“When you do the right thing, you get the feeling of peace and serenity associated with it. Do it again and again.”
In life, it’s common to ask ourselves questions like: Did I make the right decision? Am I on the right path? Should I continue on this path? Should I keep doing what I’m doing? But the answer to whether or not you’re doing the right thing might not be as far or illusive as you think. This quote, from the book The Light in the Heart: Inspirational Thoughts for Living Your Best Life by Roy T. Bennett, reminds us to check into how we feel within. When we do so, we may find our conscience–our instincts–telling us exactly what we need to do.
“Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.”
The time it takes to achieve certain goals can often create a feeling of discontentment, especially when it’s been a while and/or there is no guarantee in reaching them. But there’s hope when you find yourself in such situations. It’s all about having the right mindset. The right mindset can come from doing two things:
“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.
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”
Most of us are familiar with the saying about looking at the glass half full or half empty. This anonymous quote is similar in its underlying message. The point is that we can take any event or circumstance and either see the positive or negative. We can complain about everything that’s wrong or try to see the silver lining. If we search hard enough, we will find a silver lining.
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“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
It’s Ok to Feel Sad…for a Moment. The Truth About Unresolved Emotions
“Someday soon, we’ll all be together. If the fates allow. Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow.”
“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.
“The soul is stronger than its surroundings.”
Think about your soul. It’s the part of you that is YOU at the core–your essence. It is there on good days and bad days. It is there no matter where you go. And it is there no matter how you look on the outside. This quote, by psychologist and philosopher William James, makes us consider our soul. Moreover, it reminds us of its strength in the midst of whatever surrounding or circumstance we find ourself. And the best part is that its strength can grow with time. The keys to its strength are: Knowing who you area at the core (your soul) and standing confident and firm in who…
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
Imagine being behind the steering wheel with no say or control on where your car turns or arrives. That’s similar to what happens when we don’t make the unconscious conscious. This quote, by psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Carl Jung, reminds us that if we’re not aware of the things that direct our lives, they will continue to direct our lives without us knowing. Therefore, we fail to redirect our path for the better because we’re unaware we need to. You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. So how do you make the unconscious conscious? It takes more reflection, mindfulness, and metacognitive awareness along with less denial. If necessary (and…
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“The struggles we endure today will be the ‘good old days’ we laugh about tomorrow.”
“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.”
Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t.
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing [themself].”
From a young age, we develop a desire to change the world. Whether it’s the answers we gave as kids when asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” or the careers we take on as adults, there’s a deep-seated desire to “make a difference.” It’s human nature to pursue things that make us feel like we matter. However, this quote, by Leo Tolstoy, is a reminder that most of us are not spending enough time thinking about how we might change ourselves. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to change the world, a tunnel vision focus on this can make us blind to the changes that…
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“There is no such thing as a ‘self-made’ man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”
“A tiny change today brings a dramatically different tomorrow.”
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“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…
“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.”
This quote, by Gilda Radner, gives us a great summary of life. It’s about change, enjoying each moment, and seeing the silver lining, all the while not knowing what’s around the corner. In a nutshell, it’s about change, mindfulness, and gratitude in the midst of uncertainty. But the part of this quote that stands as the foundation for everything else is making the best of things. It’s making the best of the change, the moments, and the uncertainty.
