I recently read something that I found rather upsetting. It was a quote about the strongest people being the ones who don't show their emotions to the world, and I just wanted to say, I don't think that's true.
Call me cliche, but I believe there is an admirable amount of strength in being able to show people how you feel. Being able to cry your loudest, laugh your hardest, and speak out when something is upsetting you? There's something about that that says strength to me.
I'd also like to point out that I am getting mixed messages here. I've always been told, "be yourself" and "change for no one." But now I'm seeing messages that say to hide my feelings because it makes me strong. I can't help but wonder if people can really "be themselves" if they can't express their feelings for fear of looking weak.
The point I'm trying to make is that everybody has feelings. I'm not saying to hide behind them, but I think it might do the world some good if we stopped hiding from them.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
On Lighting Other Candles
"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." - James Keller
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "the greatest gift is a portion of thyself." Now, while I'm assuming that he's talking about love and giving your heart to someone, I'm going to put this into another context, and that is simply helping others.
Recently, I've noticed that I have a passion for motivating people. This "lighting another candle" thing... It really rings true with me, in the sense that when I feel like I'm helping someone else, like I'm inspiring them or motivating them, I'm also motivating myself. I lose nothing, and in fact, I often feel like I'm burning brighter. I feel energized and I feel like I want to keep going and work harder so that the people around me have something to be inspired and motivated by.
I think, perhaps, Emerson was right in saying that the greatest gift is a part of yourself. But that doesn't mean that you have to lose that part of yourself. I think you can easily give someone your drive, your dedication, and it's also a gift to yourself, because as a result, you feel more driven and more dedicated.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is, go forth and light other candles. What have you got to lose?
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "the greatest gift is a portion of thyself." Now, while I'm assuming that he's talking about love and giving your heart to someone, I'm going to put this into another context, and that is simply helping others.
Recently, I've noticed that I have a passion for motivating people. This "lighting another candle" thing... It really rings true with me, in the sense that when I feel like I'm helping someone else, like I'm inspiring them or motivating them, I'm also motivating myself. I lose nothing, and in fact, I often feel like I'm burning brighter. I feel energized and I feel like I want to keep going and work harder so that the people around me have something to be inspired and motivated by.
I think, perhaps, Emerson was right in saying that the greatest gift is a part of yourself. But that doesn't mean that you have to lose that part of yourself. I think you can easily give someone your drive, your dedication, and it's also a gift to yourself, because as a result, you feel more driven and more dedicated.
I guess what I'm really trying to say is, go forth and light other candles. What have you got to lose?
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