The Lessons of Fall in Living

The seasons seem to change so quickly. One can recall the summer heat and promises to never leave the sandy beaches, only to have bone-chilling cold and snow sneak up on us a few months later. It is amazing how we can experience the full capacity of the seasons in all their extremities. It also is one of life’s best teachers to be able to live through such drastic changes and find some form of gratefulness in each season.

That in of itself, may be the first lesson fall teaches us; the act of being grateful despite any situation. In the summer, we make sure to put on the sunscreen for protection, only to want more sun in the winter. In winter, we layer up practically, only to remove all layers within modesty in the summer heat. We never seem to find comfort. But the fall shows us that despite the changes, we can be thankful for the change and learn to make it through.

The next lesson is that of transition. There is a reason summer and winter do not occur chronologically one after the other. There must be a transition from one season to the next. And this transition is where fall comes into place. It gives us just enough time to appreciate the change in weather, hours of daylight and nature, without happening so drastically. In life, it is important to remember that things do not happen overnight. Like seasons must transition, we, too, must learn to transition from our own season to the next. It won’t always be easy or quick, but it is always a step in the right direction.

The term fall itself is also a lesson in living. We all must learn to accept failures as stepping stones for the next phase in our lives. As Albert Einstein one stated, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” To fall is to temporarily fail, but failure is a part of success. Besides the season itself, fall can be defined as “move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level.” It is a descension that is sometimes out of our control. We all fall, which is not the failure in of itself; but the refusal to get back up after a fall is the true failure. To be antonymous with fall is to rise, and know who you are and what you’re capable of. It’s not about the fall, but what you do when it occurs and how you learn from it.

Another lesson fall teaches us in living is that days won’t always be sunshine when we want, all the time. We are reminded of that the moment Daylight Savings Time begins. Having the sunset an hour earlier may seem like a burden but think of the sun also rising an hour earlier. It’s always been a bit difficult having to see the days getting darker earlier, however that is a part of life and living. Fall shows us that we must learn to accept what we’ve got and to learn to accept the earlier darkness, but to also realize that means the stars shine an hour earlier as well.

Fall is a season that shows us a lot about living. It is a time of gratitude, layering up, and of course pumpkin spice. But more importantly, it teaches us to never stop living and loving because of a fall. Always remember to fall is simply necessary to rise higher than you were before. And we can thank the fall season for these lessons in life.

 

 

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Inspirational Quote #15: Fall and Change

“Don’t be afraid of change because it is leading you to a new beginning. ”

~Joyce Meyer

5 Ways A Rainy Day Can Teach You About Life

Rain is one of those weather forecasts that we don’t necessarily cheer for, unless there has been a massive heat wave or some sort of necessity for it. Everyday, we always anticipate sunny skies. Some even fret just when it is overcast, and the clouds start hovering through. However, just as the plants and animals need water to survive, we too, cannot survive without it. But when it comes to a rainy day, some people view it as more burdensome than a blessing. Here are 5 ways that rainy day can teach us about life.

1. Preparation, Even for the Unexpected

We often will watch the news to see if there will be rain the next day, allowing us to leave our place prepared with rainboots, an umbrella, a raincoat. However, there comes days when either we miss that forecast, or the forecast misses it and doesn’t forewarn us of the rain. In cases like these, we must either be prepared or prepare ourselves. Whether we carry a spare umbrella on us or must improvise with something else, unexpected rainy days teach us that we must prepare or learn to improvise if things don’t go our way.

2. Change Your Thinking if you Can’t Change the Situation

When we see that it will be a rainy day in the forecast, many of us will look and think in a negative way. You can’t wear that certain outfit or meetup with friends outside in the local park. You can’t do certain things. But that’s also with life. It is about perspective and thinking of things you can do instead. You may not be able to change the situation of the rainstorms of your life, but you can change the way you think of how you get through it. It’s not always going to be blue skies and sunny days. But if we change the way we think about the rain, it becomes more opportunistic instead of pessimistic, which is healthy for your mind and soul.

3. You Need Both Sun and Rain to Grow a Flower, and in Life, for You to Grow

We all know what would happen if a flower had direct sun rays shining on it incessantly, without watering the soil. Just as a flower needs both sun and rain to grow into it’s beautiful full potential, we too need both wonderful life experiences and unpropitious situations to help us to grow and learn. It is a necessity to go through certain situations to mold and shape us into who we need to be, and hopefully a better person today than yesterday. If we never went through rainy days, we would cease from growing, and wither.

4. Listen

This is a less obvious factor of the rain, but it teaches us to listen. When is the last time you can recall the peaceful sounds of raindrops running across a window, or the pure sound of the falling rain? We must learn to listen sometimes, and rain provides that serenity and escape to hear nature, when so often we are bombarded with the sounds of technology and other modernities that make us less liable to listen as a society. We often hear, but we don’t take the time to listen. And the rain teaches us to take a pause and listen in life.

5. It Won’t Rain, Always

The beautiful thing about the rain is that it is temporary. It won’t last forever. And whatever you make the rain synonymous to, whether it’s hardships, breakups, trauma, stress, negativity, loss, tears, bad vibes; Always remember, it won’t rain always. The sun is hiding just above the clouds, which are just above the rainy situation you’re experiencing. It is a wonderful and comforting thing to know that the clouds will clear, the rain will cease, and the sunshine will come through again, every time. Knowing this, about the rainy days in life, makes you realize that just on the other side of rain, there is sunshine waiting to peak through. The rain provides us with the mentality of hopefulness and faithfulness, knowing better things are on the other side a downpour. And each new day brings you that much closer to that sunny place in life, where you needed to go through the showers to prosper and grow.

When you look at life in general, you will realize that every other day there is not a rainstorm. Across the globe, most of our days are not filled with despair. It is getting through those days, that we learn to see that there are more sunny days in this short life of ours. And when we see the lessons that we can learn from going through our rainy days, only then can we grow and see that facing toward the sun is just as significant as surmounting the rain.

 

 

Inspirational Quote #14: Rain for Growth

“Without rain, nothing grows. Learn to embrace the storms in your life. ” – Anonymous

5 Ways Going On a Vegan Lifestyle Can Change Your Life

 

There are so many diet trends out there. People opt for such diets to either lose weight, lower blood pressure or cholesterol, or to just feel better in general. In the title of this piece, I wrote vegan lifestyle and not diet because it is truly a lifestyle change that is not a fad or trend. Everyone and every single body is unique and different. Here are my 5 ways that veganism changed my life.

1. Do it for the Animals – Going vegan will save so many animal lives, and once you realize that, it will change your perspective on things.
2. It’s a Healthy Change-If you adopt to a vegan lifestyle, even for a trial week, you will notice you feel better and in a matter of time, you will have better blood pressure and cholesterol. Many of the foods you eat will be plant based, therefore containing more water than your typical diet. It’s a wonderful health option and a nice side effect can be weight loss if you eat tons of healthy fruits and veggies.
3. It Opens Your Eyes- We often don’t realize how much we consume as a nation. When you stop eating meat, you start to realize how much food through animal products we tend to use. It sort of goes unnoticed until you decide that you want to go to a vegan lifestyle. It will open your eyes to not only how much we consume, but how much meat product goes to waste every single day.
4. You’re Helping the Planet- Animal consumption does take a toll on our planet. It takes tons of water and land to create animal product . There are also massive amounts of greenhouse gases emitted from the production of animal product. Therefore, going vegan helps yourself and this wonderful planet we call home
5. Awareness- If you decide to try veganism, whether for a day or for life, you will be raising awareness of the fact that you can live a healthy life, even without the consumption of animals. There are so many healthy alternative and various options available.

Becoming a vegan is a lifestyle change that seems to be going full force in the world now. People are seeing the health benefits and wanting to learn about the ethical reasons too. And it is so fun trying to recreate and learn new delicious recipes that do not require animal consumption. It is definitely worth taking a look at and trying.

 

 

Inspirational Quote #13: Faith

“Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

5 Ways To Be Positive on A Monday (or Any Day)

 

It’s Monday, everyone’s favorite day of the week! It can seriously, be your favorite if you choose to make it. Here are 5 Ways to make today a positive day, despite what day of the week it may be.

1. Seize the Day – Tell yourself how amazing you are today and mention at least one wonderful thing about yourself, to yourself. Wake up knowing that it’s a new day with new opportunities, even small ones. Be in a faithful, yet realistic mindset. Never lose site of yourself.
2. Put Positive Energy into the Universe– Always try to  speak positively because your heart, mind and soul are listening. What you put out there, you get back. So always try to keep some sort of positive outlook on life, even if you’re having a bad day. Try to make a mental or written list of the things you are grateful for and those will give you wonderful reasons to stay positive.
3. If Necessary, Tell Yourself “I can get through this”. We all have our less than stellar moments. Or maybe it was just a bit of a tough morning, lack of sleep, bad dreams, whatever it may be. Or it could be something completely unrelated to those aspects and could be a matter of placement in life, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with work, relationships, or any hardship or hurdle. Nobody said that life would be easy and some days you may just have to tell yourself “I can get through today.” It’s ok to feel like this because we are only human, not meant to be happy 24/7. Make it through the day with a little self motivation and self pep talk. You got this! You’ll make it through today despite how you may feel.
4. Ignore Negativity and Don’t Let Others Steal Your Sunshine– We’ve all heard the saying that misery loves company. Don’t feed into negativity. Try to surround yourself with positive energy and people. It’s very hard to avoid negativity at work or school and in life, in general. But if you can’t avoid it, don’t give into it. Be unique in your own light and let that light shine. Ignoring negative comments, energy and vibes will help you get through your day.
5. Tell Yourself Life is a Gift, Be Thankful, and Realize How Quickly it all Goes By– It’s Monday and you want it to be Friday. But guess what; that will bring you three days away, and closer to the next Monday. Time flies by so fast, and one hundred years at most is not very long for living. Be in the moment, and if it’s an unhappy experience, separate yourself from the unhappy mentality and live for the day.

I know it’s Monday, but try to think of it as “My Day” . It is yours and own it. Don’t let bad vibes kill your spirit and make it through, looking for the good in every situation. It will not only enlighten you, it will bring more positive things into your space and give you a feeling of living for each moment. And if something doesn’t go the way you planned, remember that it is most likely a lesson to prepare you for something in your future. With each new sunrise comes new opportunities and no matter how small they may be, seize them and enjoy those little bursts of positivity.

 

 

Inspirational Quote #12: Sunshine on Summer Days

“Keep your face towards the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you. ”

~ Walt Whitman

 

When Spring Gives You Snow, Make Snow Angels

 

Being that yesterday was the first official full day of spring, and it dumped nearly a foot of snow on us, I thought I’d give a little perspective on the age-old adage of when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In life, things will not always go as planned. You may be down for a moment, but realize, you are only down so that you can look up at the sunshine. Your heart will be broken, more than once, you may not have everything you want in life, and you may seem to question why things may not go your way. But guess what, everyone is fighting battles. It is not the battles that matter, it’s how you maneuver around and through them.  After all, nobody wants snow in spring! So smile through the storm and remember that failures are the stepping-stones to success. Keep going, and be your own biggest cheerleader. Despite wanting sunny, sandy weather, go make that snow angel, because it’s all about perspective!