It is good to be back! If you’d like to see some pictures of our Christmas, hop over to my facebook page. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!
After thumbing through my journal and thinking about it at length on our 12-hour Christmas roadtrip, today I’m sharing three pieces of wisdom that I gained in 2013. I love how sometimes it’s just a line that you randomly read or heard somewhere that helps you become a better person.
1. The opposite of depression isn’t happiness; it is resilience. This line, buried within a WSJ article on the habits of happy people, has stuck with me, probably because day-to-day resilience is something I needed to work on. Being more flexible when my day gets off track…or when my husband has a different way of doing (most) things. 🙂 I also want to raise children to whom resilience comes a little more naturally, which has helped me see the bigger picture when we can’t give them something they want or when they have to experience natural consequences of their choices (even the little ones, like choosing not to wear a sweatshirt on a run to Trader Joe’s).
2. No amount of external factors (affection, admiration, etc.) can ever truly satisfy someone whose internal compass does not point to joy. I read this in a Psychology Today article during a time when I needed a little jolt to get me thinking about whether my internal compass is pointing to joy. It maaay have had something to do with postpartum hormones at the time :), but regardless, I think I’m a person who needs to actively foster my sense of joy. (And I can’t count on my husband or children or friends to deliver it.)
3. The only thing that makes it a thing is how much you think about it. I read this line somewhere right at a time when I needed it. It’s obvious, but sometimes it is SO easy to fixate on the things that bother you and let them balloon in your head. In my case, it was my annoyance with my job managing our building, but I’m excited to keep applying this to other things in the upcoming year.
Off the top of your head, did you take any nuggets away from 2013? Who knows—maybe yours will make its way to my 2014 list!
Linked up with Grace at Home and On Your Heart.
Happy New Year, Erica! So glad to have Let Why Lead back 🙂
2 is my favorite. Joy comes from within. From the place where God and our hearts meet.
2013 was New. It brought both amazing and challenging changes to our family – an autism diagnosis for our son, a big move up north, new friends, new blog, and new struggles.
This year, I am seeking to embrace peace. <3
Thank you so much, Katie! It DOES sound like it was a year full of newness for you guys. I hope 2014 lets you settle in and enjoy the peace. Happy new year!
Oh my, I love all three of these, but especially 2 and 3. Wishing you a wonderful 2014! 🙂
Thank you, Melinda! I enjoyed catching up on your blog just now – thank you for commenting! I hope you have a great year, too!
These are so simple yet so insightful! Thank you for sharing.
One phrase my mom and I have bounced back and forth to each other over the past year is something she read (though she can’t remember where): “Comparison robs a man of joy.” (This may be a variation of Theodore Roosevelt’s “Comparison is the thief of joy.”) Humbly looking to others for help and inspiration is in line with the Savior’s teachings, but comparing ourselves to others to either build ourselves up or break ourselves down is not. I believe if we instead focus forward , to the Savior, we can use His example and the Holy Ghost to ascertain where we are doing okay and where we need to improve 🙂
Btw, thank you for sharing on facebook! That was so sweet!
Even when you feel like there isn’t a way there always is. You just have to find it. Someone has to be the pioneer, it could be you. But, you will never know if you stop trying. So yes, resilience and persistence were key for me in 2013. Glad to have you back Erica.
Great post Erica!
Hey Erica! This is exactly what I needed to hear today! I’ve had a lot on my mind recently that has been bringing me down and this post helped me realize how insignificant some things are especially when you refuse to let them bother you or take control of your thoughts. I loved the first point especially. The sun doesn’t shine the whole day but if you’re patient enough to wait through the night, the sun will come out again 🙂 Loved this post!
Hi Rachel! Nothing makes me happier here at Let Why Lead than hear this was what you needed to hear today. I’m touched. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me!
That first point was pretty revolutionary for me, too. No one finds happiness all the time. The ups and downs are pretty much the point of life! But learning to wait it out at some times and to bounce back other times makes a big difference. I still need some practice. 🙂
Have a great week, and keep in touch!
In 2013 I learned that sometimes it is best to let yourself have that bad day instead of pushing yourself to be Miss Sunshine. Some days really suck and sometimes bad things happen. I’m not saying to dwell in it but I’m saying it’s okay not to beat yourself up for having a rough day. I have to let myself feel the pain if I want to rid myself of it. The more I try to hide it the more it eats up my inside.
I want to put these quotes on my chalkboard at home – they are awesome quotes for all age leves:) Each of them are just like my boys – they’re all my favorites! LOL
These are all such great thoughts. I especially need to be reminded of that last one! I’m in the process of collecting quotes also. Here’s a few, specifically about writing:
“Not a wasted word. This has been a main point to my literary thinking all my life.”
—Hunter S. Thompson
“To defend what you’ve written is a sign that you are alive.”
—William Zinsser, WD
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”
–William Wordsworth
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”
–Richard Bach
Emily—I adore every one! Thank you for sharing those! I am putting them in my “quotes” google doc right this minute. We are obviously likeminded. 🙂