"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and I've missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

This would have to be one of my favorite quotes of all time because of the way I can connect with it. Playing sports all my life, I always looked up to athletes and even more specifically Michael Jordan. He is often known as the best basketball player of all time because of the success he had on the court. What people seem to forget are all the times he didn't succeed and failed. It is obvious by this quote that Michael did remember his failure and adversities, but even more importantly, he learned from his mistakes and they have made him a better person. I try to keep this in mind when I make mistakes. If I can learn from my mistakes, then it's not really a mistake; It is in fact making better for the future.

~Tom G. (Guest Blogger)

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be
shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." -Buddha


This quote means a lot to me because it truly does not take anything away from you to be make someone else’s day better by spreading happiness. There are many things that you get back from spreading happiness, you get an even better feeling knowing that you not only made your day better but that you also made someone else’s day a lot better. In reality the more candles you light the bigger the flame will become if they all came together.

~Rudy M. (Guest Blogger)

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” -Dr. Suess

This quote basically means that you should be yourself. You are unique in your own way; there is no one like you, don’t be false, costumes are worn on Halloween, not every day.  Don’t try to be anything that you’re not and express yourself and be the person that you truly are. Being someone you’re not is like neglecting your personality and ideas. If you really think about it, by expressing yourself you’ll be able to live it to the fullest and by doing so you’ll be happier, and more satisfied with yourself. It’s okay not to be the most popular, or the smartest all that matters is that you’re happy. Don’t worry about what people think, just express yourself, you never know people might like you better this way, or you’ll find a new meaning in life, a purpose, a reason to live, and a future you want.

~Gerardo J. (Guest Blogger)

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.” -Mary Anne Radmacher

Many of times, it can be hard to tell on your own if you have courage, just because we don't dare jump off a plane or do these "extreme" things doesn't mean we lack courage, it means you have courage in many other ways and we are not aware of it. If you try and try at something, even when you fail you get up and keep moving forward you are one little courageous person. After all It takes more of us to keep trying then to give up.

~Miriam C. (Guest Blogger)

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." -Albert Einstein

We as humans associate life with many different things, whether it is love, loss, happiness, or sadness. Yet we all have failed to answer one thing, why live? This can be tied into 'What is the meaning of life?' 'Why are humans on planet earth?' or even 'Is there some other being in space?' So why do we live? Why do we wake up every day and go to school and learn, or go to work and get paid? This is a very open question, and there are many answers, but maybe one day, someone will come across this piece and compile it with all of the other answers and actually come up with the true answer. Why live? To learn. To explore. To go above and beyond our wildest dreams. We desire more. Ever since the beginning of time, humans have wanted to learn. Learn how to become more efficient (wheel), learn how to get across this body of water (boats), or learn how to supply the demand (assembly lines). Littered through out our quest to learn are obstacles, like love, betrayal, happiness, sadness, but eventually those obstacles are dealt with, and we delve into our forever ongoing mission of knowledge. So the next day you are in class about ready to fall asleep, or at your job, ready to hand in your badge and say 'I quit', just think. Think about everything you have learned and how the little things you do, can impact the entire world.

~Jeff G. (Guest Blogger)

"Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die tomorrow.” -James Dean

This has been one of my favorite quotes for as long as I can remember. It sounds so simple, but it can be really complex if you dive into it. When I think about it, I like to split it into the two different quotes. The first one, ‘Dream as if you’ll live forever’ is what really grabs my attention at first. Life is too short to be sitting around doing nothing. I also think that though, because sometimes people think life is too short, they don’t set amazing ambitions for themselves. They just think that something is out of reach and they leave it at that. So dreaming as if you’ll live forever is a good mindset to have. Don’t let the shortness of life get in the way of your dreams and hopes.  Now, live as if you’ll die tomorrow. I love how the opening quote and the ending quote contradict themselves in a way but are equally inspirational. Most people’s everyday lives are an endless drone of doing the same thing over and over. Most of us are stuck in a rut, stuck in a routine. If you knew it would be your last day though, what would you do differently? That’s what the quote makes me think. If you were going to die tomorrow, I think you would live your life differently.  I love how one half of the quote tells you to think about living forever, while the second half tells you to think about possibly dying tomorrow. That is the biggest contradiction you can get, but both parts are so inspirational to me.

~Camilla S. (Guest Blogger)

“Forgetting is a form of freedom.” – Anonymous

The past still has a hold on all of us today. There is that one thing that we cannot let go of, that keeps pulling us back. Whether it is a past relationship, or incident, it is constantly there on the back of our minds. This past prevents us from living our life in the present right now. We are stuck thinking about what we could have done differently, or if there was anything that we could have said to change the way it turned out. But the moment when we leave that relationship or incident in the past, this is the moment when we become free. We break the hold that the past has on us, and we can focus on the present. No more countless hours spent wondering how things could have been different, no more wondering ‘what if?’

~Morgan P. (Guest Blogger)

“Fear is temporary; regret is forever.” - Anonymous

There are moments in life where you have the opportunity to take a risk and create a life-long memory. In these rare moments, fear is the only thing that could possibly hold you back. Would you rather not take advantage of a rare opportunity, or would you rather live each day wondering what would have happened if you were to do it?

~Morgan P. (Guest Blogger)

“Independence is happiness.” -Susan B. Anthony

I enjoy this quote because it shows how much dependency results to unhappiness. Think about it. We rely on people. Whether it is our parents, friends, or a significant other, we take in their emotions and feelings as well as our own. Face it, we all rely on people. When a family member dies, a breakup occurs, or a friend moves away: we all grieve in sadness. This melancholy behavior overcomes us due to the fact we need people. I’m not dismissing the fact that we need people however; it’s the way humans function with a social lifestyle. However, if people interacted with others with  independency, this would be a whole new ball game.  Society never lives in moderation: it is always too much, nor enough. I believe being independent and working on self aspirations, one could come to the true meaning of happiness, whatever your definition may be.

~Katie M. (Guest Blogger)

"The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much." -William Hazlitt

We go through life tolerating a lot of pain and we go through many struggles.  We enjoy very little, and are very hard on ourselves, causing struggle.  Life is about enjoying it while you can because you never know when it will end, but we are too busy enduring pain, that we forget to live a little.  We forget that life is not all about living seriously and that it is okay to let loose enjoy yourself every once in awhile because everyone deserves it.  Laughing and smiling is easy to do for most people, but it is harder to endure, and knowing how to do that is art itself.

~Michelle B.

“There are two kinds of secrets: those we keep from others and hide from ourselves.” -Frank Warren

This quote to me is about living in fear.  We keep secrets from others thinking that it is better that they don’t know because we fear what would happen if we told them our secret.  Then you may later regret not telling them and it may be too late.  Everything can't always be perfect, and the sooner you learn that, the sooner you will understand that there is nothing to fear and that it will all be okay.  Be truthful to yourself, because pretending that nothing is wrong won't make it disappear.  Face your fears.

~Michelle B.

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." - Robert Frost

Believing in those three words are crucial to moving on.  There are always going to be ups and downs as you journey though life, but learning how to move past them is important.  Life will go on no matter what hiccups come your way, just remember that tomorrow is a new day to learn and make mistakes.

~Michelle B.

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us." -Alexander Graham Bell

This quote is important because it basically says that there are many opportunities to come, so don't fret over the little stuff or you will miss out on opportunities to come.  Try not to live in the past.  Think about what can come from the progress you have made and the work you have done.  Living in regret can cause you to look past the doors that have opened for you.  Be patient, there is more to come your way!  Opportunities will come and go, but the lessons you learn from them are important.


~Michelle B.

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” -Theodore Roosevelt

This quote to me has everything to do with this blog in every way possible.  There is also a reason as to why it is my very first post.  I have been thinking about doing this blog for a very long time, but never thought I could.  Until this very point, I was half way there, but as I am typing out my very first post, getting ready to soon publish it, I am completely there.  Believing you can is the very first step to actually doing something.  Have confidence in yourself.  I believe that I can do this blog, looks like I am halfway there.

~Michelle B.