Tortoise (Photo credit: frefran)
Ok, I’m a day late, but hopefully it’s early enough that no one will notice…oops, I guess I blew that. I just couldn’t write yesterday. I felt like the tortoise from The Tortoise and The Hare. Slow and steady was the mode for the day. I had an idea roiling around in my brain, but it just wasn’t fully forming. Hopefully, I can make sense of it this morning. My kids have a 2-hour school delay because it’s sooooo cold, so I have uninterrupted quiet time today.
The other day I was browsing through my reader, the one with the new format that hasn’t affected me in the least , and I came across a post that intrigued me. Mostly, I hoped that no one was seriously hurt. The link for it is just below and it is well worth reading. I am using it for inspiration for my Monday Tuesday optimism post.
http://400daystil40.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/39-days-til-40-damaged-but-capable/
These are the quotes that start off her post and they so closely reflect what I have been learning and thinking about lately, that I had to read more.
I was slightly brain-damaged at birth, and I want people like me to see that they shouldn’t let a disability get in the way. I want to raise awareness – I want to turn my disability into ability. ~ Susan Boyle
Everybody’s damaged by something. ~ Emma Donoghue
Most people tend to think the best of those who are blessed with beauty; we have difficulty imagining that physical perfection can conceal twisted emotions or a damaged mind. ~ Dean Koontz
If we all did the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves. ~ Thomas A. Edison
If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life. ~ Abraham Maslow
Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. ~ Raymond Chandler
Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. ~ John Wooden
The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
If all of those could be combined into a single model for living and then add that God creates us exactly how He wants us to be, and gives us every talent and skill we need if we would just ask for His help, as Gandhi said, “…[it] would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” Besides that, wouldn’t we all be so much happier if we could accept who we are, faults and all, and know that we are capable of anything that we set our minds to.
I’ve been making lists each day of about 10 things that I want to get done. I haven’t completed one yet, but I have accomplished so much more each day than I used to, so that’s a BIG PLUS! in my book. I see improvement every day. The saying “two steps forward and one step back” has stayed around for so long because it is the nature of people. It is still progress. Take a look back at the quote from Thomas Edison. Did you know that he had more failures than successes with his inventions? That’s pretty hard to believe considering that he had hundreds of successful patents! He was also kicked out of school because his teacher’s couldn’t control him (ADHD?) His mother home-schooled him and his orneriness and he repaid her by burning down a barn with one of his experiments. Do not be discouraged by failure. You tried something, now learn from it! You might learn that it’s not your thing and that’s ok too. Keep trying and keep learning.
Housekeeping is definitely not my thing, so God found me the dustiest house, the dog that sheds more than the abominable snowmonster, and a family with severe allergies…to dust and dander! I say I do the best I can to keep it clean, and perhaps I do each day, but I also do a little better each day….okay! okay! maybe each week. (That’s all I’m giving up so just go with it.) I guess what I’m trying to say is every day is new, a fresh start, so just do your best today, even if it’s less than yesterday, and soon you will be able to look back and say “Hey, I did it!” You can fill in your own sentence after that because it could be anything. Maybe, you raised your children successfully, or had your whole house clean at the same time (for 5 minutes), or wrote a book, or wrote a sentence. Maybe you took one step during therapy today, or maybe you ran a marathon. Successes come in all sizes and we have to appreciate each and every one. Sometimes we get knocked down, but we need to ask for help ( I personally turn to God here) and pull ourselves up and try again, learn from it and leave it in the past.
Do your best and be your best each and every day and soon you will realize that you are happy. You will crash onto your pillow each night in exhaustion with a smile in your heart…because you did your best.
Have a Great Day! and Smile at a Stranger!
Julie