Tag Archives: culture

Your Authenticity

Simple, straightforward, and true, the daisy flower reminds me of the girl next door in teen movies. She’s just there, being herself and a friend, while the male protagonist is gaga over the breathtaking rose at school who is stuck on her own looks.

Sometimes we are blind to what is right in front of us. The daisy grows wild in the field, with the wind blowing through her petals. The essence of this flower is purity, innocence, and freedom. It’s no wonder that during the hippie movement in the 1960’s, daisies were common in floral crowns worn by women.

Be true to yourself, be authentic, and be real. Your will set your own soul free and the world around you will feel it.

Inspirational quotes:

“This above all: to thine own self be true.” (William Shakespeare)

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” ~ Carl Gustav Jung

“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” ~ Brené Brown

“There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a person being themselves. Imagine going through your day being unapologetically you.” ~ Steve Maraboli

“Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

This post is an excerpt from my life inspiration ebook, 25 Big Ways to Grow Your Life.

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Happiness & Meaning

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“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” ~ Albert Camus

Albert Camus said we shouldn’t analyze happiness or the meaning of life too much, otherwise they elude us. Socrates, on the other hand, apparently said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

My impression is that many people are searching for these two important things, and they are often deeply intertwined. Personally I think that finding happiness and meaning in life requires some courage and taking risk. Henry David Thoreau may have agreed with me. He said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” (I interpret this as, afraid to take the leap to find their own fulfillment and happiness, but that is just my take on it.)

Confused yet? Perhaps the real point here is that the source of happiness and meaning in any person’s life is extremely personal to them, so let’s “live and let live”.

Reverence for life and respect for others is (I think) an important part of the journey, and therein may lie the seed of an answer. When we get out of ourselves (and therefore out of our own way), and when we focus more on what we can do for others, we begin to find happiness and meaning. So Albert may have been right all along…

Or, as the people at Nike would say, “Just do it”.

Freedom of Spirit

Words Are Seeds

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Words are seeds and they have power. The moment they leave our mouths, we have planted a thought or feeling in someone else.

When words are rooted in negativity, they can create great destruction. Sometimes the destruction is maliciously intentional, which creates its own karma back to the speaker. For indeed, what we sow, we reap.

Sometimes the hurt and destruction are unintentional. We can simply sometimes be careless with our words. We don’t think before we speak.

The world desperately needs our good words. It’s time for each of us to plant more positive, expansive seeds. Words of love. Words of gratitude. Words that initiate cooperation. Words rooted in grace.

“Raise your words, not your voice, it is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” (Rumi)

More Inspirational Words Quotes:

“One must always be careful of books,” said Tessa, “and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” ~ Cassandra Clare

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple. ~ Jack Kerouac

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” ~ Rudyard Kipling

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice.”
~ T.S. Eliot

Honing Your Wisdom

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Some people have trouble believing in their own wisdom, therefore they do not question anything around them. “Why should I question? There are experts out there who will tell me what to do.” The ability to question and to apply one’s own critical thinking to any situation is not a sign of weakness, but rather it demonstrates maturity.

How did following the crowd in anything become synonymous with strength? I suppose there is strength in numbers, so therein lies the crux. Following the crowd is easy and feels like the safe thing to do. It requires considerable inner strength to develop and maintain one’s own convictions, particularly when they fly in the face of the crowd.

There are those who talk about “love and light” as if that is the solution to all problems. Love and light are very important, yes, but that is only part of the equation. Part of living your own light is having discernment and the strength to say no to that which does not resonate with your own inner wisdom.

Inspirational Gautama Buddha quotes:

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

“Three things can not hide for long: the Moon, the Sun and the Truth.”

“Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.”

“Greater still is the truth of our connectedness.”

“Doubt everything. Find your own light.”