For some reason, Thanksgiving always brings out the new-year-spirit in me. Maybe because it seems like a time of thankfulness is a time of reflection and a time of reflection is a time for dreaming and inspiration. And maybe because I think a year ending deserves a whole month of reflection and appreciation and celebration.
I’ve been reading a lot of other people’s words lately, looking for little gems of encouragement and hope. A lot of times “quotes,” little snippets of a writer’s original thoughts, sometimes out of context, often leaving so much more to be explored–a lot of times quotes don’t say enough. But a lot of times, they say exactly just enough to give you courage, to give you drive, or just to give you peace and hope and something to hold onto.
Here are 7 quotes I love about living your life. If any or all of them resonate with you, bring them into your next year.
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – attr. Buddha
“The greatest act of courage is to be and to own all of who you are–without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth of who you are.” – Debbie Ford
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Kahlil Gibran
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.” – Søren Kierkegaard
“The things that excite you are not random. They are connected to your purpose. Follow them.” – Terrie Davoll Hudson
“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” – Neil Gaiman
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