“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
This quote is from the book, Meditations, by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Meditations contains a series of notes and ideas by Aurelius to himself–a kind of personal journal. There is evidence to believe Aurelius suffered from chronic pain and poor appetite (symptoms of a possible ulcer). It was so bad that many were concerned for his health. Knowing this context, we might have more appreciation for his words about waking up each morning with gratitude for simply being alive with the ability to think, enjoy, and love. It’s not always easy to do so, especially when we’re suffering from pain–be it physical or emotional. But perhaps, with gratitude, the…
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“If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off… no matter what they say.”
“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.”
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.
“I never lose. Either I win or learn.”
Whenever someone doesn’t win, the assumption is that they lost or tied. However, this quote, by Nelson Mandela, reminds us not to think in such absolute terms when it comes to winning and losing. Moreover, it reminds us to rethink what losing actually means; or rather, what losing actually results in. Yes, it often results in sadness and disappointment–But it also results in learning. No matter what, there’s something to learn. There’s always a lesson. Unfortunately, feelings of sadness and disappointment have a way of overshadowing the lessons loss teaches us. But if we find a way to learn the lessons, then our losses are never in vain.
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“Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.”
The Deep Thoughts That are Always There When We Need Them
“If Opportunity doesn’t Knock, Build a Door.”
“Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not.”
Awakening is transformative and intense. It leads to self-discovery and deeper understanding. Furthermore, it requires intention, reflection, meditation, and prayer. Often, the primary focus is to change who we are. However, this quote, by Deepak Chopra, reminds us that discarding who we are not is just as important. Because when we become less of what we are not, we become more of who we really are. We get rid of all the noise, distractions, pretenses, and imitations that obscure our path.
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“When you connect to the silence within you, that is when you can make sense of the disturbance going on around you.”
Living Life Poetically: Why
“Everything you do, every thought you have, every word you say creates a memory that you will hold in your body. It’s imprinted on you and affects you in subtle ways – ways you are not always aware of. With that in mind, be very conscious and selective.”
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
Sometimes we tend to have a much greater compassion for others than we do for ourselves. We understand when others make an unintended mistake and we’re prepared to help them in times of need. Meanwhile, we may be quick to dismiss our own hurt and pain and be less forgiving of our own mistakes. This quote, by Jack Kornfield, reminds us to not be so hard on ourselves–to also offer ourselves grace and compassion. Otherwise, our compassion is not whole but rather incomplete.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
This quotation is from 2 Corinthians 4 verse 16. It’s a great reminder that we are more than our outer and physical selves. We may show visible signs of age, become weaker and slower over time, or become injured. That is part of life; and it shouldn’t make us lose heart. Because while all these things are taking place, there is another part of ourselves that is being renewed each day. It’s a part we don’t see and may not feel; but it’s the essence of who we are–our inner selves–our souls. At the end of the day, the constant renewal of our inner selves is what really matters. So,…
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
Think about all the things you’ve dreamt of doing but your doubts stood in the way. You didn’t think you could do these things so you never tried or you quickly gave up on them. Therefore, each doubt resulted in an unfulfilled dream. This quote, by Suzy Kassem, brings to light the fact that we have more to lose in doubt than we do in failure. At least with failure we learn from our mistakes, and what we learn sets us up for success later. However, with doubt, we either don’t take the first step or we quickly give up before we’re half-way there. Hence, trying and failing is much…
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
To truly apply this quote by Mahatma Gandhi, you first have to reflect on what it means for a person to live as if they were to die tomorrow and what it means for them to learn as if they were to live forever. Unfortunately, many people switch the words “tomorrow” and “forever”. As a result, they do the exact opposite of this quote. They live as if they were to live forever (not appreciating each day) and learn as if they were to die tomorrow (finding no need to learn anything new). However, this quote is about not taking a single day for granted and living life to the…
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
So you’ve resolved to be “happier,” but it seems like a daunting task. This quote, by Omar Khayyam, reminds us that our life is composed of moments in time. We move from one moment to another; and together, those moments make up our life. Therefore, if we can concentrate on being happier for each moment, we’ll find that being happier, in general, is achievable. We’ll find that the more we practice this with each moment, the easier it gets. Moreover, the more moments of happiness we can find, the happier our life can become overall. Consider the following questions: Are you living in the moment? How can you make the…
Living Life Poetically: 2020
2020 has definitely been a challenging year for many of us. Through it, we may have felt pain, sadness, loss, and loneliness in a way we’ve never felt before. But coming to this moment with the year at a close means we somehow managed to push through it all. We may have discovered new ways to cope; and we may have realized we’re stronger than we expected–especially with the support of each other. Perhaps we take less for granted. Perhaps we discovered an appreciation for the little things. The poem, “2020”, is a reflection on a year that has been horrendous. But with time, we may find the silver lining…
“Someday, somehow, this will all make sense.”
Sometimes things happen in life that just don’t make sense, which might be happening more frequently these days. 2020 has been full of surprises. That said, there couldn’t be a better time for this quote, by Maxime Lagacé, to remind us that “Someday, somehow, this will all make sense.” This statement is relevant now as it is any other time. While things making sense someday, somehow is reassuring, “someday” may not be today or tomorrow; and “somehow” may not be the way we’d want it to. However, simply reminding ourselves of these words can help us anticipate a future when things will be a bit clearer. Moreover, it reminds us…
