Martha Beck Quotes

Having fun is not a diversion from a successful life; it is the pathway to it.

Emotional discomfort, when accepted, rises, crests and falls in a series of waves. Each wave washes a part of us away and deposits treasures we never imagined. Out goes naivete, in comes wisdom; out goes anger, in comes discernment; out goes despair, in comes kindness. No one would call it easy, but the rhythm of emotional pain that we learn to tolerate is natural, constructive and expansive... The pain leaves you healthier than it found you.

If a problem looks difficult, relax. If it looks impossible, relax even more. Then begin encouraging small changes, putting just enough pressure on yourself to move one turtle step forward. Then rest, savor, celebrate. Then step again. You’ll find that slow is fast, gentle is powerful, and stillness moves mountains.

Your life follows your attention. Wherever you look, you end up going.

Instead of fretting about getting everything done, why not simply accept that being alive means having things to do? Then drop into full engagement with whatever you're doing, and let the worry go.

When you do the thing you fear, the thing loses its power to scare.

If you'd rather live surrounded by pristine objects than by the traces of happy memories, stay focused on tangible things. Otherwise, stop fixating on stuff you can touch and start caring about stuff that touches you.

It isn’t necessary to know exactly how your ideal life will look; you only have to know what feels better and what feels worse…Begin making choices based on what makes you feel freer and happier, rather than on how you think an ideal life should look. It’s the process of feeling our way toward happiness, not the realization of the Platonic ideal, that creates our best lives.

Don't expect the future to look like the past. Clear away expectations, and let yourself picture a wild, grand new world.

No part of your experience is wasted. Everything you've experienced so far is part of what you were meant to learn.

Breathe in, breathe out, no fear, no doubt.

Imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.

Trust in your truth. It will be the best decision you ever make.

Somewhere in there, among the worries, questions, advice and advertising jingles, lives your intuition, your true 'inner voice.' You can hear it to the extent that you give it your attention.

Whether you've seen angels floating around your bedroom or just found a ray of hope at a lonely moment, choosing to believe that something unseen is caring for you can be a life-shifting exercise.

If you’re doing something you love with people you love in a place you love, you are going to create something of value to the world.

The way we do anything is the way we do everything.

If you feel stuck in your present life, if you feel no enthusiasm for anything, if you think you have no purpose or that you lost that purpose somewhere along the way, I guarantee you are living in a dungeon made of stories. And that none of those limiting stories are true.

When fear makes your choices for you, no security measures on earth will keep the things you dread from finding you. But if you can avoid avoidance - if you can choose to embrace experiences out of passion, enthusiasm, and a readiness to feel whatever arises - then nothing, nothing in all this dangerous world, can keep you from being safe.

Where your attention goes, your life goes.

If you begin to face your fears, something bittersweet is going to happen to you: You'll grow up.

Do something today that you think is too delicious, too selfish, too wacky to fit within the rules of your life.

Your individuality is the most valuable thing you have.

Fear is the raw material from which courage is manufactured. Without it, we wouldn't even know what it means to be brave.

Here is the crux of the matter, the distilled essence, the only thing you need to remember: When considering whether to say yes or no, you must choose the response that feels like freedom. Period.