A BLOG DEVOTED TO SHARING POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING MESSAGES FOR THE HUNGRY HEART
“The key to a better life isn’t always a change of scenery. Sometimes it simply requires opening your eyes.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes
To move forward in life isn’t necessarily synonymous with a drastic 180 degrees change. Sometimes to make the most meaningful change means to open your eyes and become aware. Being aware allows you to make choices that gradually shifts your mind frame and eventually your circumstances.
“To embark on the journey towards your goals and dreams requires bravery. To remain on that path requires courage. The bridge that merges the two is commitment.”
― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience
In this life, there is no one preventing you from achieving your dreams but you. Anything in life is possible if you commit yourself and go after it with everything you have. Be brave enough to believe in a limitless future. For if you dream it, you can achieve it.
“Don’t let the rain drive you to the wrong shelter; the shade can turn out to be your protector and also your destroyer, and sometimes the rain is the perfect protector from the rain.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson
When things get hard and uncomfortable, do not hide or run away. Do not let the storm clouds drive you toward the wrong path. And remember that life is about embracing the rain and remaining strong in the midst of chaos. For when you emerge on the other side of the storm, you will be stronger for having gone through it. So, stay true to your path and don’t let anything steer you off course.
“The best parts of life are the things we can’t plan. And it’s a lot harder to find happiness if you’re only searching in one place. Sometimes, you just have to throw away the map. Admit that you don’t know where you’re going and stop pressuring yourself to figure it out. Besides…a map is a life someone else already lived. It’s more fun to make your own.”
― Cora Carmack, Finding It
Life doesn’t come with a map detailing all possible routes leading to your destination. No, life is meant to be a journey of self-discovery where you walk along paths that haven’t been traveled . . . paths that lead into the unknown. For when you travel through life without a predefined map or guide, you open yourself up to a world filled with unimaginable possibilities.
APPLY WITHIN
You once told me
You wanted to find
Yourself in the world –
And I told you to
First apply within,
To discover the world
within you.
You once told me
You wanted to save
The world from all its wars –
And I told you to
First save yourself
From the world,
And all the wars
You put yourself
Through.
― Suzy Kassem
If you want to effect change in this world, you must first make changes within yourself. How can you expect to make this world a better place if you haven’t started with you. You must embody what you wish to see in the world. Put simply, before you can rescue someone else, you must first save yourself.
“The best teachers have showed me that things have to be done bit by bit. Nothing that means anything happens quickly–we only think it does. The motion of drawing back a bow and sending an arrow straight into a target takes only a split second, but it is a skill many years in the making. So it is with a life, anyone’s life. I may list things that might be described as my accomplishments in these few pages, but they are only shadows of the larger truth, fragments separated from the whole cycle of becoming. And if I can tell an old-time story now about a man who is walking about, waudjoset ndatlokugan, a forest lodge man, alesakamigwi udlagwedewugan, it is because I spent many years walking about myself, listening to voices that came not just from the people but from animals and trees and stones.”
― Joseph Bruchac
Have patience. Always remember that the journey of life is not a sprint to your end destination; rather, it is a marathon with many forks and detours along the way. So, it’s great to have a goal and a vision of the future, but don’t forget it will take time, commitment, and hard work to make that vision a reality.
“Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.”
― Asha Tyson
Every step you’ve taken has led you to this moment right now. Any deviation and you would not have arrived at this place, at this time. So, look at each moment of your past as a stepping stone for you to learn, grow, and eventually lead you to where you need to be. For your journey, not your destination, shapes who you are and what you do in this life.
“Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may be given a cactus, but you don’t have to sit on it.”
― Joyce Meyer
I’ve said it time and time again, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Your attitude affects all aspects of your life. You can choose to be negative and critical, but in the end you just make your life more miserable and the journey that much harder. Versus if you choose to smile in the face of hard times and choose to greet each day with a positive attitude even though everything isn’t perfect, you’ll realize that you can find happiness and contentment during difficult times. The choice is always yours.
“You’ve got to trust yourself. Be gentle with yourself. And listen to yourself. You’re the only person who can get you through this now. You’re the only one who can survive your story, the only one who can write your future. All you’ve got to do, when you’re ready, is stand up, and begin again.”
― Tessa Shaffer, Heaven Has No Regrets
At times, it seems like you’re stuck and the storm clouds have rolled in to stay. But you must always remember to trust and believe in yourself. For you can get through any storm or obstacle life brings your way. This is your story and only you can finish it. So stand up, dust off your knees, and begin again.
“Life’s journey is peppered with many bumps and pitfalls. If we make mountains out of each one, we will get nowhere.”
― Charles F. Glassman, Brain Drain The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life
You will undoubtedly face many challenges and obstacles in your life. But, it is up to you whether you let it derail you from your path. You can choose to face and deal with whatever circumstance life throws at you. Or, you can choose to make insurmountable mountains out of each roadblock and remain stuck. The choice is yours.