Life Moves at its Own Pace

“It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things.”

― Donald Miller

        Life cannot be forced.  And, the greatest lesson you can learn in life is that you are not in control of anything outside your own consciousness.  Life is going to do what it pleases, when it wants to.  We’re not meant to have all the answers; rather, we are here to learn how to trust in God to not lead us astray.  The point of life is learning to have faith and finding peace in not knowing what lies around the next corner.

Seek Answers

Life is filled with unanswered questions, but it is the courage to seek those answers that continues to give meaning to life. You can spend your life wallowing in despair, wondering why you were the one who was led towards the road strewn with pain, or you can be grateful that you are strong enough to survive it.

― J.D. Stroube

      Life can be devastatingly painful at times. This is a simple fact we all have personally experienced. But the key is not to allow ourselves to wallow in our despair and misery when things go horribly wrong. You must find comfort and gratitude that you are strong enough to overcome your struggles. You must dig deep and find the courage to continue to seek those unanswered questions in life. Always fight to live and not simply exist.

Try Again

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. Nothing in life is easy. But that’s no reason to give up. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. After all, you only have one life, so you should try to make the most of it.”

― Louis Sachar

     As we close out another week, it’s good to take a moment to focus our thoughts. It is important that we continually remind ourselves that although this may have been a difficult week or things may not have gone as planned, you get to wake up tomorrow and try again. Never give up…you must truly believe that you can accomplish anything. It may not happen over night but you can start putting the wheels in motion. Never forget that you only get one life, so dare to live it and live it well.

Dare to Be

     Guess what guys? This is my 100th post!!! It’s hard to fathom I started this blog four months ago and to see what it has grown into brings such joy to my soul. The overwhelming love, support and encouragement I have received from each of you is the reason I continue to do this each night. So, in honor of our anniversary I invite you to share in the empowering words of Steve Maraboli and I dare you be your highest self everyday going forward!!!!

Dare to Be
When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.
When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.
When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.
When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.
When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.
When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.
When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.
When times are tough, dare to be tougher.
When love hurts you, dare to love again.
When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.
When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.
When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.
When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.
When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.
When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.
Dare to be the best you can –
At all times, Dare to be!

― Steve Maraboli

Make Each Day Count

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is doomsday. Today is a king in disguise. Today always looks mean to the thoughtless, in the face of a uniform experience that all good and great and happy actions are made up precisely of these blank days. Let us not be so deceived, let us unmask the king as he passes.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

      Life is all about perspective. Whether each day is a blank canvas full of endless possibilities or whether each day is a dark cloud depends on the lens you choose to view it through. To enjoy life is but a choice. You and you alone have the power to define your life.

Life is a Choice

“Life gives us choices. You either grab on with both hands and just go for it, or you sit on the sidelines.”

― Christine Feehan

      Life is all about taking chances. You can spend your entire life making the safe choice and watching life pass you by from the sidelines. Or, you can choose to be uncomfortable and take a leap of faith to open yourself up to a life full of limitless possibilities.

Growth & Transformation

“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.”

― C. JoyBell C.

       Life is all about growth and transformation.  But in order to grow and transform into your highest self, you must go out into the world and expose yourself to the good and bad.  You must experience all facets of life in order to learn the lessons that lead to change, which in turn inspires growth and a shift in perceptions.  Real growth and change isn’t going to happen by locking yourself away in a cave or a room and meditating all day.  Rather, you must lay your soul bare to the world and work hard to create the world you dream of by transforming the way you think, behave and act.

Your Identity

“If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am living for, in detail, ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.”
― Thomas Merton

       Your identity is not defined by your job, your hobbies, your favorite color, your favorite tv show, etc. It goes much deeper than that. Your identity is intertwined with your core essence. It is tied to your purpose in life…it goes to what drives you to get out of bed each day and fight the good fight. It is the one thing no one can ever take from you.

Juggling Five Balls

“Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you’re keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls…are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”

― James Patterson

        As you progress through life, you begin to reassess your priorities and values. You hopefully learn that your family, health, friends and integrity are priceless. They are like glass balls – fragile and irreplaceable. These are things worth fighting for because if you are lucky enough to collect all four balls, you have all you need for a fulfilling life. And yes, it’s hard to juggle all five balls when you throw work into the mix, but do you really want to find out what life’s like when you drop one of the glass balls? I surely hope not. So, take each day and check the excuses at the door.  Make time to nurture the aspects of your life of utmost importance – friendships, family, your health and your integrity. For when it’s gone, it’s gone…

Seize the Moment

“Live life fully while you’re here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You’re going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”

― Anthony Robbins

      Carpe diem, seize the day. It’s great to be a planner, to fully think through every decision and choice. But sometimes, you must tune out the voices and simply be in the moment. Follow your heart, leap with both feet and simply learn what it means to live. Trust that everything will work out in the end. Sure, you’ll make mistakes, it’s called being human. So, take time to be spontaneous, crazy and carefree…enjoy your life, for you only get one shot, so make it count.