Party Pants

LIVE WELL, LOVE MUCH, LAUGH OFTEN

The above quote I got from Lone Pony's blog. It seems I get all kinds of good stuff from her :-)!! And she is applying that quote to her life right now by living it up on Spring Break in Cozumel :-). But that quote says it all. We all spend too much time worrying, being negative and hateful, crabby and pessimistic, fearful and sad, etc... It is human nature to dwell on the negative but we need to remember to enjoy life and embrace it and not take things so seriously.

I spent a huge part of my life taking everything way too seriously. If I didn't worry about this and that something catastrophic might happen. Thank God he brought me to terms with it and I felt him telling me to embrace life. My theme song is now LeeAnn Womack's "I Hope You Dance". This is the line that always motivates me:

"And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance"

The thought is instead sitting out of things because of fear take a chance, take a risk and live life.

I finally finished reading the book "Life is Short--Wear Your Party Pants" by Loretta LaRoche. It may not be a deep book but it has a great perspective on life. She helps you to embrace and live life. There are 10 chapters and each one starts with "An Amazing life requires...". And here are the 10 things that an amazing life requires:

1)Resilience
2)Living in the moment
3)Optimism
4)Acceptance
5)Humor
6)Creativity
7)Moderation
8)Responsibility
9)Meaning
10)Connection

Here are some quotes that I found especially meaningful and inspiring:

"We should never wait to celebrate life only on special occasions."

"My metaphor of wearing party pants is about more than just enjoying the things we have in the moment and not denying ourselves. It's about recognizing that within us we have a lot to give that makes life extraordinarily special. We can show appreciation and concern more often, hug each other with gusto, be more forgiving, and love each other in more profound ways."

"My mother used to always say to me, 'You can have fun when your chores are done.' And isn't that the way we all seem to be living our lives? We don't allow ourselves to have fun until all the menial tasks have been taken care of.

But guess what? Our chores are never done. Welcome to the real world! A life without stress is a life without challenges and passion.

Don't wait! Incorporate fun into as many moments as you can. At the end of your life, your eulogy should feature a list of all the wonderful things you did for yourself and others."

"Science has proven that people who employ a positive attitude tend to live longer and have a stronger immune system. In other words, optimism appears to be a natural antidepressant and mood enhancer.

I always tell my audiences that pessimists may be more accurate, but they don't live as long..."

"If you think the worst and get the worst, you suffer twice, if you think the best, and get the worst, you suffer once..."--Anonymous

"In fact, studies suggest that reality is overrated."

"People who are most closely in touch with reality are probably depressed."--Susan C. Vaughan

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."--Winston Churchill

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."--Charles Dickens

"As George E. Vaillant has said, humor is 'man's most elegant coping mechanism."

"We should never be content to be thwarted, inhibited versions of ourselves. Since the beginning of time, human beings have desired to be more, make more of ourselves, and essentially go where no one has dared to go before. Inside all of us is a deep desire to be creative. We're born full of curiosity, and we yearn to be unique."

"It's safer to "fit in", so we stop experimenting and daring to be silly. That's why it's ironic that many of the people we admire for being bold and different aren't really that unique. It's simply that they've chosen to expand their minds and souls rather than retract them."

"Where do you want to go, and what do you want to do? Are there ways you can see yourself leaving a legacy that reflects your life's work? Are there dreams you've always wanted to realize?"

In conclusion I hope this inspires and encourages you to: Live well, Love much and Laugh often!!!!