JOIE DE VIVRE

The next time you feel the world pressing in on you, take a moment. Look up at the sky. The sun. The stars. See the beauty of the world being so much more vast than any worry that we could ever produce.

“Have a love that’s so strong that it speaks even without words.”

“My whole life I’ve been telling myself, ‘don’t be afraid’. And it is only now that I’m realizing how stupid that is. Don’t be afraid. Like saying, ‘don’t move out of the way when someone tries to punch you’ or ‘don’t flinch at the heat of fire’ or ‘don’t blink’. Don’t be human. I’m afraid and you’re afraid and we’re all always going to be afraid, because that’s the point. What I should be telling myself is ‘be afraid, but do it anyway’. Live anyway.”

“You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling … Learn to use them and fly.”

“You have the power to transform your life in any way imaginable. You have the power to shape your mind, thoughts, and actions to take you closer to life that you want to live.”

“Give yourself permission to be a beginner. Everyone starts somewhere, and every person who is really great at what they do was once someone who didn’t know much and struggled. And you’re allowed that. You’re allowed to be a person who doesn’t have all the answers yet. You’re allowed to be imperfect and make mistakes and not have all the tools.It takes time to build skills. It takes time to learn how to navigate new things and develop your strengths. Struggling at something you’ve never done before is human and normal – and it’s okay. You aren’t a failure if it’s overly difficult. You aren’t pathetic or incompetent or shameful. You’re a beginner. You’re still learning. And there’s honor in that. Honor in opening yourself up to new experiences and knowledge. Honor in putting yourself outside your comfort zone so that you can grow into a new, more full version of yourself. So if you’re feeling lost and unprepared, know that it’s just a part of the process. Everyone else has been here before, and they all made it through. You’ll figure everything out along the way. It takes time. And you’re allowed to give yourself that time. It won’t be this overwhelming and difficult forever.”