Buddha Groove was one of the first sponsors on tinybuddha.com, and a natural fit given the company’s mission and message—to share wisdom through inspiring Buddhist art and artifacts, including statues, home accents, and more.
A family-owned business based in New York, Buddha Groove offers products made by skilled artisans from Indonesia, China, Tibet, Nepal, and the United States, to name a few places.
Recently, the company launched a new initiative that I’m happy to share with you today: Groove for Good.
Groove for Good is a social initiative created to positively affect humanitarian causes within the United States.
Offering a special line of uplifting American-made items, Buddha Groove donates a portion of all sales to organizations vetted by the company’s online community.
Each product has its own donation amount, ranging from $5−$10.
You can get involved by nominating a nonprofit on the Buddha Groove Facebook page or through this form; browsing the selection of products; and following project updates and donation figures on the blog.
To celebrate the project launch, Buddha Groove has donated three inspirational bracelets to Tiny Buddha readers, each displaying the message “Live in the moment.”
To enter to win, leave a comment on this blog sharing the most inspirational message you’ve ever seen or received. You can enter until midnight PST on Friday, November 30th.
Update: The winners for this giveaway have already been chosen. Subscribe to Tiny Buddha for free daily or weekly emails and to learn about future giveaways!
About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others to do the same. You can find her books, including Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal and Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, here and learn more about her eCourse, Recreate Your Life Story, if you’re ready to transform your life and become the person you want to be.
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Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 
I loved the post regarding living in the moment so this would be a perfect reminder.
Years ago, when I was at a youth retreat & I was leading a group of adults in the same way the youth were being led for the weekend. (It had never been done before.) At the end of the weekend, we did an exercise that was tradition-we wrote short notes to one another to read on the journey home. One of the sponsors in my workshop was this beautiful African man, John. His note to me read “You were born to be a leader. You will surely be one.” I’ve carried his words in my heart my entire life. With those simple words, he made me feel seen in a way that really matters. It was one of the most meaningful and powerful experiences of my life and helped to shape the person I’ve become.
A quote from Paulo Coelho:
Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere.
It reminds us to be open to love no matter what.
One of the most inspiring moments I have seen was when I was traveling in Thailand. I was staying with a family in the slums, and spent my days playing games with the local children. Despite their destitute state, these children were buying me snow cones from the local vendor, sharing their toys and offering me food. I was overwhelmed by their deep desire to connect, to share, and to bring joy to someone they had just met. I think of this trip as a reminder that we are all apart of the human family, and that love can be spread across language barriers with a few simple actions or smiles. In a world full of greed and selfishness, this reminds me that goodness is left in the world and each of us can be a part of it.
“Be Free Where You Are” by Thich Nhat Hanh is so full of inspiration. It is the book that I revisit and continue to draw inspiration from.
“Learn to live in the moment like dogs do and you will find balance in yourself and with nature” – Cesar Millan
I have been living in my past memories for such a long time that I almost forgotten that only by living in moment, I can start to change my life and myself. I am right now working to have a calm and assertive personality in order to achieve inner balance.
The best inspirational quote I have ever seen is “I am enough”. It is something that I remind myself of constantly because we all seem to beat ourselves up if we fall short of some perceived expectation. It is important to remember that whatever you need to be or do, you are enough to be or do it.
Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~Buddha
and of course, from my dad, “Happiness is always a choice you can make”.
As a life long dog lover who is now involved in dog rescue, I tend to lean towards our 4 legged friends for inspiration.
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your
dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and
true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such
devotion. -Unknown”
Lori, it is hard to pick just one – in fact, one only needs to read two poems of Tagore to realize why it is so hard – but here is one at random:
“I dive down into the depth of the ocean of forms, hoping to gain the perfect pearl of the formless.
No more sailing from harbour to harbour with this my weather-beaten boat.
The days are long passed when my sport was to be tossed on waves.
And now I am eager to die into the deathless.
Into the audience hall by the fathomless abyss,
where swells up the music of toneless strings, I shall take this harp of my life.
I shall tune it to the notes of forever, and when it has sobbed out its last utterance,
lay down my silent harp at the feet of the silent.” ~ Tagore
“You, yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” ~Buddha
This quote has meant so much to me and others with whom I have shared it.
So hard to choose, but I will always cherish this one from Winnie the Pooh. It was read at the start of a 3K race that my young daughter ran, and was just what I needed as I was in the process of losing a dear friend to cancer.
“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we’re apart.. i’ll always be with you.”
For some reason, my comment did not stay. Here it is again:
I was in the process of losing a dear friend to cancer, when this quote was read at the start of a 3K race my little daughter was running. It was perfect at that moment and continues to be treasured.
“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we’re apart.. i’ll always be with you.” ~ Winnie The Pooh
“When
you awaken love and laughter in your life, your mind lets go of fear
and anxiety and your happy spirit becomes the healing balm that
transforms every aspect of your human experience.”
-Unknown
“In the silence of not knowing, is when you find out who you truly are.” A woman I call my Yoda said this to me when I was just a wee teenager and I swear it changed my whole life. It continues to change my life each and every day.
be here now
Be love.
I’m notorious for beating up on myself when it comes to just about anything, and something I heard in a yoga class recently struck me as particularly poignant. The instructor was talking about recognizing our thoughts and feelings as we tried to hold some difficult poses and to question whether or not those thoughts were serving us well. And then she said something to the extent of, “You know what happens when you lose your balance here and your fingers touch the ground, right?” No one answered, probably because we were all struggling to do it “correctly” and not to look foolish in front of each other. She said, “Your fingers touch the ground. So what?” And we all burst out laughing. It was such a small statement, but it was exactly what I needed to hear that stressful day, and it reminded me that mistakes are not the end of the world. We can’t succeed at anything unless we try, and if we fall, we pick ourselves up and try again.
“You cant chose what you go through or who your parents are in life. You can only chose how you will react to it.” Whenever I think the mistakes I have made in the past or my relationships with people, all I can do is remember to live a happy life and realize that I cannot go back and change it all i can do is move forward and use that as a lesson in life or as a reason to be miserable for a day
The first time the concept of “live in the moment” hit me also became the most powerful message I’ve received. It was when I was recommended to read the book, “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman. A conversation between the main two characters constantly goes through my head: “Where are you? ….HERE . What time is it? … NOW.”
I use this mantra any time my mind is starting to wonder while working or when problems in my life take me away from living in the moment and being in the here and now. To this day, I read the book at least once a year and have bought multiple copies to lend to friends who could benefit from this powerful message.
I recently read this and took the time to post it in several “reminder spots” in my life:
“The reason we want to go on and on is because we live in an impoverished present” – Alan Watts
It’s been an excellent reminder to stop and take a moment to appreciate the now.
“What other people think of you is none of your business”. ~Dr. Wayne Dyer
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” 😉 That reminds me that what I am is enough, that I am perfect just as I am and it’s better to be an original version of myself than a second rate copy of someone else!
“if you don’t change direction, you may end up where you are headed” speaks to me at times and helps me to be aware
I am, i will, i continue to be…
Happiness is a choice.
You are in charge of your own happiness! I use it everyday!
Love this little
When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things go wrong that you must not quit
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow– You may
succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a
faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might
have captured the victor’s cup, And he learned too late when the night
slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure
turned inside out– The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you
never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit– It’s when things seem
worst that you must not quit.
– Author Unknown
Here is mine: A friend once told me “you can’t get over something until you get through it”.
“She discovered she was the hero she was waiting for”
I am quoting Derek Rydall from memory, so may not be exact word-for-word:
“More than I want to change anything in my external world, I WANT TO AWAKEN to my True Self, to my divinity.”
That is it for me. <3
You can’t save your life for later.
-my mom i think
It’s so hard to choose just one! One of my favorites is “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” –Buddha
Carve your hurts in the sand and your benefits in stone.
This image: http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/mairaokay.png
“Not everything will be okay, but some things will.”
Maira Kalman
love.
They laugh at me because I’m different; I laugh at them because they’re all the same
I often remind myself of onr of my own spirit given quotes: ‘It is my belief that every soul has excellence in their DNA.’ Dfrye 2012 be blessed and know how much you are a miracle!
If you did your best that is enough. My dad told me this when I was in 7th grade and 1 point away from failing math. Earlier in life, 3rd grade, I was grounded for getting a C so I was very worried with this math grade. It seemed like the first time my father was compassionate and non-punishing and I still remember the great relief I felt from knowing I had done my best and I just needed to stop worrying about it now.
My (now) husband and I were boarding a train for a long-awaited vacation into the mountains. Just as we sat down and were turning off our cell phones, his rang. It was his sergeant advising that he was just given deployment orders, and there would be a meeting in several days to discuss details. My heart sank, and fought tears the entire 14 hour ride. Reading works by Rumi, I came across “This moment is all there is.” Although I have always been a “live in this moment” person, it rung more true then than ever. Those last several days spent together in the mountains meant more than ever.
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt
I was stuck in a very emotionally damaging two year relationship. I felt trapped- I had struggled for so long to make my relationship work. I was pulling the weight of two people. I was heartbroken because the love that I was giving was not being returned. One night I was having dinner with a friend and she turned to me and said:
“Never let someone make you believe that you don’t deserve better.”
She spun my entire life around with that one statement. She gave me the power to see my own self worth and realize that I was hurting both myself and my boyfriend by fighting for our relationship. She gave me the strength to move on and make myself truly happy. I will NEVER forget this quote.
Thank you for the inspiring article! I look forward to my Tiny Buddha email every day. 🙂
“It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success.” -Havelock Ellis
I have read SO many inspirational things since discovering this website. It has been extremely helpful to me. One of my favorites at the moment is: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” It gives me hope and reminds me that even small steps are progress toward an overwhelming goal.
“sleeping together is not the same as dreaming together. find someone that has the same vision for the future as you”
“Control is never achieved when sought after directly. It is the surprising consequence of letting go.” ~James Arthur Ray
My mom always told me, “Things aren’t always as they appear” I now use that as a reminder every day to not be quick to judge or get frustrated. Always see the best in people.
The most inspirational message I’ve ever received was a quote from Anais Nin:
“I must be a mermaid… I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”
This quote resonated with me because I’m in a transitional period in my life when taking risks to explore my potential is crucial.
But this quote really hit home with me when my dearest friend left everything, his home, his family and friends, his money and possessions, to walk a pilgrimage in Spain to Santiago de Compostela. He did this to discover himself, to reinvent himself, and he was incredibly brave to leave everything behind. This is when I saw this quote in action. And his drive and passion has been a blessing and an inspiration in my life.
“Winter always turns to spring.” ~Nichiren … This always reminds me that no matter how bad things get, they will always get better.
“Be gentle with yourself.”