Tag: wisdom for life

Make the Most of It

In an email chat with a friend a few years ago, we traded stories about people we cared for who were desperately ill, and discussed how watching them suffer made us value life all the more. That conversation, and the truths we shared, linger with me.

So today, I challenge you to consider all you value and cherish it all the more.

Give thanks for your health, your skills and talents, your relationships and the opportunities you’ve been given, and treat them as the gifts they are.

Instead of fretting over what you don’t have, appreciate all that you do.

Rather than playing it safe and never pushing past your comfort zone, take a chance; do something new; allow your world to expand.

Choose to feel frustration then release it, so you can use that energy to find new reasons to smile.

It’s all up to you.

You only get to experience this day, this week and this life, just once. Make the most of it and enjoy as much of the journey as you can.

Take the Cake

In this life, many of us have been gifted the freedom to choose our paths and how we will navigate them.

While we may be headed in a singular direction, it’s easy to be lured by opportunities or requests along the way that intrigue or excite us. Yet, we must be intentional about prioritizing our purpose or life’s calling, rather than choosing good over great – or in other words, choosing the icing rather than the cake itself.

On some days, the icing may be all we crave. However, the icing isn’t the substance; it’s usually a finishing touch. Given a choice, I’d say “take the cake.” 

The cake is the lead, while the icing is a supporting actor. When you choose the cake, you can add as much or as little icing as you want or need. 

So whatever decisions you face this week – personal or professional; individual or group-driven; significant or simple – pause and do your personal icing/cake analysis. Consider whether you’re asking the right questions to make the best and wisest decision, and whether you are willing to choose substance over style.

Some choices may land you both substance and style – cake WITH icing. But for enduring blessings and relevance, always start with the cake!

Center Yourself to Soar

Trees offer a reminder of the importance of finding balance in life – standing tall, resilient and beautiful on your own, yet being planted close enough to a neighbor, friend or loved one to send encouragement, share special moments and extend some love.

This week, may you succeed with both. Enjoy your time alone and make room to dance with others.

For it is in spending time with you that you discover how you’re meant to uniquely impact the world. And it is in doing life together, with likeminded souls on a positive trajectory, that we rise. Embrace life’s duality and enjoy this season of your journey.

Enjoyed this Life Untapped blog post? Please subscribe to receive more of Stacy’s occasional musings – and share the link to this post with others in your circle!

How to Serve the World? Be True to You

If 2020 hasn’t taught you anything else, I hope it has taught you to thine own self be true – for that has been the greatest lesson for me. 

Not for selfish reasons that lead to a “Me, Myself and I” existence – we’ve seen on a large scale in our daily lives this year how that level of self-focus can be destructive.

Yet, in honoring who you are and where you are

and embracing your life’s work, 

your heart’s dreams, 

your purpose and responsibilities, 

your inner beauty, quirks and flaws, 

your tribe of friends and loved ones to nurture and cherish,

you honor the God who created you. 

Loving yourself as you are, while leaning into the best version of yourself that is to be, is the gateway to your joy.

Your path won’t look like anyone else’s, so focus forward, and prepare to greet 2021 armed with truth, confidence, hope and more love.

Cookies and Dreams: Why You Should Leap

By Stacy Hawkins Adams

Last week I decided to bake homemade oatmeal cookies for my son, but it was cold and dark outside and I didn’t feel like driving to the store to buy the brown sugar and raisins that the recipe called for and my pantry lacked.

Rather than give up, I pulled an “old school” cook’s move and substituted with what was on hand.

The all-purpose sugar and pure vanilla extract worked wonderfully, and though the cookies weren’t as “tan” as usual, the way they quickly vanished were proof that they were a hit. (He asked for more this weekend.)

So what’s the moral of this Monday Morning Musing? This right here:

Conditions won’t always be perfect. Everything you think you must have to succeed won’t be on hand.  But leap anyway.

Make trial-and-error tweaks as needed. Operate in excellence.

Embrace imperfections that arise as your unique offering to the process.

Believe. Press on. Enjoy the journey.

Birth that vision. Give hope to others who are watching you.

If you’ll just get started, the rest will unfold when needed – or turn out better than you could have imagined.

How to Find Joy in Your Journey

Count it all joy:
The blessings that bring you happiness
The lessons that lead to wisdom
The heartbreak that teaches you empathy
The hope that helps you grow.
Each step
Each stride
Each experience
Each opportunity
Comprise your daily gift – the life that only you get to live.

© Stacy Hawkins Adams