it’s day one of the belovelive mini blog challenge! and today’s theme is being. what keeps you grounded? do you have any practices, disciplines, rituals that you do?
for me, being is the foundation of life. it is first + foremost the thing that i seek to “do” every single day… whether it is meditating, reading, praying, practicing yoga or simply soaking up nature. taking time to simply be is critical for staying connected + attached. it’s a tough thing to do, making us feel guilty for taking the time to slow down and just be with ourselves. society teaches us to speed up, do more, and stay busy. otherwise we are lazy and self-centered.
of course, i totally disagree. though i fight those guilty society feelings every single day. but, deep down, i know that creating my own inner peace is what is most important. for, only when i create that still, quiet space within… only when i am attached to my source, my soul, the divine light within, am i able to know who i am. only by going within can i find the courage to simply be me, to feel inspired, and open myself to the ways that i can be used in the world.
it all must begin with being.
my goal for these first three posts in the mini blog challenge is to go back through my blog and find quotes that i have shared related to being, loving, and living. so, today, i am going to share with you some quotes that i have posted in the past that continue to inspire me today. in fact, i’ll let you in on another little secret as well: the quotes i am gathering will be used in my upcoming book that i am writing: from death to peace . so, i am doing “research” and work for my book as well as posting this post. (and i am proud of my effectiveness! hehe!).
some of my favorite quotes on being
“THE MOON DOES NOT FIGHT. IT ATTACKS NO ONE. IT DOES NOT WORRY. IT DOES NOT TRY TO CRUSH OTHERS. IT KEEPS TO ITS COURSE, BUT BY ITS VERY NATURE, IT GENTLY INFLUENCES. WHAT OTHER BODY COULD PULL AN ENTIRE OCEAN FROM SHORE TO SHORE? THE MOON IS FAITHFUL TO ITS NATURE AND ITS POWER IS NEVER DIMINISHED.” ― DENG MING-DAO, EVERYDAY TAO: LIVING WITH BALANCE AND HARMONY
“THOUSANDS OF TIRED, NERVE-SHAKEN, OVER-CIVILIZED PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO FIND OUT GOING TO THE MOUNTAINS IS GOING HOME; THAT WILDERNESS IS A NECESSITY…” – JOHN MUIR
“THEY BOTH LISTENED SILENTLY TO THE WATER, WHICH TO THEM WAS NOT JUST WATER, BUT THE VOICE OF LIFE, THE VOICE OF BEING, THE VOICE OF PERPETUAL BECOMING.” – HERMANN HESSE, SIDDHARTHA
“You must know nothing before you can learn something, and be empty before you can be filled. Is not the emptiness of the bowl what makes it useful? As for laws, a parrot can repeat them word for word. Their spirit is something else again. As for governing, one must first be lowest before being highest.” ― Lloyd Alexander, The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen
“HOW CAN I ACCEPT A LIMITED DEFINABLE SELF, WHEN I FEEL, IN ME, ALL POSSIBILITIES?” -ANAÏS NIN
“when you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music. which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison? BUT I SAY TO YOU THAT WHEN YOU WORK YOU FULFILL A PART OF THE EARTH’S FURTHEST DREAM, ASSIGNED TO YOU WHEN THAT DREAM WAS BORN, AND IN KEEPING YOURSELF WITH LABOUR YOU ARE IN TRUTH LOVING LIFE, AND TO LOVE LIFE THROUGH LABOUR IS TO BE INTIMATE WITH LIFE’S INMOST SECRET…AND WHEN YOU WORK WITH LOVE YOU BIND YOURSELF TO YOURSELF, AND TO ONE ANOTHER, AND TO GOD” – KAHLIL GIBRAN’S “THE PROPHET”
“if you wish to be a mine of jewels, open the deep ocean within your heart.” ~rumi
“the universe is not going to see someone like you again in the entire history of creation”. ~ vartan gregorian
“the most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. you trade in your reality for a role. you trade in your sense for an act. you give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. there can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on an individual level. it’s got to happen inside first.” ~ jim morrison
“your work is to discover your work & then with all your heart give yourself to it.” ~ buddha
“by living deeply in the present moment we can understand the past better and prepare for a better future.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“AT THE CENTER OF YOUR BEING, YOU HAVE THE ANSWER. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.” ~ LAO TZU
“THERE IS NO NEED TO RUN OUTSIDE FOR BETTER SEEING NOR TO PEER FROM A WINDOW. RATHER ABIDE AT THE CENTER OF YOUR BEING. THE MORE YOU LEAVE IT THE LESS YOU LEARN. SEARCH YOUR HEART AND SEE, FOR IF SHE IS WISE WHO TAKES EACH TURN THE WAY TO DO IS TO BE” ― LAO TZU, THE TAO TE CHING IN TRANSLATION: FIVE TRANSLATIONS WITH CHINESE TEXT
‘the way of the tao teaches that “without the center, the surface means nothing… what we are brings meaning and purpose. beneath the restless surface of our lives lies a deep source of peace, power, and inspiration. we find that deep center in reflection or meditation.” the way of the tAO
i found this back in the archives of my blog, and i decided that it was exactly how i wanted to end this post. it is something i wrote on the 7th of may 2012, and it still speaks to me + reflects how i feel today. so, here you go:
“my dear friends & family, one of the greatest gifts and greatest challenges in life is to simply be who you are. to discover the voice within that comes from your soul, and then to listen to it. to live life from that voice, embracing all of your quirks, unique qualities, talents, shortcomings, dreams, and everything in between. it’s hard to do that. i know. i am still learning, even though i’ve come a long way.
it’s true, it’s a long journey, but no one said we had to have it figured out by a certain age, or at a certain time. it takes a lifetime. but, perhaps that’s part of what this life is all about. the idea is just to keep discovering… uncovering & freeing yourself more & more every day.
and you are worth it. you are so worth it. you are worth everything. you deserve to be free & to seek inner peace. this self-discovery thing isn’t just about you, though, i believe. you are here for a reason. there’s a purpose to this crazy, wandering, life full of both suffering and joy. we need you. this world needs you, needs all of us… to simply be who we are. and then, together, from all different lands & experiences, with different thoughts, opinions, perspectives, dreams… yes, together, we will make beautiful music. for what connects us, our similarities, our humanness; well, that is much stronger than our differences. imagine all that we can do and be together.
so, just be you. commit to letting your inner voice lead you. follow your instinct, your heart, your soul. be you – exactly who you were created to be. because you are beautiful and you are loved. just as you are.”
onwards + upwards! xoxo
