Friday, January 19, 2007

Friday Quote[s] Day

First, thanks to Kit for speaking up about recommending Marathoning for Mortals, which I mentioned a couple of days ago. I've read five chapters now, and am mostly confident I'll be able to finish the half-marathon. Can't wait to see what they have to say next, and I'm especially looking forward to reading their nutrition advice. [Naturally … it's all about the food, doncha know!]

An AI addition: Newsweek has an article this week about those who've auditioned repeatedly. As well as a good web-only critique by an AI virgin. [You did know you could read Newsweek, in its entirety, online, didn't you?]

On to the quotes! I've been collecting motivational and inspirational quotes for a year now, maybe longer. I'm just going to post some of the great ones without a lot of comment today. Food for thought, so to speak. Which is your favorite? How does it inspire you? Write about one on your blog.

Thus endeth the homework assignment. Heh.

"I never said it would be easy,
I only said it would be worth it."

This quote has been attributed to Anonymous, Jesus and Albus Dumbledore, all of whom probably said it at one time or another.

"If you would be rich, you will be rich;
if you would be good, you will be good;
if you would be learned, you will be learned.
But wish for one thing exclusively,
and don't at the same time wish
for a hundred other incompatible things
just as strongly."

William James
In other words, it's all about priorities, baby!

"You don't have to change that much
for it to make a great deal of difference.
A few simple disciplines
can have a major impact
on how your life works out
in the next 90 days,
let alone in the next 12 months
or the next 3 years."

Jim Rohn
Or what's left of the rest of your life.

Most people would succeed
in small things
if they were not troubled
with great ambitions.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Does this sound like "break a big goal down into manageable chunks" to you?

And finally [at least for this week],

For you to be successful,
sacrifices must be made.
It's better that they are made by others
but failing that,
you'll have to make them yourself.

Rita Mae Brown

'Nuff said!

Ninety-nine days until race day.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really admire the determination of those contestants who keep auditioning. If only they could funnel that willpower into something they were actually good at, they could take over the world.

Jack Sprat said...

Debbi:

Every single person I know who has done a marathon or 1/2 marathon has told me two things:
(1) it was an accomplishment they'll be proud of forever and
(2) they gained a little weight during the process (sometimes just a pound or two).

No-one has ever told me they regretted the weight gain.

-J

Anonymous said...

I really like the Jim Rohn quote. It speaks to me, in ways the others do not. One small change at a time.

I love Dumbledore, but I don't believe he ever said exactly that. His most heartfelt desire (at one time in the series) he claimed to be socks. I would knit socks for him, alas, I am too late.

denise said...

I like all the quotes - but probably the first one best. I often forget that no one ever has said this weight loss journey would be easy...it's just me that wants to think it will be some day!

On another note, a friend told me about a clip she saw from the CBS evening news about exercise and the brain. She also referenced the Time magazine that came out today which features a number of articles about how the brain works.

Like Newsweek, you can read Time on line. If you go there, the video clip from the CBS news is available (called Exercise your Brain). It's about a doctor who says that just by walking (or exercising in general) you can increase the volume of your brain, its efficiency, and cognitive processes such as memory and attention. He claims that after 6 months of regular walking you can see a 15% improvement in areas of the brain that control things such as memory, attention, and decision making!

SO, Debbi, in addition to being thinner at the end of 2006, you are also improving your brain! After all of the regular walking you've done in the last year, you may well be the smartest person I know.

No wonder so many of us look to you for advice and inspiration!