Never loose focus on the dreams you have for yourself. Keep striving onward towards making your life into all that you want it to be. You may encounter hard times, but don’t give up. Continue to press onward!
**Now I just need to make strides towards making my dream of writing a novel come true!
Remember this: No one can steal your joy unless you allow them. There are always going to be people who upset you. There will always be circumstances we can’t control. Life is full of things we have no say over. However, the good news is that we have control over our responses. We have a say in how we react. When something doesn’t go your way, don’t give in to negativity. Tell yourself that this may not be how I wanted my day to go, but I am bigger than my circumstances. I am strong and I will make the choice to be joyful no matter what!
Remember, joy doesn’t have to mean happiness. If you are in a dark situation you can still have joy. You can hope for healing and have faith that your trial will come to pass. That is true joy. Never giving in when all seems hopeless.
Have a wonderful Monday!
Have you ever had one of the days when you feel like you can never catch up with all your responsibilities? No matter how hard you work, you are stuck two steps back. With each new moment, a new fire sparks to life and you alone must put it out. On top of all these challenges, you must have a smile on your face because EVERYONE is watching.
That was my day. From the moment I pulled out of my stone driveway and onto the bumpy, cemented main road, I felt behind. Far behind. I even woke up early, slept soundly, and had the entire week’s lesson plans written! (That never happens). I suppose today was just one of those days where I needed to learn how to cope with unexpected situations. Emphases on the pluralness (is that a word?) of situations.
Now that I am laying comfortably in my well cushioned bed, I am able to look back on the day and assess what I learned. How I handled various problems, and the attitude I displayed to my students while contemplating solutions. All my students knew things were going wrong, yet they stayed calm and quiet (whaaat? incredible!) while I tried to fix everything. They were wonderful and I am so proud of them!
I am also proud of myself because never once did I experience anxiety! Not even in the most stressful moment of the day did the crippling grip of anxiety wrap its cold fingers around my heart. I stayed positive, kept pushing onward, and most importantly, did not throw a pity party. I am learning that things rarely go as planned in a classroom, so I must learn to be flexible and stay calm when it all falls apart. I am finding that my best teaching moments are when something unexpected happens. I feel best about my teaching practices when I have to think quickly on my feet. I am so pleased that I did not have a bad day just because things were behind and broken. I am so happy that my mind is healing and I am back in control!
If you are in a dark place with your anxiety, just find one positive moment in each day and focus on it. Don’t loose hope because one day it WILL get better! You are strong and you will make it through!
Each and every one of us has a talent that makes us unique. When we embrace our talents and passions others around us take notice. They see the joy that using our talents brings us and they want to be apart of something like that. They want to shine. So today I challenge you to demonstrate your talents positively and inspire those around you. The world is full of darkness, yet the light that lives inside us can push it away. Someone may have a bad day and when they are touched by your passions it may help shed a glimpse of light into their heart and give them hope once again.
Be an inspiration!
It is not often that a story touches the hearts of so many people in such a profound way I believe the Fault in Our Stars is one of those stories. I have read the book and seen the movie, and I have felt my heart utterly envelop the characters. I feel their pain. I burst with laughter right along side them. I swell with love as their story unfolds. Even though it is heart-wrenching, it teaches us so much about life and death. About finding acceptance with the life we have been given and being able to find love in the most unlikely places.
There are so many lessons from the story that I can apply to my life. For instance, even though I do not have cancer, I have other demons in my life that plague me and I wish, more than anything, I could be free of them. I wish for a life without plagues. A life where I could just be happy instead of wasting so much energy on working to win internal battles. However, when I step outside of my self, I see the beautiful life that surrounds me. I see the love that my husband gives me everyday. I see my parents and my brother showering me with affection. I see my students and co-workers enjoying my humor and passion. When I close off the fear of my own mind, I see the beauty that God has placed in my life. Seeing these things lessens the weight of the plague I bare and strengthens my resolve to never give up.
I have been learning that we all have internal battles. We all face challenges in our lives that wear us down. I am not alone. You are not alone. Together we are strong and and conquer anything. As John Green says, “that’s the thing about pain, it demands to be felt.” Without feeling pain, the feeling of joy cannot be understood. Without anxiety, there is no peace. The burdens I carry were given to me for a reason, and I choose to accept its weight. I was created to be strong and it will never win.
A new week begins! This is going to be an amazing day! I hope you all find the joy in the simple moments today. Don’t forget to take time to find peace in the middle of the chaos. 🙂
The Persistent Platypus 