Diantie's Daily Quote - "Don't Wait for Others ..."

Remember that new to do list I created last week? Well on that list is to clean-up my room! An attempt was made today but there is still more work to be done. Yes, I feel good, so good!

Today's quote is "Don't wait for others to open the right doors for you". Author - from a fortune cookie.

Sometimes in life we need others to open doors for us. To the people that have opened doors for me, I am truly thankful and grateful and I have told those people so. I did not wait to have the doors opened but instead I asked to have the doors opened.

If you need doors opened, don't wait, ask! Few people will volunteer to offer help but lots will help if you ask!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Keep your fears to..."

Since I got a comment on the inspiration quote I wrote yesterday, I will stick with inspiration again for today.


Today's quote is "Keep your fears to yourself, but share your insipiration with others". Author Robert Louis Stevenson.


I remember watching America's Next Top Model and the models were asked to climb up and suspend themselves for a photo shoot. One of the models was afraid of heights but said nothing until she could not do the shoot.


Admitting to a fear takes courage and should not be seen as a sign of weakness. And yes, I do fess up to my fears when I have to!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Our friends should be ..."

Most of us have heard the saying that you are judged by the company you keep.

Today's quote is "Our friends should be companions who inspire us, who help us rise to our best". Author Joseph B. Wirthlin.

Yes, I totally agree with this quote. I recently told someone that she should surround herself with positive people who inspire and support her.

Why? Because I heard stories from her about people putting her down.

Your friends should definitely inspire you and if you are already inspired, then they should stand by you and support you when you trying to accomplish something.

Am I a friend who inspires? People have told me that I have inspired them but I do not think I fit the inspiration bill. I definitely encourage my friends to go after their dreams and support them in any way I can. Actually, I am doing that right now for someone and I hope she accomplishes her goal!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "The ladder of success..."

In keeping with the success theme, here is an interesting quote.

Today's quote is "The ladder of success is never crowded at the top". Author Napolean Hill.

Now that there are over one million millionaires out there, the top of that ladder might start to get a little crowded.

In your quest for success, if you encounter a barrier on the way up the ladder, deal with it and keep moving up the ladder. It is those that give up too easy are the ones who don't persevere; hence, they will never make it all the way up to the top of the ladder of success.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "The secret of success..."

Success is a theme I have been writing about as I want to inspire and motivate my readers to go after their dreams.

Today's quote is "The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows". Author Aristotle Onassis.

I would add to the quote " and take that knowledge and produce a product or service and sell it in the open market place and have people buy it." Then yes, you are a success!. (Accountants please, no break-even analysis).

There are lots of things that we know that no one else knows but that by itself does not make us a success.

Mr. Onassis was a success and no one can deny him that!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "The first step..."

What is the difference between a "quote" and a "quotation"? My definition is - a quote is collection of words (such as a saying) belonging to another person. A quote is also an amount stated when dealing with buying and selling a product or service. A quotation is the act of using a specific set of words said or recorded for illustration purposes and always requires quotation marks when in print.


Why the definitions above? Because sometimes a quotation can be misunderstood as a quote.


Today's quote is - "The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second is listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others". Author Solomon Ibn Gabriol.

Is there anything else to add to that quote? Not by me.

Do we know people that are considered wise; meaning that they have acquired wisdom? Yes we do. So if we analyze the quote, do we still think that these people fit bill of "wise"? Something to think about!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "We all have the ability..."

This is great quote that I found today which we can all apply to ourselves.

Today's quote is "We all have ability. The difference is how we use it." Author Stevie Wonder.

Who can argue with that quote given what Stevie Wonder has achieve? Not me!

For all the "can't dos" out there, think again. Look for that hidden inspiration within you and you will definitely be motivated. And even if you do not succeed at what you hoped to accomplish, no one will wrong you for trying.

Personally, I have lots of ability, I just don't have the money to get it all done! But you never know. Maybe I might find that silver lining in the cloud; or better yet, the gold lining!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Every day do something..."

Procrastinate - definition: to put off until a later time. We all do it and yes, I do it too!

Today's quote is "Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow". Author - Doug Firebaugh.

This a great quote for people who are considering to become entrepreneurs.

I want a better tomorrow, and like most people, I too have a laundry list of things to do. A few days ago I mentioned to my sister that my biggest task at hand is to go through all my clothes and donate the ones that I don't want. What did I do to "inch closer to a better tomorrow"? On Saturday my sister and I each took one bag of clothes to the salvation army. What did I do yesterday? I searched for important documents I needed to update a password. What will I do today? Among other things, make a new "To Do List" of things to be done within the next few months!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Courage is Grace..."

As promised, I will be stating the author of the quotes when I know who they are.

Today's quote is "Courage is Grace Under Pressure". Author Ernest Hemingway.

We have all been in situations where we are under more than our fair share of pressure to get things done. And many of you may have remarkable stories to share as to how you handle pressure with grace. My story of handling pressure varies with each situation.

During the past few months, I have heard a few women tell their stories of courage to a room full of strangers. Giving a speech to strangers is more than pressure but when the subject is life and death, it takes more than courage to hold it together; it takes "Grace".

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Kind Words Will Unlock..."

Where do I find these quotes? A lot of them comes from searches on the internet and some of them from my friends and family. In a true writer's world, going forward, I will quote the author of the quotes or state unknown.

Today's quote is "Kind Words Will Unlock An Iron Door" - author unknown.

Something to think about and definitely true. How many times have we seen on TV experts being called in to talk to people in certain situations? Lots!

Whenever I meet people I volunteer with, my first question is usually how did you hear about the event to break the ice. Yesterday I volunteered for an event and the group I was talking to did not know each other and were relatively silent. I happen to mention how great the weather was last weekend and that it was perfect for a barbecue. Then one person mentioned that she got married last weekend.

It is one of those moments where "you had to be there" to see the reaction of others present. I immediately noticed that everyone suddenly opened up and started to contribute to the conversation which was great! Then I specifically asked a question to someone else just to keep everyone talking.

I don't think we had "Iron Doors" yesterday, but people will generally open up if you say kind words to them.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Give Yourself Permission..."

Lighten-up! How many times have we said this to someone or better yet, has someone said this to us? Me? Yes, I have been told to "Lighten-up" but not in years!


Today's quote is "Give Yourself Permission to Lighten-up". Not my quote but I am sure someone has claimed ownership.


In one of my previous blogs, I wrote about how to nurture your soul and "give yourself permission to do nothing and just relax" was one of the things I mentioned.


When would we need to give ourselves permission to lighten-up? How about when we are stressed out and we begin to yell at other people for no reason at all? Yes, it does happen. Actually, I almost said "Lighten-up" to someone today but didn't because "Silence is Golden".


Life is too short so to all my readers out there I say - "Give Yourself Permission to Lighten-up" and enjoy the great weather over the weekend!

Diantie's Daily Quote - :The Quicker You Let Go..."

A few years ago, my sister gave me this book called "Who Moved My Cheese" which was previously given to her by someone else. Here is a quote from the book.

Today's quote is "The Quicker You Let Go of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese".

I read the book on the train while on my way to work and could not help laughing as I did so. It was difficult trying to control myself. This is a great book and I always recommend it to people. There are many lessons to be learnt from this book. Once was not enough, so I read the book twice and now I am thinking maybe I should read it again.

What cheese do I like best? Sharp Cheddar Cheese! A former co-worker got me hooked on munster cheese and I love it! Another former co-worker introduced me to smoked cheese and I like that too. And yes, I do enjoy new cheeses. No pun indented!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "It Takes a Person..."

Forty quotes have been written for this blog. For me to consider this blog a success, I have to keep writing it for a year and I have to find quotes to write about. Quite a task!

Today's quote is "It Takes A Person With A Mission To Succeed".

Yes it does and quite appropriate for today as I mentioned above my little mission about writing this blog.

My mission is doable; whether or not I will succeed is to be determined.

We all hear about a mission statement of a company. Does that mean that all these companies are successful? No, it just means that they set a mission and work towards achieving that goal. Some companies succeed and others don't.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Labor to be Valuable..."

A different spin on success.

Today's quote is "Labor to be Valuable and Success Will Chase You Down".

Many people out there can relate to and vouch for this quote. It may seems a little old fashion, but it still holds true.

Whenever I volunteer for charities, I always try to do my best at whatever task I am assigned to do. A few charities valued my services and approached me to be a part of their committees. I declined because of other responsibilities but it was nice to know that my labor was valued. Will success chase me down? It may one day!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Wisdom is Not Like Money..."

In keeping with the wisdom theme, I have to totally agree with this quote.

Today's quote is "Wisdom is Not Like Money to be Tied Up and Hidden".

It should be shared over and over again. How else can we make this world a better place and improve on things if we keep information to ourselves?

Some of us look to the elderly for wisdom. Why? we respect that they have experiences to share and with that comes some great advice. I also look to the younger generation for wisdom as well.

So all of you out there( regardless of age), do not tie up your wisdom and hide it; please share it with the rest of us!

Diantie's Daily Quotes - "What Would You Attempt..."

How do we set our goals? Do we set achievable goals? Do we set goals that require little effort or do we reach for the sky?

Today's quote is "What Would You Attempt To Do If You Knew You Would Not Fail?"

I would have to say that it would be some simple task which would guarantee me success. There are a lot of things we try to do and have no idea as to whether or not we will succeed or whether or not we will fail. But we do them anyway.

For some people, they can set goals that will guarantee them success; but for the rest of us, we set goals and hope to achieve them, and when we do, we are more than overjoyed by our success.

Doing things that would guarantee we will not fail might not be exciting for those of us who like challenges.

Diantie's Daily Quotes - "Silence is Golden"

Since I had a busy day today, there was not much time for me to find a quote so I turned to one we all know.

Today's Quote is "Silence is Golden".

Yes, indeed it is! When I took a business law class in college, I learnt that in contract law, silence can also mean acceptance.

There are so many examples to give about silence.

When do I remain silent? If I know by speaking the situation will turn into a confrontation. It took me many years to figure this out and now I use it all the time.

We have all heard that you should not trust quiet people. Why? They listen carefully and remain silent. In this case, silence is golden for them but not for those of us who are left in the dark wondering what they are thinking.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Real Gentleness in a Person.."

Do you know a powerful person?

Today's quote is "Real Gentleness in a Person is a Great Power".

A week ago I got an e-mail from someone touching on this point. An employer was given a choice to hire one of two prospective candidates. One was aggressive and curt but had all the excellent skills required for the job. The other was nice and polite but not your "A" student.
The employer chose to hire the candidate with the excellent skills. A few weeks later the employer is looking to hire the "nice" candidate. When asked what happen to the first person, the employer said - that person was fired for being rude when dealing with a client.

We would all rather work with a person that is gentle than one who is not. The gender of the person does not matter. We all like gentle people.

More power to all you gentle people out there!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Cherish All Your Happy..."

Another quote about happiness I found on the internet.

Today's quote is "Cherish All Your Happy Moments, They Make a Fine Cushion For Old Age".

We all reminisce about past events and more so about happy events in our lives. Most people can't help smiling when they talk about a happy moment in their lives. I like the second part of the quote about the cushion for old age.

It might be time to start listing my happy moments, because in my old age, I may not remember those happy moments that I consider cherished!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Some Cause Happiness..."

It is quite a task to come up with quotes to write about and at the same time vary the subject matter.

Today's quote is - "Some Cause Happiness Wherever They Go; Others Whenever They Go".

Nice quote!

One of my relatives once said, it is better for adult children not to live at home with their parents. Why? So that when the children come to visit, you can give them a big hug and be happy to see them. This will fall under the second half of the quote.

We all know people who can walk into a room and naturally put a smile on most people's faces. We see it all the time at gatherings and other functions. We also naturally smile when we observe people who are overjoyed to see each other.

Last night I saw a little child present an award to an adult. Then the little child went over and gave the person a hug. It was a touching moment! Everyone got up and applauded. You had to see it!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "If You Wait to Do Everything..."

Interesting statement to think about for all of us.

Today's quote is - "If You Wait to Do Everything Until You Are Sure It's Right, You'll Probably Never Do Much of Anything".

How many times has that happen to us? We are working on something and we know it's right but we second guess ourselves which in turn slows us down from completing our tasks.

We accountants can vouch for that. With so much to get done, at times, estimation is our best friend. But when it is time for accuracy, we have to take the time to get it right.

What about cooks? Recently I was watching a food contest involving cooking meat. The cooks turned up heat but ended up burning the meat.

In life or death situations, yes, you should take the time to do things right, but when time is of essence, you need to make quick decisions.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "You Can't Have Everything..."

I got this quote yesterday which is quite appropriate for organization among other things.

Today's Quote is "You Can't Have Everything, Where Would You Put It".

Very true! We all want different things and some of us want everything.

Just imagine having everything you want? I think you will quickly get bored and start wanting more. As the quote says, where would you put it?

I think saying "You Can't have Everything" to someone is more a discipline issue than an organization one.

My problem isn't wanting things, it's where to put the things I already have!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "God Could Not Be..."

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there. And Happy Mother's Day to all the Fathers who play the role of Mother, and all the relatives and siblings who also pitch in to help out as "Mother".

Today's quote is "God Could Not Be Everywhere and therefore He Made Mothers".

Absolutely, positively true!

Here is a little poem I learnt as a child:

"M" is for the million things she gave me.
"O" means only that she is growing old.
"T" is for the times she tries to save me.
"H" is for her heart of precious gold.
"E" is for her eyes, with love-lite shining.
"R" means right and right she'll always be.

Put them all together they spell "Mother", the word that mean the world to me.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "A Day is Lost..."

Another quote from my niece.

Today's quote is "A Day is Lost if One Has Not Laughed".

This is a great quote for people to remember when they are feeling down. There is so much to accomplish everyday and it helps to laugh a little especially when you are having a hectic day.

I am sure most of you have seen a group of people laughing as you pass by and at times you start to laugh too.

Laughing is contagious; Laughter is good for nurturing the soul.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "The Future Depends on ..."

Another quote dealing with time.

Today's quote is "The Future Depends on What We Do in the Present".

This is true in some instances. The future is also a result of things done in the past that we cannot change in the present.

There are many examples of things we can do in the present that affect the future such as plant a tree today. Pay your utilities bills on time if you want those services in the future. Save today for a raining day! And the good old saying - a stitch in time saves nine!

What will I be doing in the present that will affect my future? Today a few things. Tomorrow, the future, I plan to do some grocery shopping and laundry so that I have food and clean clothes for further into the future!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "If You Live in the Past..."

Seek and ye shall find! I asked for help with quotes and now I have a few for the rest of the week.

Today's quote is "If You Live in the Past, You Are Blind in One Eye; If you Ignore the Past, You Are Blind in Both Eyes".

The origin of this proverb I've been told is Russian.

Is this something to think about? Certainly! My fellow accountants have been scolded by others for living in the past. Why? Because many times we deal with historical information. But to our credit, we do not ignore the past.

When my co-workers ask me a question about current work activity, I would respond that I can't answer because I am still living in past and have not graduated to the present. This is what happens to many of us who are auditors as well.

I say don't live your life in past but acknowledge that it existed and use past experiences to help you live in the present and prepare for the future.

My next few quotes will focus on similar themes to the one I wrote about today.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Many Ideas Grow Better..."

This quote I found on the internet.

Today's quote is - "Many Ideas Grow Better When Transplanted into Another Mind, Than in The One Where It Sprung Up". I like this quote.

So, it is true, not true, have some truth to it? I say have some truth to it.

I am sure many of you have come with an idea and someone else took the idea more than ten steps further than you would have had you not shared the thought.

I know when ever I have an idea, I get other people's point of view and I am amazed at the great feedback I get. This is not because I am asking for an opinion; it is because I put the idea into their heads and it started to grow.

Example, this blog. When I told one of my friends I would start writing this blog, she told me all these amazing different things that I can do. I have not had the time to put any of her suggestions into action as yet but everyone will notice when I do.

Diantie's Daily Quote - 'You were Born an Original..."

This is the quote that I had promised to write about last week.

Today's quote is "You Were Born and Original; Don't Die a Copy". I don't know who said those words but it definitely makes you think.

So what does these words mean? Is it saying that some people try to become a replica of someone else? Quite possibly!

What is fact is that some people have had cosmetic surgery to change their "Original" features to some other "look".

How about people's actions? Do we try to copy other people's actions? Some of us do! We may style our hair like someone else, wear the same attire as someone else, and even try to speak like someone else.

I think I want to stick with the quote of being original and hope not to die a copy!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Team Work is Essential..."

This quote was modified by me as I did not like the original version.

Today's quote is - "Team Work is Essential. It Allows You to Learn from Others."

Working in a team is sometimes challenging depending on the task. I see team work as an opportunity to learn something about and from my fellow team mates.

Many years ago I was on team for two weeks working on various tasks. Our team was made up of people from different countries, different cultures and spoke different languages. How did we manage with our assignments? We identified each other's strong points and delegated accordingly. While our team was not the winner at each tasks, we did win a few. At the end of the project, we were all pleased with what we learnt from each other.

So how many people are hooked on the Apprentice? I know I am!

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Don't Compare Yourself to Others".

My friend sent me a link this morning with several great quotes for my blog. Here is one of them.

Today's quote is "Don't Compare Yourself to Others".

Why would someone say this to you? Many reasons - but one is so that you do not view yourself negatively but positively.

I don't compare myself to others and I don't allow my friends to it either.

What I do is look for good qualities in others and praise them for it.

Be yourself and be happy with the person you are.

Self-improvement is good as it makes you a better person.

Diantie's Daily Quote - "Gain a Sense of Perspective..."

Many years ago I got hooked on a magazine where this quote is coming from.


Today's quote is " Gain a Sense of Perspective by Running Away".


In one of my previous quotes, I wrote about nurturing your soul. Here is what Dr. Eve A. Wood has to say about running away - A change of scenery can shift neurotransmitter activity in the hypothalamus, the region of the brain responsible for the stress response. This signals the body to lower blood pressure and relax so it's easier to tackle worries.

This is why it is always good to take a vacation and go somewhere you have never been before. The change of scenery does wonders for your soul and it helps to improve your thought process too!

Have I planned an escape? Not just yet, but it's in the works!