I’ve always felt as though I had to work a little harder at happiness than others. Subsequently, I’ve always had a great appreciation for anything that helped me maintain inner peace, which I discovered is directly related to my sense of happy. I started to read up on mindfulness and eastern philosophy, learned to meditate, wrote a book, consumed daily inspirational quotes, and most recently, started to write my own sayings and created a quotes app.
It’s all meditation though, really – The things we do to ease our minds, feeding the fire of our passions. It’s meditative behavior. When you’re in that space, doing something that you truly love and enjoy, problems and the cares of the world cease to exist. You’re in a similar “zone.”
I began practicing Transcendental Meditation about five years ago. Life was not going exactly as I had planned. But when does it ever? I knew that I was feeling a lot lower, a lot more often than I should. After casually tweeting about my desire to learn to meditate, a friend and fellow journalist at the time responded saying that I should. He then sent me a detailed email about TM and how it’s helped him. I won’t tell his story but needless to say, I was sold. The practice changed his life, as well as mine. After TM, I can walk outside and be absolutely filled with joy and gratitude, almost to the point of tears, simply because the sun is shining. As a non-religious person and reluctant submissive to the unknown, this practice was a perfect fit.
Meditation, that stillness, being simultaneously present and unattached – It does something beautiful inside of you. So I started to think of ways to maintain that high level of positive energy throughout the day. Like the apple you eat between lunch and dinner to keep you going, I was looking for that healthy mental snack.
Most of us have likely come across a quote at just the right moment that was perfectly applicable to a current life situation. I know I love my bite-sized Rumi and Maya Angelou wisdom. Each has seen straight through to my soul on several occasions. As a natural creative and writer, I explored how I might contribute to this space.
From this series of events evolved the Pick A Post quotes app and online store. The medium is as much for me as it is for others, possibly more so. It allows me an outlet for self-expression and the opportunity to be positively impactful. There are few things more gratifying than when someone comments on a posted quote letting me know that it helped them in some way.
Reading a quote won’t instantly change your life. But maybe it will change your day, or your mood. Maybe it will spark the thought that leads to the action that changes your life. What I know with certainty is that in a world filled with things that disrupt our peace, we need all the little “pick-me-ups” we can get. Whether it’s a mantra, a song, a passage in a book, or writing in a journal, discover your thing that helps fill the meditational and inspirational gaps.