words to live by.

I was thinking about words of wisdom last night. I know….sort of deep for a Sunday night, but it’s what was on my mind. You know…. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” or “If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.”
My favorite words of wisdom come from the John Lennon song “Beautiful Boy”
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My dad used to quote this to me all the time while I was growing up. I’m a planner and a worrier. I’m kind of a perfectionist and sort of obsessive compulsive sometimes and I really, really like to have all my ducks in a row. I tend to just take over things. In school I was always the group leader. I rarely ask friends to bring anything when I’m hosting a get-together. I make lists. I include things on my lists that I’ve already done just because I like checking things off. It can be good in some ways, because I would consider myself a very dependable person. But sometimes I need to chill out.
Sometimes being so organized and regimented makes my faith difficult. Being a Christian is supposed to be all about trusting God and letting him guide your path, but I have a hard time sitting still long enough to listen to what that direction might be. It also keeps me from enjoying some things in life because I’m so worried about the plan….I forget the journey and focus on the destination.
Thankfully, my parents and Craig are more the free-spirited, go-with-the-flow types to help balance me out. My dad would always tell me I needed to leave room for the unexpected because, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” This is something I try to stop and remember, lest I become a(n even bigger) crazy, worrying basketcase.

Now…enough about my thoughts on life….I’m curious….what are some words you live by? Favorite quotes? Bible verses? Whatever…. please share!

Comments

  1. It is important to make plans, but sometimes too many plans can put a damper on the plan itself. The John Lennon quote is my favorite, but another favorite is “It’s not about the trip, it’s about the journey”. It seems that no matter how good you plan something always goes wrong and it’s times like this that we need to remember that it’s usually the wacky things that happen that make the journey worth taking. At times like this it’s sometimes best to just go with it

  2. I have way too many favorite Bible verses to list, so here’s a quote that I love from Martin Luther King, Jr. instead: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” My family and husband would definitely attest to the fact that I do not keep quiet about things I am passionate about!

    I actually keep a journal full of quotes that I love, from the Bible or from other sources. It’s so encouraging to go through there every once in a while and read words of wisdom or encouragement.

  3. i don’t remember which blog out there posted this quote by jason mraz. it could be a song for all i know, but i really really love it. i had copied and pasted it to my FB. here it is:

    “go be that starving artist you’re afraid to be. open up that journal and get poetic finally. volunteer. suck it up and travel. you were not born here to work and pay taxes. you were put here to be part of a vast organism, to explore and create. stop putting it off. the world has much more to offer than what’s on 15 televisions at tgi fridays. take pictures. scare people. shake up the scene. be the change you want to see in the world. you’ll thank yourself for it.”
    – jason mraz

    It motivates me every time I read it 🙂

  4. My mom used to always tell me, “If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing good enough.” In other words, is the paper written? Is it going to get an A already? Then stop going through and worrying about every tiny little thing. There are more important things in life to focus on. I know a lot of people look down on this way of thinking, but it is totally the way I do life.

  5. You sound EXACTLY like me. I am such a worrier and a perfectionist and i need to have a plan all the time. I try to have faith and relax but it’s so hard! I need more patience!

  6. I am your total opposite! I need to be more of a planner.

  7. I love all these great quotes guys!

  8. haha I totally do the same thing with lists! I’ll throw in 2-3 things i’ve already done and cross them off with satisfaction feeling like i’m ahead of the game. 🙂

  9. ohhh I wish I WAS a planner sometimes!! I am wayyy too laid back… but here’s my favorite quote, I think you may like it! Its Dr. Suess (my favorite) “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you” I loove it and remember that next time you want to change something about yourself! You’re perfect as you are 🙂

  10. my favorite quotes are these two:
    “love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much, performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.” -vincent van gogh

    “find ecstasy in life. the mere sense of living is joy enough.” -emily dickinson

  11. my favorite quotes are on my info page on fb. i was a planner, i still am. although i have learned to pick wisely which battles i will choose. there’s no way of getting around life’s pain and challenges. it’s the way i respond to them that makes a difference. i like the quote below. i think it’s so true.

    “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” – Helen Keller

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