“Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not.”
Awakening is transformative and intense. It leads to self-discovery and deeper understanding. Furthermore, it requires intention, reflection, meditation, and prayer. Often, the primary focus is to change who we are. However, this quote, by Deepak Chopra, reminds us that discarding who we are not is just as important. Because when we become less of what we are not, we become more of who we really are. We get rid of all the noise, distractions, pretenses, and imitations that obscure our path.
“Anything that makes you weak–physically, intellectually and spiritually–reject it as poison.”
A poison is anything that can cause illness or death to a living thing. This quote, by Swami Vivekananda, helps us recognize that toxic people, environments, and situations are poisonous. They make us weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually. We would undoubtably reject poison in its tangible form. However, we don’t always reject it in the other ways it can appear in our lives. So, let us remember to reject the things that cause similar harm–The things that ill or deaden our body, mind, and soul.
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
Sometimes we tend to have a much greater compassion for others than we do for ourselves. We understand when others make an unintended mistake and we’re prepared to help them in times of need. Meanwhile, we may be quick to dismiss our own hurt and pain and be less forgiving of our own mistakes. This quote, by Jack Kornfield, reminds us to not be so hard on ourselves–to also offer ourselves grace and compassion. Otherwise, our compassion is not whole but rather incomplete.
“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…
“If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.”
Imagine a bird picking up a stone and placing it on its wing or balancing it on its beak. The question is: Would it be able to fly? Yes, birds can fly. But clearly not if something is heavy enough to weigh them down. So they know not to fly with something like a stone. Instead, they opt for things like twigs and pebbles. Similarly, we sometimes try to fly while carrying a lot of baggage. These are things that weigh us down emotionally–mentally. This quote, by the writer Toni Morrison, reminds us to be like the birds. If we want to fly, we are going to have to give…
“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,…
“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.”
This quote, by Morris West, is about always anticipating the worst. But always having a mindset that something’s about to go wrong is like always “waiting for the storm.” In the meantime, we don’t enjoy the sunshine now. So when there is no storm and things are good, let’s not waste the sunshine worrying that something bad is about to happen. In doing so, the things that should make us happy now are either ignored or overshadowed with worry. Let’s do our best to enjoy the sunshine when it comes. And when there is a storm, let’s learn to “dance in the rain.”
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
So you’ve resolved to be “happier,” but it seems like a daunting task. This quote, by Omar Khayyam, reminds us that our life is composed of moments in time. We move from one moment to another; and together, those moments make up our life. Therefore, if we can concentrate on being happier for each moment, we’ll find that being happier, in general, is achievable. We’ll find that the more we practice this with each moment, the easier it gets. Moreover, the more moments of happiness we can find, the happier our life can become overall. Consider the following questions: Are you living in the moment? How can you make the…
“Everything you do, every thought you have, every word you say creates a memory that you will hold in your body. It’s imprinted on you and affects you in subtle ways – ways you are not always aware of. With that in mind, be very conscious and selective.”
This quote, by Phylicia Rashad, is about the power of the mind and the subtle ways each of our thoughts, words, and actions can alter our outlook on ourselves and life little by little. Therefore, it’s important to be conscious of what we think, say, and do. Meanwhile trying to heal whatever pain or damage that’s already there.
“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…
