Living Life Poetically: The Storm Within
“The Storm Within” is a poem about having a storm that’s not outside in the elements but inside you. Sometimes life can feel like there’s a storm raging within. And the feeling and effects can be very similar to what occurs outside. The Storm Within It seems the storm has rerouted.Disappearing from the forecast,It now rages inside you,Devastating your inward land. Its dark clouds hide the stars in your eyes,As its heavy rain pours down your cheeks. From within, its violent winds uproot you from where you stood like an oak, securely planted,And topples your spirit to the ground. Its bold thunder shakes your confidence to the coreAs its icy…
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Sometimes we look at something one day and appreciate its beauty. But when we look at it another day, we might barely noticing it. Perhaps we do notice it, but we only see its flaws. Meanwhile, the thing we’re looking at is still the same. Whether it’s something physically around us like nature and people or something intangible like life changes or a difficult situation, changing our perspective on things can be very powerful. As this quote by self-improvement author and speaker Wayne Dyer suggests, changing the way we look at something can almost change that thing itself.
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“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.”
“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.”
Why We All Need to Have Things to Look Forward to
“The secret of having it all is believing you already do.”
You’ve probably encountered someone who seems to have it all yet they’re generally unhappy. There’s always something else out there they’re chasing after. This quote (author unclear) serves as a great reminder that without contentment, you can never feel like you have it all even if you were to miraculously have it all. The truth is, no one really does have everything–even when you consider all the intangible and tangible things most people need or would want. So, if no one really has “it all”, the feeling like you do is more so a factor of how you perceive what you already have. And that begins with gratitude.
Living Life Poetically: Rest for a Barren Heart
“Rest for a Barren Heart” isn’t the most uplifting poem; however, it is hopeful toward the end. It’s for all those times we go to bed feeling a bit under the weather after a bad day. While the body needs rest, so does the soul. Rest for a Barren Heart If I hug this pillow tightly, Would it give comfort to my heart?If I press it against my chest,Would it support a heart’s barren weight of sorrow?If on it a heavy mind can press its head for dreams to follow,Can an emptied soul press its heart to fill the hollow? Perhaps, I would fall asleepand wake up to a better tomorrow …
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
Sadness, frustration, hardship, and loss are almost unavoidable in life. Therefore, praying for an easy life would be an unrealistic expectation. There’s no such thing as a life free of these conditions no matter your geographic location, socioeconomic status, age, or piety. The truth is, there are always going to be some negatives intermixed with the positives. This is why, as suggested in this Bruce Lee quote, we should pray for strength for when we do fall on hard times rather than pray that we never do at all. There’s no such thing as a life free of sadness, frustration, hardship, and loss. However, having the strength to surmount these…
“The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.”
In the story of Cinderella, the glass slipper fits one person and one person only: Cinderella. However, realistically, there would be others with the same shoe size while there would be those whom the same shoe doesn’t fit. It’s a simple fact of life that we can’t all wear the same-sized shoes. This quote, from the book Modern Man in Search of a Soul by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung, reminds us that we can’t expect to go on life’s journey all wearing the same-sized shoes. That would be an unfair expectation for ourself. If they’re too small or too big, our journey would be more slow, laborious, painful, and…
“Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”
Most babies and toddlers are naturally prone to smiling and laughing with the slightest amusement or provocation. But as we grow older, the realities of life set in, we begin to realize what we have and don’t have, and we begin to compare ourself. Meanwhile, events and circumstances occur that start to erode our happiness. This quote, by Ramana Maharshi, reminds us that happiness is already in our nature. Therefore, when it’s missing or lacking, we have to remember not to seek it from the outside. Rather, we should rekindle it from the inside where it naturally originated before external factors came into play.
“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”
Being miserable while pursuing your goals only makes it less likely for those goals to succeed. This is not to say we pretend to be happy when we find that we’re miserable in the process. Rather, if we’re not happy or having fun, it’s an indication that we may need to reevaluate our priorities. This quote, by Dale Carnegie, reminds us to do the things that we enjoy doing, which will naturally result in motivation, positivity, and the determination to continue even when things get tough.
“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’.
“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…
