fortune 500 companies. Click Here to Read More…

by Aaron Jacobsen & Michelle Santos

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it” ~Charles Swindoll

Unemployment is up almost 10 percent and job opportunities are not necessarily speeding to catch up. It’s not always easy to stay positive when you’re dealing with uncertainty, particularly if you fell out of a comfortable situation and now have to adapt.

But if you’re willing to see the experience as a challenge, and possibly even an opportunity, you can find a sense of peace and fulfillment—not just once you find work, but while you’re in the process of looking. It’s not just cliché advice that sounds good on paper. It’s actually possible. Here’s how.

Click Here to Read More…

by Janna Krawczyk

There is an art to living—to creating your life on your terms based on your desires, your talents, your values, and your dreams.  In a culture where we must attend 13 years of school, we’re rarely taught to look within and name what it is we want from life.

We’re rarely taught that we have the power within to live the lives we want—not what other people expect of us.

While we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how we respond to what happens based on what we want.

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.”  ~Buddha

Five years ago, I resigned from teaching in the public schools after giving birth to my son.  A year and a half later, awaiting the birth of my daughter, I struggled.  I missed teaching.  I missed connecting with kids in a classroom.

I missed having something in my life that was my own. While I felt blessed and lucky to be home, I also wanted to teach.  But I didn’t know how to join these two desires that felt mutually exclusive.

Having written in a journal throughout my twenties and into my thirties, I understood the power of pinning down thoughts into words.  So within the swell of this profound transformation into motherhood, I began to write about the things I knew I wanted: Click Here to Read More…

by Lori Deschene

“Happiness is a way station between too little and too much.” ~Channing Pollock

The vast majority of my life has been a giant race to get things I’ve assumed would make me happy.

More money so I could do what I want when I want. A more meaningful career so I could feel both fulfilled and proud of myself. More connections so I could feel loved and worthy. And mostly, more distractions so I could avoid acknowledging why I was unhappy with myself.

“I’m making progress,” I’d delude myself. “I’m pushing myself to accomplish big things that will help people all over.”

While those things may have been true, what I was really doing was chasing the possibility of happiness as it existed in an elusive tomorrow.

Tomorrow—when I’ve made a name for myself. Tomorrow—when I can be proud of making a difference. Tomorrow—when the stars align just right.

Though I still have to make a conscious choice to root myself in today, I’ve realized nothing I want will ever bring me joy if I consistently attach happiness to something just out of my reach. In fact, more often than not, attaining those things will just make me feel emptier because it will remind me of the void nothing can fill—nothing, that is, except me. Click Here to Read More…

by Jenny Nichols

“The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” ~ Unknown

We all have something stored in our memory banks of the past that we wish we could have done differently, or something we wish we didn’t do.

As we get older we learn and grow. But that doesn’t mean we have to regret what we did before we learned how to do things differently. If we didn’t go through those experiences we might not have grown into the strong and knowledgeable people we are today.

So what I’m proposing is that we get rid of the negative thoughts—the could have’s, might have’s, and should have’s—and start living a life that won’t make us feel regretful. Not even at an older, wiser age.

Here is a list of 40 things you can do to practice living life with no regrets: Click Here to Read More…

by Lori Deschene

“To get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” ~Unknown

Maybe you feel stuck. Or bored. Or frustrated. It’s not that you don’t like the life you live, it’s just that you suspect there’s something more. Some greater sense of meaning or excitement. New connections. New adventures. New possibilities.

The truth is those possibilities are always within your reach. You may not be able to quit your job or develop new skills by osmosis; but every day contains within it countless opportunities, all dictated by the choices you make.

Some of those choices may seem inconsequential when you face them. They’re the little things, after all. Why not do it how you usually do? Why not stay in your comfort zone when it’s just so comfortable there?

Do it for the possibility. The possibility that if you make one minor change you may set the stage for major fulfillment. Sometimes even the smallest shift in thinking or doing can create the biggest opportunity. Here’s how to get started: Click Here to Read More…

by Lori Deschene

“A man is not old until regrets take the place of his dreams.” ~Proverb

The time you backpacked through Europe–when you felt you had the ultimate in adventure and freedom. Summer night barbecues with friends and family–when you felt young, energetic, and loved. Weekends spent camping and hiking–when you didn’t have family commitments or overtime.

At some point, we all pile up a stack of yesterdays that, in hindsight, look like utopia. Memories of friends, family, and well-worn habits as soothing as our favorite comfort foods. Days when things were easier, simpler, or more exciting.

No matter how perfect the past can look when you leave a time you loved, it likely wasn’t perfect when you experienced it. You may even think that occasionally–that you didn’t realize back then how good you had it. That you’d enjoy it more if you could go back. Appreciate it more fully. Take better advantages of the opportunities it presented. If only you could back.

There’s a simple reason people often don’t realize what they have when they have it: it’s easier to live in the past and future than it is to live in the present. It’s easier to analyze and judge life as you experience it, than to accept life will never be perfect, and still live it gratefully and mindfully.

It’s easier to imagine some other time is better–any time other than now. We often realize all too late now is all there ever is. Click Here to Read More…

by Michelle Santos

“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” ~Proverb

You have a dream. Right?

Everyone does. Maybe it’s buried, but it’s there. You probably have a rainbow assortment. Your life is made up of choices. Why not choose your dreams?

One of life’s persistent realities is that you can do anything you want, but you can’t do everything, and clearly, you can’t do everything at once. Focusing on one dream at a time makes success—completion—viable. Feeling bad, burned out and failing are not your goals. Defend against these hazards by taking on just one project at a time.

Even if you are the king of plate spinners planning and preparing will get you to your noble goal in less time, with less stress. Taking on too much guaranties neglected friends, disrupted sleep, missed deadlines. You know that frenetic feeling, and you know it’s not sustainable.

Imagine your dream as an entree. Picture something that will nurture, strengthen, and energize you. How are you going to eat that alluring plate of food? Slowly, savoring every bite, or quickly, without really tasting and enjoying the experience? With your hands or with chopsticks? Chopsticks are the epicure’s brakes, handily encouraging small bites. Click Here to Read More…

by Lori Deschene

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” ~Angela Schwindt

When you’re young anything seems possible. Whether you want to become a school teacher, ballerina, or astronaut, it all feels within your reach.

And you so easily get excited by it. You can visualize in vivid detail what it would be like to hold your roses at curtain call, or how proud you’ll feel when you save the day–as a fireman, soldier, or maybe even superhero. You pretend your way through different roles, and allow your understanding of yourself to evolve.

You might know what you like and don’t–and you probably aren’t afraid to vocalize it–but you haven’t yet learned how to get stuck in your ways. You’re too curious for that. That would be boring.

Though you knew back then that sticks and stones might break your bones but names could never hurt you, you did get hurt sometimes. You cried when a bully teased you, or you couldn’t get something you wanted. But the next day you were back swinging and giving underdogs at the playground, smiling and dreaming new dreams again.

Then life happened. Maybe time and experience taught you to worry, fear, and limit yourself, and you slowly became a person younger you wouldn’t want to play with. You started playing by rules no one even gave you. You stopped imagining possibilities and believing you could meet them.

And worst of all, you started thinking it’s something the world did to you–not something you choose, moment to moment.

You might not be able to scale buildings or become the king of the world, but you can still be that person you wanted to be as a kid. You can still see the world with wonder. You can still believe in magic, and create it.

This is how you start: Click Here to Read More…

by Sonia Derian

I write a newsletter every week and last month, a subscriber emailed me with a question I thought was worth exploring.

“… I guess what I’m getting at is if everyone had a choice, treating sewage would be the last thing one would want to do. Isn’t it? Well yes I’m making that judgment. If everyone was Wayne Dyer or that money guru lady Suze Orman, we’d all be reaching fantasy levels of achievement. That is what they seem to be proposing is possible.

But someone still has to take out the trash. If we’re all living big then who’s taking care of the landfills? I guess we could all be having wonderfully luxurious lives but chip in on the dirty stuff sometimes? Like volunteer, or Adopt-A-Highway kind of stuff. Then a boy in Iraq gets his arms and legs blown off and I’m supposed to be like “Yahoo, I’m living big???”….. uh? This is my ‘resistance; isn’t it?… Anyway, there is a topic here. Anything to help me feel better about living big while others suffer…”

It’s a big question: If there are others suffering in the world, what right do I have to think about myself or my lofty goals? What right do I have to consider more for myself when there are others who can’t even feed themselves, literally or figuratively?

I’ll begin with a quote from Marianne Williamson who talks in her book The Age of Miracles about the Butterfly Effect (based in Chaos Theory):

“When a butterfly flaps its wings near the tip of South America, it affects the wind patterns near the North Pole. And the same is true in the realm of consciousness: Every miracle you work in your life is a blessing on life itself.” Click Here to Read More…

by Lori Deschene

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle

The people who are the most successful in life are the ones who create their own opportunities. Since I’m a work-from-home freelance writer who prefers beadworking to networking, I have to be ultra creative.

I’ve identified 7 simple ways to find opportunities in everyday situations. Here’s what I got:

1. Wear Your Resume While Running Errands

Last year I read an article about a woman named Kelly Kinney who printed her resume on a T-shirt. What a brilliant idea! I always notice words on shirts; I’ve even been known to ask strangers to hold still so I can get a better look (far less awkward when the wearer is a man.)

You can order a similar one at ResumeShirts.com for under $20–well worth the investment if it lands you the job of your dreams! Click Here to Read More…

by Lori Deschene

“To cure jealousy is to see it for what it is: a dissatisfaction with self.” ~Joan Didion

I like to think of myself as a realist. I realize it sounds good to recommend fighting jealousy with gratitude. As in, “Don’t dwell on what you don’t have—just count your blessings!”

I recognize that this is a wise suggestion, and that we’d all be happy if we could just focus of the abundance in front of us.

But I also realize this isn’t a complete solution.

We’re wired for look for two things in life:

• Solutions to problems—physically, emotionally, spiritually, and professionally.
• More—more meaning, more passion, more fun, more recognition; the list goes on and on.

We progress as a society because we’re ever mindful of ways to improve how we function, communicate and produce. This underlies almost everything we do, from interacting in personal relationships to initiating mergers within our companies.

We solve problems by identifying them. That usually means focusing on what’s lacking—and the most accessible way to do that is to observe other people. Or in simpler terms, shaping your own sense of lack based on someone else’s gain. Click Here to Read More…

by Jamie Hoang

“You can do what’s reasonable or you can decide what’s possible.” ~Unknown

When I was in grade school I remember my teacher had us write down what we wanted to be when we grew up. Honestly, at the time I had no idea. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be, but I knew I wanted to be doing something important so I jotted down careers that, in my young mind, equaled success: doctor, lawyer, dolphin trainer, firefighter, astronaut etc.

Then life happened and all of a sudden I was 24, working for the man, and in a serious relationship that seemed to leave me feeling miserable more often than not. Where was that wide-eyed little girl who could have been anything?

I was at the point in my life where I actually had to make a decision about who I wanted to be. I could be a writer and share my wisdom with the world—but wait, what wisdom do I have? I had no great life changing stories or lessons that others could learn from. I was ordinary and borderline boring. Click Here to Read More…

by Sonya Derian

“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I will tell you, I came to live out LOUD.” ~Émile Zola

1. Live your life on purpose. Not on “default.” Be Proactive. Make conscious and deliberate choices. When you don’t choose, circumstances choose for you and you are never leading: you are following or catching up—or worse, living in “default” mode.

2. Utilize your full potential. Give what you’re doing your best and fullest attention. Be here now. Even if you’re not where you want to be, giving it half your effort doesn’t move you forward. Master what you have at hand, for the sake of mastering it and something will shift.

3. Overcome your fear. Get out of your comfort zone. Find out you have a pulse. Let something give you butterflies in your stomach. This is how you know you’re alive—how you grow into something new. Every fear overcome is a freedom gained. Don’t know how to overcome fear? Do the thing you’re afraid of. Cross them off the list. Make it a game. Pretty soon, you will be invincible.

4. Discover a new talent. One of my favorite quotes by Martha Grimes is, “We don’t know who we are until we see what we can do.” But we don’t find this out until we try something new. Learn a new instrument, take an art class, play with a digital camera, sign up for a salsa class, take up cooking, plant a garden, join toastmasters, pick up a needle and thread, try mountain climbing, go scuba diving, camping or kayaking. Find something that interests you and explore it. You never know what will come out of it. Click Here to Read More…

by Andrew Deitrick

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” -Buddha

You experience and create all kinds of different energies that affect how you feel and what you accomplish throughout your day. Some energies are powerful and easily recognizable, while others are more subtle and often only intuitively felt. I believe it is fair to say that everything is, in a sense, energy.

The things you say, the things you think, the things you do—even the things you don’t do—all produce energy that impacts you and the people around you. If you work on creating more positive energy, you’ll see improvements in your life, and you’ll touch more lives than you thought possible.

So what do I mean by energy? Click Here to Read More…

by Sonya Derian

“More powerful than the will to win is the courage to begin.” ~Unknown

I’ve spoken with a number of people recently who are doing something that is “just okay” with their lives but who really want to be doing something else. They feel an urgency to break free and go for it, even though they haven’t defined “it.”

I think a lot of people, if not currently there, understand this. It’s in our nature to move toward greater expression. When we’re not moving in a forward direction, we question ourselves, wondering what we’re doing with our lives—and what we’re waiting for.

And yet nothing changes.

Part of the issue is knowing where to start. The other part is fear of the unknown. Both can prevent you from committing. Click Here to Read More…

by Sonya Derian

“Don’t wait for your feelings to change to take the action. Take the action and your feelings will change.” ~Barbara Baron

A few months ago, I challenged myself with Adventure Boot Camp. I thought, “What would be more challenging than waking up at five in the morning and working out with a group of ladies for an hour, four days a week?”

And I have to say, it was tough! I couldn’t walk for 3 days.

But as the days progressed and my muscles acclimated, it occurred to me: I’m someone who can roll out of bed at 5 AM and within a half hour, lift 8-pound weights over my head while jogging a track. I didn’t know that I could do that!

That’s the thing about taking an action. You don’t know that you can do it until you do it. And then you become someone who does it. Click Here to Read More…

by Lori Deschene

“It is easy when we are in prosperity to give advice to the afflicted.” ~Aeschylus

Earlier this year I got some feedback from the ‘tween magazine I wrote for: “It sounds like good advice, but kids probably won’t do any of that.”

In my head it all sounded logical, but I didn’t consider whether I’d have taken that advice as a kid. Or now for that matter.

People do it all the time: look at a situation from a removed, non-emotional place, and hurl suggestions that are far easier said than done. And sometimes, just plain unrealistic.

I’ve listed 5 of these hard-to-follow, cliché pieces of advice, along with alternative suggestions you may actually be inclined to take. Click Here to Read More…

by Sonya Derian

“Never ignore a gut feeling. But never believe it’s enough.” ~Robert Heller

A couple months ago when I was almost done producing a teleseminar and spending way too much time hunched over at the computer, I decided to do something different. Something that would bring me joy, that would get take me out of my normal environment and actually excite me. So, I did what had been on my list to do for a long time.

I went flying.

I didn’t know what to expect making the 45 minute trek out to the Sonoma County hills to fly on a trapeze. I just knew I had been wanting to do it for a while and it was closer than then the outfit I’d been considering in Texas (that was also outdoors).

I also knew I had to go because just the thought of flying through the trees excited me more than anything I had done in a really long time.

So I made the trek by myself because no one wanted to join me, and I figured why wait? I was greeted by, what I learned, was a core group of women who met there every weekend.

One of the women who was in her 70′s comes as often as she can. She was flying through the sky doing twists without a harness (she got her pilot’s license in her 60′s, which gives you a clue about her!)

Another woman was a single mom who came with her son every weekend and made this her retreat. Click Here to Read More…