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"Why do I do this to myself?" asked a woman who wanted to lose weight. "I
went to my support group feeling so guilty and ashamed because I ate half a
cookie that wasn't on the diet. I found out that everyone cheats a little,
and some people cheat a lot. I felt so ashamed before I came to the group,
as though I were the only one not doing my diet perfectly. Now I know that
I'm dieting as well as most, and better than some."

Why do we do this to ourselves? I'm not talking strictly about dieting; I'm talking about life. Why do we punish ourselves by thinking that we're inferior while believing that others are perfect - whether in relationships, recovery, or a specific task?

Whether we're judging others, or ourselves it's two sides of the same coin:

perfection. Neither expectation is valid.

It is far more accurate and beneficial to tell ourselves that who we are is okay and what we are doing is good enough. That doesn't mean we won't make mistakes that need correcting; doesn't mean we won't get off track from time to time; doesn't mean we can't improve. It means with all our mistakes and wandering, we're basically on course. Encouraging and approving of ourselves is how we help ourselves stay on track.

Today, I will love and encourage myself. I will tell myself that what I'm doing is good enough, and I'll let myself enjoy that feeling.

Melody Beattie ©


At a certain point, we forgive because we decide to forgive. Healing occurs in the present, not the past. We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past, but by the love we're not extending in the present.

Marianne Williamson


Today is the real deal. Everything that is your life is focused on the moment that is right now. The opportunities are enormous and the implications profound. The possibilities stretch out in every direction.

Today is a stunningly fertile ground for beauty and creativity. Today brings never before seen opportunities for experience and for life.

Open your eyes to the magnificence of this day. Open your heart to the incredible possibilities for expressing life in this moment.

Go beyond merely wondering what it would be like to be fully alive and to touch your most treasured dreams. Today, right now, you can choose to live the reality of your highest values.

This day is as real as it gets, as real as real can be. Live it now, and live it with all the richness and joy you can imagine.

Ralph Marston


Let someone listen to you, support and encourage you when you need that. Receive comfort from someone's physical presence when you need that. Allow yourself to be supported emotionally and cared about.

Melody Beattie


"People ask what must they become to be loving. The answer is 'nothing.'
It is a process of letting go of what you thought you had become and allowing your true nature to float to the surface naturally."

Stephen Levine


Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

Denis Waitley


It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.



K. T. Jong



"The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil."

Thomas Edison



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"Why do special relationships seem so attractive? They cause us frequent pain, and the feeling of abandonment visits us often. What also accompanies these relationships is an occasional moment of seeming control over someone else, thus our future. When we're feeling this, we're certain we'll never be rejected again. But that feeling is extremely short-lived. We can't, finally, control someone else. And when this person leaves, we seek another substitute, then another and another. Let's seek God instead."

Karen Casey


"You think your hurtful actions condemn you for all time. You think that God is vengeful and will punish you for your mistakes. But that is not the God I know. That is the God created out of human fear and guilt."

Paul Ferrini


"As we receive God's love and impart it to others, we are given the power to repair the world."

Marianne Williamson


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"It is not necessary to seek God, because God is already the essence of who you are. To connect with God, simply remove all judgments and thoughts that do not bless you and others. These are not your essence. They are false ideas that you carry around. They are the veils, the illusions that appear to separate you from your own heart and the heart of God. Remove the illusions, lift the veils and you will rest in the heart. Rest in the heart, and God will abide with you."

Paul Ferrini


"With every prayer and every thought of love, we release the light that will cast out darkness. One light alone seems small and weak, but no one's light is ever alone, for all our lights are part of God."

Marianne Williamson


"The nature of God is a circle of which the centre is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere."

Empedocles