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Change
Change is the only constant in life, an ever-present force that shapes our journey. From the moment we enter this world, we come face-to-face with new challenges, uncharted territories, and unexpected turns. Life’s evolution can be exhilarating, but it can also be unsettling. As creatures of habit, we often find comfort in the illusion of control, clinging to the familiar, even when we know that most aspects of life exist beyond our power.
Both individually and collectively, humans necessitate ongoing change for their evolution. Progress and growth unfold when we shift and adapt to new circumstances. Life’s unpredictability may sometimes feel like an opponent, but it is, in fact, a potent ally. Change does not happen to us. Instead, change happens for us. It is the vehicle through which we transcend our limits, discover new potential, and embrace a more prosperous, fulfilling existence.
We must harbor a willingness to let go of the illusion of complete control, to release the safety of the past, and to greet the unknown with an open heart and bold spirit. When we shift our focus this way, we unlock the doors to transformation and growth. Change becomes an opportunity, a gift, and a testament to our resilience.
Despite life’s ephemeral nature, we must not abandon our deepest aspirations. Instead, we shall summon the courage to refine and progress in our endeavors to pursue them. Life will inevitably continue to test us to see if we have the will and desire to move forward. And it will reward us if we do.
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The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.
Albert Einstein
Integrity, wisdom, skill, intelligence – such things are forged in adversity.
Mencius
Courage is the most important of all the virtues. Because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.
Maya Angelou
“I’d far rather be happy than right any day.”
Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
You are not a product of your circumstances. You are a product of your decisions.
Stephen Covey
Rather than claiming you’ve read books, use them as mental training weights. Don’t mistakenly believe you’ve progressed solely by absorbing their contents. Demonstrate what you’ve learned through improved thinking and discernment.
Based on the teachings of Epictetus
It is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives. The species that survives is the one that is best able to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.
Adapted from Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species
There is no nobility in being superior to some other man; true nobility is in being superior to your former self.
Unknown
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
“I can do nothing for you but work on myself… you can do nothing for me but work on yourself!”
Ram Dass, Be Here Now
Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.
John C. Maxwell
I guess you could call it a failure,
but I prefer the term learning experience.
Adapted from Andy Weir’s The Martian
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
Unknown
It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.
Alfred Adler
Here’s your challenge: change the system more than it changes you.
Adapted from Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma
“Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
Because I am seeking the truth, I may change my mind if someone can show me that I am wrong. It is the person who continues to deceive themselves and remain ignorant who is harmed.
Based on the teachings of Marcus Aurelius
The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.
Unknown
“It is easy to blame your lot in life on some outside force, to stop trying because you believe fate is against you. It is easy to think that where you were raised, how your parents treated you, or what school you went to is all that determines your future.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The common people and the great men and women are all defined by how they deal with life’s unfairness.”
William H. McRaven, Make Your Bed
If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?
Rumi
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Just as a rough diamond must be polished to reveal its true beauty, we too must be challenged and refined to reach our full potential.
It’s impossible to learn that which you think you already know.
Epictetus
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience and that is not learning from experience.
Archibald MacLeish
Draw not your bow till your arrow is fixed.
English proverb
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.
Dr. Seuss
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
John Lennon, Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
“Our task in life consists precisely in a form of letting go of fear and expectations, an attempt to purely give oneself to the impact of the present.”
Michael Pollan, How to Change Your Mind
Etymological explanation for Improve:
late 15c., “to use to one’s profit, to increase (income).”
You will move in the direction of the people that you associate with. So it’s important to associate with people that are better than yourself.
Warren Buffett
No mud, no lotus.
Thich Nhat Hanh
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Beautiful and meaningful things grow from messy and difficult circumstances.
Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people.
Unknown
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Jen Hitze 