“I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.” ~ Meryl Streep
“Life is meant to be enjoyed. Sure, I agree with this statement (as many of us would) but the problem is this is used to justify all kinds of crappy behavior. Might as well scarf down those Doritos and Twinkies, because hey, life is meant to be enjoyed, right? No. You can do without junk food and still enjoy life. You can exercise and enjoy it. You can give up pretty much anything and still enjoy life, if you learn to see almost any activity as enjoyable.” ~ Leo Babauta, Blog
“The only thing you really control in life is your preparation. You may be up against more devious, more intelligent, or more excitable people, but you can’t control their conduct, steal their skills, or tranquilize their emotions. You can’t control external events. But if you prepare yourself and your team fully, you know that you will have done all you can do to achieve an optimal result.” ~ Ronald Shapiro, Dare to Prepare
“So often, people take a job because it pays well. This scenario enables you to have a lifestyle that is supported by that money, and therefore, you find yourself stuck in that job for the rest of your life. You become a slave to the money, working to keep up with the lifestyle you’ve grown accustomed to instead of enjoying the moment. When you grow dependent on money, you won’t get to follow your passion. This is why I always advise people never to take a job for the money – especially when you are young and just starting out. Passion breeds excellence. When you are good at something, the money always follows.” ~ Blake Mycoskie
“When I was a child, my father used to encourage my brother and me to fail. At the dinner table, instead of asking about the best part of our day, he would ask us what we failed at that week. If we didn’t have something to tell him, he would be disappointed. When we shared whatever failure we’d endured, he’d high-five us and say, ‘Way to go!’ The gift my father gave us by doing this was redefining what failure truly meant.”
Sara Blakely (Read Matt’s Blog On This Quote)
“Your journey to a healthier weight is not a journey that you start and then give up. It is a journey that you are living every day for the rest of your life.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Savor
“When we smile, the muscles around our mouth are stretched and relaxed, just like doing yoga. Smiling is mouth yoga. We release the tension from our face as we smile. Others who run into us notice it, even strangers, and are likely to smile back. It is a wonderful chain reaction that we can initiate, touching the joy in anyone we encounter. Smiling is an ambassador of goodwill.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Savor
“Sometimes we believe that happiness is not possible in the here and now, that we need a few more conditions to be happy. So we run toward the future to get the conditions we think are missing. But by doing so we sacrifice the present moment; we sacrifice true life.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Savor