The title of this blog comes from one of the great musician/philosophers, Bob Marley. Today I would like to put lists within a list, one of them being quite long. They are the list of lessons for finding your strength in hard times. There are forty of them so it will take a while to ponder them all. They come from my friends Marc and Angel Chernoff, I have the honour of being a Facebook friend of Angel. here they are:

You are not what happened to you in the past, Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t. Struggling with problems is a natural part of growing. it’s OK to fall apart for a while. Life is fragile, sudden, and shorter than it often seems. You will fail sometimes. You have the capacity to create your own happiness. Emotionally separate yourself from your problems. Don’t make a problem bigger than it is. Everything that happens is a life lesson. View every challenge as an educational assignment. Things change, but the sun always rises the next day. Giving up and moving on are two very different things. Distance your self from negative people. Perfect relationships don’t exist. You must love yourself too. Don’t let others make decisions for you. Resentment hurts you, not them. You’re not alone. Everyone has problems. You still have a lot to be thankful for. Consciously nurture your inner hope. It’s better to be hurt by the truth than comforted by a lie. It’s hard to tell how close you are to success. Not getting what you want can be a blessing. Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Mistake are important to make. Worrying is literally a waste of energy. Even when it’s hard to move, take small steps forward. There will always be people that dislike you. You are better off without some people you thought you needed. You are ONLY competing against yourself. You can’t control everything that happens to you. Life is NOT easy. Your future is spotless. You are not trapped: you just need to re-learn a few things. Everything in life is two-sided. You always have a choice. Let others in when you are in a dark place. If you ask negative questions, you will get negative answers and The end is a new beginning.

Pretty cool list. But I wish to ponder how society deals with our strengths, sometimes we have to go through a lot to realise them. It’s a common human frailty, a thing you will notice in the quotes I have chosen as examples, here we go:

1. We all feel better in summer under the sun. Remember to use winter to recuperate and allow your inner strength to shine when it needs to.

2. Reminds me of the last few kilometres of the first marathon I ever ran. I wondered why all the people around me were talking to themselves, and then realised I had said that out aloud: Not Afraid.

3.  My name is Brigitte Nicole I am a writer, specifically quotes and self-help material. I dedicate myself to providing help through my writings to people who are struggling with life. My goal is for my page to revolve mine around my writings, which I fondly call “the art of words”, for I believe in the power of words to induce change personally and globally.

4. Heart, mind and spirit. In the training program I am in called Warriors of Love it is your seed essence: Spirit Bird.

5. Just your best, it may be as simple as sleeping all day some days.

6. The day after mothers day, I am reminded of how my mother held on for three months without really eating at the end of her precious life. How much did we put our mothers through: Superwoman.

7. You are here for your unique reason, some days you are closer to it than others.

8. A bit like the perfect relationship does not exist, even the one with yourself. Remember to look beyond the imperfections: Perfect Day.

9. The honour of not hiding your vulnerabilities anymore, your life empowered by the strength that is given to you by this not so simple action.

10. I have been asked to list my perfect life several times, I always seem to leave out the pain that life included in its recipe, Oops: My Immortal.

 

11. How many times have you been broken? Congratulations, you are still here, that strength within got you through, Yay!!

12. There will always be things that happen in our lives that as young innocent children we could never imagine. Well done for still being here: Imagine.

13. As a qualified proofreader, it amazes me that they can create these images and leave words out. But you get the drift without the to.

14. Mahatma was a dude: Everybody Hurts.

15. American-born author Aberjhani (born July 8, 1957, in Savannah, Georgia) is a historian, columnist, novelist, poet, and editor. Although well known for his blog articles on literature and politics, he is perhaps best known as co-author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance and author of The River of Winged Dreams. The encyclopedia won a Choice Academic Title Award in 2004.

Everyone you meet, everything you encounter, etc. They’re all part of the learning experience we call ‘life’ Never forget to acknowledge the lesson, especially when things don’t go your way. if you don’t get a job you want or a relationship doesn’t work, it only means something better is out there waiting. And the lesson you just learned is the first step towards it.

The music today begins with some rap from Eminem, then the beautiful Spirit Bird from Xavier Rudd, followed by Alicia Keys anthem to women. Back to the 70’s with Lou Reed and Jools Holland, followed by a little bit of rock with Evanescence. Then hope for the world with John Lennon and finishing with the powerful pop divas, Kelly Clarkson and Pink.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.