Moments That Matter Journal

(source)

Forget about minutes that are worth hours. Some seconds in your life are worth centuries and then some because of their intense quality. They are the moments that make up your life and that, put together, might be the one movie you'd never get tired of.

Intense emotion has the ability to stretch time. And some moments have this emotional charge. Looking at my little girl's face, it seems like I'm floating into eternity. And anyone who's ever fallen in love knows what I mean when I say that a look can last a lifetime.

Today, I want to urge you to cherish those moments of pure living in the moment, and to write them down. Keep a Moments That Matter Journal.

Pick a notebook that you can keep on your bedside table (so the size of the notebook kind of depends on the size of that table). In nice, swirley letters, write "Moments That Matter Journal" on the first page. 
Now, every night, before going to bed, think of a moment that day that really mattered. One that you think will stick with you in the long run. 
Mind, this doens't have to be a 'happy happy joy joy' kind of journal. Life's made up of all kinds of moments, and the happy ones are only some of them. Moments of intense pain, sadness, fear, surprise, love, etc., all have a place. 

 What moment in the last week would make it into your journal? I hope you'll share in the comments below! Let me know you're out there!

Triple Inspiration in a Single Minute

It's been a couple of months since I've had the pleasure of gathering quotes again for this blog, and I've missed it. I love the quick inspiration I get from reading a powerful quote and how I can share my thoughts quickly and efficiently.

So here they are again: 3 quotes to start off your week with an extra bit of pizazz.

Get Productive!

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!”
(Tony Robbins)

Get Happy!

"The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does." 

(James M. Barrie)

Get Inspired!

"The power of imagination makes us infinite!"

(John Muir)

Set a Priority - Break the Rut

Photo by Stephen McKay

Ever find yourself just going through the motions of life without any particular goal in mind? You go to work, cook dinner, watch TV, go to the occasional family gathering and party, and each year blends into the next without anything changing much.

Coming back to the US after being gone for over 4 years we were surprised to find how little some things have changed, notably the people around us. Our last 4 years were full of exciting goals we pursued and consequently arrived at, so it's sometimes unsettling to see how others get stuck in a rut and don't even seem to notice the time going by. It's mostly unsettling because from past experience I know how easy it is to get into a rut like that, and how difficult it is to escape once you do.

I'll make today's 5 minute task a simple one to get started on creating a life that is meaningful and fulfilling. All you have to do is set a priority. Choose an area in your life: family, health, work, relationships, etc; that you will view as your priority for a certain amount of time. It can be a priority for a day, for a week, a month, a year. 

Then think of what you would like to achieve in this area. Do you want to spend more time with your family? Are you hoping to lose some pounds? Do you want to start exercising more regularly? 
Having this priority set will already make you feel more goal oriented and inspired, and help you set the stage for true action.

I'm someone who'd much rather actively create my life and my circumstances than undergo them passively. It does take energy and effort however, and it is never easy to become pro-active once you're used to the comfort of letting life wash over you. Just keep in mind that you can and should be pro-active about doing nothing sometimes too! Watching TV on purpose because you happen to enjoy a certain show or because you really just want to vege out for a day is totally different from plopping down on the couch cause that's just what you usually do.

What are your thoughts? Are you stuck in a rut? Did you ever break out of one? Share below!

Worth Every Minute: Brain in Love

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, which isn't a really big deal to us since we're quite romantic most of the year. It is one of the only times a year, however, that I get flowers. I don't know why, but it just sort of worked out that way.
This year we decided that in the future we will celebrate this flower-day on February 15th or 16th to benefit from the post-Valentine discount.

So today I want to share some romance not inspired by Valentine's but by scientific research instead. The following link will lead to a TED talk on how our brain functions when we're in love and why romantic love is something to take very seriously!

Helen Fisher also shows why falling in love with someone who doesn't love you back only makes things worse, that animals do share the same feelings even if only for a second, and the difference between intimacy between women and men.

The video is 15 minutes, but worth every second! Interesting and entertaining. Enjoy!

Helen Fisher studies the brain in love

Spreading Christmas Cheer!

Picture by Stephen Durham

It's the tinsel-carol-jingle time of year again. My absolute favorite holiday. But I'm spending it in a country that doesn't care so much about it. So how do you get into the Christmas spirit when others around you don't care so much?

Find others who do. Spend your time with people doing something very Christmas-y, like caroling or making sugar cookies in cute Christmas shapes. 


Decorate. Use some lights, cut out some decorations if you don't have any, in short make the room more express the Christmas cheer for you. 


Watch a Christmas movie. My favorite is Love Actually, always gets me in the mood for Christmas. 

Listen to Christmas music. They can get on your nerves sometimes, sure, but those good old classics will definitely set the right tone. 


Read a Christmas story. A first one that comes to mind is 'A Christmas Carol', but there are many more. They're hart warming and a great way to get into the giving spirit yourself.

We've just moved to a new apartment that doesn't have Internet to await the time when we will move to the US. Until that time I won't be able to update (end of January, probably).
Hopefully you'll find plenty of other blogs to keep you busy, and I promise to get back to blogging as soon as possible!

Happy Holidays!
Jorinde

Ten 5-Minute Tips for a Happy Marriage

5 years ago ...

Today is our wedding anniversary. The 5th one already and probably the last one we'll be celebrating with just the two of us for a while. After this year, we'll have our little one with us, so we'll be making the most out of the time we have left.

Five years is not a very long stretch, but we have both already learned a lot during this time. We come from very different back-grounds and got married quickly and unexpectedly in order to be able to stay together. That meant we had to figure out some stuff along the way.

One of the reasons we are so happily married is that we love to do stuff for each other. Treating your partner doesn't have to take a lot of time or preparation.
Here are some of the things we have surprised each other with over the years:

1. Do a chore
   We both love to come home and find the place cleaner than we left it. Just a little clearing away can already make a big difference. It doesn't take much time, but the effect is very noticeable. My hubby loves coming home and finding the dishes are done, for example.
   
2. Leave a note
   Finding a note with a sweet message is always a lovely surprise. You can leave them at home or put them in between a book they're reading.
   
3. Give a back rub
   Especially a tense partner, but really anyone, enjoys the relaxing feeling of a massage. Just sneak up behind them and massage the shoulders and neck. It can make someone relax instantly and feel connected again even if they're mind is busy working over-time.
   
4. Bring a treat
   I love it when my husband brings home a chocolate muffin that I didn't expect, and vice versa. We don't do it too often, so it stays surprising.
   
5. Plan some together time
   When we are home together, it's sometimes easy to just each settle by ourselves (him in front of the computer, me doing my cross-stitch) and not take advantage of the time we have together. It's always nice when we make a plan to spend at least some time playing a game together or watching a movie. Be pro-active here and don't wait for your partner. If they are too busy, they'll let you know when you ask.
   
6. Prepare conversation topics
   It's not a sign of a bad relationship if you prepare topics to talk about. My husband and I can talk for hours without them, but we've learned a lot about each other by using a book with couple's questions and working our way through them. There are just so many topics that never get brought up in daily conversation.
   
7. Ask questions
   Communication is vital. Asking your partner questions about their day and their thoughts will make them feel like you really care. Pay attention to the answers and respond to them too. If they ask you something ("How was your day?") be sure to return the question too!
   
8. Say 'Thank You'
   Showing appreciation for what your partner does can make any task seem worthwhile. I wouldn't do the dishes, ever, if I thought my husband didn't care at all. Knowing he appreciates what I do makes me want to do it. It makes all the difference!
   
9. Bring up a fond memory
   You can use pictures or tell the story of a great time the two of you had together. "Remember when we..." It calls up all the feelings of that happy moment and brings them into the present moment. Using photo's and reminiscing about how different things were back then can show you both how far you've come and appreciate the time you've had together.
   
10. Cuddle, hug, kiss
    A hug out of nowhere is the best treat. It's warming, comforting, reassuring, and a great reminder of how loved you are. I've written about kissing before in this post. Want to know about the benefits of hugging? You can read this post too.

What do you do to surprise your partner? If you're single, what do you expect from a partner in a long-term relationship?
Every relationship is different, but there's something to learn from each of them. Use the comments to share anything you want!

Triple Inspiration: Winter Edition

Another week gone by. How did it go? Ready for a new one yet? Maybe some quotes can inspire you to look forward to another Monday. I know I can always use a bit of extra motivation to get started.

It's been a wintry week here, so today's quotes are related to the season. It may be my least favorite season, but there are still plenty of things I love about winter.The holidays are an obvious example, but I also love snowy landscapes, winter foods and the crisp clear air of a frosty morning.

Now, without further ado, let's share some quotes.

Get Productive!

"To shorten winter, borrow some money due in spring."
(W.J. Vogel)

Get Happy!

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes 

taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
(Anne Bradstreet)

Get Inspired!

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.
(Albert Camus)

Get Wintry!

"You can't get too much winter in the winter."
(Robert Frost)

Want to get those quotes every Sunday, and a whole lot of other interesting tips through the week? Sign up for the e-mail updates or the RSS feed at the top right of the page. 

Hire Someone Else - Trade Jobs

Picture by Iain Farrell

There are some tasks which are more suited to some people than to others. I actually know people who enjoy cleaning, and I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't mind ironing. But I'm sure there's plenty of things that you don't really like to do. How about hiring someone else to do them for you?

When I say 'hire' someone, I don't necessarily mean paying someone else to do your chores for you. You could also trade tasks with another member of your household or a neighbor.
Do you know that your neighbor or friend really loves gardening but hates cooking? How about trading responsibilities and asking them to help you out in return for a home-cooked meal?

If you have no one to trade with, and can afford it; consider actually paying someone to do those things for you you don't enjoy.
My mom recently hired a cleaning lady and really loves it. It has helped her free up time for things she enjoys doing. I once worked for a place that does people's laundry for them (I helped with the ironing, naturally.)I have a friend in China who pays a student to help her out with errands, and loves how much trouble it saves her.

Thinking that spending an hours wages on an hours pay is not a good use of your money only makes sense if you don't enjoy your job. If you do, wouldn't you rather trade one hour at a job you enjoy for the hour of chores that you hate?

Do you employ anyone or use a service to help you out with stuff? Do you ever regret the money you spend on it? How about chores in your house?

5 Ways to Keep Bed Rest Interesting

Picture by Ahmad Ridhwan

So my doctor put me on a mild version of bed rest for the time being. I'm choosing to see it as a forced holiday instead of the drag it's usually made out to be, and am planning to make the most of it. How do you do that?

The internet has made it much easier these days to do a whole bunch of things even if you're not allowed to go out or get out of bed except for bathroom trips and showers.
This is how I plan to get through the next two weeks and what I would suggest to other people. These tips can all be applied in 5 minutes or less, but will be worth so much more:

1. Plan your day
   Even if you don't have to do anything, no work, no responsibilities, it will make your time much more enjoyable if you have something planned to do. Think of a rudimentary schedule so you have an idea of what you will do when.
   
2. Start a project
   Having something productive to do can make you feel less helpless and useless. If all you need to do is rest, but you're otherwise in good health, then it's easy to get restless while resting (as contradictory as that may sound). Having a project to work on, such as a craft, writing, or other assignment, can make you feel like you're using your time well.
   
3. Invite friends over
   Being confined to the house will probably mean that you're not interacting with others as much as you're used to. No more casual conversation at the grocery store or at work. To maintain your link with the outside world, invite friends over for a cup of tea and a piece of cake.
   
4. Limit your break-time activities
   Don't be tempted to play a computer game for 5 hours or watch three movies in a row. Then you may feel that instead of relaxing you're just forcing time to go by, and time becomes your enemy instead of your friend. Remember that time, any time we have, is a gift that we'll never get back. Seeing it that way will ensure that you find a great use for it!
   
5. Start learning something new
   How about picking up a craft or learning a new language? Get a 'Dummies' book or a good tape and start studying. Find something you've always wanted to study but never had time for and do it.

The reason I sort of know what to do is that I've had holidays which resemble house arrest. I would stay at home all day and do nothing, and then feel horrible after. So I figured out ways to use that time effectively. Sure, bed rest puts a limit on the kind of activities you can do, but these days there is still so much left.

Have you ever been put on bed rest or house arrest because of a medical condition? How did you pass the time? I'd love to hear more ideas to make the most of my obligatory holiday.

Here's hoping you'll never be put on bed rest, and that if you are, these tips might make it more bearable for you.

To Cocoon or Not to Cocoon

Photo by Andrew Spenceley

It's raining. It's gray. It's dark and gloomy. There's no good reason at all to go outside. Actually, there doesn't seem to be much reason to leave the bed. At all. Ever again!
I'm sure I'm not the first and only person who has this kind of response to the typical fall weather. It's so common in Belgium I'm sure we have chronic sufferers. Here in Yantai, it's sunny nearly all the time, however, so it takes some getting used to again.

There are different ways of responding to this kind of weather, and I want to cover my favorite and my friend's favorite. I love to cocoon, she prefers to get out and find some fun.

What is 'cocooning' in my understanding? Staying inside, with a hot drink, and something you enjoy doing. Ideally you go under covers right after dinner with a cup of tea and a nice book. You use various techniques for staying warm to counter the cold and dreary outside atmosphere. You create a kind of opposite environment inside. Great tools for this are color (pillows, blankets, curtains), candles, cheerful music, sweet food. 
A few of these touches might make a big difference in your day.


But that's not what you do if you're Lisa (my friend). She refuses to let the weather dictate her moves and instead seeks out fun and interesting activities out of the house. She'll meet with others, have Christmas caroling practice or go shopping. Anything not to feel cooped up in the house for too long. 


I'm sure that what kind of house your cooped up in (and which co-habitants are there with you) would have a big impact on which of these directions you would take. But our nature (introvert or extrovert) might have something to do with it too. 

Remember that either of these ways to deal with dreary weather should help you boost up your morale. Everyone is different, so respect those who prefer to stay in/go out if you don't.


What do you do on a day like this? Are you affected by the weather or does it barely make a difference apart from the occasional beach party? I'd love to hear I'm not the only one who needs the extra boost!

Ps. Did you notice how I only used one vowel in the title?

Triple Inspiration in a Single Minute

What are you looking forward to next week? Any busy projects lined up? Dreadful meetings you need to attend? I'm sure that whatever it is you're doing, you could use a bit of extra inspiration. I know I could. So here are the quotations for this week.

Get Productive!

"The use of self-control is like the use of breaks on a train. It is useful when you find yourself going in the wrong direction, but merely harmful when the direction is right."

(Bertrand Russell) 

Get Happy!

In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet.
(Albert Schweitzer)

Get Inspired!

We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled 

from the point where they started. 

(Henry Ward Beecher) 

Have a great week!

Write a Daily Gratitude List

Picture by Nannette Turner

One of the habits that I picked up last year was due to reading the book 'The Secret'. Some of the lessons of that book were a little far-fetched, and believing the universe will just give you anything you want is a little too easy for my taste, but I did take one advice to heart: to feel grateful every day for the things you already have in your life.

One way to help you focus on this is to write down the things you feel grateful for each day.

When you write your gratitude list and how you do it doesn't really matter. It's the effort of recognizing the things in your life that should be the focus of your effort. I like to write mine at the end of the day, going over the day in my mind again and feeling the joy and peace of mind that comes with reliving those special moments. I then fall asleep with a feeling of bliss and sleep better having put worries out of my mind.
But you could also keep the list with you and jot down things throughout the day as they occur to you. That way you will be reminded of seeing events in their most positive light and to feel lucky each and every moment.

Give it a try, you never know what it might do for you!

I don't think being grateful for what you have will necessarily get you more. It's not a quick-fix to becoming rich. But it does allow you to feel happier with what you already have, which will add riches of a much more worth-while kind to your life.

20 Things to Feel Grateful For Every Day!

(source)

Recognizing the good in your life is a great short-cut to happiness. Finding out what you already have and how you really feel about it will show you that you may be much happier than you realize already. And to help you get along in counting the blessings in your life, I've assembled a list of 20 things we can all be grateful for every day (or at least the majority of us).

This list is guaranteed to cheer you up!

1. The fact that you're alive! Out of all the zillion possible human beings that could have been created, the fact that we are the ones that made it. Our parents met, they fell in love (or into bed drunkenly), out of all the possible combinations that could have come from that union, we are the ones that came into being. The chances of existing are so tiny that we should feel grateful every day to have made it.
   
2. To be living on a planet that not only sustains, but also provides for the life on it.
   
3. Your health.
   
4. For the food you can eat.
   
5. The ability to read, learn, experience life.
   
6. A brain that has the ability to comprehend its own magnificence.
   
7. Your family, the love they feel for you and you for them.
   
8. Your friends.
   
9. The roof over your head and walls around you that keep out the rain, wind or sunshine.
   
10. The clothes that keep you warm and protected.
    
11. The money that allows you to buy what you need.
    
12. The purpose in your life, be it work, study, taking care of the family or searching for a new purpose.
    
13. The kindness of strangers: a seat offered on the bus, someone who holds the door open, help bagging your groceries.
    
14. The warm fuzzy feeling of waking up and taking 3 extra minutes in a cozy bed.
    
15. A hot cup of coffee/tea/coco on a cold day. A smile when you're sad. A surprising ray of sunshine through dark clouds.
    
16. The amazing benefits of the modern world: your phone, computer, the internet, fridge, running hot water, etc.
    
17. The memories you can access whenever you feel like it.
    
18. The experiences that made you who you are today, be they bad or good ones.
    
19. The knowledge you have acquired over the years and how it benefits you every day.
    
20. The awareness of everything you can be grateful for.

It's not difficult to think of things to be grateful for. They will be different for everyone, but these 20 will be common to many of us. Being reminded of the things we take for granted can open our eyes to the wonders of life. 

Triple Inspiration: Thanksgiving Edition

I've been teaching all my students about gratitude this week, and will be doing next week. I'll write another post on the importance it has played in my life tomorrow (aka I will write it today and it'll be posted tomorrow!)

So this week I'd like to put the focus on feeling grateful, using some quotes to inspire you. Technically Thanksgiving of course celebrates the harvest and the sharing between two completely different cultures, but it's also a great time to take a moment of feeling grateful for what we already have, before heading out to become the mass-pre-Christmas-consumers that we are.

Get Productive!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation 

is not to utter words, but to live by them."

(John F. Kennedy)

Get Happy!
"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, 

but rejoices for those which he has."

(Epictetus) 

Get Inspired!

"There is not a more pleasing exercise of the mind than gratitude.  It is accompanied with 

such an inward satisfaction that the duty is sufficiently rewarded by the performance."  

(Joseph Addison)

Jumping Back on the Wagon

Picture by Odense Bys Museer

Since last summer, I've been slacking off a bit when it came to productive and life-improving habits. Sure, we were still eating healthy and I'm still finishing all of my class preparations, but that's about it. I haven't really been focusing on the long-term goals and the house-hold and my blogs have suffered too.

This has been bothering me, and maybe some of you too.

My hubby and I have been waiting for paperwork to get out of China and finally see our US family again. This being in-between where we were and where we want to be has left us feeling like we don't really care so much about the present anymore.
But just sitting around waiting is a waste of time. Especially if it just goes on for months without any idea of when it might get better.

Well, I'm done with it. And for those of you who have started hibernating and letting go of some of the great habits you've built up: this is for you too.

Over the months from September 2010 to August 2011, I started some great habits. I built them up slowly, but by June 2011 we were getting up early, getting daily exercise, eating well, blogging daily, and feeling great about all of it. I loved that time, but when I got first trimester morning sickness, it became impossible to keep up with. 

Now I want it back, but it seems like so much to do at once.

So what do you do? Start with one thing. Build up the habits the way you did before. Today I started with one of the first habits that I picked up before, and the easiest one for me: making a daily plan. I take out my diary (which has been gathering dust on the messy desk in the never-used office) and wrote down a rough outline of what I plan to do each hour. I left some space open to fill in later, but that'll slowly get filled up too. 

It worked pretty well. My day was much more productive than they have been this week, and I felt a lot more energetic. 

When we give up on a habit, we often think that's it. We tried it and clearly it didn't work. But it doesn't have to be that way. An ex-smoker who falls off the wagon doesn't have to settle for smoking for the rest of their life. A busy mom who's gained weight doesn't have to forget about exercising forever.
We each have our times when it's difficult to do the things we know are good for us, and make us happy.

When the time is right, however, you will feel the urge to get back into gear and you can feel confident knowing you've already succeeded once before!  

Write a Thank-You Note

Most of us are so used to the people around us, we sometimes take them for granted. Yes, I admit it, I do it too! We forget the little things that people do for us in our daily lives, because we've gotten used to them or are too buy to notice them. But stop to think for a moment of all the little things YOU do for someone else. That's easier to remember, right?
Maybe you did the dishes this morning? Did you hold the elevator? Did you surprise someone with a beautiful poem?

Thank-You-Note for my brother-in-law

Think about a person in your life that you see often, probably daily. Now, think about how this person has changed something in his/her behavior to accommodate you. What did they do? How does it make you feel?

Write your feelings on a nice card or a random piece of paper. Only handwritten notes allowed! Leave it for someone to find on this Thanksgiving Day. If you receive a Thank-You-Note, pay it forward!

Triple Inspiration In a Single Minute

Another Sunday in which I feel like updating ;-) I admit that the blog has been kind of slow, but I'm now finally starting to feel better (almost no more nausea) so trying to pick it up when I have some free time.

Today's quotes are as much to inspire myself as they are to inspire you, my dear readers. Feel free to add any great ones that you've come across lately to the list!

Get Productive!

"I am capable of what every other human is capable of."

(Maya Angelou)

Get Happy! 

“People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. But happiness is the result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly.”

(Elizabeth Gilbert)

Get Inspired!

"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact 

that each moment of life is a miracle and a mystery."

(H.G. Wells)

Fall Color Feast

Picture by Lee Cannon

It's that time of year when all around us the leaves are changing color. Every Spring and Autumn I'm torn between which season is my favorite, and this time I'm again noticing all the splendor of Fall in Yantai, China. It's probably the driest season here, which means that the leaves all seem to change color at slightly different times. So each tree has a whole range of different shades going from green to yellow, orange, red and everything in between.

Running around from one place to another, we don't always take the time to notice the changing seasons around us. It seems as if a year flies by unnoticed and we just need one of those little tricks to help us slow down time and make the most of every moment.
One of the ways to make time pass more slowly is by noticing the details around us more. It makes time expand in our mind at the present time and in our memory, because filling your mind with detailed memories of a certain day or couple of hours makes that time feel more intense after. That's why, in our memories, the weekend we spent sightseeing in France seems so much longer than the week of work before (for more on this see this post).

So take a moment this season to notice all the gorgeous colors around you and take a minute to breathe in the fresh autumn air! Sure, it'll come around again next year, but that's no reason to miss out this year.

Being more aware of the present moment is something I strive to about 50% of the time (aka when I'm not asleep these days).
Any other ideas of how to do this? Share your ideas, blog posts, articles, and so on, in the comments below!

Show Your True You

I did it. I caved and bought myself a 3 month subscription to a VPN service so I can hop that dangerously wired fence called the Great Chinese Firewall.
So there goes all that time I saved not being able to watch youtube videos or check social networks. But at least it also allows me to access this blog without any problems whatsoever! So, totally worth the money!

Picture by Chiara Marra

Today I wanted to talk about something that stood out to me after I posted my last blog post, which was an episode of Triple Inspiration on Sunday. In this post I mentioned one of the books I am currently reading. It's an anthology of atheist quotes. After this post, I found that the next day, 1/3 of my RSS subscribers was gone. Don't worry, my list of loyal subscribers is short, so it wasn't a huge number, but I value all of my readers and was sad to see so many go.
I'm not sure if there was a connection, but somehow I would not be surprised. I've seen people cringe at that information before.
So I thought by myself, whether it would have been better not to say anything and just stay neutral. Just be a sort of generic person that everyone can relate to equally.
But that's not very 'me', and not really the kind of person I would want anyone else to be either. So today's post is an appeal to all of you to stay true to who you are as a person; and to let your own dreams and feelings be in charge of how you act.

There are few things more scary than showing who you truly are, and then being rejected for it. One of the appealing aspects of acting out a role is that you don't have to take any negative responses personally. They don't say anything about you as a person.

Today I want to tell you that even when you are being your true self, negative responses only say something about your relationship with the person who's responding to you. There's no knowing how people will react to you whether you're acting or not. When someone disagrees with you or thinks badly of you, it says as much about them as it does about you. One of the things I've learned in China is that my preconceived notions of politeness and good manners, and my judging of the lack thereof in my students, says much more about my culture than about theirs.

Life is too short to go around trying to be someone/something you're not. I stopped acting like I enjoyed big crowds and loud music because it made me miserable, and frankly, I haven't lost any friends over it. They may think I'm a 50 year old in 26 year old skin, but I like it that way. 

I have a lot of different kinds of friends. With some I agree on almost everything, with others on barely anything. Yet I value them for who they are, and for showing who they really are, even when they know I disagree and may think them foolish. I draw power and inspiration from these people.

What about you?

Triple Inspiration In a Single Minute

It's Sunday again, so time for me to share some more of my favorite quotes. I love using quotes to pull myself through a rough day, or to make a great day even more inspiring. I'll often take a book of quotes and read a couple of pages before going to sleep, because it's so entertaining. Currently that book is The Atheist's Bible by Joan Konner. But there are tons of anthologies out there!

Now, for the quotes of this week:

Get Productive!

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”

(Bruce Lee)

Get Happy!

"Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. 

These are the secrets of happiness and good health."

(Julia Child)

Get Inspired

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

(Neale Donald Walsch)

For more quotes, check out the entire series here.