Living Life Poetically: The Storm Within
“The Storm Within” is a poem about having a storm that’s not outside in the elements but inside you. Sometimes life can feel like there’s a storm raging within. And the feeling and effects can be very similar to what occurs outside. The Storm Within It seems the storm has rerouted.Disappearing from the forecast,It now rages inside you,Devastating your inward land. Its dark clouds hide the stars in your eyes,As its heavy rain pours down your cheeks. From within, its violent winds uproot you from where you stood like an oak, securely planted,And topples your spirit to the ground. Its bold thunder shakes your confidence to the coreAs its icy…
“Being deeply loved gives you strength, while loving deeply gives you courage.”
During challenging times, we may need to lean on loving family and friends for support. Their support gives us strength; and something as simple as a hug or a listening ear can go a long way. So, the idea that being deeply loved gives us strength makes complete sense. However, the idea that loving deeply gives us courage may not be as straightforward. At the heart of the second half of this quote by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzuloving is the fact that loving deeply makes us more selfless. With less focus on ourselves, we can have more care about the wellbeing of those we love. And care for something beyond…
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
Sadness, frustration, hardship, and loss are almost unavoidable in life. Therefore, praying for an easy life would be an unrealistic expectation. There’s no such thing as a life free of these conditions no matter your geographic location, socioeconomic status, age, or piety. The truth is, there are always going to be some negatives intermixed with the positives. This is why, as suggested in this Bruce Lee quote, we should pray for strength for when we do fall on hard times rather than pray that we never do at all. There’s no such thing as a life free of sadness, frustration, hardship, and loss. However, having the strength to surmount these…
“The soul is stronger than its surroundings.”
Think about your soul. It’s the part of you that is YOU at the core–your essence. It is there on good days and bad days. It is there no matter where you go. And it is there no matter how you look on the outside. This quote, by psychologist and philosopher William James, makes us consider our soul. Moreover, it reminds us of its strength in the midst of whatever surrounding or circumstance we find ourself. And the best part is that its strength can grow with time. The keys to its strength are: Knowing who you area at the core (your soul) and standing confident and firm in who…
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“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.”
“If you’re reading this… Congratulations, you’re alive. If that’s not something to smile about, then I don’t know what is.”
“You can’t fall if you don’t climb. But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground.”
“The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of the world but those who fight and win battles that others do not know anything about.”
This quote comes from author, filmmaker, and mental health advocate, Jonathan Harnisch, and it’s from his book,The Brutal Truth. It reminds us that we don’t always know what someone is going through. Not everyone likes to broadcast the struggles they’re facing and overcoming. To the world, those who do are seen as strong and regarded with high esteem. Meanwhile, those fighting battles we don’t know about may be considered weaker in comparison. But we have to be mindful that they too are battling their own demons and challenges. And it’s through that awareness that our empathy grows toward those who are loud about their battles as well as those who…
“Weaknesses are just strengths in the wrong environment.”
We usually beat ourselves up for our weaknesses. Meanwhile, we celebrate our strengths. But what if we’re able to celebrate our weaknesses just as much as we celebrate what we’re good at? This quote, by Marianne Cantwell, challenges us to stop referring to our weaknesses as such. We can actually think of them as strengths. Things we may conventionally consider a weakness, like being slow, loud, soft spoken, spontaneous, or overly caution are not bad in and of themselves. They just need to be placed in an environment where they are valuable traits. So we can stop beating ourselves up for our weaknesses and know that it’s all a matter…
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along’.”
This quote, by Eleanor Roosevelt, is simple. It’s about the strength, courage, and confidence we gain whenever we face our fears. Each time we face our fears, we are emboldened to face the next one because we aren’t the same person we were. Something in us changes, and we face new challenges at a higher level than before.
H.O.P.E. = Hold On. Pain Ends.
Hold on. Pain Ends. This acronym for the word hope is also such a great definition of what it means to have hope. Having hope means having faith that whatever difficulties or challenges you’re going through now will eventually end. But holding on is not easy at times. We naturally get impatient and feel like we cant hang in there much longer. However, just the mere understanding that the pain will end–or at least diminish–makes it easier to hold on. So next time you feel completely hopeless, remember to hold on. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
“The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s what you’re made of. Not the circumstances.”
It’s interesting to note that boiling water can both soften a potato and harden an egg. If we think of the boiling water as challenges in life, then those challenges can either make us weaker (soften us) or make us stronger (harden us). This anonymous quote reminds us that the same boiling water–same circumstances–can have different effects. In other words, the circumstances are not what automatically determine our outcome. It all depends what we’re made of. It depends on the composition of our mind, body, and soul.
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“God has perfect timing; never early, never late. It takes a little patience and it takes a lot of faith, but it’s worth the wait.”
Living Life Poetically: At the Water’s Edge
“You can make life very simple or very complicated. Some people try to be what others want them to be. Others try to be different just to stand out. In both cases, they are changing themselves to impress others. Neither of these paths has a heart. Just be true to yourself. It’s that simple.”
“Giving up doesn’t always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.”
In life, we’re conditioned to believe that giving up is a sign of weakness. If you’re giving up on something, it must automatically mean you’re not capable or strong enough to do that thing. However, this quote, from the book Crossing Tinker’s Knob by Inglath Cooper, turns this thinking upside-down. Sometimes giving up means we’re strong enough to let go. Sometimes it’s actually harder to give up than to keep going. Knowing when it’s time to end one course in favor of an other not only requires an incredible amount of discernment but also strength in humility.
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“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.”
PositLive Music: “Put Your Records On”
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
