‘One of the Greatest Freedoms We Have is How we React to Things’ and other Positive Quotes.
My auntie sent me a copy of a book during lockdown. I had seen it in December while Christmas shopping but had no one left on my list to buy this beautiful book for. Not that my auntie knew that. ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse‘is such a gorgeous book. I adore it.It is such a sweet story with a lovely sentiment. The illustrations, and the words written as positive quotes, are by Charlie Mackesy and remind me of E.H Shepard’s Winnie the Pooh drawings. They are whimsical, fluid and natural with a beautiful creativity.
The title of this blog is taken from a quote within this book. And yes, we do have a choice about how we react to things. We may be triggered by events but it is our beliefs that influence our reactions. We can actually choose how we react to something rather than blaming the situation or a person. It is always what we make something mean that impacts the consequences. Much of this book are glimmers of what are relevant in the work I do. I have sent some of these positive quotes to clients of mine as they have felt relevant to them and how they are changing as they progress. I do CBT work with some clients which trains new beliefs and know that we can learn to react differently. We create a wonderful freedom with this type of therapy as well as with hypnotherapy.
“I wonder if there is a school of unlearning” asks the boy.
It has made me think that hypnotherapy is a sort of school of unlearning. Clients come to change things such as the way they are reacting to things; they want to react differently. As one interaction between the boy and the horse demonstrates asking for help is actually a brave thing to do. Often people hold a belief that it is a problem to ask for help. We can learn to feel and think differently. Getting help can be one way to do this. Each positive quote in the text can bring about a learning or an unlearning about ourselves or the world. We may not see the truth in a quote until change has occurred already as if we have to do the unlearning first. A client recently told me that they now have a resilience to stress as if it is just bounces off and they remain unaffected. They have read and reread a variety of books that now resonate with them like never before.
“Tears fall for a reason they are your strength not your weakness”
I cannot even say what my favourite element is though the positive quotes combined with the font, layout, artistry and characters are all a pleasure as you read.
“Often the hardest person to forgive is yourself”
I have even been inspired to write a hypnotic script based on one of these positive quotes. This one: ‘”Is your glass half empty or half full?” asked the mole. “I am grateful to have a glass.” said the boy.’ We all know the glass half full analogy but this is one step better. Gratitude can be taught and I am a big believer in taking time to be grateful. Gratitude diaries are one way taking time to notice what we are grateful for. What do we actually have that we might ignore like the simplicity of the glass?
Positive feel good quotes are popular. They are everywhere. A quick google of the phrase brings over 2 billion matches. Plaques are sold all over the place these days: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud” as Maya Angelou wrote. At times, I cringe at them because when it doesn’t resonate it jars. Even a trip to the supermarket may yield a cushion with “I believe in you” emblazoned across it or a water bottle with “Learn to dance in the storm”. Almost every gift shop has an object or two that tells us what to think and feel.
My favourite positive quote of all time is “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” by Oscar Wilde.
Yes I can enjoy being me. I do not need to be someone else or try to emulate another although at times I think I ‘should’ be different. Many clients want to be a different version of themselves, at least. I love it when I can support someone to a point of self-acceptance. It is unfulfilling to not be accepting of yourself and your own weaknesses or flaws.It is fruitless as we cannot become another person but we can work with what we have in us already and who we are. I use Wilde’s quote to remind myself when I am doubtful of who I am ( along with other strategies too).What’s your feel good positive quote? If you don’t have one maybe you can find one in Mackesy’s book where the boy tells the doubting mole that his small size makes a huge difference. No one else can be the mole except the mole.
When I was discussing positive quotes with my eldest son he recalled how the film ‘All The Bright Places’ had impacted him.
“The thing I realise it’s not what you take, it’s what you leave.”
“You are all the colours in one, at full brightness.”
“When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don’t seem to matter very much, do they?”
This book of the same name as the film, written by Jennifer Niven, revolves around teenagers Finch and Violet. Both struggling with different issues and meet at a point where they are attempting to take their lives.
We can create a direction for our lives that is drawn from positive quotes, from the ones that rings true to us.
If you want to find a positive quote to enjoy, a book about love, kindness and friendship then I recommend ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’. Its beauty can help you to feel better in the moment, and about life and the world.
If you would like to change your narrative and would like support in having more positive thoughts, increasing your confidence or building acceptance with who you are and your life then hypnotherapy is a great way to have quick transformation. Your initial 1 hour session is complimentary. Get in touch to find out more.
