“Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart.”
Sometimes we’re blinded by the things that capture our eye, and we forget to ask ourselves whether they actually capture our heart. Moreover, we confuse the two. But they’re very different. There’s a different feeling you get with the things that capture the heart. It’s the connection you feel with someone without seeing them. It’s the feeling you have in making a difference. Or the joy in doing what you know you were put on this earth to do. This ancient Indian proverb reminds us to pursue these things. And if everything we go after is what captures our heart, the more full our hearts become.
“When we try to juggle everything, we can’t enjoy anything.”
Every minimalism sales pitch has a common theme: Less means more. With less stuff, we can enjoy more space and time for what really matters. But minimalism almost always refers to cutting back on physical items that we can see and touch. However, the minimalist concept of less means more can also apply to certain non-physical things. This quote, from the blog bemorewithless by Courtney Carver, reminds us that, sometimes, the more there is for us to juggle, the harder it is to enjoy what’s there. “When we try to juggle everything, we can’t enjoy anything.” Coincidentally, Carver specializes in minimalism, and her book Project 333, is about minimalism particularly…
“Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings.”
Naturally, we’re sad when something ends–especially something we enjoyed. But as this quote by Jonathan Lockwood Huie reminds us, endings are one of the things that make new beginnings possible. We may not recognize what that new beginning is at first. Sometimes new beginnings are wrapped in disguise. It’s easy to recognize the intentional ones where we consciously decide to begin something new to replace what has ended. But it’s harder to recognize the new beginnings we don’t decide on. Like the doors and opportunities that seem to open out of nowhere. Or the new beginnings that are within. Like the subtle change in our perspective–a shift in how we…
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”
Being intensely motivated to do something is such a great feeling. You feel like you can take on the world. You’re full of energy, inspiration, and spirit. But that feeling doesn’t always last. This quote, by Zig Ziglar, reminds us that being motivated is not something that automatically happens each day. Sometimes, our motivation wanes. Often it’s because we’ve begun to lose sight of why we started doing something. Therefore, we have to come up with ways to re-motivate, re-energize, and remind ourselves of our why. And maybe that needs to happen each day. So, when your motivation begins to fade, remember your north star–your reason. Remind yourself why you…
“The things you are passionate about are the real reason for your existence on this planet.”
Finding our purpose is something we all strive to do. But sometimes, that pursuit can take a whole lifetime. And quite often, when we feel like we’ve found our purpose, we aren’t entirely sure. This quote, by Hiral Nagda, makes the search quite simple. We have to examine the things we’re passionate about. Perhaps the things we are naturally drawn to is our purpose, and they were placed in our hearts for a reason.
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“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear.”
“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.”
Sometimes the best lessons we learn in life come from the worst experiences. Unfortunately, the experiences come first–the lessons later. This makes experience a hard teacher. However, it’s the best teacher. This quote, by Vernon Sanders Law (aka Vern Law), reminds us to try to find the lessons inside the experiences in which we are “tested.”
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“Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
You might have heard the popular saying, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Unfortunately, this is quite often the case. This quote, by Robert Breault, is a reminder to enjoyed the little things. One day, you may not be able to do the things you did before or certain things you had might be gone. But we don’t have to wait until something is gone or can’t be done in order to appreciate it. We can enjoy those things now–each day, whether they are big or small–like a morning coffee, a nice walk on a nice day, or time spent with our loved ones.
“If beautiful lilies bloom in ugly waters, you too can blossom in ugly situations.”
Water lilies tend to grow in shallow, marshy waters where there’s little to no current. You might see them at the edge of a lake, a part of a river that branches out, or on water that’s backed up due to some kind of barrier, like a dam. Let’s just say, the water isn’t the most pretty and the location isn’t prime real estate. But that’s where beautiful lilies grow best. This quote, by the philosopher and writer Matshona Dhliwayo, reminds us that the same situation can apply to people. We are capable of experiencing the most beautiful growth from ugly situations. We blossom into a stronger, wiser, and more…
“Life is fragile. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow, so give it everything you’ve got.”
It’s easy to take each day for granted and forget life is fragile. This quote, by Tim Cook, reminds us to do our best each day–to give it everything we got. Yes, some days we just don’t have the energy to give it everything we got on everything we do. But we can still live life to the fullest. Rest to the fullest. Practice self-care, mental health, and physical health to the fullest. Work hard to the fullest. Play to the fullest. Enjoy each moment to the fullest.
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
This quote is by the famous American Jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was also a civil rights activist who faced many setbacks during her time, yet she broke many barriers in the entertainment industry. Know this background helps us appreciate what she says in this quote even more. Pursuing our goals might be difficult, but if we’re doing them out of love and inspiration, we’re on the right track. So we can press on boldly and with confidence, knowing we can’t go wrong. Because if we succeed, we’ve put something good out there. And even if we don’t succeed, we’ve at least created some good in the process.
