“Everything you do, every thought you have, every word you say creates a memory that you will hold in your body. It’s imprinted on you and affects you in subtle ways – ways you are not always aware of. With that in mind, be very conscious and selective.”
This quote, by Phylicia Rashad, is about the power of the mind and the subtle ways each of our thoughts, words, and actions can alter our outlook on ourselves and life little by little. Therefore, it’s important to be conscious of what we think, say, and do. Meanwhile trying to heal whatever pain or damage that’s already there.
“Pray, and let God worry.”
There’s a lot of meaning and value packed into this short quote by Martin Luther. “Pray, and let God worry”–five words and two calls to action that can be life-altering. They seem simple, however it’s easy to forget to pray–step 1. And if and when we do pray, we forget step 2. We hang on to our worry instead of handing it over to God. Together, both steps may not come naturally. They may take time to develop and become a habit. They require a lot of faith and trust that everything will eventually work out for the best. But once mastered, it becomes much easier to surmount any of…
“Someday, somehow, this will all make sense.”
Sometimes things happen in life that just don’t make sense, which might be happening more frequently these days. 2020 has been full of surprises. That said, there couldn’t be a better time for this quote, by Maxime Lagacé, to remind us that “Someday, somehow, this will all make sense.” This statement is relevant now as it is any other time. While things making sense someday, somehow is reassuring, “someday” may not be today or tomorrow; and “somehow” may not be the way we’d want it to. However, simply reminding ourselves of these words can help us anticipate a future when things will be a bit clearer. Moreover, it reminds us…
“Understand: you are one of a kind. Your character traits are a kind of chemical mix that will never be repeated in history. There are ideas unique to you, a specific rhythm and perspective that are your strengths, not your weaknesses. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness.”
This quote, by the author Robert Greene, reminds us that we’re all unique, including our thoughts, ideas, and character traits. Moreover, our uniqueness doesn’t just apply to the current time but spans throughout history. Often we try to hide the things that make us stand out because society trains us to conform–to fit in. But “You must not be afraid of your uniqueness.” As stated in this quote, that is your strength. Taking things a step further, our uniqueness is a superpower we all possess. And we all have a choice to either use this superpower or cover it up.
“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.”
In life, change tends to be the only constant. No two years are exactly the same. Neither are two months, weeks, or days the same. So, that means no two chapters of our life are the same. Life is constantly evolving, while forcing us to evolve as well. This anonymous quote reminds us that each next level of life will demand a different version of ourselves. Would a new chapter in our life challenge us to be more compassionate–patient–understanding–knowledgable–wise-skilled? Either way, we’re forced to evolve in some way or another so we can face that new chapter. Meanwhile, our goal is to not only be willing to evolve and allow…
“You have to be odd to be number one.”
This quote is by Theodor Seuss “Ted” Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss. The quote goes beyond the fact that one is an odd number. It uses this simple fact to illustrate that being different, unique–or perhaps odd–is sometimes what it takes to be number one. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’re not worried people might find you odd. That worry alone has a way of limiting your possibilities and potential. Without it, you’ll realize a much greater freedom to take risks and perform at your best.
“Take action. An inch of movement will bring you closer to your goals than a mile of intention.”
It’s obviously a good thing to be highly passionate about your goals. Your mind, or intention, should be in the right place. But sometimes, that’s where our goals begin and end–Having great intention with no action. This quote, by the author and motivational speaker Steve Maraboli, reminds us that the actions we do take do not necessarily have to be grand. They may be small. However, those simple (and consistent) steps are only going to lead us closer to our goals than no action at all.
“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.”
It’s our tendency to assume that a person is successful because they rarely make mistakes. We may think, they never mess up in any major way, which is precisely why they’re successful. However, we’d be surprised to find that many successful people not only make mistakes, but they’ve made quite a few of them. The difference is that they learn from their mistakes. Therefore, they are capable of making fewer over time. This quote, by George Bernard Shaw, reminds us that success is not about never making mistakes. Success consists of not making the same mistakes. Thereby making every misstep a leap forward.
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
This quote, by Melody Beattie, reminds us of all the things a sense of gratitude can bring. All these things ultimately bring us clarity and peace of mind. Besides turning what we have into enough and more, gratitude turns denial into acceptance. When things don’t go as planned, being grateful for what we still have and anything we learned in the process makes it easier to accept and not be in denial of what happened. By finding the positives in our past, we come to realize that things do happen for a reason. Life’s confusion and chaos can become a bit clearer. And when we apply the same sense of…
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
So often, we feel grateful but either forget to express our gratitude or don’t think it’s all that important or necessary. This quote, by William Arthur Ward, is about not keeping our gratitude to ourself. If we have something we’re thankful to someone for, we should tell them. As illustrated by this quote, not doing so is like wrapping a present but never presenting it to its intended receiver. However, that person cannot read our mind. So they would never know what their action(s) meant to us without us letting them know. Letting them know–showing gratitude–is a priceless gift we all have to give.