Inspiration for the Mind, Body & Soul
A BLOG DEVOTED TO SHARING POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING MESSAGES FOR THE HUNGRY HEART
“I believe that I am not responsible for the meaningfulness or meaninglessness of life, but that I am responsible for what I do with the life I’ve got.”
― Hermann Hesse
You and you alone decide the meaning of life. You can choose to squander and waste what time you have been given. Or, you can choose to take every opportunity- good and bad – and make the most of every breath you take. The choice is yours…
“You see, we cannot draw lines and compartments and refuse to budge beyond them. Sometimes you have to use your failures as stepping-stones to success. You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair.’ He paused, considering what he had just said. ‘Yes’, he repeated. ‘In the end, it’s all a question of balance.”
― Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance
Life is a balancing act between highs and lows and good and bad. You can’t have one without the other. And all of it has meaning and serves a purpose. What you may perceive as a setback or failure is really an opportunity to grow and open yourself up for the good that life has to offer.
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
Today, it feels like the world has been enshrouded by a kind of darkness that destroys all it touches. It feels like the battle between good and evil has been lost. Hate has consumed love. But during these times of great despair, we must find the strength to press on and never forget that throughout history hate may have won many battles but love has always pulled through to win the war. So, hold on…for brighter days are to come.
“I felt as if I were riding a pendulum. Just as I would swing into the abyss of hopelessness, the pendulum would swing back with some small goodness.”
― Ruta Sepetys
Life can be utterly devastating at times. Some days it feels like you are trapped outside in a raging storm with no end in sight. In one moment, everything you believed in can be destroyed and you’re left feeling empty and hollow with your heart bleeding out on the ground. Hope feels like one of those childhood fairy tale stories made up to help kids sleep at night. But, it is at these times when everything has fallen apart that you must hold on to the belief that life is like a pendulum. And even though life has swung into an abyss of hopelessness for many of us, we must believe that one day it will swing back with some small goodness.
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
― Anne Bradstreet
In order to appreciate the highs, you must experience the lows. Likewise, you can’t have joy without having experienced sorrow. Or, happiness without sadness. It all goes hand in hand. So, although you may be experiencing emotional turmoil and hard times, it is preparing you for the cleansing showers of Spring yet to come.
“You know, life fractures us all into little pieces. It harms us, but it’s how we glue those fractures back together that make us stronger.”
― Carrie Jones
We all go through hard times. We all have our storms we must weather. And sometimes we will fall apart. But it is how we put the pieces back together that ultimately matters.
He looked at me and said;
I see a challenge not a problem
I see an opportunity not an obligation
I see a must do not a sacrifice….
I looked back at him straight in the eye through the mirror and said;
You are the new me, the better me…
― Rateb Rayyes
Life is all about the lens you choose to view it from. You can choose to always look at the negative or you can search for the silver lining. When obstacles are thrown your way, you can choose to view them as opportunities to grow and learn…or you can look at them as impossible hurdles. Because at the end of the day, life is all about attitude and perspective.
“When hope seems like a faded memory, remember love and hope will return stronger than ever.”
― Imania Margria
Some days are better than others. And sometimes it feels like you may succumb to the darkness. But it is at these times when you must remember that love and hope will triumph every time. So, never give up the fight, for better days are on the horizon.
“Don’t quit.
When your latest efforts fail, don’t quit. When your performance is scoffed and ridiculed, don’t quit. When you’re told you have no talent, don’t quit. When you come in dead last, don’t quit. When it seems an uphill fight to keep going, don’t quit. When you can’t see any possible way to achieve your goals, don’t quit. When your last supporter is you alone, don’t quit. When discouragement and depression seem your constant companion, don’t quit. When you feel like quitting, don’t quit.
Time and time again you will crave relief from the harsh fight of trying to succeed. You will falsely think that quitting will bring peace and reprieve, but alas, only regret and disappointment await the quitter. Victory means never ever ever quitting.
So don’t quit.
Do not quit.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich
Sometimes life wears you down, and you are so tired that you just want to give up. But no matter what, don’t you dare quit. Dig deep within yourself and find that inner strength to push through.
“Our individuality is all, all, that we have. There are those who barter it for security, those who repress it for what they believe is the betterment of the whole society, but blessed in the twinkle of the morning star is the one who nurtures it and rides it in, in grace and love and wit, from peculiar station to peculiar station along life’s bittersweet route.”
― Tom Robbins
Never compromise who you are for a job, a relationship…not for anything. Be proud and confident in who you are, for it is what separates you in a crowd and makes your light shine so bright. Always remember that each of us were born to sparkle as brightly as the stars that light up the night.