The Diary of Anne Frank

How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment; we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. ... And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

The first rule of holes, goes the adage, is that "if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging". This might be the most violated piece of commonsense wisdom in the world. Because what most of us do when something happens, goes wrong, or is inflicted on us is make it worse - first, by getting angry or feeling aggrieved, and next, by flailing around before we have much in the way of a plan.

Today, give yourself the most simple and doable of tasks: just don't make stuff worse. Whatever happens, don't add angry or negative emotions to the equation. Don't react for the sake of reacting. Leave it as it is. Stop digging. Then plan your way out.

Only Love Today: Reminders to Breathe More, Stress Less, and Choose Love by Rachel Macy Stafford

ACCEPTANCE
Don't change, 
extraordinary one. 
You're gonna light 
up this place.

DON'T CHANGE, EXTRAORDINARY ONE

They say he's too quiet.
They say she's too inquisitive.
They say he's too energetic.
They say she's too sensitive.
They say these things thinking it will help,
but it doesn't.
It only causes worry and the pressure to conform.
The truth is, changing would be a tragedy.

Because when they say "too quiet",
I see introspection.
Don't change, thoughtful one.
You're gonna bring quiet wisdom to the chaos.

Because when they say "too inquisitive",
I see problem solving.
Don't change, little thinker.
You're gonna bring answers
to the toughest questions.

Because when they say "too energetic",
I see vitality.
Don't change, lively one.
You're gonna bring love and laughter to desparate times.

Because when they say "too sensitive",
I see heart.
Don't change, deep feeler.
You're gonna bring compassion to hurting souls.

Because when they say "too anxious",
I see caution.
Don't change, little protector.
You're gonna bring deliberation to tricky situations.

They might say change is needed.
I ask that they look a little deeper and observe a little longer.
From where I stand, these individuals are just as they should be -
On their path to bring the world exactly what it needs to thrive.

Don't change, extraordinary one.
You're gonna light up this place.

TODAY'S REMINDER
Today I will consider that "problem" characteristic in a new way.
Perhaps that weakness is strength in need of a little nurturing and some direction.
I will try to discover the strengths hidden in "problem areas" that one day might be a gift to the world.

******

I drop the ball.
I grump through my day.
I act without thinking.
But because I am an adult, no one calls me on it.

I say things I shouldn't.
I forget - a lot.
I stumble, and sometimes I fall on my face.
But because I am grown up, no one points fingers.

I eat too quickly.
I don't wait very well.
I don't always make the best choices.
But because I am big, no one corrects me.
Not even you, the one who sees me at my worst.

When I mess up, you don't keep track.
When I lose my cool, you don't send me to my room.
When I fail, you don't let out an exasperated sigh.
You hug me and say, "Everybody makes mistakes".

I don't give second chances like I should.
But you do.
You always do.
Even when I don't deserve them.