I have a money tree at home but it hasn't produced leaves like this yet!
“The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.”
~Frank Hubbard
A Quote I Just LOVE… Friday, Aug 14 2009
financial and quotes financial quotes, money, savings 12:52 pm
A Quote I love… Monday, Jul 27 2009
life and quotes be yourself, judy garland, quotes 2:18 pm
This was my favorite movie growing up (thanks Dad for watching it 34,234 times!)
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
—Judy Garland
…Because you will be proud of yourself later if you don’t spend your life acting like someone else…
A Quote I Love… Thursday, Apr 23 2009
quotes 3:09 am
“It’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then…”
―Lucy Maud Montgomery
…Because perfection is not possible…
A Quote I love! Saturday, Apr 4 2009
quotes 4:47 am
| “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.“ |
|
―Joseph Campbell |
No one actually NEEDS a white picket fence.
Balance is the Key to Life. Thursday, Feb 26 2009
health and life and quotes 3:30 am
This little blue-footed guy is the master of balance!
The older I get (and the more I think about what’s important), I realize that balance is the key to true happiness.
Balance in timing (spending enough time with family while still making time for friends, work, and having alone time), balance in spending (allowing yourself to buy little things that make your life a little bit more fun without going overboard), balance in risk-taking (maybe you decide to follow your heart and take a big risk; you should always have a backup plan and know when to throw in the towel), and balance in eating and health (if you have a piggy moment one day you should try to eat less the next day and always make time for a little bit of activity).
Balance is easier said than done and is something that takes practice and awareness of self. Sometimes I suddenly observe that a habit I have is not an example of a balanced action, so I do my best to change things because I’m always trying to better myself and re-balance my life.
For example, I started noticing that I was getting in the habit of going home, eating dinner, and watching TV every single night (did anyone see Biggest Loser last night, by the way??). I thought about my routine and realized that I needed to mix it up a bit. I still go home and relax, but I try to spend less time in front of the TV and more time on the elliptical, walking outside, or taking care of things that would otherwise pile up and become overwhelming if I waited too long (laundry, errands, cleaning, etc…). Anything that has the potential to overwhelm later should be tackled little by little!
Here’s a quote that I interpreted in a way which reminds me of the importance of balance (in this case, balance of outlook):
“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight…The truly wise person is color-blind.”
—Albert Schweitzer
I’m still working on this and I know that it’s impossible to have balance all the time. I think that putting forth the effort to be a better person and live a life that I am excited about adds up to equal a more well-rounded and happier person in the end.
…Because a you may need to eat a salad for dinner to balance out that huge hunk of chocolate cake you ate in the afternoon…
In Honor of Valentine’s Day… Saturday, Feb 14 2009
“Love is love. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love.”
~ Leo Tolstoy
A Quote I Love… Friday, Feb 13 2009
quotes 8:58 am
“Perfection is attained by slow degrees, it requires the hand of time. “
~Voltaire
I think this quote is great because I am often critical of myself for not doing things perfectly. I must admit I have always been like this.
Here are some examples of things that I am an obsessive perfectionist over:
I usually feel like I’m not saving enough money (even if I’m socking away tons of money every month to my savings and 401k, I still regret buying something small that I really want…like an ice cream from McDonald’s or something ridiculous). Afterwards I seriously think… damn I could have put that dollar in my 401k and it may be worth $9 in 30 years. Yeah, crazy.
I did the same thing when I was in college. An “A-” wasn’t good enough for me… I had to get solid A’s. God forbid I get a B on something… that would just mean the world was ending. I didn’t cut myself enough slack and should have been proud that I graduated a semester, finished my very last undergraduate class before my 21st birthday, and went on to get my master’s with no break– all while working full time. It seems impressive to me now that I look back, and I should have recognized my achievements while I could celebrate them (but when I was living it I always thought I could be doing more and doing better).
I always feel like I could be doing more for other people. I find myself wanting to go above and beyond when it comes to my friends and family and I am bothered by the fact that I can’t be the perfect friend/daughter/etc. Sometimes I’m too generous and become resentful when I feel like I’m being taken advantage of. This doesn’t happen often but it always bothers me when it does. Because of this, I sometimes find myself becoming a little stressed because I’m trying to make favors for a friend’s bridal shower, bake for a birthday party that I’m not even going to (but my goodies have been requested), and finish up stuff that I need to get done at the same time (household stuff and work stuff included).
One time I stayed up until 2:00am during mid-terms in grad school to put together candy bags for a friend’s birthday party (I wanted them to be nice so I counted out amounts and tied the tops with ribbon), and when I dropped them off she said, “wow you have too much time on your hands.” I can’t say I was thrilled with that remark.
I get annoyed with myself when I don’t plan something out correctly. If I’m planning to have guests over for dinner and something doesn’t work out the way I had hoped (I run out of time and have to go get something other than what I originally planned to cook), I get sad. I know this is ridiculous, but I am very guilty of doing this.
The moral of my whole post today is: Why do I do this to myself?? I have no one to blame but myself for my preoccupation with doing things perfectly. I am not perfect, never will be perfect, and don’t really want to be perfect anyway! I am working on not being so hard on myself and giving myself room for time issues/mishaps/and potential oven debacles. When something out of my control causes my plans to change I will try to smile and shrug it off from now on. I feel relieved just thinking about it 
…Because realizing how you want to change can make you a better and happier person…
A Quote I Love… Saturday, Jan 31 2009
quotes 9:24 am
“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.”
-Danny Kaye
…Because you only get one shot at life and you never know how long you’ve got left…
A Quote I LOVE Right Now… Tuesday, Nov 18 2008
quotes elizabeth gaskell, leader, quote, wisdom 3:52 am
“Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom.”
- Elizabeth Gaskell
…Because it’s much more fun to be a leader than a follower…
A Quote I Love Tuesday, Nov 11 2008
quotes churchill, complexities in life, quotes, winston churchill 8:38 am
”Out of intense complexities intense simplicities emerge. ”
— Winston Churchill
