All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind. - Swami Vivekananda

When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.
- John Muir

All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.
- Swami Vivekananda

I Am One With Spirit and All Creation - I give thanks for the unity of all creation and for everything that has brought me to this moment. I release my entire being to the gentle nurture of Spirit.
- jlh

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. - The Buddha

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.
- The Buddha

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.
- Albert Einstein

In time we hate that which we often fear.
- William Shakespeare

Fear is the root of the tree of suffering.
- jlh

Life is lived in the living. Set aside convention, caution, and arbitrary "rules" about how life is supposed to be lived. Choose! Explore! Adventure! Live life to the fullest.
- jlh

Celebrate what you want to see more of. - Tom Peters

Celebrate what you want to see more of.
- Tom Peters

I celebrate myself, and sing myself.
- Walt Whitman

Share our similarities, celebrate our differences.
- M. Scott Peck

I create Today as a celebration of my life.
- jlh

Further reading: Today is your day to paint life in bold colors - jlh

CELEBRATION - the seventh Point of Simply An Inspired Life

Be curious, not judgmental. - Walt Whitman

Thanksgiving: Let Each Day be a Thanksgiving.

Do all things with love. - Og Mandino

Do all things with love.
- Og Mandino

A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve. - Joseph Joubert

A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve. - Joseph Joubert 

 Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. - Lao Tzu 

 My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. - Dalai Lama 

 Kindness is perhaps the most essential quality of being fully human. 

 Further reading: Aesop: Gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster fail 

  The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi 

  Albert Pike: What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. 

  The Cab Ride

Freedom lies in being bold. - Robert Frost

Freedom lies in being bold.
- Robert Frost

Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change.
- Stephen Covey

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
- John F. Kennedy

It is one thing to live in a country that guarantees the freedom to believe, speak and (mostly) act as you wish. It is quite another thing, and far more significant, to choose to exercise the personal freedom to be your own person with your own consciously determined beliefs, and the commitment to put those beliefs into speech and actions.

Further reading: How to get over regrets and resentments

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. - Elbert Hubbard

Ralph Waldo Emerson: A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds

It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare

What`s in a Name?

Do not say, 'It is morning,' and dismiss it with a name of yesterday.
See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Call a plant beautiful, and it becomes a flower.
Call it ugly, and it becomes a weed.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Shakespeare says, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," but I disagree. There is great power in naming. "Urban wall art" and "graffiti" are very different, even when they are identical. Think of other word pairs, like "flower" and "weed" - "antique" and "used" - "freedom fighter" and "terrorist" that greatly color our perception of the object or person being described.

Exercise: Consider the words that you and others in your life use to describe you. If the words are not complimentary, take action to change how you refer to yourself, and encourage others to speak differently of you. For example, if you describe yourself as "shy," choose a more positive term, such as "reserved."

Read my article: Finding Balance in Life Beats Moderation

At the center of your being you have the answer. Lao Tzu

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
- Lao Tzu

When you become centered, suddenly there is great freedom because you know you are not the mind and you are not the body.
- Osho

A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others, is stronger than any physical force in the universe.
- Wayne Dyer

Breathe deeply and slowly. Let yourself become centered - shutting out distractions. Breathe in eternal peace, and let your body fill with unconditional love.

You can't let praise or criticism get to you. John Wooden

You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.
- John Wooden

Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention, largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves.
- Bertrand Russell

Criticism is prejudice made plausible.
- H. L. Mencken

Criticism is almost never constructive. Don't criticize others, and ignore it when you receive criticism.

Further reading: How to Stay Positive Around Negative People

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. - Elbert Hubbard

Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail

Love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us. Rabindranath Tagore

Love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us. Love is not a mere sentiment. Love is the ultimate truth at the heart of creation. - Rabindranath Tagore 

 Further reading: Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. Marianne Williamson 

  Imagine - John Lennon: Imagine Peace, Imagine Love 

  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.

Luck is preparation meeting opportunity. Seneca

Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.
- Seneca

In a very old joke, a man begs God to let him win the lottery. God's answer is, "Meet me halfway; buy a lottery ticket."

Further reading: Be Prepared

Success Tip: Drive Change

Where fear is, happiness is not. - Seneca

If a man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favorable to him. - Seneca

Many people allow their need for other people's approval to control their lives. Rick Warren

Many people allow their need for other people's approval to control their lives. They spend their lives worrying about what others think of them.
- Rick Warren

Do not look for approval except for the consciousness of doing your best.
- Andrew Carnegie

One of the natural, but unfortunate, human characteristics is the sense of a need for approval. It is wonderful to show your appreciation of others and to thank them whenever possible. It is also pleasing when others show appreciation and thank you. But making any significant life choices based on whether or not others approve sets one on a course of emotional destruction.

Make your important choices in life based on your values and your long-term objectives rather than on a need for approval.

Further reading: Stand Tall, Stand Proud.

It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves. Carl Jung

It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves. - Carl Jung 

People only see what they are prepared to see. - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

  A flower is a weed seen through joyful eyes. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

 Further reading: Perspective on Tradition: An Open Mind 

  Perspective is both a necessary and a sufficient ground for wisdom. - jlh 

  The beauty does not live out there; the beauty's in my eyes. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

  Henry David Thoreau: The question is not what you look at, but what you see.

Courage is doing what you`re afraid to do. Eddie Rickenbacker

Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared.
- Eddie Rickenbacker

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Affirmation: I hold my course with focused attention and relentless commitment, as I weather the storms of life.

Further reading: Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

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

Not everything that casts a long shadow is to be feared. - JLH

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Mary Anne Radmacher

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Continue to learn.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Affirmation: Standing in the inspiring vision of my future, I boldly take every step - large and small - with courage and intent.

Further reading: Buddha: What we think, we become. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

Balance activity with serenity, wealth with simplicity

Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand?
- Miyagi: character in the movie Karate Kid

Balance activity with serenity, wealth with simplicity, persistence with innovation, community with solitude, familiarity with adventure, constancy with change, leading with following.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Read more about balance in my latest article: Finding Balance in Life

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. Epictetus

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. - Epictetus 

 Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. - Henry David Thoreau 

 The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away. - Marcus Aurelius

 Wealth of spirit and wealth of joy far surpass wealth of material possessions. - jlh

The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. Samuel Johnson

The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. - Samuel Johnson 

  Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have. - Dale Carnegie 

  Habit and routine have an unbelievable power to waste and destroy. - Henri de Lubac

Inattention is fertile soil for bad habits to grow stronger. To break bad habits and cultivate behaviors you prefer, use your power of conscious attention and daily practice.

Don`t sweat the small stuff. Richard Carlson

Don't sweat the small stuff... and it's all small stuff.
- Richard Carlson

There is more to life than increasing its speed.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it.
- Anonymous

Further reading: What I Know - What I Don't Know

Conscious Breathing to Relieve Stress

7 Tips for Stress-Free Living

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. William James

Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success. Dr. Joyce Brothers

Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success.
- Dr. Joyce Brothers

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everyone.
- Bill Cosby

I think the best definition of "success" is "getting what you want in life." If you are happy, fulfilled, and proud of the legacy you are leaving the next generation, you are a success.

Further reading: Where there is a will, there is a way.

Success Tip: Drive Change

A goal is a dream with a deadline. - Napoleon Hill

Winston Churchill: Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.

Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next. Jonas Salk

Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next. - Jonas Salk

 You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. - Alan Alda 

  Opening my mind to Spirit, I trust my intuition to deliver powerful visions of my inspired future. - jlh

Value your intuition, but don't confuse intuitive feelings with fear. 

 Further reading: Open Mind - Open Heart: A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect

The ache for home lives in all of us. Maya Angelou

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.
- Maya Angelou

Nothing can bring a real sense of security into the home except true love.
- Billy Graham

If your home is not a place where you can truly kick-back and be yourself - both physically and emotionally - consider making some changes in your way-of-life.

Further reading: A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. Benjamin Franklin

The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. Thomas Jefferson

The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. - Thomas Jefferson 

  Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the Kingdom of God - the rest will be given. - Mother Teresa 

 There is nothing wrong with money. Having money, spending money, earning money, and even wanting more money are all well and good. It is obsession with money, fear of lack of money, and an unlimited desire for more money that are at the root of much modern misery.

Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. Eleanor Roosevelt

Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life. - Eleanor Roosevelt 

  I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive. - Joseph Campbell 

 Savor life - savor All of life. 

 Further reading: Eleanor Roosevelt: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. 

  Joseph Campbell: The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.

To be seventy years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be forty years old. Oliver Wendell Holmes

I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.
- Martha Washington

To be seventy years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be forty years old.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Further reading: 7 Secrets for a Happy Life

Happiness comes from a conscious choice to live life joyfully

How to Survive When You Hate Your Job

Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of mans desire to understand. Neil Armstrong

A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth or perfection is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life.
- Lewis Mumford

Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand.
- Neil Armstrong

We have to stop and be humble enough to understand that there is something called mystery.
- Paulo Coelho

Be thankful that life is a mystery.

Further reading: The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. - Oscar Wilde

What if we just pretended that life was easy?
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The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. Peace Pilgrim

No one can find inner peace except by working, not in a self-centered way, but for the whole human family.
- Peace Pilgrim

The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well-being that places harmony in one's life.
- Peace Pilgrim

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Further reading: Conscious Breathing to Relieve Stress

Let me bring peace into moments of chaos - jlh

UNITY - the eighth Point of Simply An Inspired Life

Compassion is the basis of morality. - Arthur Schopenhauer

Compassion is the basis of morality. - Arthur Schopenhauer 

 I can do no other than be reverent before everything that is called life. I can do no other than to have compassion for all that is called life. That is the beginning and the foundation of all ethics. - Albert Schweitzer 

 If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama 

  Whatever you do, do with kindness. Whatever you say, say with kindness. Wherever you go, radiate kindness. - jlh 

 Further reading: The Cab Ride 

  Know that Spirit transcends all cultural differences and embraces all creation. 

  Five Questions to Ask Yourself When You Feel Sad for No Apparent Reason 

  Let me bring peace into moments of chaos - jlh

A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever. Jessamyn West

A broken bone can heal, but the wound a word opens can fester forever. - Jessamyn West 

  An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind. - The Buddha 

  Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness. - Marianne Williamson 

 Forgiveness is the salve that heals the wounds of unkind words and acts. Forgive everyone for every hurt you have ever received - for your own sake, that you may live in peace. 

 Further reading: FORGIVENESS - the second Point of Simply An Inspired Life 

  Forgiveness and Acceptance, Another Look at the Challenges

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
- Albert Einstein

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.
- William Shakespeare

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is sanctuary in being alone with nature.
- jlh

Today, take a break from doing what you think you have to do and take a long walk in nature. Go alone and leave the iPod at home.

Further reading: Go With the Flow - Six Ways to Live a Happier Life

John Muir: Everybody needs beauty as well as bread

Paul Tillich: Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the

Lao Tzu: Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished

A house without books is like a room without windows. Horace Mann

A house without books is like a room without windows.
- Horace Mann

Television has a real problem. They have no page two.
- Art Buchwald

The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

When was the last time your whole family turned off the television and spent the evening in the company of insightful books?

Further reading: Five Questions to Ask Yourself When You Feel Sad for No Apparent Reason