Inspiration for the Mind, Body & Soul
A BLOG DEVOTED TO SHARING POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING MESSAGES FOR THE HUNGRY HEART
“There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.”
― Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain
You can’t go through life too afraid to take chances for that’s not living. So, you must remind yourself to always try even though you will undoubtedly fall short at times. But, regardless, you will grow as a person for having put yourself out there and it will make the times you do win the race that much more meaningful.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
― Maya Angelou
Change doesn’t happen over night. The same goes for life. You’re not going to suddenly wake up to the life you’ve dreamed about or become a different person with no work. No, it is a process that unfolds over time. And you must go through a metamorphosis to achieve that beauty within yourself and around you.
“Do one thing every day that scares you.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt
Life is about pushing yourself and stepping outside your comfort zone. It’s about challenging yourself to try new and different things. To not be afraid of change. To embrace the unknown and discover what it means to be free.
“More often than not, people who are obsessed with their desires and feelings are generally unhappier in life vs. people that refocus their attention on service to others or a righteous cause. Have you ever heard someone say their life sucked because they fed the homeless? Made their children laugh? Or, bought a toy for a needy child at Christmas time?”
― Shannon L. Alder
Life is all about the lens you choose to view it from. It’s about your perspective and priorities. If you find yourself unhappy or dissatisfied with any aspect of your life, first take the time to assess where you place value and importance. And then try shifting your attention and focus to helping others or to a good cause and see if it changes your daily perspective.
“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.
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.
“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.
“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.
“Life has a tendency to provide a person with what they need in order to grow. Our beliefs, what we value in life, provide the roadmap for the type of life that we experience. A period of personal unhappiness reveals that our values are misplaced and we are on the wrong path. Unless a person changes their values and ideas, they will continue to experience discontentment.”
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls
It is important to remember that your core values and beliefs influence every aspect of your life, including the kind of people you choose to surround yourself with and the paths you choose to follow. So, it is only natural that you should reevaluate your values and beliefs when you’re unhappy with any aspect of your life.
“Along our journey we will be confronted with many situations, some will be filled with joy, and some will be filled with heartache. How we react to what we are faced will determine what kind of outcome the rest of our journey through life will be like.”
― Susan Samaroo
Life is truly 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it. You, and you alone, get to decide if you will let life’s circumstances define who you are and the course of your life. For you can’t control what curveballs life will undoubtedly throw at you, but you can control how you deal with it.