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Beauty In Spite Of Pain

by | Feb 6, 2008 | Authentic Living, Inspired Living

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Beauty In Spite Of Pain

Do not wait…be happy if one little thing leads to progress, and reflect on the fact that what results from such a little thing is not, in fact, so very little.

–Marcus Aurelius

Beauty In Spite Of Pain

Hello my little chickadees! We are midway through Inspiration Week: Finding Beauty Every Day and I trust you are all feeling a little inspired? I hope? We have five more women lined up and ready to share what inspires them, but I wanted to stop for a moment and thank you all for visiting! I am so pleased at how many of you come by for Inspiration Week. WOW, I’m thrilled you have come by! I hope you find a little something to think about or encourage you while you are here.

I realize I am sending out posts faster than many of you can read or digest them, but take your time. There is NO RUSH!

This week isn’t about providing the kind of inspiration you can get just by taking a quick look at a few pictures and clicking on to the next blog. This week requires some reflection.

This is a process of refining and redefining how we think about our every day life. It is about slowing down a bit and contemplating our life in spite of the rapid fire posts! This is something I am doing for myself (I give myself pep talks through blogging!) as well as anyone who is interested in joining me, I need the encouragement too!

I do appreciate you encouraging each of my guests as you have a moment, they worked hard to provide inspiration for us all. Each of them are truly incredible and giving women and I am so honored they have participated this week.

On a personal note, I have been getting emails from some of you who admit to being burned out, discouraged, or hurting either physically or emotionally in life. You know you need to make some changes, you WANT to make some changes, but taking that first step towards a new kind of outlook or habit in life is difficult. Many who have written to me feel too busy and overloaded to slow down, some are involved in relational dramas, addictions, some are physically ill or emotionally spent, in a confusing time of life or just feel they are in circumstances that drain their creative energy. You admit it is so hard to see beauty and feel creative when you are hurting or not sure what direction you are going in next! You are looking for answers and for hope in a less than beautiful season of life. I feel for all of you!

Sometimes it appears in blogland that everyone has it together, but I’m here to tell you it ain’t always so! We are all human.

So much of life is a cycle. When you first step out it into a new habit it feels forced or uncomfortable and you might not feel inspired at all. It can feel like a complete waste of time or you might feel worse at first. You might look at something you know to be beautiful and feel nothing but frustration! Or you might wonder what an hour of solitude could really do to change your life? After all, an hour of internet surfing or eating fudge cake sounds more rewarding than being alone with your thoughts! I hear ya. But don’t give up.

While we may not be able to change all of our external circumstances right now, we can discipline our minds to make positive steps and change our inner world in the process. When our inner world is at peace and experiencing beauty in the ordinary, sometimes our outer world will change as well.

You all DESERVE inner peace and days filled with beauty, no matter what crazy things are happening in your external world!

Here comes a {BIG HUG} for each of you! I have confidence that you can find a beautiful life in spite of some ugly and unfair circumstances. This week is about inspiring all of us to new baby steps in the right direction. You don’t have try everything at once. Pick one new action step towards adding beauty to your days and then next week add another. Stay tuned for more glimpses of every day beauty! Thank you for sharing your hearts.

If you have thoughts to share or need some encouragement, feel free to leave comments here too. Chances are, someone else has been right where you are or needs YOUR encouragement to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

TODAY is a great day to START SMELLING THE ROSES, IN SPITE OF THE THORNS! Ok, let’s get back to some inspiration!

{{{HUGS}}}

18 Comments

  1. hookedonhouses

    I’ve been loving all the inspiration on your blog this week! Just wanted to let you know that I mentioned The Inspired Room on my Hooked on Houses blog today and linked to your interview with Alexandra Stoddard. Thanks!! -Julia K :-)

    Reply
  2. Emily

    Hey Melissa – just wanted to thank you. You do such a great job with this blog. I love every minute of it. You’ve caused me to do some soul searching this week and try to make a shift in a better direction. Baby steps.

    Reply
  3. shelbi

    i just love your blog. ….love it. have i ever told you that?

    i think i have. about 100 times over!

    thanks for the lift this week…i needed it. your awesome. truly you are.

    Reply
  4. Rachel Going

    Thank you so much for sharing this this week.

    Reply
  5. Brandie Kajino

    Melissa,
    What a beautiful post. We all deserve beauty in our lives! Thanks for sharing. :)

    Reply
  6. Natasha Burns

    You’re so sweet to give us this inspiration week Melissa! Thank you!!!! I’ll be referring back and digesting it all again and again I am sure!

    Reply
  7. Christine

    So glad I stopped by…
    one can get really discouraged trying to ‘make it work’. You know that dream, that thing that you carry around with you everyday that you know is what the Good Lord wants you to be doing and folks just seem to brush you off! Thank you so much for the inspiration from you and these ladies! Very much appreiciated.
    Xo

    Reply
  8. Teresa

    Melissa,

    You’ve packed this week with so many lovely posts, pictures, tips and ideas. It’s such a visual treat. Thanks!

    Reply
  9. rochambeau

    Hi Mellissa,
    All so true. Yes to taking the time to listen within. Yes! that things are not always as they seem in fantasy blogland! YES!! WE ALL DESERVE INNER PEACE. A important thing to work on each day!!

    xox
    Constance

    Reply
  10. snhamlett

    Hi Melissa!

    This week has really been great so far! Very inspiring. In terms of things not always being perfect in blogland… THAT is one of the things that inpires me so much in many of the blogs I read. It’s amazing to see how resilent people can be–especially we women. So when I read about how someone else is facing adversity with grace and courage, it encourages me to do the same. And sometimes when I’m most down, little bits of loveliness, like your blog, remind me to go looking for that beauty and to try just one little thing. That’s my philosophy to beat my seasonal depression… focus on one positive thing no matter how small. People always think it’s the big things that make great things happen; but it’s the small things that add up… the hundred million tiny grains of sand that keep the ocean in it’s place and protect the land…

    Thanks for this week! And for your continual inspiration…

    Shauntelle

    Reply
  11. Vee

    Not sure that I have a lot of inspiration to offer, but getting priorities straightened around by deciding what is most important to us is a valuable exercise. Actually writing it down creating a list is helpful. And, too, I think we need to know that we have a Heavenly Father Who loves us and wants to walk with us. He just needs to be invited along.

    Melissa, you do a good work here. Thank you for all the creativity, inspiration, and joy that you share!

    Reply
  12. Lynda

    Thanks for another inspiring post, Melissa! I’ve really been enjoying the guests you’ve had and I’m making notes like crazy! After reading Alexandra’s words on Monday, I started to re-read her book “Daring To Be Yourself” and wondered why I haven’t re-read it sooner! I’m trying to sit down to eat my breakfast instead of grabbing a quick one at the kitchen counter. I’m also trying to carve out more time to create in my day. Unfortunately this means less time on the computer. (Something’s gotta give, right?) I’m allowing myself an hour in the morning to read emails and blogs before I move on to the other things in my day. This is really, really difficult right now! There are so many fabulous blogs that I want to read but I’ve been spending more time reading about what everyone else is doing and not doing it myself. ~ hugs, Lynda xo

    Reply
  13. Debra W

    Melissa,

    I love what you wrote here! You are so insightful and your words truly resonate. You are so good at breaking things down into manageable segments. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us!

    Hugs and love,
    Debbie

    Reply
  14. titus2woman

    How beautiful~you almost have me in tears! What a treat to visit today! (((((HUGS))))) sandi

    Reply
  15. laissezfaire

    Thanks for doing this Mel. Love the inspiration, encouragement, beauty, simplicity and honesty in all your posts. xoxox

    Reply
  16. Jenn and Jacqui

    Dear Melissa, you are a joy and an ispirational lady and we all adore you. Thank you :) jenn and Jacqui

    Reply
  17. marita

    hugging you from afar, melissa!! ;))

    Reply

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