Archive for the 'quotes' Category
Dear Readers,
I have recently been neglecting my travel blog as I have focused my creative spirit on my new blog Enlightenyourday.com. My new blog encountered tremendous initial success lately by gaining well over 33,000 visitors in only three months of publication. I have listed below my top ten posts that readers have enjoyed and commented on over time. I hope you will take the time to explore this new endeavor with me and find yourself smiling, laughing and gaining useful information to brighten your day. A daily cup of enlightened Zen for the soul anyone? Interested, subscribe today!
Funny Zen story of two monks and a lovely girl
Timeless Relaxing Zen quotes to soothe your being 
Great lessons and a little Zen I have learned on Stumbleupon
Wise and inspiring Zen instructions on life from the Dalai Lama
Wonderful Proverbs complimenting Beautiful Photos
Use the power of positive affirmations to change your life
A photo definition of cute and some Winnie the Pooh wisdom
Deliciously Healthy Juice Recipes for the Heart and Soul
Shambhala the Sacred Path of the warrior Part 2
The Pink Bubble Technique a simply beautiful meditation
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Tags: , blog, enlighten, inspiration, zen
Cheers Biggy, I guess you think of me as a real friend. LOL
Actual post: This made me think of you at the loft….
“FAKE FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you’ve had enough.
REAL FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say “Bitch drink the rest of that you know we don’t waste.”" that pretty much sums it up…lol
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Tags: , college, drink, drinking, drunk, friends, humor, loft, roomates, stumbling
I recently wrote a post in Enlightenyourday.com that I wanted to share with my readers here on I Dream now. The post contains some insights and wisdom on creating a success strategy, or as I like to refer to it as: a battle plan for success. I have listed some steps and inspiring quotes on how to turn your dreams into obtainable goals today. “There is nothing like a dream to create the future.” Victor Hugo 1.) Do it today, not tomorrow, or on the weekend, nor next week. Today…Today…Today… “I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Henry David Thoreau. 2.) Start by writing an introduction stating why you’re writing this plan and what you hope to accomplish. “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” Ashley Smith 3.) Break the list down into categories, such as: Body, Mind, Social, Work, Finance, Travel, Family, and of course Pleasure. “The most pitiful among men is he who turns his dreams into silver and gold.” Kahlil Gibran 4.) Be as specific as possible, but never be reasonable. Don’t limit yourself, no matter how crazy the dream seems, if you turn it into a goal, it becomes a possibility. “Some men see things as they are and say, “Why?” I dream of things that never were and say, “Why not?” George Bernard Shaw 5.) Write what you hope to accomplish, but don’t stop there. Keep writing about who you want to be, who you want to meet, what you want to feel, see, and smell. Let your imagination run wild on the page, this is your letter to do with whatever you desire. “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” Goethe 6.) Conclude, by writing how you will accomplish this: hard work, will, desire, kindness, love, meditation, perspiration, etc. “You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.” James A. Froude 7.) Finally, sign it like it is a legal contract with yourself, then sit back reread the list and smile knowing you now have a plan for happiness and success. “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope someday you will join us, and the world will live as one.” John Lennon 8.) Put the letter someplace safe and forget about it. When the rollercoaster ride of life brings your spirits up or down, and you feel you need a boost. Pull out the letter and proudly check off all the dreams that have become accomplished goals. “A man’s dreams are an index to his greatness.” Zadok Rabinowitz 9.) Always remember….Write another letter…. “Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.” Anais Nin The story behind this article: “Nothing happens unless first we dream.” Carl Sandburg The first life changing experience I encounter came in the mail. I was sixteen, it was the first real letter I received, and it changed my life. Coincidently, it was written by me and addressed to me at the same time. One year prior to this letter, a friend invited me to a leadership camp called YLCC, I wasn’t a leader at the time, nor did I ever participate in leadership functions. His catch was the girl to guy ratio, about 10 to 1, a great way to meet new girls and have some fun. I won’t delve to long in the details of the camp, but it was an oasis for the free spirit, a place to dance like no one is watching, be silly, and share everything you where afraid to share. Later, I would liken it to a Rave without the chemicals. “Dreams are the touchstones of our character.” Henry David Thoreau Before the three day charade came to a conclusion, we were asked to write a letter to ourselves with all our dreams and goals for the next year. So there I stood one year later with this letter in my hand, face to face with the power of the unconscious mind. I realized in one year almost every single one of my goals. Some were very farfetched and unlikely, but I achieved them nonetheless. People always write and talk about the power of goal setting, I experience it, and it was undeniable. “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Michelangelo I still have that first letter, and the many that I have written since then. I call them my Battle Plan for success. Before I write a new one, I must reread all of the old ones again. Each time, I find myself checking off some forgot goal that I have since accomplished. With each new plan, the dreams that I turn into obtainable goals become more elaborate. “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.” Martin Luther King, Jr. If you would like to contribute some insights, experiences or knowledge to this post, then please leave a comment below.
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Tags: , accomplish, dreams, goal, how, insight, inspire, reach, strategy, success, today
This weekend I stumbled across on amazing post on one of my favorite travel websites Brave New traveler. The post contained 50 inspiring travel quotes, by Lola Akinmade; that I felt compelled to share with my readers. I have listed my favorite 12 quotes from this post below and a link to the original post at the bottom. I hope you enjoy. Cheers
- “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese
Here is a link to the original post: The 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time
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Tags: , Emerson, Henry Miller, inspiring, Kerouac, Lao tzu, motivational, quotes, soul, Theroux, travel, Traveling
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt
It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, “Always do what you are afraid to do.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall. Confucius
If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all? Joe Namath
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt
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Tags: , Confucius, costa rica, inspirational, inspire, Joe Namath, pictures, quotes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Roosevelt
Kahlil Gibran writes with unparalleled beauty. I wanted to share with my readers all of my favorite quotes. So I decided to combine them into a little poem for your reading pleasure. I hope you enjoy! “Love is trembling happiness”
Sitting in the meadow, the old man suffered with all his heart; shouting into the wind with these words “Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.”
Hearing a desperate cry, a butterfly slowly descended and whispered; “To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already acheived, but what he aspires to do”.
“We fear death, yet we long for slumber and beautiful dreams.” “Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly, “one must also have freedom, sunshine, and a little flower.” “And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”
The old man replied; “I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires.” “In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.” ’But now; all is lost.’
Resting upon his shoulder it whispered in return;” What difference is there between us, save a restless dream that follows my soul but fears to come near you?”
‘My heart’, he replied, ‘for I have given it long ago to both my true love and my work; now they are gone’. The gentle whisper continued; “The giving and receiving of pleasure is a need and an ecstasy.” “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” “Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.” To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice”
The old man went on to say; ‘my saddened heart can no longer dream of a new day.’ “Of life’s two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a laborer’s hand.”; ‘now I have neither’. And so the butterfly replied: “Yesterday is but today’s memory, tomorrow is today’s dream.” ”Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” “Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.” “… joy and sorrow are inseparable . . . together they come and when one sits alone with you . . . remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.”
The old man spoke; “When you work you fulfill a part of earth’s furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born. And in keeping yourself with labour you are in truth loving life, And to love life through labour is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.” Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself.” ‘My work is now done’.
Be happy with yourself old man, for “It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” ’Listen to the sound of my music’; “Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.” ‘For me’, said the old man; ‘my sorrow is too much to bare my friend’. ‘Always remember’, said the butterfly, “When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” “All that spirits desire, spirits attain.”
Reflecting upon time; the old man smile at his previous delights; looking around the man could no longer see his friend; he could only sense his presence.
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Tags: , beauty, butterfly, delight, favorite, Gibran, happiness, kahlil, kahlil Gibran, love, old man, poetry, quotes
Ever since I was wee-lad I loved a good scar. I guess everyone has their little fetishes in life; for me it’s scars. To a certain degree they symbolize the beauty and perfection of the human body. The more strain and pressure that the human body endures, the stronger and more durable it becomes; a feat no man made machine will ever accomplish. It is a marvel to me that a broken bone heals stronger; a gash in the skin becomes tougher; and that the only way to strengthen a muscle is to tear away at it with exercise. I have definitely had my share of scars in life, and they all have a story to be told: stories of pain, tears, defeat, endurance, pleasure and victory. I found a beautiful quote in Paulo Coelho’s book Warrior of the light; a quote by John Bunyan which explained to me perfectly why I love for scars. “Although I have been through all that I have, I do not regret the many hardships I met, because it was they who brought me to the place I wished to reach. Now all I have is this sword and I give it to whoever wishes to continue his pilgrimage. I carry with me the marks and scars of battles-they are the witnesses of what I suffered and the rewards of what I conquered. These are the beloved marks and scars that will open the gates of Paradise to me. There was a time when I used to listen to tales of bravery. There was a time when I lived only because I needed to live. But now I live because I am a Warrior and because I wish one day to be in the company of Him for whom I have fought so hard” By John Bunyan These four photos were taken form my trip to Costa Rica. The first two are from surfing, the rookie surfer in front of me didn’t properly hold on to his Long-board while trying battle through the oncoming waves. The board shot up in the air six feet before crashing down on me from above. Luckily, I saw it just in time to put my arm up and block it. The pain was excruciating; I sat on my board for a half hour with my arm completely numb contemplating whether or not to keep surfing. The old football saying that, “pain is temporary and pride is forever”, kept me surfing the rest of the day. The third photo is from my drunken exit of a still moving cab to escape what I thought was a potential kidnapping. The fourth and final picture is from one very aggressive spider that must have loved the taste of Guaro (moonshine) in my blood one night; he proceeded to bite me over 50 times while I was passed out. One of my friends joked that it looked a bit of like leprosy. This all occurred in my first week in Tamarindo.
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Tags: , beauty, bones, broken, conquered, gash, hardships, john Bunyan, pain, Paulo Coelho, pictures, quote, quotes, scars, spider bite, story, suffered, surf, surfing, victory, warrior, warrior Manuel of light
Follow these rules and philosophies in travel and life; they will never do you wrong. This I promise with all my heart, cross my fingers and hope to die.
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Dance like no one is watching
- Love like you have never been hurt. Love, Love someone, love something, love everything.
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Spend like you didn’t earn the money; don’t take life too seriously: No one gets out alive, anyways.
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Throw caution to the wind in pursuit of pleasure, because if it hurts, then it’s probably worth it.
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Fear nothing, never quit, never give up, never surrender, and always speak your mind even when your voice trembles. A life lived in fear is a life half lived; because man should never fear death but man should fear never having lived.
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Nothing happens by chance, so don’t chance anything; make it happen now. Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it.
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Circumstance don’t make a hero, they just reveal him. Man is not the creature of circumstances,
circumstances are the creatures of men.
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The sky isn’t the limit, so shoot for the stars: Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
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Never refuse an invitation: Never over stay your welcome. The only moment you can live in is right now, there is no past or future; only this moment. So live this moment to the fullest.
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Live this day as if it will be your last. Remember that you will only find “tomorrow” on the calendars of fools. Forget yesterday’s defeats and ignore the problems of tomorrow. This is it. Doomsday. All you have.
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Live this day as if it will be your last, because some day it will be: Unhappiness and hate waste time better spent living
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Laugh at yourself, life, and everything around you. Laugh as a remedy and a miracle drug that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective seemingly terrible defeats and worries in life.
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It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. Remember that you have only one life to live so make the best of it. Be whoever and whatever you’d like to be. Pursue your passions and your dreams. Don’t waste time suffering. It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.
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Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving.
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Meet as many people as you can and make new best friends overnight.
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Just because you said it while drunk / stoned / tripping doesn’t make it profound
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Never be afraid to cry or tell someone you love them. Never take laxatives and sleeping pills together
- Always lie to cops
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Tags: , backpacker, backpackers, bums, chance, circumstances, cry, dance, fear, guide, guidelines, hero, invitation, life, love, now, philosophies, philosophy, pleasure, rule, rules to live by, travel, Travel bug, Traveling
The Alchemist is my all time favorite book; by my favorite writer Paulo Coelho. One of the best presents I have ever received, is a first edition signed copy of The Alchemist. This book is my heart and soul, and I try to share it with as many people as possible. If you haven’t read this book yet, pick up a copy today. It will teach you how to make best friends with your heart and realize your dreams. The following passages are my favorites. I hope you enjoy.
“I’m alive”, he said to the boy, as they ate a bunch of dates one night, with no fires and no moon. “When I’m eating, that’s all I think about. If I’m on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to fight, it will be just a good day to die as any other. “Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m only interested in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. You’ll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living right now.” P.89 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
“There, he could exchange his book for a thicker one, fill his wine bottle, shave, and have a haircut; he had to prepare himself for his meeting with the girl, and he didn’t want to think about the possibility that some other shepherd, with a larger flock of sheep, had arrived there before him and asked for her hand. It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting, he thought, as he looked again at the position of the sun, and hurried his pace. He had suddenly remembered that, in Tarifa, there was an old woman who interpreted dreams.” P.11 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho “The boy didn’t know what a person’s ‘destiny’ was.
‘It’s what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny… It’s a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and you will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.
‘Even when all you want to do is to travel? Or marry the daughter of a textile merchant?’
‘Yes, or even search for treasure. The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation. All things are one. And, when you want something, all the universe conspires to helping you to achieve it’.” The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked intro her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke-the language that everyone on earth is capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older then humanity, more ancient then the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs here at the well. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen-the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life. The omen he had sought to find with his sheep and in his books, in the crystals and in the silence of the desert.
It was the pure language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe need none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only women in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain of it than anything in the world… …And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have on meaning. Maktub, thought the boy.”
P. 97 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The boy reached through to the soul of the World, and saw that it was part of the soul of God. And he saw that the soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles.” P.160 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
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Tags: , achieve, alchemist, alchemy, book, coelho, destiny, dreams, enlightenment, favorite, future, grand festival, heart, miracles, passage, passages, past, paulo, Paulo Coelho, present, quotes, realize, soul of the world, the alchemist, treasure, writer, writing
There is a certain satisfaction in completing a good pack. When everything is done and everything is ready: the journey begins. That about sums up my morning today. I am beginning a new journey towards the unknown, with no plans or schedule, no itinerary, or idea of what the future holds; I am completely free. I thought I would leave you with a couple quotes from the two movies I decided to watch before my trip. I hope you enjoy….
Opening Lyrics to the Movie The Beach
” My name is Richard; so what else do you need to know? Stuff about my family or where I am from? None of that matters. Not once you have crossed the ocean and cut yourself lose; looking for something more beautiful; more exciting. And yes I admit something more dangerous. So after 18 hours in the back of an airplane; three dumb movies; two plastic meals; six beers and absolutely no sleep. I finally touched down…”
“…So never refuse an invitation; never resist the unfamiliar; never fail to be polite; never over stay your welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience: and if it hurts it’s probably worth it.”
“and as for traveling alone; fuck it. If that’s the way it has to be; then that’s the way it is.”
The movie Pointbreak
“I must be crazy.”
“but are you crazy enough”
See you in Costa Rica
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Tags: , babes, backpacking, beaches, blog, blogs, costa rica, dreams, enlightened, Idream, inspiration, now, quotes, road least traveled, the movie the beach, travel blog, Traveling, zen
