I was looking through my book of scraps over at two peas and I stumbled across this gem and thought I’d share here. I think eventually this will make it onto a scrap page but at the moment I’m stuck on how to best do that. I’ve got another post started but I’m too tired to finish it tonight so for now here’s some advice that I thought was priceless:
How to Quit Life & Start Living
Jim Allen
1. Recognize that LIFE is what you get when you’re born. . .
. . . LIVING is what you do with it! You can sit back and wait for life to happen to you or you can make it happen yourself. As Maya Angelou once said, "Life likes to be taken by the lapel and told, I’m with you kid. Let’s go!"
2. Define life. . . it leads to the fine life.
Life is not a slogan, no matter what Nike, McDonald’s, ABC, NBC, or any other media giant might have you believe. While those "Life is. . . ." t-shirts are often witty, the philosophy they propose, like the shirts themselves, are rarely "one size fits all." Define life and living on your own terms and you’ve a better chance of getting both.
3. Take charge of your life.
Geoffrey Abert said that when you take charge of your life, "there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." To start living your life, you’ve got to be in control of it.
4. Little things mean a lot.
Life throws a lot of little negative things in our way that must be dealt with or else they will greatly diminish how we enjoy our days. Stephen Vincent Benet said it best: "Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways."
5. Employ the power of positive quitting.
Most of us view quitting as something negative, but it’s not. "Winners never quit," we’re told, when, in reality, winners quit all the time: choosing to stop doing things that aren’t creating the results they desire. When you quit all the things that aren’t working for you. . . When you quit tolerating all the negative things that hold you back. . . You’ll create a positive "charge" in your life as well as well creating the space in your life for more positive experiences.
6. Charge into your future!
As you recreate this positive force in your life, take big, massive leaps into your future. Be imaginative, bold, and brave! The results may surprise you.
7. Use everything.
You are blessed with a particular set of skills and talents that NO ONE else has. Use every skill and talent to live your life as joyfully and abundantly as possible. Leave this life as Erma Bombeck wished to: "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.”’
Candy says:
Wonderful words of wisdom- I think this would make a great mini-book!
:o) Hope you had a great weekend!
June 24th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Shabby Miss Jenn says:
Oooh!!!! I looove reading these! What a way to spice up my week! Re-iterate some great things! I love the “don’t ask permission” deal! I hate that! I just do it. Trying to teach our lil ones that now. And on the positive quitting! Love that! My incredible friend once told me “Jenn I give you permission to end that unhealthy relationship”. Man! It was powerful! Loooved hearing that and now it’s so true. Ending/quitting can be so powerful when you embrace the greatness behind it.
Smoochies and hope you have a fab day!
xoxox
SMJ
June 25th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Kimmy says:
I too am inspired and encouraged by those words. What a hard thing to move past needing other people’s approval and also living life for them. From simple insecurities about our physical appearance all the way down to the extreme place where we make life long decisions based on what we think others want us to do. It’s time to start living life for God and for ourselves. When we value other people’s opinions over God’s opinion, we will have a very poor image of ourselves. God will always see us in His image (and I guarantee He doesn’t have a poor self image). :) Great reminders and positive thoughts to live by.
June 25th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
shabbyjuls says:
I say AMEN to what Kimmy said..totally agree with all of it:) I have just overcome some of that approval junk..and it’s so peaceful that way. Love this post!!!!
June 25th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
tara says:
SHAWN, YOU ROCK! ATTA GIRL! HOW’S THAT PUPPY?
I linked you on this one… hope ya don’t mind!
June 26th, 2007 at 12:48 am