“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, we can develop it into a beautiful oasis or plant thorns. But in addition to the mind being its own place that we can develop, this quote also reminds us that it’s within our power and mind to either find or create the good in bad situations. It’s also within our power and mind to appreciate the good that’s already…
“Take time to recharge your batteries. It’s hard to see where you’re going when your lights are dim”
Imagine you’re trecking through a long, deep, and dark cave with only a flashlight to guide you through. The flashlight begins to grow dim from overuse. Suddenly, the way forward becomes more difficult, more strained, and nearly impossible. Without stopping to recharge or replace the batteries in your flashlight, you won’t see enough to know where you’re going. You might get lost, go backward, or get stuck. This quote, by Robert H. Connelly, reminds us that we need to recharge our batteries in life. We need to make sure we are getting sufficient rest. When our lights are dim, physically and mentally, we’re more prone to getting lost, going backward,…
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
Have you ever wished you could go back in time and start over on something? Maybe you want to start over on your entire life. The desire to go back in time to change something is not uncommon. You may have had a rough start in life or on a particular endeavor. However, this quote (perhaps by the author, James Sherman), reminds us that we don’t have to be limited by the past. What we know now and do now can change our future.
Living Life Poetically: It Takes Time
The poem, “It Takes Time,” is for those moments when our grief, pain, hopelessness, or efforts toward a certain goal seem to persist with no change or little progress. It Takes Time It may take timeTo heal all wound. It may take timeFor flowers to bloom. It’s tempting to assumeThat good things will always happen soon. But sometimes, it takes longer than we presume.And the longer it takes, the greater our gloom—The kind that can consume. So, in our hearts we must make room,And in our minds we must groom,To understand that— It may take time.
“If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit.”
When pursuing a goal leads to fatigue or burnout, it’s tempting to give up on it all-together before it’s accomplished. It’s natural to want to quit when we’ve become fatigued. But this Bansky quote reminds us that there is another option at our disposal besides quitting. Sometimes all we need is a good rest–a bit of time to reboot, re-energize, and gain a fresh perspective. Rest is always another card in our deck that we can play before forfeiting the game.
“Whatever you do, never run back to what broke you.”
Overcoming challenges is a great accomplishment, especially the ones that bring us to a breaking point. But after some time has passed, we tend to forget or minimize the challenges we’ve overcome and the effect they had on us. Even worse, we put on rose-colored glasses and look back on a difficult situation we’ve been through and see only the good parts. As a result, we actually look back at these experiences with fond memories. This quote, by Frank Ocean, is about not forgetting the things that broke us–the people, environments, situations, etc. Once we’ve overcome and learned from them, why go backwards to relive them again ? Why be…
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“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
“Take time to recharge your batteries. It’s hard to see where you’re going when your lights are dim”
“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”
Being defeated is only a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent
It’s not uncommon for an athlete or team who had lost in the past to win later on. Happens all the time. Now, imagine that after a few defeats, they completely give up and vow never to play again? That would be crazy…and unfortunate, right? Well, we do this with life. After some rough patches and defeats, we sometimes lose our motivation and give up on the game–be it a passion, a hope, a dream–even ourselves. That’s the effect of a defeated mind. This quote by Marilyn vos Savant is not just a reminder to keep going. Beyond this is the message that our decision to not keep going is…
The difference between treating a physical vs. an emotional wound is that one heals faster when it’s covered and the other doesn’t
There’s a common misconception that it’s better to leave wounds exposed to let them air out–dry up and heal. Forget the bandaid. But…WRONG. Covering up wounds and keeping them moist, not dry, is what actually promotes healing. However, the opposite rule applies to emotional wounds. While covering up physical wounds promotes faster healing, doing the same with emotional ones only causes them to fester. Instead, it’s best to air out the emotional wounds. Don’t cover them up or avoid them. Face them. Lift them up in prayer. Talk about them with those you can trust, and talk about them with yourself through self-reflection. Because that is how those kinds of…
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
This quote, by Viktor E. Frankl, is not about giving up on trying to change a bad situation. Unfortunately, there are certain situations that cannot be changed. The only way to change such situations is with a time machine to go back in time or with superpowers. Both of these aren’t realistic options. So what are we left to do? As this quote suggests, when things can’t change externally, we’re forced to find change internally. More specifically, we’re challenged to change our interpretations, perceptions, reactions, and attitudes. In the process, the situation itself may not change; however, WE are changed.
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“Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not.”
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts today.”
“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.”
Start and end the day with gratitude.
It’s simple. Wake up and think of at least one thing you’re thankful for. This simple act sets your day off on the right foot. An attitude of gratitude is more likely to carry on throughout the day if you begin the day with it. But don’t stop there. Before going to bed, ask yourself the same question. This simple act at the end of the day can be for things you’re generally thankful for. However, it can also be an opportunity to recap and reflect on the day–finding at least one thing that was positive. The more you do this, the more it will come more naturally.
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“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.”
“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”
New Beginnings
