Mottos or phrases you try to live with/by

[cjt110]

Not my circus; not my monkeys.

Look after number 1, because no-one else will.

Life is too short to wear boring clothes/make up, something I've seen floating around the internet and agree with immensely.

^

This one resonates too. Now is the time, now is the time.

One day at a time

I love “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Always bang this one out!

"Do your best, come what may"

Everything happens for a reason

This too shall pass

Treat others how to you wish to be treated

At the moment, a lot of Stoicism from Marcus Aurelius. Basically, accepting what you can't change, and recognising that life is always changing.

It’s part of the Girl Guide law, but works for me:

A Guide smiles and sings under all difficulties.

Get up, dress up, show up. - I can suffer from depression and find that if you can just get yourself moving and out of that front door then the battle is half won.

You can't argue with stupid.

My Mum always used to say "If you don't agree, just nod your head. Then do it your own way" She's ALWAYS done this.

So so many good mottos here. A few I could do with focussing on.

I think HowlsMovingBungalow wins with "Don't be a cunt"

Don’t be shit

Everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes you have to be the bigger person and walk away. Other times you have to be the bigger bitch to remind them who they are dealing with.

My gran used to say you can tell a lot from a man by the way he treats animals. Same would apply to women but she was warning me of potential boyfriends.

No offence to all the people who say "everything happens for a reason" but it really doesn't. When cancer takes someone young, fit and healthy with young children and a partner - what possible reason is there. One counsellor actually said that phrase to me in the aftermath....

Yeah I agree, if that motto works for you then it's one to keep in your head. Life is random and unfair and pretending that it's all for the best in some mystical way is cruel.

Ive another I use regularly " life is not a dress rehearsal"

Education is what remains after you have forgotten what you learned in school.
First respect yourself and then you can respect others.
Look after your body it is the only place you have to live.

I don't like that Girl Guide one to be honest, it's basically teaching girls they always have to be nice and hide their feelings.

An it harm none, do what he will.

It is what it is.

If not you, who?

Ye not he

Ooh yes, sorry Biddy, it's a bit Joy from Inside Out. We're allowed to have other emotions.

Don't sweat the small stuff
More bluntly, between life and death, everything can be sorted
Can you tell I'm a chronic over thinker!

"Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love."

i.e. be kind to others, the world is crap enough without your bad attitude adding to it.

Also, "whoever is doing the job decides how it's done" - my OH and I have slightly different cleaning standards and methods of doing dishes, etc. I've learnt to totally disengage when he's cleaning and just be glad I don't have to.

From the minimalists -

Love people and use stuff. The opposite never works.

You can't change the people around you but you can change the people around you.

Do not go to bed angry, stay up late and plot your revenge

I've got a few.
As a family we use "all stand together" - if one of us has a problem we ALL real with it.

Then there's "ridicule is nothing to be scared of"

And "there is nothing you shouldn't speak of if you've got something to say" (not talking for the same of it, but if you need to speak up, do!)

And " do what's right, not what's easy" and "be excellent to each other"

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