PositLive Music: “Better Days”
“Better Days” Written by: Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, and John Nathaniel Released: March 25, 2020 The writers of this song, including lead singer Ryan Tedder, were inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic (Source). The promise of “better days” is in the context of a global pandemic. However, the lyrics to the song can be applied to any situation in which we might feel helpless. This song is about having hope that better days will come whenever we’re faced with such situations. Select PositLive Music: Lyrical Playlist to view all playlist songs as they’re being added.Select Exploring New Ways to PositLive to read about the inspiration for PositLive Music. “Better Days” Sung…
“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure.”
“Let there be room for not knowing.” This quote, by Pema Chödrön, is about finding comfort in not knowing. This sounds like a contradicting response to uncertainty. The typical and most natural response is anxiety and discomfort. However, not knowing can actually be the thing that takes away our sense of anxiety and discomfort. As this quote states, not knowing means we don’t know the end of the story; And what a beautiful thing that is. So when there’s a big disappointment, we don’t really know if it’s the beginning of something good. Therefore, we can replace our anxiety and discomfort in not knowing with a feeling of hope.
PositLive Music: “Put Your Records On”
“Put Your Records On” Written by: Corinne Bailey Rae, John Beck, and Steve Chrisanthou Released: February 20, 2006 First and foremost, this song is about marching to the beat of your own drum. It’s about not worrying so much about what people think and putting your worries aside. Furthermore, it’s about taking chances and having faith that things will work out in the end. In the song, Corinne Bailey Rae is singing to her younger self. She’s encouraging her younger self to fully embrace who she is (Source). Therefore, the lyrics read “Girl, put your records on.” However, the general message can be given to anyone. Select PositLive Music: Lyrical…
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
In nature, storms come and go. No storm has ever lasted forever. However, some are fleeting, while some can last the entire night and into the morning. The same applies to life. Some of the challenging moments in life are short-lived and some seem like they’ll never end. Either way, it’s only natural to wait eagerly for the storm to pass. Waiting in anticipation for life’s storms to pass isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a sign of hope. However, this quote, by Vivian Greene, reminds us to dance in the rain while we wait. It’s not always easy. But when it can be done, it makes the wait so…
“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…
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“You can either experience the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The choice is yours.”
“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure.”
Depression Part 3: Finding the Cause and Working Toward the Solution
“The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.”
This quote is from Linda Woolverton’s screen adaptations of Alice In Wonderland. It’s said by the characters Charles Kingsleigh (2010) and Alice Kingsleigh (2016). The quote reminds us that achieving what seems impossible requires some amount of hope and faith that it can be done. Naturally, our effort is commiserate to our belief in a positive outcome. In other words, it’s hard to put in the necessary effort if we feel like our effort will be in vain. Moreover, it’s harder to persevere through difficulties. Without hope and faith, we are more likely to give up or not try at all. Therefore, our most critical step in anything that seems…
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12),” was written by Paul the Apostle in his letters to Rome. There are three parts to this very short verse; and each part carries a significant meaning on its own and an even greater meaning put together. Be joyful in hope. The hope that things will work out in the end has a way of bringing us joy even in the darkest of times. It means always looking forward with the belief that things will work out for the best some way or another–even if things do not look so bright now. It’s only a matter of time.…
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No More Hiding the Past
“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.”
Only You
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
In agriculture, not everyday is a harvest. In fact, for most crops, harvesting everyday is not a good idea. First of all, there needs to be adequate time given for plants to grow and mature in accordance to the season, which will yield a more fruitful harvest. Second, only harvesting (but not planting the seeds) will only get you so far. Eventually, there will be nothing left to harvest. This concept makes sense in the realm of agriculture. It’s just the “nature” of things. But it also applies to life. Sometimes, we expect every day in life to be a harvest–a day we hit the mark, reach a goal, or…
“Success is what happens after you have survived all of your disappointments.”
The traditional definition of success means attaining or accomplishing something. This is an accurate definition. However, if we limit our idea of success to arriving at a destination, we overlook the little triumphs along the way. Perhaps the most overlooked triumph along the way is the mere act of overcoming disappointments and moving forward. In other words, continuing along a path that has been full of stumbling blocks. Let’s keep in mind that simply “surviving” these disappointments is also a success. Moreover, as this anonymous quote reminds us, success (by definition) is what happens when we do so.
“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.”
“First days” tend to elicit excitement. We venture into the unknown, embark on a new adventure, and explore uncharted territory. First days are hopeful; and the possibilities are endless because we haven’t yet begun. Now imagine having this “first day” feeling every day you wake up. This quote, by an unknown author, reminds us that every morning we wake up is literally the first day of the rest of our lives. As such, each day is an uncharted territory. It carries possibilities and hope, even during challenging times–especially during challenging times. But starting each day “with broken pieces of yesterday,” compromises our ability to appreciate the present and have a…
