Quotes to Motivate: Letting Go of Anger

Was looking through my Pinterest boards today, and a few quotes popped out at me. The topic: anger.

I think a lot of us hold onto anger because it's just so darn easy to do. It's kind of like a security blanket we can wrap around us, to insulate us from ever getting hurt again.

However, not only does holding onto anger do nothing to bring us a sense of closure, or even justice or vindication, but it impedes us from moving on. Really, it does. I'm certainly not implying that I hold no anger or resentment to those who have wronged me in the past-- hey, I'm human here-- but I do recognize that all these little shards of anger stuck in me work AGAINST me in moving forward. I think of anger in your heart like some kind of really nasty black fungus, spreading and spreading, taking over the healthy pink tissue. The more anger you have boiling inside of you, percolating just beneath the surface, the less room you have for love, peace, and acceptance.

Ah, this one definitely belongs on my New Year's resolution list. Yes, I know it's July, but I finally got around to watching New Year's Eve. I thought it was a cute flick, despite a rash of disheartening reviews; definitely makes you think a lot about fresh beginnings. The hardest think for me is to hold my tongue when I'm angry, but when you stop and think about it logically, when have you personally said something in anger that was truly productive and rational? For me, the answer would be next to never.

Definitely some food for though the next time someone treats me rudely and I feel myself starting to swell up with silent anger. I will try my best to think (rather than speak) when I'm angry!

Quotes to Motivate: Comfort Zone

Thought I'd share this one from one of my boards, which is currently my weekly computer screensaver.

Thank you Pinterest! Can't get enough of this site. Heard a DJ on the radio the other day say she was done with Pinterest because she, "has already made all the boards she wants to make." Are you kidding me?! I literally lose chunks of my day pinning and pinning (and pinning and pinning).

I think this quote touches on an important point about our own comfort zones. We typically seek out things that are comfortable- people, places, jobs, situations- because it helps ease our anxiety. We equate the idea of something being comfortable with being good, when in reality the two are not synonymous. In fact, often we mistake comfort for affection, or fulfillment, and it causes us to stay stuck and stalled in friendships or relationships that are destined never to go anywhere.

I really believe life does begin at the end of your comfort zone. Some of the most thrilling experiences in my life have been when I have tip toed outside of my daily routine of what I feel is comfortable and tried something new: getting a tattoo, traveling on a plane alone, going to a networking happy hour where I knew absolutely no one. Just that feeling of being able to tell yourself "I did it" makes it all the sweaty palms, shortness of breath, and nervous chatter worth it. And it doesn't have to be skydiving or bungee jumping, either. Sometimes the smallest of leaps can have the biggest impact.

So, ponder this: when will you step outside of your comfort zone? When will your life truly begin?