The Friendship Files

Our Life Mottos

While cleaning out my storeroom, I came across a dusty box filled with all my old books from university. Among them, I found a valuable piece of paper, handwritten by my bff, Maya. It's a collection of sayings that our clique of close friends used to constantly use on campus. Each saying had a special meaning and befittingly applied to our lives at the time. Maya compiled a list of these 'little life mottos' for each of us, so that we could read through them whenever we needed some inspiration or encouragement. I'm sharing a few of these with you today, along with their significant meanings.

* Live in the moment. (For the good times pass too quickly, and the sad times linger on.)
* Always look at the bigger picture. (Often we can only see the task or problem that's in front of us, we have to remember to remove the clouds and look at the bigger picture).
* Life is a journey, not a destination. There is no wrong direction, just a longer route.
* Everything happens for a reason.
* Whatever happens, happens... (This was said after every single exam paper ;)
* Exercise caution, for the world is full of trickery.
* You have the right to be yourself. (Don't pretend to be someone else just to fit in).
* Always take things in your stride and keep smiling while doing it.
* Sometimes it's a just matter of 'the right thing, at the wrong time'.
* Beauty is only skin deep.
* Don't judge a book by it's cover. (You may never know how meaningful it's pages could be).
* Some risks are worth taking. (Like going out on a Friday night instead of studying for Saturday morning's exam).
* You can't sleep in the middle of the bed, choose a pillow. (Meaning that you shouldn't leave anyone hanging or be two-minded about important issues. Eventually you have to make a decision, whether it's right or wrong for everyone involved.)
* Don't ever compare yourself to anyone. There will always be people out there are that better or worse off than you are.
* Rainbows come after rainstorms.
* Why settle for skim milk when you can have whipped cream? (This is my favourite one - because no should settle for less than they deserve).
* There are plenty fish in the sea. (This one was used far too often).
* Sometimes, you've got to give Fate a little push. (If you really want something, don't just sit around and longingly wait for it to happen 'someday'. Get up, go out and make it happen yourself).

These mantras have gotten us through the best and worst of times. What have been some of your life mottos?