GET READY TO BE INSPIRED AF: my wall of sticky notes quotes
let's counteract the crap messages we receive + one way I quiet the negative self talk I converse with daily
Have you ever noticed how much we are bombarded with shitty messages all day long?
Depending on your lifestyle and consumption, we receive a slew of them, voluntarily and involuntarily, direct and subliminal, all day long. Gotta thank that algorithm!
I invite you to notice what sort of messages you receive, both written and spoken word. For the love of god, the news sucks, why are you reading/watching it? What are you looking at mid phone scroll? Is that Reel being real nice to your mind? What’s in the texts from your friends and family? How about that passive aggressive email from your coworker or boss? Is your snail mail mostly junk, ads and catalogs?
What does this do to our psyche?
For a homework assignment for my yoga teacher training program, I sat in the back of my local yoga studio and observed two different teachers. In my purple journal, I scribbled notes on their sequence and transitions, their interaction with students, how they set the mood in the class, and more.
After 12 pages of notes, I noticed one major theme.
This is a damn good place to hear something nice for once.
It’s an interesting assignment, being a fly on the wall, the eyes and ears of a movement class and refraining from the movement. As I wrote the teachers’ words verbatim, I was taken aback, even though I’ve heard these messages before because I’ve attended their classes.
How many of us need an uninterrupted hour of someone telling you genuine messages that are meant for you to honor your mind, spirit and body?
After considering all the crap we (may) consume each day, it sounds pretty freaking sweet. Here are a few lines I heard:
“Do what feels good in your body.”
“I encourage you to just play around and explore.”
“Take a moment to close your eyes and come back to your breath.”
“I invite you to do what’s best for you.”
As I wrote a dozen more affirming messages, I was struck with awareness and an awakening. How many of us need permission to listen to our bodies? How many of us need an invitation to do what serves us? Who needs a nudge to stop whatever we’re doing and listen to our own breath, the function that keeps us alive?
I couldn’t help but think, wow, this is a gift to receive permission to do something positive for ourselves.
What if we share this with our friends and family? What if our children hear this from people they love and trust each day? What if I told myself these wonderful words instead of the negative self talk that tends to hijack my brain?
Change the conversation
Although I threw shade on the stuff we consume in our modern lives, obviously it’s not all bad. With careful curation, we can invite the good.
While scrolling a few months ago (yes, I am 10000% guilty of scrolling, all that talk in the beginning of this essay was absolutely directed toward me, too), I remember seeing an image and was struck by it. It’s of Drew Barrymore (you know, the little girl from E.T.) sitting in a small room, lined with blue wallpaper, pink flamingos and sticky notes littered across the walls.
Some may think it’s a recipe for claustrophobia. I call it a cozy adult fort and a tiny room for inspiration. The space is actually her closet, which she turned into a meditation room and the walls are covered with affirmations and aphorisms.
I was inspired and I put a slice of this idea on my office wall.
It was just one quote at first. My friend said she heard this quote before; I loved it so I wrote it down: “We are not human beings, we are human becomings.” One note became two and now I’ve got a collection of quotes.
As I read books and articles online, I jot down sentences and phrases that make me think more deeply, validate my quirks, or simply make me feel like I belong in this world.
I’m not trying to say this is going to solve all your problems, bring world peace, or change your life. But a few reminders on brightly colored sticky paper can’t hurt, could it?
Like the yoga classes I attend, these are messages that give me permission to be me, to explore what life is all about, and it’s a great reminder that we deserve to hear and read something positive every single day.
Sticky quotes on art + writing
“I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much.” — Ann Lamott, Bird By Bird
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.” — Kurt Vonnegut
Sticky quotes on life
“I have begun to wonder if the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company.”― Rachel Naomi Remen, My Grandfather's Blessings : Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” — George Bernard Shaw, Nobel Prize winner in literature
“We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically.”― Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Sticky quotes on being unapologetically you
“The key to joy is not happiness but the courage to embody your true self.” — Dr. Shefali Tsabary
“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” — Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
Here’s the note that inspired me to share my wall of quotes in today’s newsletter :)
Ahhhh this is so amazing and only affirms that your house is a the most magical place on the planet!
Loved this! Thanks for the inspiration to surround ourselves with positive affirmations and meaningful language ❤️