Backyard Distress

Hey guys ☼ As promised, here's a compilation of some quotes that I saved on a citations folder on Pinterest. I tried to divide them into four categories: to the self; about life; others & relationships; and attitude, time and hope - some of them eventually tangle together. I really enjoyed doing this, hope you enjoy reading it. Again, these are copy-pasted phrases, mantras and mottos that can either be from films, books or said by particular people. I picked the ones that inspire and resonate with me the most and attempted to form a sensical text. Most are likely to be from @wetheurban as they are all over Pinterest! But there are some by Gandhi, Coco Chanel and Diane Von Fürstenberg too.

to the self

She is a mess of gorgeous chaos and you can see it in her eyes. She was never quite ready, but she was brave, and the Universe listens to brave. Go bravely, go deeply - or do not go. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Love so fully it terrifies you. Embrace all that is you. Be your own muse. Pretty brown eyes and a mind full of thoughts. The world isn’t gonna end if your slow down & take your time. Don’t say ‘maybe’ if you want to say ‘no’. Normalise saying 'no' without feeling guilty and saying sorry. If it costs your peace, it’s too expensive.

You have survived everything you thought you wouldn’t. You are rare. Don’t belittle your achievements. Don’t give up on the person you’re becoming. Act like the person you want to become. There is a future version of yourself who is proud you were strong enough. Thoughts are not facts, don’t believe everything you think. Let it hurt until it can’t hurt anymore. You feel unsettled because you know you are meant for more. Stop imagining fake scenarios and hurting your own feelings. Don’t get too hung up on “how it was supposed to be.” Accept and transcend. You owe it to yourself to become your dreams. Forget the past, but never forget the lesson. It’s easy to romanticise a situation to be better than it actually was. Invite peace in by reminding yourself why that cycle had to end. Your current situation isn’t your final destination.

Intelligence is sexy - don’t play stupid. Don’t adapt to the energy in the room, influence the energy in the room. Authenticity is magnetic. You are allowed to make a big deal about things that are important to you. Try to appreciate where you are now. Be the kind of friend you want to have in your life. Attract what you want by being what you want. Successful people succeed on purpose. If things don’t feel right, don’t do them. Even if they worked for others. Be brave and create your own blueprint. Trust your ability and capacity to follow your own path. Don’t feel guilty for doing what is best for you. Taking care of yourself is productive. Work on you, for you. When you are confident, people become confident in you. Live so that when your children think of love, truth and integrity, they think of you. Protect your peace. Be the woman you would look up to. A girl who is going to do big things cannot let small things get to her. You are going to get yourself where you want to be. Remember that once you dreamed of being where you are now.

She remembered who she was and the game changed. She was not fragile like a flower, she was fragile like a bomb. Strong women don’t have “attitudes”, we have standards. If the effort isn’t there, neither am I. When I am afraid to speak, is when I speak - that is when it is most important. My only competition is my potential. The women with the highest walls have the deepest love. I am mine before I am ever anyone else’s. I have the ocean’s soul. The ocean is all I want to be: beautiful, mysterious, wild and free. I would rather die of passion than boredom. I didn’t change, I evolved. I am endlessly creating myself. Level up so hard that they will have to re-meet and re-know you. Do things that feed your soul, not your ego and you will be happy. You attract the right things when you have a sense of who you are. I didn’t come this far to only come this far. I am going to make a very beautiful life for myself no matter what it takes. Be addicted to bettering yourself.

about life

Whatever you do, just don’t sit still, constantly grow. Growth is painful. Change is painful. But there’s nothing more painful than staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong. Don’t spend another year doing the same shit. It’s better to try and fail than to not try at all. Rock bottom will teach you lessons that mountain tops never will. What you allow is what will continue. You can’t give your life more time, so give the time you have more life. Don’t force connections. Once you figure out what respect tastes like, it tastes better than attention. Everything is hard before it’s easy. Self-trust is the first secret to success. The most important relationship you have is the one you have with yourself.

Letting go is hard but being free is beautiful. It’s okay to still be figuring things out right now. What’s yours will find you. Give yourself credit. Slow progress is still progress. Everything, in time. Disconnect to reconnect. Your direction is more important than your speed. Sometimes you have to choose between planting roots or growing wings. Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles - it takes away today’s peace. If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind too. Doubting yourself is normal. Letting it stop you is a choice. It takes grace to remain kind in cruel situations. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. You had to be that person to become this one.

Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do, not a punishment for what you ate. Taking care of your mind is just as important as taking care of the rest of your body. Everything happens on a mental level before it manifests on a physical level. This is why it is so important to get your mindset right. Your life is as good as your mindset. Now or never. One day or day one, you choose. Go where you feel most alive. Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment. See rejection as redirection. Neck kisses, coffee dates & midnight car rides. The smell of ocean water. Don’t be afraid of the solitude that comes with raising your standards. Soulmates aren’t just lovers. Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo. Fall in love with your solitude. Remember that the reason you're doing this is to make your life better. Whatever makes you feel the sun from the inside out, chase that. Trying to be a man is a waste of a woman. No matter the situation, never let your emotions overpower your intelligence. May your choices reflect your hopes and not your fears.

Admire someone else’s beauty without questioning your own. Speak only if it improves upon the silence. You’re busy doubting yourself, while so many people are intimidated by your potential. You inspire people who pretend to not even see you, trust me. Remember if you play small, you stay small. Girl, you better have fun no matter what you do. It’s the small habits. How you spend your mornings. How you talk to yourself. What you read. What you watch. Who you share your energy with. Who has access to you. That will change your life. Privacy is power, what people don’t know, they can’t ruin. The Universe is going to give you the exact same lesson in different versions over again until you master it. Just a masterpiece learning to master peace. If you see beauty in something, don’t wait for others to agree. A dream written down becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed up by action becomes reality. To everything I have ever lost; thank you for setting me free. Actually, life is beautiful and I have time.

others & relationships

The more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them. High fucking standards. Sometimes the people you love don’t deserve you. If they wanted to, they would have. How someone reacts to your sadness says a lot about how long they’re going to be in your life. Do what you gotta do, even if that means doing it alone. Sometimes being alone is the upgrade. Stop feeling guilty about prioritising your boundaries. You can’t pour out what you haven’t poured in. We ignore truths for temporary happiness. Forgive yourself for not knowing better until you knew better. What if everything you are going through is preparing you for what you asked for?

Don’t treat people as bad as they are; treat them as good as you are. Let’s respond with grace even when others don’t. Some people are artists. Some, themselves are art. No one sees what you see, even if they see it too. Remember some things have to end for better things to begin. Find your equal, not your whole. Be with someone who inspires you to be your greatest self. The goal is to laugh forever with someone you take seriously. Tell these girls they don’t need men to feel like women. If another girl can take your man, darling she’s doing you a favour. Don't let other people decide who you are. The goal is to grow so strong on the inside that nothing on the outside can affect your inner wellness without your conscious permission.

attitude, time and hope

Don’t be in such a rush to figure everything out. Embrace the unknown and let your life surprise you. You have time, slow down and make sure it’s right. Trust the timing of your life. Stay patient, stay calm, stay determined, stay focused, and most of all trust your journey. Begin, even if you have no idea if it will work. Focus on making progress, not perfection. Be mindful of the present you are creating. Does it look like the future you are hoping for? When was the last time you did something for the first time? Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

My goal is to create a life that I don’t need a vacation from. Discovering what you don’t want is just as important as finding out what you do. Little by little, day by day, what is meant for you will find its way. Intuition is real. Vibes are real. Energy doesn’t lie. Tune in. Your wound is probably not your fault, but your healing is your responsibility. The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine. Keep watering yourself, you are growing. The fears we don’t face become our limits. You can’t heal what you don’t let yourself feel. Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase. To heal a wound you need to stop touching it. It is meant to be, just wait and see. You are not lost, you are redirecting. You are not a failure, you are learning. You are not behind, you are preparing. Your only limit is your mind.

Be passionate and be involved in what you believe in, and do it as thoroughly and honestly and fearlessly as you can. Energy flows where focus goes. Never forget how wildly capable you are. Stop being so afraid of being confident. In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take,

x.