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“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.”
This quote, by Soren Kierkegaard, explains that life is best understood backwards–in hindsight. But the trouble is that we must live it forward. We must live it in that unsettling space that falls between a confounding present and an uncertain future. As such, we often don’t understand why things are…
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“When one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
There’s something about making up your mind about something that has a way of silencing excuses, doubts, and fear. All you see is action. This quote, by Rosa Parks, encapsulates this idea. The higher your resolve, the lower your excuses, doubts, and most of all, fear. For instance, let’s say…
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“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.”
This quote is derived from Walden, a book by Henry David Thoreau. It reminds us that our dreams don’t have to be set for tomorrow. Rather, we can start working toward them today with such confidence that it’s as if they’re already a reality–As if we’re already living the life…
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“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Have you ever looked at a problem, goal, or situation and felt that it’s impossible? Maybe it’s that big project you started, which seemed like an ant hill at first but now looks more like Mt. Everest. Or maybe it’s that lofty goal, which can be described as “reaching for…
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“Success is just around the corner from difficulty.”
Sometimes all we need is a quick pep-talk when it feels as if our efforts are in vain. And there might not be a better one than this simple quote by Todd Stocker. The quote comes from his book, Becoming The Fulfilled Leader: 10 Personal Leadership Principles Learned Through An…
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“Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.”
It’s physically impossible to leave a place and not find yourself in another. This quote, by screenwriter and playwright Tom Stoppard, is about applying this practical concept to life. Whether it’s leaving a room, a country, a relationship, or career, something else awaits on the other side of that exit.…
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The “Life Maze”
There’s a big difference between the maze you see drawn on paper and a physical maze one, typically made out of hedges. Sometimes, when we’re not sure which way to go in life, it helps to imagine our life as a physical maze. This depiction reveals three important realities about…
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Living Life Poetically: You Must Choose a Path
“You Must Choose a Path” is one of my older poems written around 2010-2011. It’s a haiku-style poem about overcoming the fear of going down the wrong path or making a mistake. Too much of that fear can make us paralyzed. As a result, we go nowhere. Sometimes we just…
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“In the end, everything will be okay. If it’s not okay, it’s not yet the end.”
When reading a book, we eventually come to its definitive end. We turn the final page of a story or series and there’s nothing more to be said. Typically, things end on a good note. There’s a sense of closure. Similarly this quote, by Fernando Sabino, reminds us that if…
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“If you’re doing something outside of dominant culture, there’s not an easy place for you. You will have to do it yourself.”
Whether we want to believe it or not, things like our age, gender, race, and socioeconomic background play a factor in where we go to school, when, if we attend college, what we major in, the career we pursue, when we start a family. The list goes on. Simply put,…