Our goal is to help people live happier, more meaningful lives, and one aspect of happiness is to experience inspiration.
Inspiration comes from many sources… the work you do, the people you know, the places you see, the videos you watch, the paintings you admire, and the music you hear.
One often forgotten source is the poetry of the past and present. For centuries, thoughtful writers have used the written language in an attempt to capture emotions and intangible concepts such as beauty, sadness, love, connection, joy, intimacy, and inspiration.
Robert Frost once said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought, and the thought has found words.”
Here are 8 poems to inspire and change your mindset, something we all often need:
The Victor
by C. W. Longenecker
If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are out classed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of your-self before
You can ever win the prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.
Opportunity
by Berton Braley
With doubt and dismay you are smitten
You think there’s no chance for you, son?
Why, the best books haven’t been written
The best race hasn’t been run,
The best score hasn’t been made yet,
The best song hasn’t been sung,
The best tune hasn’t been played yet,
Cheer up, for the world is young!
No chance? Why the world is just eager
For things that you ought to create
Its store of true wealth is still meagre
Its needs are incessant and great,
It yearns for more power and beauty
More laughter and love and romance,
More loyalty, labor and duty,
No chance – why there’s nothing but chance!
For the best verse hasn’t been rhymed yet,
The best house hasn’t been planned,
The highest peak hasn’t been climbed yet,
The mightiest rivers aren’t spanned,
Don’t worry and fret, faint hearted,
The chances have just begun,
For the Best jobs haven’t been started,
The Best work hasn’t been done
Be True to You
Anonymous
As you set out on life’s road
unsure of the path you’ll go,
the most important thing you can do
is to always be true to “you”
Always remember who you are
in moments of struggle or fear.
Never forget or give up on
the hopes and dreams you hold dear
There will be setbacks and rejection
and moments of failure too,
but you must overcome any frustration
to achieve the potential of you.
Don’t forget to smile, or laugh,
or to live in the present;
no matter where life takes you
make every memory pleasant.
As you travel along your journey,
know that you’re never alone
and I’ll always be here for you
should you need the comfort of home.
May you Always
Anonymous
May you always have…
Enough happiness to keep you sweet,
Enough trials to keep you strong,
Enough sorrow to keep you human,
Enough hope to keep you happy,
Enough failure to keep you humble,
Enough success to keep you eager,
Enough friends to give you comfort,
Enough wealth to meet your needs,
Enough enthusiasm to look forward,
Enough determination to make
Each day better than yesterday
Influence
by Joseph Norris
Drop a pebble in the water,
And its ripples reach out far;
And the sunbeams dancing on them
May reflect them to a star.
Give a smile to someone passing,
Thereby making his morning glad;
It may greet you in the evening
When your own heart may be sad.
Do a deed of simple kindness;
Though its end you may not see,
It may reach, like widening ripples,
Down a long eternity.
Success
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
The Power of One
by Ashish Ram
One song can spark a moment
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest
One bird can herald spring
One smile begins a friendship
One handclasp lifts a soul
One star can guide a ship at sea
One word can frame the goal
One vote can change a nation
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness
One laugh will conquer gloom
One step must start each journey
One word must start each prayer
One hope will raise our spirits
One touch can show you care
One voice can speak with wisdom
One heart can know what’s true
One life can make the difference
You see, it’s up to you!!
