Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great Monday, whether or not you had the day off! Since today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day, I decide to start off with a few quotes from some inspirational people--people who look at the world through an optimistic lens and try to inspire the world to do the same.
Since it is Martin Luther King Jr. day, I thought I'd start here:
Hello, everyone! It's Motivational Monday! And it's time for some inspiration. I love me some inspiration. Winter break is over, school is back in session, waking up at 5 a.m. is back in style, I'm back to grading papers, lesson planning, and coming home dog-tired. Needless to say, I need some motivation! Plus, it's completely dark outside when I head to work and cold to boot! Here are some fabulous quotes and pictures are going to get me through this week! Hope they can help you too!
Hope
In one of my recent posts, I wrote about losing hope in my life and then finding it again recently. It has taken awhile for me to realize that I want to hope for good things to happen in my life. I want to have hope that I can be happy and stay happy and love my life. Here is a quote that reminds me of this journey in my life:
This reminds me that having hope in my life allows me to believe that anything is possible, especially finding and keeping my happy.
Then this quote reminded me of a few amazing pictures that I pinned on Pinterest awhile ago. I love pinning beautiful photographs on Pinterest. They can create so much emotion inside a person--so much feeling. These pictures reminded me of hope and how important it can be in our lives.
The Statue of Liberty: hope for a new future
Baby turtles: hope to survive
Hope pushes me to do the things I love because I hope that in the future, I will be a happier person because of it. I need hope in my life. I'm glad I found it.
And from my vacation this summer in Florida: Lost loved ones are watching over me
Happiness
I love this one! It makes me wonder, Why haven't I done this earlier? But now that you have, live it up!!
While I cannot always control what happens around me in my life, I can control how I react to these situations. I can control my outlook towards my life, and I want it to remain positive. I will remember to choose happiness. What is motivating you this Monday? Love and happiness <3 Holly
I've been feeling a little off lately. I don't know what it is. I'm sure it's partly stress; I've got a lot going on--in life, in my head, with my headaches. Stress breads anxiety. I've been so tired and not myself. I don't know if it's this time of year; sometimes holidays get me down.
Seriously, this is what I feel like a lot of the time. I've had quite a few anxious days lately. A few more than I have recently. And when I have anxious days, they drain me. It takes a lot of energy to keep my mind together and relaxed sometimes. Some days are harder than others, but a lot of energy goes into keeping my brain focused and not going on an OCD-looping rampage. I had a really long "good" streak with my anxiety, but I just keep telling myself that I'll have ups and downs. I haven't had as much confidence in myself either lately. I think that's part of the increase in my anxiety flare-ups. It's just what happens when my anxiety strikes. I hate to be a downer in this this post, but it's just reality. I'm not myself, and I'm having trouble getting back to the good feelings that I was having. I'm trying really hard. I just know it's going to take a lot of work and that takes a lot of energy and stress (cue crazy anxiety cycle). But I'm still hanging in there and working on things. Because of all this, I wanted to do something every week that helped me stay positive with myself and remember to take one day at a time.
Thus, Motivational Monday.
I wanted to find something fun or meaningful that has made me happy recently. I'm going to go back to this post throughout the week and look at my motivation to help me when I'm feeling down. So here are some things that have put a smile on my face lately. I hope they bring a smile to yours too :)
Music
Music really means a lot to me. It fills me with so much emotion. It's a connection I have with my husband who is a music teacher and a musician. Since I'm so much better with written words than I am speaking to people, I feel a connection to musicians and their lyrics. I really relate to them and feel like they speak to my feelings. When I listen to music, it's like a huge emotional release. It's amazing.
Here are two songs that I have really been helping me to feel happier and relate to what I'm feeling inside. They help me get through my rough patches.
Sara Bareilles is one of my favorite artists. She is a poet and an amazing musician. This song makes my heart feel strong and happy and helps me to remember to take a deep breath and just keep running towards my happy ("Chasing the Sun," from CD The Blessed Unrest).
I love Levi Robin. Bjorn and I heard him opening for Glen Hansard last fall. He is a fabulous musician. I love his song "No Worries" and the lyric "I don't want to worry no more." This has really resonated with me lately. I love this song. It really helps me just close my eyes and take a deep breath ("No Worries," from Levi Robin's EP).
Here's to music motivating me to stay happy and relaxed.
