Tag: Courage

Take Control

“This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”

― Susan Polis Schutz

       What you do in this life is truly up to you. No one else can live your life for you. We each have our own path we must walk alone. And it is up to you to choose how you travel. You can choose to make your path very difficult to traverse by tying ankle weights to your legs or you can choose to free yourself from the burdens of yesterday and embrace your journey. Free your mind, body and soul. Take the power inside of you to author your own story. Because at the end of the day, this life is yours and yours alone.

Be in the Present

“This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”

― Alan W. Watts

         The first step in moving forward and creating the life you crave is to be present in this moment. You need to learn how to live in the here and now. The past is gone and you can’t get it back. While the future has yet to happen. But the present moment is happening right now, so don’t let it pass you by. It’s time to become engaged and connected with the present moment.

The Path of Change

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”

― Jon Krakauer

        Don’t be afraid of change because it is so easy to become complacent and comfortable in our lives. We may be miserable but something holds us back from getting up and making change happen. Whether it be a fear of the unknown or of failure. But at some point, you must wake up and realize that life isn’t about feeling safe, secure and comfortable all the time. Sometimes you have to push yourself beyond your comfort zone and take a leap of faith to truly learn what it means to fly. So, today stop making excuses for your unhappy circumstances and take your first step down the untrodden path of change.

Free Yourself

“How would your life be different if…You stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions? Let today be the day…You stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others”

― Steve Maraboli

        Today, choose to be free of caring about what the world thinks of you. Choose to be free of letting other people’s words and opinions define you. Live your truth and your truth alone.

Stay True to Who You Are

“Life is funny. Things change, people change, but you will always be you, so stay true to yourself and never sacrifice who you are for anyone.”

― Zayn Malik

    One of the most important lessons you must learn is to never compromise who you are for anyone – including for a job, a significant other, a family member, or a friend. It is so hard to stay true to yourself when you have outside influences and voices trying to change you and criticizing you when you try to say no. But it is at these times when you are facing immense pressure to behave in a certain manner that you must find the strength and courage to not give in and to not sacrifice who you are. Stand tall in your convictions and always listen to your inner voice.

Forgive Yourself

“It is important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes. We need to learn from our errors and move on.”

― Steve Maraboli

        We all make mistakes. This is an inevitability in this life. Sometimes things are going to go horribly wrong. The key is not to continually beat ourselves up about things we cannot change. We must constantly remind ourselves to only look back at past mistakes and regrets for the amount of time it takes to learn from them, then we must forgive ourselves and move on.

Overcoming Yourself

“The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.”

― C. JoyBell C.

      I believe we are each our own worse enemy. You say you’re stuck because of your circumstances- job, friends, significant other, society, etc. But your circumstances are merely obstacles and roadblocks placed in your path . . . and it is you and your choices alone that prevent you from moving past them. The only thing stopping you from moving forward is yourself.

Moving Forward

“Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?”

― Mary Manin Morrissey

         We often find ourselves saying it’s time to move on, that we’re ready to move forward toward something better. But yet we find ourselves stuck time and time again. Why? Maybe we’re asking the wrong questions. Maybe the right question is, “what is tethering us to our current situation…what is preventing us from leaping with both feet?” When you can answer these questions, you can begin to break free of the chains binding you to the past. In order to truly move forward, you must first release the pain and regrets of yesterday to make room for the rewards of tomorrow.

We Must Carry On

“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

         In a world filled with such hatred and intolerance, it is hard to believe in better days to come. With nothing but darkness enveloping a nation that has turned against those it is sworn to protect, it is hard to fathom the Sun will ever shine again. When man has turned against fellow man, it is hard to believe that one day our brothers will no longer have to fear when they walk out the door they will not come home that night. When all hope and faith has been leeched from our weary souls, we must stop and remember those who have come before us. Our brothers and sisters who gave up their lives to advocate for tolerance, justice and equality-the very same struggle we are facing yet again today. And it is on their shoulders that we must stand and say, “I still have a dream” and we will not go quietly into the night.

Play On

“Laugh, even when you feel too sick or too worn out or tired.
Smile, even when you’re trying not to cry and the tears are blurring your vision.
Sing, even when people stare at you and tell you your voice is crappy.
Trust, even when your heart begs you not to.
Twirl, even when your mind makes no sense of what you see.
Frolick, even when you are made fun of. Kiss, even when others are watching. Sleep, even when you’re afraid of what the dreams might bring.
Run, even when it feels like you can’t run any more.
And, always, remember, even when the memories pinch your heart. Because the pain of all your experience is what makes you the person you are now. And without your experience—you are an empty page, a blank notebook, a missing lyric. What makes you brave is your willingness to live through your terrible life and hold your head up high the next day. So don’t live life in fear. Because you are stronger now, after all the crap has happened, than you ever were back before it started.”

By Alysha Speer

        No matter what you’re going through in life, you always have to play on. Even when things are going horribly wrong, you can’t stop – you have to push through. Even when there is no hope, you have to carry on. No matter what storms life brings your way, you must continue to sing your song. For this is what it means to live and not simply exist.