Quotes To Live By

As far as I can tell, everyone's still basking in the positive energy and rejuvenated spirit that comes with a new year. But just in case you're not, I thought I'd share a few quotes I've held onto over the years. Now, I'm not the type of person to Google search "inspirational words" and plaster them all around me. But there have been a few that have resonated enough with me to become personal mantras.

1) It's never as bad as you think it's going to be.

We've all heard it at some point or another. Responses generally vary between a half-hearted "You're right" (without any conviction that the other person may actually be right) and a defeated "Easy for you to say". But pity party aside, my personal experience has always proved this quote to be true. And yet... only recently did I start really, truly believing it. Whatever this event is that's looming in your future, it can't possibly be as unbearable as you're picturing. With enough fear, anyone can create the most painful worst-case scenario using every "what if?" imaginable. More recently, I heard an adaptation of this quote that hit home even more: "A good nine out of ten bad things I've worried about never happened. A good nine out of ten bad things that did happen never occurred to me to worry about." Amen, sister. Anxiety and fear about the future will never help you; it will only hinder. It'll make you less open to new opportunities and will eventually make you a full-blown paranoid schizophrenic. So accept the unknown and go get yourself a sandwich. Just cause they're yummy.

2) Most of what we see is only what we think about what we see.

It's fascinating to me how perceptions of the world around us are so variable. All of our daily interactions, thoughts and memories are affected by our upbringing, past experiences, personal beliefs, and mood. So while a lot of it is pretty ingrained at this point, it's not permanent. You can change your perception of anything at any time. "Easier said than done!" Absolutely. Without question. But just maybe, by changing your way of thinking, you can focus on the silver lining and see more positive aspects than negative. Or, for even more freedom from yourself, ignore bad thoughts. Don't believe what you think. Your thoughts aren't you. If your mind is telling you you're in a bad mood and the situation you're in sucks, who's to say that's true? If your thoughts are telling you that you're pathetic and gluttonous for eating that Big Mac for lunch, why not focus on what a delicious treat it was, give yourself a compliment and focus on your future fitness goals? That mind of yours can cause more harm than good.

3) Everything happens for a reason.

This one has more to do with personal belief. And by all means, believe whatever you'd like. Personally, I think everything happens for a reason. We're meant to be living the lives we're living. It wasn't an accident to be born into this family, meet these friends, follow this path in life. Forrest Gump said, "I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I....I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time." Well said, Mr. Gump. And that's not to say that we don't have any free will or control over our own lives because of course we do. But at the same time, I try to see everything that happens as purposeful or an opportunity to learn something. It's frustrating sometimes to not know the reasons for things, but it's nice to know the universe has a plan!