Quotes & Messages

Archive

Previous Pessimists Beware e-mail messages

2003 ~ In Chronological Order

1/10/03
By request I am going to return to adding a few words before each list of quotes to share where the inspiration came from. I wanted to keep the messages as brief as possible, but did not realize how much you enjoyed the short stories/explanations and the connection they create for all of us. So....

Pessimists Beware on I Will...

On New Year's day I sat down and opened a new journal, small enough to fit in my purse. That way I can easily add to my goals or look to them for inspiration and focus. I wrote one page on each of the following questions to create inspiration and action for my goals for 2003. Who will I be? Where will I go? What will I Learn? I thought a few quotes paired with each statement might be the perfect way to launch Pessimist Beware 2003. Happy New Year!

For 2003 I Will.... (note the word Will, not want)

I Will Be....
"Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement." Foster C. McClellan

"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." Epictetus (50-120, Stoic Philosopher)

I Will Do...
"Begin to free yourself at once by doing all that is possible with the means you have, and as you proceed in this spirit the way will open for you to do more." Robert Collier (American Writer, Publisher)

I Will Have...
"Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into." Wayne Dyer (1940- American Psychotherapist, Author, Lecturer)

"He who possesses the source of enthusiasm will achieve great things." I Ching (12th Century BC Chinese Book of Changes

I Will Learn...
"In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882, American Poet, Essayist)

"Research shows that you begin learning in the womb and go right on learning until the moment you pass on. Your brain has a capacity for learning that is virtually limitless, which makes every human a potential genius." Michael J. Gelb (American Peak Performance Expert, Author, Trainer)

I Will Go...
"I am so convinced of the advantages of looking at mankind instead of reading about them, and of the bitter effects of staying at home with all the narrow prejudices of an Islander, that I think there should be a law amongst us to set our young men abroad for a term among the few allies our wars have left us." Lord Byron (1788-1824, British Poet)

"The fool wanders, a wise man travels." Thomas Fuller (1608-1661, British Clergyman, Author

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are." Samuel Johnson (1709-1784, British Author)

Have a wonderful weekend full of being, doing, having, learning and going!

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration Empowerment, Action & Optimism

2/6/03
Pessimists Beware on Procrastination

Considering I have not written a Pessimists Beware in three weeks I though Procrastination would be a great topic. Writing these little introductions had me stuck with a serious case of performance anxiety. I wrote on topics such as authenticity and sharing yourself and on making declarations, but was stopped short of sending it each time. Procrastination chokes our creativity and self-expression and blocks the flow of opportunity in life. But do not beat yourself up if you have been procrastinating. Notice, decide what needs to be done and take action - NOW :-)

"Procrastination is opportunity's natural assassin." Victor Kiam (American Businessman, CEO Remington)

"There is nothing so fatal to character as half finished tasks." David Lloyd George (1863-1945, British Statesman, Prime Minster)

"Don't wait. The time will never be just right." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) American Speaker, Motivational Writer

"Tear thyself from delay." Horace (BC 65-8, Italian Poet)

"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865, Sixteenth US President)

"How soon not now, becomes never." Martin Luther (1483-1546, German Leader of the Protestant Church)

"He who awaits much can expect little." Gabriel Garcia marquez (1928- Columbian Writer)

"In delay there lies no plenty." William Shakespeare (1564-1616, British Poet, Playwright, Actor)

"One of these days, is none of these days." Proverb

"Consult not your fears, but your hopes and drwams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfullfilled potential. Concern not yourself with what you tried and failed, but what is still possible for you to do." Pope John Paul XXII

2/21/03
Pessimists Beware on Stretching Yourself

In the last few years I have had a lot of fun stretching myself in new ways. I said I was not athletic but I did a sprint triathalon anyways. I said I was not coordinated but I learned to snow board anyways. (Right after I finish this I am off to Mammoth for my 14th day of riding!) I was claustrophobic under water and I learned to scuba dive anyways. What I have learned is that 1. you can do just about anything you say you can and 2. it is SO exciting to learn something or do something you labeled yourself as not being able to do before. So what is next? - even scarier (it always seems that way). Art! I said that I was not an artist or very creative, but this Monday I will begin a new exploration into art and creativity. I will start 12 weeks of completing The Artists Way (basically writing EVERY morning FIRST thing and an Artists' Date with myself once a week) and a once a week woman's group for Creativity. So what is next for you? Stretch - it seems scary, but really it feels great.

"Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You cannot get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you will discover will be wonderful; yourself. " Alan Alda - (American Actor)

"There isn't a ruler, a yard stick or a measuring tape in the entire world long enough to compute the STRENGTH and capabilities inside you." -- Paul Meyer

"When you engage in systematic, purposeful action, using and stretching your abilities to the maximum, you cannot help but feel positive and confident abut yourself." Brian Tracy - (Motivational Speaker)

"Where there is an open mind there will always be a frontier." -- Charles F. Kettering

"Your past is not your potential. In any hour you can choose to liberate the future." Marilyn Ferguson (American Author)

"There is no man living who isn't capable of doing more than he thinks he can do." Henry Ford (1863-1947 Founder of Ford Motor)

"... by stretching yourself beyond your perceived level of confidence you accelerate your development of competence." Michael J Gelb (American Peak Performance Expert)

"The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit." -- Jim Rohn (American Motivational Speaker)

Have a wonderful weekend full of stretching yourself in new ways and unleashing your potential.

3/4/03
Pessimists Beware on Surrender, Trusting Life & Letting Go

Many teachers have the similar message that all pain is struggle against what "IS". We all have things we would do anything to change. We want to control, direct and plan. But as the joke goes "How do you make God laugh? - Tell him your plans". Whether it is the death of a loved one, break up of a relationship or just plain old simple not getting what you want - All there is to do is to Surrender, Trust and Let Go. Not give up, just give up swimming up stream. Sometimes you have to listen to life, go with the flow and be in the moment.

"Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life. " Echart Tolle - Author of The Power of Now

"Anxiety is the rust of life, destroying its brightness and weakening its power. A childlike and abiding trust in Providence is its best preventive and remedy." Source Unknown

"Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired." Erik H Erikson (Austrian Developmental Psycholigist)

"Woe to the man whose heart has not learned while young to hope, to love -- and to put its trust in life." Joseph Conrad (1857-1924, Polish-born, British novelist

"Life makes you walk that delicate balance between Making It Happen and Letting It Happen." -- Rick Beneteau

"These tenses - past, present and future - are not the tenses of time; they are the tenses of the mind. Don't cling to the past…to the present…or to the future. …Everything is going to become yesterday. Clinging will simply create misery. You will have to let go." - Osho

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference." - Serenity Prayer

"There are no accidents, everything I am experiencing is in some way necessary for me to move ahead to the next step. What is in this experience that I can use in a beneficial way, even if I do not understand why it is happening right now." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer - Author/Speaker

3/7/03
Pessimists Beware on Change

They say change is certain and that most resist it. They also say attitude is everything. So put the two together and create an attitude of excitement and wonder about change. Celebrate the opportunity of change. The unknown is a blank canvas waiting for you, the artist. Make it everything you want it to be.

"Everything changes, nothing remains without change." Buddha 568-488 BC Founder of Buddhism

"Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely." Karen Kaiser
Clark

"Being willing to change allows you to move from a point of view to a viewing point -- a higher, more expansive place, from which you can see both sides." Thomas Crum

"Don't fear change -- embrace it." Anthony J D'Angelo

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." Jimmy Dean American Actor, Country Singer

"We cannot become what we need to be, remaining what we are." Max Depree (1924- Founder American Furniture Manufacturing Company

"Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life." Source Unknown

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. Alan W Watts (1915-1973, British-born American Philosopher

3/21/03
Pessimists Beware on the Future

Life's challenges often place us in a position where we are trouble shooting, coping, managing or putting out fires. We spend so much time focusing on "dealing" with our lives and what must happen that we forget, ignore, avoid or just never get around to putting our energies on the future as well. This weekend let go of handling that crisis, project, needs to be done yesterday task, etc that is at hand and treat yourself to dreaming up and creating your future. The future is as bright as you make it! You decide.

"All of the great achievers of the past have been visionary figures; they were men and women who projected into the future. They thought of what could be, rather than what already was, and then they moved themselves into action, to bring these things into fruition." -- Bob Proctor

"You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage -- pleasantly, smilingly, non- apologetically -- to say 'no' to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside. -- Stephen Covey - Peak Performance Specialist, Motivational Speaker

"Every great leap forward in your life comes after you have made a clear decision of some kind." -- Brian Tracy

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. Dream lofty dreams and as you dream so shall you become..." -- James Allen

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." Peter F Druker American Management consultant

"Our awesome responsibility to ourselves, to our children, and to the future is to create ourselves in the image of goodness, because the future depends on the nobility of our imaginings." Barbara Grizzuti Harriso 1941- American Author

Have a wonderful weekend creating your future.

3/28/03
Pessimists Beware on Attitude & an Open Mind

What you look for is what you see. Or in the words of Professor Donald Cheek "Perecption is reality in its' consequence.' What you believe to be "real" IS 'real". So this weekend be present to what you look for and what you believe. Because you are sure to be right.


"I am more and more convinced that our happiness or our unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves." -- Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." --
Marcus Aurelius

"What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become can become a source of beauty, joy and strength if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such." Henry Miller - American Author 1891-1980

"Where there is an open mind there will always be a frontier." -- Charles F. Kettering

"Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around us in awareness." -- Leland Val Vandewall
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind -- William James

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration Empowerment, Action & Optimism

4/12/03
Pessimists Beware on Believe

So did you create your future last week? If you did, and you dreamed big than I am sure by now someone (maybe even that voice in your head) has said it is unrealistic, too hard or even not possible. This weekend believe. Believe in anything and everything. That thing you want so bad, but are scared it may not be possible. Enjoy the dream. Live it. Be it. BELIEVE, and so it shall be….

"Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret - curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable." -- Walt Disney

"Desire, ask, believe, receive." Stella Terrill Mann

"If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad." -- Denis Waitley

"Every person is the creation of himself, the image of his own thinking and believing. As individuals think and believe, so they are." Claude Bristol 1891-1951 American Author

''One can't believe impossible things. I dare say you haven't had much practice,'' said the Queen. ''When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'' Lewis Carroll 1832-1898 British Author

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.." Anatole France 1844-1924 French

"What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are." Anthony Robins 1960- American

"The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible." Richard M DeVos (1926- American Businessman - started Amway

"Expect the universe to support your dream. It will." Julia Cameron, Author of The Artsist's Way (I am half way through this 12 week project and wow!)

"Look an you will find it - what is unsought will go undetected" Sophocles

"When you come right down to it, the secret of having it all is believing that you do." Source Unknown

"Sometimes you have to believe it to see it" Source Unknown

Gabrielle

A Stand for Inspiration Empowerment, Action & Optimism

4/25/03
Pessimists Beware on Courage

Courage can mean so many things. Reaching for more, taking a risk, doing that which terrifies you, standing up for yourself or something your believe in, or even just being yourself. This weekend challenge yourself to leap, climb, jump into your fears. You might be delighted and surprised at what youfind. And even when you are not, take heart that you are a new person, changed forever for taking a step into your fears. Acting in the presence of fear IS courage. The outcome is unimportant. The leap itself IS!

"Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one's better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk and to act." - Dr. Maxwell Maltz
"Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be." Clementine Paddelford

"To dream anything that you want to dream, that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do, that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself, to test your limits, that is the courage to succeed." Bernard Edmonds

"To keep our faces toward change, and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate, is strength undefeatable." -- Helen Keller

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." Alan Cohen

"The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become." Charles DuBois

"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties." Erich Fromm

Have a courageous weekend!
Gabrielle,

A Stand for Inspiration Empowerment, Action & Optimism

5/2/03
Pessimists Beware on Thanks for the "Problem"

I am have been lucky enough to have had moments where my problems occur as gifts to be grateful for. When I am grateful, my problems transform into insights, lessons, or Existence nudging me in a particular direction. I do my best to lean into the growth rather than recoil from any pain or fear. I recently learned that the word problem comes from the ancient Greek word proballein which means "to throw forward." So what is your "problem" and how can it throw you forward?

"Our prayers are answered not when we are given what we ask, but when we are challenged to be what we can." Morrie Adler

"Every adversity, every failure, and every heartbreak carries with it the seeds of an equivalent or greater benefit." Napoleon Hill - Peak Performance Speaker/Author "Think & Grow Rich

"I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote the blues. Duke Ellington

"Only by repeatedly exposing ourselves to annihilation can we realize what is indestructible in us." Unknown

"Understand that most problems are a good sign. Problems indicate that progress is being made, wheels are turning, you are moving toward your goals. Beware when you have no problems. Then you've really got a problem... Problems are like landmarks of progress." Scott Alexander American Author

"I am grateful for all my problems. After each one was overcome, I became stronger and more able to meet those that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties." J.C. Penney 1875-1971 American Retailer

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems. John Gardner 1912- American Educator, Social Activist

"A problem is your chance to do your best." Duke Ellington American Jazz Musician

"The greatest problem you have is your greatest opportunity." Michael Wickett Motivational Thinker

Have a wonderful weekend full of "problems".

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration Empowerment, Action & Optimism

7/25/03
Pessimists Beware on Anger & Forgiveness
Due to technical difficulties it has been almost a month since the last Pessimists Beware message. During that time I have been in quite a dance with anger and forgiveness.

Painful choices my recent ex has made and a pretty intense breakdown with my sister have provided ample fodder on these subjects. The significant discomfort (alright, excruciating pain and grief!) of the lows and the desire to get past those feelings, have given me the motivation to seek higher ground - forgiveness. I was only going to write about forgiveness, but felt that omitting the anger is skipping a step. While anger can serve us, I am convinced that dwelling on it only hurts us where as forgiveness is the key to peace and happiness. Whether it is a close family member or a stranger, current or former partner, friend or foe, big issue or small, whether you need to give it or receive it, Forgiveness IS the answer.
True peace is only possible by forgiveness.

So go ahead forgive all over the place! It can be a challenge, but feels so much better than the alternative. And while you are at it, start with yourself. My gratitude to my sister Leela who in the middle of our ugliness found "The Book of Positive Quotations" for me and pointed to the section on Forgiveness. You give me reason to dig deep (forgive) when I want to stay shallow (be angry).

Anger
"Anger is short madness" Horace

"Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools - Albert Einstein

"Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."

"Consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief, than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved." Marcus Antonius 83-30 BC Roamn Triumvir, related to Julius Caesar

"Anyone can become angry -- that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way -- this is not easy." Aristotle 384-322 BC
Greek Philosopher

"How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it." Marcus Arelius 121-80 AD Roman Emperor and Philosopher

Forgiveness
"To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it." Confucius

"To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.: William H. Walton

"Today I forgive all those who have ever offended me. I give my love to all thirsty hearts, both those who l love me and those who do not love me." ParamahansaYogananda

"I can have peace of mind only when I forgive rather than judge." Gerald Jampolsky

"Forgiving those who hurt us is the key to personal peace." G. Weatherly

"Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself." Harriet Uts Nelson

"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness." Robert Muller

"Those who can not forgive are worse off than those who can not remember." Anon

Forgiveness is man's deepest need and highest achievement." Horace Bushnell

"Dream of your brother's kindness instead of dwelling in your dreams on his mistakes. Select his thoughtfulness to dream about instead of counting up the hurts he gave." A Course in Miracles

Have a wonderful week full of forgiveness.

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration Empowerment, Action & Optimism

8/1/03
Pessimists Beware on Disguised Fortune

What is good fortune? How do you know what is good luck and what is bad luck? Fortune can come disguised as a problem, change of plans, things just not happening the way you want them to. Tonight I was all geared up for one thing (dancing to live Brazilian Sambada) and I discovered it wasn't happening. Staying home on Friday of Fiesta (A Santa Barbara celebration) was not what I had planned for myself, but wow what a great night it has been. Life is full of delightful surprises and disguised fortunes. So this week when you are upset at how things are going, look past the disguise for there may lie your good fortune.

"I make the most of what comes and the least of what goes." Sara Teasdale

"True contentment is the power of getting of any situation all that there is in it." G.K. Chesterton

"On the occasion of every accident that befalls you… inquire what power you have for turning it to use." Epictetus 50 -120 Stoic Philosopher

"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." Anonymous

"There are no accidents so unlucky from which clever people are not able to reap some advantage." Francois de La Rochefoucauld

"A wise man turns change into good fortune." Thomas Fuller

"The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on your gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses." William Bolitho

Have a wonderful weekend uncovering your good fortune.

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration, Empowerment, Action & Optimism

8/12/03
Pessimists Beware on Choose
The ability to choose is a powerful gift as well as a heavy
responsibility. It is both a comfort and a challenge that we have the say so authority For our lives. YOU get to choose, to steer, direct and create your life.
This week, notice when you say "have to" and realize it is a lie. YOU get to choose. Choices take us on new journeys; take us in and out of projects, relationships, but notice the choices we make all day long, and act like we are not making choices, "I have to" this "I have to" that. Realign your thoughts, get honest really. YOU chose this AND you can choose something else at any time. You are always choosing.

"Every choice moves us closer to or farther away from something. Where
are your choices taking your life? What do your behaviors demonstrate that you are saying yes or no to in life?" Eric Allenbaugh American Author of Wake Up Calls

"It's so hard when I have to, And so easy when I want to. " Sondra
Anis Barns

"You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of
our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have
access to an infinity of choices." Deepak Chopra East Indian - American M.D., Author

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's
always your choice." Dr. 1940-Wayne Dyer American Psychotherapist, author

"The key to your universe is that you can choose." Frederick (Carl)
Frieseke 1874-1939 American Born French Painter

"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they
exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them." Source Unknown

"Look for your choices, pick the best one, then go with it." Pat Rilley
Basketball Coach

"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in
the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape
ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility." Elleanor Roosevelt 1884-1962
American First Lady

"When we acknowledge that all of life is sacred and that each act is an
act of choice and therefore sacred, then life is a sacred dance lived
consciously each moment. When we live at this level, we participate in
the creation of a better world." Scout Cloud Lee American Author

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration, Empowerment, Action & Optimism
gabrielle@pessimistsbeware.com

8/15/03

Pessimists Beware on Joy.

Pessimists Beware is about looking for the silver lining in the cloud and for the pony in the horse poop, but it is also about celebrating the joyful moments in life. This week we celebrate! What is joy? Those moments when you feel complete, nothing missing, heaven on earth. What is that for you? Often it is the simple things. That moment, that activity, being with that person, where life is perfect, it ALL, pure joy. For me these days it is friends, family, music, dancing, the sun and the ocean and of course great food! Loved ones at my home for dinner, swimming in the liquid love of the ocean on a hot Summer day, discovering a band so joyful you dance not just one night, but follow them to LA for a second night of dancing bliss, camping on the gorgeous California coast with my dad and sister (yes the one who inspired the anger and forgiveness PB message in July), and last, but not least, a third day of dancing, this time in the Afro-Brazilian dance class that makes Sunday my favorite day of the week. Perfect. Both. It ALL. Joy. What is joy for you? Be that, do that, have that, this week. Joy. Look for Joy.

P.S. This message is dedicated to my cousin Joy. Joy IS pure JOY.

"One more moment when one would love to live forever." My G'ma Siemion

"Joy is the feeling of grinning on the inside." Dr. Melba Colgrove American Physician

"Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart." Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) American Civil Rights Leader, Nobel Prize winner

"A leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun, a bird settled on the fire escape, joy in the task of coffee, joy accompanied me as I walked…" Anais Nin (1914-1977) French Born American Novelist, Dancer

"One joy scatters a hundred grieves" Unknown

"Yes, there is Nirvanah; it is in leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line to your poem." Kahil Gibran 1883 - 1931 Lebanese Poet, Novelist

"We French found it and called it joie de vivre -- the joy of living." Renee Repound

"For one mother, joy is the quiet pleasure found in gently rubbing shampoo into her young child's hair. For another woman it's taking a long walk alone, while for yet another it's reviling in a much -- anticipated vacation." Eileen Stukane

"Joy is free, unrestrained passion" Eileen Stukane

"May your joys be as deep as the ocean, your sorrows as light as its foam." Unknown

"Joy is not in things, it is in us." Marianne Williamson (1952-) American Author, Lecturer

Have a wonderful week full of joy.

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration, Empowerment, Action & Optimism

8/22/03

Pessimists Beware on Being Bold

I have been trying to decide what to write about before I leave for Burning Man today. (See http://www.burningman.com for more info on BM.) Creativity, Giving, Self Expression danced through my head all week. But what is mostly on my mind is my mom. She is going to Burning Man, which considering how wild, remote and dirty it can be is quite BOLD! She continues to surprise me by being bold and adventurous. She even e-mailed me a photo of herself in a purple sequined skirt with a butterfly sequined top. This is a mom of a teenager, a doctor, etc. Not her norm. We can all take a lesson from mom. Be BOLD. Do something you have never done before or even something you NEVER thought you would do, go for it! Discover yourself in a new way this week. Be BOLD. You go mom! J

"Adventure is worthwhile." Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) Aviator, Author

"A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us." Antoine de saint-Exupery

"I wanna see things that change me, live life so that I am never the same." India Arie - singer, songwriter

"Sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is to get to that place where you don't have to be anything else." Source Unknown

"You can't lead a cavalry if you think that you look funny riding a horse." John Peers American Businessman President of Logical Machine

"Explore thyself. Herein are demanded the eye and the nerve." Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Essayist, Poet, Naturalist

"Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle. Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) British Writer, Mathematician

"To find the good life, you must become yourself." Dr Bill Jackson

"Only those who can risk going to far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot Poet, Author

Have a wonderful week discovering yourself by being BOLD.

And in being BOLD I invite you to visit pessimistsbeware.com. It is very much a work in progress, but I have recently done some fun things I am excited about. Dave & Barb - Thank You! There is also a link for people to let me know if they would like to receive these Pessimists Beware e-mails.

Gabrielle

9/5/03

Pessimists Beware on Service

One of the central cultural practices at Burning Man is the culture of service - giving, sharing, helping. It is pervasive. There is even a sense of one-up-manship of being good to one another. Fix a bike, wash your hair, cool you in the heat, set up camp, etc. And it felt so good. I was very present to how delighted people were with being of service. We get so much pleasure out of being the cause of pleasure for someone else. It feels great to help someone or to make a difference in their life or just in their day. Giving to others is a gift to yourself. Do yourself a favor, do someone else a favor. It feels great.

Just to get you warmed up with doing favors, do me and your loved ones a favor by passing on this e-mail along with an invitation to receive these messages. I have set a goal to have 1,000 people receiving the Pessimists Beware messages by the end of September. For more information people can visit pessimistsbeware.com or e-mail me at gabrielle@pessimistbeware.com to sign up. I know from the regular feedback that these messages make a difference. So enjoying making a difference for someone by passing this on.

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882 Poet, Essayist

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand" Woodrow T. Wilson 1856-1924 Twenty-eighth US President

"Somebody did a golden deed; Somebody proved a friend in need; Somebody sang a beautiful song; Somebody smiled the whole day long; Somebody thought, 'Tis sweet to live; Somebody said, I'm glad to give; Somebody fought a valiant fight; Somebody lived to shield the right; Was that somebody you?" Source Unknown

"By doing simple acts of kindness for others, we can't help but lift ourselves up, too." Source unknown

"Sow good services: sweet remembrances will grow from them." Germaine De Stael (1766-1817) Novelist

"Do something for somebody, gladly, twill sweeten your every care; In sharing the sorrow of others Your own are less hard to bear. Do something for somebody always, whatever may be your creed. There's nothing on earth can help you so much as a kindly deed." Source Unknown

"The life of the individual only has meaning insofar as it aids in
making the life of every living thing nobler and more beautiful. " Albert Einstein (1879-1955, German-born American Physicist)

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian Political Spiritual Leader

"Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours." Lesa Brown 1945- Speaker Author Trainer

"Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another." George Elliot (1819-1880) British Novelist

Have a wonderful weekend full of service.

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration, Empowerment, Action & Optimism

9/12/03

Pessimists Beware on Music

What is the magical thing called music? Music heals. Music communicates. Music reveals. Music celebrates. Music moves. Music unites. Music cleanses. Music teaches. Music is everything and anything. Music is pure joy manifested in sounds. Feels like liquid the way it gets under my skin and becomes a part of me. Like I drank it up. At times sipping, at times guzzling. But always enjoying. Play with music this weekend. Play it, record it, listen to it. Sing alone in the shower and with your loved ones. Make a compilation of your favorite songs. Be with music and be blessed.

"Music, the greatest good that mortals know, And all of heaven we have below." Joseph Addison (1672-1719 British Essayist, Poet, Statesman)

"Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the infinite." Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881 Scottish Philosopher, Author

"Music can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable." James Duffecy

"Music expresses that which can not be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." Victor Hugo (1802-1885 French Poet Dramarist, Novelist

"Music is the vernacular of the human soul." Geoffrey Latham

"Music is the shorthand of emotion." Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910 Russian Novelist, Philosopher)

"Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue. " Plato (BC 427?-347? Greek Philosopher)

"Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water-bath is to the body." Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894 American Author Poet)

"I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music." Billy Joel (1949-American Musician)

Have a wonderful weekend full of music.

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration, Empowerment, Action & Optimism

9/22/03

Pessimists Beware on In the Moment

By request. This is for you Chris. Thanks for the inspiration.

We need to. We should or shouldn't have. We wish. We miss. We worry. We hurry. Somewhere to get to or get away from or get back to. Something to remember. Something to forget. Tomorrow or yesterday. At times it seems as if we live everywhere except in the present moment. But when we do this we miss the beauty, the blessing, the life opportunity right in front of us. Right NOW is the only thing that is real. Everything else is either a construction of our memory or a projection of our expectations. So this week focus on being present to the moment. It is real. It is beautiful. It is a gift. Enjoy it.

"It is a mark of soulfulness to be present in the here and now. When we are present, we are not fabricating inner movies. We are seeing what is before us." John Bradshaw

"In the spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future; for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense. The past and the future are both rolled up in this present moment of illumination, and this present moment is not something standing still with all its contents, for it ceaselessly moves on." Daisetz T. Suzuki 1870-1966 Japanese Professor of Philosophy

"Live in the present. The past is gone; the future is unknown -- but the present is real, and your opportunities are now. You must see these opportunities; they must be real for you. The catch is that they can't seem real if your mind is buried in past failures, if you keep reliving old mistakes, old guilts, old tragedies. Fight your way above the many inevitable Traumatizations of your ego, escape damnation by the past, and look to the opportunities of the present. I don't mean some vague moment in the present -- next week or next month, perhaps. I mean today, this minute." Maxwell Maltz

"Present-moment living, getting in touch with your ''now,'' is at the heart of effective living. When you think about it, there really is no other moment you can live. Now is all there is, and the future is just another present moment to live when it arrives." Dr Wayne Dyer

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." Buddha 568-488 BC Founder of Buddhism

"The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness." Abraham H Maslow 1908-1970 Psycologist

"Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going." Tenesse Williams 1914-1983American Dramatist

"Every situation, every moment -- is of infinite worth; for it is the representative of a whole eternity." John Wolfgang von Goethe

"Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream." Kahlil Gibran Lebanese Poet

"Yesterday's the past and tomorrow's the future. Today is a gift -- which is why they call it the present." Source Unknown

Gabrielle
A Stand for Inspiration, Empowerment, Action & Optimism
www.pessimistsbeware.com
gabrielle@pessimistsbeware.com

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Inspiration - To bring out or about. To influence, move or guide.
Empowerment - Give authority or power to.
Action - the manner or method of performing.
Optimism - An inclination to anticipate the best possible outcome of actions or events. A Doctrine that this world is the best possible world.