Respect Yourself - Make Your Own Choices

Unless someone truly has the power to say no,
they never truly have the power to say yes.
- Dan Millman

That you may retain your self-respect, it is better
to displease the people by doing what you know is right,
than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong.
- William J. H. Boetcker

To free us from the expectations of others,
to give us back to ourselves -
there lies the great singular power of self-respect.
- Joan Didion

Once you respect yourself, there is no longer
any reason to disrespect anyone else.
Once you are confident of your own worthiness,
the worthiness of others ceases to be an issue.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Everyone should carefully observe
which way his heart draws him,
and then choose that way with all his strength.
- Hasidic Proverb

Perhaps the surest test of an individual's integrity
is his refusal to do or say anything that would damage his self-respect.
- Thomas S. Monson

Today's affirmation:
I say NO to the demands of the world.
I say YES to the longings of my own heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: At the Center of Your Being

Your Own Trail

Make Your Own Choices

Personal Boundaries
    

Enforce Your Personal Boundaries

Set and enforce your personal boundaries.
You and only YOU get to choose how much influence
you allow others to exert over your life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater
than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please,
or what is worse, to avoid trouble.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

"No" is a complete sentence, and so often we forget that.
When we don't want to do something, we can simply smile and say "No."
We don't have to explain ourselves, we can just say "No."
Love yourself enough to be able to say "Yes" or "No."
- Susan Gregg

Never be bullied into silence.
Never allow yourself to be made a victim.
Accept no one's definition of your life;
define yourself.
- Harvey Fierstein

Further reading: The Power of Saying NO to the Demands of Others

Appreciate Yourself

To Thine Own Self Be True
    

Value Your Self Respect

Unless someone truly has the power to say no,
they never truly have the power to say yes.
- Dan Millman

To free us from the expectations of others,
to give us back to ourselves -
there lies the great singular power of self-respect.
- Joan Didion

That you may retain your self-respect, it is better
to displease the people by doing what you know is right,
than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong.
- William J. H. Boetcker

Perhaps the surest test of an individual's integrity
is his refusal to do or say anything that would damage his self-respect.
- Thomas S. Monson

Everyone should carefully observe
which way his heart draws him,
and then choose that way with all his strength.
- Hasidic Proverb

Once you respect yourself, there is no longer
any reason to disrespect anyone else.
Once you are confident of your own worthiness,
the worthiness of others ceases to be an issue.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today's affirmation:
I say NO to the demands of the world.
I say YES to the longings of my own heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: At the Center of Your Being

Make Your Own Choices

Your Own Trail

Personal Boundaries
    

Simple Living and Small Pleasures

It is of the small joys and little pleasures
that the greatest of our days are built.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Life is made up of small pleasures.
Happiness is made up of those tiny successes.
The big ones come too infrequently.
And if you don't collect all these tiny successes,
the big ones don't really mean anything.
- Norman Lear

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin;
what else does a man need to be happy?
- Albert Einstein

The secret to a joyful life is Simplicity -
saying NO to the latest this and the most glamorous that -
saying NO to chasing an overly-demanding career -
saying NO to the stressful demands upon your time and energy.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Give Thanks for the Small Miracles

The Essence of Life

Thankful and Content

Life is Really Simple
    

Your Personal Boundaries

Set and enforce your personal boundaries.
You and only YOU get to choose how much influence
you allow others to exert over your life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Never be bullied into silence.
Never allow yourself to be made a victim.
Accept no one's definition of your life;
define yourself.
- Harvey Fierstein

"No" is a complete sentence, and so often we forget that.
When we don't want to do something, we can simply smile and say "No."
We don't have to explain ourselves, we can just say "No."
Love yourself enough to be able to say "Yes" or "No."
- Susan Gregg

A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater
than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please,
or what is worse, to avoid trouble.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Further reading: The Power of Saying NO to the Demands of Others

To Thine Own Self Be True

Appreciate Yourself
    

Saying NO

Say NO to the demands of the world.
Say YES to the longings of your own heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

To know what you prefer
instead of humbly saying Amen
to what the world tells you you ought to prefer,
is to have kept your soul alive.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

All that is real is seen with the heart.
- Vivian Greene

Value your own opinion more, and others' opinions less.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today's Affirmation:
I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Your Intuition is Your Guide

Follow Your Bliss

Setting Your Rhythm

How to Be Yourself

Experts and Authorities

Personal Boundaries

Set and enforce your personal boundaries.
You and only YOU get to choose how much influence
you allow others to exert over your life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Never allow a person to tell you NO
who doesn't have the power to say YES.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

No one can give you better advice than yourself.
- Cicero

Never be bullied into silence.
Never allow yourself to be made a victim.
Accept no one's definition of your life;
define yourself.
- Harvey Fierstein

A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater
than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please,
or what is worse, to avoid trouble.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Believe in yourself, and trust your own wisdom
rather than being swayed by the opinions of others.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: To Thine Own Self Be True

The Power of Saying NO to the Demands of Others

Appreciate Yourself

Thinking for Yourself

Be Yourself

I Say NO - I Say YES

I say NO to the demands of the world.
I say YES to the longings of my own heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I choose with careful consideration.

I say NO to social pressures. I say NO to community pressures. I say NO to unthinking demands of tradition.

I say YES to kindness. I say YES to compassion. I say YES to honor. I say YES to worthy forms of service.

Further reading: Gandhi quote: A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.

Mary Anne Radmacher: Your informed, “no,” to a particular service allows another to offer their gifted and unreserved, “yes.”

Joy is a Choice - but Not an Easy Choice

Stand up for what you want

We are responsible for the consequences of our choices

Gandhi quote: A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.

A 'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

There is happiness and inner strength in being your own person.

Affirmation: I make my own choices. I decide what I will and will not do. I am proud of my independence.

Further reading: Joy is a Choice - but Not an Easy Choice

Mary Anne Radmacher: Your informed, “no,” to a particular service allows another to offer their gifted and unreserved, “yes.”

The Wisdom of Gandhi

Mary Anne Radmacher: Your informed, “no,” to a particular service allows another to offer their gifted and unreserved, “yes.”

Your informed, “no,” to a particular service allows another
to offer their gifted and unreserved, “yes.”
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Often it falls to a busy and talented person to learn of an opportunity for service. The opportunity is valid, and beneficial but it might be outside their passions, or interest. It is an important reminder I offer myself – just because I am capable of doing a thing is not the motivation for doing a thing. Passing on a viable opportunity for service may very well mean that the next person would be acting from their gifts and passion to embrace it with a resounding, “Yes.”

Joy is a Choice - but Not an Easy Choice

Of course you want to be happy, but life is hard. Your job's a pain, your family nags, and sometimes your body hurts, so how can a Joyful Life be a choice? It isn't an easy choice, but Joy IS a choice that you can make.

Some choices are easy, because clearly defined alternatives are available. Choosing between vanilla and chocolate ice cream is such a choice. Other choices sometimes don't even appear to be choices. If I live in Detroit, but I would prefer to live in Florida, I may not feel that I can choose to relocate. In reality, I always have a choice about where I live. I have my story about how my job, my house, my family, and my friends prevent me from moving, but it is truly only a story.

The greatest obstacle to a Joyful Life is your "story" about your life. Your story is filled with needs and obligations. You are sure that you "need" at least a certain income to live - and you likely feel that you "need" more money than you have. You "need" a "good" job. You "need" a big house. You feel obligated to do whatever your boss and your spouse ask of you. Perhaps you also feel obligated to serve your parents, children, friends, church, and more. STOP!

There is nothing I ever need to have.
There is nothing I ever need to do.
I say NO to the demands of the world.
I say YES to the longings of my own heart. - jlh

The secret to a joyful life is Simplicity - saying NO to the advertisements for the latest this and the most glamorous that - saying NO to chasing that next job promotion - saying NO to all the stressful demands upon your time and energy.

It's YOUR time - it's YOUR life - YOU get to choose how you use it. There is no way that your life is "supposed" to be. Your parents had their vision for your life. Your boss, your spouse, your church, your friends, and even the family next door have their ideas of how you should live your life. What about YOUR vision for your life? What do YOU want? YES, it matters what you want. YES you can have what you want.

CHOOSE the life you want, and CHOOSE to live Joyfully.

Stand up for what you want

 Say NO to the demands of the world. Say YES to the longings of your own heart. - jlh Some days you have to stand up for what you want. Just take matters into your own hands (or legs) and make your own choices. You can never really please anyone else, so make decisions that bring you joy.

a quote from LIVE BOLDLY

begin each day as if it were on purpose. - mary anne radmacher

We are responsible for the consequences of our choices

Say NO to the demands of the world. Say YES to the longings of your own heart.
- jonathan lockwood huie

We are responsible for the consequences of our choices. When we choose for others rather than for ourselves, we suffer. Make all your choices from the longing of your own heart.

A quote from LIVE BOLDLY
celebration wears a lot of different outfits but always wears the same old, beautiful dancing shoes.
- mary anne radmacher