Feeling fulfilled

 

"Most women I know have,
in the service of some greater good,
 let their very lives wilt on the vine.
We've dulled our personal lives
while propping up everyone else's,
 and we're no longer able to even imagine
having any sort of adventure, romance,
meaning or purpose for ourselves"

Joan Anderson

*****
 

“When will I ever learn to accept what

is given instead of always yearning

for more? My lavish expectations too

 often tarnish my blessings.”

 

― Joan Anderson, A Year by the Sea   

 

*****

 

Having a strong faith

 

 

Picture yourself as a woman

 

who's faith is unshakeable.

 

*****

 

It is better to believe than to disbelieve;
in so doing, you bring everything
to the realm of possibility.
~ Albert Einstein ~
****

Listen to your heart

 

Picture yourself as a woman
 

who knows the difference between her mind and her soul.
 

She listens carefully to the deepest part of her.

****

 

“The possession of knowledge
does not kill the sense of
wonder and mystery.
There is always more mystery.”  

― Anais Nin

*****

 

Owning your feelings

 

Picture yourself as a woman who

 

allows herself to feel all her emotions

 

(anger, hurt, sadness, disappointment...)

 

without judging them.

****

 

The most common way people give up their power
is by thinking they don't have any.

~ Alice Walker ~

****

Courage is like a muscle.
We strengthen it with use.

~ Ruth Gordon ~

****

You may be disappointed if you fail,
but you are doomed if you don't try.

~ Beverly Sills ~

****



 

 

Finding happiness

 

Picture yourself as a woman who

 

has created a life beyond anything

 

she could have ever imagined.

 

*****

 

 

"Happiness cannot be traveled to,

owned, earned, worn or consumed.

Happiness is the spiritual experience

of living every minute with love,

grace, and gratitude."

 

Dennis Waitley

 

 *****

Being flexible

When life begins
we are tender and weak
When life ends
we are stiff and rigid
All things, including the grass and trees,
are soft and pliable in life
and dry in brittle in death

So the soft and supple
are the companion of life
While the stiff and unyielding
are the companions of death

An army that cannot yield
will be defeated
A tree that cannot bend
will crack in the wind
Thus by Nature's own decree
the hard and strong are defeated
while the soft and gentle are triumphant

 

 

Lao Tzu

 

*****

 

If you realize that all things change,
there is nothing you will try to hold on to.

Lao Tzu

*****

Accepting who you are

 • Many of us are frightened to look within ourselves, and fear has us put up walls so thick we no longer remember who we really are.

• Whatever we refuse to recognize about ourselves has a way of rearing its head and making itself known when we least expect it.

• Our society nurtures the illusion that all the rewards go to the people who are perfect. But many of us are finding out that trying to be perfect is costly.
 
• For when I can love all of me, I will love all of you.

*****

 

“By facing these aspects of ourselves,
we become free to experience our glorious totality:
the good and the bad, the dark and the light.
It is by embracing all of who we are
that we earn the freedom to choose what we do in this world.
As long as we keep hiding, masquerading, and projecting
what is inside us, we have no freedom to be and no freedom
to choose.”

 

Debbie Ford

******

Letting go of perfectionism

 

Try harder. Do better. Be perfect.

These messages are tricks that people have played on us. No matter how hard we try, we think we have to do better. Perfection always eludes us and keeps us unhappy with the good we've done.

Messages of perfectionism are tricks because we can never achieve their goal. We cannot feel good about ourselves or what we have done while these messages are driving us. We will never be good enough until we change the messages and tell ourselves we are good enough now.

We can start approving of and accepting ourselves. Who we are is good enough. Our best yesterday was good enough; our best today is plenty good too.

We can be who we are, and do it the way we do it - today. That is the essence of avoiding perfection.

****

 

 

“At its root,
perfectionism isn’t really about
a deep love of being meticulous.
It’s about fear.
Fear of making a mistake.
Fear of disappointing others.
Fear of failure.
Fear of success.” 
― Michael Law

****

Finding some peace

 

“I used to spend so much time reacting and responding to everyone else that my life had no direction. Other people's lives, problems, and wants set the course for my life. Once I realized it was okay for me to think about and identify what I wanted, remarkable things began to take place in my life.” 

 

―    Melody Beattie

 

******

 

“The lesson I was learning involved
the idea that I could feel compassion
for people without acting on it. ” 

― Melody Beattie

 

****

Feeling loveable

 

 

Love may not always look like you think it should.
That doesn't mean though, that you're not loved. 
Love is everywhere in your life.
It comes in many forms.

Keep in mind that people put forth their best efforts.
Your part is to open your heart to the love that's offered,
letting go of  judgment or feelings of lack.

You may block love for fear of rejection.
You may feel undeserving.
This is your work...to remove these blocks.
Practice being more open.
Take more risks.
 Know that you are a wonderful human being.

******

“Fear of being a flawed person lay at the root of my trance, and I had sacrificed many moments over the years in trying to prove my worth. ...I inhabited a self-made prison that stopped me from living fully.” 
 
― Tara Brach

*****

Being happy

 

 

Smiling is infectious,
You catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.

 

I passed around the corner,
And someone saw my grin,
When he smiled I realized,
I'd passed it on to him.

 

I thought about that smile,
Then realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine,
Could travel round the earth...

 

Author unknown

 

*****

 

Laugh when you can,
apologize when you should,
and let go of what you can't change.
Life's too short to be anything... but happy.

- Anonymous

 

*****

Things life teaches us

 

 

“I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

 

― Maya Angelou

 

*****

 

Listening to your heart

 

 

I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognized as my own.

Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper.
Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.

But always it says: Wake up, my love. You are walking asleep.
There's no safety in that!

 

Hold tenderly who you are and let a deeper knowing
colour the shape of your humanness.

There is no where to go. What you are looking for is right here.
Open the fist clenched in wanting and see what you already hold in your hand.

There is no waiting for something to happen,
no point in the future to get to.
All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now.

You are wearing yourself out with all this searching.
Come home and rest...

 

Oriah Mountain Dreamer- "The Call"

 

*****

 

Taken at the Biltmore Estates- N. Carolina

“There is a candle in your heart,
ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul,
ready to be filled.
You feel it, don't you?” 

― Rumi

*****

 

Hugging the moon

 

Picture yourself as a woman who,

 

like the moon and the stars,

 

knows her purpose in life.

 

*****

 

 

“Anyone can slay a dragon

but try waking up every morning

and loving the world all over again...

 

― Brian Andreas

 



Being your truest self

Picture yourself as a woman

who speaks the words of her heart

rather than words to please others.

*****

Why do you stay in prison
when the door is so wide open?” 

― Rumi

Accepting change

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” 

 

Eckhart Tolle

 

*****

 

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” 

 

Lao Tzu   

 

*****

 

I give you this to take with you:
Nothing remains as it was. If you know this, you can
begin again, with pure joy in the uprooting.” 

 

Judith Minty

*****