PEBBLE
When you need something to believe in, start with yourself.
-Zack Aaronson, shared by Mary in Wichita, KS
BOULDER
Whatever you wish there was more of, be that.
Whatever you want your relationships and friendships to be, be that.
Whatever you want the world to be, be that.
If you want there to be less fear and more love in the world, start with yourself.
If you want there to be less stress, anxiety, depression and tension in the world, start with yourself.
If you want the world to be a more peaceful place, fairer, more generous and compassionate, start with yourself.
-Stephanie Dowrick, shared by John in Denver, CO
BOULDER
There are so many things wrong with the world, and there are so many things that need to change. Most of those things are far beyond our immediate control. For lots of people, a lot of the time, that means throwing hands up in the air with a gasp of exasperation and/or a sigh of resignation. If you’ve been feeling that lately, I don’t blame you. There are plenty of times I’ve felt that way.
Luckily for me, the universe often knows right when I need a pep talk. Sometimes it is literally a pep talk (Remember Kid President’s awesome 2013 Pep Talk? I even found an updated version!). Or last week’s issue of Coach Colene’s Monday Morning Pep Talk, inviting us to conceptualize our own personal Operating Manual containing all kinds of useful information about how we run and how to troubleshoot the inevitable issues that arise in a full life. Other times it’s something else, like a recent TobyNote, offering me 31 expressions of hope for the month of May. Or the novel I just finished, Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, which left me in a puddle of tears and an ocean of insights.
Each has a unique lesson for me, and they all lead me back home to the truth I too easily forget: the world doesn’t need me to be something more than what I am, nor does it need me to be someone different than who I am. It just longs for me to start with myself, to show up with the best possible version of myself that I can muster, as often as I can. The act of being me, doing the stuff I can do, allows me to make some difference in the world AND it reminds other people to show up and do their thing, too. And then, you know…it keeps spreading outward and onward…kinda like…(wait for it)…ripples in a pond.
Peace,
Paul
