Monday, August 18, 2014

Motivational Monday


FOR ME, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
IN YOUR LIFE IS TO LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH INTEGRITY 
AND NOT TO GIVE IN TO PEER PRESSURE
TO TRY TO BE SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE NOT,
TO LIVE YOUR LIFE AS AN 
HONEST AND COMPASSIONATE PERSON,
TO CONTRIBUTE IN SOME WAY.

SO TO CONCLUDE MY CONCLUSION, 
FOLLOW YOUR PASSION,
STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF.

NEVER FOLLOW ANYONE ELSE'S PATH 
UNLESS YOU'RE IN THE WOODS AND YOU'RE LOST 
AND YOU SEE A PATH AND BY ALL MEANS
YOU SHOULD FOLLOW THAT.
(Ellen DeGeneres)

I've spent a chunk of my life fighting my way through the dense underbrush of "normal," through the thicket of "traditional," in order to find my way in the world. And as rewarding as it's been, it's also exhausting. 

Here's something I've learned - it's okay to stop fighting now and then. It's okay to rest, to take a breather. It's okay to admit we're lost. It's okay to find the people we admire and respect, and pick up their paths for awhile. When we're ready, we'll branch off on our own again. We'll discover a new, exciting direction for our lives. Maybe we'll even create a path for someone else to follow....  

22 comments:

  1. Such wise words as always Madeline. We seem to put too much pressure on ourselves...yes, it's more than ok to take a breather every once in a while...

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    1. Well, I don't know if I'd say "wise" exactly but thank you. :)

      I used to equate taking a breather with giving up. It's taken me awhile to figure out that they're not the same thing at all.

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  2. Ellen has it right: We're always hardest on ourselves. We need to remember to ease up and give ourselves a break sometimes.

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    1. That quote is from a speech she gave a few years ago, I believe to a graduating class. Can you imagine being in that room? How fun! :)

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  3. A path for someone else to follow - now that's something to aspire to achieve.

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    1. I'm not sure we'll ever know if anyone is following our paths but it's kind of fun to think about.... :)

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  4. Love that quote...especially the end. How funny. It would have been hysterical to hear Ellen deliver that speech.

    And I kind of hope no one is following my path. Considering all of the detours and just general not-moving I do, I would feel terrible.

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    1. I feel the same way about people following/not following my path. Although, there would be a lot of chocolate and a lot of cheese....

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  5. I think we all go through periods where we lose sight of the path or discover we need to take a different path than the one we intended. It's seldom the shortest or straightest.

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    1. Wouldn't it be nice if, every once in awhile, the path was short and straight? If the path was easy?

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  6. Sometimes it helps if I think of life as a giant treasure hunt - that way, when I take a path that turns into a bramble thicket I think of it as challenge or I can turn back and take an easier path for a while, until I just have to bite off part of the bramble thicket. Ok, not sure if that made sense . . . oh well
    And Madeline, I think that you've definitely created a path worth following, especially with your amazing short fiction.

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    1. Oh, Tyrean, thank you so much! I appreciate that. :)

      And what you said did make sense - no worries.

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  7. What a wonderful quote and an even better interpretation. Reminds me of the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken.

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  8. Great quote and wise words. Your Monday posts really are motivational!

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  9. there is a time for creation and a time for regeneration, a time for speculation and a time for inspiration

    thanks for the motivation! you always pick the right things to say, as if you knew what i needed to hear =)

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  10. That is a great quote - and she and you are absolutely right.

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