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Anew
In his essay on self-reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson offers insights into “doing what one must do,” independent of others’ opinions. He emphasizes that following one’s true path can be challenging, as those around us believe they know our duty better than we do. The discouragement and interference of outside opinions can make it difficult to remain resolute in our pursuit of purpose and authenticity. Emerson suggests that while solitude can offer temporary relief from the world’s judgments, isolation is not a sustainable solution. Authentic transformation comes from perfecting our inner independence while living amidst the world.
Creating the best version of oneself is not an individual journey; it is a process that unfolds within the collective tapestry of humanity. While solitude provides an environment where it is easier to follow one’s intuition, humans have an innate need for service and friendship. Our purpose goes beyond personal fulfillment; it involves contributing to the well-being of many. To respond to the call, we must show the world who we genuinely are, living in alignment with our inner knowledge and intuition.
Finding purpose in life is a multifaceted journey. It commences with understanding the physical path that lies ahead, delving into the depths of our inner wisdom, and requires dedicated training through service and effort. The journey ultimately culminates in an inner and outer transformation – being made anew.
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“Tomorrow to fresh woods, and pastures new.”
John Milton, Lycidas
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Each new day comes with the opportunity to start over.
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
Joseph Campbell
Etymological explanation for Anew:
c. 1300, a neue, “over again, once more, afresh.”
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods
“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums
Be careful what you wish for, not because you’ll get it but because you’ll be turned into the thing that can get it. It’s not a process where you just ask for something and it magically appears, it’s a process that breaks you down and rebuilds you into the right tool for the job.
Jed McKenna
“You see things; you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?”
George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one.
Marianne Williamson
“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.”
Andre Gide, Autumn Leaves
Your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come.
Unknown
“To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.”
Samuel Johnson, The Rambler
The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
Michelangelo
“A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time.”
Homer, The Odyssey
Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.
Golda Meir
Becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. It is forward motion, evolving, continuously reaching toward a better self.
Adapted from Michelle Obama’s Becoming
“Be a philosopher; but, amidst all your philosophy, be still a man.”
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
“The only way to learn is to live.”
Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
“Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject conformity. Reject convention. Reject definitions. Reject names.”
Ming-Dao Deng, 365 Tao
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You are not your job title.
Nor are you merely your name.
You are so much more.
“The more you say no to the things that don’t matter, the more you can say yes to the things that do.”
Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic
What Matters Most In The End:
How well did you love?
How fully did you live?
How deeply did you let go?
Adapted from Jack Kornfield’s Buddha’s Little Instruction Book
“You have already faced death. This is your second life. Don’t be afraid — if you are afraid, you can’t move forward.”
Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Audentes fortuna iuvat.
(Fortune favors the bold.)
Virgil, Aeneid
“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
“The greatest thing in the world is for a man to know that he is his own.”
Michel de Montaigne, Of Solitude
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Knowing how to belong to oneself is the greatest wisdom. So long as one understands oneself, everything necessary is within reach.
“Dreams come to tell us something about our lives that we are missing.”
James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecy
“What if what made me do all those things everyone thought I shouldn’t have done was what also had got me here? What if I was never redeemed? What if I already was?”
Cheryl Strayed, Wild
“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.”
Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
Søren Kierkegaard
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Jen Hitze 