I’m a planner and a doer. I’m a very driven and ambitious person. I like order. I like everything to be in its place. I like failproof schedules and flawless plans. And while these are probably some of my finer qualities, they can also be my biggest weaknesses.

Sometimes I focus so much on where I am going that I miss all the things along the way. I used to really struggle when things didn’t go according to plan. But I have learned that there must be a balance between having goals and living in the moment. Between meeting expectations and achieving success and yet relishing the tasks it takes to get there. Perhaps the key is knowing that the journey is always the most important part. If we can learn how to live in the moment, how to create our own happiness and to find our joys from within, then this life, this journey, becomes one big adventure destined to lead us to exactly the places we desire to be.

Live simply to live. Love simply to love. Do because you enjoy doing. Travel for travels sake.

Take it from someone who finally figured things out; never get so caught up in the end destination that you don’t appreciate the journey you are traveling to get there, for the journey is EVERYTHING.

I don’t remember life with a heart that was whole. From 4 years old there was always something missing and piece after piece I lost. Life for me was always something to endure, never to truly enjoy. I saw it as a challenge, as a test to prove that I could be strong no matter what.

The future was dim at best. The parts of me that I no longer had loomed over what was left. The pain became the only thing that made me feel alive. I learned how to be happy despite my trials. But no matter what version of the future I saw there were always things missing and I accepted that true happiness just didn’t belong to me.

I accepted that I would never be whole. That I would never have the things others had and that pieces of my heart would forever be so far away from me. I prayed my pain away. I begged for a different path. But oh how grateful I am now that he didn’t just take it all away.

I found the missing pieces in the broken cracks within my own heart. They truly did reflect the most beautiful kaleidoscopic view. And that view was mine. I found the “whole” version of myself among all the broken pieces.

The very cracks that I thought made me broken were in fact the pieces that made me whole.

My broken heart is my most prized possession, for within it holds every thing I’ve ever loved and its spaces have given me my greatest joys.

It is the very essence of who I am and it holds my journey to happiness.

It’s in the darkest shadows that I’ve found my light and in my weakest moments that I’ve found my greatest strength.

There truly is so much beauty in tragedy. So much joy that can be found in turmoil. I would never give up my greatest heart breaks. I would never wish away my cracks. My heart will forever remain broken, in the most beautiful and incredible ways.

And that brokenness is the very thing that makes me whole.

There’s a balance to be had between dreaming and pragmatism, wishing and achieving. Between believing and seeing. Between what is doable and what is deemed impossible. But what really are the limits? Where does that line exist and is it absolute? How many things have been accomplished that someone once said would never be. How many things started out as dreams and are now our reality. There are no limits. There are not boundaries. The impossible does not exist and if you want to be a bird all you have to do is look to the skies. Never ever limit yourself, for you just might be keeping yourself from flying.

Wonder is one of my favorite words. It holds so much magic and awe. We all have a yearning for wonder. But as we get older and life gets busy and complicated the sparkle in our eyes fades away and what once held so much possibility is now dark and glazed over. Wonder brings wisdom and lights the fire of imagination. Wonder changes the dullest of views to the most magnificent of surroundings. It encourages growth and stretches our very beings to become greater than themselves. It brightens the world around you and creates the most sensational fascination with even the most mundane. So open your eyes, live with wonder and watch as the world around you changes!

Sometimes the hardest person to be truthful with is yourself. About what you need, about what you want. That you are deserving of happiness and of good things. That your mistakes are forgivable and your flaws beautiful. When you need a break or it’s time to ask for help. When you are unhappy or feeling stuck in place. When you need to make changes and difficult decisions.

We are far harsher to ourselves than we would ever be to another person but we, more than anyone, deserve our own admiration and recognition.

Only we truly know the pains we have suffered and hardships we have endured. Only we know the true intent of our actions and desires of our hearts. We know best our greatest imperfections and biggest disappointments. But we also know our greatness strengths. We know the resilience we have shown and endurance we have braved. We should be our own biggest fans, our greatest supporters. We control our own happiness and own the responsibility of the honesty when it’s lacking. Everyone deserves the truth, but there is no greater kindness than being true to yourself.

You get what you give. It’s true with life, it’s true with love, it’s true with happiness. The world would have you believe that happiness comes in the form of fancy cars or big homes. That the number following the dollar sign in your bank account is a direct indication of the size of your smile. But in reality, true happiness comes from within. When you give of yourself you will find the purest form of joy. Release happiness, be happy. Release acceptance, be accepted. Release love and you will be loved. Always be mindful of what you are giving because it is exactly what you will get in return. And if it’s happiness you seek, always look inward.

Every single day each and every one of us has the ability to literally change the world. The key to such a feat is to understand that the impossible is merely something you have yet to discover how to accomplish. We will always be surrounded by the impractical, unreasonable, inconceivable and even absurd. But it is the chase for the impossible that keeps us strong. That keeps us growing and that gives us the power to control our own lives. BELIEVING IS THE FIRST STEP TO ACHIEVING and once you believe in yourself there is no such thing as impossible!

I think we all find ourselves at times wishing for an easy life. Wishing away our struggles and cursing our trials. But so much beauty lies in the most painful of moments. Through the fire we become refined. It is the earthquakes that make us stronger and the storms that make us know true peace. It is through our hardest and most difficult experiences that we are given the most wonderful and indescribable blessings. It is within the pain that we come to know joy and through tragedy that we can become whole. The storm, the whirlwind, the earthquake, they are the things that give us true happiness.

The storm is how we find our anchor. The whirlwind is when we find our rock. It is the chaos of life that brings us our true constants and the tragedies that bring our true beauty. It is the rain that shows the colors of the rainbow and the darkness of the night that allows the sunrise. The most precious things of life are only possible because of the most difficult ones. Love, peace and joy are all increased by struggle and heartache that is overcome and redefined. It is my greatest difficulties that have given me my most incredible blessings.

Don’t wish for easy. Don’t wish for different. See your struggles and pains and hard times for what they truly are-promises of the greatness that is to come.

Sometimes we find ourselves drowning in the thunderstorms of life. Sometimes we feel like we are in the middle of a tornado and the chaos that surrounds us will never cease. Sometimes our lives feel like they are crumbling, like we are experiencing earthquake after earthquake that shatters us to the very core and never allows us back on our feet. It is through love that our lives and our souls can become still and in that stillness that love truly brings about the most incredible miracles. Love can quiet the loudest of storms and calm the greatest of earthquakes. It brings serenity in the middle of chaos and peace to the most rocky of waters. Love is what allows you to dance in the rain instead of hide from the thunder. It anchors you even on the most shaky of ground. It brings calm to panic and clears the most foggy of days. Love heals. The turmoil and tragedy of my own life was often enough to stop me in my tracks and to feel so hopeless and defeated. But in that tragedy lied the greatest of beauties. Love stilled my soul and because of love that stillness became a part of me. Nothing could ever break me again and instead of drowning me, every storm became an opportunity to dance-and perhaps that is the greatest miracle of all.

Ecstatic: "a state of sudden, intense, overpowering emotion; full of joy; rapturous." We live in a world where people are not only expected to conform to a single shape but who also tragically seek it. It is in this mold of expectation and ordinary that we lose the thrill, the adventure and the pure joy that this life offers. Stand ajar, seek extraordinary and marvel as your life becomes the most remarkable of experiences!

I started reading a quote a day from the book, "Whatever You are Be a Good One." I find inspiration in deep places and thought provoking ideas. The quotes in this book were not only inspiring me but they were prompting me to think beyond the words on the page and really understanding the vast meaning they each hold. I love the quotes so much that I decided to create a page to share them all with you. If you'd like to read the quote each day just like my page. I'll also share some of my own thoughts about each quote and hope to hear some of yours as well! Let's inspire each other ♥