We are not born with hard hearts. We are born with soft and tender hearts that, more often than not, are mishandled and consequently broken. The pain is always harsher than expected when each fragment turns to stone. So we pile them high to form a wall of protection around ourselves, determined never to experience such terrible pain again. That is how hearts come to be hardened. Ironically, our refusal to dismantle the wall is how and why we continue to suffer.
Gratitude highlights the good in what is.
You will never have enough until you are grateful for what you have.
Not believing in clouds won’t keep them from forming. It won’t keep the rain from falling either.
Just because it is not what you pictured doesn’t mean it is not what I described.
The fact is, life rains on you. How sad you haven’t learned to dance in the downpour.
You can blame everyone for your circumstances, but that will not change the fact that you still must live in them. Change does not come until you take responsibility for your choices and proceed to do something. You must make the change happen. You must do it. In truth, no one else is to blame if things fail to change.
You do realize that your looks have virtually nothing to do with what you are capable of accomplishing, right? Talents and abilities do not hinge on appearances.
Your failure or success is nothing compared to your integrity throughout the process.
The wants, needs, feelings, hours, hopes, and dreams of everyone around you bear equal weight to those of your own. Neither mine nor yours are greater. Ingrain that into your understanding.
Every day grants us opportunities to do good. Take advantage of them. Do good. Be happy.
Don’t you dare get discouraged. Don’t you dare believe that failure is permanent or insurmountable.
Honesty is the beating heart in good people.
Honesty is considerably more than the absence of lying. It is the absence of deception, of cheating, of stealing, of treachery, of guile. But that is not all, honesty is the inclusion of virtuous characteristics as well: loyalty, justness, truth, accuracy, reliance, sincerity, openness. Honesty is every word, every action, and every intention being both bare and noble.
People need people who show that they care.
When nothing goes my way, when all attempts fail, when the darkest clouds in the sky seem bent on hovering over me while everyone with whom I come into contact flashes a nasty scowl, I find some comfort in the thought of a fresh tomorrow. I am thankful for the opportunity to try again.
Besides the daydreaming and getting lost in a fun story, my favorite thing about writing is the creation process. I find it both thrilling and addictive. As a writer, I form everything in my head before describing it in words: people, worlds, cultures, music, dialogue, relationships, and so on. The possibilities of creation are limitless for a writer, and that is the allure.
Your boldness will be a spark that ignites boldness in others. Be a catalyst for the pursuit of all good things.
It isn’t the education, the job, the promotion, the salary, the material increase – none of that. The real gold is the integrity you gain or lose throughout the process. If you don’t want to cross a line, don’t approach it.
I am starting to understand that it is not my fault if someone refuses to accept me as I am. I love myself; I am not required to change. Not for anyone. Those who love me accept me as I am.