Quote of the day

"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living."

-Gail Sheehy

The first half of the phrase 'growing up' is growing. Growing up is something we describe our getting older as, and obviously growing is something we can only do while living. Change is growth. Sometimes the change is simply in your height, meaning you have grown. But other times, change is something you either like or don't like, and either way it makes you stronger. It makes you grow accustomed to things not always being the same. You will grow morally. So if there is never any change, you will never grow in any type of way. And if you aren't growing, whether it be morally or anything else (with the exception of height, which stops growing after a while), you really aren't living.

Hello again!
I'm sad that, just as I finished catching up on posts, I have to stop again. This time I won't have access to internet or a computer for a whole month. I am not sure if I will be able to fill the gap like I did for my recent lack of computer, but I will see you again for sure in a month!

Thank you so much,

-LifeOO

Daily Quote

"Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have."

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Never, ever take away someone's hope. Not only is that not a nice thing to do, but it is risky because some people are in situations where hope is the only thing they have left. You could have everything and still only have hope left, so this rule applies to everyone. Hope could be for many causes. Some people may have hope because the last loved ones in their life are terminally ill, some may have hope because they feel like they have sunken so low that they need a pocket of sunshine to cheer them up. So be careful of what you say. Don't ever take away someone's hope, because it just might be the only meaningful thing they have left in their life. And that's not something you would want to deprive them of, is it?



Hello everyone!
I'm pleased to announce I finally caught up on posts from the last few weeks when I didn't have a computer! If you are reading this via email, check out the site. The gap was filled and now there is a post on every day again. Thank you so much for reading this blog, you have no idea how much it means to me!
-LifeOO

Daily Quote

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."

-Rabindranath Tagore

Clouds usually come in to carry terrible weather. Sometimes we feel that way-- like suddenly clouds have rolled overhead and darkened the sky and dropped rain and lightning. But, with the right mindset, you can make those clouds simply come to decorate the sky. Look at them differently, and instead of looking at them as obstacles in your way, look at them as a new color painted on the canvas of life. This is true to many of the things "thrown" into our lives. What you usually take for an obstacle could be something simply giving your life more flavor. You just have to look at it differently.

Quote of the day

"Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad, and that's why I call you dad, because you are so special to me. You taught me the game and you taught me how to play it right."

-Wade Boggs

Happy Father's Day, everyone!

To all the dads out there: thank you for all you do. You have no idea what kinds of impressions you leave on your children, and what lessons you teach them and what they end up doing with them. Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special-- you-- to be a dad. You are so special to your children, you have no idea! And if you do have an idea, take it and multiply it by 100 and you've got how much your kids really care for you. Even if they don't act like they do, they do. More than you can imagine. You taught them the game of life and how to play it right. Safely, securely, successfully. Fathers and Mothers are two of the most important people to a kid, so embrace your awesomeness! Keep doing what you do best-- being a strong influence in the lives of your kids.

Quote of the day

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."

-Vincent Van Gogh

Great things are really just lots of little things that have been sewn together to make a patchwork quilt of overall greatness. I actually picked this image specifically for today. Usually, I just pick a nice picture. But today's is purposeful. Look at that rainbow garden. What makes it great is all of the individual patches of vibrant flowers, placed together in a way that makes it look like a neon rainbow garden. Great things can't just be done. They take time and effort and tons of individual pieces to the puzzle. Jigsaw puzzles are one overall great image of sorts, but it is made with sometimes a thousand tiny pieces. To accomplish anything great, you need to accomplish a series of small things and bring it all together.

Daily Quote

"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure."

-Peter Marshall

Sometimes we all wish that our lives could be easy. That we could have everything served to us on a platinum platter. That no one or nothing would ever be a bother or struggle to us ever again. We all have wished for that easy life before, that's just a fact. But then we must remember that, without tons and tons (and by tons, I actually mean tons-- 2,000 pounds to a ton) of pressure, diamonds would simply be pieces of coal. And do you remember how strong diamonds are? Yeah, they're really strong. They got their strength under that pressure. Oaks are the same, but they get their strength from constantly being whipped around in strong winds that aren't even going the same way as each other. We all need that reminder. When you start wishing for the easy way out, remember that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 

Daily Quote

"If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies."

-Desmond Tutu

You can't establish peace between yourself and someone by talking about it with your friends. That won't make it go away, it will just make it... More talked about, I guess! To get peace, you have to go talk to the person you are not at peace with. You have to talk to them kindly with a smile on your face, and you have to apologize even if it was them that did it. Try to make that peace between you and them because, trust me, it is so much nicer feeling to be at peace with people. Otherwise, you have to work so hard to avoid them, ignore them, all that stuff. That takes so much energy! Just make peace and you will feel the peace inside of you.

Quote of the day

"Peace begins with a smile."

-Mother Teresa

You can't bring peace between you and someone else with a frown. That seems silly, doesn't it! Picture it-- you frowning while trying to have a heartfelt conversation of peace between you and an enemy. That's just not the way it works. The best way to start off peace is with a smile. Smiles establish friendliness. It's hard to be mad at someone wearing a genuine smile! That's why peace begins with a simple smile.

Quote of the day

"Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles."

-George Eliot

This is a bit of a joke post, but it is also very true. People are naturally attracted to happy people wearing smiles on their faces. So if you smile, you get friends. Scowling, on the other hand, takes more muscles than smiling, but it also leaves wrinkles. Living in this day and age, I think it is safe to say that nobody really wants wrinkles. So smile! Aren't friends better than wrinkles any day?

Daily Quote

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

-Marcus Aurelius

It's so amazing that we are in existence. Did you ever think about it? Have you seen any of those charts of human systems, with the muscles everywhere and the veins even more everywhere splayed out in complex patterns? All of the bones and joints that come together? The nerves in our bodies connected to this one central thing-- the brain, our control center? And how all of this works together to make a human which is capable of walking and talking and moving and breathing on our own? Isn't it amazing? Every morning, wake up and think how amazing it is. Be grateful for all of this, because life is short and shouldn't be wasted.

Daily Quote

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."

-Plato

Kids are afraid of the dark, most times. That's ok, it's normal. In fact, from a religious standpoint, it's a good thing that they're afraid of the dark. It's good that most kids are afraid of the darknesses of the world. There are so many darknesses, all controlled in the central darkness down in the eternal flames. So kids being afraid of the dark is no big deal. The bad thing is when people are afraid of the light. By light, I mean God and Heaven. The thing about Heaven is this: many people want to go there, they just don't want to die to get there! Men being afraid of the light could mean many things: Men afraid of dying, men afraid of God, men afraid of either of the above and any combination of any subcategory those may contain. Being fearful of God is a terrible tragedy... Those people are missing out.

Quote of the day

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

-Winston Churchill

Attitude can literally change the "temperature" of the whole room. It can make a room feel really tense, or it can make a room feel light and fun. Bad attitudes create a heavy feeling where you feel like, with each breath, you're choking. Good attitudes make the room feel light, warm, friendly, and full of energy. The thing about attitudes is that they are contagious, so make sure you're spreading good attitudes!

Quote of the day

"Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life."

-Seneca

Think of every passing day as a new life. Every day we are given the opportunity to start fresh, to begin again. The choices you make are up to you, so you could be a completely different you every single day! Just remain true to who you are. If you have many personalities, then live them. If you only have one, be one person. Live every day as if it is your last, live every day like it's a lifetime. The choices you make are up to you.

Daily Quote

Another great take on happiness. This one is so true! Try not to keep reliving the past, because the past contains all of the things you've ever done wrong and all the things that have ever hurt someone emotionally or physically. It's ok to look back for a little bit to make sure you know what you've done wrong, but after that you need to simply keep going. Imagine a new, fresh start with every step you take. When you put the past behind you, you won't have to worry too much about all of the things that might make you unhappy. Let it stay behind, and rewrite your own future to be the way you want yourself to be!

Daily Quote

Happiness has been described as many things. Too many to count. But this one is one I've never heard before, but it makes sense. When you are thinking positive, happy thoughts while only saying positive, happy things and only doing positive, happy not destructive things, I could see how you would feel happy. You would have rid yourself of negative emotion, which is a good thing. In the end, you would have a good, happy feel! I for one feel happy when I do these three things at the same time, so I suggest you try it as well!

Quote of the day

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning."

-Bill Gates

When doing whatever you are doing, the people that aren't pleased are your greatest source of learning. From these people you can learn what they don't like about your work and you can improve from there. There will always be people who don't like your work, but their feedback is vital to successful improvement. The important thing is to make sure you don't take it the wrong way. As painful as feedback can be, to make the best use of it you really do need to accept what they're saying without letting it get to you.

Quote of the day

"You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way."

-Walter Hagen

Life is short. We are all only on this earth for a short time, so don't rush through it. Don't worry too much about this that and the other, and enjoy the ride. Don't forget to stop and smell those roses along the way. By that, I mean don't forget to enjoy and take in the simple pleasures. Enjoy the ones that are given to us-- the beauties of nature you see everywhere. Don't worry too much, everything will turn out to be ok! Don't rush, or you will not have enough time to smell those flowers! Remember to make the most of your short visit here on earth before we all go home to God one day.

Daily Quote

Someone believing in you is the best thing you could ever have. When someone believes in you and you believe in yourself, you can do amazing things! Someone believing in you is a long lasting source of encouragement when you go about your life. When you feel like you are about to give up, instead of one person coming and temporarily motivating you (which is good, don't get me wrong), the remembrance of that person who believes in you will get you going again strong. Believing in someone is just like being able to motivate them at any time whenever they need it, without having to be on the scene to do it. Believe in your loved ones and they may do great things!