Quote of the Week - Thorns

Is it just me or do we complain a lot? Things don't go our way, or don't work out the way we wanted them to, and so we get angry about it?

I like today's quote so much because it really teaches about the value of perspective. You can choose how you wish to view things, and that choice can dictate your entire mindset on a situation.

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

                                                         -Abraham Lincoln

Talk about perspective! We are talking about the same bush here. Do we choose to resent the thorns, or rejoice in the beauty of the roses? 

Situations in life can be viewed in a similar way. When something goes wrong, we can choose to complain about everything that is not the way it should be. OR we can choose to seek out the good amidst the bad. 

You can choose to complain about your job, or you can rejoice in the fact that you have one. You can choose to sulk because someone you love is sick, or you can rejoice because you are healthy enough to take care of them, and God can heal. The situations are endless, but the idea is the same.

Life is all about perspective. Will you choose to see the thorns or the roses?

Quote of the Week - Intentions

Is it just me or do you ever truly plan on doing something for someone, but then it just doesn't happen? 

This happens for me quite often--I plan to help clean the house, or send a letter to my sister away at school, or help my friend tidy her room. But then life gets in the way (or I just get distracted by other things) and it never happens. 

Today's quote hits home:

"The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention."

                                                                                       -John Burroughs

You can have the greatest of intentions, but if you don't actually carry them through, they are meaningless. You may intend to help clean the house, or write a letter, or help a friend do something, but if you don't actually do it, it means nothing.

That is why, in keeping with the quote, even "the smallest deed is better than the greatest intention." Intending to do things is good, but actually doing things is better. 

I think this is a great quote to keep in mind the next time you intend on doing something. Make sure you carry that plan through with an action--it will mean so much more.

What are some of your favorite quotes?

Quote of the Week - Comparison

Is it just me or do you ever find that you are comparing yourself to others? One minute, you are perfectly fine being your own person doing your own thing, and the next, you are envying someone for what you don’t have or didn’t do.

As soon as I read this quote, I knew that I had to use it for my Quote of the Week. It is too good to pass up:

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

                                                                                       -Theodore Roosevelt

Do you remember when you were little and you got a cool new doll or toy that you really wanted? Do you remember how happy you were? And then do you remember how you weren’t so happy anymore when you went to your friend’s house and they had a cooler, newer toy? This comparing doesn’t end when you grow up—in my opinion, it gets worse. 

Picture this: you get a brand new car and you are so excited about it. You love it and you are so happy with your decision. But then you look over at your neighbors driveway and start to compare their car to yours. Their's is nicer, their's is shinier, their's is better. And suddenly, you are robbed of the joy you had only seconds before.  

Not a car person? No problem. Imagine looking at yourself in the mirror and thinking, “I am really happy with the way I look. I’ve been working really hard at the gym, I love my new haircut, I like my makeup…” But then you go in to work that day and see someone who is thinner, “prettier,” has a cuter outfit, haircut, etc. That confidence and joy that you felt earlier completely vanished the second you began comparing yourself to someone else. 

So why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we compare ourselves with everyone else, even though we know that it will only take away our joy? It is no secret that society places a huge importance on looking a certain way and owning the “best” things. It is almost inevitable that we would eventually begin comparing ourselves to others. But it doesn't have to be that way.

If you focus on you and on the blessings in your life, and if you are content with yourself and what you have, then there is no need to look to others to stack your life up against. There is simply no point. And the odds are that the person you are comparing your life to is comparing their life to yours.

I realize that this is much easier said than done, but I challenge you to give it a try. Next time you make a decision about your life, try to be confident in it enough that, no matter what someone else has, or says, or does, your joy will not waver.