Quotes of Hope and Inspiration for the New Year

There are millions of quotes about every aspect of life. Too many to list of course, I wanted to share some of the more powerful ones for me; the ones that help me find strength as I cope with the chronic pain from dystonia. I hope you find some that resonate with you that you can embrace and put into practice in your life.

I often like to pick just one quote, affirmation, saying, prayer, etc., put it to memory, and refer to it as I go about my day. I do my best to really feel what the words are saying and apply them when I need perspective and clarity about something. Sometimes I will take one quote (the first one by Helen Keller is a great example) and play with it for a week or more until it becomes part of me and shifts my thinking. Use them how you feel is most appropriate for your life. Please also share your favorite quotes in the comments section below. Thank you and peace and happiness to you in 2017!

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. ~ Helen Keller ~

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something. ~ Neil Gaiman ~

Life is deep and simple. What our society gives us is shallow and complicated. Be a first rate version of yourself. Not a second rate version of someone else. ~ Unknown ~

Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. ~ John Wooden ~

Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future. ~ Robert H. Schuller ~

The successful know that the road to success is always under construction; they understand the roughness of it and never expected it to be smooth. ~ Hernert O Nobleman ~

There comes a time in your life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life. Getting back up is living. ~ Unknown ~

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.'  ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson ~

If we continue to think and act the same way, we will continue to get the same results. We must be willing to think and act differently if we want to change. ~ Unknown ~

In life we don't get do overs. We get do betters. Acknowledge all of your do betters.  ~ Tom Seaman ~

Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don't give up hope. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people.  ~ Tena Desae ~

You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individual. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful. ~ Marie Curie ~

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. ~ John Wooden ~

No matter the number of times you fail you must be determined to succeed. You must not lose hope. Don't stop in your storm. Don't give up so easily. ~ Tony Narams ~

I'm not giving up. I'm just starting over. ~ Unknown ~

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ~ Helen Keller ~

Darkness comes. In the middle of it, the future looks blank. The temptation to quit is huge. Don't. You are in good company... You will argue with yourself that there is no way forward. But with God, nothing is impossible. He has more ropes and ladders and tunnels out of pits than you can conceive. Wait. Pray without ceasing. Hope. ~ John Piper ~

Even your past pain can be a blessing to someone. Hopelifters are willing to reach back and pass hope on. ~ Kathe Wunnenberg ~

Visualize something totally funny or crazy! This will instantly change how you feel because you can't visualize two things at the same time. ~ Mark Snyder ~

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why we call it the present. ~ Bil Keane ~

When you pray be careful of how you respond to what you get. If you pray for rain, don't complain about the mud! ~ Hyacinth Mottley ~

Do what you want and say how you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. ~ Dr. Seuss ~

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.  ~ Mark Twain ~

I love you. Thank you. Please forgive me. I'm sorry. ~ ho’oponopono ~ (ancient Hawaiian healing practice)

Happiness isn’t a state, it’s a skill. It’s the skill of knowing how to take what life throws your way and make the most of it. ~ Gary Null ~

The mind is like velcro for negative experiences and teflon for positive experiences. ~ Rick Hanson ~

Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. ~ Winston Churchill ~

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross ~

When you’re good to yourself, you’re being good to everyone around you because when you feel good, you’ll only react well to other people. At the same time, it’s very easy for you to do things for other people when you know that other people are just an extension of yourself. ~ Anita Moorjani ~

Let go of what has happened. Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening now. Don’t try to figure anything out. Don’t try to make anything happen. Relax, right now, and rest. ~ Unknown ~

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~ Lao Tzu ~

What seems nasty, painful, or evil can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such. ~ Henry Miller ~

Remember, Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. ~ Stephen King ~ (most well known from the movie "Shawshank Redemption")

We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life. ~ Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet ~

If you want to be sad, no one in the world can make you happy. But if you make up your mind to be happy, no one and nothing on earth can take that happiness from you. ~ Paramhansa Yogananda ~

Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been. ~ Mark Twain ~

Be gentle with yourself. You're doing the best you can. ~ Unknown ~

Tom Seaman is a chronic pain and dystonia awareness advocate, and author of the book, Diagnosis Dystonia: Navigating the Journey, a comprehensive resource for anyone living with any life challenge. He is also a support group leader for the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) and Certified Professional Life Coach in the area of health and wellness. To learn more about Tom and get a copy of his book, visit www.diagnosisdystonia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Dystoniabook1