The way to increase our energy is to find lots and lots of things to be enthusiastic about. Whether it is a clean house, a freshly stocked refrigerator, or a newly mowed lawn, there are opportunities everywhere for us to become excited and thoroughly enjoy what we choose to do.
— Alexandra Stoddard, Choosing Happiness, p. 49
Those who believe in themselves, and trust in the moment, are those who find life most enjoyable. They have learned that the past is a place to store memories, not regrets; that the future should be full of promise, not apprehension. And the present is all we need.
— Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love, p. 266
Whenever you forget to nurture and care for yourself because it feels selfish, your level of resentment will rise….
You must take personal responsibility for your level of self-care — that means not blaming others because you are stuck cleaning the garage while your husband is off playing golf. Why are you not doing what you want to be doing?…
Remember to look for the subtle ways you forget to honor yourself. If you come last in your life, your level of resentment will be high.
— Christel Nani, Sacred Choices, p. 234-235
Children don’t admire an orchid more than a dandelion.
— Alexandra Stoddard, Choosing Happiness, p. 36-37
Whenever we do anything well, when we do our best, embracing an activity wholeheartedly, we are satisfied and energized. Tucking a child into bed and saying a prayer after reading a story is a small act of grace with lasting benefits. Rituals can never be rushed or be skipped. The joy is in our instantaneous recognition of miraculous present moments.
Don’t plan it. Live it.
— Alexandra Stoddard, Choosing Happiness, p. 16
Lovers always focus away from negativity, to beauty, goodness, and joy. Though they are aware of the dark side of life, they avoid gravitating to it. Obsession with what is wrong with the world assures our blindness to what is good and right. On the other hand, solutions become more visible in the light of possibilities.
Beauty and goodness are successful forces against ugliness and evil. Negative people look for (and always find) confirmation for the negative, just as positive people look for and find the lightness of being. Both exist. Both are real and are always with us. The difference is as basic as a decision, and as simple as opening our eyes.
— Leo Buscaglia, Born for Love, p. 225
However we perceive the past, whether in a positive or a negative light, concentrating on it makes us unhappier in the present. The past is past.
Through deliberate present-minded focus we can breathe in new life, new positive energy, letting go of the way things were in the past. When we grow more mindful, we open our hearts to forgiveness and choose not to get bogged down in placing blame or getting even with others. When we let go of the past, we gain in wisdom. We feel lighter and brighter, inspired by what we’ve learned, ready to move on.
— Alexandra Stoddard, Choosing Happiness:Â Keys to a Joyful Life, p. 14
We were created to have joy. We were created to enjoy laughter and share it with one another.
— Debbie Macomber, Knit Together, p. 160
We need to rid our to-do lists of things that don’t matter, don’t create value, don’t make a difference. We need to restructure our lives and take more time to do things that bring us joy. Women need to carve out time for the activities that will create meaningful lives and discard the things that won’t.
— This Is Not the Life I Ordered, by Deborah Collins Stephens, Jackie Speier, Michealene Cristini Risley, and Jan Yanehiro
Sure, you may want to change some of the ways you think, feel, eat, breathe, value, choose, or move. That’s fine. The point is to make these changes not to make yourself “better” or “different.” The point is to make such changes because they enhance and nourish, amplify and magnify, illuminate and celebrate who you already are.
— Lisa Sarasohn, The Woman’s Belly Book, p. 5