Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.
Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
Richard M. Nixon
A man is not finished when he’s defeated; he’s finished when he quits.
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I LOVE those three quotes!Β Each one rallies me to “keep on keeping on”.Β Then I found myself reading quotes from the woman who stood behind Theodore Roosevelt.Β I have often read Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quote “A woman is like a tea bag-you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” How can women not love that quote?!Β It’s perfect!
But Eleanor Roosevelt inspired me on a new level last week.Β I found quote after quote that all have a similar message of life never promising to be easy but the importance of women making their voice heard and not giving up.Β Her words reminded me that we cannot settle for fear and insecurity because as women, we, are much stronger than we know.Β And we have something powerful to give to this world–something so powerful it is worth the fight it will undoubtedly be. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote;
Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.
It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes.
We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.
“We must do that which we think we cannot.”Β YOU must do that which you think you cannot do.Β I MUST do that which I think I cannot do.Β Sometimes I’m unsure of what I’m supposed to do.Β I struggle to begin because I’m not sure where to begin.Β But here is the crazy thing…I’m ALWAYS aware of what I believe I cannot do.
What if we stopped spending time wondering where to start or what we’re supposed to do, and instead we started with what we think we can’t do?!
Reflection Exercise:
Write down four things you feel you can’t do.Β Which thing is the most impossible?Β Give that impossible item a #1 rating.Β Rate the other three in order of impossibility.Β Now set a timer for three minutes with this list in front of you.Β Close your eyes, become aware of your breathing, and let yourself settle into being in this moment.Β (The timer is set for three minutes so you can rest assured that this won’t last forever.)Β As you quiet yourself, listen to your heart.Β Which one of the four things bubbles to the surface and invites you to embrace it?Β I guarantee one will more than any other.Β And that is probably the best place to start.
xoxo,
m
Fantastic post MeRa – thank you!
Let me get my pencil & paper out (as the 1 month old naps on my shoulder π )
Have a beautiful day!
Me Ra,
In more ways than one, this post has great meaning today. It was the perfect thing to read this morning. It always amazes me how those wisps of fear can whip up into a wall of obstacles when we let them. But even more amazing is how quickly those walls come down when a breath of confidence is blown in its direction. No, it’s not easy, but it is less intimidating when we realize we are not alone in our fears and that other women who’ve gone before us have tread this same path, in one way or another. And that those women give us clues as to how to navigate, especially in their quotes.
One of my former customers (in our family business) knew Eleanor Roosevelt when he was a young child. I have had the pleasure of hearing first-hand stories about this amazing woman and I can tell you she made quite an impact on the young boy as well. I love her quotes and love that you have posted some of them today. What a great way to start this week!
So my timer just went off. The list of what I don’t think I can do, came so swiftly to my mind (disturbingly fast) the thought at the very top of the list is where I will begin. The walls came tumbling down in a short 3 minutes…I am Ready….I am Set… I will Begin to do what it is I can not do!
Hey Me Ra,
I’m the person with the newly purchased Sony A55 that asked you about it about a month. WELLLLL, speaking of fear, here I go! Since I have had 3 years of practice shooting my grandsons football games, I thought this would be a good place to start, so I plan on getting known around the football field more this year! I had some people ask me if I was a “professional”….ask me to take shots of their boy during games, etc. I have the 2 kit lens that came with the camera (3.5-5.6 and 4-5.6/55). I will need to get a lens for shooting a pretty good distance (picture football field and standing out side a fence that is around the field). Would I need to go to a G series? I am so glad I have someone to ask about Sony cameras!
Take care,
Dawn
I love this post!!!!!!! Can’t wait to put it into action and report back. Thank you, MeRa, for your constant encouragement to reach for our dreams and become all that we can be. YOU are SO GREAT!! Have a wonderful time in Vegas. Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Happy Day!
Make it the best day ever!
Expect amazing things, you are covered with prayer! (all the way from Pennsylvania)
π
I CAN’T WRITE A GUEST BLOG FOR MERA…….or can I?
Day one of #WPPI, and I’m pooped! But what a powerful day. So many women that are seeing deep changes happen in their hearts, so many beautiful women that are going for it. It’s been wonderful to meet many new friends and see the incredible transformation in numerous old friends. If this is Day One…wow…what will Day Two and Three hold. Thanks for all your prayers too! I’ll take every one. I’m so glad this post spoke to you too. Can’t you just feel the deep strength in your spirit when you draw courage from someone in the past–a fierce woman to say the least.
Sweet Dawn, Love your question. Yes, look for a G Series Lens that will allow you to shoot from a distance. With the bigger zoom lenses, you don’t get as low of an f-stop, but it’s okay. You can still achieve blur in your background b/c of how far away you’ll be standing from the players.
And Kim…my lovely Kim…YES you can write a blog post for me. Yes, you can! Hammer one out and send it my way with photos. You never know until you’ve tried. Love you girl!
xoxo,
m
MeRa
remember at the confidence workshop, B got shifty with me for not writing down my “impossible dreams”? well–i have to say that i feel that listing things on paper as “impossible” makes them affirmations. but instead making them a “to do” list is a much more positive option. π
I continue to hold fast that there are no impossible dreams. Zero.
Sarrie.
thanks Me Ra! Now I know where to look and start saving up!
Love,
Dawn
Great post, thanks for sharing. I am starting now! π
I also agree with Lynde. π So I titled mine the, “Difficult To Do List”. I feel it self-defeating to write down what I can’t do but I am well aware and able to address why I’ve told myself I couldn’t accomplish the things I find so difficult…. Is it ok that mine is not all things photography? π
I read this at just the right time….weird that it was a few days late, because, again, perfect timing. So much feels impossible, my four weren’t hard to think of π Ill have to make this a regular exercise!!