My motivator is “There’s always a tomorrow”. Whether I feel down about a test, or a run, or whatever it may be, time is the great equalizer. What matters now might not matter in 30 minutes, let alone 30 years.

Ohmigosh I never ever considered OB to be superficial?! When I’m down on myself I think about all the things I am so blessed by: family, friends, hubby, health.

When I have my negative voice telling me things about not being good enough I say ” I love and accept myself, I don’t listen to that garbage anymore”.

Congrats on Glamour.com! AWESOME!

I am strong. I am able.

Helen Keller:

We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.

I’m going through a treatment of infusions at an infusion clinic where a lot of people suffer from MS, SLE, and dozens of other autoimmune diseases. Most of them require assistive devices to walk, such as a walker, wheelchair, or cane – everytime I come here to get an infusion I contemplate writing a note to leave in the bathroom, but haven’t come up with anything clever yet…

*When things are tough my fav is: This too shall pass.
*The only person you can change is yourself.
*You are strong, fit and healthy.
*Love yourself. Laugh a lot. Live vibrantly.
*You are already strong enough.
*You are worth it.
*A smile brightens a heart.

I’m motivated by quotes. They’re some of my greatest inspiration. I could spend hours searching, reading, and saving quotes if I ever had the time. But, I’ve only actually memorized one to use as inspiration. It’s the motivation I lean on, in my worst times.

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. ~ Maya Angelou

I also love this one – “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” {Christopher Robin to Pooh} – A.A.Milne

Sometimes my mind wanders to the song “Be OK” by Ingrid Michaelson. Hearing the refrain is calming to me, somehow.

Good luck on the last chapter!!

I always tell myself that I am worth it. I think as women we give so much to others and forget about ourselves. So I try to tell myself to take that time for myself, because I am so worth it!

I LOVE your blog (yeah ima lurker) and it’s really inspiring me to get into a healthy lifestyle!
Anywho, my friend yore an amazing artist and foremer model [who struggled w/ body image issues] has adopted a new mantra “God is an artist;you are a masterpiece. Please,stop criticizing his work”.lol. So quirky but SO TRUE.
and i say “You’re worth as much as you sell yourself for, and you’re PRICELESS!” also “I love myself”, sometimes i have to remind myself, ya kno?lol.
and I LOVE OPERATION BEAUTIFUL!I’m minoring in women’s studies because i love this type of stuff! Rock on!

When struggling to embrace my femininity and self confidence as a freshman computer engineering student, an older female scholar told me: “life is short, you are capable”. Even now as a full time professional engineer/part time electrical engineering grad student repeating those words helps me find the inner strength and self assurance I need to keep giving it my best.

“It’s not what you look at that matters; it’s what you see.” (Thoreau) My fave quote! Reminds me to keep all the craziness that comes with life in perspective!

I would have to say what keeps me motivated is the phrase “God never gives you more than you can handle”. Another one that my mom always says when things are rough is “this, too, shall pass”…and she’s always right 🙂

My mantra: You CAN do it!!

My mantra is “Just Do It And It’s Done.”

I make the same pasta dish that you’ve got there, but I use plain Oikos instead of cream sauce. Try it sometime. It’s yummy!

This is from the book “Eat,Pray,Love”…and I use it all the time…

“This too will pass”

Also what brand of whole wheat spaghetti do you use?

Not sure of the author, but this is one of my faves:

“Of all the forces that make for a better world, none is so powerful as hope. With hope, one can think, one can work, one can dream. If you have hope, you have everything”.

I go for the simple ones:
“Just do it.”
“Just keep moving.”
“One foot in front of the other.”
“Push yourself.”

“I move onward
The only direction
Can’t be scared to fail
Search ya perfection
Gotta keep it fresh girl ”
-Jay-z

I just posted a super simple cream sauce recipe… Check it out and try it! http://rhodeygirltests.com/2009/12/08/whole-wheat-fettuccine-with-cream-sauce-kalamata-olives/

I don’t know if it’s a mantra, but really just the “everything will be okay” idea, or “all you need is love”. When I’m stressed, I remember that I’ll get everything done, and even if I don’t, the world won’t end. As long as I have my loved ones, everything will be just fine.

I love “be the change you wish to see in the world” ~ Ghandi

and “thoughts become things, choose the good ones” ~ message from “the universe” (theuniverse@tut.com)

I have a few that I say to myself during different situations.

1. Your family and friends love you no matter what you get on a paper
2. It only hurts for a little while but stay strong because you can conquer anything
3. for 5k’s = It’s only 20 mins of pain for a full day of joy!
4. Your strong, independent, and determined never forget that
5. Don’t give up your dreams because you don’t think you can achieve your goal. Your dreams are your goal and your journey is just the experience!

My favorite mantra is the one my mom taught me:
I choose to be happy today. Yes, happiness is an emotion, but whether or not we choose to harness it is up to us!

I love that mantra–exactly what I needed to hear right now. Sometimes you just need someone tell you that everything will be OK. Thanks!

http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/

One of my mentors in college always said “Life’s adjustable.” It stuck with me and I keep the saying written on a post-it note above my desk.

my mantra for life…

“Don’t give up…Don’t ever give up” Jimmy V.

I know it’s cheesy, but I always think “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and gosh darn it people like me” It’s from a super old SNL with Stewart Smiley (smalley?)

That’s weird my site didn’t show up in my earlier comment. Love the mantra idea!

Sometimes, life is hard (understatement). And sometimes, it feels like the whole universe has conspired against us. We have our own personal stuff like body image issues (which are so much more than superficial), life transitions like job changes/job seeking/ marriage/ break-ups/ you name it, illnesses in our family, and the list goes on. Sometimes, all these things happen at once.

It’s very easy to get caught up in somewhat depressive thoughts over all of it. In these most difficult times, it’s easiest to be very hard on ourselves. But that’s when we have to have the most compassion for ourselves. We have to treat ourselves with kindness because kindness and compassion are the most powerful tools on earth.

Furthermore, we must remember that we have a choice in the matter. Even if we’ve lost our job or our boyfriend, we can choose to get up, eat healthy foods, go to the gym or for a job, shower, and treat ourselves well. The hurts won’t go away, but choosing to not live our lives will make them worse. We can choose to deal with our problems in a healthy manner and remember that self-compassion is the first step out of whatever difficulty we’re in.

“Impossible is nothing.”

I think that was an adidas or nike ad a few years back…does anyone know? I read it after my first half marathon and it just clicked. I kind of apply it to everything now.

I’ve been using yours & meghann’s running mantras…but on Thanksgiving my husband and I were talking about what we were most thankful for and I decided I’m most thankful for my new outlook on life…
The world is so full of people just waiting for tomorrow to happen TO them, I say CARPE DIEM, better yet seize YOUR LIFE!! MAKE it happen.
(I could go on and on and on, but I AM working 🙂

Just thought of another one I like a lot too:

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right!”

It’s all mental!

CAITLIN!!!

DID YOU SEE THIS…….
http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/12/shes-trying-to-make-women-arou.html

Two mantra’s really stick out in my mind. When I am having a blow of low self esteem I think to my self, “be true to myself and everything will work out”. I also love this quote by Winston Churchill

“Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm”.

I love the mantra: “When in doubt, just take the next small step..” I have used that so many times over the last five years of college and it has been so motivating.
Another one I love, ” Frame every so called disaster with the question, “Will this matter in 5 years?” If it will, make the change, and if it wont, push through” 🙂
Great idea!

I have a habit of letting my imagination go to the most negative space if something doesn’t work out the way I planned. I have started doing a check list with myself in order to gain perspective:
1) where are you? *If I’m at work, at home, or in my car I recognize how lucky I am to have all of these things
2) how is your body? *May be a weird question, but I tend to forget that I am a usually healthy person and I need to remind myself to be thankful for this.
These two questions usually get me enough time to breathe and get perspective on my life in order for me to calm down and realize that I really am ok and my life is already awesome!

Here are a couple of mine – hope they help! Good luck!

One step at a time.

Impossible = I’m possible

Just do your best.

My positive mantra is never give up. ever.

typo!* When I need a pick me up or some motivation, I like to think of things that I have accomplished in my life- the really big things as well as smaller things. Making the honor roll, placing in an art contest, graduating high school, getting accepted into college, graduating college, getting a job offer, paying my own bills, learning from a mistake, mastering a song on the guitar, helping out a friend/person in need, etc. It’s really helpful to write these accomplishments down on paper. This is the best confidence booster and it has often worked for me. It will leave you feeling empowered.

I’ve started telling myself “Run your own race.” I don’t just mean in races (although, I do it there, too) but in life in general. It reminds me that I don’t have to compete with anyone but myself and that life is not always greener on the other side.

I think OB is the OPPOSITE of superficiality!!! When I need a pick-me-up, I usually tell myself “You are so much more than your looks. You are a strong, confident, awesome woman. Don’t forget it!” Never fails.

One of my favorites:

“You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” –
— Wayne Gretzky

And I saw this on a post once that always made me feel better.

And from here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-22850-NY-Life-Coach-Examiner~y2009m9d11-The-Beatles-Michael-Jordan-and-Abraham-Lincoln-were-failures

“The Beatles were turned down for a record deal because they were told their sound wasn’t appealing. Michael Jordan cried when he was cut from his high school basketball team. Abraham Lincoln had two failed businesses, a nervous breakdown, and lost eight elections. On their way to becoming legendary, some of the best known people in history have all failed on their way to greatness.”

It always makes me feel better to think great people had to overcome failures. I think how we face adversity really measures what we will become in life.

Did you know Marilyn Monroe was actually a fabulous poet? In a lit class, we compared her work to Emily Dickinson, and it was so interesting. I actually really love two of her famous quotes:
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.”
(It always makes me feel better in the face of criticism from harsh people.)
“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when their right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”
(This one is really great for handling a bad day.)
I also love this Confucius quote:”Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it”.
And I also like this very simple quote about accepting yourself, “I am what I am.”

I loved reading these comments! Absolutely loved it. Especially because I’ve been kind of talking myself down about an exam I have (in 27 minutes) and everyone is right- whatever you tell yourself is going to be true! I am going to rock this exam-which is the last exam of my undergrad degree!

A comment that I loved was during a yoga class I was once at. The instructor was talking about how miracolous (sp?) our bodies truly are-that something of mostly water and air could be moving and breathing, and be as unique as each of us. And then we spend our lives hating ourselves. When he said that, it just clicked for me-what a waste of time! Why not focus on the good instead of seeing the miniscule flaws?

Caitlin this may be a stupid question-but what is your book going to be called? Will it just be “Operating Beautiful”?

mine is “happy people make other people happy.” a good reminder to keep a positive attitude no matter what life throws at you!

One thing I love to say to myself when I am being too critical of my body is “I refuse to hate my body today.” That might sound weird, but it’s an awesome reality check for me :). Sometimes I feel like I’m battling negative self-talk everyday but then I just remember that it’s essentially a choice for me… Accept myself or be critical.

I LOVE the operation beautiful note you left! Your route is gorgeous, too.

I love to tell myself “Look at the things you never thought you could get through but have…what’s one more thing?”

I just read a good one on Jason Mraz’ twitter the other day and I am trying really really hard to adopt it as my own —

“Everything I could ever desire I already am. I am whole and complete now.”

Someimtes I forget that wanting to improve on certain aspects of my life doesn’t make me “incomplete”. We all have things we’d like to improve on and “perfect” doesn’t exist!

I think a lot of how you look reflects how you feel. That may be superficial but taking care of yourself means loving yourself. That doesn’t mean being a waif and wearing 5lbs of make up, rather it means accepting the fact that you are beautiful because you’re you!

My pick me up is telling myself that everything will get done (like you chalked!) and that whatever is happening/bothering me now is only temporary.

if i’m having a bad day or feeling down, i just tell myself “it’s just one day and there is always tomorrow for a better one.” 🙂 definitely helps me to remember that’s just one day out of like 52468390 that i still have!

You should have a look at what the founder of the vegan society Donald Watson has said. If you google “Donald Watson interview” you should get a few results.

I found this one that I like which he uses (by Samuel Johnson): “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” from http://www.vegparadise.com/24carrot610.html

Good luck with the book! I am looking forward to reading it 🙂

Last chapter! Yaaay. Excellent work.

The lake looks like a lovely place to run in the morning.

When I saw this post I thought, how ironic! I really struggled to just function today. I’ve been feeling down about my weight and didn’t want to leave the house. I had to run some errands and it took all my willpower to do it. So, I kept thinking about one of Dr. Phil’s life lessons; time will pass whether you do anything or not, so you might as well try to change. I think that fits really well with your quote; “when everyday decisions add up to something amazing”. I ran all my errands and felt so much better for just getting out of the house! I was inspired to go for a 2 mile run. I know that at least I did something to contribute to my health and weight, even if it was small. I feel so much better than if I had stayed in the house all day moping and eating chocolate!

Bill Cosby has always been my idol, I have this quote posted literally everywhere I can find a place for it. Being able to laugh about it and just find joy in simply being alive has gotten me through losing my grandma (who raised me) a house fire, my dad’s denied parole hearings, my step-dad abandoning his 5 kids… at this point, throw it at me and I can take it with a smile on my face (which is why I tell myself this “fitness” journey I’m on is easy peasy!)

“You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything… you can survive it.”

Whenever I am having negative self talk, be it about the imaginary muffin top I perceive myself as having or the one too many squares of chocolate straight from the package that I’m beating myself up over, I always put SOMEONE ELSE in my shoes. Yes, it’s the opposite of the old cliche. I stop myself in my tracks, though, and I think of what I would tell my friend, my mother or God forbid, one of my daughters if they told me they felt fat, worthless or like they needed to skip a meal. I think about how I would emphasize all the wonderful things I LOVE about them and how valuable they are in my life. I then try to be that kind and loving to myself and work even harder to believe it.

An especially lovely operation beautiful note!

My favorite: “Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry” and there is a cute stamped picture of a bird. There is a shop with the poster on my street and I smile every time I run by 🙂

“The best way out is always through”

I love your blog.

I am motivated by authors, poets, artists and musicians. Their brilliant creativity and beautiful words inspire others– nothing is ‘original’.. We are all influenced by someone else. However, a quote written by Maya Hornbacher wrote:
“There is never a sudden revelation, a complete and tidy explanation for why it happened, or why it ends, or why or who you are. You want one and I want one, but there isn’t one. It comes in bits and pieces, and you stitch them together wherever they fit, and when you are done you hold yourself up, and still there are holes and you are a rag doll, invented, imperfect. And yet you are all that you have, so you must be enough. There is no other way.”

And it’s true.

Two things I always tell myself: “Ad astra per alia porci” which means “To the stars on the wings of a pig.” Sometimes I let fear get in the way of my decisions, and I have to constantly remind myself that I am possible of anything!

The other: “Success it the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” This keeps me from being scared of failure, or letting failure get the best of me. Those who are successful are able to pick themselves up from their failures, learn from them, and move on.