Courage – Page 14 – Inspiration for the Mind, Body & Soul

The Invitation

By Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon…
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

When the cards are stacked against you, will you choose to “show up”? No one person was meant to live a small, bleak life. Every single person is capable of great things and should settle for no less. Whether it be rain or sunshine, you should strive to always “show up” for every moment of your life. You get but one chance at life, so make it count!

Still I Rise

By Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

This poem speaks to empowerment, courage and an unwavering conviction to never give up. When the world knocks you on your ass, you need to search within yourself and find the strength to rise again. No matter what adversity or uphill battle you face, you must carry within you a fire that cannot be extinguished and the courage to carry on when all else falls away.

Hope

A Poem of Hope

By: Catherine Pulsifer

When life is getting you down,
And you need a little hope.
Look deep down inside yourself,
And you’ll find the way to cope.

When life is getting you down,
And you need a little love.
Go to the person whom you are the closest,
As the rest they are above.

When life is getting you down,
And all you need is a laugh.
Find the friend that makes you smile,
They may even be your staff.

When life is getting you down,
Don’t allow it so.
Change the way you think of life,
And life will be better, you know.

When life is getting you down,
Take time to pray
Don’t allow yourself to frown
God will help you see the blessings of the day.

Sometimes life gets you down. Things don’t work out the way you planned − be it a job, relationship or some other aspect of life. It is at these times that you have to dig deep within yourself and find the strength to have faith and hope that things will get better. Don’t let life’s many upsets change you and your outlook on life.

Dare to Dream

Dreams

~ Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Dream. Imagine. Believe. In childhood, our minds are these creative little sponges that believe in infinite possibilities. But as we grow up and traverse adulthood, we bury that part of ourselves deep underneath the realities of the world – such as paying bills and navigating relationships. We forget how to dream, imagine and believe in a better tomorrow. But, what is life without daring to hope, dream and believe in the impossible? It is a barren existence. So, ask yourself, what are your hopes and dreams for tomorrow?

Don’t Quit

Don’T Quit

~ Edgar Albert Guest

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 you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit –
rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about
when he might have won had he stuck it out.
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 came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
it’s when things seem worst, you must not quit.

When you feel like you are drowning and you have nothing left to give, you must hold on for just a little longer. Because the moment you throw in the towel is often the moment the tide will change directions, so you must find the strength to keep treading water even as the current threatens to overtake you. No matter how bad you want to quit. . .Never Give Up. Have faith that better days are coming.

It Couldn’t Be Done

It Couldn’T Be Done

Edgar Albert Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That ‘maybe it couldn’t,’ but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: ‘Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;’
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That ‘cannot be done,’ and you’ll do it.

There will always be people around whispering in your ear that you can’t do it, that you will fail. But, you shouldn’t listen to these negative voices. First of all, who has the right to tell you that you won’t succeed or that you aren’t good enough? The answer is no one. Second of all, you won’t know whether or not you can succeed at something UNLESS you first try. And then if you fail, so what, sometimes things just don’t work out and the most important thing is that you tried. You’ll never regret all the chances you took, but only the opportunities you let pass you by without ever even taking a swing. So get up, grab your bat and when a ball comes your way. . .take a swing!

Just One

~ Author Unknown

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!

Your life is truly a blank canvas. What you choose to create is up to you. You can choose to create a replica that blends in with the crowd. Or, you can choose to create a unique masterpiece that stands on its own. Never forget that one person, one life . . . one choice can change this world for the better.

Life Steps

~ Catherine Pulsifer

Our entire life is made up of choices,
What we decide,
the action we take,
the attitude we display
All represent the steps of life.

Sometimes we take two steps forward
And one-step back.
Some of us take baby steps
Some of us take giant steps

But the secret is not to let that
one step back turn into a failure.
Learn from backward steps

And keep on stepping forward in this dance
Called Life!

In life, you will inevitably take a step backwards. The key is not to let life’s setbacks completely derail you from being able to move forward again. Instead, use every setback as a learning and growing opportunity. And most importantly, always remember that life isn’t about the number of times you fall; rather, it is about the number of times you find the strength to stand back up.

Stay True to Yourself

If

~ Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

It is a rare gift to truly know oneself. It is an even rarer gift to not let this world and the people in it change you. I have come to realize that before you can find true happiness, you must first accept, embrace and love yourself. When you do this, you will find it easier to remain true to yourself as you navigate the waterways of life. When you know who you are, you develop this unwavering inner strength that aids you in standing firm in your beliefs when the world seeks to strip away your very soul. So, when the world, society, coworkers, family and friends try to change you, remember to always remain true to who you are and never compromise your moral compass.

He Gathers Every Teardrop

~ Author Unknown

Regardless of the circumstance,
Regardless of the fear,
Regardless of the pain we bear,
Regardless of the tear.

Our God is ever in control,
Performing as He should,
And He has promised in His Word
To work things for our good.

But as a loving Father would,
He sometimes lets us cry
To cleanse the hurt out of our heart,
To wash it from our eye.

Yet gently gathers the tears
Within His hands to stay
Until He turns them into pearls,
and gives them back someday.

God didn’t promise us a life free of pain and suffering. Instead, he promised that he would never forsake us. So, this means there will be times in life where we suffer unimaginable sorrow and devastation. But, it is during these moments when you are facing your darkest hour that you must have faith that God has a plan for you. Your pain has a purpose – your soul is being laid bare to prepare it for new love and joy that is coming your way. God is always in control. So, when your life begins spinning out of control, grab hold of God, our anchor, and have faith that better days are coming.