#1499 In the making

You hit home runs not by chance but by preparation. ~ Roger Maris

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

The will to win is worthless if you do not have the will to prepare.  ~Thane Yost

None of us becomes something overnight. The preparations have been in the making for a lifetime. ~ Gail Godwin

The first forty years of life give us the text; the next thirty supply the commentary on it. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer

Quotes about preparation

- What preparations have been pivotal for your life?

#1498 The birds of hope

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.  ~Anne Lamott

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops… at all.   ~ Emily Dickinson

Grace is all around us, not just in the hopeful future but in the miracle of now.  ~Richard Paul Evans

Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.  ~Lin Yutang

The birds of hope are everywhere; listen to them sing.  ~Terri Guillemets

Quotes to restore hope

- What is one hope which could lead to an enriching path?

#1497 Far more potent

True strength lies in gentleness.  ~ Irish proverb

Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.  ~ Leo Buscaglia

I choose gentleness... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.  ~ Max Lucado

In a gentle way you can shake the world.  ~ Gandhi

Oh! that gentleness! how far more potent is it than force!   ~ Charlotte Bronte

Quotes about gentleness

- How pervasive is the use of gentleness in your life?
- Where might some gentleness be enriching?

#1496 Make each day count

Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.  ~ Alexander Pope

Try not to have any expectations.  In this way everything will open to you.  ~ unknown

High expectations are the key to everything.  ~ Sam Walton

The secret of happiness is low expectations.  ~ Barry Schwartz

Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.  ~ Earl Nightingale

Make each day count by setting specific goals to succeed, then putting forth every effort to succeed you own expectations.  ~ Les Brown

Quotes about expectations

- What expectations do you have of the future?
- How will you strive for positive outcomes?

#1495 A shady tree

The world belongs to the Enthusiast who keeps cool.  ~ William Mcfee

Keep cool; anger is not an argument.  ~ Daniel Webster

Remain calm in every situation because peace equals power.  ~ Joyce Meyer

There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.  ~ Ralph H. Blum

A person of calm is like a shady tree.  People who need shelter come to it.  ~ Toba Beta

Quotes  about calmness

- In what areas of your life could you cultivate more calmness?

#1494 On my way

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.  ~ Chinese proverb

I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.  ~ Abraham Lincoln

I don't know where I am going, but I am on my way.   ~ Carl Sandburg

If it is to be,
It is up to me.  ~ unknown

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.  ~ Frederick Douglass

Behold the turtle; he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.  ~ James Bryant Conant

Quotes about personal progress

- In what area of personal growth might you venture with measured steps?

#1493 Grasp life

The journey is the reward.   ~ Chinese proverb

The end is not the reward; the path you take, the emotions that course through you as you grasp life - that is the reward.   ~ Jamie Magee

The reward is in the risk.  ~ Rachel Cohn

The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.   ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service.”   ~Earl Nightingale

Quotes about rewards

- What rewards have come your way as you grasp life?