Wonderful Words Wednesday

Throughout my life, my mom has told me that worrying about it will not solve the problem nor make it go away either. And while I agree and understand what she is saying, there are times in my life that I haven't been able to stop worrying about the 'What ifs' when it comes to my health. As many of you have read in my past posts, there is uncertainty in my future when it comes to the idea of a transplant and for a long time my days were spent worrying and not enjoying life. It took me some time but I was finally able to pull myself back up and enjoy the time that I have now instead of worrying about the future. While I still plan and try to get my ducks in a row for the future, I don't spend my days in my room crying over my worries like I did when I first got the news about the hospitals not agreeing to do my transplant.

When it comes the topic of worrying and how it doesn't solve anything, I think this quote sums it up rather well. "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles. It empties today of its strength." - Corrie Ten Boom. When I would sit and let my worries consume me, I would cry until I was exhausted. I would lay in bed, not wanting to and not feeling strong enough to get up in the morning. While I wasted my days worrying and draining myself of strength, I was missing out on having some great days with wonderful memories. 

While we still haven't heard back from the hospital we sent my records to about whether or not they think they can do the transplant, I've slowly stopped worrying every second of every day and actually been enjoying the days I have now. It's not easy to do and to be honest, I don't think I made a choice to stop worrying because there are times when I still stop and worry. But I think as time went on, I slowly was able to continue with life instead of wasting it. Life goes on and I had to remind myself to do the same because what is the point of taking all my medications, doing all of those surgeries, not drinking caffeine and going to all the lengths we have to keep me alive if I'm just going to spend it worrying? 

So when I do finally hear back from the hospital and if I get some bad news - I'm going to have to remind myself of this quote and the next time you start to worrying, I recommend you read this quote a few times to help you through it. 

Hope and Love,

Becca 

Wonderful Words Wednesday

Yes - another Martin Luther King Jr. quote! This one is probably my all time favorite and it is so true. 

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that." It makes sense. How can you make the world a better place by using darkness to get rid of it? You can't. If you want the world to be a brighter and better place, you have to be brighter than it is now. And no matter what - you cannot let the world put out your light. No matter how dark it is and even if you feel like your light isn't making it any better - you have to keep going. It will make a difference and people will soon follow your lead - lighting their their own candles and helping you get rid of the darkness. 
This part reminds me of a song called 'Go Light Your World' (Which I posted here for Music Monday!)  My favorite lyrics from this song is this: 

"There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home
So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it 
Take your candle, and go light your world"                                                                                                                                 

So be the Spirit who takes their candles and lights their world. 

"Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." People talk about how they want the world to be more loving, understanding and accepting. And yet they are prejudice against those who are different or don't fit into what they consider to be acceptable. How can you say you are all about love if you are spreading hate with your words and your actions? 

Darkness is anything that is bad. Cruelty, prejudice, suffering, pain... the list goes on. I think Martin Luther King Jr. was making the statement that hate is part of darkness. Light is anything positive. Acceptance, helping, supporting one another, being understanding... the list goes on. Love is a part of light. If you want to get rid of the darkness in this world and the hate in this world, you need to use love and light. You need to use acceptance, support, being understanding and all the other positive ways you can treat people if you want to get rid of darkness and hate. 

Hope and Love,
Becca 

That Awkward Moment When....

Hey guys,

Sorry I am just now realizing this, but the picture of a quote that I put up is not the of the same quote that I quoted. So I'm sorry. Here is the actual photo that I wanted to use. Sorry for the mix up! I went back to the original post and I have taken out the old photo and replaced it with the one below! 

Hope and Love,

Becca 

Wonderful Words Wednesday

I think we can all remember a time when someone said we couldn't do something. Or that we wouldn't succeed. Or maybe you had the task of trying to reassure someone that they could do something, after someone else had told them otherwise. Some people might tell you to ignore what people say, but there is a different option you can go with instead of ignoring them and this one can help you to your goal too. 

"Don't give up just because of what someone said. Use that as motivation to push harder." - Unknown. There is another quote I read somewhere that went something like this, "Nothing feels better than doing what others say you cannot." Now please do not take these quotes to mean you can not listen to the rules, doctors or your parents. I do not mean it in that sense. I mean it in the sense that if someone says you can't reach a goal, use that as a reason to push yourself harder. 

For example, if a teacher tells you that you could never publish a book but you know that is what you want to, don't let them stop you. It is disheartening and can make you think twice about yourself and your abilities when someone tells you that you won't make it or can't accomplish something.

But here is a different way you can look at what they tell you. Motivation. What better way to prove to this person that you can make it and do something they say you cannot than actually doing it? But please remember that when you do accomplish what they say you cannot, there is no need to brag or rub it in their face. You making it and doing what people said you cannot is proof enough that they were wrong about you. 

If people say that you'll never amount to anything, try anyways. If someone tells you that you won't get into the college of your dreams, try anyways. Do what they say you can't. Use it as motivation to push harder and reach your goal. 

Hope and Love,

Becca 

Wonderful Words Wednesday

"Life is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. But its your choice to scream or enjoy the ride." - Unknown

You all had to have known one of these days I was going to use a quote using a roller coaster as a metaphor since roller coasters is something I really miss and would like to have back in my life. The first part of the quote, I'm sure we have all heard or seen at some point in our life. But the part of this quote that I really like is: "Your choice to scream or enjoy the ride." Now as a roller coaster junkie, let me say this, screaming on a roller coaster tends to help you enjoy it better. But for the sake of this metaphor, let us forget that part.                                      

Screaming in this instance means putting up a fight. Instead of taking things as they come or rolling with the punches, you fight against it every step of the way. The ups and downs are going to be hard, no doubt about that. But what will screaming about it accomplish? What will fighting the changes do except tire you out? 

Enjoy the ride. You may not always like what happens, but there has to be somethings along this bumpy road that you can enjoy and appreciate. Instead of focusing on the negatives, try and look at the positives. Is it hard to look up though when you're down? Of course. But you'll feel better the moment you let go and just start enjoying life and letting things come as they will. We can't control tomorrow, so why worry about it?  We can't control many things in our lives, but we can control our happiness and how we choose to look at this life we've been given. Will you scream or will you enjoy it? 

Hope and Love,

Becca  

Wonderful Words Wednesday

It was my senior year of high school when I got assigned a book to read that held the life philosophies of many. Some of them were famous, such as the person I am about to quote and others were teachers and college students from around the United States. The person whose life philosophy and views I absolutely adored was not someone I expected to. His name was Albert Einstein. I expected some long complicated essay that this man wrote about his philosophy on life and how to live life. But instead I got a beautifully, well written essay that I and average people could understand. And the best of all, he was open minded about so many things. I expected this man to say he had all the answers because he was a genius  but he was more than comfortable with saying 'Hey I don't know everything, but I like to believe that...' 

So when I went out on a search for a quote to use this week, I knew I wanted to use one of his many inspirational quotes and I found this one. "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." It's normal to get into a funk and see only the negative, it's pretty much an automatic response. But I love that Einstein reminds us that even with hard times and troubles, there can be opportunity and even success. 

Applying this quote to my life, I realized that even though there are things about having CHD and PH that are awful and that I hate, I have gotten to do things, meet people and have experiences that I never would have had if I wasn't born with these illnesses. Me being sick, has given me the opportunity to learn ASL, get adopted into the wonderful family I've been adopted into, go to camp and make life long friends, fall in love with writing as a coping mechanism and so much more. Yes being chronically or terminally ill with CHD or any other illnesses gives us difficulties. But it can also give us opportunities. When you're feeling down, remember the opportunities being sick has given you.

What opportunities has your illness given you? 

What opportunities has the illness of a loved one given them or you? 

Hope and Love,

Becca

Wonderful Words Wednesday - MLK Quote

Monday was MLK, a day to remember and honor a wonderful man who paved the way for so many to have equal rights. One of his more favorite quotes starts off with, "I have a dream." but this quote may not be as well known, but it is beautiful and as always has a beautiful meaning. This quote reads, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?" How are you helping others? What are you doing to make this world better for others? I believe that remembering and honor MLK should not be done on just one day, or with just one ceremony, parade or concert. But it should be done everyday, in the subtle but kind ways that MLK would want us to do. Showing someone kindness who otherwise may not have someone be so nice to them could change their whole day. Don't ever underestimate the power of a smile, a kind word or a helping hand to help pull someone back up. Let us remember and honor Martin Luther King Jr. every day by doing something for someone else, no matter how small it may seem, it can make a world of a difference to them. 

What are you doing for others? 

Hope and Love,

Becca 

Wonderful Words Wednesday

"People are who are 'different' are usually the ones that end up making a difference in the world." - Hayley Williams. 

If you don't know how Hayley Williams is, don't worry - I didn't know who she was for a long time either. She is from a band called Paramore, which I have never listened to. But either way, I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw this picture on my feed, that my friend had posted. Hayley Williams got it exactly right in my opinion and this quote to me is truly inspiring. Sure people might say you're different, but I encourage you not to view that as bad or to get discouraged. 

Lets for a moment think about all those people in history who were probably called 'different', 'weird' or 'odd' that ended up making a wonderful impact in this world. Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks, Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln (I bet he was teased as a child about his height!). 

What makes you different, can be your biggest strength. What makes you different doesn't have to be a negative trait nor should it be viewed as one. People who are different can and do make a wonderful change in this world. So embrace the fact that you are different and make a change in this world. 

Hope and Love,
Becca

Wonderful Words Wednesday

"Every day may not be good ... But there's something good in everyday." - Unknown

I saw this quote while scrolling through Facebook and it just made me smile. I decided to post this on my blog  so every time one of my readers (or myself) start to feel like the day just isn't going right, we can pull this post back up and be reminded that there is at least one thing in everyday that is positive. It might be something small, something you might not even realize on any other day. Something that on a good day might not even cross your mind on a day that is considered good. This quote really reminds me and I hope it does so for my readers as well, that its important to remember to stop and appreciate the good things in your life. Or as my grandma says, "Count your blessings." Yes you may have an off day, but that doesn't mean your life is coming to an end. Every day may not be good but that doesn't mean there isn't hope or the chance for something positively to come out of that day. 

Was there ever a time in your life where you thought things just weren't going your way? Was there ever a time when things weren't so good but once you started to count all the good things in your life, you started to feel better about your day and maybe even yourself? 

When there comes a time when things aren't so good, I encourage you to stop, look around and find something positive in the negativity that surrounds you. Once you start to find the positives, its hard not to notice them and its even harder to stop counting them. 

Hope and Love,
Becca 

Wonderful Words Wednesday

Hi Everyone,

Earlier today I was scrolling through my Facebook page and I saw this amazing quote and picture that went with it. As I read through the comments I got a bit annoyed at how people tried to debate it. They would counter it by saying, "Well technically it does..." Personally I think those who disagreed with it based off of the technicality were only doing so just to be the person who has to disagree just to disagree.

 This picture and the quote is a metaphor. It is basically saying that by chopping someone down or making them feel bad about themselves does not make you better than them. By hurting someone else and making them feel less than, it does not mean that you are superior. 

Many of my teachers in Psychology and my peer mentoring teachers say that a good leader helps to lift up others. They have said that good leaders support those they are leading. They respect them and listen to those they are leading. And I completely agree. It is proven that students find it harder to learn in an environment that is lead by a teacher who is harsh and runs the classroom like a dictator. This can and dose apply to employers in a work area. But I have experience with the teacher one. I have been in 2 classes throughout my life where the teacher was unfair, cruel and a power junky. Both subjects were two subjects that I loved and was really interested in... but because of the fact that I was scared of the teachers, I never wanted to go to the class and I barely got anything out of them. I even ended up switching out of one of the classes because it was so bad, and on top of that I lost all respect for those two teachers. 

A good leader whether its in a parenting, teaching, employer role never devalues what those under him or her do. You don't have to get your self-confidence by humiliating others and making them feel less than. Get your pride and confidence from the things you do well, not from the amount of pain you cause others.

Hope and Love,
Becca

Questions to think about: Have any of you been in a situation where someone in a leading role devalued you? How did that make you feel? What did you do about it? What do you wish you had done? 
Or were you ever the leader who devalued someone else? Why? How did it make you feel? How do you feel about what you did now? Would you do anything differently?