prairie girl musings

Tag: Quotes

  • Let Freedom Reign

    Let Freedom Reign

    Last night, a light went out in the world.

    South Africa lost its greatest son, Madiba, one of the most courageous and profoundly good human beings this world has ever known. The world was truly fortunate to have Nelson Mandela for 95 years, and his legacy is the peaceful South Africa we see today.

    In memory of Madiba, here are a few of his many influential quotes:

    “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

    “As I walked out the door toward my freedom, I knew that if I didn’t leave all the anger, hatred, and bitterness behind, that I would still be in prison.”

    “There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling for a life less than the one you are capable of living.”

    “Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world.”

    “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

    “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

    “Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed towards the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair.”

    May his legacy live on.

  • Balancing Two Polar-Opposite Jobs

    Balancing Two Polar-Opposite Jobs

    Daily Inspiration

    Whenever I’m lacking motivation, I turn to my favourite source of inspiration – Pinterest. Sure, it’s visually stimulating, but I get an extra special kick out of the quotation boards.

    She designed a life she loved.

    Follow the call of the disco ball.

    Remember why you started.

    Short one-liners are sometimes all I need to remind me why I do what I do. Working from home, as a freelance writer, will certainly test one’s limits. When does the work begin and when does it end? Have you ever checked your inbox at 1am only to start preparing tweets and Facebook updates for the next day?

    While I know I’m not alone here, I do know that balancing two very different jobs can be a challenge. When I have a pile of blog posts, social media updates, and newsletters to complete for my freelance job, (which, by the way, I adore!) there’s nothing I want less than to shower and put on my most fashion-forward outfit. Rushing out the door to my other job as a stylist can be daunting. After all, who really wants to leave the comfort of their apartment with its endless supply of French press coffee and atmospheric candles?

    On the flip side, the constant isolation from being a freelancer can be terrifying. I’ve learnt the importance of scheduling coffee dates with friends, and in-person meetings rather than relying solely on Skype. And I know I’m lucky. I’m able to juggle a social, customer-focused job with a more internally, self-guided position. It’s just my time management skills that need a bit of fine-tuning.

    What do you do for work? Are you happy in your current position?

  • Cosmopolitanism

    “Cosmopolitanism is an orientation, a willingness to engage with the other. It entails an intellectual and aesthetic openness towards divergent cultural experiences, a search for contrasts rather than uniformity. To become acquainted with more cultures is to turn into an aficionado, to view them as artworks. At the same time, however, cosmopolitanism can be a matter of competence, and competence of both a generalised and a more specialised kind. There is the aspect of a state of readiness, a personal ability to make one’s way into other cultures, through listening, looking, intuiting, and reflecting.”

    -Hannerz, 1990

  • New Zealand: My Spiritual Homeland

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    “I want to go places and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Ice Palace

    There are endless reasons why I consider New Zealand my spiritual homeland, many of which I’ve overzealously documented in this very blog. And lately, especially in the depths of winter, these reasons have been amplified. It’s gone so far that I’ve had repeated dreams about Auckland. Attending outdoor concerts with my Converse-clad mates, going for hilly, trail runs with my energetic besties, reading and drinking ciders on the North Shore’s beautiful, sandy beaches, and hosting barbecues and bonfires every other night.  What’s truly been lacking from my life, as of late, is the quirky, somewhat off-beat, sense of style I’ve seen throughout the South Pacific – but particularly New Zealand. While Melbourne and Sydney are considered “style capitals,” I’m partial to New Zealand fashion scene. I find the designers more wearable and relatable to my own style ethos.