Quote of the Week

Here is the thing about radical change: It changes your life radically. More importantly, it changes who you are radically. It forces you to be brave. It changes how you see the world, other people, and yourself.

- Susannah Breslin

Quote of the Week

The invention of the ship was also the invention of the shipwreck.
- Paul Virilio

Don't let the threat of a shipwreck keep you from creating a ship. Have a beautiful week, dolls.

Quote of the Week

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
- Anaïs Nin

Quote of the Week

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."
- Neil Gaiman

Quote of the Week

Expectation is the root of all heartache.
- William Shakespeare

How different would your life be if everything had turned out exactly the way you'd expected - the worst case scenarios AND the best case scenarios?  Would you be grateful for everything that you have or would you presume you deserved it?  Disappointment and heartache can be tough to deal with, but they help teach us what's important.  Learn to appreciate what you have and be grateful for what you are continually blessed with - good health, a loving family, your dream job, holiday traditions, your education, a supportive significant other... ♥

Quote of the Week

"What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise."
- Oscar Wilde

Remember that everything happens for a reason!  There are no mistakes in life and thus, no reason for regret.  More clichés about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, etc. and so forth.
I really do believe that everything happens for a reason, though.  Do you?

Either way, have a beautiful week, lovelies!  I know I will.. my only final, last paper, and final project are DONE after Tuesday.  What does your week look like?

Quote of the Week

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."
- Roald Dahl

Quote of the Week

"Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable."
- Coco Chanel

Ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy, friends?  You are one!  That's why you have to stay like the Little Engine that Could... don't ever tell yourself that you can't, don't let doubt sneak in, because once you do, you're done for.

A wonderful, lovely, perfect, and HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY to Boyfriend!! ♥ ♥ ♥ I can't wait to see you, sir.

Quote of the Week

"You have to take risks.  We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen."
- Paulo Coelho

Quote of the Week

If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.
- Thomas Edison

This quote reminds me of another, from one of my favorite movies from high school, Empire Records (so many classic quotes from this movie!).  When asked how she has time to do everything, Liv Tyler's character replies that there are 24 usable hours in every day.  How many hours do we throw away every day when we could be doing something astonishing?  How much more could we be doing if we eliminated just ten minutes of idle time here and there? Just something to think about as you get ready to start your week! ♥

Quote of the Week

Let everything happen to you, beauty and terror, no feeling is final.- Rainer Maria Rilke

Thought for the Week

Instead of a Quote of the Week, this week seemed to need a thought for the week.

Many of us are working to get into our fall routines and schedules, and the transition from the lazy summer days to the ordered autumn days can be a bit bumpy and halting.  When doing something new, I frequently tell myself that it's only hard until you get used to it. This applies to nearly everything - waking up early, a different workout, long distance relationships :'(, a new workload.

In the beginning, changes - even small ones - can feel overwhelming and we wish for what is familiar.  Sometimes we feel like we're all alone, fighting to be better, to be different, to change some part of ourselves or our world.  But if we keep our goals in mind and recall what we're working for, we soon find that what was new has become what is familiar.

"A ship in the harbor is safe -- but that's not what ships are built for."
~ John A. Shedd

Quote of the Week

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is one of my favorite quotes EVER.  I want a big beautiful print of it to hang in my bedroom so that I can wake up in the morning and be reminded. I began reading Thich Nhat Hahn's Peace Is Every Step at bedtime; one of the suggestions is to put something in your room, near your bed that will make you smile right when you wake up. How lovely.

Quote of the Week

Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come… The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present - and I don’t want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future.- Audrey Hepburn

Only one week of summer left!  (Can you believe it's gone so quickly?!)  Classes begin next Monday and I intend to spend the next week relaxing and appreciating the present as Ms. Hepburn suggests.  How will your final week of summer be spent?  Poolside?  In a mad rush to get ready for school?  Somewhere in between?

Quote of the Week

I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful, and too determined to be defeated.- Kandee Johnson

Hope you had an amazing weekend and feel refreshed and ready for the week!  I've got a huge to-do list for the week and plans to treat myself to a $5 showing of Eat Pray Love, but it's my last week in St. Louis so it's all bittersweet.  What are you looking forward to this week?

Very Quotatious

Since I love Mondays so much, I figured Sunday nights would be a good time to share some of my favorite quotes.  I used to get really bummed out on Sunday nights, dreading Mondays and the upcoming week.  I'm not sure when exactly I started loving Mondays, but if you're not a Monday person maybe these quotes will help you through the week!

For bonus points, does anyone know where the title of this post comes from? ;)

If you want to be happy, be.
- Tolstoy