Your Own Two Feet: 21 Inspiring Quotes

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As we craft our soul-prospering life, we’ll come across people who think we’re ridiculous or ill informed or out-right dumb for our dreams. This week we’ll talk about standing on our own two feet.

Here are some quotes to get us going and to keep in mind this week: different aspects of standing on your own two feet.

Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you. Joel Osteen

Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on Earth. Bradley Whitford

Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along. George Herbert

We have to stand up for what we believe in, even when we might not be popular for it. Honesty starts with being ourselves, authentic and true to who we are and what we believe in, and that may not always be popular, but it will always let you follow your dreams and your heart. Tabatha Coffey

I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. Abraham Lincoln

Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don’t give up the fight. Bob Marley

It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. J. K. Rowling

Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn. Miguel de Cervantes

The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there… and still on your feet. Stephen King

I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down. Mia Hamm

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying. Friedrich Nietzsche

I believe that if you’ll just stand up and go, life will open up for you. Tina Turner

You must stand for something! It does not have to be grand, but it must be a positive that brings light to someone else’s darkness. Anthony Carmona

The strongest thing that any human being has going is their own integrity and their own heart. As soon as you start veering away from that, the solidity that you need in order to be able to stand up for what you believe in and deliver what’s really inside, it’s just not going to be there. Herbie Hancock

When you stand for something, you’ve got to stand for it all the way, not half way. Kevin Gates

For a lot of people, Superman is and has always been America’s hero. He stands for what we believe is the best within us: limitless strength tempered by compassion, that can bear adversity and emerge stronger on the other side. He stands for what we all feel we would like to be able to stand for, when standing is hardest. J. Michael Straczynski

In this world, one thing you should definitely strive for is originality. Just be who you are, and be your own person. That’s what will make you stand out. Nolan Gould

If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. Peter Marshall

Do not let your grand ambitions stand in the way of small but meaningful accomplishments. Bryant H. McGill

I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

You can start right where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile by rendering more service and better service than you are now being paid for. Napoleon Hill

 

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

A Fresh Perspective: Sticking with Your Truth

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This week we’ve been talking about getting a fresh perspective on our situations. We’ve talked about different ways to do this—the change in the way we view our challenges. I want to point out that there is also a lot to be said for keeping your perspective—your truth—and not bending to what’s popular or knuckling under to the pressure from others.

To me, what this means is that we look at rough patches and tough spots and rocky portions of our path from different perspectives. Doing so can be a way to get through them quicker, easier, and come out a stronger and more effective person. But while we are looking at things differently, still keep the courage of our convictions. This means that we don’t modify or abandon what our gut, our instincts, and our heart and soul is telling us is our truth.

The point is to look at situations from many different perspectives so that our creativity and inventiveness can be energized but still holding firm to the dream in our hearts!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

A Fresh Perspective: Different Views

 

 

Other ways to look at your situation differently are to take a far view as well as a close-up view of it.

Questions to ask yourself:

~What if I would take a very long view of this?

Can you mentally back up or get above the situation and see it in its entirety rather than the piece that’s right in front of you? Perhaps the situation you’re facing is not isolated but rather a part of a whole or another facet of an issue you’ve dealt with previously.

For instance, what will you think about this situation when you’re five years down your path and taking a retrospective view of this? Where do you think you’ll be in your life and how do you think this situation would have helped get you there?

~What if I would look at this in detail, in the tiny bits and pieces that makes up the whole?

Perhaps taking a microscopic view will show you a significant piece, and once that is resolved the rest of the situation is much easier to handle. Also, this might be the piece that holds the gift for you.

Additionally, taking a very close look might show you a pattern that runs through the whole and this pattern might be connected with a larger, overall issue you’ve been dealing with.

When you’re taking this long view and the microscopic view, jot down your thoughts and the ideas that come to you. Remember that all thoughts and all ideas are valid. They may not be ones you’ll take action on, but they are valid. In other words, don’t judge or dismiss them!

Have fun with this!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

A Fresh Perspective: Change It Up!

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To get a fresh perspective on your circumstances, change your location!

If you live in the city, try getting out to the country. If this isn’t possible, go to a neighborhood park that you’ve never been to. If your only option is to go to your usual park, then go to a different part of it–not your usual walking path and not the usual place where you sit. Change it up! The slower pace may be just what you need to let go and open to your inventiveness.

If you live in the country or a town, go to a nearby city–or a town that’s bigger than yours. Is it busier than what you’re used to? Is it noisier, too?

Perhaps you feel discombobulated because the pace and the noise are jarring. Change your thoughts about this. Instead of thinking of this experience as confusing and upsetting, think of it as stimulating and energizing you in a new way. How is this sparking your creativity–how can you think of this in a way that does spark your creativity?

Have fun with this!

You can do it!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

A Fresh Perspective: Shake It Up!

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What would I see if I would look at this situating from the top, from underneath, from the side, or at an oblique angle?   To do this when you’re looking at problems–a difficult co-worker or trouble with your personal finances–it’s metaphorical to look at it up, down, backward, inside out, and you can also do this literally.

For instance, if you live in an urban area, is there a tall building with an observation deck or a restaurant that overlooks the city? If you live in a town or out in the country, is there a scenic overlook where you’re viewing the town from a higher elevation. Is there a place where the view gives you a wide open perspective of endless open space?

Also, is there a place where you can go low? Perhaps there’s a small valley or low spot in your town. Do you have a basement you can sit in quietly for a time, or maybe there’s a restaurant or other public place that’s in a basement-like area.

The point of this is to shake it up, change the way you’re looking at your situation. This is all exploratory so you aren’t committing to anything. You’re trying to jar loose some ideas that are different from the ones you usually get from your habitual ways of thinking.

Have fun with this!

You can do it!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

A Fresh Perspective

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This week we’ll be talking about having a fresh perspective on where you are right now. You’ve heard the saying that there are two sides of the coin. There are also two ways–and more–to look at your current situation.

 

Here are a few quotes to get us thinking about changing our viewpoint:

The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it. Chris Pine

 

It’s not only moving that creates new starting points. Sometimes all it takes is a subtle shift in perspective, an opening of the mind, an intentional pause and reset, or a new route to start to see new options and new possibilities. Kristin Armstrong

 

I think it’s healthy to gain a perspective on who you are deep down, question yourself, and challenge yourself; it’s important to do that. Selena Gomez

 

There are seasons in life. Don’t ever let anyone try to deny you the joy of one season because they believe you should stay in another season… Listen to yourself. Trust your instincts. Keep your perspective. Jane Clayson

 

It’s just so cool when you meet people who are different than you are. That can give you a different perspective, a viewpoint on life, or inspire you. I mean, what would the world be like if we were all the same? I think it would be very boring. Ciara

 

Distance not only gives nostalgia, but perspective, and maybe objectivity. Robert Morgan

 

When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can either be positive or negative; an optimist or a pessimist. I choose to be an optimist. It’s all a matter of perspective. Harvey Mackay

 

When you’re in the muck you can only see muck. If you somehow manage to float above it, you still see the muck but you see it from a different perspective. And you see other things too. That’s the consolation of philosophy. David Cronenberg

 

When I’m grateful for all the blessings, it puts away all the stress about things not in my control. Things like long hours, aging, pollution, scandals… it helps me create perspective by just focusing on being grateful. Take that moment twice a day with yourself. Darby Stanchfield

 

Laughter can bring a new perspective. Christopher Durang

 

I hope these quotes, along with this week’s posts, remind and help you to take a different look at your life.

You can do it!

I’m proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Productive Waiting: Let it Go!

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Perhaps you’re waiting for someone to complete their part of a project before you can move forward. Maybe you’re waiting for a specialized piece of equipment to become available. There may be another valid reason of why you’re in a holding pattern and can’t step toward your soul-prospering life just yet.

This whole week we’ve been talking about different things you can do to stay productive relative to your dreams rather than frittering away the time. Today’s suggestion is to review your current circumstances and identify those things that are no longer serving you. Let them go!

Perhaps you discover habits that no longer help you such as watching too much TV, letting your emotions rein over you, or gossiping. You may find that your environment isn’t serving you. For instance your home is cluttered or your work place is messy. Remember to take a close look at the people you hang around with and follow through on a plan to limit your contact with the Negative Nellies and the Downer Dougs in your life.

Let it go!

You can do it!

Your friend and Pep Pal.

Lauren