In case you might have missed that I've been going on and on about the book from my most recent book club, we just finished the book "Soulful Simplicity" by Courtney Carver. It has been such a helpful guide to teach our group how we can cut back on what doesn't matter to focus on what does matter. Who doesn't need that kind of reminder? So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep this short because I've jotted down some of the most inspiring, soul-growing (is that a thing?) quotes to urge you to continue creating a life you love. I encourage you to read these at a time when you can sit and ponder one of the quotes that sticks out to you. I'm sure there is going to be at least one you needed to hear today :)
So, here are the 35 quotes. May you be refreshed and inspired after reading!...
“Notice when you compare. Here’s why comparing doesn’t work. We are usually comparing our beginnings with their endings, or our insides with their outsides. This isn’t fair comparing. If you measure yourself, your life, or your work based on comparison, consider who you are and what you have to offer without measuring against others.”
“Through the process, I discovered that it isn’t about organizing things or just getting rid of stuff. Those are the mechanics and certainly part of it all, but simplicity is about more than making space in your home. It’s also about creating more time in your life and more love in your heart. What I learned is that you can actually be more with less.”
“My quest to do it all did not resonate with my heart. When you live or work outside of your heart, there will always be a breakup, a breakdown, or both.”
“When I started asking questions about what was important to me and identified what wasn’t, I discovered what truly resonated with my heart and soul. I took the time to listen to myself. I learned to trust the answers, and I began to live simply and soulfully.”
“One of the reasons we keep our lives so complicated is so we won’t have to listen to our inner voice telling us what we need to do to make our lives work better.” -Elaine St. James
“Without love for yourself, and love for how you live, and who you spend your time with, the drugs aren’t going to be helpful for very long, if ever. And saying or thinking you love yourself is not enough either. Love is reflected in your daily choices. When you choose crappy food for lunch, that isn’t loving. Neither is choosing work over sleep or anger over gratitude. They are all choices. Not easy ones, but choices nonetheless.”
“Once I made a little time and space to hear my inner voice, to really listen, changing got easier, even exciting. As my inner voice became easier to hear, I was able to connect with my heart and gain more clarity about what I really wanted in my life.”
“Getting your wake-up call is not the hard part, even though it might hurt a little bit. Answering the call is. Choosing to answer the call instead of ignoring it is hard because you know if you do, things are going to change, and change is scary. That said, ignoring your call is worse, especially once you know it’s time to change.”
“Simplicity and most big changes are a matter of the heart. If your heart isn’t in the game, permanent change doesn’t stand a chance.”
“We dismiss opportunities every day by telling ourselves we can’t do it. We give in to fear.”
“Hard work isn’t always a sign of good work.”
“We don’t have to do it all. We can’t do it all. We are better for it when we don’t try to do it all.”
“Clutter attracts clutter and calm attracts calm.”
“The pain wasn’t acute or based on one traumatic event, but instead it built slowly with every compromise I made, each time I said yes when I wanted to say no, every time I overcommitted, overspent, said “just a sec” to my daughter and made her wait an hour, made my phone my priority, did things because I thought I was supposed to, and each time I tried to prove my worth to someone else by what I accomplished, owned, or said.”
“There was always a quick fix. More numbing. I sort of knew that’s what was happening, but it felt easier to continue living the status quo than to address the problem.”
“Now I choose love over stuff. People I love, work I love, and a life I love.”
“After all, perfect isn’t real.”
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” -Leonard Cohen
“You will never find something that makes you feel beautiful, smart, or loved until you believe you already are.”
“Being busy became more important than actually getting things done.”
“When we focus more on fitting it all in instead of making time for what counts, we lose sight of how to create a meaningful life. Instead of fully experiencing the gift in front of us, we cram our days and lives with all the things. And juggling everything makes it impossible to enjoy anything.”
“What I do is not who I am.”
“Real connection doesn’t come from comparing our lists or our plates, it comes from sharing our hearts. Instead of measuring ourselves by what we get done, let’s measure by how we treat people and how we engage in our work. Let’s measure more by what’s in our hearts, and less by what’s on our lists.”
“My phone was like a body part. It was always nearby, and it came first. I thought I was so busy because the job demanded it, and because life demanded it, and because everyone wanted more from me. I didn’t know it was my choice. I didn’t realize this was the life I was choosing; the life I was creating.”
“Instead of thinking about the opposite of busyness as laziness, consider that the opposite of a busy life is a full, intentional life.”
“Creating boundaries makes room to expand in all directions.”
“No is a complete sentence.” -Anne Lamott
“We are creating resumes for children for a life they probably don’t want.”
“You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to start embracing life and stop living just to get it all done, because when it’s all done...it’s all done.”
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Hope, light, and freedom were all wonderful side effects of simplicity, but the very best outcome is that I found my way back to love.”
“God works through the Spirit with our unique individual character and personal history to make manifest God’s love in and for the world.” -Reverend Tyler
“When I get frustrated and wish I did have it all figured out, I remember that the messiest times in my life have inspired the most profound change.”
“You are going to keep making mistakes not because you are flawed, but because you are human.”
“Make a life that makes you smile at least ninety-nine times a day. Shift your focus from creating a simple life to making a life. Simplicity is just the tool; what you make with it is up to you.”
So, my friend, I hope that you can learn from the messiness of life. I hope you can adopt a slower pace and a more awakened awareness. I pray that one of these quotes spoke to you and was a gift to your soul. Happy rooting!