Inside the Minds of Models:

And people say they only have good looks...

Think again.

Chance vs. Fear:

The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them.

Just stride on.

Sometimes, it is simply a matter of putting one foot in front of another.

And not stopping.

Wonderwall:

Someone who you find yourself thinking about all the time.

The person who you are completely infatuated with.

Someone who surprisingly has become so important,

you almost feel ashamed that without him you feel like nothing.

The Answer:

Begin to see the fiasco in its true perspective.

It simply wasn't worth feeling bad about.

Intelligent, thinking people could take things like this in their stride,

just as they took the larger absurdities of deadly dull jobs in the city and deadly dull homes in the suburbs.

Circumstances might force you to live in this environment,

but the important thing is to keep from being contaminated.

The important thing, always, is to remember who you are.

So that you incline your ear to wisdom,

And apply your heart to understanding;

Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

And lift up your voice for understanding,

If you seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hidden treasures;

Then you will find knowledge.

Then you will understand.

Paint Yourself Orange!

Just as established products and brands need updating to stay alive and vibrant, your periodically need to refresh and reinvent yourself. You can change your packaging with a new haircut and a new glasses, say, or you can reinvent yourself beyond packaging by changing careers, partners, and perhaps even some deep philosophical approaches to life.

What do people think of when they think of you as a brand? If you don’t stand out with a clear identity, you are lost in a sea of indistinguishable peers. If you have business ambitions, you don’t want to be a commodity, something perceived as commonly available, unspecialized and easily exchangeable with another product of the same type. … You need to be known for your unique qualities, and that means being recognized.

It's time to paint yourself orange!

excerpted from my favorite book:

Women, Work and The Art of Savoir-Faire

by Mireille Guiliano.

Be My Fireman.

What is it this power that lingers on, holding me captive?

What is this flame that's burning me to ashes?

Decide my fate, it is in your hands...

Love is giving someone the power to destroy you,

but trusting them enough not to.

Contentment.

Learning to be content requires that you stop any “when and then” thinking –
“When I am ___________, then I’ll be happy.”
“When I have ___________, then I’ll be happy.”
(You fill in the blanks)

The reason we fall into this trap is that we may actually be content for a little while but it won’t last. But, more than likely, someone else or something else will come along and drain the contentment from our lives.

Happiness isn’t getting what you want. Happiness is being happy with what you have. Look at all the things that have been given to you.

Unfortunately, we often focus on what we don’t have and forget the many wonderful things we do have, not only material blessings, but far more important things, such as family and friends.

A key to contentment is recognizing that you have the choice to be happy right now with the many things that have been given to you. What are you waiting on to make you happy?

Family:

The thing about a good marriage is,

even if a terrible mistake happens,

you just can't imagine your life with anyone else.

That's why you commit to each other.

That's why you make vows to each other;

that through the good or the bad, you'll just keep trying.

You're fighting not only for love...

You're fighting for something bigger than either one of you,

You're fighting for the family you've become.

You're fighting for the us you've become.

And that's really worth fighting for.

"I have done it. I have everything I want. I have made enough money to secure my family and that is all I care about."

- Natalia Vodianova

Restart.

Here's to starting over.

One Last Piece of Advice:

So many people have no clue of what they want.

They don't think independently, merely following what everyone else is doing.

I admire people with a sense of independence, who stand firm on their beliefs.

Calculated "authenticity" is inauthentic.

Trying to appear authentic is role playing, the opposite of true authenticity.

Since culture determines what's currently "cool", you can't be cool and counter-culture. You must choose side.

Trying to be cool tells everyone you are a follower.

The same principle applies in fashion:

You don't wear what other people are wearing.

You create your own style and set the trend.

Style is actually a state of mind.

You're so confident about what you're wearing that others start doubting themselves.

Period.

Loosen up.

Unbend.

You’ll feel better.

Life Lesson:

about THE BIG GUY UP THERE:
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
34. God loves you because of who God is,
not because of anything you did or didn't do.
38. Yield.

ME, MYSELF and I…
23. Be eccentric now. Don 't wait for old age to wear purple.
32. Don 't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
35. Don 't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

Don’t forget THE BFFs & FAMILY SQUAD…
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

Forgive everyone for everything.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

phiLOVEsophy…
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life,
don't take no for an answer.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
36. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

It’s all about the MONEY?
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

MEAN GIRLS SYNDROME?
12. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
13. Don 't compare your life to others.
You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,
we'd grab ours back.

O, O, You’re in Trouble?
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
15. Growing old beats the alternative -dying young. Always choose life.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words
'In five years, will this matter?'
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
33. Believe in miracles.

a lil REMINDER
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
27. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
28. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

in the END,
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
22. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.
37. The best is yet to come.
39. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift

Turn Back Time

Lollipops turn into cigarettes.

Soda becomes vodka.

Kisses turn into sex.

Remember when getting high meant swinging on the playground?

When protection meant wearing a helmet?

When the worst things you could get from boys were cooties?

Dad’s shoulders were the highest place on earth and mum was your hero?

War was only a card game, and your worst enemies were your siblings.

Race issues were about who ran the fastest.

The only drug you knew was cough medicine.

The most pain you felt was when you skinned your knees,

and goodbyes only meant until tomorrow?

And we couldn’t wait to grow up.

Live Well and Spend Less?

Too many people spend money they haven't earned,

to buy things they don't want,

to impress people they don't like.

Appreciate what you've got, even the really small things.

For me, those small things are often domestic…

Everyday happiness, as opposed to one-off great bursts of pure ecstasy, is intricately tied in with everyday events: the jaunty-looking teapot that pours without dribbling, the children's bathtime, blossom in spring, an especially good book.

These things aren't sexy, or glamorous, or envy-making, but they are the fabric of all our days. Concentrating on them, and on all the small joys they provide, can be intensely fulfilling. Moaning because you can’t afford a $500 pair of shoes is not.

-India Knights, The Thrift Book

Stretching Your Mind:

Too often, many of our problems arise from acting before thinking. We confuse activity with productivity. We think, “I’m so busy, I must be accomplishing something!” In reality, we may just be spinning our wheels. Like sitting in a rocking chair, you can expend a lot of energy and create a lot of motion, but you still aren’t going anywhere.

Progress and productivity always require thought!

A wise man is cautious and avoids danger.

A fool plunges ahead with great confidence.

A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t and even brags about it!

Deeper Friendship:

When we're full of fear and anxiety, we don't get close to each other. We back off from each other. We're afraid of being rejected, manipulated, vulnerable, hurt, or used. All of these fears cause us to disconnect in life.

We're afraid, so we hide. We hide our true selves. We don't let people know what we're really like. We don't let them see the inside of us. Why? Because if we let people know what we're like and they don't like it, we're up a creek without a paddle. Tough luck. Why am I afraid to tell you who I am? Because if I tell you who I am, and you don't like me, I'm in for it. I have no alternative. So we wear masks and we pretend.

Fear does three terrible things to relationships:

1. Fear makes us defensive.
We're afraid to reveal ourselves. We defend ourselves. When people point out our weaknesses, we retaliate and defend ourselves.

2. Fear keeps us distant.
We don't let people get close to us. We want to withdraw, pull back. We want to hide our emotions. We don't want to be open and honest. We become defensive and distant.

3. Fear makes us demanding.
Whenever we're insecure, and the more insecure we are, the more we try to control. So we try to have the last word in a relationship. We try to dominate, control. It's always a symptom of fear and insecurity.

Get your confidence and courage to take the first step in connecting with someone, to go into a deeper intimacy. When you're more courageous in your relationships; you love people, you enjoy being with them.

a Lady in the Making...

If you can keep your head

when all about you

are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

but make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet not look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - but not make dreams your master,

If you can think - but not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build them up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on, when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings, yet not lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything in it.

And, what is more, you’ll be a LADY, my girl!

[inspired by Joseph Rudyard Kipling}

Green Day!

Kermit the Frog once said that it wasn't easy being green. But going green doesn't have to be such a serious affair; a green palette spells fun because it's bright and cheerful yet soothing to the eyes. After all, it's Mother Nature's favorite hue, too.

The most effective way to save the planet is by doing our bit and we can start at home. No need to go monstrous in your efforts and whack your entire savings into a solar power system. But what if it's as simple as saving water? Or surely you can try driving less and taking public transport instead. Or what about next time you go grocery shopping buy locally grown and manufactured products that weren't transported great distances.

The point is all about balance. You do what you can, when you can. If the thought of going green is overwhelming and you don't know where to start, then you may be going about it the wrong way. It's all about the small things that each of us do in our daily lives that counts.

Style:

is wearing an evening dress to McDonald's,

wearing heels to play football.

It is personality, confidence and seduction.

Nightmares?

Hey sleepy-heads,

Time to wake up from slumbers, and learn the hard truth,

that some nightmares don't end once we open our eyes.

But the good news is,

Once the sun is up, we're ready to conquer it all in reality.

There's NOTHING that WE CAN'T DO.

"The scariest dream I've ever had

was about a scary midget pirate thing

who shit all over my basement."

Turns out it's not that scary after all.