Going From “Have to” to “Get to”
There are quite a few things we feel we have to do in life—various responsibilities, commitments, and goals we set for ourselves. You might say “I have to” do this or that, or at least think it consciously or subconsciously. “I have to exercise”, “I have to eat healthy”, “I have to go to work”, “I have to volunteer”, “I have to do chores”, “I have to run errands”. The list goes on. But what if we replace the words “have to” with “get to” for all these things? What if we reimagine them with all the opportunities and possibilities they possess? What if we’re grateful to even have the…
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“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
“F-E-A-R has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.”
“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”
PositLive Music: “Fight Song”
“Fight Song” Written by: Rachel Platten and Dave Bassett Released: February 19, 2015 Less than a year before this song’s release, singer-songwriter, Rachel Platten, was struggling to make it in the music industry. However, she found the strength to go on, as expressed in this song (Source). In short, it’s a song about hope and perseverance. Rachel recalls her struggle saying, “Ten months ago I was on a house concert tour in a van playing to like twenty or thirty people a night…I wrote the song when I was going through such a hard time, and I needed to remember to believe in myself” (Source). Select PositLive Music: Lyrical Playlist…
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.
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When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
Living Life Poetically: Why
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…
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“No exact recipe for today. Gather all available ingredients and whip yourself up something delicious.”
“There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.”
Procrastinator? This Is For You
“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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“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.”
“Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.”
“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.…
“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…
