Inspiration for the Mind, Body & Soul
A BLOG DEVOTED TO SHARING POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING MESSAGES FOR THE HUNGRY HEART
“Happiness is not the absence of problems; it’s the ability to deal with them.”
― Steve Maraboli
Getting through life and being able to experience its joy is all about learning how to deal with life’s many ups and downs. No one has a life free of problems and struggles…no, it’s just that some learn how to better roll with the punches.
“Some people think that a place can save them… Like if they could just be somewhere else, their lives would be totally different. They could finally be the people they always wanted to be. But to me, a place is just a place. If you really want things to change, you can make them change no matter where you are.”
― Hannah Harrington
How often have you found yourself saying, “If I had more money, a better job, a better house, etc. …I would be happy and could start living the life I always imagined and be the person I want to be.” Well, guess what, having all those things won’t magically fill the void and emptiness inside of you and make you happy. No, you must make the changes within and learn to find inner peace that transcends whatever circumstances you find yourself in.
“Sure it could get rough sometimes, but life wasn’t a Hollywood movie. Shit happened. You fought, you screamed, and somehow you worked like hell to get out the other side still intact.”
― Samantha Young
Life isn’t a fairytale. It’s filled with pain and struggles. And you will have to fight hard to make it through the rough and turbulent times. However, it is often these moments where you had to claw your way out of a fathomless pit that define who you are. So, never wish away any of your scars; rather, use your past struggles to prepare for the rough waters that lay ahead.
“It isn’t good to hold on too hard to the past. You can’t spend your whole life looking back. Not even when you can’t see what lies ahead. All you can do is keep on keeping on, and try to believe that tomorrow will be what it should be—even if it isn’t what you expected.”
― Jim Butcher, Death Masks
Life is all about moving forward. You can’t live in the past. You can’t change what has already come to pass. The only thing you can do is use your past as teaching moments and have faith that the future will unfold as it’s meant to.
“Change course, but don’t give up.”
― Roy T. Bennett
At some point in your life, you will inevitably run into a dead end along your path. But the key is, you must not let this discourage you from continuing on. When you reach a point where you can’t travel any further, turn around and try a different trail. Look at it like, “Oh well, I tried but it didn’t work out. So, let’s try something else and take a different approach.” Just don’t give up.
“Letting go is the lesson. Letting go is always the lesson. Have you ever noticed how much of our agony is all tied up with craving and loss?”
― Susan Gordon Lydon
In order to fully move forward, you need to let go of the baggage and dead weight chaining you to the past. You must learn to take the lesson from every experience in your life and leave the rest. For the past cannot be changed, but your future can as it has yet to be written.
“People will always have opinions about your decision because they’re not courageous enough to take action on their opinion.”
― Steve Maraboli
You have to live your life for you. Someone will always have an opinion about your life and how you should live it. But, at the end of the day, it’s your life. So, don’t live your life within constructs set by others…walk your own path.
“Pain is a byproduct of life. That’s the truth. Life sometimes sucks. That’s true for everyone. But if you don’t face the pain and the suck, you don’t ever get the other things either. Laughter. Joy. Love. Pain passes, but those things are worth fighting for. Worth dying for.”
― Jim Butcher, Vignette
You’ve heard it time and time again. You don’t know what it means to be high if you haven’t been low. And you don’t truly appreciate the sunshine until it’s gone and you’re left with nothing but darkness. The point being that with the joys of life comes pain. But, it is important to never forget that joy and the good parts of life are worth fighting for.
“There are times in our lives when we have to realize our past is precisely what it is, and we cannot change it. But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that, we can change the future.”
― Eleanor Brown, The Weird Sisters
Every person’s past is filled with pain, heartbreak and regrets. But, it does no good to live in the past saying I wish I could change what I did. No, the way to move forward is to change the lens from which you’re viewing your past. Choose not to look upon your past with regret; rather, choose to look at every decision as an opportunity to grow. Use life’s pains as teaching moments to shape your future in a positive way.
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.
So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
― Neil Gaiman
A new year is upon us. It is the beginning of a new chapter in the story of our lives. It is a time to say goodbye to the good, bad and ugly of the past year. It is the time to embrace new opportunities and charge full steam ahead through uncharted waters. Go beyond your comfort zone, try new things, make mistakes, but never stop moving forward.