* Painting "Silhouettes" © 2001 Tom Sierak *

October 29, 2000


I created this page to help all of us
to NOT give up
when the going gets tough.
To help us find strength
when it looks like all hope is gone.
For us to have faith and know that there are answers inside us,
to the questions and the doubts and the fears that keep confronting us.
And to help us to talk to the mountain we're trying to move
and believe in our hearts that we CAN move it.

IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THE HEART IS WORTHY OF OUR TRUST,
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO TRUST IN YOURSELF!



The following are from the book, "Trust in Yourself",
by Donna Fargo
And sayings and quotes by, Iyanla Vanzant.



THINK OF TODAY AS A NEW BEGINNING

Although your life may not be as perfect as you'd like,
you can always look around and find people who are worse off than you.
Be gratefull for the problems you DON'T have.
Take some quiet time away from the noise and haste, and count your blessings.
Take inventory.
Start with the people in your life who bring you joy and satisfaction;
they are a gift to you.

Be thankful for the choices you've made,
both good and bad.
Accept your mistakes and go on.
You can't change them anyway.
Learn from them and apply what you've learned.
Don't allow them to have more influence on your life than they deserve.
They're just mistakes;
they're not your final grade.
Besides, making them now may keep you from making
bigger mistakes in life later!

Go outside and touch the sky!
Enjoy the colors of the landscape;
romp and play on the grassy ground.
Smile at the world, and marvel at the wonders of the universe!
Embrace the air; be thankful.
Don't allow any negative feelings to creep into your consciousness.
FEEL the power of your own acceptance.

You're alive !!
Appreciate the gift of your life!


I AM !
The past has already been written,
but we have the power to write the future.
Only we can write a future
based on self-support and respect.
We can write a future
based on how much we have grown.
We can write a future
based on strength, peace, wealth, and love.
IYANLA


I AM THE DESIGNER
OF MY LIFE !
I must believe in myself,
have patience with myself,
and trust myself to do the best I can
at any given time.....
because .. I AM.
IYANLA


In silence,
we gain an opportunity
to reflect, listen,
and gain new insights
about ourselves.
In silence
we can think, feel,
and most important of all,
breathe....
IYANLA



HOPE IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

If fear is faith turned upside down
and hate is love wrong side out
If sad is happy in reverse
and a blessing is the opposite of a curse...

If apathy was once care that has died
and success is failure's other side
If dark is the bottom side of light
and day is the morning side of night....

Maybe we should not despair
when the news seems always bad
If hope is just around the corner
on the other side of sad

To find the answers that we need
maybe struggle is the place to start
To solve the great mysteries of life
it seems we should consult the heart.



KNOW THYSELF.
ACCEPT THYSELF.
LOVE THYSELF.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU
HAVE DONE,
WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN.
KNOW, ACCEPT,
LOVE WHO YOU ARE.
IYANLA



God is first,
I am next,
Everyone else, take a ticket
and get in line !!
Iyanla



DON'T GIVE UP !
FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE MIRACLE !
IYANLA




FAITH is the breakfast
of champions.
START your day with it !!



HANG TOUGH !!

We all get discouraged and want o
quit sometimes. It's a part of life.

But we know, too, not to take it all so
seriously, that this too,
no matter how serious it feels,
will pass and change into
another lesson on life's pathway,
another memory of some place in life's journey.

Just remember that you are loved.
You are beautiful.
You are rare.
And you are special !



If you measure your success by what you have,
you will never see the good in what you do.
Iyanla



Prayer is asking for rain,
Faith is carrying an umbrella.



I AM THE SOURCE OF MY JOY !
Joy must spring forth from me
before it can surround me.
Joy must be the way I walk and the way I speak
to those who come into my realm.
Joy is knowing
I am doing what I can, the best I can,
and I am feeling good about it.
Joy is not what happens to me;
it is what comes through me
when I am conscious of the blessing I am.
BELIEVE IT !
Iyanla






Painting "Silhouettes" © 2001 Tom Sierak