Month: September 2016

I certainly am one. More of us are more pessimistic than others, and when we worry, it is always the worst possible thing that comes to mind first. Worrying is a great thief of time. I am someone w…

Source: Are you a worrier?

I certainly am one. More of us are more pessimistic than others, and when we worry, it is always the worst possible thing that comes to mind first. Worrying is a great thief of time. I am someone who can soar from distress to disaster in five seconds, and it causes me no end of sorrows. When I recognize the pattern, I stop myself with a gentle reminder that tomorrow is another day. Many times when I stew, I think that I’m doing something positive about my problem—at least I am thinking about it. But what I am doing instead is setting off an escalating spiral that can ruin an entire day, for me and for the ones in my vicinity.

When you find yourself fretting over an issue, you must stop instead of worrying yourself to death. You can talk with a friend about your problem, and if you don’t have someone you trust, sit down quietly and write out what’s troubling you. You can write down the worst case scenario, your greatest fears, what you would do and how you would cope with the effects. One of the reasons I worry is because I feel powerless to control my future. When I figured out what I would do if the worst did happen, the sense of hopelessness diminished.

Mark Twain said that he spent most of his life worrying about things that never happened. We all do the same. I had decided that worrying about the future robs me of the present moment. If the nagging “worry” follows you relentlessly through the day, then follow Scarlett O’Hara’s example and tell yourself,

“I’m not going to think about this right now, I’ll think about this tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.”

Love,

Carmen Monica

Henry Miller said:

“Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music—the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls, and interesting people. Forget yourself.”

Nothing dies harder than a bad habit. We are aware that we do something that is not good for us because of the small voice in our heads that nags us. It whispers when we lit a cigarette, pour an extra glass of wine, or stand in front of the fridge eating ice cream directly from the container because we are nervous.

To change any behavior, it is helpful to know why you must get rid of the old habits. A positive payback comes in the form of a healthier lifestyle, more energy, joy, and tranquility of emotional soberness, a slimmer body. You begin to treat yourself more kindly as you become intimate with your authentic self and see a gleam of the person you are inside. When you renounce of the bad habits, you will feel comfort and hear the encouragement coming from the ones around you. This way, instead of reaching for an extra glass of wine you will enjoy a refreshing glass of water and lemon. Instead of snacking each time you enter the kitchen, you will only eat what you have on your plate.

We spent too much time robbing ourselves of precious moments when we can nurture our creativity. As long as we will cling to bad habits, we will steal from our potential to improve the world around us.

Love,

Carmen Monica

Traducere in romaneste

Henry Miller a spus:

“Dezvolta un interes in viata asa cum o vezi; in oameni, lucruri, muzica—lumea este atat de bogata, pulsand cu bogatii, suflete minunate, si oameni interesanti. Uita de tine.”

Nimic nu moare mai greu decat o obisnuinta rea. Suntem constienti ca facem ceva care nu este bun pentru noi deoarece vocea aceea mica din capul nostru ne necajeste. Ne sopteste atunci cand aprindem o tigara, cand turnam inca un pahar de vin, sau cand stam in fata frigiderului mancand inghetata direct din cutie pentru ca suntem nervosi.

Este bine sa stii de ce trebuie sa scapi de vechile obiceiuri ca sa poti schimba un comportament. Un rezultat pozitiv iti adduce un mod de viata mai sanatos, mai multa energie, bucurie, sobrietate emotionala, un corp mai subtire. Incepi sa te tratezi cu mai multa blandete cand te descoperi pe tine insuti si vezi o licarire a persoanei care esti. Cand renunti la obiceiurile rele, te simti mult mai comfortabil si auzi incurajarile celor din jur. Astfel, in loc sa apuci inca un pahar de vin, te bucuri de un pahar cu apa si lamaie. In loc sa mananci de fiecare data cand intri in bucatarie, mananci numai ce ai pe farfurie.

Petrecem prea mult timp privandu-ne de momente pretioase cand putem sa ne cultivam creativitatea. Atata timp cat depindem the obiceiuri rele, rapim din potentialul nostru de a imbunatati lumea din jurul nostru.

I just finished reading the book The Paris time capsule by Ella Carey, a breathtaking story of luxury, sophistication, love, and sacrifices that people living long ago had experienced. I recommend the book as a captivating reading, especially during a rainy day, like this past Saturday. It is as if you had stepped back in time and saw the world through the eyes of fascinating women.

Marthe’s flat was in the ninth arrondissement, on the Right Bank, in a colorful Paris, the Paris of writers, artists, and filmmakers. It was the time of the intellect and debauchery. Marthe de Florian lived during the Belle Époque—French for “beautiful era” between the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the start of World War I. This was a time of optimism, peace, technology, and, most importantly, the blossoming of literature, music, and the arts. Giovanni Boldini was the most renowned portraitist in his day. He was a lover of the woman he painted, the woman in pink: Marthe de Florian.

Though Marthe was what we would consider a courtesan, the more accurate title was demimondaine, which translates to “half-world.” She was no ordinary hooker, but an unusual breed. Demimondaines were known for their extravagant lifestyles, provided by rich and illustrious lovers; their clothing was envied by women in Paris. Even the richest high society women could not compete with them, although they had tried. Demimondaines were notorious for drinking, drug use, gambling, and excessive spending. Despite their status, they remained on the outside of the society before the WWI, perhaps the “half-world” label telling of their position.

Marthe de Florian’s apartment was unopened for seventy years, preserving astounding furnishings and a waft of perfume from the Paris of old times.

I can learn to look for laughter and joy in the many ordinary places where I go. If I look for the light of God that is hitting my life, I will find sparkles I didn’t know were there.  I could sum up what I learned about life in three words: “It goes on!” The human spirit can survive pain, loss, death and life goes on…and on and on. My encouraging word to all those I meet is to develop a sense of humor to carry them through the day. Without one, we are doomed to despair. If we have one, we can survive and actually enjoy the trip. It will take us from where we are to where we are meant to be.

Instead of dwelling on the past, I decided to make myself look for joyful things. And one day, I will look back and remember the pain, but I won’t be in that situation that stole the joy from me because it came to pass. Laughter is like the sun that drives the winter from the human face. If I laugh in spite of the circumstances that surround me, I will enrich others, myself and I will last longer.

Love,

Carmen Monica

There comes a time in everyone’s life when difficulties gang up, and when this happens—when life gets hard—you must look for a creative way to handle things.

The first try not to struggle and fret, trying not to strain or complain, but do everything you can about things and put everything in God’s hands, trusting him to fix it. Then, you must pray for guidance and believe in the advice, depend on it, because it won’t fail you. Practice a calm attitude. All disturbing things will remain troubling as long as you are disturbed. When you become peaceful, situations will iron themselves out. No one can think creatively when the mind is upset. You must saturate your consciousness with faith, a creative faith that things will turn out right.

You must remind yourself one great truth: hard experiences will pass away because they can be changed. There is always a light in the darkness, and you must look for that light which is the love of God. Trust in your own strength and wisdom to handle any problem successfully and never forget that you are loved. Everyone experiences troubles, but they all fade with the passage of time.

Life is easier than you think and all you have to do is accept the impossible, bear the intolerable, do without the indispensable and be able to smile at everything. Growing is a lifetime job, and you grow most when you’re down in the valley. You can go through painful trials, or you can grow through them. It is okay to admit you’re suffering and hurting, but then you go on to make the most of this particular moment. Give it all you can and see what you can learn from this pain. All you have to remember is that you are going to get over this, and when you climb over it and then look back, you will realize that you’ve reached new gains and new values. You have grown as a person.

Love,

Carmen Monica

Life it is about finding balance. If you add a little of this and a little of that, you can put together a great recipe for happiness. Then, you throw a little bit of abandon to the mix, and you will reach success. The reason of going to the beach is to find and bring balance to our lives, balance from stress, work and responsibilities. When you feel overwhelmed, a beach vacation becomes a great escape composed of magic, fun, beauty, sun, sand and ocean. 

If we are in control of our thoughts, we are in control of our lives. Once, a friend of mine said that one tree can start a forest, as much as one smile can begin a friendship. She also said that o…

Source: The Power of One

If we are in control of our thoughts, we are in control of our lives. Once, a friend of mine said that one tree can start a forest, as much as one smile can begin a friendship. She also said that one stroke is enough to lift a soul. One tap on a shoulder can change the direction of that day.

Sometimes, we need to hear the right word so that we frame a goal in our minds, giving purpose to our existence. We have to remember that one candle can wipe out darkness, as much as one laugh can conquer gloom, and one hope can raise our spirits.

Life goes on regardless of my choice. We can choose to move on and take a chance on the unknown, or we can decide to stay behind, locked in the past and thinking of what it could have been.

One choice can change our lives.

Traducere

Daca suntem in controlul gandurilor noastre, suntem in controlul vietilor noastre. Odata, o prietena a spus ca un copac poate sa inceapa o padure, la fel de mult cum un zambet poate sa inceapa o prietenie. A mai spus ca o mangaiere este suficienta sa-ti inalte sufletul. O bataie pe umar poate sa schimbe directia acelei zile.

Uneori, avem nevoie sa auzim cuvantul potrivit ca sa formam un gol in mintile noastre, sa dam un scop existentei noastre. Trebuie sa ne amintim ca o singura lumanare poate alunga intunericul, la fel de mult cum un raset poate cuceri tristetea si cum o speranta poate sa ne ridice spiritele.

Viata continua in ciuda alegerii pe care am facut-o. Putem sa alegem sa mergem mai departe si sa ne asumam riscul in necunoscut, sau putem decide sa ramanem incuiati in trecut, gandindu-ne la ceea ce ar fi putut sa fie.