Sometimes we need the advice and wisdom of others to help us learn and grow. I collect mantras, maxims and quotes that are meaningful to me in this process. See if any of these resonate with you:
“As parents, we are often hammered by the mundane and conforming (not to mention race-to-nowhere-fear-and-money-driven competition), and thus we must continually unearth and give flight to the transcendent and the luminescent, the compassionate and the connected, to be found and lived in small moments of our big-enough lives.” (Bruce Dolin, Privilege of Parenting)
“I try to remind myself that we are never promised anything, and that what control we can exert is not over the events that befall us but how we address ourselves to them.” (Jeanne DuPrau, Author)
“It has something to do with submitting rather than dominating. Surrender, submit. Have faith, trust in the mystery. That’s not easy. Surrendering one’s life to giving in and serving, the beauty of a mysterious world is a big step . . . . The purpose of the journey is compassion.” (Joseph Campbell, Mythologist, Writer, Lecturer)
“Who you are is made up of three persons. There is the one you think you are, the one others think you are, and the one you really are. Work towards making all three the same. Then there will be peace and bliss.” (Sri SathaSai Baba, Indian Guru and Philanthropist)
“Live in the present. Do the things that need to be done. Do all the good you can each day. The future will unfold.” (Peace Pilgrim)
“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.” (Karen Kaiser Clark, Inspirational and Motivational Speaker)
“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” (Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Mindfulness and Meditation, Integrative Health)
“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” (Buddha)
“To look deep into your child’s eyes and see in him both yourself and something utterly strange, and then to develop a zealous attachment to every aspect of him, is to achieve parenthood’s self-regarding yet unselfish abandon.” “We must love (our children) for themselves, and not for the best of ourselves in them, and that is a great deal harder to do. Loving our own children is an exercise in imagination.” (Andrew Solomon, Far From the Tree)