In these challenging times, we hope you and your families are keeping well in body and mind. As the Prime Minister said, this will be a challenging time for mental health as well as the physical.

I find it inspiring that the people of Australia can become more community-focused, acting with the common good at the heart of their decisions. Focusing on the positive stories gives me hope: stories of neighbours calling to check on each other; appreciating the dedication and compassion of workers in the health and aged care fields.

Darius Foroux is a Dutch writer who promotes a positive contribution to society; he is encouraged by Ralph Waldo Emerson on the purpose of life: “to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” Below are 21 other quotes that he or I think inspire positive mental health.

• “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” -Oscar Wilde  It’s tempting to follow the herd because that’s in our nature... instead make choices based on personal beliefs and values.
• “Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.” -Warren Buffet The time to sell is when the market is crazy with enthusiasm. The time to buy is when it’s crazy with fear. Remembering that for every one who sells a share, there must be someone who buys it.
• “If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
• “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.”-Maya Angelou
• “Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.” -Stephen Hawking … wise words from someone who didn’t give up despite being dealt a very tragic disease.
• “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” -Søren Kierkegaard. We can’t solve every problem. As Reinhold Niebuhr prayed:
• “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change”.
• “The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference.” -Elie Wiesel
• “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” -Lucille Ball
• “We become what we think about all day long” -Ralph Waldo Emerson. What a warning about focusing on the positive in our lives as much as we can … being thankful people.
• “What you think of yourself is much more important than what others think of you.” -Seneca
• “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” –Anne Frank… and Anne’s everything was pretty challenging to being positive.
• “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, “I’m possible!” -Audrey Hepburn
• “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Gandhi
• “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau. Set a goal and working towards it steadily.
• “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” -Marcus Aurelius
• “Knowledge is the antidote to fear.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James
• “Fall seven times and stand up eight.” -Japanese Proverb
• “I would rather die of passion than of boredom.” -Vincent van Gogh
• “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” -Teddy Roosevelt

Wishing you health and happiness.

Tom, Maria and Kerrie

at Financial Springs