Image Source
In February last year, I hit a very rough patch in my life. My mother fell sick, work was at its peak and everything around was getting too much to bear. I had my first burn-out then and it was a feeling that made me feel miserable about myself. One fine day, I sat down and decided to work on getting out of that melancholic phase. I started a self-project called 'Getting Better' and wrote down things that made me feel better day after day. I started each day writing down a quote in my diary that would inspire me for the entire day. Every time I encountered something tough, I reminded myself of that quote and that gave me the strength to get past it. Soon, I started putting up a quote on Instagram every morning, as part of my healing. This helped me get better. Of course this was not the only thing that helped, but this gave me the motivation to push myself and fight harder.
A month or two into the 'Getting Better' project, a couple of my Instagram friends reached out to me to let me know how much my quotes mean to them and how they have been helping them get better too. When you are going through a bad phase, even a small positive remark would make you feel better about yourself. This one made a world of a difference to me. I've always been a sucker for quotes. I personally believe that every bibliophile is. As much as I love reading, the best part of reading is finding quotes that connect with you and help make you a better person. While I was much younger, I used to write down these quotes in a book as and when I used to read them in a story. These days, while I do not do that, some quotes do linger in my mind even after I have finished reading the book. This quote a day was helping me heal much quicker and it turns out, it was beneficial to others as well.
It has been a year and four months since then and I still continue to do this, day after day. However, a few weeks ago, a woman I know pretty well made a sly remark about how people put up copied quotes on their Social Media accounts and get credit for it. She also went on to say that we have to create our own motivation and not depend on Rumi or anyone else to motivate us. According to her, quotes are only meant to be read and not shared. She says that when you share a quote, you are basically copying content. Weirdly, I felt so bad about this that I stopped sharing these quotes for a few days. I did feel that something was missing during my day, but whatever she had said had a higher impact on me for some reason. Trying to stay calm and patient has clearly taken a toll on the Lioness in me. A day or two later, a friend messaged me asking why I had stopped sharing quotes on Instagram. She said that she missed her daily dose of motivation. The next day, another friend reached out asking me the same thing. That is when I realized that I should just do what I wanted to do. I should just do what is helping me heal. If people talk, let them.
Image Source
I do agree that we all should motivate ourselves to get better in every step of life, but having motivation in the form of quotes doesn't hurt either, right? Quotes have helped me so much in life. Right from motivating me to take up fitness seriously to light humor to help me get past tough times, it has done it all. If you look at the bookmarks of my browser, you'll see that half of them are quote sites. Having said that, it is very important to only share quotes that you believe in. Or want to practice. There are so many quotes out there about God, his blessings and the power of religion. I don't believe much in either of these concepts, so I stay away from such quotes. I just read them and let be. I only share quotes that I have practiced and that have helped me.
In today's world, where everything is a struggle or a race, every bit of motivation matters. Be it a good word to a friend, the example of another good human, a TEDx talk, a feel good book or a single lined quote, if it motivated you to do at least one good thing, or if it motivated you enough to feel good about yourself, please go ahead and share it. If it helped you, trust me, it will help others as well.
Original link
In February last year, I hit a very rough patch in my life. My mother fell sick, work was at its peak and everything around was getting too much to bear. I had my first burn-out then and it was a feeling that made me feel miserable about myself. One fine day, I sat down and decided to work on getting out of that melancholic phase. I started a self-project called 'Getting Better' and wrote down things that made me feel better day after day. I started each day writing down a quote in my diary that would inspire me for the entire day. Every time I encountered something tough, I reminded myself of that quote and that gave me the strength to get past it. Soon, I started putting up a quote on Instagram every morning, as part of my healing. This helped me get better. Of course this was not the only thing that helped, but this gave me the motivation to push myself and fight harder.
A month or two into the 'Getting Better' project, a couple of my Instagram friends reached out to me to let me know how much my quotes mean to them and how they have been helping them get better too. When you are going through a bad phase, even a small positive remark would make you feel better about yourself. This one made a world of a difference to me. I've always been a sucker for quotes. I personally believe that every bibliophile is. As much as I love reading, the best part of reading is finding quotes that connect with you and help make you a better person. While I was much younger, I used to write down these quotes in a book as and when I used to read them in a story. These days, while I do not do that, some quotes do linger in my mind even after I have finished reading the book. This quote a day was helping me heal much quicker and it turns out, it was beneficial to others as well.
It has been a year and four months since then and I still continue to do this, day after day. However, a few weeks ago, a woman I know pretty well made a sly remark about how people put up copied quotes on their Social Media accounts and get credit for it. She also went on to say that we have to create our own motivation and not depend on Rumi or anyone else to motivate us. According to her, quotes are only meant to be read and not shared. She says that when you share a quote, you are basically copying content. Weirdly, I felt so bad about this that I stopped sharing these quotes for a few days. I did feel that something was missing during my day, but whatever she had said had a higher impact on me for some reason. Trying to stay calm and patient has clearly taken a toll on the Lioness in me. A day or two later, a friend messaged me asking why I had stopped sharing quotes on Instagram. She said that she missed her daily dose of motivation. The next day, another friend reached out asking me the same thing. That is when I realized that I should just do what I wanted to do. I should just do what is helping me heal. If people talk, let them.
Image Source
I do agree that we all should motivate ourselves to get better in every step of life, but having motivation in the form of quotes doesn't hurt either, right? Quotes have helped me so much in life. Right from motivating me to take up fitness seriously to light humor to help me get past tough times, it has done it all. If you look at the bookmarks of my browser, you'll see that half of them are quote sites. Having said that, it is very important to only share quotes that you believe in. Or want to practice. There are so many quotes out there about God, his blessings and the power of religion. I don't believe much in either of these concepts, so I stay away from such quotes. I just read them and let be. I only share quotes that I have practiced and that have helped me.
In today's world, where everything is a struggle or a race, every bit of motivation matters. Be it a good word to a friend, the example of another good human, a TEDx talk, a feel good book or a single lined quote, if it motivated you to do at least one good thing, or if it motivated you enough to feel good about yourself, please go ahead and share it. If it helped you, trust me, it will help others as well.
Original link
Sign in to leave a comment.