A few years ago I found this quote on Pinterest of all places. Someone had created a colorful graphic mixed with these inspiring words, and somehow, it spoke to my soul. I loved it.

SO MUCH.

I suppose I was in one of those spots in life where you need the universe to whisper some direction to you in a way that you’ll really hear it and be inspired. It was just after college and I had no idea what I was doing with my life. In a not so great way. I was going through the motions of what I thought I should be doing and not really enjoying it. Life was a never-ending gerbil wheel of working multiple jobs I didn’t particularly like and paying off my crushing student loans. Not much money was left over for anything else, and it left me feeling like I couldn’t do anything else.

And I thought that was just what life was.

Work. Collect paycheck. Give paycheck to loan, to bills, to whatever. Repeat.

I thought that life would start, eventually, once my debt was under control and I had some extra cash.

I was a zombie moving through life with little excitement. I didn’t realize during this time how depressed and depressing I was. I had nothing to contribute to conversations, no interesting hobbies to speak of, no exciting job to get back to. No passion.

Then one day, I found this quote.

And then, I thought it might be fun to paint.

So I bought some cheap art supplies from Hobby Lobby and created a literal work of art. I stenciled this quote onto a canvas and sponged paint over the letters. The end result was magnificent. I hung the canvas in my apartment and after time, the daily reminder became a mantra I didn’t even realize I was saying.

I painted more. I took up running. I found new hobbies that didn’t involve my dumb jobs and the constant flow of money out of my pocket. And, life got better. Good begets good, right? It was a snowball effect. It still is.

My painting still hangs in my apartment. I look at it everyday and don’t even realize it. The words have become a fixture in my life. Whenever I feel low, or bored, or lost, I think of this quote and it brings me back to whatever ideas are truly hovering in my mind. There is always a goal or a want in my head, ready to come alive. Sometimes life’s negativity can overshadow the good stuff. But to me, this quote helps me refocus on what I want, not what I think I should be doing or what the world wants me to do. It helps me find myself.

I hope this quote helps you find yourself too.

I hope this week, you can do more of what makes you happy!

 

Happy Monday, friends!

 

Need more Monday Mantras? Try this and this and this.