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Every day that we’re granted is a new opportunity
to listen, learn, grow and love –
More to and for ourselves,
so that we can better hear, see and understand others.
No people pleasing or forcing your way is necessary.
Just be; accept, and even embrace what is, so you can thrive in the garden in which you’re planted.
Live with an open heart.
Explore. Take a risk. Fall down.
Get up. Grow wiser.
Rise. Fly.
Stumble. Grieve. Learn more.
Love more. Laugh.
Rest. Discover. Press through.
Rise higher. Gain more wisdom. Care more deeply. Stand taller.
Trust yourself.
Appreciate something about each day.
Soar. And then, because life is a cycle and a journey and a process, rinse and repeat, gaining more clarity, more strength and more joy as you go.
Stay the course and be patient.
Along the way, your calling and purpose will rise to meet you.
Today, pay attention to the little things – words spoken or unspoken; gestures rendered or withheld; opportunities offered or missed; your struggle between fear and confidence, or maybe a focus on all that’s wrong instead of dwelling in the beauty of all that’s right.
Watch yourself and others, and consider the consequences of words and actions; listen with your heart as well as with your ears; assess whether being glass half-full or glass half-empty serves you best.
Change whatever you must to grow and be content; and give others the space and the grace to do the same.
Stretching and growing isn’t always easy, but having the courage to embrace the process (while being thoughtful and respectful of others) can guide you to greater places, both within and without.
The best kind of challenge to undertake is one with yourself, for yourself.
It’s worth it to you to circumvent roadblocks, push past fear or doubt, seek knowledge to help you grow, and love yourself as you are, so that you’re prepared to step into all you’re becoming.
Envision that version of you and welcome it.
Love is a word that’s often misused or misunderstood. But it’s also a reflection of giving, serving, leading, and leaning into doing your best to be part of others’ peace, fulfillment, joy and growth.
Love is hard, especially when it’s being executed by imperfect beings. Yet, given that it’s the foundation of all humanity, it’s also worth it – even when it means persisting at it, or letting go, or being more vulnerable, or standing tough.
Work hard at loving yourself more deeply so that it becomes effortless to give the best TO yourself, and in the process, pour out a more authentic, loyal and lasting love to others. Hate won’t end until we push harder to help love win.
A reader friend of mine, Sarah Brooks, is a gifted artist who raises funds for World Vision each year.
About 10 years ago, she decided to solicit donations by designing a card that includes a quote from one of my novels – Nothing But The Right Thing.
I share this encouragement today with a reminder to have faith and trust the timing of your life.
We live in a world that flits past the present moment while glorifying the future. Today, join me in choosing to buck that trend.
Lean into THIS moment, whether it is wonderful, amazing, challenging, scary or uncertain. Give thanks for it, knowing that if it has come into your existence, it has come for a reason – to teach you, heal you, strengthen you, reward you, prepare you or perhaps protect you.
Don’t be paralyzed by the noise in the world around you; focus inward.
Count it all joy and embrace your present, so that when you reach that place known as the future, you’ll be ready to experience, appreciate and celebrate all that it holds, too.
We’re all works in progress, serving as “general contractors” of our very existence.
Managing your “life project” may be daunting or complicated or lead you down some unexpected paths;
But don’t dismiss opportunities to change and grow, love and serve, appreciate others’ gifts, and be good to yourself along the way.
Only you can decide whether your experiences will make you bitter or better.
Choose the latter and you’ll make the world around you better, too.
For every opportunity there is to complain, hold a grudge, or judge without knowing the whole story, there is an equal opportunity to let go, adapt and expand.
Embrace experiences that strengthen your wisdom and empathy, and help you grow in grace, joy and hope.
You are the best possible person to be you – no need to imitate or compare yourself to others. Be grateful to be alive and able to try your best another day.
– Stacy Hawkins Adams
There has always been a light within you. Now’s the time to really let it shine.
Shine where you are.
Shine as you are.
Shine because you are.
Whatever mistakes or flaws you’ve obsessed over, today let them be. Celebrate them for helping shape you into you. Allow them to help you grow stronger, wiser, more resilient, more insightful.
Choose to truly see yourself and love yourself, so that you can authentically lavish the gift of that grace on others.
Where to start and how to start?
By looking within and acknowledging the flicker that is your passion and your purpose. By embracing it and not looking back. So that as your light grows stronger and more vibrant, everyone you encounter will have a chance to slowly, and surely, react in kind, in their own unique ways.
Regardless of whether you get to see or experience the impact of your steady light, trust that its existence is not for naught, and that every place and every person touched by your words, actions and being have caught and carried some of that shine. – Stacy Hawkins Adams
Life Untapped with Stacy Hawkins Adams 