This quote came up as a status memory from 12 years ago on my Facebook page. Apparently I was watching Mulan in 2010, which is a pretty accurate description of how I spent many afternoons in college with my friends. Disney movie, horror movies, and Fast & the Furious movie marathons for the win. When I first saw this quote today, I felt inspired, and something clicked in place. I knew it was truth, because I’m so many ways, I have grown, changed, and experienced such joy that I can’t help but love my life. I also thought about how if I saw this quote last year (hell, even yesterday) I would’ve been turned off, frustrated, and sad. Because in the last 12 years, there has also been a lot of pain, frustration, failure, sadness, and missed opportunities. Quotes like this were bullshit to me, because I couldn’t see the good that was coming. When I took my break from my business, I was caught up in the heaviness of my life. I’m still there, in a lot of ways, but as I consider how to enhance my programs and improve my business for the better, I also feel a lot of excitement for what is to come. There is so much blame, shame, and envy in how we look at the world and other people, and I will be honest that I can get caught up with it, too. I blame myself and the world around me for what I perceive as my failure to meet expectations, and I get envious of the folks that can achieve the goals I have earlier and/or faster (or even at all) compared to me. And, I feel like shit as a result. But quotes like this one reminds me that there can be good in the pain/as a result of the pain. There can be lessons learned and goals achieved. And there can be so much love, joy, and gratitude for what has happened and what is to come. I’m not sure when @amandaleecoaching will reopen (aka when I will be ready), but I’m excited for what beauty awaits me. Let me know in the comments if my stream of conscious ramblings resonates with you. And, if you’re in the thick of adversity and pain, I see you; I honor you; I love you. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca20RuXp7Rp/?utm_medium=tumblr