I have recently had so many feelings of sadness.....not really for myself, but for people I care about. In my mind, empathy is one of the most important attributes a person can possess!
Why? Well....because empathy is the ability to feel for others. Sure it can bring you down at times when people around you are sad, hence the sadness I'm feeling right now....but the fantastic thing is that when they are happy, truly HAPPY - so are you!! Genuinely, without envy....just ridiculously happy for someone else! THAT is important and it's a truly beautiful thing... This ability to feel for others enables happiness even when it doesn't come from your own fortunes and I don't know about you - but I don't feel like my own fortune grow on trees ;)
Naturally this sadness that surrounds me has also made me wonder, why is it so difficult to find happiness sometimes? Why is it so hard to see beyond misery? Why can't we see the lack of sunshine as the sun just hiding behind those clouds, taking a nap, just resting for a while and instead only see a dark, threatening cloud preventing the sun to shine? Why can't we learn to appreciate what we have instead of feeling sorry for ourselves for what we don't have? Why can't we manage to see the beauty in eachother and instead dwell on the draw-backs?
Sadly, some people are unhappy because they are afraid of who or what they would become if they weren't.... It's like so many other things that makes us feel safe or comforted even though we are clever enough to know they are not necessarily good for us! Like sugar (Amen! I confess!) or drugs (no way!), or that job or that person in your life that makes you feel like shit that you can't seem to let go of believing that you don't really deserve better? Well you DO deserve better and when you start to believe that - you can also do good for others and inspire them to see their own unique worth.
(Picture sources: http://www.flickr.com/photos/addran/page2/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/phitar/ http://www.oslcmonte.org/images/reaching%20out.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/62253642_dcc82dd481.jpg http://www.leksak.nu/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/children-jump.jpg http://api.ning.com/files/YyiXBfR*BwCBSAshT6o2oajxMFU*TU1v*85Fs1fmoxk_/laughter.jpg)
Lately I've had the good fortune to come across so many words of wisdom from some truly great minds out there! You know the difference of a sentence and words of guidance (much needed) when you read them and they really "hit home"...you know, right on the spot!!
...it makes you feel happy, victorious, triumphant but it can also make you feel nervous, sad or full of regret. Either way, those are the words that will help you move on and move up (or move out? ;)) For me - this is so inspiring and so human!!
Let's face it....we are not alone...many people feel just like YOU feel and I am so happy some of these people share their life learnings and wisdom. It doesn't have to be known philosophers or poets, it doesn't even have to be deliberate or even good-willed! It can be your collegue, or your teacher or maybe even a stranger on the bus that you are overhearing while he/she has a conversation. Anyway - you will know and when you get that feeling, when it hits that spot - use it! That's an opportunity right there!
Here are some quotes and words of wisdom that recently "hit that spot" for me....hoping they might also make someone else take the learning from them:
"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do" Confucious
"Nothing prevents happiness like the memory of happiness" Fariha Akhlaq
"Life is not a mystery to be solved, but a reality to be experienced" In my daily Facebook fortune cookie
"Be kind to unkind people - they need it more than anybody else" Confucious
"Out of every sorrow, another day will dawn" Eskobar
Deepak Chopra quotes:
"The known is the prison of past conditioning. We must step into the unknown to be free"
"If you don't have a shadow you are standing in darkness"
"You alone are the judge of your worth, and your goal is to discover infinite worth in yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks"
I am not ashamed to say that in most situations, I'd rather be seen as naive than cynical....
I believe if we always see the risk of failure instead of chance of success in every opportunity or if we focus on the obstacles instead of looking for ways around them - we miss out on appreciating life! L I F E !
I believe if we always see the risk of failure instead of chance of success in every opportunity or if we focus on the obstacles instead of looking for ways around them - we miss out on appreciating life! L I F E !
Why can we never learn that life is precious and that it should never be taken for granted?
Love and regret - these two feelings remind you that you are alive like no other... Which one of these two would you like to be reminded by?
xox
Linda - Lost in her own mind again....in Switzerland
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