A list of 26

“and what it all comes down to, is that I haven’t got it all figured out just yet..”

- Alanis Morissette

There will be no revelations in this post, just a few of the most vital scraps of quotes and life lessons I have acquired thus far in my twenty-six year (young!) life span which have helped me along the way. These will be old news to most, but it does no harm to write it all down once again, and in writing, to remember lest I forget. I’m only getting older after all

1. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr Seuss
2. Let love in. it may knock the wind out of you at first and throw you off course, but the balance regained is something indescribably beautiful and terrifying all at once. (the nature of travel)
3. Experiencing a complete lack of communication in a foreign country gives you an entirely new perspective on the role of language, how we connect with each other despite it, and the amusing side to mime
4. Prove the world wrong. Preconceptions, whether false and true, assumptions and perceptions about you are an ongoing reality. Surprising others and even yourself by doing things outwith your character-stencilled-zone is one of the most refreshing rewards.
5. “life is a day that doesn’t last for long” –  the balance is somewhere between occupying it and exerting it.
6. We need contact and stimuli from the people and environment around us to survive and thrive. The smallest of affirmations that we have a place in this world should not be taken for granted. (Living in the Dark)
7. “Not all those who wander are lost” – just don’t follow hunting trails in the Malaysian Jungle.
8. Do not underestimate the power of negative noise – it is a horribly debilitating and undermining force.
9. You are the only one who can take the first steps towards changing your circumstances. Help is at hand from all kinds of places should you need it, but infinite hours of advising, collecting options, and considering the possibilities will not dismiss the fact that it is your life, and your decisions to make.
10. “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” -Edmund Burke
11. Keep an eye out for those burning bushes. Sacredness can shine through and present itself in the most unlikely and seemingly trivial situations. Recognising such moments can be an eye-opening revelation to the nature of spirituality around us.
12. “It is my belief, you cannot deal with the most serious things in the world unless you understand the most amusing” -Winston Churchill
13. Steadfast convictions of faith and belief should be considered and respected as much as those more tentative and uncertain. The growing dogma in society is that we can know nothing for certain, that truth is eternally subjective, which grates against religions founded on particular absolute truths. The danger in this is that those who have this assuredness are disregarded as narrow-minded, just as those still searching are expected to eventually firm up and settle on solid religious pre-prescribed ground.
14. Jimi Hendrix and Van Morisson are my valium to the small stresses and frustrations of daily life. Find yours.
15. “Be gentle with yourself” – we can be our own worst enemies and critics at times!
16. Patience is among the most unconventional of virtues today. In a world where we are constantly told to ‘go for’ what we want, the juxtaposition to this is whether we are prepared to wait for it.
17. Don’t let your thoughts get the better of you. If you are anything like me, over-thinking is a potential downfall. Keep it in check, and learn to recognise the start of that downward spiral whenever you can.
18. “No man is an island entire of itself.” We have all come from somewhere, been effected and shaped by the people, situations and environment around us to make us who we are today. This does not mean we have been defined by them, but we cannot deny the part they have played, and continue to.(Into the Wild)
19. “What is for you won’t go by you” – listen to the wisdom of your elders.
20. A saintly or soulful person is someone who can truly humble you without any realisation that they are doing anything special.
21. ¨Amazing isn´t it? to see that the island can actually sleep for one day.¨ – Nyepi day in Bali. An entire island in silence is a thing I never thought possible. Finding a place which is completely silent is more difficult than you may think, but “remember what peace there may be in silence.”
22. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” – Victor E. Frankl
23. “I know there is a meaning to it all, a little resurrection every time I fall.” Keep digging for deeper things, the search alone is invaluable. (Diamond in the Rough)
24. Light takes on a meaning of its own when you start looking into photography.
25. “It is possible to win arguments, but meanwhile lose people”
26. Keep a sense of perspective wherever possible:
    

Rx

Advertisement