Have you become silent?

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don't be silent, Dr. Marting Luther King Jr., inspire, lives begin to end when we're silent, Quote, relevant

This statement carries a great deal of power without even considering who said it. When you read this in light of the topics of the day – DOMA, bullying, violence – there is much to be vocal about.

Don’t be silent. Live.

How are you spending your time

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family, Gustav Metzman, how do you spend your time?, inspire, love, meaningful, mom, printable, Quote, random, real, relationships, relevant, spend time on the important things, what's important

I’ve felt very busy lately. Busier than normal even. It seems I’m only able to focus on the present and not able to consider the larger picture and what comes next. I love this reminder to make time for the important, even if it doesn’t seem there is time.

I’m making a list of what’s important and am going to focus on making those a priority. I’m guessing that time won’t feel like being busy.

What’s important to you?

How to Thank a Soldier

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Be an American worth fighting for, Quote, random, real, relevant, Rob Waldo Waldman, Your Wingman

There are many ways to thank a soldier including literally saying “Thank you for your service!” when you cross their path. Last week, I learned an even more poignant way to drive this reminder home every day. It came from Lt. Col. Rob “Waldo” Waldman who was giving the keynote address at our organization’s quarterly leadership development institute.

Do this.

I love this reminder for myself.

By the way, if you need an excellent motivational speaker, hire Waldo! He received rave reviews from the crowd for good reason.

Attitude of Gratitude: Day 5

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#AttitudeOfGratitude, Attitude of Gratitude, connect, family, Family and food warm your soul, food, Free Printables, inspire, love, meaningful, mom, printable, Quote, real, relationships, women

I am thankful for a warm belly and the company of family tonight. My grandma (called Tutu) has been preparing a meal for our entire family once a week for the past month. The day of the week varies just as everyone’s availability. But every week, some of us will gather, gab and go. It’s not a full evening but it’s enough. We walk out caught up and feeling blessed.

I’m thankful for you, Tutu, and that your house has always been a place I call home. Mwah!

Office Art

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a desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world, Ampersand art, art, art on book pages, collage, collection of quotes, frame gallery, Free Printables, illustration on book page, Indiana prints, Office Art, printable, Quote, random, source of strength, The more we share the more we have, you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have

I recently got around to framing and hanging prints I had for my office. As I considered what I had, I realized I wanted to add a few more items and make a larger arrangement of frames. Thank goodness for the Labor Day sale at Joann’s! I was able to get all the frames and the reproduction canvas for 60% off. Here’s a breakdown of the art, including free printables for you. Enjoy!

• Ampersand Print – $18.00 from thewheatfield
• Share to Have printable – Free 5×7 Printable
• Decorated Vintage Initial on a Book Page – $12.00 from FauxKiss
• Starbucks Original Store Print with Mat – purchased on business trip to Seattle

• Desk Quote printable – Free 8×10 Printable – Thanks to my friend, Don, who introduced me to this quote via his business card!
• Strong Quote printable – Free 8×10 Printable – This is probably my favorite and I’m so glad it’s right above my monitor when I look up. The design was inspired by this pin.
• Limited Edition Indiana Letterpress Print – $15.00 from 1canoe2 letterpress.
• Canvas from Joann’s – $39.99

And – hanging this frames was so easy using my new favorite tool…Command Strips for picture hanging! They have these great plastic gripper/velcro things so once you’ve got them placed on the wall, you can easily lift and adjust. Brilliant.

Mister Rogers Inspires

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appreciate for what he is rather than what he will be, be kind, collection of quotes, connections, discovering the truth about ourselves, family, favorite, forgiveness, inspiration, inspire, list, love, meaningful, Mister Rogers, Quote, Quotes by Mister Rogers, random, real, relevant, the end of something is often the beginning of someting else, trust

When I was little, I was a big fan of Mister Rogers. Heck, I’m still a fan. He taught us great lessons on how to be a good neighbor and essentials like ABC’s, 123’s and colors.

I didn’t just get my kindergarten readiness skills from him, but he also made me healthier! My grandma cut a large photo of Mister Rogers out of the newspaper and taped it up in her kitchen. Whenever I wouldn’t eat my vegetables (lima beans and spinach, seriously?!), she’d remind me that “Mister Rogers is watching you.” You better believe those veggies were gone.

In honor of Mister Rogers, his wisdom and his instruction, here are 12 inspiring quotes shared by Peg Fitzpatrick on HealthcareCommunication.com.

1. “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”

2. “Forgiveness is a strange thing. It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to forgive people we love. Like all of life’s important coping skills, the ability to forgive and the capacity to let go of resentments most likely take root very early in our lives.”

3. “Love and trust, in the space between what’s said and what’s heard in our life, can make all the difference in the world. ”

4. “The child is in me still and sometimes not so still.”

5. “Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.”

6. “Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.”

7. “I don’t think anyone can grow unless he’s loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be.”

8. “There are three ways to ultimate success:
The first way is to be kind.
The second way is to be kind.
The third way is to be kind.”

9. “Feeling good about ourselves is essential in our being able to love others.”

10. “Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.”

11. “Try your best to make goodness attractive. That’s one of the toughest assignments you’ll ever be given.”

12. “The connections we make in the course of a life—maybe that’s what heaven is.”

31 Days of Quotable Goodness: a review

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#betterinbetterout, 31 Days of Quotes, collection of quotes, design, favorite, Free Fonts, Free Printables, list, marketing, meaningful, original design, pinterest, Quote, random, real, review, tools

If you followed along with the quotes in the month of March, I hope you found at least one quote that resonated. I had a good time finding the quotes and pushing my creativity to create them visually. In summary, here is the collection of 29 quotes. (I had already posted the first two days with plain text when I decided to create visual representations of the quotes for the rest of the month.)

If you’re interested in grabbing one of the files, I’m happy to share. Just leave a comment here with your email address and I’ll send you a JPG. I’ve also pinned the entire group of quotes.

Want some more free goodness? All the fonts I used were downloaded for free and I’ve listed them below with links. Cheers to quoting and creating!

BlairMdlTC TT     Code Bold     Architects Daughter     Pea Rachael Rossman     Bicycle     Matilde     Pea How Sweet Eats     CK Ali’s Hand     Candara     Belgrad     Chalkduster     Chocolate Box    Charcoal    Birch Std     Bolton Sans     Lavanderia       Artiststamp Medium     American Typewriter     Sathu     Desdemona     Zapfino     NeoRetroFill     Honey Script     Acknowledgement     Handwriting – Dakota     Albemarle Swash

Quote: What Stops You

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#betterinbetterout, Failure, Failure seldom stops you, Fear, inspire, Jack Lemmon, learn, Quote, relevant, Risky Business, Taking Risks, What stops you is the fear of failure, work

So, I am not a risk taker. I don’t mind making a decision that some might view as ‘risky’ but I like to make it after carefully, and sometimes quickly, considering the various aspects. Why? Because I’m fearful of the fallout of a bad choice. Yep, this quote holds true for me. How about you?

Quote: Delivering on Promises

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#betterinbetterout, 31 Days of Quotes, accountability, accountable, always deliver more than you can promise, connect, Don't ever promise more than you can deliver but always deliver more than you can promise, family, favorite, follow through, generosity, inspire, Lou Holtz, meaningful, Over-Deliver, over-dress, philanthropy, Quote, relationships, relevant, serve, work

It’s hard to believe the only sports inspired quote happened on the final day of March. I guess you know now that I’m truly the author of the blog and not my hubby. (I know, I know. That thought never crossed your mind.)

I chose this as the final quote because making a commitment (to pretty much only myself and the few of you that read this) to post a quote daily could have been something I let slip. After all, this didn’t generate a paycheck, cook dinner for my children, or create extra hours in the day for me to spend with my husband. But, I made a promise and I’m proud of myself for following through.

Is it a big deal? No, of course not but it’s a great reminder to deliver. Not only did I post a quote a day but I also squeezed in a few others. Moral of the story: Always over-deliver. Frankly, over-dress while you’re at it. 🙂

And trust me, the moral is as much for me as for anyone else.

Quote: Noble and Kind

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#betterinbetterout, 31 Days of Quotes, be kind, generosity, inspire, It is higher and nobler to be kind, kindness, love, Mark Twain, meaningful, mom, Quote, relationships, relevant, take the high road, work

In other words, “Take the high road.”