Circumstances

We cannot choose our external circumstances,
but we can always choose how to respond to them.
- Epictetus

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men
who walked through the huts comforting others,
giving away their last piece of bread...
They offer sufficient proof that everything
can be taken from a man but one thing:
to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances,
to choose one's own way.
- Viktor E. Frankl

The answer to circumstances is choosing a positive response,
and the most positive choice is to be of service.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Read my thoughts on circumstances at Overcome Being Negative

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. - Henry Ford

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
- Henry Ford

Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
- Marilyn vos Savant

The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow.
- jlh

Circumstances don't defeat you - you defeat yourself when you give up.

Further reading: 9 Secrets for Living a Happier Life

A life of happiness requires a plan and it requires action

How To Be Happy Today And Prepare For Tomorrow

Never Give Up Quotes

Quotes about Overcoming Adversity

Quotes about Being Strong

No Fear Quotes

Mottos to Live By

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.
- Earl Nightingale

You are more powerful than the circumstances that buffet you. Believe in yourself and take action on that belief.

*** 100 Secrets for Living a Life You Love would make a great gift for someone you love. Use discount code 4GY92RQ9 for a 25% discount when you order direct from my publisher.

Further reading: Circumstance does not make the man: it reveals him to himself. - James Allen

I choose to adapt to the circumstances in which I find myself.

Epictetus: We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how to respond to them.

Mohandas Gandhi Quotes

Positive Attitude: How to Stay Positive Around Negative People

Circumstance does not make the man: it reveals him to himself. - James Allen

Circumstance does not make the man: it reveals him to himself.
- James Allen

Our lives are defined not by the challenges we encounter, but by how we respond to those challenges.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

*** You asked for Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote to be available in book form, and here it is - just in time for holiday giving!

100 Secrets for Living a Life You Love
Finding Happiness Despite Life's Roadblocks
by Jonathan Lockwood Huie

You can live the life you love - even in the face of the most challenging circumstances. While sometimes it may appear that life throws more obstacles in your path than you can handle, you can always choose to be happy. Yes, you are that powerful.

This book would be a very special present for friends and family.

The regular price is a very reasonable $12.95, and I am offering you a discount code to receive an additional discount of 25% to bring your cost under $10 for each copy.

Use discount code 4GY92RQ9 for a 25% discount and
Order 100 Secrets for Living a Life You Love now.

The "secrets" include...
1 - Put Your Faith in Attitude, Not Circumstances
4 - Persevere - Happiness is Not Always an Easy Choice
6 - Give the Gift of Happiness to Your Friends and Family
11 - Choose the Purpose of Your Life
24 - Stop Anger Before It Stops You
36 - Consider How You Want to be Remembered
39 - Create Good Endings - They Precede Good Beginnings
41 - Put Your Dreams Into Action
42 - Gather Strength From Life’s Storms
44 - Have Gratitude for ALL of Life
45 - Be Open to Receiving Unlimited Abundance
56 - Give and Receive Love and Compassion
57 - Look for the Best in People
67 - Make Peace with Your Past through Forgiveness
70 - Learn the #1 Secret of Great Relationships
77 - Find Happiness Beyond the Grief of Divorce
88 - Begin the Practice of a Silent Daily Walk
90 - Know That Life is NOT SUPPOSED to be Fair
100 - Feel Unity with Spirit and All Creation

If you want to look before you buy, you can view or download a pdf file that includes the Table of Contents and eight of the "secrets" so you can see the 100 secrets and sample some of them. 100-secrets-preview.pdf

Use discount code 4GY92RQ9 for a 25% discount and
Order 100 Secrets for Living a Life You Love.

***

Further reading: Joy is a Choice - but Not an Easy Choice

Albert Camus: Life is a sum of all your choices.

Take Charge of Your Life - 9 Secrets for Getting Un-Stuck - Jonthan Lockwood Huie

I choose to adapt to the circumstances in which I find myself.

Flexible - Adaptable

I choose to adapt to the circumstances in which I find myself. I choose to be flexible in my dealings with those around me. I understand that my way is not the only way - that inner peace comes from respecting the ways of others, and that, if I am open, I may gain great insights and happiness from the ideas and traditions of others.

Further reading: Habits - Like Water to a Fish

Choose Your Habits, Choose Your Life

Stay adaptable, stay Joyful

Honor tradition AND question tradition. - jlh

Epictetus: We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how to respond to them.

We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how to respond to them.
- Epictetus (Greek ca. 55–ca. 135)

Mary Anne Radmacher: What are the proper grounds for joy?

What are the proper grounds for joy? Is it circumstance which will determine the stature of my spirit? Ah, no. It is choice. It is always a choice – in the face of any event – for joy.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Mary Anne Radmacher: Old Beginnings versus NEW beginnings

Old Beginnings versus NEW beginnings….

I was relating the details of a conflict to my coach. In my mind it was fresh to a life long issue. It was new information and I was pleased with my approach. My coach asked, “Why have you done the same thing you have always done in this circumstance?”

I told her I didn’t understand the question. She offered the candid observation, “I know you think you’ve made a new beginning. But really all you’ve done is used different words with the same approach you’ve always used. Really! You need to reach for a NEW beginning … not the same old beginning you’ve always used.”

The irony has remained with me. Hmmmm. A beginning that’s actually OLD. The phrase “new beginnings” at first seems redundant. It’s actually a profound challenge.

Have your new year’s resolutions been a new beginning for you or have they, like my approach to an old conflict, just been different words on the same old beginning? Maybe now’s the time to establish a new pattern of viewing your life fresh for 2009.

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Forrest Gump Movie Quotes - Forrest Gump Quotes

Quotes from the movie Forrest Gump:

Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

My Mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on.

It happens - Sometimes.

I just wanted to tell you I love you.

If you're sick, I'll take care of you.

Momma always said dyin' was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Leo Tolstoy: If you want to be happy, be

If you want to be happy, be.
- Leo Tolstoy

Happiness is a choice - independent of circumstances.

George Washington: It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company

It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.
- George Washington

Of course you can and should keep your composure and happiness regardless of circumstances - regardless of your friends, family and co-workers - regardless of gossip, sarcasm, and negativity. Nonetheless, life is much easier and more pleasant when you spend as much time as possible in the company of enthusiastic positive people - not necessarily those who agree with you, but those who respect your right to your point of view.

Aristotle: Happiness depends upon ourselves

Happiness depends upon ourselves
- Aristotle

If you don't take full responsibility for your own happiness, who do you suppose will? Your happiness is a one person job - it begins and ends with you.

Consider the people in your life: which of them brighten your days? Chances are that the people that you most enjoy are the people who have made their own choice to be happy in the face of their circumstances.

Beyond being the greatest gift that you can give yourself, your choice to be happy is a magnificent present to your family, friends, and everyone you meet.

Beyond the Grief of Divorce - 7 Steps Toward New Beginnings

If you have been divorced, you know it hurts - especially if your marriage had lasted many years. Whatever the circumstances of your relationship, and whatever the nature of its ending, there is always grief and regret - perhaps regret over the ending or perhaps regret over not ending the relationship sooner - or perhaps both. How to move past the grief and regret? No matter how painful, divorce, like all endings, opens the door to new beginnings. Let's examine several.

1. Get support: Don't be embarrassed to ask friends for support. Join a divorce support group. Join a more general women's or men's group like ManKind Project and share your story.

2. Reconsider your obligations: In reality, you have NO obligations. There is nothing you ever have to do, because everything you do or don't do is always a choice. Be especially clear that you don't owe anyone an explanation or justification for any of your actions - ever.

3. Simplify your life: There is nothing that you really NEED to have. Material possessions seldom bring joy. Consider eliminating whatever you haven't used in a year, and minimizing new purchases - not based on economy, but on your choice for leading a simple unencumbered life.

4. Try something new: What have you been wanting to do, but couldn't find the time or commitment to begin? Perhaps yoga, qigong, stretching, walking, a new spiritual class, a book discussion group, ballroom dancing.

5. Learn and explore: You are never too old for learning and discovery. Open your mind. Study something you always wanted to know about but that didn't seem necessary or practical - other cultures and times, comparative religion, whatever calls you.

6. Volunteer: Nothing works better for relieving self-pity than helping others who are worse off. Fill the time you would have spent feeling sorry for yourself by giving something of yourself to others.

7. Get away: If you can possibly afford it, take a trip with a group of compatible people - perhaps a spiritual journey. Also, ask what is tying you to the community where you currently reside. Now is a time to consider the question of where, and how, you really want to live.

Believe in yourself. You have free will. You, and only you, are responsible for your life.

Also read my article 7 Secrets for a Happy Life.