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Happiness Quote Memes for Motivation
It's a rainy day and I'm feeling kind of mopey. I have work to attend to, but the pull of inertia is sometimes just too much. What can I do quickly to get inspired and put my thoughts back on the right track? Quotes of course!
I have always loved quotations. I find they are a great way to gain perspective and to open the mind to new thoughts and ideas. Over the years, I've collected many of them, on a variety of subjects.
Quotes can inspire and motivate. I use them often as journal or writing prompts. I also have a love of Photoshop and creating graphics, so when the mood strikes I often combine the two and create inspirational graphics. These can be useful as desktop wallpaper, pins for Pinterest, and even for Hubs. People love a beautiful picture and when you combine it with quotes or words of wisdom, they are really enjoyable.
So rather than just write and talk about my favorite happiness quotes, I thought I would share them in photo form too. I hope you will enjoy them! :)
“Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness.”
What can I say? I love this quote so much and it took me a long time in life to get to this place. I believe very much in the concepts of simple abundance. When we are happy with what we have, we are living expressions of gratitude. With gratitude, comes a mind and heart open to possibilities and willing to embrace new opportunities.
Gratitude, in my experience, leads to generosity of spirit. When we live from a place of gratitude every day, happiness is the natural result. It becomes a part of who you are – not some ever-elusive thing you have to chase down.
“The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom”.
In my life this has been very true. Boredom often mimics the symptoms of depression. We also tend to perpetuate this myth that if we stay busy enough; we can't be bored. You can be on the move from sunrise until midnight, and be bored out of your skull. Busy does not, in any sense, mean not bored!
The mind and body need to be challenged. We humans tend to seek comfort, but we thrive on challenge. Pushing our limits and trying new things is the quickest path to happiness. I know I bore easily, and it is during those times I have to purposefully look for new ideas, new inspiration. I get up and go visit a new place, try a new workout routine, eat a new food – anything to get out of the soul-sucking monotonous cycles it can be so easy to settle into.
A challenged mind is a creative mind. Inspiration is often abundant after the simple act of breaking monotony and doing something bold and new. - or even not so bold and just new ;).
“True happiness involves the full use of ones power and talents”
We live in a very “instant gratification” society. My loving husband, spent many years training in Aikido and one of the principles taught there was patience. There is no mastery, because you can always improve. Over the years, he earned higher ranks, but patience was a virtue.
When he started teaching martial arts, there was no market for his style. Everyone wants a new belt rank yesterday. It's like no one has the time or fortitude to truly develop and nurture their power or train in a skill. Sometimes it seems like no one really wants self-mastery, they want ego-gratification.
I believe that finding our true power and talents in life is something that comes from within. It takes strength and a willingness to set aside conditioning and external influences and listen to our own spirit. We have to be willing to sacrifice ego stroking and instant gratification and grow where we are planted.
I was called from a young age to be a writer. I love it, it's at the soul of who I am. I have spent the past 30+ years developing, but this development was both personal and professional. As I grew as a person, I also grew as a writer. I didn't expect I could become a great writer by taking a course or two - or a weekend seminar. It's an ongoing process.
I push myself all the time to grow as a writer (and personally). I know that there is always more to learn and different things to try, but I give my all to it – and it has rewarded my life immensely. The minute I declare I've learned enough, I stop growing. It's that way with everything in life - the ego strokes are nice, but growth and development is a lifelong journey.
Happiness Quote #4
“You can be happy where you are”
This quote reminds me that happiness is a choice and not an attainment. If I spend all my time waiting until this happens, or that arrives – I miss out on opportunities for joy now, today. I prefer to embrace the small blisses that exist at any given moment.
As I appreciate those daily moments, my eyes and heart open to even more abundance in life, resulting of course, in more happiness. I don't have to attain it – it's there waiting for my acceptance.
Accepting happiness and peace in life as a choice is one of the most empowering things I ever did for myself. It truly opened my eyes and my world to a new way of living.
Happiness Quote #5
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
This is something I definitely agree with. My life became joyful the minute I stopped living for others and their expectations of me. When I was chasing success, I was often very miserable because I was so busy running after what I'd been conditioned to think and believe, that I lost site of myself and my own dreams.
When I chose to be true to myself – and I mean really chose it, everything opened up to me. I willingly, although terrified, walked away from a corporate job and into the life of a “starving artist”. I was never so relieved in all my life.
Sure, it was a struggle for awhile financially, but I embraced that struggle. Freedom was bliss. I became more business savvy, much more resourceful and my life was rewarded in many, ways. I become self-sufficient and started many businesses/sidelines that allowed me to increase my finances and live a more fulfilling life on my own terms.
Most people see the word success and they immediately think “career” or “money”. I view success as freedom! Once I allowed myself to have freedom, I found my niche in life. Today, I live comfortably. I wake up joyful every morning and not dreading my days like I used to. A job or paycheck was not worth the soul-sucking experience that was my high stress job.
Life on my own terms, doing what I enjoy = success in my eyes.
So, those are some of my favorite quotes about “happiness” - do you have one you'd like to share? Feel free to share it in the comments section :)
Do you use quotes for motivation or inspiration?
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© 2013 Christin Sander