“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…
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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
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.”
In 2005, Steve Jobs delivered a commencement speech at Stanford University. It’s a very thoughtful and inspiring speech. To watch or read it in full, click here. This quote is lifted from that speech, stating: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” In the speech, Jobs talks about his journey. He…
“To make a change, you need to be aware and acknowledge that something isn’t working first.”
When it comes to changing something that’s not working, you first have to see that it’s not working. It seems like a no-brainer. But sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. And a much needed change may not be so evident. This quote, by Justin Kan, reminds us of the importance of being aware of and acknowledging that something isn’t working. How do you become aware and acknowledge something isn’t working when you just don’t know? Where do you begin in order to develop that awareness? Here are some things to reflect on. Ask yourself if you’ve put on some rose-colored glasses. There might be some denial happening–Ignoring red…
“The first step to living the life that you want is leaving the life that you don’t want.”
When we think of living the life we want, our first inclination is to think of all the things we need to add to it or begin. However, as writer Karen Salmansohn suggests in this quote, we might be missing another key step before all of that. Before we start thinking about what to add or start, a more immediate step might be what we need to get rid of, stop, or leave behind. For instance, what situations, patterns, or toxic relationships do we need to leave? Addressing those things first will be the first step in creating a clearer path toward living the life we want.
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.”
This quote, by Jim Rohn, serves as a great reminder of the power of change. Change can be scary. It’s usually not something we go out of our way to find. But avoiding it altogether makes it very unlikely for us to ever alter our current circumstance. For our lives to improve, typically something has to change. It rarely gets better by chance. In order to experience a change, we have to be willing to make a change.
“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”
Being successful at getting what you want doesn’t always equate to happiness. As this quote by Dale Carnegie reminds us, happiness is wanting what you get. When we examine the idea of wanting what you get, we can break it down in two ways. Sometimes we want the wrong things, thinking that they would make us happy. And when we finally get them, we realize they aren’t the things we really want. Although we may have achieved success and gotten what we wanted, it doesn’t give us the feeling of happiness we had anticipated. So in the end, we don’t want (i.e. desire) what we get. Sometimes we do get…
“All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that.”
This quote, by Baltasar Gracian, gives us a different perspective of time. It’s the only thing we all really have. Even someone with absolutely nothing has it. But when it comes to free time, we don’t all have the same amount. And what we physically possess isn’t always a predictor of the intangible time we have. For instance, someone who’s amassed a great deal of wealth can have less or just as much free time as someone with significantly fewer assets. Moreover, they may not even have much time to enjoy the things they have. At the end of the day, when it comes to time, it really doesn’t matter…
“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”
This quote, by Benjamin Disraeli, really speaks to me as I reflect on some difficult choices I’ll need to make–Choices that will ultimately result in action. Doing nothing and staying in a place of familiarity, i.e. inaction, is often our easiest and most popular decision. Most of us don’t venture into the unknown without a bit of trepidation. However, while doing nothing feels safest, it can have a negative effect on our happiness depending on our current state of affairs. Yet, doing something can also have a negative effect. So what do we do when the result of both action and inaction can have equally negative results? As this quote…
“Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier, and healthier life.”
For the Monday to Friday five-day workweek worker, Mondays can be the most dreaded day of the week. Waking up on a Monday, it can be hard to wave off the feeling of hopelessness and despair. The thought of another five days shakes you to your core, and you would give anything for just one more day of weekend. If this is you, you’re not alone. Maybe your dreaded day is not Monday. Depending on your schedule, it could be a Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday–whatever that day is that commences your workweek, the feeling is unfortunately the same. This quote, by Germany Kent, helps bring hope out of despair on…
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“There are only two rules for being successful. One, figure out exactly what you want to do, and two, do it.”
“Begin to see yourself as a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul.”
“When thinking about life, remember this: no amount of guilt can change the past and no amount of anxiety can change the future.”
