I have a few quotes that I live by, the one that has stuck with me the longest is probably “Live life like there is no tomorrow”. That one for me has the strongest meaning and encompasses who I am and what I stand for.
Live life like there is no tomorrow… what does it mean to you?
For me it is…
- Living life without regrets
- Being honest in both my actions and my words
- Treating others as I want to be treated
- Experiencing both the ups and downs with the taste of life in my mouth
- Laughing as much as possible
- Seeing all sides to stories and doing my best to understand them
- To not give up at the first hurdle
- To cherish those in my life as much as I can
- To always let those I love know that I love them
- To learn new things constantly
- To face any challenge head on and to learn through them
- To experience new things, eat new food and to see new places
The other one that I quote often is “What will be will be”. This one frustrates more than a few because it is interpreted that I just don’t care or that I am not going to work for what I want, go along for the ride like a piece of driftwood. For me though it means accepting what is and working with that. If plans don’t happen then there will be something better along the way, I will follow my gut and heart, not get discouraged at the first hurdle. I believe in a life plan and trust in that… most days.
I adopted another a couple of years ago during the time I was climbing out of my breakdown and back into the world. It wasn’t so strong back then, merely a phrase that I adopted and held onto without having the courage to look at the true depth of the words.
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy…
For me, for this lifetime, that phrase has gained more and more meaning. I have sought freedom for many years now both from my past and my present, I’ve fought to travel to new lands and to live by my first quote. The one thing my freedom hasn’t been is easy, it’s come at great cost and torment.
My thinking though is life is much like a toy that is built quickly and cheaply won’t last long and the pleasure will be short lived, the toy won’t be treasured as much either. A toy that takes time and care to build out of materials that take time to source will out last anything made in a quicker fashion, it will be treasured more because of the pain it took to create.
I see this with kids all the time, give them a task that is easy for them they will feel less accomplishment and satisfaction, same goes for adults. Give a kid a simple lego set including 100 pieces and they’ll follow the instructions no sweat, they won’t stress one bit or get upset. Once the lego set has been completed it is put on the shelf till an adult starts dusting and quietly puts it in the lego dungeon where it lies unmissed. Give a kid a complex lego set with more pieces than the first and they will cry in frustration, perhaps even through the odd tantrum, they will proverbially pull their hair out, try to give up, come back for more, try again and again till they succeed. Once that complex lego set is built though it takes pride and glory over all others, it goes on the mantlepiece, treasured and shined, it never goes near the lego dungeon for if it is moved one millimeter it is noticed.
Even though the complex lego set was harder to build, even though it hurt them emotionally, frustrated them and brought them to the brink of accepting failure they persevered and they feel a sense of accomplishment and success through it all.
Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy.
We get taught this early on in life but we don’t see it, only in time and after many challenges do we start to get a sense of the truth, do we realise that sometimes it is better to get challenged because the pleasure and happiness will last longer in our success.
We live. We Learn.
So my two long standing life quotes “Live life like there is no tomorrow” and “What will be will be” get an official friend… “Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy”
Do you have life quotes and what do they mean to you?
vanessaleighsblog
•14 years ago
Can you believe, that my quotes are much the same as your own? Surprise surprise…..
Live in the moment.
Let go and let God.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather, walking forward even though we are fearful (that is not it exactly as I have heard it, but this is the gist of it….)
All in the same theme as your own.
I learned this weekend more than ever, that life is meant to be lived in this very moment; that I only have control over myself; and that courage looks differently to different people.
And, always, ALWAYS, speak truth. No matter what.
I love you, sis.
slightlyignorant
•14 years ago
I like both “What will be will be” [in your meaning of it] and “Nothing worthwhile is every easy.”
However, the way you describe what “Live life like there is no tomorrow” is, it seems rather like the opposite. You’re living by creeds that show only a want of a better future and a better tomorrow – or so it seems to me. It seems that you’re constantly living so as both not to waste today but also not to waste the future. I like that. A lot of people think “live life like there is no tomorrow” means that they can give themselves permission to do anything they’d like without a thought for the consequences. The way you treat the phrase though shows that you think that just because there IS a tomorrow doesn’t mean you have to act badly and waste TODAY. And THAT’S the sort of meaning that I like with that phrase.
Hayden Tompkins
•14 years ago
“Your life is your message” – Mahatma Gandhi
Every once in a while I take a step back and ask, what is my message? What do my actions say?
cordieb
•14 years ago
Beautiful and very wise words to live by, sis. Remember, it’s only as hard as we imagine it to be.
A few of my favorite quotes to live by. . .
“While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation. ” Maya Angelou
If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. – Albert Einstein
I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars. – Og Mandino
Don’t let anyone steal your spirit. -Sinbad
Peace, Light and Love my kindred sis!
fibi
•14 years ago
Wonderful insights SF.. Your meanings for “Live like there is no tomorrow” are the way I try to live my life (sometimes I get stuck & forget – that’s why this blogging community is so fantastic – you get reminded!)
The quotes that hold meaning for me are:
“It has often been said that the only unchanging thing in the world is change itself.”
“This too shall pass…”
“My religion is simple.. My religion is kindness..”
“The only thing to fear is fear itself..”
SanityFound
•14 years ago
Vanessa, aye very similar as always 🙂 Thanks huns and love ya backs – love your way of saying those quotes, beautiful
SI your description was fascinating in the fact that I had never really thought of it like that, with a different meaning to what others think of it as. It has always been, hmm interesting, thanks huns for your kind words and interpretation – you gave me a lot to chew on 🙂
Hayden I love that one, might even adopt it 🙂 – the meaning between the words knows no bounds
Cordie, those are some of the most beautiful life quotes – Og Mandino, that quote has also been lurking but slowly becoming… PLL dear sis mwah
Fibs I love your quotes, close to how I too live my life, the religion one is a classic and I shall quote that next time I am asked (why do I get asked so many dang times????)
psychscribe
•14 years ago
First to Hayden: Thank you! I had never heard “Your life is your message.” I absolutely LOVE that quote!
San, what a profound and beautiful post. Funny, I am the quoter of all quoters…but now I need to think a bit about which ones I live by. I will just write what surfaces:
To thine own self be true.
Don’t compromise yourself. (Janis Joplin)
When your life changes, let it.
There are two lasting bequests we can give to our children: the one is roots and the other is wings.
There is no birth of consciousness without pain. (Carl Jung)
Mwah! Psych
Marty B
•13 years ago
Everything happens for a reason. That is one of my favorite quotes. It is the ones that have a spiritual undertone that mean the most to me and help me along my journey from one destination to the next.
contoveros
•13 years ago
“Try it. You might like it!”
All the New Age stuff you never had a chance to invest your time before still awaits you now. Feng Shui, Reflexology, Tibetan Singing Bowls, Meditation, Yoga, Stone Listening Circle, Reiki, and Aura reading.
You name it. Past Life Regression, Buddhism, Sufi dervish whirling, just to name a few more.
I feel like you read my mind, or at least, read the topic of my next two posts when you wrote the one above. It’s on trying, trying and trying again until I succeeded at swinging on what I called “monkey swing” rings.
Gotta keep an eye on you, though. Like what I see so far.
michael j
Conshohocken, PA USA
Sanity
•13 years ago
Thanks! I’ll be visiting you soon!