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Motivation Mondays: YOUTH

04/04/2016
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“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” Betty Friedan

Motivation Mondays: YOUTH - We are as youthful as we allow ourselves to be!

Motivation Mondays: YOUTH – We are as youthful as we allow ourselves to be!

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Samuel Ullman
Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant clothes. Carl Friedrich Gauss
What though youth gave love and roses, Age still leaves us friends and wine. Thomas Moore

 

What does Youth mean to you? Often when we think of youth, we think of the young but, it is more than an age or a particular group. Youth is a state of mind and we can express it at any age. To be youthful is to live your life fully without fear of falling apart at the seams. It is to push yourself to enjoy the things that make you happy, to dance, to exercise, to enjoy the creative spirit and company of the young, and to pursue our interests without other people’s labels and laundry lists of Do’s and Don’ts. When I think of youth, I think of Ernestine Shepherd and Sandy Rue, and all those men and women who defy the odds and their age, and stay motivated to accomplish their goals. In case you don’t know who these ladies are, Ernestine is the 74 year old body building champion who reminds us that age is just a number and we can get fit no matter our age. She recently wrote the ageless journey book: Determined, Dedicated, Disciplined To Be Fit which by the title alone should tell you that Ernestine believes we can achieve a fit body at any age; we just need to get to work on the three Ds. Her new book will be available on April 30th. Sandy was trained for the senior Olympics by her hubby and continues to stay fit.

With the UN’s International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on the 6th and  World Health Day coming up on the 7th, we can renew our commitment to stay healthy and youthful by doing all the things that will help us stay fit in body and mind; eat better, exercise, stay joyful, read to keep the mind facile, rest enough,  maintain your hobbies and interests, and follow your heart. What I love about the story shared below is that it reminds us to stay flexible and open to the creative spirit that children share with us. When we allow ourselves to become rigid and driven by rules and worn out expectations, we allow our minds to atrophy too. Children bring out the youthful spirit in adults, and their innocence and teachings can help us find innovative and fresh ways to view the world. Around children, we can bring new eyes to an old problem and reinvigorate our mind and our attitude.
A Story: We Often Learn the Most from our Children
Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, “Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy it’s not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy.” The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness. My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. Story: Via stisaac.org

 

“Time misspent in youth is sometimes all the freedom one ever has.” Anita Brookner

Motivation Mondays: YOUTH - We are as youthful as we allow ourselves to be!

Motivation Mondays: YOUTH – We are as youthful as we allow ourselves to be!

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus
There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age. Sophia Loren
We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives. Gary Zukav

How do you express your youthful spirit? Most mornings, when I take one of my kids to catch the train to work, I often see a very youthful woman on a bike, peddling down the hill on her way to catch the train. Even in rainy and wintry conditions, she would hop on that bike and pedal away, zipping across the street, weaving through the few cars on her way to catch the southbound train. Every time I see her, I turn to my kid and share how impressed I am by this young woman who skillfully bikes her way to the station. We would watch her together as she crossed the street and, while avoiding the many pedestrians walking down, would pedal on down to catch the same train. One day, my kid turned and asked me how old I thought this woman was and I said, “Oh, in her 20’s or so!”  “No, she isn’t, you should take a closer look at her when you drop me,” I was told. I did, and to my sheer delight and surprise, I saw that she was a much older woman with a keen and youthful spirit that preceded her age.

From the comfort of a car, it was hard to tell her age but, it didn’t matter because what came through was her inner youth and determination and that is both beautiful and powerful … all of us have access to that spirit within. It was the exchange/observations about the lady on the bike hat prompted this post because, in that moment, it became crystal clear to me that age has little to do with youthfulness. We have young people who act like they are over the hill and older people who are vibrant and full of life. Youth is not lost on the young, it is earned by our actions and choices.  It is an attitude, a spirit, a determination to do what we enjoy with abandon, and it is that spirit that people pick up first, not what we actually look like up close. The story below is one you’ve seen before but, it is a reminder that we all age, get tired, and die. However,  we don’t have to give up and wait to be tossed over the mountain’s edge.
A Story: The Farmer & His Son
A farmer got so old that he couldn’t work the fields anymore. So he would spend the day just sitting on the porch. His son, still working the farm, would look up from time to time and see his father sitting there.
“He’s of no use any more,” the son thought to himself, “he doesn’t do anything!” One day the son got so frustrated by this, that he built a wood coffin, dragged it over to the porch, and told his father to get in.
Without saying anything, the father climbed inside.
After closing the lid, the son dragged the coffin to the edge of the farm where there was a high cliff. As he approached the drop, he heard a light tapping on the lid from inside the coffin. He opened it up. Still lying there peacefully, the father looked up at his son. “I know you are going to throw me over the cliff, but before you do, may I suggest something?” “What is it?” replied the son. “Throw me over the cliff, if you like,” said the father, “but save this good wood coffin. Your children might need to use it.” Story: via Goodweb.cn

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for March and April 2016 are:

03/07 – 8 International Women’s Day –  3/1-31, Women’s History Month
03/14 – 13 Daylight Savings Begins at 2:00 a.m., 15, Ides of March, 17, St. Patrick’s Day, –
03/21 – 19 International Earth Hour –  20 International Day Of Happiness, Palm Sunday, Spring (Vernal) Equinox, –
03/28 – 23 Purim begins at sundown, 25 Good Friday, 27 Easter Sunday

04/04 –  Youth – 6 Intn’l Day of Sport, 7 World Health Day
04/11 –  Siblings Day
04/18 – Patriot’s Day,  Tax Day, 22 Earth Day
04/25 – Passover, 27 Administrative Professionals Day,  30 Jazz Day
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2016?

PostaDayPostaWeekCollage1
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.

— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab

More Below!

“In youth we learn; in age we understand.” Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Motivation Mondays: YOUTH - We are as youthful as we allow ourselves to be!

Motivation Mondays: YOUTH – We are as youthful as we allow ourselves to be!

Good habits formed at youth make all the difference. Aristotle
Probably the happiest period in life most frequently is in middle age, when the eager passions of youth are cooled, and the infirmities of age not yet begun; as we see that the shadows, which are at morning and evening so large, almost entirely disappear at midday. Eleanor Roosevelt

What more can we do? My original plan was to make this post about spring and that sense of renewal that we experience but, the idea of youth hung in the air with a much stronger calling. That said, there is a connection between the renewal that occurs after a dying down and the vibrant spirit that lays dormant in each of us waiting to be expressed.  Just like spring takes over after a long winter to rebirth all the things that died down or went into hibernation, we can call forth that youthfulness in our spirit and rekindle the joys we remember from those days when life seemed so carefree… Reconnecting to the exuberance within is a choice.

At every age, we have the opportunity and strength to reinvent ourselves, embrace our true inner calling, and live our best lives. Instead of letting others dictate what you should be doing at a certain age, choose how you want to live your life. If you want long hair or short skirts, go do it. If they say fuchsia is for age X, ignore it if you are age Y, and wear fuchsia anyway. I get tired of all those talking heads in magazines who want to tell us what we should wear, do, and be after a certain age… that’s arrant nonsense! Love your life with vigor; we are as youthful as we allow ourselves to be!
A Story: The Warty Frog & Sparkling Goldfish
The warty frog and the prize goldfish met one summer afternoon in the temple pool. “Don’t you realize how beautiful I am?” bubbled the goldfish flashing her wispy tail. The frog made no reply. “I can understand your silence,” gloated the goldfish. “I am not only graceful in my movements but I also enhance the golden rays of the sun.” Again, neither answer or movements from the frog. “Say something,” demanded the goldfish just as a waiting crane speared the sparkling fish and flew into the sky. “Bye bye,” croaked the frog. Story: via Goodweb.cn

Source: Author Unknown  story via  stisaac.org

Source: Any Zen Antics  stories via Goodweb.cn

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Positive Motivation Tip:  Love your life with vigor; we are as youthful as we allow ourselves to be!

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM

Related Posts

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Stories via Zen Stories on Goodweb.cn  Quotes via BrainyQuotes, All Photos: Youth, Spring, Health/Exercise, via Pixabay

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

from → Global Events, Motivation Mondays, Positive Advice, Posts & Photos 2016
36 Comments leave one →

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