Kathzoofus

"May the sun bring you new energy by day... May the moon softly restore you by night... May the rain wash away your worries... And the breeze blow new strength into your being... And all of the days of your life may you walk... Gently through the world and know its beauty." Happy New Year!!!

"The concept of total wellness recognizes that our every thought, word, and behavior affects our greater health and wellbeing. And we, in turn, are affected not only emotionally but also physically and spiritually." –Greg Anderson, author of "The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness" What thoughts, words and behaviors are affecting your health and wellbeing these days?

"It takes courage to show your dreams to someone else." -Erma Bombeck

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance. ~Harrison Ford

"I've continued to recognize the power individuals have to change virtually anything and everything in their lives in an instant. I've learned that the resources we need to turn our dreams into reality are within us, merely waiting for the day when we decide to wake up and claim our birthright." ~Anthony Robbins If you could change one thing about yourself right now, what would it be?

"Faith is not being sure where you’re going, but going anyway. A journey without maps." -Frederick Buechner

"The first step towards change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do. Change is not something you do. It's something you allow." –Will Garcia For some reason this quote makes me think about dealing with fear. My belief is that you can do things to reduce your fears and while it is possible to eliminate fears completely that is unusual. I think more often people find new ways to cope or deal with their fears rather than overcoming them completely. For me what works when dealing with my fears is that I have to get to a point where I accept them. I acknowledge them. "Hello, Fear. I see you standing in the shadows of my life." Then I have to get a little frustrated by my fears. I have to recognize that they are holding me back in their shadows and not allowing me to step out into the sunlight. "Yo, Fear, you bastard. I'm getting damn tired of standing in your cold, dark shadows." From

"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working, and just so you learn to love, by loving. All those who think to learn in other ways deceive themselves." ~Saint Francis de Sales

"It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not." –James Gordon, M.D.

"Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him." ~Epictetus How do you deal with people that anger you?

"I wanna be dancing with my magic If thats not asking too much Cause life is so much sweeter When its got that magic touch And the angels clear the path Through the underbrush" ~Bonnie Wren, My Magic

"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl." ~S. Heller What wound or injury from your past has made you into something beautiful?

The following is a snapshot of some of my favorite book and movie quotes from one of my journals. Enjoy! From Raising Your Emotional Intelligence, Jeanne Segal: "We are told to value the head and devalue the heart; instinctively, we value the heart and feel wrong for doing so. WE ARE NOT WRONG." From The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Mitch Albom: "...all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time." "Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else." From Under The Tuscany Sun, starring Diane Lane: "Regrets are a waste of time. They are the past crippling you in the present." From Something's Gotta Give, starring Diane Keaton: "I let someone in and I had the time of my life." From Stillness Speaks, by Eckhart Tolle: "Surrender comes when you no longer ask, 'Why is this happening to me?'" What are some of you

October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came - The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name. The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand, Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band. ~George Cooper, "October's Party"

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." ~Ambrose Redmoon

"Defeat doesn't finish a man -- quit does. A man is not finished when he's defeated. He's finished when he quits." ~Richard Nixon

"Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor." ~Sholom Aleichem What is your life like these days?

This is from a rather new journal that I received from Krush last summer. I haven't officially named it yet but it tends to reflect some of the rules I have for my life. Specifically around what I will and will not tolerate from people around me. This entry is dated 10/08/2004: Broken, fearful & wounded are not attractive qualities. Ever.

If you take a looksy over to the left side of this page you'll see that I have a link to the website for Oriah Mountain Dreamer . I absolutely adore her work and have read and re-read her books many many times. Right now I'm reading (again) The Invitation . I remember the first time I read the book, reading a passage about solitude and it made me feel sad that I had no experience ever truly being alone with myself. Over the years I have gotten better at appreciating true solitude. The kind of solitude that leaves you sitting alone, in silence, lost in the sounds of your own thoughts. This is the passage that I read last night and as I read it this time, I was filled with happiness knowing that I can absolutely find peace with my own company: "When I ask if you can be alone with yourself, I am not asking if the idea of being alone appeals to you but if you can actually be present, with yourself, for longer than a couple of hours, without flipping on the TV or the radio

I believe that if we stand up and take responsibility for our mistakes we risk many things but the knowledge we gain is worth much, much more. I believe that risk and failure and success and experience and about a million other things build character ...or take away from it. I believe that happiness is not about good luck or good fortune but rather a decision that we make with each experience that we have. I believe that all peace and happiness starts within and moves without . I do not believe you can reverse that. I believe we can waste a lifetime blaming ourselves or blaming others for the problems in our life or our world or we can spend a lifetime doing something about it. I believe whether you make a conscious decision or not, you are setting an example for somebody. I believe like attracts like , who and what do you want to attract? I believe good memories are better than good inheritances . I believe what you say isn’t half as important as what you do . I

Have you ever received advice from someone that was CERTAIN that their recommendation was the ONLY possible solution? Have you ever encountered a person that made you feel like their attempt to help you was actually smothering the LIFE out of you? Have you ever received advice from someone that actually came across as UPSET when you decided to go a route other than what they suggested? Oh, haaaaaaaaaaave IIIIIIIIIIIII ever... I saw this quote today and my head almost bobbeled off I nodded in agreement so hard: "The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right." ~Henry Ward Beecher , US abolitionist & clergyman

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

"There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness." ~Carl Jung

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!" ~John Kerouac

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent." ~Douglas McCarther Great leaders aren't just in the workplace. They lead volunteer efforts, churches, sports teams & communities. Where do you see great leaders?

"It is important that people know what you stand for. It's equally important that they know what you won't stand for." - Mary Waldrop

"There is an important difference between giving up and letting go." ~ Jessica Hatchigan (Found at Open Book )

"Being vulnerable doesn't have to be threatening. Just have the courage to be sincere, open and honest. This opens the door to deeper communication all around. It creates self-empowerment and the kind of connections with others we all want in life. Speaking from the heart frees us from the secrets that burden us. These secrets are what make us sick or fearful. Speaking truth helps you get clarity on your real heart directives." ~Sara Paddison

An excerpt from The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Collection of Aphorisms from the Works of Baltasar Gracian, translated by Martin Fischer : "Rate the intensive above the extensive. The perfect does not lie in quantity, but in quality. All that is best is always scant, and rare, for mass in anything cheapens it. Even among men the giants have often been true pygmies. Some judge books by their thickness, as though they had been written to exercise the arms, instead of the mind. Bigness, alone, never gets beyond the mediocre, and it is the curse of the universal man, that in trying to be everything, he is nothing."

"Tough times never last, tough people do." ~Robert Schuller

For as long as I can remember I have struggled with fitness. It isn't that I am opposed to it. I have no great issues with working up a sweat. My struggle has been in finding fitness routines or programs that can keep my attention. Today I ran across an article on Personality Fitness . I read the descriptions for all and felt I best fit into the 1st and 5th fitness types: Fitness Personality No. 1: Action and Adventure Bored by routine workouts Spends as much time as possible outdoors Prefers the trail to the treadmill Usually competitive when it comes to sports Exercises for the adventure and/or social experience Fitness Personality No. 5: Easy Does It Avoids the gym Uncomfortable exercising in groups Prefers low-impact fitness routines May be working around old sports injuries or other health concerns (such as back pain, etc.) Exercises to build resilience, stability and self-confidence There were exercises listed that definitely appealed to me and some that I had never hear

"Take a lesson from the mosquito. It never waits for an opening; it makes one." ~Kirk Kirkpatrick Well dang...who knew those pesky little bastards were something to aspire to be like? I have a couple of friends that are presently feeling trapped by their jobs. For various reasons they hate where they are and what they are doing. These are not people that recently had a change in their current situation that isn't sitting well with them. These are people that have hated their career situation for nearly 10 years. I do what I can to help them explore their opportunities, find out what else is out in the world of employment that would be a little more satisfying for them but I think the reality is that these are people that won't ever make an opening for themself. Listening to them talk you would think that they are expecting that one day they are going to have some AHA! moment where finally they realize what career of their dreams is. Like mysteriously their caree

I just read an article on Beliefnet.com and thought I'd share a paragraph that had me nodding my head: "The Bible admonishes, "Judge not lest ye be judged." But in my experience, it's impossible not to judge. We all do it, all the time. And it hurts us far more than those we judge. It isolates us, makes us small, and bars us from our spiritual essence." Everyone, everyone, everyone is judgemental. Our brains are wired to judge the words and actions of other people. The trick is to not let judging others consume us. The article goes on to offer a very practical approach to letting go of judgemental feelings and there is related article called The Seven Steps to Forgive and Forget which is also very good. Read the articles and let me know what you think.

"Everyone has a talent; what is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads." ~Erica Jong Without comparing yourself to anyone, think of things that you are good at. You don't have to be an award winning anything to have talent at it. What are things that you enjoy doing? Think of them now. It can be one thing or ten things, the number doesn't matter as much as being able to identify where your talent lies.

The following is a quote that I received from my daily MorningMantra today. It is from Anthony Robbins. I think my favorite part is about being an excellent example of being human. Part of that includes screwing up and I think that we tend to forget that mistakes are a part of life. Don't be too hard on yourself...or anyone else for that matter. We're all learning as we go. "Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human." ~Anthony Robbins

"Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make yourself a happier and more productive person." ~Dr. David M. Burns From Morning Mantra .

Today in my email was my daily subscription to a daily hindu message from Beliefnet . It read: Meditation is needed Only when the mind is distracted By false imagining. Knowing this, I am here. Without joy or sorrow, Grasping at nothing, spurning nothing, O Master, I am here. -Ashtavakra Gita 12:3-4 From "The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita," by Thomas Byrom, 1990. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston. www.shambhala.com. I especially liked the first part - meditation is needed when we distract ourselves with false imaginings. It reminded me of Max Ehrmann's Desiderata . This passage in particular: Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. There are so many thing

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, make me feel important. Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." Mary Kay Ash, Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics

I just skimmed two articles on Beliefnet.com . I love that site. I thought that these might be of interest to some of you: Face your fear Does your job feed your soul? Enjoy!

1. Name a skill or characteristic you admire in other people that you wish you had. 2. Identify an example of a time that you saw that skill in action. 3. Share what you can do to fine-tune that skill for yourself.

"If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning." -Catherine Aird

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." ~Anais Nin Think of one thing that you can change your attitude about for the better.

I woke up this morning to the sound of nothing. Pure, uninteruppted silence. No cars, no snowmobiles, no barking dogs, no purring kittens, no wind through the trees. Just silence. I quietly rolled over and saw the bright sun fighting to get thru the shades. "It's going to be a sunny day", I thought to myself. I laid still for a bit completely in awe of the lack of noise when a quiet "Hoo! Hoo!" snuck my way from the woods. Then it was quiet again. A few minutes later another "Hoo! Hoo!" and eventually a little boy climbed up into my bed. "Shhhh...listen," I told him. "The owls are saying good morning." He curled up next too me quietly and together we waited. "Hoo! Hoo!" He slowly rolled over to face me, smiling from ear to ear. "I'm hungry." And there the silence ended. Replaced by the magical sounds of spoons on dishes and little voices filling the air. What

What would it take for you to truly be happy?

We are ALL guilty of this. Each and every one of us can stand up, raise our hand and say "YUP. I've done that." The question is...for how LONG will we do it? Do what you ask? - TOLERATE - We tolerate different things in our lives at different times in our lives. Some are big, life changing things like tolerating a bad marriage. Others are less significant like tolerating a messy closet. But all of these tolerations - big and small - add up over time. They grow into these unmanageable beasts that we work hard to avoid. We become Masters of Distractions. We read books on how to get organized. We read books on how to deal with our crappy marriage. We spend hours talking to counselors and friends and neighbors looking for the right advice. Here is my advice: Put down the books. Stop the distractions. DO SOMETHING. Most things that we tolerate start out as these tiny little things - no big deal right? But we ignore them because there is so

Quote of the Day: Habit 3 - Put First Things First "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." ~Stephen R. Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, founder of Covey Leadership Center.

I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking. List five things that are great about your day. My list: 1. Traffic was a breeze this morning. 2. The kids were up early - and cheerful about it! 3. I get free windshield wiper fluid refills anytime I need them from the place that changes my oil. Guess who is happy as can be that she doesn't have to figure out how to lift the hood on The Notrious SUV this afternoon!?!?! 4. The temperature is above freezing. CAR WASH!!!!!!!!! 5. Blueberry bread for breakfast.

What does it take to make a romantic relationship work long term? If people are always changing how do two people change in the same direction so that the relationship can survive? What do you think is the number one reason why relationships fail? Why do some people get bored in their relationships? What can be done about it? Is the idea that Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus real? Are gender differences really to blame for our inability to relate to one another? Discuss...

I am a big believer in choosing battles wisely. Mostly because I really hate confrontation but also because some things are simply not worth my time, energy or frustration. I also believe that avoiding issues that are important to us can be a big, big mistake. It is sometimes a fine line though, between choosing your battles wisely and avoiding them all together. How do you decide what issues to confront and what ones are best left alone?

So Ms. Howe asked me to write about my opinions on happiness and contentment. "Sure, I'd be HAPPY to do it." I replied. DAMN... there was that word happy again. And so, I went on a mission to understand my own opinions on the subject. Below is my random thoughts.... Happiness is a temporary state. Something that is outside my control and is triggered by an event or an item or a place. Contentment is something within my control based off myself. An example, you want an example, fine.... here it goes. I was HAPPY watching Garrett and his friend riding around in the Birthday Hummer. It was fun and exciting to watch the boy's face light up in excitement. The planning and the entire event was fun. I was quite happy doing it. I was content to just be able to spend Garrett's birthday with him. I was HAPPY painting ceramics with Kenzie today. I was content knowing that we were together spending time. To be content, to me, is being at peace with WHATEVER is happenin

What is the difference between prejudice and opinion? Is one better than the other? Is one more socially acceptable than the other? Can you give any examples of a prejudice and an opinion?

Describe happiness. What makes you happy? How do you know when you are happy? How do you make yourself happy? How much do you rely on others for happiness? The dictionary definition of happiness says that happiness is characterized by good luck. Do you think happiness is directly connected to how lucky you are?