“Be careful what you wish for. You might not get it. But as you pursue this wish, you’ll change what you do, what you see, who you connect with and the sacrifices you make along the way. Our wishes change us.”
Seth Godin, Blog
“Gazing up at the Milky Way, I remember when all I wanted is what I have in this moment. Sitting on the kitchen floor of my old apartment, sicker than I’d ever felt, my heart fractured into ten thousand tiny pieces, I needed to believe that there was a truer, more expansive and fulfilling version of my life out there. I had no interest in existing as a martyr, forever defined by the worst things that had happened to me. I needed to believe that when your life has become a cage, you can loosen the bars and reclaim your freedom. I told myself again and again, until I believed my own words: It is possible for me to alter the course of my becoming.“
Suleika Jaoaud, Between Two Kingdoms (Page 324)
“Try praying differently, and see what happens: Instead of asking for ‘a way to sleep with her,’ try asking for ‘a way to stop desiring to sleep with her.’ Instead of ‘a way to get rid of him,’ try asking for ‘a way to not crave his demise.’ Instead of ‘a way to not lose my child,’ try asking for ‘a way to lose my fear of it.'”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, via The Daily Stoic (Page 276)
“…It is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way. Questions about the meaning of life can never be answered by sweeping statements. ‘Life’ does not mean something vague, but something very real and concrete, just as life’s tasks are also very real and concrete. They form man’s destiny, which is different and unique for each individual… When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task, his single and unique task… No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden. For us, as prisoners, these thoughts were not speculations far removed from reality. They were the only thoughts that could be of help to us. They kept us from despair, even when there was no chance of coming out of it alive.”
Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning, via Sunbeams (Page 27)
“They say there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, but not once your eyes adjust to the darkness.” ~ David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me
“Hope is important, because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today. But that is the most that hope can do for us—to make some hardship lighter. When I think deeply about the nature of hope, I see something tragic. Since we cling to our hope in the future, we do not focus our energies and capabilities on the present moment. We use hope to believe something better will happen in the future, that we will arrive at peace, or the Kingdom of God. Hope becomes a kind of obstacle. If you can refrain from hoping, you can bring yourself entirely into the present moment and discover the joy that is already here.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step
“Everything that happens helps you grow, even if it’s hard to see right now. Circumstances will direct you, correct you, and perfect you over time. So whatever you do, hold on to hope. The tiniest thread will twist into an unbreakable cord. Let hope anchor you in the possibility that this is not the end of your story – that the change in the tides will eventually bring you to peaceful shores.” ~ Marc Chernoff, Blog
Finding Hope in a Hopeless Situation — The Story of Antwone Fisher
Excerpt: The following is an excerpt from Today Matters by John C. Maxwell. In it, he shares the incredibly powerful story of Antwone Fisher and how he found hope and changed his life for the better in an utterly hopeless situation. I’ll turn it over to Maxwell to lay out the details. Enjoy.
Read More »Finding Hope in a Hopeless Situation — The Story of Antwone Fisher