Not really a quote, but it is a really short story soooo:
Hercules and the Wagoner:
A carter was driving a wagon along a country lane, when the
wheels sank down deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefied
and aghast, stood looking at the wagon, and did nothing but utter
loud cries to Hercules to come and help him. Hercules, it is
said, appeared and thus addressed him: "Put your shoulders to the
wheels, my man. Goad on your bullocks, and never more pray to me
for help, until you have done your best to help yourself, or
depend upon it you will henceforth pray in vain."
"Do not follow others's ways. Make your own."
It is something like that. I forgot who wrote it, but it was in my dear small "Book of Knowledge" (also forgot the author, a woman) which I gave as a present to someone. Lots of phrases there really step up to me and made me evolve, even if it was for just the 1 or 2 months I had it, it really helped.
I love this quote but it doesn't have an author. Sorry about the bad words in there. *If you can't blow them away with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit*
Also a really inspirational one with no author. *Don't judge my path if you haven't walked my journey* I love this one because I have been through hard times, but it makes me who I am today.
"No one is perfect. Life is not perfect. Only dark chocolate is perfect." ~ Whoever wrote SoM's horoscope for Leos today.
I shared this in the Coffee Shop thread because it's funny and pertains to me. It's getting placed here as well because it truly does jive with me as my mother always told me about her elder sister, who legitimately cried when she got her first B grade because she was that much of a perfectionist and that hard on herself. On the surface, that might be something to laugh at, but take a moment to put yourself in her shoes; pushing yourself to give the absolute best performance and degrading yourself for even the slightest perceived imperfection. Some people might scoff and say this is stupid behavior, while others might identify with it all too well. I was the former growing up, though I've come to struggle with the latter (except with a lot more frequent and severe mistakes than a decent grade).
Despite everything that keeps bogging me down, especially myself, I keep looking forward; keep living my life today. Some days are better than others and there's always a bittersweet tanginess on my tongue, but I keep going. In the past, I did so to the point where it was self destructive behavior, moving on at cost of myself and always running on fumes.
And then I read something little and simple and it knocks me back enough to realize I used to have the solution and I took it for granted. Perfection doesn't exist. More aptly, perfection is not an absolute and to treat anything as absolute in a world where subjectivity and abstracts take precedence is an unhealthy behavior.
On the flipside, I don't wish to stop striving for perfection; only treat it more healthily than I have before because that drive to improve is a core aspect of myself and half of what I consider all forms of Alchemy to be. It is truly because of my mother that I consider myself a modern Alchemist and the mentality of "Perfection doesn't exist, but that shouldn't stop you from rising above your flaws" is important because, in words others may be more familiar with, "We are ever learning." Alchemists always strive for bettering whatever process or subject matter they apply themselves to and my subject matter would have to be the quality of life. It is as much of a healing process as it is inventive and creative. It feeds into my attitude of "Never settle for anything. Always strive for what you want if you are capable of doing so."
Personally, I feel the key to striving for more, or something better, while still being healthy is to do so while enjoying life and its potential. When needed, take a breather and eat some of that divine dark chocolate (Gods, I love that stuff) as our pace in life doesn't need to be staticly set stone to truly be happy.
"Living in the past causes depression. Living in the future causes anxiety. Living in the moment is living." I have no idea who to attribute this to. I've seen it in articles on spirituality, as a meme, and in several other places where depression and anxiety are discussed.
As I have furthered my research on the Norse path, I have come across another version of this, Essential Asatru: The past is a fixed and finished set of events. Nothing can be done to change it. No matter how hard we try. The future is an ever changing set of possibilities that is built upon the acts of the past and the actions of the present."
Re: Quotes to Convey Us By: Personified / Knowledgeable
Post # 15 Jul 15, 2016
I can't believe I'm just now reading that quote Kat left here. It rings a lot of truth to me.
