Inspiration: Honor The Ebb & Flow Of Life…
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Inspiration: Honor The Ebb & Flow Of Life... A calm follows the breaking waves...
Inspiration: Honor The Ebb & Flow Of Life... Go with the flow of the waves... don't run...
All of life is about movement. We have moments of peace and ease, a few ripples in the waves, and moments of turbulence or breaking waves. The turbulence is like a bump in the road that reminds us to buckle our seat-belts, reach for inner strength to weather the storm, and remember a shift of events eventually comes. We wake up every day and focus our energies on our responsibilities and our dreams; we nurture our families, we blog, we work, we reach out to our friends and there is an expectation of reciprocity; that life and others will reward us for the good that comes from our actions. Sometimes we reap the rewards of our labor immediately – we gain something, and sometimes, there is a waiting period that might/might not come – we lose something. Often, grace is in the doing; that we have done our work is its own blessing and everything else is the bonus our actions have attracted. Go with the flow…
“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” Peter Marshall
Inspiration: Honor The Ebb & Flow Of Life... Be strong like a tree...
Life is about accepting that the ebb and flow includes difficulties that test our character. Why did you choose a certain path? Will you stay the course even if your well wishers vanish? Any meaningful passion we pursue will demand our commitment even against all odds. Whether we are initiating a new business or a creative endeavor, we will have periods of growth, a learning curve, maybe moments of famine or a downward shift. The key is to focus on our goal, maintain a spirit of gratitude and do the work at hand. When things are tough, we tend to focus on what we don’t have, on what other people are doing/not doing to us, and ignore the great things we do have. Do the work, don’t live for the applause for people are fickle; today’s flavor might become tomorrow’s poison… Tune out the noise and conflicting feelings and focus on your heart’s desire. Go with the flow…
“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” John W. Gardner
Inspiration: Honor The Ebb & Flow Of Life... live without the eraser nearby...
If we stop, take a deep breath and count the blessings in our lives, we will soon realize that we have much to be thankful for and that happiness is a choice. Rick Warren, in a sermon on “Find Contentment, Stop ‘When and Then’ Thinking,” reminds us that “Happiness isn’t getting what you want. Happiness is being happy with what you have. A key to contentment is recognizing that you have the choice to be happy right now with the many things God has already given you. What are you waiting on to make you happy?” The ups and downs we experience balance our expectations, and teach us to not become ambivalent as fluctuations are part of life. We can still choose to embrace our joy… Shift happens. Again, remember life is about the ebb and flow…
“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.” Alex Tan
Inspiration: Honor The Ebb & Flow Of Life... Surface waves do shift... Go with the flow
I have found that some of my best ideas come from difficult situations and even from painful memories. Our tears clear our eyes… Our cumulative experiences and life lessons provide us with fodder for our work; creative and otherwise. If we could take the dark parts and paint them in hues that inspire and lift others, then our pain becomes a lesson and blessing to others… By honoring the ebb and flow in nature and in our lives, we open the door to our own transformation, to our own divine intervention and blessing. Flow… What about you? What are your thoughts? how do you handle the shifting sands in your life? Do you go with the flow most of the time? If you could choose one thing to keep constant in your life, what would it be? Do share! Thank you. 😉
Positive Motivation Tip: Honor the ebb and flow of life by embracing the ups and downs that come your way, they teach lifelong lessons.
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- A Simple Choice (nrhatch.wordpress.com)
- However your day unfolds… (alfitude.com)
- Stream of Life (jackholesrealm.wordpress.com)
- Hurry up. Destiny awaits…[a short essay] (greenbananablog.org)
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PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos breaking waves, sweet chestnut tree, surface waves, running from waves, via Wikipedia. Ebb and Flow by tombothetominator via Flickr
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.” Alex Tan
Yes… I thought that quote was perfect too. Our tears clear our eyes… Go with the flow. TY! 🙂
great post about life, contentment, and happiness…life can be difficult at times…difficult to maneuver…and sometimes it doesn’t go the way we want it, but these are challenges that allow us re-think, re-learn, and re-do…
Exactly! Our challenges are doors to our growth… We can walk through with ease or kicking and screaming; the results are the same. TY! 🙂
Great post, speaks multitudes to me right now ! Like the quotes- especially ““Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” ….John W.Gardner
Oh, if it were just that simple of erasing out the parts we didn’t want !! But, with these happenings are lessons to be learned and add to our mildstones of life.
Yes I love the quotes too… None of it is easy, but we keep pressing forward to do our best. TY! 🙂
I wrote about what led to my divorce today. It cleared my block! No more tears, that is for sure. Ebb and flow of life is so true. As I am getting older I realize how time is precious and relationships with people are so valuable. I am learning how to love the little girl inside of me as an adult and work through my mental blocks. You always uplift my spirits and your messages and blog posts need to be a BOOK one day. I pray as you bless others with your writing style that it reruns ten fold back to you!
Glad you had some catharsis with your experience… that is a good thing. I love that you see the growth in your process… TY for your comment too; from your mouth to God’s ears. 🙂
“Happiness isn’t getting what you want. Happiness is being happy with what you have”. That says it all for me and is a lovely thought to savour during my day
Amen to that I loved it when I read too as it made perfect sense… We must love what we have or contentment will never be our companion. TY! 🙂
“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.”
Just beautiful my friend. This gives me encouragement that in hardships, we become better persons because we strive to overcome the odds. We also become closer to God , cause it’s during this moments that we realize that without him we are nothing and with him we are everything. Have a blessed day.
We do find our compassionate bone in times of hardships and, like you, I believe we are drawn closer to God in hard times too. Be blessed! 🙂
Yours is an exceptionally written reminder that contentment is the key! And gosh, your quotes are so good. Thanks very much for getting my Monday morning off to a good start.
TY Natalie! I love your blog too and I’m glad this post has resonated with you as well. 🙂
Difficult situations teach us to improve ourselves, I think. 🙂
True… and we learn by living. TY! 🙂
My greatest possession is my sense of humor . . . we do not laugh because we are happy . . . we are happy because we laugh.
Thanks, E!
Humor is a great gift and I’m glad you cherish yours… TY! 🙂
What an inspiration and thought provoking post. We have lots of wants and when we get them, we want more.
If we can be content and express our gratitude for what is, we will find our peace of mind.
Thans for the reminder and great quotes.
B
TY! Contentment is a gift and we are blessed when we learn to appreciate our gifts. 🙂
Thanks, I will remember this. Sometimes, it does get turbulent. We just have to know when to hang on and then reposition ourselves better.
I like that; we must learn to reposition ourselves after the turbulence… TY! 🙂
I believe when you are grateful for what you have you’ll get more of what you want. Bemoaning what you lack is self defeating and a waste of time. Recognize the gifts God gave you and you’ll be so much happier.
Great post!
b
So true… the more we celebrate our blessings, the more we receive. TY! 🙂
Wonderful article, Eliz 🙂
Live is a constant ebb & flow of learning and putting to a test what we’ve learned…learning and testing…learning and testing… 🙂
Yes, it is a lifetime of learning and testing until we get it… TY! 🙂
I absolutely love the Rick Warren quote on happiness… Beautifully written.
Once again, you’re right on time. Thanks for this, Elizabeth. I needed to read this today.
Still having connection issues. Hope to get it sorted out this week. I miss being constantly on and online but I’m getting to read and sleep – two things that I hadn’t been able to do during the chaos of the preparation and move.
Hi Marcia!
So good to see you here? How is it going? I’ve left comments on your blog but no reply. I figured it had to do with connection issues. Please hang in there and keep us posted. Will check in on your blog shortly. TY! 🙂
only in retrospect can I usually see the greatest teachings of my life came from times of tradegy, sadness and most of all, mistakes. Like wood being sanded, such experiences help to smooth me and show my true grain at its best.
I hear you and the same goes for many of us. Yes, they train us to find that goodness inside and share it with others… TY! 🙂
Beautiful, inspirational and thoughtful post. And so true! You sure know how to write excellent motivation posts! Thank you Eliz. 🙂
TY Ropcorn! It was a joy to write and I’m glad many felt it offered them something. TY! 🙂
Such a wonderful post! Thank you! “The key is to focus on our goal, maintain a spirit of gratitude and do the work at hand…. Do the work, don’t live for the applause for people are fickle; today’s flavor might become tomorrow’s poison… Tune out the noise and conflicting feelings and focus on your heart’s desire.”
TY! We do the best we can and the rest does follow. 🙂
True story: I have learned so much from my blogging friends, you being one, about accepting what happens along my journey. And thank you for that. I now look at life with new eyes, Eliz.
TY too for your kind words and blog support. I have learned as much from you and your blog too! 🙂
Very nice and very true, Eliz. I realized about some things after reading your post. Sometime I cannot go with the flow… Sometime I still looked back and sad about some bad experiences, without realized that our past is part of our life and cannot be erased. But we have our future and have to see on it.
Thank u, Eliz
Yulia
TY Yulia! We all have things that hold us back until we are ready to let go. Our past is part of life and we can’t erase them, so it’s time to stay true to ourselves. 🙂
“Often grace is in the doing; that we have done our work is its own blessing and everything else is the bonus our actions have attracted”…your posts are always so complete in thought. I often wonder how you find the time and inspiration to write as you do.
Oh Jeane TY! Like everyone else, I have my inspired moments and then the rest is struggle. … Glad you like it. 🙂
I have just begun to accept life without an ‘eraser nearby’. It’s like no net. Whatever happens is God’s will and isn’t that enough?
At times, though, I wonder if it’s the vindictive God of the Old Testament who I’m facing off with!
Yes, I believe in God’s will too! The Old Testament God is on vacation… 🙂 TY!
Hope all is ok, Elizabeth. Great writings, quotes, and advice to keep breathing! 🙂
I liked thi too. I remember a psycologist using the waves and tides once as an example of an issue. She was right, and so are you.
Thank you so much for the link-up! Much appreciated!
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate it. 🙂