Stronger Everyday Quotes

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Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple “I must,” then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse. Then come close to Nature. Then, as if no one had ever tried before, try to say what you see and feel and love and lose... ...Describe your sorrows and desires, the thoughts that pass through your mind and your belief in some kind of beauty - describe all these with heartfelt, silent, humble sincerity and, when you express yourself, use the Things around you, the images from your dreams, and the objects that you remember. If your everyday life seems poor, don’t blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches; because for the creator there is not poverty and no poor, indifferent place. And even if you found yourself in some prison, whose walls let in none of the world’s sounds – wouldn’t you still have your childhood, that jewel beyond all price, that treasure house of memories? Turn your attentions to it. Try to raise up the sunken feelings of this enormous past; your personality will grow stronger, your solitude will expand and become a place where you can live in the twilight, where the noise of other people passes by, far in the distance. - And if out of this turning-within, out of this immersion in your own world, poems come, then you will not think of asking anyone whether they are good or not. Nor will you try to interest magazines in these works: for you will see them as your dear natural possession, a piece of your life, a voice from it. A work of art is good if it has arisen out of necessity. That is the only way one can judge it.
Rainer Maria Rilke
So I am not a broken heart. I am not the weight I lost or miles or ran and I am not the way I slept on my doorstep under the bare sky in smell of tears and whiskey because my apartment was empty and if I were to be this empty I wanted something solid to sleep on. Like concrete. I am not this year and I am not your fault. I am muscles building cells, a little every day, because they broke that day, but bones are stronger once they heal and I am smiling to the bus driver and replacing my groceries once a week and I am not sitting for hours in the shower anymore. I am the way a life unfolds and bloom and seasons come and go and I am the way the spring always finds a way to turn even the coldest winter into a field of green and flowers and new life. I am not your fault.
Charlotte Eriksson (You're Doing Just Fine)
I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge of becoming, waiting for that life I thought I would have. In my head, I was always one step away. In high school, I was biding my time until I could become the college version of myself, the one my mind could see so clearly. In college, the post-college “adult” person was always looming in front of me, smarter, stronger, more organized. Then the married person, then the person I’d become when we have kids. For twenty years, literally, I have waited to become the thin version of myself, because that’s when life will really begin. And through all that waiting, here I am. My life is passing, day by day, and I am waiting for it to start. I am waiting for that time, that person, that event when my life will finally begin. I love movies about “The Big Moment” – the game or the performance or the wedding day or the record deal, the stories that split time with that key event, and everything is reframed, before it and after it, because it has changed everything. I have always wanted this movie-worthy event, something that will change everything and grab me out of this waiting game into the whirlwind in front of me. I cry and cry at these movies, because I am still waiting for my own big moment. I had visions of life as an adventure, a thing to be celebrated and experienced, but all I was doing was going to work and coming home, and that wasn’t what it looked like in the movies. John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” For me, life is what was happening while I was busy waiting for my big moment. I was ready for it and believed that the rest of my life would fade into the background, and that my big moment would carry me through life like a lifeboat. The Big Moment, unfortunately, is an urban myth. Some people have them, in a sense, when they win the Heisman or become the next American Idol. But even that football player or that singer is living a life made up of more than that one moment. Life is a collection of a million, billion moments, tiny little moments and choices, like a handful of luminous, glowing pearl. It takes so much time, and so much work, and those beads and moments are so small, and so much less fabulous and dramatic than the movies. But this is what I’m finding, in glimpses and flashes: this is it. This is it, in the best possible way. That thing I’m waiting for, that adventure, that move-score-worthy experience unfolding gracefully. This is it. Normal, daily life ticking by on our streets and sidewalks, in our houses and apartments, in our beds and at our dinner tables, in our dreams and prayers and fights and secrets – this pedestrian life is the most precious thing any of use will ever experience.
Shauna Niequist (Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life)
Your strength doesn't come from winning. It comes from struggles and hardship. Everything that you go through prepares you for the next level.
Germany Kent
My mind gets stronger everyday, my heart gets weaker with time.
Anjum Choudhary
Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier & healthier life.
Germany Kent
I should pursue only those habits that would make me feel freer and stronger.
Gretchen Rubin (Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives)
Do you really think you'd win a PR war against a bunch of committed librarians?' He thought about this, but he knew I was right. The libraries were a treasured institution and so central to everyday life that government and commerce rarely did anything that might upset them.Some say they were more powerful than the military, or, if not, they were certainly quieter. As they say: Don't mess with librarians. Only they use a stronger word than 'mess'...
Jasper Fforde (The Woman Who Died a Lot (Thursday Next, #7))
St. Teresa of Avila wrote: 'All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as if God were absent.' This is the conviction that we bring with us from early childhood and apply to everyday life and to our lives in general. It gets stronger as we grow up, unless we are touched by the Gospel and begin the spiritual journey. This journey is a process of dismantling the monumental illusion that God is distant or absent.
Thomas Keating (Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit)
He told me that one of the reasons people are so unhappy is they don't talk to themselves. He said you have to keep a conversation going with yourself throughout your life to see how you're doing, to keep your focus, to remain your own friend. He told me that he talked to himself all the time, and that it helped him to grow stronger and better everyday.
Elizabeth Gilbert (The Last American Man)
This is a battle that we will win. Because women are wittier, brighter, stronger and braver than a misogynistic and patriarchal world has given us credit for.
Laura Bates (Everyday Sexism)
A story tells of Henry Ford’s buying scrapped Ford cars and having his engineers disassemble them to see which parts failed and which were still in good shape. Engineers assumed this was done to find the weak parts and make them stronger. Nope. Ford explained that he wanted to find the parts that were still in good shape. The company could save money if they redesigned these parts to fail at the same time as the others.
Donald A. Norman (The Design of Everyday Things)
Theres nothing more efficient than honesty and nothing more powerful than vulnerability because, vulnerability reveals everyone in your life who will abuse power immediately and almost irrevocably. Theres nothing weaker than hiding your vulnerability because, it means a refusal to stare at those who abuse power and see them for who they are which means they still have power and control over you. Nothing is stronger than vulnerability. Nothing more clarifying. Nothing is clearer than vulnerability, and if you hide who you are you are just making a tombstone of your everyday actions because you dont exist in hiding and you're letting the past rob you. Exercise the power of vulnerability. When you are vulnerable you are signaling to your system that the past is over and done! That you're no longer a victim! That you're no longer trapped in a destructive and abusive environment! vulnerability means it's over, it's done. The war is over but, if you continue to use the same defenses that you had in the past all you're telling your whole body is that the past is not over. Be vulnerable. Be honest. Be open and show your heart. That's the best way of telling your heart that the tigers are no longer in the grass. I'm telling you, just take it for a spin. Vulnerability and openness will get you what you want in your life and hiding will only get you the feeling of being prey from here until the end of your life.
Stefan Molyneux
Everyday I realize more and more that if the world is going to change at all, it is going to change through the healing of the victims. Abusers run the show, they insist on and instigate cover ups, they misuse their power, teach things falsely out of the desire to control but as the victims heal and get stronger, the abusers will not be able to hide behind the fog that they create.
Darlene Ouimet
Everyday is a struggle but it's how you deal with your struggles that make you stronger or weaker.
Alcurtis Turner
The mind is just like a muscle - the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.” -Idowu Koyenikan
Isaiah Seber (Mindfulness: A Step-By-Step Beginners Guide on Living Your Everyday Life with Peace and Happiness by Becoming Stress Free (Buddhism - Stop Your Worries, ... Your Stress and Anxiety with Meditation))
Everyday in heat, rain or cold, I ran - alone in the woods - in the hills near our home. There I felt the gentle touch of God. I head Him whisper, 'You're stronger now. It's time to tell the truth of what happened. Tell your story to give hope to others.
Nikki Rosen (In The Eye Of Deception: A True Story)
We all have scars. Some are visible. Some aren’t. In the end, they represent the fact that you’re stronger now than whatever tried to hurt you.
K. Bromberg (Combust (Everyday Heroes #2))
We all have scars. Some are visible. Some aren’t. In the end, they represent the fact that you’re stronger now than whatever tried to hurt you. For you, it just means that you’re stronger than the fire.
K. Bromberg (Combust (Everyday Heroes #2))
At some time all cities have this feel: in London it's at five or six on a winer evening. Paris has it too, late, when the cafes are closing up. In New York it can happen anytime: early in the morning as the light climbs over the canyon streets and the avenues stretch so far into the distance that it seems the whole world is city; or now, as the chimes of midnight hang in the rain and all the city's longings acquire the clarity and certainty of sudden understanding. The day coming to an end and people unable to evade any longer the nagging sense of futility that has been growing stronger through the day, knowing that they will feel better when they wake up and it is daylight again but knowing also that each day leads to this sense of quiet isolation. Whether the plates have been stacked neatly away or the sink is cluttered with unwashed dishes makes no difference because all these details--the clothes hanging in the closet, the sheets on the bed--tell the same story--a story in which they walk to the window and look out at the rain-lit streets, wondering how many other people are looking out like this, people who look forward to Monday because the weekdays have a purpose which vanishes at the weekend when there is only the laundry and the papers. And knowing also that these thoughts do not represent any kind of revelation because by now they have themselves become part of the same routine of bearable despair, a summing up that is all the time dissolving into everyday. A time in the day when it is possible to regret everything and nothing in the same breath, when the only wish of all bachelors is that there was someone who loved them, who was thinking of them even if she was on the other side of the world. When a woman, feeling the city falling damp around her, hearing music from a radio somewhere, looks up and imagines the lives being led behind the yellow-lighted windows: a man at his sink, a family crowded together around a television, lovers drawing curtains, someone at his desk, hearing the same tune on the radio, writing these words.
Geoff Dyer (But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz)
Everyday in the heat, rain and cold, I ran, alone in the woods...in the hills near our home. There I felt the gentle touch of God. And I heard His whisper, You're stronger now. It's time to tell the truth of what happened. Tell your story to give someone hope.
Nikki Rosen (In The Eye Of Deception: A True Story)
If you should happen to catch a glimpse of what really matters in life, regard it with care. Decorate it with flowers. Cover it with love. Hold it in the sunshine. Give it a little bit of time and attention. And when the world tries to push you forward, listen to your heart instead. Because if you don’t make time for what really matters, no one is going to do it for you. Taking a few minutes to savor everyday wonders makes the heart fuller, the inner doubts quieter, and the human connections stronger. And that’s when the ordinary becomes extraordinary for yourself and those who share your life.
Rachel Macy Stafford (Hands Free Life: 9 Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better, and Loving More)
This is not how you thought it would be. Time has stopped. Nothing feels real. Your mind cannot stop replaying the events, hoping for a different outcome. The ordinary, everyday world that others still inhabit feels coarse and cruel. You can’t eat (or you eat everything). You can’t sleep (or you sleep all the time). Every object in your life becomes an artifact, a symbol of the life that used to be and might have been. There is no place this loss has not touched. In the days and weeks since your loss, you’ve heard all manner of things about your grief: They wouldn’t want you to be sad. Everything happens for a reason. At least you had them as long as you did. You’re strong and smart and resourceful—you’ll get through this! This experience will make you stronger. You can always try again—get another partner, have another child, find some way to channel your pain into something beautiful and useful and good. Platitudes and cheerleading solve nothing. In fact, this kind of support only makes you feel like no one in the world understands. This isn’t a paper cut. It’s not a crisis of confidence. You didn’t need this thing to happen in order to know what’s important, to find your calling, or even to understand that you are, in fact, deeply loved. Telling the truth about grief is the only way forward: your loss is exactly as bad as you think it is. And people, try as they might, really are responding to your loss as poorly as you think they are. You aren’t crazy. Something crazy has happened, and you’re responding as any sane person would.
Megan Devine (It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand)
Whatever you include in your vibration for sixteen seconds or longer is on its way to you, whether you like it or not. So when you're talking about all the things you don't want, and flowing out only sixteen seconds of feeling each time you talk about one of them, that thing has now become a part of you, part of your everyday vibration. Pretty soon you're living it . . . not liking it at all . . . vibrating it . . . talking about it . . . complaining about it . . . stewing over it . . . and making it an even stronger match to your daily vibration than it was in the first place. You are vibrating with the very thing you do not want.
Lynn Grabhorn (Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting, Expanded Study Edition: The Astonishing Power of Feelings)
It is during that return, that pause, that Sisyphus interests me. A face that toils so close to stones is already stone itself! I see that man going back down with a heavy yet measured step toward the torment of which he will never know the end. That hour like a breathing-space which returns as surely as his suffering, that is the hour of consciousness. At each of those moments when he leaves the heights and gradually sinks toward the lairs of the gods, he is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock. If this myth is tragic, that is because its hero is conscious. Where would his torture be, indeed, if at every step the hope of succeeding upheld him? The workman of today works everyday in his life at the same tasks, and his fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious. Sisyphus, proletarian of the gods, powerless and rebellious, knows the whole extent of his wretched condition: it is what he thinks of during his descent. The lucidity that was to constitute his torture at the same time crowns his victory. There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn.
Albert Camus (The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays)
the phenomenology of enjoyment has eight major components. When people reflect on how it feels when their experience is most positive, they mention at least one, and often all, of the following. First, the experience usually occurs when we confront tasks we have a chance of completing. Second, we must be able to concentrate on what we are doing. Third and fourth, the concentration is usually possible because the task undertaken has clear goals and provides immediate feedback. Fifth, one acts with a deep but effortless involvement that removes from awareness the worries and frustrations of everyday life. Sixth, enjoyable experiences allow people to exercise a sense of control over their actions. Seventh, concern for the self disappears, yet paradoxically the sense of self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over. Finally, the sense of the duration of time is altered; hours pass by in minutes, and minutes can stretch out to seem like hours. The combination of all these elements causes a sense of deep enjoyment that is so rewarding people feel that expending a great deal of energy is worthwhile simply to be able to feel it.
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience)
Even in the little, everyday routines of life, be fully present in the moments together. Be willing to turn off the phones and screens and distractions and make time for each other. At the end of your life looking back, your faith and your family will be all that matters, so please don’t wait until then to make them your top priority. Your love will be the only part of your legacy that can last into eternity.
Dave Willis (The Seven Laws of Love: Essential Principles for Building Stronger Relationships)
Insomnia is a curse most of the time, unless you're by my side. Because then each waking minute is another I get to spend with you. I've spoken to you so much throughout this night. Told you so many things that I would usually be afraid to say. How much I've missed you. How much I need you. But you're here beside me and I'm more relaxed because you are. You give me confidence to tell you how I truly feel. To tell you how much you mean to me. I normally find it hard to express myself because, believe it or not, even one so tough as I gets all mixed up with this feeling of love that grows stronger everyday inside of me. Love is the only thing on this planet that scares me any more, and it's amazing. I had no idea I could feel this way about you or anyone. That's why I've had to tell you how I fell. I only hope I can tell you all of this when you wake up.
Raven Lockwood
Her interest in true crime books and documentaries was a hobby turned obsession. It was her one escape from the dullness of her own reality, the emptiness of everyday life that suffocated women far stronger than she was. And personal closeness to such human atrocities brought excitement like a pulsing, electrical charge, a feeling she’d grown addicted to. In conversations with those who took life, Lori no longer felt dead inside. Killers, of all people, made her feel alive.
Kristopher Triana (Gone to See the River Man)
Sitting alone in the alley of dark submissive loneliness. Retrospecting on the things that were left unsaid , only if they weren't ! The monsters within my head grow stronger everyday , Fighting them everyday , I wonder , does it make me an unsung hero , no one knows about ! ? May be I will die like a unknown martyer within my own hallucinations Or may be perhaps I may be a sacrificial lamb . Happiness is but a dream I cherish most , I need peace , I have none . Set me free , I have been broken I want to breath ., my last ! I want to be free at last !
BinYamin Gulzar
THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty (1 Corinthians 1:25,27).
Kynan Bridges (The Power of Unlimited Faith: Living in the Miraculous Everyday)
What can we do when we have hurt people and nowthey consider us to be their enemy? Thereare few things to do. The first thing is to take the time to say, “I am sorry, I hurt you out of my ignorance, out of my lack of mindfulness, out of my lack of skillfulness. I will try my best to change myself. I don’t dare to say anything more to you.” Sometimes, we do not have the intention to hurt, but because we are not mindful or skillful enough, we hurt someone. Being mindful in our daily life is important, speaking in a way that will not hurt anyone. The second thing to do is to try to bring out the best part in ourselves, to transform ourselves. That is the only way to demonstrate what you have just said. When you have become fresh and pleasant, the other person will notice very soon. Then when there is a chance to approach that person, you can come to her as a flower and she will notice immediately that you are quite different. You may not have to say anything. Just seeing you like that, she will accept you and forgive you. That is called “speaking with your life and not just with words.” When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight. When you see in yourself the wish that the other person stop suffering,that is a sign of real love. But be careful. Sometimes you may think that you are stronger than you actually are. To test your real strength, try going to the other person to listen and talk to him or her, and you will discover right away whether your loving compassion is real. You need the other person in order to test. If you just meditate on some abstract principle such as understanding or love, it may be just your imagination and not real understanding or real love. Reconciliation opposes all forms of ambition, without taking sides. Most of us want to take sides in each encounter or conflict. We distinguish right from wrong based on partial evidence or hearsay. We need indignation in order to act, but even righteous, legitimate indignation is not enough. Our world does not lack people willing to throw themselves into action. What we need are people who are capable of loving, of not taking sides so that they can embrace the whole of reality.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Everyday i get closer to our meeting i feel like i've been walking this path for a thousand years towards you.. and yet i'm still not there so close, and yet so far but i keep walking despite the tears despite the wind despite the skinned knees and broken bones despite the bruises and scars that made this heart what it is today i keep walking towards you there's only one direction one direction: towards you... from you, to you i have nothing else nothing that is my poverty i keep walking because behind every sun's setting is a rising behind every storm is a refuge behind every fall is a rise behind every tear is a cleansing of the eyes and in every spot i've ever been stabbed, is a healing and the creation of skin stronger than it was i keep walking because WALLAHI i've nothing but your mercy i've nothing but your promise your words your promise that: يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ - 84:6 O mankind, indeed you are laboring toward your Lord with [great] exertion and will meet it. [Quran 84:6]
Yasmin Mogahed (Reclaim Your Heart: Personal Insights on Breaking Free from Life's Shackles)
My father liked to wonder aloud whether the phoenix was re-created by the fire of its funeral pyre or transformed so that what emerged was a soulless shadow of its former being, identical in appearance but without the joy in life its predecessor had had. He wondered alternatively whether the fire might be purificatory, a redemptive, rejuvenating blaze that destroyed the withered shell of the old phoenix and allowed the creature’s essence to emerge stronger than it was before in a young, new body. Or, he would ask, was the fire a manifestation of entropy, slowly sapping the life-energy of the phoenix over the eons, a little death in a life that could know no beginning and no end but which could nonetheless be subject to an ever-decreasing magnitude? He asked me once if I thought the fires in our lives, the traumas, increased our fulfillment by setting up contrasts that illuminated more clearly our everyday joys; or perhaps I viewed them instead as tests that made us stronger by teaching us to endure; or did I believe, rather, that they simply amplified what we already were, in the end making the strong stronger, the weak weaker, and the dangerous deadly?
Mohsin Hamid (Moth Smoke)
...afflictions arise from identifying with a false sense of self, whereas great contentment arises from seeing the true nature of things. If one believes that the self exists solidly and independently, as it appears, then the dissolution of the self at death is a disaster. But if the self is understood to be illusory from the beginning, the dissolution of the self at death is simply another opportunity for awakening. The conventional self is simply a convenient designation for the everyday collection of transitory aggregates: body, feelings, recognitions, karmic formations, and consciousness. Ultimately, the self as a permanent entity is an illusion and all attempts to elevate the self merely compound the illusion. The stronger one grasps at the illusory self, the more one suffers when the illusion shatters.
Karma Lekshe Tsomo (Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, & Death)
Describe all these with heartfelt, silent, humble sincerity and, when you express yourself, use the Things around you, the images from your dreams, and the objects that you remember. If your everyday life seems poor, don't blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches; because for the creator there is no poverty and no poor, indifferent place. And even if you found yourself in some prison, whose walls let in none of the world's sound - wouldn't you still have your childhood, that jewel beyond all price, that treasure house of memories? Turn your attention to it. Try to raise up the sunken feelings of this enormous past; your personality will grow stronger, your solitude will expand and become a place where you can live in the twilight, where the noise of other people passes by, far in the distance. And if out of , this turning within, out of this immersion in your own world, poems come, then you will not think of asking anyone whether they are good or not. Nor will you try to interest magazines in these works: for you will see them as your dear natural possession, a piece of your life, a voice from it. A work of art is good if it has arisen out of necessity. That is the only way one can judge it. So, dear Sir, I can't give you any advice but this: to go into yourself and see how deep the place is from which your life flows; at its source you will find the answer to, the question of whether you must create. Accept that answer, just as it is given to you, without trying to interpret it. Perhaps you will discover that you are called to be an artist. Then take that destiny upon yourself, and bear it, its burden and its greatness, without ever asking what reward might come from outside. For the creator must be a world for himself and must find everything in himself and in Nature, to whom his whole life is devoted.
Rainer Maria Rilke
When people reflect on how it feels when their experience is most positive, they mention at least one, and often all, of the following. First, the experience usually occurs when we confront tasks we have a chance of completing. Second, we must be able to concentrate on what we are doing. Third and fourth, the concentration is usually possible because the task undertaken has clear goals and provides immediate feedback. Fifth, one acts with a deep but effortless involvement that removes from awareness the worries and frustrations of everyday life. Sixth, enjoyable experiences allow people to exercise a sense of control over their actions. Seventh, concern for the self disappears, yet paradoxically the sense of self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over. Finally, the sense of the duration of time is altered; hours pass by in minutes, and minutes can stretch out to seem like hours. The combination of all these elements causes a sense of deep enjoyment that is so rewarding people feel that expending a great deal of energy is worthwhile simply to be able to feel it.
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (Flow: The Classic Work On How To Achieve Happiness: The Psychology of Happiness)
As our studies have suggested, the phenomenology of enjoyment has eight major components. When people reflect on how it feels when their experience is most positive, they mention at least one, and often all, of the following. First, the experience usually occurs when we confront tasks we have a chance of completing. Second, we must be able to concentrate on what we are doing. Third and fourth, the concentration is usually possible because the task undertaken has clear goals and provides immediate feedback. Fifth, one acts with a deep but effortless involvement that removes from awareness the worries and frustrations of everyday life. Sixth, enjoyable experiences allow people to exercise a sense of control over their actions. Seventh, concern for the self disappears, yet paradoxically the sense of self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over. Finally, the sense of the duration of time is altered; hours pass by in minutes, and minutes can stretch out to seem like hours. The combination of all these elements causes a sense of deep enjoyment that is so rewarding people feel that expending a great deal of energy is worthwhile simply to be able to feel it.
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience)
As our studies have suggested, the phenomenology of enjoyment has eight major components. When people reflect on how it feels when their experience is most positive, they mention at least one, and often all, of the following. First, the experience usually occurs when we confront tasks we have a chance of completing. Second, we must be able to concentrate on what we are doing. Third and fourth, the concentration is usually possible because the task undertaken has clear goals and provides immediate feedback. Fifth, one acts with a deep but effortless involvement that removes from awareness the worries and frustrations of everyday life. Sixth, enjoyable experiences allow people to exercise a sense of control over their actions. Seventh, concern for the self disappears, yet paradoxically the sense of self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over. Finally, the sense of the duration of time is altered; hours pass by in minutes, and minutes can stretch out to seem like hours. The combination of all these elements causes a sense of deep enjoyment that is so rewarding people feel that expending a great deal of energy is worthwhile simply to be able to feel it. We
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience)
It is not unusual for us to feel that life is too much for us. And it is not unusual to feel that we really should be up to it; that there may be too much to cope with — too many demands — but that we should have the wherewithal to deal with it. Faced with the stresses and strains of everyday life it is easy now for people to feel that they are failing; and what they are failing at, one way or another, is managing the ordinary excesses that we are all beset by: too much frustration, too much bad feeling, too little love, too little success, and so on. One of the things people most frequently say in psychoanalysis is, ‘Perhaps I am overreacting, but . . .’; and one of the commonest complaints today is about feeling too much or feeling too little. I want to suggest that we are simply too much for ourselves, but that this too-muchness is telling us something important… My proposition is that it is impossible to overreact. That when we call our reactions overreactions what we mean is just that they are stronger than we would like them to be. In other words, we sometimes call ourselves and other people excessive as a way of invalidating or tempering the truths we tell ourselves or that other people tell us. It is impossible to overreact.
Adam Phillips (On Balance)
Ere long, however, the daemon was wrestling with him once more; he was seized by that “terrible spirit of unrest” which drove him “like the deluge, to the mountain peaks”. Shadows of gloom and discontent crept into his letters. He began to complain of his “dependent position”, and the forces at work within him soon became obvious. He could not endure regular occupation, could not bear to participate in the daily round of ordinary people. No existence other than that of a poet was acceptable. In this first crisis he probably failed to understand that the trouble sprang from the daemonism within him, from the jealous exclusiveness of the spirit that possessed him, making mundane relationships impossible. He still rationalised the immanent inflammability of his impulses by discovering objective causes for them. He spoke of his pupil’s stubbornness, of defects in the lad’s character which he, as tutor, was impotent to remedy. Hölderlin’s incapacity to meet the demands of everyday life was in this matter all too plain. The boy of nine had a stronger will than the man of twenty-five. The tutor resigned his post. Charlotte von Kalb, who was anything but obtuse, grasped the underlying truth. Wishing to console Johann Christian Friedrich’s mother, she wrote to the latter: “His spirit cannot stoop to these petty labours … or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he takes them too much to heart.
Stefan Zweig (The Struggle with the Daemon: Hölderlin, Kleist and Nietzsche)
STRENGTH FOR TODAY I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13 KJV Have you made God the cornerstone of your life, or is He relegated to a few hours on Sunday morning? Have you genuinely allowed God to reign over every corner of your heart, or have you attempted to place Him in a spiritual compartment? The answer to these questions will determine the direction of your day and your life. God loves you. In times of trouble, He will comfort you; in times of sorrow, He will dry your tears. When you are weak or sorrowful, God is as near as your next breath. He stands at the door of your heart and waits. Welcome Him in and allow Him to rule. And then, accept the peace, and the strength, and the protection, and the abundance that only God can give. In my weakness, I have learned, like Moses, to lean hard on God. The weaker I am, the harder I lean on Him. The harder I lean, the stronger I discover Him to be. The stronger I discover God to be, the more resolute I am in this job He’s given me to do. Joni Eareckson Tada And in truth, if we only knew it, our chief fitness is our utter helplessness. His strength is made perfect, not in our strength, but in our weakness. Our strength is only a hindrance. Hannah Whitall Smith A TIMELY TIP God can handle it. Corrie ten Boom advised, “God’s all-sufficiency is a major. Your inability is a minor. Major in majors, not in minors.” Enough said.
Freeman (Once A Day Everyday … For A Woman of Grace)
Egalitarianism among foragers is concerned primarily with preventing a single individual or coalition from dominating (and thereby making life miserable for) the rest of the group. This leads foragers to be vigilant for early warning signs of people who position themselves above others. This includes dominating or bullying individuals (outside the household ot immediate family), bragging, seeking authority too eagerly, ganging up with other members of the group, and otherwise attempting to control others' behavior. Foragers would readily support the motto fo the early American general Christopher Gadsden: "Don't tread on me." Many of the norms that were common among our forager ancestors are by now deeply embedded in human nature. But these aren't our only norms. Most societies also teach their children norms specific to their society. This ability of societies to adopt different norms is part of what has let humans spread across the Earth, by adopting norms better suited to each local environment. This "cultural flexibility" also enabled our ancestors to implement the huge behavior changes required to turn hunters and gatherers into farmers and herders, roughly 10,000 years ago. Farmers have norms supporting marriage, war, and property, as well as rough treatment of animals, lower classes, and slaves. To help enforce these new norms, farmers also had stronger norms of social conformity, as well as stronger religions with moralizing gods.
Kevin Simler (The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life)
As we’ll explain in the coming chapters, these everyday parenting challenges result from a lack of integration within your child’s brain. The reason her brain isn’t always capable of integration is simple: it hasn’t had time to develop. In fact, it’s got a long way to go, since a person’s brain isn’t considered fully developed until she reaches her mid-twenties. So that’s the bad news: you have to wait for your child’s brain to develop. That’s right. No matter how brilliant you think your preschooler is, she does not have the brain of a ten-year-old, and won’t for several years. The rate of brain maturation is largely influenced by the genes we inherit. But the degree of integration may be exactly what we can influence in our day-to-day parenting. The good news is that by using everyday moments, you can influence how well your child’s brain grows toward integration. First, you can develop the diverse elements of your child’s brain by offering opportunities to exercise them. Second, you can facilitate integration so that the separate parts become better connected and work together in powerful ways. This isn’t making your children grow up more quickly—it’s simply helping them develop the many parts of themselves and integrate them. We’re also not talking about wearing yourself (and your kids) out by frantically trying to fill every experience with significance and meaning. We’re talking about simply being present with your children so you can help them become better integrated. As a result, they will thrive emotionally, intellectually, and socially. An integrated brain results in improved decision making, better control of body and emotions, fuller self-understanding, stronger relationships, and success in school. And it all begins with the experiences parents and other caregivers provide, which lay the groundwork for integration and mental health.
Daniel J. Siegel (The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind)
Propaganda of integration The less educated and informed the people to whom propaganda of agitation is addressed, the easier it is to make such propaganda. That is why it is particularly suited for use among the so-called lower classes (the proletariat) and among African peoples. There it can rely on some key words of magical import, which are believed without question even though the hearers cannot attribute any real content to them and do not fully understand them.... In contrast to this propaganda of agitation is the PROPAGANDA OF INTEGRATION — the propaganda of developed nations and characteristic of our civilization; in fact it did not eXist before the 20TH century. It is a propaganda of conformity- It is related to the fact, analyzed earlier, that in Western society it is no longer sufficient to obtain a transitory political act (such as a vote); one needs total adherence to a society's truths and behavioral patterns. As the more perfectly uniform the societv, the stronger its power and effectiveness each member should be only an organic and functional fragment of it, perfectly adapted and integrated. He must share the stereotypes, beliefs and reactions of the group: he must be an active participant in its economic, ethical, esthetic, and political doings. All his activities, all his sentiments are dependent on this collectivity. And, as he is often reminded, he can fulfill himself only through this collectivity, as a member of the group. Propaganda of integration thus aims at making the individual participate in his society in every way. It is a long-term propaganda, a self-reproducing propaganda that seeks to obtain stable behavior, to adapt the individual to his everyday life, to reshape his thoughts and behavior in terms of the permanent social setting. We can see that this propaganda is more extensive and complex than propaganda of agitation it must be permanent, for the Individual can no longer be left to himself.
Jacques Ellul (Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes)
Begin with a decision. Decide that from this moment you will change your life. So far, external events and the impact of the environment influenced your everyday life. Everything that has happened to you today, in this moment, is the result of your previous decisions and thoughts. From now on you will take charge of your life. Control what you can, and control your reaction about things you can’t control. What do you like to do? What can you do right now? What do you need? Answer these questions. When you answer only two questions similarly, you face a situation that requires attention. Think about how can you change to give the same answer to all the three questions. When all the three match it means you found something that adds immediate value to your life. If you promise yourself something, make sure to fulfill it. The greatest disappointment you can feel is when you lose credibility in your own eyes. When a promise is made but isn’t kept, it creates a sense of emptiness, a sense of unfinished business. The worst case is when you don’t keep a promise you made for yourself. It is important to stay credible in your own eyes. Better start with smaller promises. Today I will walk home instead of taking the bus. Or, this weekend I’ll have a picnic instead of watching TV. Then work up to the bigger ones like, I’m going to learn to play the violin. Remember to build up credibility, take responsibility, and keep promises to yourself. If you keep your own promises you cultivate self-respect. Self-respect generates self-love. If you love yourself, you’ll love your innate abilities. If you love them, you’ll love using them. If you love using them, doors will open even in the thickest walls. This is what I call a positive circle. Opening new doors requires new skills. You cannot make a difference in your life relying only on your past. Be opened to new things. Be persistent and do not give up. Vow that you will not give up until you achieve your goal, what you were born to do! The length or difficulty of the road ahead can make a lot of people stop before they even cross the start line. Set off and take the first step. Divide the distance into manageable stages. Do a little bit more than you’re comfortable with. Undertake a little bit more and keep your commitments. Only in this way is it possible to begin to develop a new habit that will make you stronger. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can do it. When you begin to make a living from your hobby, people will tell you things like, “you’ll die of hunger.
Zoe McKey (Find What You Were Born For: Discover Your Strengths, Forge Your Own Path, and Live The Life You Want - Maximize Your Self-Confidence (Pathfinder Book 1))
Make‘e emphasized ‘ōlelo in our functions and pushed for stronger language revitalization efforts at the university. Make‘e’s language campaign started with the university's student-run newspaper, Ka Leo O Hawai‘i. The goal was simple: provide a venue for the weekly use and exploration of ideas in Hawaiian through heavily accessed print media. Make‘e believed language revitalization required normalized use in everyday social settings like the newspaper. Exposing language enthusiasts and nonspeakers to the written word would create awareness and generate curiosity to pursue Hawaiian language. The public printing and display of Hawaiian would also provide a more functional space for its use and practice. Such an arena would help release the Hawaiian language from its less active classroom role and eliminate the stigma that Hawaiian is a novel, cute, yet dying language.
Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua (A Nation Rising: Hawaiian Movements for Life, Land, and Sovereignty (Narrating Native Histories))
A good packer is a tough packer. So be shrewd and be robust: if it isn’t going to help you, leave it behind, throw it out. Stay light. We change our beliefs and attitudes inch by inch in the small, everyday things. When you find yourself thinking about someone or something in the same old negative way, just stop yourself. Think. Check. Change. Refresh. Job done. Smile. Move on. Do this enough times and you will change. For the better; for the stronger. The Scouts’ motto is simple: Be prepared. So, if you really want to be prepared for whatever life has to offer, pack light, stay nimble, pack the positive, ditch the negative, and seize your chances when they come along. That is so often how we set ourselves up for great adventures.
Bear Grylls (A Survival Guide for Life: How to Achieve Your Goals, Thrive in Adversity, and Grow in Character)
Under stress, the SNS dominates, causing us to hold in our breath. A deep exhale activates the PNS, restoring calm. That’s why yogic breathing is so relaxing.45 Stress also makes our heart race by contracting it. The PNS lifts the SNS off the heart so it can relax and pump blood. However, the SNS grows heavier as the stressor intensifies. At some point, the SNS becomes too heavy for the PNS to lift, and the PNS taps out. For example, during an all-out sprint, this is the point of volitional exhaustion when you feel like your heart is about to explode. Regular exercise strengthens the PNS, and it gains with every workout.46 Eventually, the PNS can lift heavier and heavier SNS loads. Now, you’re physically stronger and can push your body faster and harder than ever before.47 You’re also mentally stronger and less reactive to everyday stressors.48 More active. Less moody. Less inflamed. Less depressed. Finally, you are at the root of the problem.
Jennifer Heisz (Move The Body, Heal The Mind: Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia and Improve Focus, Creativity, and Sleep)
Hero Worship (The Sonnet) We used to worship the sun and the moon, We used to worship stones and trees. Then reason grew stronger along with imagination, So our worship shifted from elements to entities. Some of them were real and some fully fictitious, We just needed an excuse to externalize our divinity. Even today we keep inventing fictitious characters, Despite knowing they are fiction we pledge our loyalty. It seems like we are always holding out for a hero, Outside our very own everyday, ordinary psyche. Fiction is healthy so long as we grow no dependency, Real heroes are just humans standing unbent on duty. Enough with worship of fiction from comics and scriptures! It's time to be the hero and take the world on our shoulders.
Abhijit Naskar (Handcrafted Humanity: 100 Sonnets For A Blunderful World)
For many, anxiety is a wildfire in the wilderness that starts with the strike of a match at dawn and is fueled by everyday experiences, burning brighter and stronger as the day unfolds.
Judson Brewer (Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind)
The good news is that the more practice you have at tuning in to your mind, the less effort it takes. Like a muscle that you exercise regularly, the skill grows stronger and more reliable. If we work every day to cleanse our thoughts, gently redirecting the ones that don’t serve us, then our minds are pure and calm, ready for growth. We can deal with new challenges before they multiply and become unmanageable.
Jay Shetty (Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Everyday)
Shawn teaches a set of five simple things you can do every day that, if you do them consistently over time, will make you significantly, noticeably, measurably happier. They are slight edge actions for happiness: happy habits.   Each morning, write down three things you’re grateful for. Not the same three every day; find three new things to write about. That trains your brain to search your circumstances and hunt for the positive. Journal for two minutes a day about one positive experience you’ve had over the past twenty-four hours. Write down every detail you can remember; this causes your brain to literally reexperience the experience, which doubles its positive impact. Meditate daily. Nothing fancy; just stop all activity, relax, and watch your breath go in and out for two minutes. This trains your brain to focus where you want it to, and not get distracted by negativity in your environment. Do a random act of kindness over the course of each day. To make this simple, Shawn often recommends a specific act of kindness: at the start of each day, take two minutes to write an email to someone you know praising them or thanking them for something they did. Exercise for fifteen minutes daily. Simple cardio, even a brisk walk, has a powerful antidepressant impact, in many cases stronger (and more long-lasting) than an actual antidepressant! According to Shawn, if you do any one of these things faithfully for just three weeks, twenty-one days in a row, it will start to become a habit—a happy habit. You will have literally begun to rewire your brain to see the world in a different way, and as a result, to be happier on an everyday basis.
Jeff Olson (The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness)
Zen meditation methods are practical and beneficial for everyone. By using these techniques, and by putting them into practice in your everyday life, you will: Gain self-trust Gain wisdom Gain a true sense of happiness Have better relationships with others Have an easier time ridding yourself of addictions Be able to rid yourself of depression Become mentally stronger Reduce stress Learn to be an optimist Rid yourself of wandering, racing thoughts Be able to sleep better Have an easier time making decisions
Ian Tuhovsky (Zen: Beginner's Guide: Happy, Peaceful and Focused Lifestyle for Everyone (Buddhism, Meditation, Mindfulness, Success) (Down-to-Earth Spirituality for Everyday People))
Escaping the stresses of everyday life—even for just a few days—let us reconnect and feel everything we loved about each other. It was stronger than anything that could ever tear us apart. It gave us new energy in our relationship, and strength to handle the challenges ahead.
Taya Kyle (American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith, and Renewal)
If you don't receive love from the ones who are meant to love you, you will never stop looking for it.” - Robert Goolrick "it is better to be prepared for the worst case scenario, than to be crushed when positive outcomes do not come to pass" - Matt Mcconathy "the truth is not what you see everyday, it's on a narrow road which is not the broad-road of media, and society norms - those who search for it will find it" - Matt Mcconathy "it may be comforting to stay in the safety of this place for years, but time is telling, the only safety for your life is there's a whole world out there waiting on you" - Matt Mcconathy "When your a kid you want to be exactly like your father, when your a teenager your cant stand rules, when your an adult you will appreciate what your father taught you" - Matt Mcconathy "the more you love a memory; the stronger and stranger it becomes" - Vladimir Nabokov "when diplomacy fails, there's only one alternative: violence, force must be applied without apology" - Captain Kathryn Janeway "a dumb liar doesn't connect the story and forgets details, an intelligent liar is a conspirator and can deceive many" - Matt Mcconathy "It seems strange my life should end in such a terrible place, but for 3 years I had roses, and apologized to no one" - Valerie (V for Ventetta movie quote) “There comes a time in your life when you have to choose to turn the page, write another book or simply close it" - Shannon L. Adler "I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the world turns and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you know that even though I do not know you, and that i will never meet you, laugh with you, or be with you, I love you" - Valerie (V for Ventetta movie)
matt mcconathy, Captain Kathryn Janeway ,Vladimir Nabokov
A conversation with a Moderator friend revealed another telling distinction. “I got a sundae from my favorite ice-cream store,” she told me, “and it was delicious. But after a while, I could hardly taste it. I let a friend finish it.” “I’ve never left ice cream unfinished in my life,” I said. For Moderators, the first bite tastes the best, and then their pleasure gradually drops, and they might even stop eating before they’re finished. For Abstainers, however, the desire for each bite is just as strong as for the first bite—or stronger, so they may want seconds, too. In other words, for Abstainers, having something makes them want it more; for Moderators, having something makes them want it less.
Gretchen Rubin (Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives)
For Moderators, the first bite tastes the best, and then their pleasure gradually drops, and they might even stop eating before they’re finished. For Abstainers, however, the desire for each bite is just as strong as for the first bite—or stronger, so they may want seconds, too.
Gretchen Rubin (Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives)
There are NO FAILURES – they are EXPERIENCES. These experiences fuel my passion and make it stronger everyday. NEVER GIVE UP…!
Pooja Shende
LIGHTING THE PATH Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 NKJV Are you a woman who trusts God’s Word without reservation? Hopefully so, because the Bible is unlike any other book—it is a guidebook for life here on earth and for life eternal. The Psalmist describes God’s word as, “a light to my path.” Is the Bible your lamp? If not, you are depriving yourself of a priceless gift from the Creator. Vance Havner observed, “It takes calm, thoughtful, prayerful meditation on the Word to extract its deepest nourishment.” How true. God’s Word can be a light to guide your steps. Claim it as your light today, tomorrow, and every day of your life—and then walk confidently in the footsteps of God’s only begotten Son. Light is stronger than darkness—darkness cannot “comprehend” or “overcome” it. Anne Graham Lotz God’s leading will never be contrary to His word. Vonette Bright A TIMELY TIP Trust God’s Word: Charles Swindoll writes, “There are four words I wish we would never forget, and they are, ‘God keeps his word.’” And remember: When it comes to studying God’s Word, school is always in session.
Freeman (Once A Day Everyday … For A Woman of Grace)
Persist on what is important to you. You are getting closer, stronger and nearer everyday
Ushy Mohan Das
In everyday life, most people recognize that the sexes differ. We see it at school; we see it at work; we see it in our kids and in ourselves. To start with, we know that men and women have different bodies and reproductive equipment, that men are generally larger and stronger, and that women generally live longer. But we also know that the differences are not just physical. We know that men watch more sports and more porn, whereas women watch more rom-coms and read more. We know that men are more inclined toward violence and more likely to end up in prison, whereas women are more likely to take sensible precautions. We know that men are more interested in things and machines, whereas women are more interested in people. And we know that men are more likely to go into “nerdy” professions such as math or engineering, whereas women are more likely to go into the caring professions and to spend more time looking after children.
Steve Stewart-Williams (The Ape that Understood the Universe: How the Mind and Culture Evolve)
When people reflect on how it feels when their experience is most positive, they mention at least one, and often all, of the following. First, the experience usually occurs when we confront tasks we have a chance of completing. Second, we must be able to concentrate on what we are doing. Third and fourth, the concentration is usually possible because the task undertaken has clear goals and provides immediate feedback. Fifth, one acts with a deep but effortless involvement that removes from awareness the worries and frustrations of everyday life. Sixth, enjoyable experiences allow people to exercise a sense of control over their actions. Seventh, concern for the self disappears, yet paradoxically the sense of self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over. Finally, the sense of the duration of time is altered; hours pass by in minutes, and minutes can stretch out to seem like hours.
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (Flow: The Classic Work On How To Achieve Happiness: The Psychology of Happiness)
Stoicism speaks to the people because everyone wants to improve, growing stronger. Everyone seeks a stronger sense of self. People want more self-control in their lives. For some seekers, Stoicism provides the prescription.
Marcus Epictetus (The Stoic way of Life: The Ultimate Guide of Stoicism to make your Everyday Modern Life Calm, Confident - Master the Art of Living, Emotional Resilience & Perseverance (Mastering Stoicism))
My father is a soldier of everyday life who only lived to protect his wives and his children from hunger . Day after day, in the river of time that is life , my father filled our bellies with the fruit from his fields and his orchards. My father, the old man , made us his family, grow stronger and more beautiful just like the plants he fed us. He was a grower of trees and fruits, he was a grower of children. We grew tall and strong like the seeds he planted in the loamy soils of his fields .
David Diop (At Night All Blood is Black)
Life can be much simpler if you reduce your need for physical comforts. Set your targets for the exercise and stick to them. This will make you stronger.
Marcus Epictetus (The Stoic way of Life: The Ultimate Guide of Stoicism to make your Everyday Modern Life Calm, Confident - Master the Art of Living, Emotional Resilience & Perseverance (Mastering Stoicism))
Come on, move it,” someone said behind me. I felt hands on my back. I hate being touched. The crowd moved forward, propelling me through two wide doors and into the terminal. This was worse. The waiting room was smaller, more crowded, and the smell of smoke, onions and French fries was stronger. Harsh fluorescent lights hurt my eyes, and sounds bounced off the low ceilings, so loud they struck me with physical force. I saw a corner approximately ten feet away. I pushed through the crowd, holding my breath so that I would not inhale the air. At last I reached the corner. I squashed
Kathleen Cherry (Everyday Hero)
By D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review "Historical fiction readers are in for a treat with When I Was Better, a love story set in Hungary and Canada which follows the journey of István and Teréza, who flee the Nazi and Soviet invasions and the Hungarian Revolution to finally make their home in Winnipeg in the 1960s. Maps and a cast of characters portend an attention to details that history buffs will appreciate, but the lively chapter headings that begin with "This is What Dying Feels Like" are the real draw, promising inviting scenarios that compel readers to learn more about the characters' lives and influences. Few other books about immigrant experience hold the descriptive power of When I Was Better: "Her world had transformed into a place of gestures and facial expressions, making her feel more vigilant now than she had ever been under Communism. No one understood her but Zolti. Already she ached for her language and the family she left behind." Rita Bozi's ability to capture not just the history and milieu of the times, but the life and passions of those who live it is a sterling example of what sets an extraordinary read apart from a mundane narration of circumstance and history. Her ability to depict the everyday experiences and insights of her protagonist bonds reader to the subject in an intimate manner that brings not just the era, but the psychology of its participants to life through inner reflection, influence and experience, and even dialogue: “Four lengths of sausage, please?” Teréza watched as the man pulled two small lengths from the hook and wrapped them in course paper. “I beg your pardon, sir, but would you kindly add in two more lengths?” “We got an aristocrat here? If you take four lengths, what d’you imagine the workers are gonna eat at the end of the day?” The account of a seven-year separation, Budapest and Winnipeg cultures and contrasts, and refugee experiences brings history to life through the eyes of its beholders. That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger. This saying applies especially strongly to When I Was Better 's powerful story, highly recommended for historical fiction readers and library collections interested in powerfully compelling writing packed with insights: “Why is it so agonizing to be truthful?” István asked, not expecting an answer. “It depends on what truth you’re about to reveal. And how you expect it to be received. If you’re expecting an execution, you have two choices. Die for what you believe in or lie to save your life.” “So in the end, it all comes down to values.” István reached for the martini, took another sip. Bela smiled. “Without truth, there’s no real connection. The truth hurts, but love eventually heals what hurts.”" "With sharp insight and the gifts of a natural, Bozi's novel brilliantly chronicles the plight of an entire generation of Hungarians through the intimate portrait of two lovers tested by the political and personal betrayals that ripped through the heart of the twentieth century.
Rita Bozi
Each morning, write down three things you’re grateful for. Not the same three every day; find three new things to write about. That trains your brain to search your circumstances and hunt for the positive. Journal for two minutes a day about one positive experience you’ve had over the past twenty-four hours. Write down every detail you can remember; this causes your brain to literally reexperience the experience, which doubles its positive impact. Meditate daily. Nothing fancy; just stop all activity, relax, and watch your breath go in and out for two minutes. This trains your brain to focus where you want it to, and not get distracted by negativity in your environment. Do a random act of kindness over the course of each day. To make this simple, Shawn often recommends a specific act of kindness: at the start of each day, take two minutes to write an email to someone you know praising them or thanking them for something they did. Exercise for fifteen minutes daily. Simple cardio, even a brisk walk, has a powerful antidepressant impact, in many cases stronger (and more long-lasting) than an actual antidepressant! According to Shawn, if you do any one of these things faithfully for just three weeks, twenty-one days in a row, it will start to become a habit—a happy habit. You will have literally begun to rewire your brain to see the world in a different way, and as a result, to be happier on an everyday basis. An interesting thing is that you don’t have to do all five at once—in fact, Shawn actually recommends that you don’t even try to do that, but instead start with just one and keep repeating it until it becomes a habit, then add another, and so on.
Jeff Olson (The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness)
We want to coach boys in the hard work of building emotional muscles. I believe these four milestones are like muscles. For many boys the muscles are simply weak or underdeveloped. But we know weak muscles can get stronger with work. Building emotional muscles is some of the most important, yet most neglected, work in a boy’s journey to manhood. The muscles impact his everyday experience as a son, brother, student, athlete, and friend. These muscles will define who he is as a husband, father, friend, and coworker.
David Thomas (Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son Can Build on for Life)
The regret we experience for not doing something leaves a much stronger impression on us than the regret we may have for doing something. Gratitude is the only thing that can prevent the cycle of familiarity leading to boredom. Gratitude allows us to see our everyday life with a fresh perspective. Happiness is basically something that each of us can measure only by declaring our own sense of contentment ourselves. Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirski says that 50% of our happiness is genetically determined, 10% by life circumstances and situations and the remaining 40% by our daily actions.
Fumio Sasaki (Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism)
There’s a rhythm to everyday life within this club. Steady pulses, like heartbeats. I’m learning them, finding a way to count them. I don’t know what “normal” is for other people, but this is the new normal for me, and it is wonderful. We are connected. We are family. Blood is measured by halves – and we are stronger for it.
Lauren Gilley (Half My Blood (Dartmoor, #2.5))
Embarking on the journey of personal development involves a delicate balance of motivation, happiness, and the commitment to continuous self-improvement. Staying motivated demands a conscious effort to find inspiration in everyday moments, creating a reservoir of energy that propels you forward. True happiness arises from living authentically, embracing your values, while self-improvement acts as the compass guiding you towards becoming the best version of yourself. To be better and stronger necessitates resilience, learning from setbacks, and the discernment to distance yourself from toxic influences, ensuring a path of positive growth and fulfillment.
James William Steven Parker
by doing more. Every time that I do not take back my love when there is something to oppose my own plan, my own desire, my own idea of holiness, then love, ipso facto, increases. Every little sacrifice accepted and offered, every situation that seems untoward but is met as a friend, will help us grow in faith, in holiness, and in love. Each time, with God’s grace, I put down the inimical forces within myself, I am stronger. Conversely, every time I stop before an obstacle, my love grows weaker. Every time I indulge those debilitating forces within me, my love grows weaker. A muscle that is not growing stronger every day from being used is growing weaker. A mind that is not exercised every day is not remaining on its own level of intelligence but growing weaker. Every force within us either grows in vigor and expands, or it grows more languid and diminishes. This is true above all of love. This is the only way that we don’t take back our love: by allowing it to grow every day.
Mary Francis (A Time of Renewal: Daily Reflections for the Lenten Season)
The sea and the albatross Far away in the deep sea, An albatross flew every day and sometimes looked at me, It sometimes flapped its wings rigorously, And then glided so calmly, Over the waves of wind and the ocean of air, It looked majestic and I wondered what was its affair, That compelled it to bear long flights everyday, Because it only returned when the evening lights had invaded the day, And to find out its secret there was no way, Yet I hoped I shall know it someway, It was a rough day and the sea had turned violent, My boat was being tossed everywhere in this torrent, The wind howled, the sea roared and everything appeared agitated, And to venture into such a rough sea even the valour of the mariners like me hesitated, So I stayed at the shore, While the albatross flew through this violent uproar, It swung its wings up and down with great effort, As if from this toil of mind and muscle, it gained some unknown comfort, After few moments it was far away, that I could no longer see it, But everyone could hear the beating of his wings, only if you had the mariner’s heart to feel it, And looking at the albatross, I too ventured into the sea, And I recalled the mariner’s only oath, “whatever shall be shall be!” The wind played with me and my boat like a finless fish caught in the tempest, And it overpowered us inpsite of our efforts best, For a moment I thought it was asinine on my part to have felt brave like an albatross, Who sometimes sits on the hull of my boat where I have erected a cross, I looked at it and used all my force left in me, And my heart and mind said together, “let us see how strong the sea can be!” And then the sea turned rougher, the waves rose higher, But I too worked with the muscle of will and mind, with conviction stronger, It was evening now and I stood in the middle of the rough sea where they said everything sinks, I saw the albatross caught in the discarded net, and it was struggling to free itself from these nylon links, Maybe I was courageous today not to catch fish but to rescue the master of the skies, And it shall be a shame for all mariners and our oath of courage, if today in this discarded net the albatross dies,
Javid Ahmad Tak
A muscle that is not growing stronger every day from being used is growing weaker. A mind that is not exercised every day is not remaining on its own level of intelligence but growing weaker. Every force within us either grows in vigor and expands, or it grows more languid and diminishes. This is true above all of love. This is the only way that we don’t take back our love: by allowing it to grow every day.
Mary Francis (A Time of Renewal: Daily Reflections for the Lenten Season)
struggle is a profound source of originality. And restraint makes us vastly stronger.
Robin S. Sharma (The Everyday Hero Manifesto: Activate Your Positivity, Maximize Your Productivity, Serve The World)
Part of this message of running with the mind of meditation is that we can no longer split spirituality and everyday life. No matter what we are doing, we have the ability to be awake and to live up to our potential. We can run with that energy of basic goodness. When we feel it, we will run stronger—and maybe even faster—but we will certainly feel better. Basic goodness is the wish-fulfilling jewel.
Sakyong Mipham (Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind)
Combat posture in everyday life; Everyday posture in combat.” Consider this carefully.6 (5) About Footwork7 (一、足ぶみの事) Use of the feet depends on the situation. There are big and small, slow and fast ways of stepping, the same as when you normally walk. Footwork to avoid includes “jumping feet,” “floating feet,” “stomping feet,” “extracting feet” and “seesaw feet.” Notwithstanding the ease or difficulty of footwork wherever you are, be sure to move with confidence. You will learn more about this in a later section.8 (6) About Gaze (一、目付之事) With regards to “fixing one’s gaze,” although many methods have been advocated in the past, these days it usually means that the eyes are directed at the [enemy’s] face. The eyes are fixed in such a way that they are slightly narrower than normal and [the enemy is] observed calmly. The eyeballs do not move, and when the enemy encroaches, no matter how close, the eyes appear to look into the distance. With such a gaze, to say nothing of the enemy’s techniques, you will also be able to see both sides as well. Observe with the dual gaze of “looking in” (kan) and “looking at” (ken)—stronger with kan and weaker with ken. Use of the eyes can also communicate intent to the enemy. Intentions are to be revealed in the eyes, but not the mind. This should be examined carefully.9
Alexander Bennett (The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works)
He asked me once, if I thought the fires in our lives, the traumas, increased our fulfillment by setting up contrasts that illuminated more clearly are everyday joys; or perhaps I’ve used them instead as tests that made us stronger by teaching us to endure; or did I believe, rather, that they simply amplified what we already were, in the end making the strong stronger, the weak weaker, and the dangerous deadly?
Mohsin Hamid (Moth Smoke)
You and I my love! She said, “I want to be alone when I am with you.” And I replied, “My love, it will still, and always be, you and I, Alone I do not know, but with you, only with you, Because with you, I am you and not I, And everything around me fades into a state of nonexistence, It is just you and only you wherever I see, Even the universe seems to draw from you its very existence, And in this universe with you and within you forever I wish to be, Alone, very alone, only with you my love Irma, just with you, And what a wonder it shall be to be in this state of emotional stillness forever, Where I am you , you are me and everything within me rushes to kiss you, Yet the feeling everyday is fresher, finer and newer, And the desire to be alone with you keeps growing stronger, And my love Irma I cannot wait any more, Now I neither have the will, the desire nor the power, I wish to kiss you, touch you just like before, Under the moonlight, just you and I, Where you are my only desire, To be so till eternity, you and I , only you and I, With no end to this passion and fire, Just like the waves in the endless ocean of love, I wish to sail with you till the time’s end, You with me, to be truly you and I, my love, Let it be so, each day, each hour, each moment till the end! For a memory of a moment with you my love, I shall relinquish eternity without you, So let us be alone, only you and I , my love, Where you are a part of me and I am a part of you. That is when my love Irma, you shall feel truly with me and I shall feel the same with you, Even when surrounded by the crowd of million souls, we shall still feel alone, you just with me and I with you!
Javid Ahmad Tak (They Loved in 2075!)
All friendly feelings for others,’ he wrote, ‘are extensions of a man’s feelings for himself.’ The message was that when you like yourself and feel secure in yourself, then you will have plenty of love to give. Similarly, if you know what makes you happy, then you will be in a stronger position to find a way of extending that happiness to those around you. If, on the other hand, you are uncomfortable with who you are, or harbour some self-loathing, then you will have little love to offer others.
Roman Krznaric (How Should We Live?: Great Ideas from the Past for Everyday Life)
sometimes the foundations we stand on must fall so that they may be replaced with even stronger ones. Breakthroughs require breakdowns. Progress cannot happen without upheaval and the birth of something better always demands a death of something familiar.
Robin S. Sharma (The Everyday Hero Manifesto: Activate Your Positivity, Maximize Your Productivity, Serve The World)
Don't wait for the last disaster! Everyday pain comes with a new source, When we become stronger, it fails to kill us, So try to be stronger to face every odds in our life
Deepesh Nayak
The activities and choices of everyday life are made on a tactical level. The fight is daily. The trajectory of your lifetime, however, is a strategic matter. Your tactical (daily) choices are made in light of the strategic (big picture) trajectory. Mission first. Live and die by your training in the finest warrior’s manual ever written—the Word of God.
William G. Boykin (The Warrior Soul: Five Powerful Principles to Make You a Stronger Man of God)
I believe these thoughts and suggestions are often given to us by our guides, as well as our loved ones in the afterlife, as a form of telepathy, and it is up to us to follow through. If we are so preoccupied with everyday concerns that we ignore an important message, we may lose out on opportunities or suffer a negative impact. When we ignore messages or guidance, it can often be repeated in a much stronger way, almost forcing us to take notice.
Barry Eaton (No Goodbyes: Life-Changing Insights from the Other Side)
When we fail in tasks in which our expectations for success are low, the psychological wounds failure inflicts are relatively minor. But when we possess the necessary skills and abilities to succeed and have expectations of doing so we are likely to feel much stronger pressure to perform well.
Guy Winch (Emotional First Aid: Practical Strategies for Treating Failure, Rejection, Guilt, and Other Everyday Psychological Injuries)
The lessons of mathematics are simple ones and there are no numbers in them: that there is structure in the world; that we can hope to understand some of it and not just gape at what our senses present to us; that our intuition is stronger with a formal exoskeleton than without one. And that mathematical certainity is one thing, the softer convictions we find attached to us in everyday life another, and we should keep track of the difference if we can.
Jordan Ellenberg (How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking)
80 percent of people chose to award a scholarship to a member of their favored political party, even when another applicant had better grades. In fact, this political favoritism was stronger than racial favoritism.
Kevin Simler (The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life)
The Struggle is about something much deeper than the everyday challenges. It’s about the disconnect between what I believe and how I act, how I understand the promises of God and my actual experience with God. The Struggle is the frustrating place between who I want to be and who I actually am.
Nicole Unice (The Struggle Is Real: Getting Better at Life, Stronger in Faith, and Free from the Stuff Keeping You Stuck)
When we step into Christ’s Kingdom, we are transferring our hearts to a new place spiritually. Rather than uprooting and replanting our bodies, we are uprooting and replanting our spirits. If following Jesus isn’t actually affecting your everyday life like this kind of move, then something is tragically amiss.
Nicole Unice (The Struggle Is Real: Getting Better at Life, Stronger in Faith, and Free from the Stuff Keeping You Stuck)
THE CALM BREATH TECHNIQUE If you wish to calm yourself further you can use the Calm Breath Technique. The Calm Breath 1. Inhale through your nose to the count of 4, breathe deeply into your belly and chest area and feel it expand. 2. Exhale through your nose, slowly count to 4 (or whatever rhythm is comfortable), allowing your body to relax and release tension. 3. Repeat for 2-5 minutes. Please don’t underestimate how effective this simple tool can be. One of the most basic, most effective tools soldiers have to keep their cool while under fire is controlling their breathing. Yoga masters have known about the power of the breath for thousands of years. Scientific research is showing that deep breathing is one of the most effective ways to lower everyday stress levels and improve a variety of health factors ranging from mood to metabolism. The key to the Calm Breath is that you slowly inhale into both your chest and relaxed belly (don’t suck your stomach in). You should feel your ribcage and abdomen expand as you fill the entirety of your lungs with oxygen with each breath. If you feel comfortable you can increase the count to 5, the deeper the breath the stronger the sense of relaxation.
Alison C. Kerr (The Binge Code: 7 Unconventional Keys to End Binge Eating and Lose Excess Weight)
O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. (Jer. 20:7)
Scotty Smith (Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith)