Dan DiFelice’s short video, Finished, is powerful, beautiful, and captivating. Wherever you are in life right now and whatever battle you’re fighting – I hope you find hope, courage, and new-found strength to carry on. May these truthful words resonate deep within and propel you forward to finish, and to finish well.
©2016 Susie Lee
In this game of life, I guarantee we’ll win some and we’ll painfully lose some. And when the latter happens, we’ll undoubtedly question our abilities and second-guess our destiny. The only thing that will count is going from one failure to another without losing our hope or enthusiasm. I know this won’t be easy to practice but in order to succeed in life we must keep going despite our temporary times of defeat and despair. Everyday, it’ll take a huge amount of courage to keep going in the midst of unsuccessful attempts and a surmountable tenacity to fight against all odds. But we must.
Success isn’t always measured in status, money, or things – sometimes it’s measured in the quiet courage to try again another day.
©2016 Susie Lee
Our lives may not be perfect and we might even be bogged with worry or stress. But no matter what’s going on in our lives right now, we can still choose to be happy at this very moment. Each new day is filled with possibilities, hope, and redemption for things that were lost, stolen, or broken in our lives. We might not be able to change our situation right away but we have the ability to change our demeanour instantly. Instead of walking in the light of the past or living in the reality of what is, we need to train our minds to walk in peace and joy in the midst of life’s storm. We can’t control others or change our circumstances but we can control our attitude and our reactions to them. Do yourself a favour – choose to be happy today.
©2016 Susie Lee
With the holiday season upon us, it’s easy for us to say yes to every party invite and become a Martha Stewart and Santa to everyone we know. The holidays can be challenging as we feel the heaviness of unspoken expectations and unrealistic demands that are placed on us. When we do things out of obligation we’ll feel resentful, tired, and angry – we’ll feel as though our time is not our own and we’re losing control of it. One of the ways we can bring joy and peace back into the holidays is by being intentional with our time – this may mean making decisions based on love rather than out of duty, learning to say no without feeling guilty, and learning to do less. May we master the art of living intentionally everyday.
©2015 Susie Lee
There are going to be days when you doubt your destiny, lose your way, or feel insecure with who you are. This is a part of your journey. You’ll never have it all together, you won’t always be happy, and you won’t be sure of who you are all the time. Instead of beating yourself up over it, just go with the winds of change within yourself. In life, there will be seasons of growth and change, and there will be seasons of restlessness and rest. We can’t always be productive, purposeful, and passionate. Some days, just getting dressed will be a huge accomplishment. If you’re in this cold dark season, be gentle with yourself, keep moving, and stop criticizing yourself. You’re not going to stay stuck in this place of complacency forever. I know it may feel like it now but you’re not – you’ll get your zest and motivation back. Until then, just live and be.
©2015 Susie Lee
More often than not, we’d rather run away from our pain, problem, or hurt than to face it head on. But I believe a lesson never goes away until we learn what they’re supposed to teach us. We can avoid difficult people or we can learn how to love them beyond our capacity. We can be frustrated at a problem or think of a creative solution to get through it. We can stay mad or we can learn to let go. We have choices everyday, and these choices will either make or break us. It’s not always easy to do the right thing or be the better person but for the sake of our spiritual growth and mental peace, we must let love guide us in our decision making process. And when we do, we’ll find that our pain won’t have a grip on us any longer because we’ve been set free.
©2015 Susie Lee
The other day, I was helping a friend move their parent’s stuff out of their 40+ years house. Twelve hours later, it seemed as though we hadn’t even dented their place. The next day, this forced me to reevaluate my own stuff throughout the rooms, closets, and crawl space. What am I holding on to that I don’t use anymore? And why am I still holding on to it? So I began to ruthlessly get rid of clothes, books, and knick-knacks that I don’t use, look at, or need.
Why do we hold on to unneeded stuff? I’m not just talking about physical stuff but emotional and psychological baggage in our lives such as anger, resentment, fear, regret, worry, pride, or jealousy. The consequences of holding on to these will eventually clutter our minds and occupy space in our emotional living room. It’s not easy getting rid of these destructive feelings because we’ve either grown accustomed to it, attached to it, or it’s too much work to get rid of. And we may even justify keeping our feelings. But at some point, we must honestly ask ourselves, ‘Why am I still holding on to this? Is it helpful, useful, or productive?’ If the answer’s no, get rid of it – it’s just weighing you down. For the sake of our wellbeing, peace of mind, and the health of our relationships, we must ruthlessly de-clutter our emotional baggage on a regular basis.
©2015 Susie Lee
It’s Friday, and you know what that means right? It’s the weekeeeeend!! Unfortunately, many of us use our weekends to either play catch up or veg out. Instead of taking a mental vacation, why not try these simple steps to reenergize your body, mind, and spirit? Here’s to a fantastic weekend that’ll rev you up for Monday!
©2015 Susie Lee
In my last post, I mentioned that even the happiest of people will have their off-days as they feel unmotivated, uninspired, or are emotionally unavailable. Another area you can shut down in is creativity – the inability to create new ideas, ways to have fun, or problem solve.
Whether you’re a stay home parent or working professional, it’s important to stimulate your mind on a daily basis so you can grow and stay engaged. Sometimes, this may mean stepping away from electronic gadgets, changing up the daily routine, or something simple as trying a new flavour of ice cream. As your creative juices begin to flow back, your mind will be open to new ideas and find creative solutions to problems. You’ll also notice an extra pep in your step and a lighthearted joy in your days. Remember to have fun while being creative. Here are 12 simple ways on how to stay creative:
©2015 Susie Lee
living your best 