Remarkable Quotes

Michael Tamura

Life provides us with our next step. But if we’re wrapped up in expectations of what we ‘should’ be doing, where we ‘should’ be by now, as well as the judgments of how bad we are for not fulfilling those expectations, then we can’t discover the purpose, meaning and value of what we are doing and where we are right now. Just as water naturally flows downstream, we naturally gravitate toward what we need to do next, but our expectations and judgments get in our way of doing that.

Anytime you find yourself in a ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ situation or any variation of them (‘supposed to,’ ‘ought to,’ etc.), you are caught in an expectation and out of touch with the present reality. Take a breath and relax. Ask yourself, ‘What is the purpose, meaning or value of where I am and what I am doing right now?’ Step out of the expectations and return to the present. ‘That’s’ where you’ll find meaning—never in the past or future.”

"What we must decide is how we are valuable rather than how valuable we are."

Edgar Z. Friedenberg