“We all have problems. But it’s not what happens to us, it’s the choices we make after.”
Elizabeth Smart has survived the unimaginable. And for someone who’s had her experience to be able to move forward with their life in such a positive way is nothing short of amazing. This quote, from Smart, reminds us that our negative experiences don’t have to define us. However, the choices we make afterward are what counts. Our negative experiences can inspire us toward negative choices–making our wounds last. However, they can also inspire us toward positive choices that not only heal our own wounds but also help in the healing of others’.
“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”
We know a plant is still alive when we observe visible changes to it from time to time. Perhaps a new bloom, a new leaf, or it’s an inch or two taller. Its changes are a sign of growth, and its growth is a sign of life. Usually, a plant that’s no longer changing, i.e. growing, is most likely dead. This quote, by Gail Sheehy, reminds us that the same is true in our lives. Meanwhile, we are reminded to embrace positive change. Like the plant, if we’re not changing, we’re not growing. And if we’re not growing, we aren’t really living. When it comes to change, it’s already happening…
“Successful people have fear, successful people have doubts, and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them.”
Successful people are fearless, successful people act without hesitation, and successful people have no worries. Each one of these statements is false. However, we tend to subconsciously assume they’re fact. This quote, by T. Harv Eker, reminds us that our idea about successful people are most often wrong. They do have worries, doubts, and fear. Yet they forge ahead in spite of these feelings. If you’re waiting for these feelings to go away as a prerequisite for success, then you may find yourself waiting indefinitely, and you may find success always out of reach.
“If you’re doing something outside of dominant culture, there’s not an easy place for you. You will have to do it yourself.”
Whether we want to believe it or not, things like our age, gender, race, and socioeconomic background play a factor in where we go to school, when, if we attend college, what we major in, the career we pursue, when we start a family. The list goes on. Simply put, a lot of what happens in our life is already laid out for us per our dominant culture. But once in a while, we step outside of our trajectory. As this quote by Ava DuVernay reminds us, paving a different path isn’t always going to be easy. It might feel uncomfortable, and there may be moments we feel like we’re…
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”
This quote comes from Swiss-American psychiatrist and author Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. She is known for coming up with the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance; and her writing and viewpoints have been recognized worldwide. However, this quote is not about death or grief, the primary focus of her work. Instead, the quote is about human nature; and one can consider its relevance to mental well-being and relationships. If you’ve ever seen a stained-glass window, you’d observe that it sparkles and shines as sunlight flows through it from outside. But as the sun goes down, its beauty fades into darkness. However, if there’s light inside the room, the stained-glass…
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“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.”
A New Outlook on the New Year
Self-Esteem Part 3: How to Develop and Maintain a Sound Self-Esteem
“Dreams don’t have to just be dreams. You can make it a reality; if you just keep pushing and keep trying, then eventually you’ll reach your goal. And if that takes a few years, then that’s great, but if it takes 10 or 20, then that’s part of the process.”
In an interview, world renowned tennis player, Naomi Osaka, was asked what advice she would give her younger self. After joking about eating too much rice, she follows up with this inspiring quote that echos some of the challenges and adversities she faced in becoming a pro tennis athlete. In a nutshell, this quote reveals that accomplishing your dreams boils down to three things or “three Ps”: perseverance, patience, and perspective. You have to keep at it (perseverance), understanding things may not happen overnight (patience), all while having a mindful appreciation of the process (perspective).
“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.”
It’s human nature to come up with every excuse in the book before we finally start something. And a very common excuse we get ourselves to believe is that it’s just not the right time to begin. Sounds like a logical reason. But there’s a difference between the condition being feasibly and the condition being perfect. This quote comes from Mark Victor Hansen, motivational speaker/author and co-founder of the book series Chicken Soup for the Soul. It serves as a reminder that chasing after the perfect condition–when everything is just right–inevitably results in us never getting started. “There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions.” So if…
“If you talk about it, it’s a dream, if you envision it, it’s possible, but if you schedule it, it’s real.”
There’s something about writing your dreams down that makes them a lot more likely to become reality. That simple act takes them from an idea in your head to something more tangible. And that’s what this quote, by Tony Robbins, is all about. But this quote takes things a step further. Because even more effective and real than writing those goals down is scheduling them on a calendar. Just remember to give yourself enough time and grace.
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“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.”
Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.
“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”
This quote is not to be taken literally. It’s from the classic children’s story, Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie. In the story, Peter Pan’s ability to fly is significantly influenced by his belief that he can without any second thought or hesitation. While the story is made-up, the core principle is real. Nothing kills our ability to do something more than doubt. The moment we doubt whether we can is the moment our likelihood of doing it significantly decreases. Unfortunately, believing in yourself can be easier said than done. So, if self-doubt does creep in despite your effort to fight it, there’re a couple things you can do. First, it…
“The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of the world but those who fight and win battles that others do not know anything about.”
This quote comes from author, filmmaker, and mental health advocate, Jonathan Harnisch, and it’s from his book,The Brutal Truth. It reminds us that we don’t always know what someone is going through. Not everyone likes to broadcast the struggles they’re facing and overcoming. To the world, those who do are seen as strong and regarded with high esteem. Meanwhile, those fighting battles we don’t know about may be considered weaker in comparison. But we have to be mindful that they too are battling their own demons and challenges. And it’s through that awareness that our empathy grows toward those who are loud about their battles as well as those who…
