When we let our minds snowball into a cloud of mixed up thoughts and constant chatter, clarity can be hard to find in our everyday lives. By discerning between the false truths we’ve held onto and the truths we want to actually believe, we can mold our reality in a whole new way. Here are some of my favorite quotes that I go back to in times of confusion, chronic distress, or when accompanied by feelings of depletion.
“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding” -John O’Donohue
I so often hold onto the things I want to stay in my life, but my grip ends up tarnishing the enjoyment I once had in them. By letting not only our thoughts flow in and out of our minds, but also relationships and objects flow similarly through our lives, we can then allow ourselves to relax into what is actually in our lives presently, and not what we have lost or worry about what there is to gain. How our life unfolds constantly changes, but coming back to unconditional love for ourselves lets us flow through the ups and downs with grace.
“I get up, I fall down, all the while I am dancing” -Martha Graham
The dance of life is messy– not to mention also constantly changing, leaving us to constantly adapt. The nuance of life can feel uncomfortable, but then again the only certainty in life is change. Fear of change only adds discomfort. In embracing change, you embrace yourself, and the self growth that you continuously experience. There is no end to the dance we perform, but we can change the way we twirl. Life is full of moments to live in, not a destination to arrive at.
“You have never tried anything, you have simply not done it yet” -Wayne Dyer
While we do learn from our achievements, we learn from our failures even more so. When you value the process more than the result, you might find that taking risks isn’t as scary as previously perceived. The mind tends to fabricate stories, and sometimes it is best to override those myths with courage, allowing ourselves to fail and try again. Some failures unknowingly lead us in the right direction, while others set us up for a better attempt. When you don’t get the result you had planned for, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is an impossible task. This different way of thinking involves a mindset of growth and accountability. When approaching a task as just an attempt, you leave space for excuses and ways out. Comparatively, when you mentally commit to the task fully, you allow yourself to dive into what is needed for success, rather than what might hold you back.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate” -Carl Jung
Living in an orthodox life traps our minds and prevents the process of natural evolution and growth. The things that live in our unconscious mind can be intimidating but are necessary to open up new beginnings in our lives. It takes discomfort to move through dark places but we don’t have to despise what we have gone through, after all it was what shaped us and allowed us to thrive. Looking into our unconscious also involves patience and mental strength. We don’t even realize how much our unconscious mind directs our everyday actions. By addressing and releasing what is trapped in our mind and body, we allow our thoughts to progress to new levels that allow us recognize that we do not have to be controlled by our own thoughts.
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together” -Desmond Tutu
We live here on Earth as a whole. We live with ourselves, our neighbors, the birds, and the rivers. When we can truly look within ourselves in the mirror and see who we are–imperfect miracles–we can see this truth in others as well. There is no perfect mold we must achieve, but rather the life we choose to live for ourselves. When the ego presents judgment on ourselves and those around us, we must remind ourselves that our identity does not lie within such limiting thoughts. The world you view comes from your own perception, and that perception is malleable. Everyone develops their own narratives in different ways, with one not being more dominant over the rest.
Changing the way you think is one thing, changing the way you act however, is a whole other. Growth isn’t linear, but rather a combination of many ups, downs, and turnarounds. Our experiences all lead to something bigger than we can ever perceive, but just living in the moment and experiencing life for what it is, is all you need to do.