Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations (Chicken Soup for the Soul) (21 page)

M
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10

T
his morning I wake up looking forward to what I can accomplish. I have chosen my path and I will concentrate on positive goals; the power of ambition and embracing change. I will embody positive transformation and revel in every step I take in the process of becoming who I want to be, moving forward with determination toward my future.

Stacey Chillemi

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.

C. Archie Danielson

Footnotes for Life

M
AY
11

I
t may be impossible to capture life in all of its beauty, splendor and glory. Yet, by catching even bits and pieces of those significant moments, we are endowed with the wonderful opportunity to relive them, to savor them once more. And then we realize life is truly beautiful.

Maria Isabel A.Arellano

Some people have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.

A.H. Maslow

Footnotes for Life

M
AY
12

I
was used to living with insanity. Living with an alcoholic parent prepared me for survival. I learned to enter into destructive relationships and then to wait for the craziness to end. I learned to see a person not for who they are, but for whom they might become . . . if only. I now know I must protect myself emotionally. It’s not safe to place my psyche in the hands of an insane person. I was not put on this Earth to be abused emotionally or physically. I cannot wait for permission to get help or leave an abusive relationship. I cannot wait for overwhelming approval from others for my choices. My life is my own and I must make decisions in my own best interest.

Rokelle Lerner

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.

Sigmund Freud

Footnotes for Life

M
AY
13

L
eave the whispers of the tempter. Today, the strength to walk away is within reach. The taste still charms, but the enemy lives there. An image of new life clings to the mirror. The sweetness of sin turns to bitter memory. Once held captive by cravings, release comes through prayer. Life’s path was steep, but now grows level. Peace replaces the agony of physical yearnings. A fortress shields me from the tempter. Tomorrow, fill my heart with more prayers to protect me.

Ann Coogler

Trials, temptations, disappointments–all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly.

James Buckham

Footnotes for Life

M
AY
14

I
can think of no burden that can be heavier upon the shoulders and conscience of someone than the wreckage of one’s past, left untended.

The Steps give us the tools to relieve ourselves of that burden, clean up the wreckage and live happy, joyous and free with the freedom, excitement and wonder of a child once again.

Jeffrey R.Anderson

Pain nourishes courage. You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.

Mary Tyler Moore

Footnotes for Life

M
AY
15

A
study of people living over one-hundred years included their secret of happy living. They awakened each day being grateful for another day of life, stating life was too short to hold grudges or spend time complaining. Every day presents an opportunity to be happy. Joy is obtained by making others happy. All it takes is a little act of kindness . . . a note, a smile, an encouraging word, a pat on the back and a loving heart.

We can learn a lot from these centenarians. The gift of life is priceless.

Joan Clayton

Being happy today takes care of tomorrow!

Joan Clayton

Footnotes for Life

M
AY
16

H
ardships sensitize us to the everyday parts of life. When we have been stripped bare by the happenings of a dark season, the simple fragrance of lilac on a spring evening, the smile of a stranger, or even the pleasure of crunching a carrot can wrap themselves around us like a hug.

These ordinary events are like a cool drink of water in a parched land; we can take them in and allow them to flood the dry places in us.

Barbara A. Croce

Take the most difficult challenge you are now facing and turn it into the greatest opportunity to grow simply by changing how you see it. Dead ends then become turning points.

Bob Perks

Footnotes for Life

M
AY
17

W
hen I get a very strong intuitive message, I will listen to it. I may not be right but I will not discount the feeling or the impulse, knowing that intuition plays an important part in my life. My intuition is real. It is a combination of feelings and instincts that help me to navigate this world. I will not silence that quiet inner voice with “shoulds” today. Living true to my insides is more comfortable for me than working around them. Intuition is real. It is there to guide me.