If there was ever a quote that embodied my core belief, then this would be it...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if you want something you've never had, you have to something you've never done. And, whether you like it or not, fear is and will always be a part of this "new experience" equation. 

So, get your booty in gear and do some spring cleaning of your soul. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Hi all! 
Hate to break it to ya, but I have a VERY big day tomorrow at work and need to prepare. I know, you must be devastated. That said, I wouldn't want to leave you without a QOTD (quote of the day) pic. I mean, really...that'd be sacrilegious.

When I was seventeen, I almost died of a rare stomach disorder. In wanting to remain optimistic about my death diagnosis, I decided to create a bucket list (BL)--a list of all the things I would want to accomplish in my lifetime should I be given a second chance (...and seeing how I'm still here, I'm going to go ahead and say that the big man upstairs indeed gave me that second chance. Hallelujah!). 

Anyways, the other day I was going through some old paperwork and came across my BL. I have to admit, it was pretty fun to look over my old list and see what it was I wanted for my life back then in comparison to how I live my life now. Good stuff. That said, after reading over my old BL, I decided it would be fun to create a new BL...a BL I could share with all of you! In fact, I got so into this whole bucket list idea that I decided to create a bucket list page here on TQIW. But more on that in a second. First of all, let me tell you why I think it's so important to have a bucket list. Actually, I'll let Mark Houlahan tell you. He's much more "poetic" about the whole thing.

And onto my bucket list...

1.  Write and publish a book
   
2. Meet Oprah
3. Go sjydiving
4. Be featured in a mainstream magazine
5. Be on a radio show
6. Be on the Today Show
7. Learn a foreign language
8. Create a self-esteem summit for women
9. Live in NYC, again... but this time on my terms
10. Meet the President of the United States
11. Give a TED talk
    
12. Solve the rubiks cube
13. Get married
14. Buy a house
15. Be a mom
16. Save a life
17. Invent a card game
18. Learn to love my natural hair color
19. Take a hot air balloon ride
20. Go to the superbowl
21. Research my family tree
22. Visit every continent
23. Start my own charity
24. Make a deserving person's dreams come true
25. Find a four leaf clover

There's definitely more than just the above 25 items that I would love to accomplish in my lifetime, but I must tell you, it's much harder to come up with said items then you might think. But I want to know, what's on your bucket list?

As promised, I'm here reporting back on last night's b-day celebration with BF! Having planned to go out to our favorite mexican restaurant in DC (I die for guacamole), we headed over to Oyamel in the Penn Quarter area. Well, let's just say that it wasn't our night. The food tasted kind of "off," so we pretty much feasted on tortilla chips all night. Needless to say, when we left the restaurant, we both felt "heavy" and semi-nauseous. Actually the only good thing that came out of the evening, besides my mini margarita buzz (I'm seriously the world's lightest lightweight), was the fact that after I got my Jew on (i.e. told the waiter and then the restaurant manager how disappointed the BF and I were with the meal and overall service) the restaurant comped our entire meal. Then again, when food tastes that shnasty, you really shouldn't have to pay for it. Oh well. The BF and I decided to make up for last night's bad eats tonight with some belated birthday Tasti D-Lite. And, seeing how I signed up for Tasti's free birthday ice-cream thingy a few weeks back, my food (again) was "on the house" (#jewishpersonsdream). Talk about a HAPPY birthday!!

It's funny though, a few years ago, I would never have had the courage to tell the waiter or restaurant manager that my meal tasted bad. I would of just moved the food around the plate with my fork, pay for my meal, and then leave knowing that I'd never go back. But maybe this is what happens when you get older? You know,  because 23 is SO old and all). But whether or not my ability to relay my beliefs and feelings to others is the result of age or lots of hard work (I'm going to go ahead and assume the latter), the proof is in the pudding...and in the quote.

Happy almost Friday, everyone! See ya on the flip side. 

Well my friends, it's official: in less than two hours, I'm going to be 23! In other words, happy birthday to ME! Actually, it's kind of funny because in the past, I haven't exactly been the biggest fan of my own birthday. Now, don't get me wrong, I love other people's birthdays...especially when I get to make cakes for them! Case in point, the cake I made for the BF on his birthday back in February...

Yeah, the madre used to have her own baking business back in the day (Mommy's Morsels)...can you tell that we share the same DNA?! But back to my "I love other people's birthdays but not my own" story. So, while I enjoy celebrating with others, I tend to hate my own birthday. I've "explored" my lack of enthusiasm for my b-day and I've pretty much come up with the following: I only like getting attention for things I feel I have worked for, and thus rightfully deserve. And, seeing how I didn't exactly do anything to "earn" attention on my birthday (I mean, my mom was the one who did all the hard work back in '89), I tend to feel uncomfortable with all the usual b-day hoopla. That's not to say I don't enjoy the presents that often come along with said "hoopla." #sorryimnotsorry.

Nevertheless, this year I must admit that I'm actually somewhat, dare I say it, excited for my birthday! It's crazy how, when you're happy, everything just seems to be a little bit brighter. 

But excited about my birthday or not, I feel as though today's QOTD is of extreme relevance...

...105 minutes until it's May 2nd. Gotta go!

Today's quote of the day (QOTD) is pretty much my life motto. Then again, I've pretty much spinned it to fit my own mental schema...

My entire life, my dad has always said to my brother and me: "if you're going to do something, then DO IT!" In other words, if you're going to do something, give it all you've got--no half-assing allowed! Now, I'm pretty sure that when my dad used to say this to me, he didn't mean it in an "if you're going to eat dessert, EAT DESSERT" kind of way. Actually, I know  he didn't mean it that way but, different strokes for different folks. 

Either way, my dad's advice has, over time, pretty much turned me into an "extremist" of sorts. Whereas I'm definitely not the kind of person who's going to go skydiving on a random Tuesday (although that is on my bucket list--told you I was a "list" lover), I am the kind of person who, if I decide I'm going to do something, then I'm going to do it in a drastic, overtly crazy kind of way. So, rather than opting to choose NO evil (since the lesser of two evils is still evil), I happen to be the person who instead drops the middle option (the lesser of the evils), instead opting for one of the two extremes (umm, did that last sentence even make sense?!). Just goes to show you that, while most quotes are full of wisdom, sometimes you've got to contort said quotes to fit YOUR lifestyle, YOUR beliefs, and YOUR wellbeing.

Happy Monday, all! Got some fun stuff to share with you tomorrow!

PS, if you haven't done so already, try heading on over to my other web baby that launched earlier today--TheLifeMuse.com!

A self-proclaimed "to-do list" queen, one of my favorite feelings in the world is the one that surges my body after I cross something new off of one of my never-ending lists. Seriously though, there really is no better feeling. I know that nowadays most people just make lists on their phones, but I'm old school and still go the paper and pen route. Heck, that's also why I still use a paper planner rather than the iCal app on my Mac. I know the delete button serves as a pleasurable one for most (yeah, that probably came off wrong...oops), but nothing beats the pen and paper scratch-off--swoon.

Oh planner, how I love thee! ...You know what else I love? What that planner scratch-off means: another time-eating task is officially done! So, with Monday morning only a few hours away, remember this: "you may delay, but time will not!"

Yeah, that Benjamin Franklin was one smart dude! Talk about a new "BF" in my life, haha...oops!

Well kiddos, let's just say that, for some crazy-ass reason I decided it would be a brilliant idea to wake up at 6:30 am this morning. Yeah, it didn't exactly work. After 45 minutes of clicking the "snooze" button, I finally decided to surrender to my alarm clock and get the hell up. Twas a very hard and unpleasant process. Although once I was awake and fully caffeinated, it really wasn't too bad--dare I say, even enjoyable?! You just feel so accomplished when you wake up that early on a Saturday. I'll tell ya, it really is the little things in life that make a difference. 

Speaking of which, when it comes to "things that make a difference," the following really is the best piece of advice...

In other words, if you want sh*t to happen, you've got to make it happen. Oh, and if you want to go to sleep, you've got to say "good bye" and then close you're laptop.

GOOD BYE!

When I was younger, my dad would always come up to me after an intense workout and say: "strong like bull." I know it sounds semi-cheesy, but in all honesty, his saying this all the time is in fact one of my favorite childhood memories. Anyway, whenever I hear or read the quote pictured below, I can't help but have the phrase "strong like bull" run through my brain. I get it, I'm a little "out there," to put it lightly, but the fact of the matter is, all quotes involving the word "strength" really should include some sort of animal reference. For example, "the straw that broke the camel's back" OR, "a truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep." Like I said, use of animal references. So maybe my inclusion of my father's "strong like bull" isn't so bizzare after all? Kinda, sorta, maybe? ...Is anyone still with me?! 

Dangit, no more tangents for Lindsay...

Oh, and for the record (because I feel as though I need to have some form of accountability), in the middle of writing this post, I went and got myself another freakin' chocolate bar. My willpower is definitely not "strong like bull" these days! In other words, my name is Lindsay and I have a Cadbury addiction...

...yeah, there's only one word to accurately describe the above, pictoral occurrence: DEMOLISHED!

Well, hello there! I know, I know...long time no blog. Let's just say, life's been a little busy lately--and it's about to get a lot busier. In Monday's post I mentioned the fact that I had something up my sleeve called "The Life Muse." So what is "TLM"? Well, let's just say that, if you can't get your "Lindsay-fill" via The Quote I Wrote, then you're in luck because The Life Muse will indeed function as my second blog. But before I explain TLM in greater detail (tomorrow's topic of interest), let's get back to the whole "quote" thing that goes on on THIS blog!!

When I graduated from college in December, the number one thing people asked me was: "So what are you going to do now?" Despite my greatest efforts to explain that I was already working towards becoming a life coach, motivational speaker, and blogger, my response was never received in the positive and supportive way I would have liked. Instead, I tended to get a casual roll of the eyes followed by the comment "oh, you'll be in graduate school in a year." 

At the time, I just shrugged these naysayers off because, as I saw it, it wasn't worth my defense ...It wasn't worth my while to try and explain to these people that I, unlike so many, hated school. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly: I hated school. Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely, positively LOVE to learn--this is certain. However (and I "hate" to say it), I was not a fan of college and would probably be even more turned off by grad school  if I ever had to attend. 

That said, I can't deny the fact that deep down these remarks bothered me, and not because they suggested that I'd be back in school in no time. Instead, what really got to me was the fact that these remarks implied a lack of belief in my dreams, as well as my ability to pursue them. And seriously, who were they to judge my intended career path? Who were they to tell me what it is I should be doing post-college? Well, the answer is simple: they were outsiders who weren't, aren't, and will never be ME! They don't know what makes me tick. They don't know what fulfills me. They don't know what makes my heart beat out of my chest, makes my brain race at all hours of the day, and/or makes my fire within ignite. Fact is, these "commenters" don't know what makes me come alive! ...But I do, and according to today's quote, that's all that matters (PS, I happen to agree--wholeheartedly).

Heck, that's why I started The Quote I Wrote, so that I could do what makes me come alive; and hopefully, while igniting my own inner flame, I can ignite yours as well...one post and one quote at a time.

Happy Hump Day!!