Quote of the day for 9/23/2014

photo credit: jayadevmwordpress

“You always pass failure on the way to success.”
-Mickey Rooney

We all want to be successful, but when it comes to the "road to success," not all of us reach the end. Whenever one reaches a 'bump in the road,' doubt tends to take over and you question whether or not you should finish the journey. We complain that it's too hard. We wonder if it is even worth it to continue on the road to success.

Let me tell you something: enduring failure and hardships is a part of the journey. It's the 'bump in the road' that builds the character needed in order to be ready for success. If we aren't ready to experience a little failure along the way, then we aren't ready for the end result. Nothing in life is ever easy. I know that better than anyone. I've been fighting and and surviving one thing or another since the day I was born. It's all I know. I haven't reached success yet. I'm still on my journey.
Success to me means finding inner peace and happiness. It is being truly content with who you are and never doubting that you are loved. It is putting others' first and taking care of yourself so you CAN take care of your loved ones when they need you.
People tell me that I'm a success. I disagree with them. I'm becoming a success. I'm not there yet. I still have to work through life's failures in order to reach my destination. The one thing that keeps me going is the faith that I will make it there someday.

Failure and success go hand-in-hand. While they are polar opposites, failure is what builds character and strength in order to achieve and appreciate success. Keep that in mind when you see yourself at a little 'bump in the road.'

Quote of the day (9/7/2014)

photo credit: doyouhaveaplanb

Today's quote of the day is about growing and being out of our comfort zone.

“If we're growing, we're always going to be out of our comfort zone.” - John Maxwell

 Life is all about growth. There is job growth, family growth, spiritual growth, emotional growth, etc. We never stop growing, and we shouldn't even try to escape the process. We need to grow. How do we better ourselves if we don't continue to grow?

A lot of people try to stay the way they are because they are afraid to leave their comfort zone. They are afraid of the unknown.

It is okay to be afraid. Heck, I am afraid of the unknown, but I never doubt that I am strong enough to handle what ever comes my way.
Through a tough upbringing to bad experiences in my love life, to health issues, to poverty, and to a serious back surgery, I knew that I could handle what ever comes my way. While I continue to battle recovering from a serious back surgery, I know that I can get through it. It's helping me to grow emotionally (and somewhat physically). The past year and a half, I've been way out of my comfort zone. My life before was easier to manage. Everything now depends on whether or not I'm having a bad pain day. I work around my pain.
In some aspects, life is slowly getting easier. In other aspects, I am still struggling. I constantly remind myself that I'm growing, I'm strong, and despite being out of my comfort zone, I will overcome this.

We underestimate how strong we really are. We need to realize our strength, accept the process, continue to grow, and understand that being out of our comfort zone is actually a GOOD thing.