Are you annoyed by inspirational quotes? I know I am.
If you take a look at Facebook, you’ll find your friends’ status updates, some pictures, and… inspirational quotes illustrated with an equally inspirational picture.
Now, I do enjoy the occasional inspirational quote myself. My very favourite ones are about doing less, sleeping more, and drinking wine, even if I don’t drink wine myself. But some of them really rub me the wrong way.
Like, right now, I am sleep deprived and sick with a cold. I am tired. I have 2 hours to myself a day and it just isn’t enough. I have been too busy doing things for others and not busy enough doing things for myself.
Believe me that, at times like this it is not really helpful to read how we should enjoy every moment.
Or that we should be more mindful.
Or that we should learn to love the laundry and cleaning toilets.
Or even that it’s always darkest before the dawn.
Or that happiness is a choice.
All of these make perfect sense when things are good, but when they are bad, I don’t want to hear or read them. Don’t tell me that it’s going to get better. Or to stay strong. Or think positive thoughts and stop complaining. Instead, tell me that your day sucked as well. Let us talk about just how bad our days are. Let us whine and complain until the discussion reaches a level of absurdity so high that it makes us burst out laughing. I want to go to sleep, thinking: “This day sucked big time but that woman, she was hilarious!”.
This is what makes me feel better: the feeling of being understood, not the pressure of being not happy enough, not mindful enough, not positive enough. And inspirational quotes? I don’t have to read them. I don’t need cheesy quotes to tell me how to be happier.
Inspirational quotes won’t help you. Friends, family, a sense of humour and lots of wine (or, in my case, hot chocolate), just might.
Olga Mecking
Olga is a Polish woman living in the Netherlands with her German husband. Olga blogs at The European Mama, but when she’ sleep-deprived, she gets blunt.
http://www.europeanmama.eu