Inspirational and Motivational Quotes

I am a firm believer in not recreating the wheel, which leads to my love of motivational and inspirational quotes.  If someone else has already selected the absolutely most perfect set of words to articulate something with so much power, why try to change it - use it!  Also, if you read one that tugs at your heart strings in just the right way it can change your day in an instant.

The above quote was shared with me on Facebook by Stacy, a high school friend and most notably, a strong, positive, beautiful and motivated woman.  This one really made my eyes water for so many different reasons.  It reminds me that we are all human, and we should be able to "handle" our shit in the fashion that we see fit for our specific situations, our surroundings, our journey and the needs of others around us.  It may not be the way you would have "handled it", but it is "handled".

But the thing that really puts this specific quote over the edge for me and hits home deeply (which is why I believe Stacy shared it with me), is this has been my life since I was found under a rock somewhere in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  People close to me know many of the struggles I have faced from childhood through to this very moment I sit here and type this.  My life has been far from easy and I believe that some individuals from the outside looking in may have questioned my choices on how I "handled" specific circumstances.  They may have not understood I was not fortunate enough to have the same robust toolbox they were provided, so sometimes when you really needed a screwdriver but all you had was a hammer, you just "handled it".

Today my toolkit is still not as robust as many; however, I only need a handful of tools to do just about everything anyone else can do.  Why? Because through all my life struggles - personal and career related, I learned to improvise with my limited set of tools; realized it was okay to ask someone else to borrow one or even several of their tools; determined I didn't need any tools for a specific project, because it wasn't my damn project; realized some projects in life are made up tasks due to unrealistic expectations you or others set upon you, and for those tasks I refer to a quote "Will it matter tomorrow?"

I can unequivocally say that if it were not for my specific journey and the limited toolbox I was given, I would without a doubt not be the woman I am today, flaws and all which are my character beauty marks.  Also, when shit needs to be "handled" I "handle it" never looking back, knowing that this is the best decision for me most importantly, and then the greater good of my family, my friends, my employees and even my company.  The whiteboard in my office has three simple letters on it . . . "GSD" Get Shit Done.  That's how you do it - you "handle it".

Stacy, thank you once again for changing my day and giving me a reason to fight and smile.  Oops, almost forgot one added benefit of my limited number of tools in my toolkit - it's light - not a sore back from trying to hoard way too many unnecessary tools!

Okay, so now I must ask of you, as I love quotes, do you mind sharing with me some of your favourite quotes that have gotten you through your day or personal struggles.  And don't forget I have a sense of humour :) Tag you're it . . .