“God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.”
Metals, degrees, diplomas, and various accolades are nice to have. But what’s not so nice is being so consumed by them that we don’t see the things that really matter. Moreover, it’s not so nice when they come to define who we are–become our identity. This quote, by Elbert Hubbard, reminds us that God doesn’t care about metals, degrees, diplomas, and all other accolades we chase after. Beyond this world, these things are left behind and forgotten. However, the failures and scares that shape us will be a better indication of who we really are than any of our accomplishments. So while we pursue our goals, let’s remember that we…
“Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.”
Most buildings take more than a day to build. Each day that work is put in to it brings it closer to its completion. This illustration applies to life and our personal growth and development. Sometimes the day (today) doesn’t end up being what we hoped for. However, this quote, by Ken Poirot, reminds us that each day is an opportunity to build the tomorrow we want, whether “today” is a good or bad day. We can decide whether we want to put construction on our life on hold or do things that would make it more structurally sound tomorrow. Each day is an opportunity to choose the latter.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
This quotation is from 2 Corinthians 4 verse 16. It’s a great reminder that we are more than our outer and physical selves. We may show visible signs of age, become weaker and slower over time, or become injured. That is part of life; and it shouldn’t make us lose heart. Because while all these things are taking place, there is another part of ourselves that is being renewed each day. It’s a part we don’t see and may not feel; but it’s the essence of who we are–our inner selves–our souls. At the end of the day, the constant renewal of our inner selves is what really matters. So,…
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“God has perfect timing; never early, never late. It takes a little patience and it takes a lot of faith, but it’s worth the wait.”
“Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you did not do than the ones you did.”
Living Life Poetically: “Pain Brush on a New Page”
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
To truly apply this quote by Mahatma Gandhi, you first have to reflect on what it means for a person to live as if they were to die tomorrow and what it means for them to learn as if they were to live forever. Unfortunately, many people switch the words “tomorrow” and “forever”. As a result, they do the exact opposite of this quote. They live as if they were to live forever (not appreciating each day) and learn as if they were to die tomorrow (finding no need to learn anything new). However, this quote is about not taking a single day for granted and living life to the…
Living Life Poetically: 2020
2020 has definitely been a challenging year for many of us. Through it, we may have felt pain, sadness, loss, and loneliness in a way we’ve never felt before. But coming to this moment with the year at a close means we somehow managed to push through it all. We may have discovered new ways to cope; and we may have realized we’re stronger than we expected–especially with the support of each other. Perhaps we take less for granted. Perhaps we discovered an appreciation for the little things. The poem, “2020”, is a reflection on a year that has been horrendous. But with time, we may find the silver lining…
“The secret of happiness, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
Gratitude and contentment are two things that create a solid foundation for happiness. That’s what this quote, by Socrates, is all about. When we’re grateful and content, we’re able to enjoy what we have now. And while we pursue our goals for the future, we do so already with a foundation of happiness. Therefore, our happiness isn’t necessarily a result of having more. It’s the result of an unshakeable mindset and ability to enjoy the little things.
“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…
“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…
“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.
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“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Living Life Poetically: Time and Essence
“Don’t start your day with the broken pieces of yesterday. Every day is a fresh start. Every morning we wake up is the first day of the rest of our life.”
“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…
