A new year at school means a new motivation wall! You may remember a post I did in the spring on my wall of quotes in my apartment last year. It's something I decided I wanted to do every year, and I also decided to make every wall different. There are some of the same or similar quotes to ones I've had before, but all of the graphics are different. For today's post, I thought I'd go through all of the quotes on my wall and explain why I chose them.
Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.
This is the quote with the floral design in the upper left corner. I had this quote last year, and it's been one of my favorites ever since I came across it. We spend a lot of time, particularly as teenagers and young adults, wondering what our purpose in life is. We spend this time thinking about what we want to study, who we want to be, what we want to do with our lives. We get so caught up in these thoughts that we sometimes forget to notice what's happening right now and how it might affect us and our futures. Every single thing that happens to us happens for a reason, I firmly believe that {hello, serendipity}; and I think this quote speaks to that. We are all meant to do such amazing things, so every moment is important in the course of our lives. Every single moment or action has a specific purpose. Every moment counts!
Go into the world and do well, but more importantly go into the world and do good.
This is the quote with the globe graphic. This has been one of my favorite quotes for a long time. It really speaks to the grammar nerd in me. In living our lives, we all want to succeed and do great things and just do well in general. But I also think it's important to do good things in our lives, whether it's volunteer or perform a random act of kindness or just plain old be nice to people. It's important to do well in life, yes, but it's so, so important to do good, too.
Procaffeinating.
Obviously this one is a little more lighthearted. It's the one with the green border in the bottom left corner. I've become one of those people who can't start their day without a cup of coffee, and this graphic speaks to that. Because I worship coffee, I obviously had to include something about it on my wall, and I think this one is perfect.
I got it from my mama.
Top, middle. Pretty self-explanatory. Plus it's just super cute.
There's power in looking silly and not caring that you do.
Amy Poehler is a wise woman. Also, her book is so good in case you haven't read it. Plus this one's yellow. Anyway, over the last few years I've really felt myself start caring less and less what other people think of me. It's important to do your own thing and not care what others think. You just have to be yourself and do what you want without fear of judgment. It's the only way you'll really find out who you are.
Look at things differently.
This one is the black and white one hung upside down in the middle of the whole collage. When I came across this one on Pinterest, I just thought it was so fun and different and interesting. Plus, I love the idea of looking at things a new way. Someone in one of my favorite TV shows once said something along the lines of, "Try a new perspective: Things might not be falling apart. Maybe they're just changing shape." I love that! It's like when people say that when God closes a door, he opens a new one. It's so important in life to always look for new opportunities and beginnings that other endings bring.
This orange one in the bottom center is a reminder to live without regrets. It's an awful feeling to think, "What if?" Instead, try things, gain new experiences, take chances. This is something I have to tell myself daily. But when you try something, and it turns out to be something amazing for you, it's one of the greatest feelings in the world! So I'm trying not to live with regrets or worries and indecisiveness. I'm trying to just do.
Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?
This light blue one next to the previous one is a Harry Potter quote because every quote wall needs a Harry Potter quote. This one has always been one of my favorites. Ever since I first read it the first time I read "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," I've always remembered it and treasured it. It's just a reminder to be creative and value your thoughts and feelings and emotions. Dumbledore's just full of wisdom; ya gotta love him.
Why the hell not?
The big white one with the purple lettering in the upper right. Once again, just take chances. What could go wrong? {Well, probably a lot, actually.} But that's not the point. The point is that it's important to take chances and try things. You never know unless you try, as they always say!
Think about what could go right.
The colorful one below the previous one. I'm awesome at coming up with tons of scenarios in my head, mostly bad ones. I always come up with horrible endings to almost every situation I encounter. This quote is a great reminder to think about all of the things that could go right. Yes, I need reminders to try new things; but I also need reminders to think positively about trying those new things. Good things can happen, and I just need to remember that.
Look at the bright side.
This colorful illustration with a sun in the middle is a reminder similar to the last one. Sure, bad things happen; that's just the way the world works. But I like to consider myself an optimist, and optimists look at the bright side! I always try to see the positive in every situation. Sometimes that's hard to do, but I still try to do it nonetheless.
Kindness begins with me.
Obviously I need a quote about kindness on my quote wall, and this pink one in the bottom right fulfills that requirement. As you know, I'm an avid practicer of kindness in general, so this is an awesome reminder that I am capable of creating and spreading kindness all by myself.
I'm so happy with the way my quote wall turned out this year. It's full of bright colors and illustrations and great words and reminders that I can look at every day. I'm still on the search for a graphic of "One day at a time," or "Day by day," to remind me that life is a battle you just gotta fight one day at a time. It's scary to think about the future and all that it holds, but it's easier to think about it just day by day. You just have to get through one day at a time. So if you see any cute graphics of a quote like that, send it my way!
What are some of your favorite quotes? How do you stay motivated or inspired?
Lots of love,
Sarah
Paulo Coelho, "The Alchemist"