Promoting Passion Week 61: Birthday Reflections

brookeshaden — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:17:28 +0000

Last week was my birthday. I love birthdays. It is a chance to celebrate someone when, so often, we fail to do so. To be honest my husband and I don’t celebrate birthdays much. We say that we celebrate each other all the time, so there is no real need. But nonetheless, I love birthdays because of how reflective they make us. We think about our lives in terms of years, and we often find a way to define a certain year of our lives. For example, when I think of being 21, I think of it as a huge, life-changing age. I got married, graduated from college, moved across the country, and discovered photography. Big year! When I think of 26, I think of how I bought my first home. When I think of 16, I think about meeting the love of my life.

But aside from reflecting on the things we’ve done, it is a chance to start anew. It is a chance to evaluate if you really are the person you want to be, or if you need to change something. For me, there is always something to change. The only question is what I am going to change. I spent the last year of my life changing course. I stopped doing a lot of the things I had done before – business and personal – and laid the foundation for a new life. This year, I am living it. Year 28 will be one of discovering my dreams. Dreaming bigger. Dreaming in my own way. Letting dreams define me.

I emailed someone the other day about a big project I’m working on. His response was “This is an absolutely crazy idea”. And that made my heart soar with joy. “Yes,” I thought, “that is the kind of life I want to live.”

Getting older means learning lessons. It means failing miserably. It means succeeding wildly. It means changing perspective on life. And this is what it has meant to me:

1. Failing is winning for those willing to try hard.

2. Life cannot be quantified in years. If I died right now, I will have lived the best life possible. This I can say with absolute confidence and love.

3. I would rather be crazy than boring. After all, I am the only one I can count on to entertain myself.

4. Not everything will work out, because if it did, we wouldn’t be able to see the gems through the dust.

5. There is never an excuse for boredom.

6. Being present in all that you do means you will never feel like life has passed you by.

7. Being genuine will get you farther than attempting to please people.

8. When you refuse to compromise your beliefs, you attract like-minded people into your life.

9. If you treat failure like an old friend, he will always be there to help you back up when he knocks you down.

10. Kindness should never be dependent on someone else’s actions.

11. Fears are friends wearing masks. Get close enough to see the face of fear.

12. Give your love without need for reciprocation. Receive love like you deserve it.

13. The words “best” and “worst” should never be used to describe someone. We will only look foolish when we are proved wrong.

14. Tell someone why you love them.

15. Live your life to make someone else’s life better.

16. Look forward to each day you grow older. The alternative is death.

17. If you build a community, take care of that community.

18. Dream as though it will happen.

What I have learned this past year can be summed up in these words: Love wholly. Give repeatedly. Create selfishly. Challenge yourself regularly. Live beautifully.

Goodnight, 27.

Good morning, 28.

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If you would like to send along a birthday gift (trust me, this is not a crazy narcissist sentence…) you can donate to the Fibromyalgia awareness campaign I have running, create an image with a butterfly to raise awareness, or join me on May 9 for the Caterpillar Walk. Alternately, you can donate photo equipment for the photography school I am starting in India for survivors of human trafficking – The Light Space. Signing up for the new After Dark conference will help donate to the school. Or simply check out my Giving Back page for ways to get involved.

Quotes to Heal a Wintry Heart

brookeshaden — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:58:32 +0000

There is sadness and happiness inside every one of us. If you believe there isn’t, I believe you have not found it yet. We are endless in our emotions, feelings, thoughts and dreams. Our ideas can expand forever, and our capacity for love and loss and regeneration is astounding. We are constantly in flux, always moving down a path we cannot see but trust is there.

There comes a time for everyone to feel as though they lost the path they once walked and instead are falling into an endless abyss. There are times when we suffer and we feel so greatly we think we might collapse from the weight of it. There is not way to categorize suffering or happiness or darkness or light. There is only our personal experience, our personal triumphs, and how we see the world once the feeling has passed. We are all different, and the weight of our experiences grows or lessens with us.

Whenever you are feeling like the world is too heavy, or that the path you walk is getting harder to see, know this:

The world did not create a path for you to walk softly; you create your own path to walk passionately.

No one has given you heartache or happiness; you respond to those feelings and your response defines you.

It is not the job of another person to provide for you; it is your job to fulfill yourself, and in doing so, to fulfill others.

There are endless amount of criticism; your job is to provide goodness.

Others will try to bring you down; it is your job to lift them up.

The world will send enemies to challenge you; remember that mutual hatred requires reciprocation.

The darkness in your heart can feel eternal; you must believe that nothing lasts forever.

The world can seem like a dark place; give it a piece of your heart as often as you can so that your presence may light it.

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quotes – Promoting Passion

Promoting Passion Week 61: Birthday Reflections

Quotes to Heal a Wintry Heart