“
You can talk with someone for years, everyday, and still, it won't mean as much as what you can have when you sit in front of someone, not saying a word, yet you feel that person with your heart, you feel like you have known the person for forever.... connections are made with the heart, not the tongue.
”
”
C. JoyBell C.
“
Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around. Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you. Spend your life with people who make you smile, laugh, and feel loved.
”
”
Roy T. Bennett (The Light in the Heart)
“
I want to be in a relationship where you telling me you love me is just a ceremonious validation of what you already show me.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.
”
”
David Richo
“
When in a relationship, a real man doesn't make his woman jealous of others, he makes others jealous of his woman.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
It's okay,” he said. “We're together.” He didn't say you're okay, or we're alive. After all they'd been through over the last year, he knew that the most important thing was that they were together. She loved him for saying that.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
I will not try to convince you to love me, to respect me, to commit to me. I deserve better than that; I AM BETTER THAN THAT...Goodbye.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
We’re all seeking that special person who is right for us. But if you’ve been through enough relationships, you begin to suspect there’s no right person, just different flavors of wrong. Why is this? Because you yourself are wrong in some way, and you seek out partners who are wrong in some complementary way. But it takes a lot of living to grow fully into your own wrongness. And it isn’t until you finally run up against your deepest demons, your unsolvable problems—the ones that make you truly who you are—that we’re ready to find a lifelong mate. Only then do you finally know what you’re looking for. You’re looking for the wrong person. But not just any wrong person: it's got to be the right wrong person—someone you lovingly gaze upon and think, “This is the problem I want to have.”
I will find that special person who is wrong for me in just the right way.
”
”
Andrew Boyd (Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe)
“
Every woman that finally figured out her worth, has picked up her suitcases of pride and boarded a flight to freedom, which landed in the valley of change.
”
”
Shannon L. Alder
“
It is always the false that makes you suffer, the false desires and fears, the false values and ideas, the false relationships between people. Abandon the false and you are free of pain; truth makes happy, truth liberates.
”
”
Nisargadatta Maharaj
“
How would your life be different if…You walked away from gossip and verbal defamation? Let today be the day…You speak only the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
When you hold a grudge, you want someone else’s sorrow to reflect your level of hurt but the two rarely meet.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
The best relationships in our lives are the best not because they have been the happiest ones, they are that way because they have stayed strong through the most tormentful of storms.
”
”
Pandora Poikilos (Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out)
“
I have no right to say or do anything that diminishes a man in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him but what he thinks of himself. Hurting a man in his dignity is a crime.
”
”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“
She was a beautiful dreamer. The kind of girl, who kept her head in the clouds, loved above the stars and left regret beneath the earth she walked on.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Children betrayed their parents by becoming their own people.
”
”
Leslye Walton (The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender)
“
Anything under God's control is never out of control.
”
”
Charles R. Swindoll
“
Don't blow off another's candle for it won't make yours shine brighter.
”
”
Jaachynma N.E. Agu (The Prince and the Pauper)
“
There isn't time, so brief is life, for bickerings, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. There is only time for loving, and but an instant, so to speak, for that.
”
”
Mark Twain
“
I disregard the proportions, the measures, the tempo of the ordinary world. I refuse to live in the ordinary world as ordinary women. To enter ordinary relationships. I want ecstasy. I am a neurotic — in the sense that I live in my world. I will not adjust myself to the world. I am adjusted to myself.
”
”
Anaïs Nin (The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934)
“
Be with someone who inspires you and makes you be the best version of yourself.
”
”
Roy T. Bennett
“
I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.
”
”
Hayao Miyazaki
“
Death is the easy part, the hard part is living and knowing you could be so much more then you’re willing to be.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
I believe in the immeasurable power of love; that true love can endure any circumstance and reach across any distance.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
Mutual caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.
”
”
Fred Rogers (The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember)
“
Bitch (noun): A woman who won't bang her head against the wall obsessing over someone else's opinion - be it a man or anyone else in her life. She understands that if someone does not approve of her, it's just one person's opinion; therefore, it's of no real importance. She doesn't try to live up to anyone else's standards - only her own. Because of this, she relates to a man very differently.
”
”
Sherry Argov (Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl―A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship)
“
Hide yourself in God, so when a man wants to find you he will have to go there first.
”
”
Shannon L. Alder
“
If you're not comfortable enough with yourself or with your own truth when entering a relationship, then you're not ready for that relationship.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
A beautiful thing happens when we start paying attention to each other. It is by participating more in your relationship that you breathe life into it.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
In a strong relationship, you should love your companion more than you need them.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
IN THE END… We only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have,and the decisions we waited too long to make.
”
”
Lewis Carroll
“
Sometimes to self-discover you must self-destruct.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
When you say "I" and "my" too much, you lose the capacity to understand the "we" and "our".
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
To love is easy, to be in a relationship is extremely difficult.
”
”
Santosh Kalwar (Quote Me Everyday)
“
Before you find your soul mate, you must first discover your soul.
”
”
Charles F. Glassman (Brain Drain - The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life)
“
Somewhere along the way we all go a bit mad. So burn, let go and dive into the horror, because maybe it’s the chaos which helps us find where we belong.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
When forever becomes a place...when forever ceases to be just a word… when it ceases to be just a measurement of time…but instead becomes a place where soul mates can dance to the song in their hearts... that is a reflection of true love.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
A tamed woman will never leave her mark in the world.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Don't set your goals by what other people deem important.
”
”
Jaachynma N.E. Agu (The Prince and the Pauper)
“
The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
Women can fake an orgasm, but men can fake an entire relationship.
”
”
Sharon Stone
“
She had to choose what, of the things she inherited from the people who came before her, she wanted to bring forward. And what, of the past, she wanted to leave behind.
”
”
Taylor Jenkins Reid (Malibu Rising)
“
Most don't deserve your tears... and the ones that do will never make you cry.
”
”
T. Rafael Cimino (Table 21)
“
I don't understand dating.. and the other things that people do.. all I know is that you ought to find the one you recognize. The one who gives you four arms, four legs, four eyes, and has the other half of your heart. There's only one of those, so what are all the other things for? Like dating?
”
”
C. JoyBell C.
“
Share your weaknesses. Share your hard moments. Share your real side. It'll either scare away every fake person in your life or it will inspire them to finally let go of that mirage called "perfection," which will open the doors to the most important relationships you'll ever be a part of.
”
”
Dan Pearce (Single Dad Laughing: The Best of Year One)
“
How would your life be different if…You approached all relationships with authenticity and honesty? Let today be the day…You dedicate yourself to building relationships on the solid foundation of truth and authenticity.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
The greatest love stories are not those in which love is only spoken, but those in which it is acted upon.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
We swallowed the chaos because we knew we didn't want to be ordinary.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Love.
Not the kind you see in the movies or hear about on the radio.
The real kind.
The kind that gets beaten down and bloody, yet perseveres.
The kind that hopes even when hope seems foolish.
The kind that can forgive. The kind that believes in healing.
The kind that can sit in silence and feel renewed.
The real kind of love.
It's rare and we have it...
”
”
Chelsea Fine (Sophie & Carter)
“
The best kind of humans are the ones who stay.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
If you walked away from a
toxic, negative, abusive,
one-sided, dead-end
low vibrational
relationship or friendship
— you won.
”
”
Lalah Delia
“
I know I'm not going to be in your head all the time. But once you know me, I'll be forever in your heart.
”
”
Crystal Woods (Write like no one is reading)
“
Get Off The Scale!
You are beautiful. Your beauty, just like your capacity for life, happiness, and success, is immeasurable. Day after day, countless people across the globe get on a scale in search of validation of beauty and social acceptance.
Get off the scale! I have yet to see a scale that can tell you how enchanting your eyes are. I have yet to see a scale that can show you how wonderful your hair looks when the sun shines its glorious rays on it. I have yet to see a scale that can thank you for your compassion, sense of humor, and contagious smile. Get off the scale because I have yet to see one that can admire you for your perseverance when challenged in life.
It’s true, the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
No amount of me trying to explain myself was doing any good. I didn't even know what was going on inside of me, so how could I have explained it to them?
”
”
Sierra D. Waters (Debbie.)
“
If you find a man who trusts you, who isn't afraid, who sees you for who you are, and if it feels like he knows you for who it is that you simply are, and thinks all of that is beautiful; know that you have found a rare thing.
”
”
C. JoyBell C.
“
I was suffering the easily foreseeable consequences. Addiction is the hallmark of every infatuation-based love story. It all begins when the object of your adoration bestows upon you a heady, hallucinogenic dose of something you never dared to admit you wanted-an emotional speedball, perhaps, of thunderous love and roiling excitement. Soon you start craving that intense attention, with a hungry obsession of any junkie. When the drug is witheld, you promptly turn sick, crazy, and depleted (not to mention resentful of the dealer who encouraged this addiction in the first place but now refuses to pony up the good stuff anymore-- despite the fact that you know he has it hidden somewhere, goddamn it, because he used to give it to you for free). Next stage finds you skinny and shaking in a corner, certain only that you would sell your soul or rob your neighbors just to have 'that thing' even one more time. Meanwhile, the object of your adoration has now become repulsed by you. He looks at you like you're someone he's never met before, much less someone he once loved with high passion. The irony is,you can hardly blame him. I mean, check yourself out. You're a pathetic mess,unrecognizable even to your own eyes. So that's it. You have now reached infatuation's final destination-- the complete and merciless devaluation of self." - pg 20-21
”
”
Elizabeth Gilbert
“
She was broken, I think it’s because she loved too much and she was always blind to the fact that love too is sometimes broken.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Madness and chaos are self-destructing but over thinking is the suicide.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Truth builds trust.
”
”
Marilyn Suttle
“
Do not sabotage your new relationship with your last relationship’s poison.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
If I lived a million lives, I would've felt a million feelings and I still would've fallen a million times for you.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
God has brought us together as families to bring to pass His eternal purposes. We are part of this plan in this marriage relationship. let us love and respect and honor one another. We can do it, and we will be the better for it.
”
”
Gordon B. Hinckley (Stand a Little Taller: Counsel and Inspiration for Each Day of the Year)
“
But dear, don’t be afraid of love it’s only magic.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Society will always be too fragile to accept us for all that makes us beautiful.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
She is delightfully chaotic; a beautiful mess. Loving her is a splendid adventure.
”
”
Steve Maraboli
“
Appreciate the moment of a first kiss; it may be the last time you own your heart.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Suddenly, everything was beautiful. The way she viewed the world was nothing more but a reflection of herself.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Love has no limitations. It cannot be measured. It has no boundaries. Although many have tried, love is indefinable.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
The truth is I didn’t need therapy; I just needed to feel loved and know that someone out there craved my attention.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Do not ignore you gift. Your gift is the thing you do the absolute BEST with the LEAST amount of effort."~Steve Harvey
”
”
Steve Harvey (Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment)
“
It’s funny, for all it took was a broken heart and that alone was enough, enough for her to do everything she ever dreamed of.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Become the leader of your life. Lead yourself to where you want to be. Breathe life back into your ambitions, your desires, your goals, your relationships.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
The heart is like a woman, and the head is like a man, and although man is the head of woman, woman is the heart of man, and she turns man's head because she turns his heart.
”
”
Peter Kreeft (Jesus-Shock)
“
The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.
”
”
Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals)
“
Mentally, I was a slut. Physically, I was terrified of intimacy. Spiritually, I didn’t like men.
I was confused.
”
”
Jasmine Mas (Psycho Devils (Cruel Shifterverse #5))
“
People are inspired to do remarkable things to find and be with the one they love.
”
”
Greg Behrendt (He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys)
“
But what are loyalty and caring really worth?"
"To me? Everything.
”
”
Richelle Mead (The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, #2))
“
The strength of a man isn't seen in the power of his arms. It's seen in the love with which he EMBRACES you.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience)
“
I had to learn to live without you and I couldn't make sense of it, because I left so much of me inside of you.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
To be human is to be broken and broken is its own kind of beautiful.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
Standing up for yourself doesn't always involve verbal confrontation. Sometimes it's about not wasting energy on people who are negative.
”
”
Sherry Argov (Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl―A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship)
“
And I think that's what our world is desperately in need of - lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about.
”
”
Shane Claiborne (The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical)
“
No matter how long you have been waiting, the man God has for you will surpass your expectations. You will meet him when god says so. Not a minute early, not a moment later.
”
”
Michelle McKinney Hammond
“
Then you must tell 'em dat love ain't somethin' lak uh grindstone dat's de same thing everywhere and do de same thing tuh everything it touch. Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore.
”
”
Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God)
“
Love doesn’t have to be on Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t have to be by the time you turn eighteen or thirty-three or fifty-nine. It doesn’t have to conform to whatever is usual. It doesn’t have to be kismet at once, or rhapsody by the third day.
It just has to be. In time. In place. In spirt.
It just has to be.
”
”
David Levithan (How They Met, and Other Stories)
“
Trust in someone means that we no longer have to protect ourselves. We believe we will not be hurt or harmed by the other, at least not deliberately. We trust his or her good intentions, though we know we might be hurt by the way circumstances play out between us. We might say that hurt happens; it’s a given of life. Harm is inflicted; it’s a choice some people make.
”
”
David Richo
“
How sweet is the assurance, how comforting is the peace that come from the knowledge that if we marry right and live right, our relationship will continue, notwithstanding the certainty of death and the passage of time. Men may write love songs and sing them. They may yearn and hope and dream. But all of this will be only a romantic longing unless there is an exercise of authority that transcends the powers of time and death.
”
”
Gordon B. Hinckley
“
How could you love us being together?" he asked me "We are nothing alike and we are not meant for each other and we drive each other crazy, you love that? How can you love that?" So I told him "I know that we're not meant for each other, that we drive each other crazy, and that we are so different. But that's us. That's what we have; a wild nonsense. We are not good together, but together we are bad for each other. I love us together this way just like this. Because even if it's no good, it's what we have! It's us.
”
”
C. JoyBell C.
“
To be deeply loved, means a willingness to cut yourself wide open, exposing your vulnerabilities... hopes, hurts, fears and flaws. Hiding behind the highlight reel of who you are, is the real you and that person is just as worthy of love. There is nothing more terrifying or fulfilling, than complete love, it's worth the risk... reach for it.
”
”
Jaeda DeWalt
“
Some people come and go and are forgotten. But there are other people who share a part in our destinies. They come, they go, but they are never forgotten. They come, they go, but even after they go... they're still here. They never really went anywhere.
”
”
C. JoyBell C.
“
So often we experience things in life, and yet never see the connections between them. When we are given hardship, or feel pain, we often fail to consider that the experience may be the direct cause or result of another action or experience. Sometimes we fail to recognize the direct connection between the pain in our lives and our relationship with Allah SWT
”
”
Yasmin Mogahed (Reclaim Your Heart: Personal Insights on Breaking Free from Life's Shackles)
“
She was broken from moment to moment, watching her world collide she felt lost inside herself. She fell apart for a passion that flamed beneath her. She waited and died a hundred times, it dripped from her pores. The moment she let go, she soared over the stillness like the star she was born to be.
”
”
Robert M. Drake
“
I had always had a little problem looking out for myself in love. I was afraid people would leave me. So I sort of clung and did everything possible to keep someone around. I didn't have a hard talk with myself about who I was keeping around. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. I clung to people like human life preservers. I thought i'd die if someone left me. Its ironic because now I'm the one who's leaving.
”
”
Deb Caletti (The Secret Life of Prince Charming)
“
Perfectly Imperfect
We have all heard that no two snowflakes are alike. Each snowflake takes the perfect form for the maximum efficiency and effectiveness for its journey. And while the universal force of gravity gives them a shared destination, the expansive space in the air gives each snowflake the opportunity to take their own path. They are on the same journey, but each takes a different path.
Along this gravity-driven journey, some snowflakes collide and damage each other, some collide and join together, some are influenced by wind... there are so many transitions and changes that take place along the journey of the snowflake. But, no matter what the transition, the snowflake always finds itself perfectly shaped for its journey.
I find parallels in nature to be a beautiful reflection of grand orchestration. One of these parallels is of snowflakes and us. We, too, are all headed in the same direction. We are being driven by a universal force to the same destination. We are all individuals taking different journeys and along our journey, we sometimes bump into each other, we cross paths, we become altered... we take different physical forms. But at all times we too are 100% perfectly imperfect. At every given moment we are absolutely perfect for what is required for our journey. I’m not perfect for your journey and you’re not perfect for my journey, but I’m perfect for my journey and you’re perfect for your journey. We’re heading to the same place, we’re taking different routes, but we’re both exactly perfect the way we are.
Think of what understanding this great orchestration could mean for relationships. Imagine interacting with others knowing that they too each share this parallel with the snowflake. Like you, they are headed to the same place and no matter what they may appear like to you, they have taken the perfect form for their journey. How strong our relationships would be if we could see and respect that we are all perfectly imperfect for our journey.
”
”
Steve Maraboli (Life, the Truth, and Being Free)
“
If there is one thing I can pass on from my humbling experiences in life, thus far, I will tell you this, the next time someone tells you "the absence of expectations is the absence of disappointment, do not listen. Have expectations. Keep them great. It'll be a very bumpy ride. You'll even get bruised, sometimes very badly. Sometimes, you'll come to an abrupt halt or even fall off your ride. But you'll grow. And if you do not grow, you do not live.
”
”
Pandora Poikilos
“
A Manifesto for Introverts
1. There's a word for 'people who are in their heads too much': thinkers.
2. Solitude is a catalyst for innovation.
3. The next generation of quiet kids can and must be raised to know their own strengths.
4. Sometimes it helps to be a pretend extrovert. There will always be time to be quiet later.
5. But in the long run, staying true to your temperament is key to finding work you love and work that matters.
6. One genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.
7. It's OK to cross the street to avoid making small talk.
8. 'Quiet leadership' is not an oxymoron.
9. Love is essential; gregariousness is optional.
10. 'In a gentle way, you can shake the world.' -Mahatma Gandhi
”
”
Susan Cain (Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking)
“
‗In life, at sometime or another we come to a point where all relationships cease—where there is only us and Allah. There are no parents, brother or sister, or any friend. Then we realise that there is no earth under us nor is there sky above, but only Allah who is supporting us in this emptiness. Then we realise our worth – it is not more than a grain of sand or the leaf of a plant. Then we realise our existence is only confined to our being. Our demise makes not a whit of difference to the world around us, nor to the scheme of things.
”
”
Umera Ahmed (Peer-e-Kamil/پیر کامل)
“
There is a relationship between the eye contacts we make and the perceptions that we create in our heads, a relationship between the sound of another's voice and the emotions that we feel in our hearts, a relationship between our movements in space all around us and the magnetic pulls we can create between others and ourselves. All of these things (and more) make up the magic of every ordinary day and if we are able to live in this magic, to feel and to dwell in it, we will find ourselves living with magic every day. These are the white spaces in life, the spaces in between the written lines, the cracks in which the sunlight filters into. Some of us swim in the overflowing of the wine glass of life, we stand and blink our eyes in the sunlight reaching unseen places, we know where to find the white spaces, we live in magic.
”
”
C. JoyBell C.
“
I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. 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. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
”
”
Maya Angelou
“
Closing The Cycle
One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through. Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters - whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished.
Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents' house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting friendship ended all of a sudden?
You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened. You can tell yourself you won't take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned into dust, just like that. But such an attitude will be awfully stressing for everyone involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your sister, everyone will be finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.
None of us can be in the present and the past at the same time, not even when we try to understand the things that happen to us. What has passed will not return: we cannot for ever be children, late adolescents, sons that feel guilt or rancor towards our parents, lovers who day and night relive an affair with someone who has gone away and has not the least intention of coming back.
Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really go away. That is why it is so important (however painful it may be!) to destroy souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the books you have at home. Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts - and getting rid of certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their place.
Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them. Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood. Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.
Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, decisions that are always put off waiting for the "ideal moment." Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell yourself that what has passed will never come back. Remember that there was a time when you could live without that thing or that person - nothing is irreplaceable, a habit is not a need. This may sound so obvious, it may even be difficult, but it is very important.
Closing cycles. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because that no longer fits your life. Shut the door, change the record, clean the house, shake off the dust. Stop being who you were, and change into who you are.
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Paulo Coelho