"The life you live in, don't let it live IN you!" (in other words, if you are in a bad situation, OVERCOME it! - don't use the excuse...my life is bad, so I have no choice but to do bad. You are in control of your own life, your thoughts, your actions, your behaviors. If you don't like something about your life--CHANGE IT!!)
"All cruelty springs from weakness" (people are most likely to hurt others when they feel vulnerable, down, or weak. Being cruel will only keep one down longer. I like this quote, too, because it explains why bullies bully)
"Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal" (everyone knows that you must work hard to achieve what you want. Some times you won't get it right the 1st time, but that's when you pick up the pieces and try, try again. Hard work pays off, and the feeling of success is intensified when you know you tried your very best to reach your goal.)
"When I grow up, I want to be just like me!" (I never could truly understand this one until I turned 30 years old. All my life, I wanted to jump higher, run faster, be skinnier, have curlier hair, have more money, etc. etc. The list could go on and on forever. Everyone always wants what they can't have. With age comes maturity and wisdom. Wisdom allows me to know, love and accept ME inside and out. I am happy and comfortable in my own skin. It took 30 years to get here, but I wouldn't change a thing. I know that God made me exactly the way he wanted me to be. I am right where I belong. We could spend a life-time always wanting more, bigger, and better; but, this just seems exhausting and insane. Self-actualization is what we accomplish when we embrace our goods and our bads. Practice loving yourself and finding the GOoD in you. You may just be surprised at how GOoD you really are.
"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want" (I like this one. My sister said this to me one day. It's so true. We don't/won't/can't always get what we want, every time. We are only human, and we are all bound to make mistakes. It's what we do with our mistakes that set us apart from the monkeys:) The best advice I know is to always learn from your mistakes. Teach yourself a lesson so you don't make the same mistake again. Experience the life lesson that you are teaching yourself. Always remember that God has a plan for you. His plan may not be your own plan, but you are right where He wants you to be.)
So, learn, love, live, make mistakes, gain understanding and experience, be yourself, embrace your faults, be in charge of your life, be in control of your happiness, be strong, sing loud, dance crazy, speak kindly, keep the beat to your own drum, stay positive, and know that you are exactly where you belong. xoxo, SWAG
