I used to look at messages like this and push myself harder. I saw it as a spotlight on everything that wasn’t perfect and I should just pull up those bootstraps, stop whining, see the silver lining.
Basically harsh self-criticism, masked as positivity and motivation.
I looked at this type of phrasing to amplify what I didn’t have, or the scarcity, rather than seeing the abundance and identifying what I wanted to “make.”
Now, I see that I get to choose “life as what I make it” to be softer, more patient, more understanding, slower.
Life as I make it in ME – in how I relate to my thoughts and expectations.
Today can be a calmer day if I go about things more calmly and more accepting.
Today can be a more fun day if I remember I love being playful and goofy.
If I want a reflective day, I take moments to reflect. It may not be 10 hours of reflection, but I do find the pauses and reflect on a conversation, an encounter, a reading.
If I want it to have meaningful relationships, I reach out to people I care about, even in the smallest of ways.
Life is what I make it.
What are you making life be for you today?
(Photo taken near Adado Riverfront Park)