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“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”
This quote, from Paradise Lost by John Milton, gives us a different perspective of the mind–as its own place. We’re forced to think of our mind as a vast, infinite land that’s sort of under construction. And we have the ability to build whatever we want on it. For instance,…
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“The only way to see a rainbow is to look through the rain.”
Sometimes we forget that whenever we’re looking at a rainbow, we’re also looking past rain. In fact, the only way to see a rainbow is to look past rain. While this is true literally, it’s also true figuratively. In life, there may be raindrops spread out before us–those challenges, setbacks,…
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“To be upset over what you don’t have is to waste what you do have.”
This quote, by Ken Keyes Jr., reminds us to count our blessings. Moreover, it reminds us that the more time and energy we spend being upset about the things we don’t have, the less time and energy we have left to appreciate what’s already right in front of us. Therefore,…
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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…
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PositLive Music: Keep Your Head Up
“Keep Your Head Up” Written by: Andy Grammer Released: February 24, 2011 Andrew Grammer wrote this song at the beginning of his professional music career. It was written after a long day in the streets, trying to sell his album with little success. It was meant to be a pep…
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“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”
Getting what you want all the time seems like the most ideal way to live. There’s nothing that will ever disappoint you. However, according to this quote by Dalai Lama, sometimes not getting what we want is luck. Sometimes, that helps make the moments we do get what we want…
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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…
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PositLive Music: It’s All Right
“It’s All Right” Written by: Curtis Mayfield Released: October 1963 This song is a declaration that “it’s all right.” It was originally recorded by The Impressions with singer-songwriter, Curtis Mayfield, as lead singer. Mayfield would always write songs inspired by things he’d hear people say. “It’s all right” was said…
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“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…
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“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…





















