A BLOG DEVOTED TO SHARING POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING MESSAGES FOR THE HUNGRY HEART
“Spiritual growth involves giving up the stories of your past so the universe can write a new one.”
― Marianne Williamson, The Law of Divine Compensation: Mastering the Metaphysics of Abundance
Life is all about growth and embracing change. It’s about learning when to close the book on the stories of your past so that the story of your future can be written. For when you let go of the chains of yesterday, you make way for the blessings of today.
Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.
– Joel A. Barker
All change begins with a dream and vision of what could be. However, having a dream is only the beginning and you must take active steps to make your dream a reality. So never forget that to effect real change you must first have a vision for the future and then you must take action to bring your vision to life.
“The chief beauty about time
is that you cannot waste it in advance.
The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you,
as perfect, as unspoiled,
as if you had never wasted or misapplied
a single moment in all your life.
You can turn over a new leaf every hour
if you choose.”
― Arnold Bennett
At any moment, you have the power to say this isn’t how my story will end. You and you alone can decide right now to change the narrative. For the next hour or day of your life has yet to happen. So, don’t waste another second of your life being stuck or unhappy. Embrace the power of change.
“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”
– Denis Waitley
Focusing on every mistake and bad event in your life will not make things better or fix the problem; rather, it will keep you stuck in the past and in the same situation. To truly move forward, you must focus instead on the next steps and what can realistically be done to get through your situation. Never forget that life is all about forward trajectory and motion, so don’t let life’s everyday problems derail you.
“If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.”
― Dalai Lama XIV
Don’t waste time worrying about things you cannot change or those things over which you have no control. Truly, what’s the point? You only stress yourself out unnecessarily and add years to your life. Wouldn’t all that time you spend worrying be better spent actually enjoying and living your life? So, each day make a conscious effort to focus your energy on engaging in life and being truly present instead of spending countless hours on that which is inconsequential in the big picture.
“If you are faced with a mountain, you have several options.
You can climb it and cross to the other side.
You can go around it.
You can dig under it.
You can fly over it.
You can blow it up.
You can ignore it and pretend it’s not there.
You can turn around and go back the way you came.
Or you can stay on the mountain and make it your home.”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration
Life is all about choices. When life places a roadblock in front of you, you can choose to do something to get around it or you can choose to do nothing. Whether you move forward in life or sit on the sidelines watching life happen around you is always a choice. So, choose to face any obstacle head on instead of succumbing to life’s challenges.
“If you really believe in what you’re doing, work hard, take nothing personally and if something blocks one route, find another. Never give up.”
― Laurie Notaro
There is always more than one path to a destination. And in life, you will learn that you may have to change directions several times before reaching your destination. Sometimes the path you travel may be smooth, while at other times it may be extremely rough. The key is to never give up. Just work hard and try a new direction when one route is blocked. And most importantly, have faith for you will find your way.
“There IS a better future for you! Get rid of that negative and defeated attitude. Stop tearing yourself down and learn to build yourself up. Speak positively about yourself. If you’re not satisfied with who you are and where you’re at in your life, have the courage to make a change and be a person that you can be proud of. Change can be scary, but change for the better is very rewarding in the end. You can do it! Do it for YOU.”
― Stephanie Lahart
Do it for you. You and you alone are in charge of the person you become and the future you create. And at any moment, you can make the decision to change the path you’re on if you’re unhappy. There is no one stopping you from living the life you crave except for you. So, choose to greet each day with a positive attitude and with the courage to live your truth.
“Spending time looking for what is missing in your life is futile; if you fail to look within yourself. When we challenge everything we believe we are, we reveal that which we never knew about our own selves.”
― Nicolas G. Janovsky, Gay: A New Path Forward
We often spend so much time searching externally for what we feel is missing in our lives when in these moments we should be looking within. Many of the answers you seek, you already know if you were to just search within. You must dig deep into the dark places that we often avoid and pose some difficult questions to yourself. For once you start the journey of truly self-reflecting and looking within, you may be surprised by what you find and who you become.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
– Maya Angelou
There’s more to life than simply getting through each day. You aren’t meant to go through life just existing. No, life is about being present and engaged in every moment. It’s about finding joy in the journey, rain or shine.