Showing posts with label things to live by. Show all posts
Showing posts with label things to live by. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
a little encouragement
Just because I don't have time to write these days doesn't mean I can't seek out encouragement, right? The perfectionist in me needs this constant reminder:
Whenever I decide to let go, a force inside of me refuses. That's when I know, it has a become a part of me. Or maybe, always has been.
Accept the conflict, my friend said. You can't be one without the other. The balance of the two is what makes you whole. Embrace it. Be a lawyer. Be a writer. And the people who love you will understand. Even when your time with them is limited by the pursuit of this work. Work it.
And that's why I love them. :)
Whenever I decide to let go, a force inside of me refuses. That's when I know, it has a become a part of me. Or maybe, always has been.
Accept the conflict, my friend said. You can't be one without the other. The balance of the two is what makes you whole. Embrace it. Be a lawyer. Be a writer. And the people who love you will understand. Even when your time with them is limited by the pursuit of this work. Work it.
And that's why I love them. :)
Monday, January 21, 2013
doing better ... in the moment.
If I were to take a survey from my group of friends on making resolutions, 95 percent would say that they don't like to make them because they never do them anyway. But, I ask, how are you supposed to succeed at something if you already believe that you'll fail at it before you even try?
I think that resolutions can be intimidating because we choose such grandiose ones to be accomplished in such a short period of time that we become overwhelmed and feel like a complete failure when we don't accomplish them. So, my idea to overcome that was to set a theme for my resolutions and according to that theme, I write down my goals, and my ideas on how to accomplish them. This year the theme is to do better. Maya Angelou said that "when you know better, you do better." And I finally feel that I'm in the position of knowing better, and thus, doing better. Finally got the lessons down. And coincidentally, today, I heard someone say (not directly at me) that making mistakes is natural; we all make mistakes. But making the same mistake again, well, that's just stupidity. It was stated much more articulately, but, the word "stupidity" was definitely used.
When I told my friend about my theme resolution, she said hers would then have to be "living in the moment." It turns out that it's a common struggle with my friends - this being present and living-in-the-moment idea. And I could definitely relate since I spent years trying to learn how to be in the moment. I don't believe I've completely mastered it, but I am definitely much, much better at it. And I did it by years of trying. Different things. And when one thing didn't work or had worked and then stopped, I'd try something else.
You just gotta try. Everyday, I told my friend. Make each day count. It's cliché I know, but sometimes, clichés come from a good place. And have a good point.
How do you make each day count? Well, I've got a few ideas:
(1) Everyday, do something you want to do rather than something you have to do. Whether it's to go for a walk around the block or have a phone date with a friend you haven't spoken to in a long time or sit on a park bench and read a few pages from a book you've been wanting to read. Have some variety in your wants. You'll find that allowing yourself to think about what one thing you want for the day (not tomorrow, but today) can be an invigorating exercise on staying present.
(2) Connect with someone. And really connect. Look at someone when you say hello, and wait for their response when you ask, how are you? Listen.
(3) Do something that makes another person smile.
And when I was thinking about this "living in the moment" idea, I remembered this picture I took during a trip to the Grand Canyon a few years back:
It's a picture of my friend taking in the amazing sights of the Grand Canyon. We were both snapping pictures like crazy that day, but then, at this moment, I just saw him on the top of that rock, looking ... still. Every time I look at this picture, I remember that feeling of being still. Centered and content. In the present.
What's your resolutions or goals for this year? How are you going to make this year better than last?
I think that resolutions can be intimidating because we choose such grandiose ones to be accomplished in such a short period of time that we become overwhelmed and feel like a complete failure when we don't accomplish them. So, my idea to overcome that was to set a theme for my resolutions and according to that theme, I write down my goals, and my ideas on how to accomplish them. This year the theme is to do better. Maya Angelou said that "when you know better, you do better." And I finally feel that I'm in the position of knowing better, and thus, doing better. Finally got the lessons down. And coincidentally, today, I heard someone say (not directly at me) that making mistakes is natural; we all make mistakes. But making the same mistake again, well, that's just stupidity. It was stated much more articulately, but, the word "stupidity" was definitely used.
When I told my friend about my theme resolution, she said hers would then have to be "living in the moment." It turns out that it's a common struggle with my friends - this being present and living-in-the-moment idea. And I could definitely relate since I spent years trying to learn how to be in the moment. I don't believe I've completely mastered it, but I am definitely much, much better at it. And I did it by years of trying. Different things. And when one thing didn't work or had worked and then stopped, I'd try something else.
You just gotta try. Everyday, I told my friend. Make each day count. It's cliché I know, but sometimes, clichés come from a good place. And have a good point.
How do you make each day count? Well, I've got a few ideas:
(1) Everyday, do something you want to do rather than something you have to do. Whether it's to go for a walk around the block or have a phone date with a friend you haven't spoken to in a long time or sit on a park bench and read a few pages from a book you've been wanting to read. Have some variety in your wants. You'll find that allowing yourself to think about what one thing you want for the day (not tomorrow, but today) can be an invigorating exercise on staying present.
(2) Connect with someone. And really connect. Look at someone when you say hello, and wait for their response when you ask, how are you? Listen.
(3) Do something that makes another person smile.
And when I was thinking about this "living in the moment" idea, I remembered this picture I took during a trip to the Grand Canyon a few years back:
It's a picture of my friend taking in the amazing sights of the Grand Canyon. We were both snapping pictures like crazy that day, but then, at this moment, I just saw him on the top of that rock, looking ... still. Every time I look at this picture, I remember that feeling of being still. Centered and content. In the present.
What's your resolutions or goals for this year? How are you going to make this year better than last?
