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This community inspires me.
Our readers at Elephant Journal inspire me. As an editor, when I see them sharing their stories and experiences in responses to our posts, I’m reminded that we are not alone. That while each and every one of us is seeing life through their own lens, we are still bonded by the common thread of humanity.
Elephant Journal offers this space for community conversation and healing to take place, and once in a while, something delightful happens.
Last week, our readers responded to a question we posted on our Facebook Page asking, “Has there ever been a quote that turned your life around?”
Here are some of the responses:
>> Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent. ~ Andrea
>> One episode of The Sopranos ended with a quote on the screen that read, “Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, and all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky.” It speaks to both my existential angst and my spiritual beliefs. It’s now tattooed on my arm. ~ Leslie
>> Don’t look back, you’re not going that way. ~ Tavi
>> It’s not what happens to you, but how you manage what has happened, that reveals your character. ~ Roxanne
>> “This too shall pass” …. it has kept me focused on surviving many times in my life. ~ Vicki
>> Sometimes when we think we have been buried, we’ve really been planted. ~ Cornelia
>> The devil whispered in my ear “you’re not strong enough to weather the storm,” so I whispered in the devil’s ear “I am the storm”. F U cancer. ~ Luna
>> Be the person you needed when you were younger. ~ Jacqueline
>> You do not have to set yourself on fire to keep others warm. ~ Amanda
>> You’ve just gotta keep doing the right thing even when the wrong thing is happening all around you. ~ Joel Osteen. ~ Rhonda
>> The only person you can control is yourself. It’s not your business to know what others think of you. ~ Erika
>> Do not take advice from someone who does not have to live with the consequences. ~ Yvette
>> This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play. – Alan Watts. ~ Quinn
>>You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. ~ Gandhi. ~ Kim
>> “Every man dies. Not every man lives” from Braveheart and made me decide to do the things I’ve always wanted to do. ~ David
>> My dear,
In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.
In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.
In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.
I realised, through it all, that…
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.
Truly yours,
Albert Camus. ~ Sarah
>> As in a game of cards, so it is in life. We must play with what is dealt to us. The honour consists not so much in winning as in playing a poor hand well. ~ Jill
>> Don’t have a wishbone where your backbone should be. ~ Marny
>> The moment you take 100 percent responsibility for everything in your life is the same moment you claim your power to change anything in your life. However, the crucial distinction is to realize that taking responsibility is not the same thing as accepting blame. while blame determines who is at fault for something, responsibility determines who is committed to improving a situation. It rarely matters who is at fault. All that matters is that you are committed to improving your situation. ~ Hal Elrod. ~ Dawn
>> Let’s simplify this just a little: no excuses. No buts. Shed the anger. Lose the regret. Instead, ask yourself one simple, but life-changing question: Where can you create love today?” ~ Mollie Morningstar. ~ Jamie
>> It doesn’t really matter whether you grip the arms of the dentist’s chair or let your hands lie in your lap. The drill drills on. ~ C.S. Lewis. ~ Shawn
>>”You need to learn to like living alone.” It was harder than I thought it would be but now I can’t imagine living with someone. I’m alone but I’m not lonely. ~ Michelle
>> “May this be your largest disappointment in life”…puts things right back into perspective. ~ Ali
>> Stop expecting you from other people. ~ Kristen
>> You can not be more invested in someone’s outcome than they are. ~ Jill
>> Correct in yourself what you dislike in others. ~ Deryle
>> “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” Decided to go to university, I went from being a hairdresser to a psychologist. Now I have the best job ever. ~ Cheryl
>> Today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday and all is well. ~ Jacquie
>>When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. ~ Maya Angelou. ~ Shea
>> If equal affection can not be. Let the more loving one be me. ~ Laura
>> My response to people asking if I am having a good day is to say any day above the grass in a vertical position, is a great day, just some are better than others. ~ Patricia
>> What you focus on expands. ~ Dr Nancy Gordon. ~ Dolette
>> Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. ~ SarahJane
>>If you do not heal what hurt you, you’ll bleed on people who didn’t cut you. ~ Amy
And lastly, my favourite one:
>> Someone put a handmade sign up in their window at the start of this whole covid thing. It said “we can do hard things”. I swear I think about it everyday and sometimes go out of my way to drive by that house just to see the sign. ~ Sarah
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