“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize the common occasions and make them great.” – Orison Swett Marden
Many of our blessings and miracles won’t come from us doing anything extraordinary. They’ll come from us taking full advantage of each moment and situation that we’re faced with.
“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case you fail by default.” – J.K. Rowling
Failing is a part of life. We can’t reach our full potential without some type of failure. It’s better to accept failure into our lives, then to try to avoid it altogether.
“Tension is who you think youshould be. Relaxation is who you are.” – Chinese Proverb
At times, we may not feel satisfied with who we are or where we are in our journey. This feeling can cause tension and cause us to feel uncomfortable with ourselves. Accepting who we are allows us to experience the peace and relaxation that we desire.
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all.” – Dale Carnegie
When we lack help doing something that’s on our hearts, that doesn’t mean give up and stop. It just means that what’s in our hearts is important, and something that nobody else is willing to do. Eventually, people will appreciate us for not quitting when we had the option.
“If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off… no matter what they say.” – Barbara McClintock
When we have a vision for ourselves, nobody can take that away from us. They definitely will try to. But when we’re confident in who we are and our purpose, it’s very hard to knock us off our path.
“Life’s most persistentand urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others.’” – Martin Luther King Jr.
It’s easy for us to focus on everything we want to do for ourselves. At the end of the day, focusing on ourselves does not give us the satisfaction that we desire. Making a difference in the lives of others gives us purpose and a sense of meaning.
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan
The first step in us achieving something is to believe that we can. It’s extremely hard to do something that we don’t think is possible. Once we believe in ourselves, that’s when things become possible.
“Nobody is a natural. You work hard to get good and then work to get better. It’s hard to stay on top.” – Paul Coffey
Our natural talent can only take us so far. To be great, it takes hard work and consistency.
“Every person you meet knows something you don’t; learn from them.” – H. Jackson Brown
Nobody knows everything. The way we grow is by gaining perspectives from other people. It’s important for us to remain humble and understand that there is always something more for us to learn.
“Be happy with what you have while working for what you want.” – Helen Keller
It’s natural for us to feel unsatisfied at times while working towards our goals. It makes sense because we are striving for something that we can’t see yet. We should try our best to be content with what we currently have, which starts with being grateful and recognizing our blessings.
“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Chinese Proverb
Many times when we have goals, we can be overwhelmed by how big the task is. The way we accomplish large tasks is by starting small and trusting the process.
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson
We all go into situations with our own agenda. Sometimes things happen in life that we do not expect. What separates good from great is the ability to adapt and react to any situation.
“Do not allow what you are looking at to determine what you see.” – Pastor Jimmy Rollins (i5 City Church)
Dreams are something that we have for ourselves. We may be in a situation where our current circumstance does not match the vision that we have for our life. What we are looking at in the present and what we see for ourselves in the future are two different things. We have to be careful to not mistake them.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33
There are so many things in life that we feel like we need and want. We work really hard to get them. If we seek to grow our relationship with the One who has created everybody and everything, he promises to give us all we need. We shouldn’t stress about what we don’t have. We should try to focus on the thing that will always be there, God.
“A strength over-utilized is a weakness.” – Dr. Sabrina C. Clark
Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. We have to use our strengths to reach our full potential, but over-using our strengths can cause us to become a liability. If you are a good shooter in basketball, but every time you touch the ball you shoot it, you become a liability to the team. If you have a gift to make people laugh, but all you do is tell jokes, no one will ever take you seriously. Even something as essential as water, when used or drank too much, can be detrimental to the body. It is important to balance out how much we use our strengths, so that they don’t become our weaknesses.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
It is really easy to talk the talk and walk the walk when everything is going our way. When things start going against us and we are tested in life, this is when our true colors are exposed. Whether we are true to our word or not, when adversity hits, everyone will see the truth of who we are.
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
I think it’s cool that out of all the billions of people on Earth, nobody is me. That makes me want to be the best version of myself as possible. Many people do not love themselves to the point that they wish or would rather be someone else. God made everyone unique, and together we are stronger. If we try to be someone else, we will only be a second-tier version of them. We might as well be a first-tier version of ourselves.
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
Sometimes we believe that we can be successful without having to fail or mess up. What I’ve come to learn is that there is no success without failure. Success is overcoming failure, learning from it, and getting better because of it. That is the message behind Bumps and Seams; using our failures and setbacks to elevate us and propel us forward. Even someone as successful as Michael Jordan had to experience failures before his successes.
“Trust the talent.” – Dr. John E. Anderson
All of us have talents that we tap into naturally. In certain situations, we can overthink or doubt our abilities. The issue is not with our talents, but our trust in them. If we tell ourselves to trust the talent, everything else will take care of itself.
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt
When we are forced to make a decision, we should always try to do the right thing. Even if we don’t do the right thing, doing something is better than doing nothing.
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
Obstacles are going to happen. There’s no avoiding them. What matters is continuing to persevere through our trials.
“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” – Abraham Lincoln
It’s good that our future doesn’t come to us all at once. Even though there’s times where we want the future to happen sooner, we might not be ready for it yet. We have to trust that everything will come at the right time.
“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” – Norman Vincent Peale
It’s easy to desire praise over receiving criticism. However, criticism is what helps us to continue to grow and not get comfortable. Praise will feel good in the short term, but criticism will do us better in the long term.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Enough said. To maintain justice, it’s necessary to get rid of injustice wherever it may be.
