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CHALLENGES
  
Every time life throws you a curve
step into it and knock it out of the park!

Jace Carlton



You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.
 
Sir Edmund Hillary



Do not pray for an easy life, pray to be a stronger person.
Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers,
pray for power equal to your tasks.

Phillips Brooks
American Clergyman and Author
1835 - 1893



Every new year people make resolutions
to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative.
A majority of people revert back to how they were before
and feel like failures.
This year I challenge you to a new resolution.
I challenge you to just be yourself.

Aisha Elderwyn
Australian Musician, Narrator and Voice Actor


Some see mountains and say they are too high.
Others wait until they have reached the top to decide.

Anonymous


Bless those who challenge us to grow, to stretch, to move beyond the knowable,
to come back home to our elemental and essential nature.
Bless those who challenge us
for they remind us of doors we have closed
and doors we have yet to open.

From the Navajo


Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition
from mediocre minds.

Albert Einstein


  Challenges are what make life interesting;
overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

Joshua J. Marine


Our prayers are answered
not when we are given what we ask,
but when we are challenged to be what we can become.

Morris Adler


There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this ...
you haven't!

Anonymous


Good timber does not grow with ease.
The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.

W. H. Marriott





CHAMPIONS

You don't have to win the game or the race to be a champion.
Actually, your only true competition in life is yourself.
If you strive to constantly improve,
to make each day better,
to make someone else's load a little lighter,
and make someone's day a little brighter,
then you will be living the life of a true champion.

Jace Carlton





A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

A day dawns, quite like other days;
in it, a single hour comes, quite like other hours;
but in that day and in that hour
the chance of a lifetime faces us.

Maltbie Babcock





CHANGE
  
Each new season grows from the leftovers of the past.
That is the essence of change,
and change is the essence of life.

Anonymous


Change.
It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate,
surprise, open new doors, bring fresh experience
and create excitement in life.
Certainly it is worth the risk.

Leo Buscaglia


Be not afraid of changing slowly;
be afraid only of standing still.

Chinese Proverb


Change the way you look at things,
and the things you look at will change.

Dr. Wayne Dyer
from
"The Power Of Intention"


I don't have a problem with change.
I just don't want to be there when it happens.

"Monk"


You, I, all of us, live in a world of our own making.
And every aspect of our separate worlds,
reflects our individual fears, attitudes, thoughts and habits.
The only way you can change your world
is to change your mind.

Anonymous


To change one's life:
Start immediately.
Do it flamboyantly.
No exceptions!

William James


If you don't change your beliefs,
your life will be like this forever.
Is that good news?

Douglas Adams



   
   
but character keeps them open.
 
Anonymous
  


Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.
Only through experiences of trial and suffering
can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired,
and success achieved.

Helen Keller
American Author, Activist and Lecturer
1880 - 1968
  


Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow.
The shadow is what we think of it, the tree is the real thing.

Abraham Lincoln
16th President of the United States - 1861-1865
1809 - 1865



Character is the ability
to follow through on a commitment
after the initial enthusiasm has passed.

Anonymous


Our busy lives force us
to focus on things we do from day to day.
But the development of character
comes only as we focus on who we really are.
To establish and accomplish those greater goals,
we do need heavenly help.

Russell M. Nelson


You can easily judge the character of others
by how they treat those
who can do nothing for them or to them.

Malcolm Forbes


Character is defined by what we are willing to do
when the spotlight has been turned off,
when the applause has died down,
and no one is around to give us credit.

Anonymous


We have been measuring our fellowmen
more by balance sheets and less by moral standards.
We have developed frightening physical power
and fallen into pathetic spiritual weakness.
We have become so concerned over the growth of our earning capacity
that we have neglected the growth of our character.

Thomas S. Monson


Knowing the right thing to do is only half the battle.
Character is defined by doing the right thing.

Jace Carlton



 
 
CHART YOUR COURSE
  
Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
 
Ralph Waldo Emerson



Ability is what you're capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.
 
Lou Holtz


Our destiny is shaped by our thoughts and our actions.
We cannot direct the wind
but we can adjust the sails.

Anonymous





CHERISH EACH MOMENT
  
I still find each day too short
for all the thoughts I want to think,
all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read,
and all the friends I want to see.

John Burroughs
American Naturalist and Essayist
1837 - 1921






THE VISION OF A CHILD

I love the story of the little girl
who showed her teacher a picture she painted of a tree.
The tree was purple.
The teacher said,
"Sweetheart, I've never seen a purple tree, now have I?"

"Oh?" said the little girl.  "That's too bad."

Marianne Williamson





CHILDREN

Our greatest natural resource
is the minds of our children.

Walt Disney


Pretty much all of the honest truth-telling there is in the world
is done by children.

Oliver Wendell Holmes


Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.
They seem not to notice us,
hovering, averting our eyes,
and they seldom offer thanks,
but what we do for them is never wasted.

Garrison Keillor





CHOICES
  
The choices we make are a matter of deciding
what really matters most to us.
 
Hyrum W. Smith
  


No one can make you jealous, angry, vengeful or greedy -
unless you let them.

Napoleon Hill
American Author
Founder of The Science of Success
1883 - 1970
  


There are two primary choices in life;
to accept conditions as they exist,
or accept the responsibility for changing them.

Denis Waitley
Psychologist and Peak Performance Expert
  


I always read the last page of a book first
so that if I die before I finish I'll know how it turned out.

Nora Ephron
American Film Director, Producer, Screen Writer, and Novelist



Learn to become still
and to take your attention away from what you don't want,
and all of the emotional charge around it,
and place the attention on what you wish to experience.
Energy flows where attention goes.

Michael Bernard Beckwith
Humanitarian, Teacher, Mentor, Songwriter and Producer



Keep away from people
who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that,
but the really great make you feel that you, too,
can become great.

Mark Twain

Contributed
by
Kathleen Sales


It has been said that the gate of history
turns on small hinges,
and so do people's lives.
The choices we make determine our destiny.

Thomas S. Monson


I have come to the frightening conclusion
that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration,
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person is humanized or de-humanized.

If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become what they are capable of becoming.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable,
you disconnect yourself from what you truly want,
and all that is left is compromise.

Robert Fritz


It is not our abilities that show who we really are,
but our choices.

Professor Albus Dumbledore

from
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by
J.K. Rowling


I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are,
because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star.
I'd rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far,
for a might-have-been has never been, but a has was once an are.

Milton Berle

Contributed
by
Kathi Carlton


Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
but we alone are responsible for who we become.

Anonymous


When you learn what you can live without,
you are able to ask life for the very best
because you possess the gift of discernment.
You are able to create an authentic life
because you are able to make conscious choices.

Sarah Ban Breathnach


In reality there are no minor choices,
for each choice we make
leads to consequences that are stamped on our character.
Thus, all choices are critical!
Each moment matters!

Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr.


If you enjoy what you do
you'll never work another day in your life.

Confucius



Osho


While one person hesitates because he feels inferior,
another is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.

Henry C. Link


Yes, it's true.
We can't control the wind or the rain
or the other vagaries of weather.
But we can tack our sails
such that we can steer the course we desire.

Anonymous


At each moment you choose the intentions
that will shape your experiences
and those things upon which you will focus your attention.

Gary Zukav
from
"The Seat of the Soul"


When you cannot make up your mind
which of two evenly balanced courses of action you should take
choose the bolder!

William Joseph Slim





CHOOSE THE RIGHT
  
How hard is it to choose the right?
It's not hard at all, as long as you're grounded in
principles and values that are from God.
 
Jace Carlton





THE ONE CHOSEN

Have you ever thought that someone somewhere
may be pleading with Heavenly Father for help,
and you may be the one chosen
to help answer that prayer?
If we're willing,
He'll use us.
You likely have no idea.

Mary Ellen Edmunds





THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

The seasons change and time moves on.
Lives touch and intertwine
and when they do
we know we'll never be the same again.

Jace Carlton


As we were welcoming someone new
into our lives and our hearts this last weekend
we were also saying tearful goodbyes
to a loving companion who loved and protected us
for many wonderful years.

Here's to Kody
for his pure love
and the joy he brought into our lives.
As our son, Marc, said
"He may have been an outside dog
but our house sure is empty."
We know we'll see you
and play with you again, Kody.
Thanks for the memories.

  



Kody

December 16, 1993 - November 28, 2005

We'll let time heal the pain
and love heal the heart.

***********************

And here's to Harriette
who's just beginning to know
the power of love
and a home that welcomes her
with open arms and loving hearts.

    
Harriette with our son, Chris


    

With all our love forever
The Carltons





CIRCUMSTANCES

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.
I don't believe in circumstances.
The people who get on in this world
are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want,
and, if they can't find them,
make them.

George Bernard Shaw





CLASS

Class is an aura of confidence that is being sure without being cocky.
Class has nothing to do with money.  Class never runs scared.
It is self-discipline and self-knowledge.
It's the sure footedness that comes with having proved you can meet life.

Ann Landers





CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN

Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain.
An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind,
but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.

Harold B. Melchart





COACHING

Make a player as good as he wants to be,
and then let him play!

Herman Edwards
New York Jets Coach





COMFORT ZONE

When coasting in our comfort zone we don't grow.
We continue to do more of the same.
Maintaining a comfort zone can, paradoxically,
lead to discomfort in the long run.
If by being comfortable we avoid important life issues,
internal tension accumulates.
Eventually,
as both the internal and external pressures for change persist,
the 'comfort zone' ceases to serve us.

Eric Allenbaugh





COMMITMENT

Who would have ever heard of Theodore Roosevelt
outside of his immediate community
if he had only half committed himself to what he had undertaken,
if he had brought only a part of himself to his task?
The great secret of his career is that he flung his whole life,
not a part of it,
with all the determination and energy and power he could muster,
into everything he undertook.

Orison Swett Marden


Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do.

Epictetus


Until you are committed there is hesitancy.
Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Begin it now!

Goethe


If you don't make a total commitment to whatever you're doing,
then you start looking to bail out
the first time the boat starts leaking.
It's tough enough getting that boat to shore
with everybody rowing,
let alone when a guy stands up
and starts putting his life jacket on.

Lou Holtz


Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous;




CONQUERING TEMPTATIONS

Trials, temptations, disappointments --
all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly.
They not only test the fibre of a character, but strengthen it.
Every conquered temptation represents a new fund of moral energy.
Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit
makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.

James Buckham





CONTENTMENT

If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap,
whence everyone must take an equal portion,
most people would be content to take their own and depart.

Socrates




CONVICTION

In the moment that you carry this conviction ...
in that moment your dreams will become reality.

Robert Collier




COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Count the garden by the flowers,
never by the leaves that fall.
Count your life with smiles
and not the tears that roll.

Anonymous



Count your blessings.
Once you realize how valuable you are
and how much you have going for you,
the smiles will return, the sun will break out,
the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward
with the life that God intended for you
with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.

Og Mandino




COURAGE
  
Behind every success is effort. Behind every passion is someone with the courage to try.
 
Anonymous
  


All it takes is just one idea to get your started. If the answer is 'Yes!', then it was meant for you to do!
 
Jace Carlton



Keep your fears to yourself,
but share your courage with others.
 
Robert Louis Stevenson



Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear -
not absence of fear.
 
Mark Twain
  


Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities.
The latter cannot understand it when a man does not
thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices,
but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence and fulfills the duty to
express the results of his thought in clear form.

Albert Einstein
Nobel Prize Winning Physicist
1879 - 1955
 

No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world,
is so formidable as the will and moral courage
of free men and women.

Ronald Reagan
40th President of the United States of America - 1981-1989
1911-2004
  


Courage is the greatest of all the virtues,
because if you haven't courage
you may not have an opportunity to use any of the others.

Samuel Johnson
British Essayist and Biographer
1709 - 1784



Never let the fear of striking out
keep you from playing the game.

from the movie
"A Cinderella Story"


Any fool can run towards the light.
It takes a master with courage
to turn and face the darkness
and shine his own light there.

Leslie Fieger


If Columbus had turned back
no one would have blamed him.
Of course,
no one would have remembered him either.

Anonymous


It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure,
to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting,
for in movement there is life,
and in change there is power.

Alan Cohen


You must have courage!
Whatever the test,
however many times you fall,
stand up just once more.

Anonymous


Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says ...
I'll try again tomorrow.

Anonymous


All our dreams can come true
if we have the courage to pursue them.

Walt Disney


Courage is fear
holding on a minute longer.

Thomas Fuller


Success is never final,
and failure is never fatal.
It's courage that counts.

Anonymous


Behold the turtle!
He only makes progress
when he sticks his neck out.

Anonymous


Courage is taking that first step or a different path.
It is the decision to place your dreams above your fears.

Anonymous


It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.

e.e. cummings

Contributed
by
Jason Blume


I know which way the wind is blowing ...
but I still have to follow
my own course.

Anonymous


The road goes nowhere on its own.
It must be taken.

Anonymous

Contributed
by
James Odle, Jr.


Whatever you do, you need courage.
Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you you are wrong.
There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right.
To map out a course of action and follow it to the end,
requires some of the same courage which a soldier needs.
Peace has its victories,
but it takes brave men and women to win them.

Ralph Waldo Emerson




CREATIVITY
  
To live a creative life,
we must lose our fear of being wrong.
 
Joseph Chilton Pearce
  


Not everything you create will be a masterpiece,
but you get out there and you try
and sometimes it really happens.

The other times you're just stretching your soul.

Maya Angelou
American Poet, Educator, Historian, Best-Selling Author, Actress, Playwright,
Civil Rights Activist, Producer and Director



A thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed,
but a thing created is loved before it exists.
 
G. K. Chesterton


 
There will always be a grid on your waffle,
but don't let it trick you into thinking
that you have to cut your bites into squares.

Nikki Cragun
 
Contributed by
Laura Shayne Newbury


To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh
at what we normally take for granted.
 
George Kneller


If you create from the heart
nearly everything works;
if from the head,
almost nothing.

Marc Chagall


Creativity is the ability to look at the ordinary,
and see the extraordinary.

Dewitt Jones


Be brave enough to live life creatively.
The creative is the place where no one else has ever been.
You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.
You can't get there by bus,
only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing.
What you'll discover will be wonderful.
What you'll discover will be yourself.


CROSSROADS
  
When you find yourself facing decisions in your life,
weigh your options, look at all the pluses and minuses,
ask for opinions if you wish, ponder and pray,
and then choose what you hear in your heart.

Jace Carlton


You are now at a crossroads.
This is your opportunity to make the most
important decision you will ever make.
Forget your past.
Who are you now?
Who have you decided you really are now?
Don't think about who you have been.
Who are you now?
Who have you decided to become?
Make this decision consciously.
Make it carefully.
Make it powerfully.

Anthony Robbins






Copyright © 2005-2013, Jace Carlton.  All International Rights Reserved.