5 Life Lesson Quotes You Can’t Live Without

Many times I find myself going through the motions of life, not really finding much momentum toward goals, interests, projects or even purpose…as if my setting is neutral. Not the good kind of neutral, that’s not biased in a negative way. The “neutral” like the one on the gearshift of your car. That gear that uses up precious fuel, but doesn’t move you forward or backward. The wasting of precious time, neutral. These are a few life lesson quotes that help me gain perspective of the big picture.

Maybe you’re feeling like that now, during this unprecedented time that we live in. Are you not able to go to work because of a stay-at-home order? Are your kids home from school when they’d normally be out all day? Have you had to put travel plans on hold for now?

Are You in Neutral?

Neutral is a state of mind that’s easy to fall into. A complacency that’s not hard to find. Right now we’re all being encouraged to intentionally hit the “pause” button as we try to bring down the numbers of cases and especially deaths from COVID-19. It’s not quite the same as idling in neutral. It’s a chance to sit down and take a breath and reassess what’s most important in life and where you want to go from here. So, how do you keep moving forward in life while we all physically press the pause button? How do you find what direction you should be moving in?

1 – Embrace Who You Are

“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be; embrace who you are.” Author, speaker – Brene Brown

In this age of social media it’s easy to be envious of those people who have lives that APPEAR to be perfect. The operative word here is “appear”. Never think that the glamorous lives that some people show on their InstaFeed is what their life really looks like. We all have bad days, struggle, make mistakes, and try to hide our imperfections. Don’t put pressure on yourself to follow that crowd to gain acceptance.

Since we’re not likely to be physically hanging out with crowds of people anytime soon, maybe it’s a good time to take a break from trying to please others and focus on who we were created to be. What is it that you’re good at? What are you passionate about? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning? What is it that you can’t wait to start and never want to stop? Whether the world thinks it’s cool or not, maybe that’s the direction you could choose to go. Imagine how much happier you could be if you allow yourself to follow your dreams?

“Shame is the most powerful, master emotion. It’s the fear that we’re not good enough.” Author, speaker – Brene Brown

Of course you may fail more than once and you’ll very likely make mistakes. It’s even possible that you’ll make choices that hurt others along the way. But it’s still important to try.

Consider your reaction to others who are choosing to be their authentic self too. Are you encouraging their strengths? Are you allowing them to make mistakes? Are you loving them through the rough spots? Maybe you can be that cheerleader for them that helps them move past their doubts.

2 – May You Live All the Days of Your Life

I’ve seen the quote above attributed as a Hawaiian Proverb. The quote “May you live every day of your life.” is also attributed to the author, Jonathan Swift.

“May you live all the days of your life.”

How simple the statement, but deep the meaning. I don’t believe it’s implying that we should necessarily jump out of airplanes, sacrifice everything to make a million dollars, participate in X Games, or become an international spy. I believe that we should welcome each day with the value that it brings. The chance to learn and grow, to love, and be loved. Set out to accomplish something, no matter how small, each and every day. On unusually hard days, maybe that’s merely making the bed or washing the dishes.

For some people it helps to make a list of things you want to accomplish, short-term, long-term, daily, weekly, yearly or even that bucket list of lifelong dreams. For those who pray, ask God for wisdom and direction. Ask him what he sees as your destiny. What lives does he want you to touch today.

Then set goals and make plans that you can look back on with the satisfaction of knowing that you did good, loved well, and didn’t hold back from giving of yourself.

3 – Be Gracious

This is a tough one, but it’s infinitely important in life to give and receive grace. The definition of grace is the freely given, unmerited favor (of God). At its essence, grace involves humility. Accepting grace is admitting that while we don’t deserve love because of anything that we’ve done, it’s offered to us without conditions or prejudice. When we give grace to others we choose to love them regardless of what they’ve done. As I said it’s not always easy.

“Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”
Author, speaker ― John S. Lynch, The Cure

“What if there was a place so safe that the worst of me could be known, and I would discover that I would not be loved less, but more In the telling of it?” Author, speaker ― John S. Lynch, The Cure

4 – Be Curious

What can you learn today? There are so many ways to be curious…ask questions, read a book, search for information online. Try visiting a new place. No matter if you can travel to your library, park, or museum across town or to exotic destinations around the world, make a point to keep discovering.

“Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.”

Sometimes I think about the wonderful adventures I’ve had the privilege of living. Traveling to Istanbul, swimming under a turquoise waterfall in Havasupai Canyon, Arizona, or strolling through historical homes and lush gardens all over Virginia. None would have happened if I hadn’t been curious about what it would be like. What could I learn? What could I discover about myself and the culture?

5 – Be Mindful and Stay in the Moment

Don’t rush through life looking to the future or past too much or wishing you were somewhere else. Even in this unprecedented time of pausing all around the world to stay safe and protect the most vulnerable around us, take a moment to appreciate where you are right now. Allow yourself to feel the emotions, even when they may be painful. Step back and see how you can positively impact life at this moment.

I thought you might enjoy this amazing poem filled with hope by Catherine [Kitty] O’Meara from Madison, Wisconsin, written in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020.

Poem – In the Time of Pandemic

Poem by Catherine M. O’Meara (used by permission)

PUBLISHED ON Catherine O’Meara’s Blog “The Daily Round” on March 16, 2020

“And the people stayed home.

And they read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still.

And they listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed.

And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.”

What are your thoughts on these life lesson quotes? Do you agree? Do you live them out? What other life lesson quotes do you live by?

Enjoy these other life lesson quotes and some with travel inspiration as well.

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