Reading List: Inspiring Biographies

Do you read autobiographies or biographies and personal memoirs for inspiration?

Reading about the lives of other people has always been a source of inspiration for me and no doubt it is the same way for other people too. In fact, if a person is suffering from depression one of the suggested activities to uplift their spirit and pull them out of the dark black hole is reading life stories. Not trying to sound corny but we are all ordinary people and it is encouraging to know that the majority of us endure the same trials and tribulations and most of us overcome or rise above our difficulties and get on with our lives.

But clearly, you do not have to be depressed to draw motivation from reading about the achievements of someone else. For one of my friends, it was the life of Malcolm X. The first biography which influenced my life was about Sammy Davis Jr. It was titled Yes I Can. (I could just kick myself for not keeping the book as it is now considered a collectible. He also published a sequel called Why Me?) 

The first autobiography written by Mr. Davis is also the book that piqued my curiosity and got me interested in reading more and more biographies about anybody – celebrities, men and women in history, people in political circles, etc. I turned this fascination into a hobby and created a Pinterest board called BIO-Snapshots, a collection of trivia, information, and articles about people. Some of my most recent pins link to mini-bios of Nora Baker, Robert Smalls, and Huma Abedin.

Do you get inspired by reading
biographical accounts or personal memoirs?

Click to view my picks.

NOTE: Content previously published elsewhere on the web, however, the site shut down. 

Follow the Thinkers ~ Inspiration and Motivation for Every Day

Thank goodness for my Facebook memories. They are wonderful reminders of things I shared that I don't mind re-sharing again and again and again. This poster was shared via my profile timeline in 2014. Unfortunately, the link is broken. Unfortunate? NO! Fantastic! It gives me an excuse to create a new blog post and share the poster again!

#motivation & #inspiration for a #HappyNewYear http://amzn.to/2CzJ0c6  “Thinker (Quintet): Peace, Power, Respect, Dignity, Love” By: Anon #ArtPrints and #Posters #GiftIdeas #quotes #leadership #FollowTheLeaders

The MLK quote below is not on the poster.  But I think it is something all of these thinkers would agree paves the way for everything and anything else that inspires us and moves us forward.

“It is not enough to say we must not wage war.
It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”

(Source: http://www.keepinspiring.me/martin-luther-king-jr-quotes/)

7 Lovely Logics and What They Mean to Me

Found a wonderful quote-pic which lists "7 Lovely Logics" and indeed they are quite lovely. No doubt, just like me, every person could read them and supply their interpretation of what these logics means to them.

1) Make Peace with your Past, so it doesn't spoil your Present.

This saying is so true. You need to realize that very few people go through life without making mistakes, without doing some things they regret, etc. Nobody is perfect and sinless. There may be people who won't -pic forgive you and choose to make peace with you. But if you can open your eyes every day and find something productive and profitable to do for the Present time that you have, then, DO IT! You can't FORGET your Past. Nevertheless, it's over! You can't go back to relive that time in order to do things differently. But you can make peace with yourself and Carry On.


2) What others Think of you is None of your Business.

Take this advice with a grain of salt. There are those who love you dearly and think very highly of you. They want others to think highly of you too. What they think of you IS YOUR BUSINESS. Listen to them and weigh their words very carefully IF they criticize what you say or what you do. They are very likely telling you something that's for your own good. But as for the HATERS? You don't need to give their words half an ear. IGNORE THEM!


3) Time Heals Almost Everything. Give the Time, Some Time.

I have lived long enough to know that time does heal almost everything. “Almost”. There is some pain you feel in your heart that doesn't heal, no matter how much time passes. The hurt doesn't go away. You just learn to live with it.


4) No one is the Reason for your Happiness, except You yourself.

Don't rely on or depend on others for your happiness and joy in life. But if there is someone or some people who ARE THE REASON for your happiness, count your blessings.


5) Don't compare your Life with others. You have No Idea what their journey is all about.

I wonder if the person who wrote this quote knew my mother. My mom used to tell me that constantly. Don't wish for the life of other people because you don't know what's happening in their lives. I took her advice on this.


6) Stop Thinking too much. It's Alright not to know all the Answers.

I say: There's no such thing as thinking “too much”. You should think as much as you want. But your thoughts won't always produce the answers to all of your questions. And that's OK. Lots of people live their life with unanswered questions. They still live!


7) Smile. You don't own all the Problems in the World.

Smile BECAUSE you don't own all the problems in the world. I would also like to add some advice that I once heard from a psychologist. She said: Recognize when the problem is YOUR problem and YOU need to solve it. Don't take on somebody else's problem and make it your problem. If it's their problem, they need to solve it.

Can I get an AMEN?

Hope you enjoyed reading this.

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Previous Articles in This Post Series:

3 Shakespeare Quotes To Live By

3 Wise Quotes From Influential Women

5 Dr. Suess Quotes That Are Useful Parenting Tips

* NOTE:  Content previously published as part of a post series at Forum Coin.


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Artists I Fancy: “The beauty of nature” by Amar Singha

Became a Virilyan last year (2017). That simply means I joined a social blogging community called Virily.com and that's what the members are called. Virilyans.  Sounds like a people from Middle Earth huh?  NOT!  ☺

Anyway!  The membership for this site does not just include writers or bloggers. There are many talented artists such as Amar Singha. I found his posts on Virily and it sent me on a quest to find more of his artwork and determine where his works could be purchased. My treasure hunt was successful. You can follow my treasure map too!

amarsingha at Virily

The official blog of Artist Amar Singha

Amar Singha's Art Available at Curioos

Follow Amar Singha on Instagram

“The beauty of nature” by Amar Singha 
~ #LimitedEdition Giclée #ArtPrint From the Art Shop of @amarsingha10 

http://ift.tt/2DRgmYE
January 30, 2018 at 09:49AM

(NOTE:  I'm also on Instagram.)

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View more Artists I Fancy on Pinterest