Inspirational Quotes & Stories about Challenges
Any situation in your life that you regard as a problem can be perceived
in two ways, one is through your ego-self and the other is through your
Godself. You can let your ego-self take control and allow it to grow
this problem into the most chaotic situation imaginable. You can stress
and worry, blame and separate yourself from your brother or sister for
what you think he or she did to you. Your ego-self will let this problem
or issue grow, even affecting relationships with those around you who
had nothing to do with it in the first place. Like a virus, the ego-self
will have you infect them, making them a part of the problem, having
them take sides, having them separate themselves from their brothers and
sisters, and in turn creating an even more chaotic situation. Or, you
can choose to trust God. If you work through your Godself, you will
understand that this problem has been presented as an opportunity for
growth. Forgive yourself, your brother or sister and be grateful for the
experience and their participation in it.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey
From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 129
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
"I asked God for
strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak,
that I might learn humbly to obey...
I asked for health,
that I might do great things.
I was given
infirmity, that I might do better things...
I asked for riches,
that I might be happy.
I was given
poverty, that I might be wise...
I asked for power,
that I might have the praise of men.
I was given
weakness, that I might feel the need of God...
I asked for all
things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life,
that I may enjoy all things...
I got nothing I
asked for-but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite
myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among men,
most richly blessed!"
12
-
An Unknown
Confederate Soldier,
A Creed for Those Who Have Suffered
Cited in You Have Chosen to Remember, p. 133
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
"An old man and
his son worked a small farm, with only one horse to pull the plow. One
day, the horse ran away.
"How terrible,"
sympathized the neighbors. " What bad luck."
"Who knows whether
it is bad luck or good luck," the farmer replied.
A week later, the
horse returned from the mountains, leading five wild mares into the
barn.
"What wonderful
luck!" said the neighbors.
"Good luck? Bad
luck? Who knows?" answered the old man.
The next day, the
son, trying to tame one of the horses, fell and broke his leg.
"How terrible. What
bad luck!"
"Bad luck? Good
Luck?"
The army came to
all the farms to take the young men for war, but the farmer's son was of
no use to them, so he was spared.
"Good? Bad?"
13
-
Dan Millman,
Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Cited in You Have Chosen to Remember, p.134-135
Read the section of the book that this inspirational quote comes from.
Brother, I know you question your mission in life. So let me simply say
this: You have fulfilled the plan for your life to perfection. Every
moment of your life until this moment has been perfect. And I offer you
a promise: Every moment until your return to Me will also be perfect.
There has not been, nor will there ever be, a moment in your life that
has not been chosen by you to experience your perfection, your peace,
your truth, or the perfection, peace and joy offered to you by your
brother. By recognizing this in your brother, you will recognize this
within yourself.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 144
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
You have been offered a smooth road, and yet, what you see is a road
full of holes. You sometimes talk a good talk, yet there are crevices in
your mind, heart and life that although not real, you have made them
real by your belief that you are something less than what you truly are.
You are so richly blessed, but you continue to perceive holes in your
road, and so you secretly and silently look to fill these holes with
materials that cannot last. Soon your road becomes brittle and cracks,
and you must again make repairs. You complain of how incredibly bumpy
your road is, yet you cannot see, nor will you admit, that it is because
of you that your road is bumpy. You continue to try and fill these holes
with illusions and lies that will not stand the test of time. You curse
the road, and curse and judge those you believe are responsible for its
condition. You choose to look anywhere but within, and blame everyone
but yourself. My dear friend, you will never fix your road with the same
material that has helped you create the problem. Once you look within
and realize that it was your mind that created the holes you will move
from trying to fix the road to trying to better understand your mind.
Once clarity in your mind is obtained, the holes in your road magically
disappear. They disappear because, as with all magic, they were an
illusion you had simply chosen to believe as real.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 153-154
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
"Trials are but
lessons that you failed to learn presented once again, so where you made
a faulty choice before, you can now make a better one, and thus escape
all the pain that your previous choices brought to you."
- A Course in Miracles
Cited in You Have Chosen to Remember, p. 174
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
There are no such things as disabilities. Disabilities, and terms such
as these are creations of the ego, all made in an effort to further
separate you from your brother and sister. It uses such terms to make
you feel more fortunate and more able than your brother or sister. The
Godself would remind you that regardless of physical manifestation, you
are no more or less fortunate or able than any brother or sister.
Children are not born with disabilities by accident. People are not in
wheelchairs because of accidents, and Lilly did not lose half her left
hand by accident. These were all events the individuals chose, and
decisions they made in order to learn, teach and consciously expand.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 196-197
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
Envy is another one of the ego's deception tools which keeps you from
living in the moment or being in the now. I have a friend who, on many
occasions, has told me that he wishes he had my life. This is a person
who has a wonderful wife, two awesome kids, a supportive family and he
is financially stable. I would usually smile and say thanks, but little
by little, that comment began to bother me and I did not know why. So I
prayed about why I was feeling this way and the next time he said it, I
replied, "You really don't wish you had my life. What you truly desire
is to recognize that you wish you had your own life." There is no life
that is better suited for your own growth and development than your own.
If you respect the way someone lives his or her life, by all means,
follow his or her example, but don't envy him or her. If you had an
inkling of knowledge of who you truly are, you would continuously praise
God and thank Him for your opportunity and truth.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 204-205
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
Some people believe
that they have little or no control over how they react to their
environment. These people do not understand that they have already
established all of the parameters they will use to react to their
environment. Thus, if in any situation you react in a negative,
stressful or unproductive manner, you have already set up parameters
that have made you react in this manner. You have control over the
parameters you set; therefore, you have control over your final reaction
or the attitude you decide to take in relating to your environment. If
you currently react in a negative, stressful or unproductive manner to
certain situations and you truly want to react in a positive, peaceful
and productive manner, all you need to do is change your parameters, the
beliefs that generate your reactions. You might not yet believe this,
but you can react peacefully to every situation.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 208
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
Understand that any day that you have perceived as difficult is actually
a gift that is offered by your higher self. It is a gift because your
Godself is trying to physically and mentally show you the activities and
parameters you are supporting that are "making you" react to the
environment in such a manner. Sooner or later you will see what the
Godself is trying to show you. When you do, these difficult days will
turn into beautiful days filled with miracles. As Gregory M. Lousig-Nont,
Ph.D., put it in "The Best Day of My Life:"
"Today, when I
awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever!
There were times
when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I
did, I'm going to celebrate! Today I'm going to celebrate what an
unbelievable life I have had so far; the accomplishments, the many
blessings, and yes, even the hardships, because they have served to make
me stronger. I will live this day with my head held high and a happy
heart. I will take time to marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts, the
morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, and the birds.
Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice. Today I
will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone
smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an act of kindness for someone I
don't even know. Today I'll give a word of encouragement to someone who
seems down. I'll pay someone a sincere compliment. I'll tell a child how
special they are. And I'll tell someone I love, just how deeply I care
for them and how much they mean to me. Today is the day I quit worrying
about what I don't have, and start being grateful for all the wonderful
things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is just a
waste of time, because my faith in God and His divine plan ensures
everything will be just fine. And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll take
a stroll outside and raise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe
at the beauty of the stars and the moon and the majesty of the universe
and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures. As the day ends
and I lay my head down, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my
life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, and yet excited
with expectation, because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of
my life, ever!"
24
-
Gregory M. Lousig-Nont, Ph.D.,
The Best Day of My Life
Copyright
© 1993 Gregory M. Lousignont, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Reproduced with
permission of author. (This copyright information was inadvertently left
off of the first edition of You Have Chosen to Remember.)
Cited in You Have Chosen to Remember, p. 214-215
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
In his book,
"Something's Going on Here," Bob Benson offers another example of how an
individual can completely change his thoughts and attitude about an
event in his life by simply reinterpreting the event in his mind. Bob
writes:
"W.T., how did
you like your heart attack?"
"It scared me to
death, almost."
"Would you like to
do it again?"
"No!"
"Would you
recommend it?"
"Definitely not."
"Does your life
mean more to you than it did before?"
"Well, yes."
"You and Nell have
always had a beautiful marriage, but now are you closer than ever?"
"Yes."
"How about that new
granddaughter?"
"Yes. Did I show
you her picture?"
"Do you have a new
compassion for people-a deep understanding and sympathy?"
"Yes."
"Do you know the
Lord in a richer, deeper fellowship than you had ever realized could be
possible?"
"Yes."
"How did you like
your heart attack?"
Silence was his
answer."
25
-
Bob Benson,
Something's Going on Here
Cited in You Have Chosen to Remember, p.217-218
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
It was D-Day and a
fierce battle broke out. I was driving a tank and providing cover for my
men. It was looking very bad, and the Germans were giving us all they
had. There was no retreat today, for this was hell and we were in the
middle of it, fighting the devil 'til death. I just knew, had absolute
knowledge that, today was the day I would die!
I was overcome by such fear during the battle that driving the tank and
concentrating on covering my men was the last thing on my mind. Like
flies on a trash can I could see, hear and feel bullets all around me,
flying in every direction. I could see men exploding into pieces, some
walking around without arms, some on the ground without legs. I felt
like I had held back Satan for a long time and that I could hold him
back no longer. I, in the most literal sense, saw myself on top of the
tank holding a giant 10-foot long, black, devilish, bat-like creature by
its wings. I had grown so tired of holding it back that I knew I could
hold it back no longer.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 221
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
At the first level
of perception, you believe that when "bad things" happen, you have no
control over what is happening; that you have no control physically,
psychologically or spiritually. At this level, you interpret bad things
as negative. You will most probably choose to blame others, blame God,
or say it's bad luck. At this level of thinking, you believe that there
is another force other than yourself that has control over your life and
that you have little or no influence over what occurs in your life. You
might also believe that you have little or no control with regard to how
you react to your brother's words or actions. When you're operating at
this level, you might ask, How can I choose peace, when others control
everything around me? This is yet another trick that the ego plays. It
tries to convince you that your patterns cannot change unless all others
around you conform to your way of thinking.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 235-236
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
Everything you are
currently experiencing in your life comes about in order to assist you
in evolving to a higher level of consciousness. Even what you now
perceive as bad, sad, negative or upsetting is here to assist you in
seeing life in a more peaceful, forgiving and loving way. Understand
that a great part of the reason you experience things as bad, sad,
negative or upsetting is because you have not yet learned to deal with
these issues in a more peaceful, forgiving and loving way. Put another
way, you are lost because you do not know the way, but once you find
your way, the probability of getting lost again is reduced. And it is
because you got lost once, that you now don't. You now know your way.
-
James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey From
Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 239-240
Read the section of the book that this
inspirational quote comes from.
Footnotes / Acknowledgments
Every effort has been made to provide accurate source attribution.
Should any attribution be found to be incorrect, the author welcomes
written documentation supporting correction for subsequent printings.
For material not in the public domain, selection was made according to
generally accepted fair-use standards and practices.
12. Author Unknown,
An
Unknown Confederate Soldier.
>>
back to quote
13.
Dan Millman, Way of the
Peaceful Warrior, Copyright 2000 (H.J. Kramer).
>>
back to quote
24.
Gregory M. Lousignont,
Ph.D., The Best Day of My Life,
Copyright ©
1993 Gregory M. Lousignont, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Reproduced with
permission of author.
(This copyright information was inadvertently left off of the first
edition of You Have Chosen to Remember.)
>>
back to quote
25.
Bob Benson, Something's
Going On Here, Copyright 1977 (Impact Books).
>>
back to quote
-
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