Tag Archives: hope

How to remove stumbling blocks from living your best.

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JRR tolkien

Living your best will change from day to day. It doesn’t mean having it all together or being happy all the time – it means doing your best under the circumstances that you’re in. Here are some ways I remove stumbling blocks from living my best. By no means is this an exhaustive list but it’s a start…

  • Don’t hold onto grudges – it’ll only damage you and hold you back from fully living and loving.
  • Work on building your character – keep your word, show up, and work hard.
  • Be kind. Always.
  • Stop being a people pleaser.
  • Work hard and mind your own business.
  • Don’t run away from pain but learn from it – it’ll make you stronger, wiser, and build character.
  • Dream big and follow your heart.
  • Don’t let anyone define you, especially your boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife.
  • When you say ‘yes’ to someone, make sure you’re not saying ‘no’ to yourself.
  • Get to know and love yourself – embrace imperfections & brokenness because there’s beauty in those places.
  • Discover the world, especially the world within you.
  • Learn to love those who are difficult to love, this alone will either make you or break you.
  • Have hope, faith, and love.
  • Always believe the best, say the best, and think the best.
  • Don’t compare your chapter 1 with someone else’s chapter 20.
  • Always do your best even when no one’s watching.
  • Don’t settle when it comes to dating – you’re worth the best.
  • Learn to forgive others but especially yourself.
  • Having a good attitude will make all the difference in the world.
  • A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You won’t be able to go anywhere until you change it.
  • Life always offers you a second chance, it’s called tomorrow.
  • Loving is the hardest and the best thing we can do.
  • You can’t start the next chapter in your life, if you keep re-reading the last one. Let go & move on without regrets.
  • You can’t move on to the next chapter of your life, if you keep re-reading the last chapter.
  • Stay humble.
  • Never stop learning.
  • Be thankful everyday.
  • And it’s okay to not be okay. You don’t have to be happy and have it all together all the time. Let that emotion sit with you.
  • Remember that your struggle is just part of your story. And one day, your story will inspire someone else.
  • Lastly, do more of what makes you awesome!

What are some ways you live your best? I’d love to be inspired in hearing from you!

©2013 Susie Lee

Letting go is hard but…

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Letting go is hard

Sometimes in order to move on, we need to let go of people (or things) in our lives. Occasionally, we have to let go for the sake of the other person so they can carry on with theirs. I’ve found letting go is hard but holding on is even harder. This painful process will tear your heart out and you’ll experience you’re not the same again. Life has a funny way of shaping us through our experiences, people and circumstances. Allow it to change you and reveal the next path before you.

Overtime, the act of letting go will restore your soul, re-balance your life and release your spirit. And the heart-strings that once used to tug so tight are now set free. So throw yourself into the wind and let go. Fall into the arms of emptiness and see what catches you. Close your eyes, walk away and take only the beautiful memories with you. Yes, your heart will ache, long and be desolate but ride out the wave of emotions and see where it carries you.

Trust that life will work out. Have faith that the days ahead of you will look brighter. And have the courage to face a new day. Open your palms and let go… and then wait to see what lands in your hands.

©2013 Susie Lee

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Loving Without Condoning Poor Behavior

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It’s Saturday and you wake up to a beautiful sunny morning.  You’re looking forward to an unplanned day filled with endless possibilities.  You’re happy and rested.  Suddenly out of left field you’re smacked with a curve ball on the side of your head with a rant of accusations by a frustrated loved one.  All before stepping out of bed.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on Acceptance | One of the Hardest Things to Do.  And I asked myself ‘Where do you draw the line between accepting the person without condoning their ‘off the handle’ behavior?’  Accepting them for who they are does not mean you have to agree with their behavior.  In fact, tough love will require you to have the courage to confront.  The key factor to confrontation is that your intentions need to come from a place of love and the well being for that person rather than from a place of anger or spite.  And even with your best intentions, it may still be received with defensiveness, anger, resistance, or withdrawal.

It’s natural for us to protect ourselves and take the path of the least resistant and remain silent.  But overtime, your inner fuming and staying bitter towards them will harm you.  Never make the assumption they’ll pick up on your silent cues and magically put the pieces together, or that they’ll feel remorseful for their actions and take the first step towards reconciliation.  They’re not mind readers, they can see you’re upset but they won’t necessarily know why you’re upset.  Plus they’re still probably upset themselves and wondering why you haven’t figured it out.  This will only create more distance between the both of you and at this point, become a battle of wills.  So take the initiative to clearly and objectively communicate what you’re seeing, experiencing and feeling.

It’s also good to keep in mind, that people’s frustrations usually stem out of their own personal issues, inner hurts or past woundings.  So it’s not you, your actions or words that necessarily trigger them but a hurt, resentment, bitterness that might already be within their hearts.  But if they’re not aware of this, they’ll think it’s you and blame you for how they’re feeling.  With this in mind, it’s easier to be patient with them as you walk beside them in their journey.

Since these hurricane days come when you least expect it, it’s emotionally difficult to brace for it.  Loving the person without condoning their poor behavior is very hard to practice.  But it’s possible with compassion, courage, love and truth.  After all you’ve said and done, ultimately it’s up to them to choose what they want to do with it.  My hope is that they’ll see the love behind your words, take responsibility for their feelings and move toward healthy steps for improvement.

© 2012 Susie Lee