The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift. Pierre Corneille

Every single moment of your life, be grateful

We all know that when we are learning to dance that sometimes the music is fabulous and other times, it's just not right. Sometimes, we are spinning with joy and other times, we get our toes stepped on... and of course there are the times we fall flat on our face. What's the secret? It's to learn from all of this and to be grateful for every single moment because at one point, we reach mastery and we are at the top of our game and everything is flowing and it all makes sense. Yes, it can take months, years, even a full lifetime, but it's all perfect.
Adopted from Jane Powell's Meditation for Women

One can never change the past, only the hold it has on you.

One can never change the past, only the hold it has on you. ~ Merle Shain

Never regret. If its good, it is wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience.

Never regret. If its good, it is wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience. ~ Victoria Holt

I will not let my experiences change the Word of God. I will judge my experiences by the Word of God.

The value of life is best measured by the moments spent giving one's self....sharing wisdom, inspiring hope, wiping tears and touching hearts. Your life is God's gift to you. What you do for others is your gift to God. The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are but on how happy others can be because of you.

Make your plans as fantastic as you like, because 25 years from now, they will seem mediocre. Make your plans ten times as great as you first planned and 25 years from now you will wonder why you did not make them fifty times as great. Some people see things as they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not.

To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.

You must not lose faith and humanity. Humanity is an ocean. If a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

Life is not linear, it is unpredictable, bad things happen to some really lovely people. So we need to celebrate life, appreciate it and make the most of out of every waking moment.

The most precious gift ever given to man is LIFE.

Life is really short. We have no control over how our tomorrow will turn out when it comes to our health. We can do all the right things, which is vitally important, but there's still an element that does not belong to our doing, our planning or our execution. Don't sweat the small stuff!

When was the last time you danced or thought about about dancing? No matter what you are going through in life, don't ever forget to dance!

Fear is a sickness. It will the infect the soul of the one it infiltrates. Do not be afraid.

Think carefully about what you want to do and why you want to do it. Think about the future, where you..

Think carefully about what you want to do and why you want to do it. Think about the future, where you want to get to and what will drive you out of bed every morning. Look at your portfolio, study the brand you are interested in, look at the competition and then bring your ideas, your passion and your drive to life.

On public speaking: Wherever you can speak, whenever you can speak, take the challenge.

A bird does not sing because it has a voice, it sings because it has a song. Find your voice and sing in a way that will change people in tremendous ways.

Free yourself by freeing your mind. You have the freedom to move from one job to another, from one country to another.

Money helps to shape opportunities. The difference between talent and opportunities is that; talent is universal, opportunities are not.

Flaunt your colours and show off your beauty. Flaunt your talent and show it to the world.

When someone walks through a door, they should leave the same door with a new lesson that they have learned.

Dead men are remembered for the things they did when their heart beat.

Start small and settle for more.

If you speak the truth, you will never need to remember anything.

The acronym MBA can be used to help you face your fear; It is through your Mind, Belief and Association that you are able to succeed in life.

A woman, I am!

It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.

It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.

It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
------------
Maya Angelou

I’m a woman, phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me.

It’s in the reach of my arms, the span of my hips, the stride of my step, the curl of my lips;

It’s the fire in my eyes, and the flash of my teeth,the swing in my waist, and the joy in my feet;

It’s in the arch of my back, the sun of my smile, the ride of my breasts, the grace of my style;
I’m a woman, phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me.

There is a time for everything in every single day you live..

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
 A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
 A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace. (Eccl. 3:1-8)

Trust in the vision of your dreams and press ahead with eager eyes...

Trust in the vision of your dreams and press ahead with eager eyes.

Spread out your wings to reach the skies.

Turn your back on yesterday, forgetting all its shame.

You must make a new brand start, free from all guilt and shame.

There are no obstacles too great for you to override, no mountain range that you cannot cross to reach the other side.

Only the brave achieve great things, so go and seek your goal. You cannot miss the goal you seek.

Just play your role, if in your heart you think of a great dream, think of no defeat.

If lofty visions stir your mind, success is at your feet.

If you believe in honest work and life’s goals set right; if you don’t idle time away, success is in your sight.

If you trust in God when days are dark, when you cannot see the end;

If you believe you will reach the stars no matter how far,

SUCCESS IS YOURS!

It does not interest me what you do for a living....

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.”

Oriah Mountain Dreamer

[For every man and woman, every child, every daughter and son, this is for you. But most especially, for every woman, you need to remind yourself of this every day. And you need to hold your treasured Alabaster box. Learn more from Alabastron, what every woman needs. Click here to read more].