My Favorite Quotes of All Time...

I have always been a “quote collector.” Even as a child my allowance funds were spent on inspirational wallet-cards at the local bookstore. Just after college, I started a “Quote Collection” in a beautiful blank book I had received for Christmas. With my best penmanship (which isn’t so great) I would write phrases, sentences or paragraphs that resonated with me. Whenever I needed a pick-me-up I would turn to these inspiring and encouraging words. Over the years I started adding my own affirmations, favorite memories, and kind emails or letters. During times of...

Are you bigger than your troubles?...

“Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, ‘I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.’”-Ann Landers Good morning! When Ann Landers was asked to give advice about successful living, she shared the above quote, which I hadn’t heard until recently, when I read it in a book I received for Christmas. When I read Ann’s words, I was filled with a feeling of: Yes!! That is what it takes to live our best life. We don’t shy from trouble, we stare it...

A Gift of Perserverance...

When I was seventeen I was a sophomore in college at UW-Milwaukee. I worked full time five days per week at a Big Boy restaurant on Kilbourn street in Milwaukee. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I had off from work and on those days I walked to campus where I fit in a full course load between 9AM and 9PM. The employee break room at the restaurant was like many diner break rooms-kind of dark and cluttered. Amidst the clutter was an old brown piece of wood with a fake-gold plaque mounted on it. The plaque read: Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance....

A Sample Quote Card...

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Experience Everything...

When I was 16 I stumbled across a small book titled “Letters to a Young Poet” written by Rainer Maria Rilke. In 1903 a nineteen-year-old Franz Kappus wrote to Rilke looking for guidance and a critique of some of his poems. Franz was about to enter the military. The resulting five year correspondence is the most eloquent how-to guide for living a life of meaning, purpose and passion. Amazingly, Rilke was only 27 when he wrote the first letter to Franz. While I highlighted more of the book than I left white, one particular quote always stuck with me. At 16 I...