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Are You Looking Up?
Here's a favorite quote from Oscar Wilde:

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"

I have to admit, I've never been much of a fan of Oscar Wilde. You might say I'm not wild about Wilde (sorry about that!).

And I've got to say that something in this quote doesn't sit well with me. I don't like Wilde's cynicism, and I have to believe that he said this particular quote with a great deal of disdain for anyone who didn't share his disdain for everyone who wasn't just as cynical as he was.

Once I get past my feelings about Wilde, though, I like what it says about the potential we have for getting out of our own, personal "gutters."

That's the way that most people see themselves, after all, even if they don't come right out and say it. We might not articulate that we live in a gutter, but we sure tend to talk like it a lot.

We focus our eyes on the things that keep us down. "If only I wasn't hampered by this disadvantage or that disadvantage, I could make my life better."

All that is, though, is keeping our eyes firmly focused in the gutter instead of looking up and seeing what more is out there.

There's a saying that we move in the direction where we're looking. If we keep looking toward the things that hold us back, we'll continually be held back. If we look up... well, the sky's the limit!
Jeff

Labels: inspirational quotes