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    “When you suffer, you can look deeply at your situation and find the many blessings that are already surrounding you. It is wonderful to sit with a pen and paper and write down all the conditions for happiness that are already there, already available to you right in this moment.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Savor

      “It’s important to remember that whatever stage we are at in life, there is no need for regret. The process of regret is one that provides nothing but suffering for ourselves as we begin to allow the past to dictate how we should feel now. Instead, we can use the past as a reference point to understand what adjustments we would like to make moving forward. The adjustments do not have to come out of pain, sorrow, regret or judgment, but simply a choice to do things in a different way. We are learning all the time, we can very quickly slow that learning process down by getting stuck in the idea of regret. When it comes to making changes, be at peace with the past and remember that each moment is a new choice.” ~ Joe Martino

      Still I Rise

        You may write me down in history
        With your bitter, twisted lies,
        You may trod me in the very dirt
        But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

        Does my sassiness upset you?
        Why are you beset with gloom?
        ‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
        Pumping in my living room.

        Just like moons and like suns,
        With the certainty of tides,
        Just like hopes springing high,
        Still I’ll rise.

        Did you want to see me broken?
        Bowed head and lowered eyes?
        Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
        Weakened by my soulful cries?

        Does my haughtiness offend you?
        Don’t you take it awful hard
        ‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
        Diggin’ in my own backyard.

        You may shoot me with your words,
        You may cut me with your eyes,
        You may kill me with your hatefulness,
        But still, like air, I’ll rise.

        Does my sexiness upset you?
        Does it come as a surprise
        That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
        At the meeting of my thighs?

        Out of the huts of history’s shame
        I rise
        Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
        I rise
        I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
        Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

        Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
        I rise
        Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
        I rise
        Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
        I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
        I rise
        I rise
        I rise.

        ~ Maya Angelou, 1928 – 2014

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        Click Here to see Maya Angelou Read this Poem herself!

          “I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” ~ Maya Angelou

            “What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.” ~ Maya Angelou

              “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” ~ Maya Angelou

                “You need to take the traumas and make them part of who you’ve come to be, and you need to fold the worst events of your life into a narrative of triumph, evincing a better self in response to things that hurt.” ~ Andrew Solomon, TED

                  “No one can be responsible for where or how we each begin.  No one has the freedom to do anything or everything, and all choices bring consequences. What we choose to do next, though, how to spend our resources or attention or effort, this is what defines us.” ~ Seth Godin

                    “The people who are good in the long run fail a lot, especially at the beginning. So, when you fail early, it might be worth realizing that this is part of the deal, the price you pay for being good in the long run.  Every rejection is a gift. A chance to learn and to do it better next time. An opportunity to figure out how to bounce, not break. Don’t waste them.”

                    Seth Godin

                      “For years I kept a sign on my desk that helped me maintain the right perspective concerning yesterday. It simply said, ‘yesterday ended last night.’ It reminded me that no matter how badly I might have failed in the past, it’s done, and today is a new day.” ~ John C. Maxwell, Today Matters

                        “Embrace the suck. Doing something hard sucks. It’s not easy, and often you’re confused about how to do it because you haven’t done it much before. So what? Hard things suck, but life isn’t always peaches with roses on top (and a sprinkle of cinnamon). It sucks sometimes, and that’s perfectly fine. Embrace all of life, thorns and pits and all. Life would be boring without the suck. So smile, embrace the suck, and get moving.” ~ Leo Babauta, Zen Habits

                        I Am Malala [Book]

                          I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

                          By:  Malala Yousafzai

                          From this Book:  6 Quotes

                          Book Overview:  When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.  On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.  I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.  I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person’s voice to inspire change in the world.

                          Buy from Amazon!  Listen on Audible!

                          Great on Kindle. Great Experience. Great Value. The Kindle edition of this book comes highly recommended on Amazon.

                          Post(s) Inspired by this Book:

                            “Although we can’t control which roles are assigned to us, it must be our business to act our given role as best we possibly can and to refrain from complaining about it. Where ever you find yourself and in whatever circumstances, give an impeccable performance.” ~ Epictetus, The Art of Living