Listen to this week’s message:
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As the legendary Lena Horne said: “It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”
How do you respond to life? As a mixed-race actress and singer starting in the 1930s, Lena Horne experienced her share of discrimination over her 70-year career. Early on, Hollywood executives thought she was difficult to cast given her fair skin and she refused to take parts that stereotyped African-American women. Nevertheless, she didn’t let societal limitations hold her back and became the highest-paid Black entertainer in the 1940s. Outspoken, she was blacklisted during McCarthyism and was very active in the civil rights movement. When her husband, father and son died within the same time period, she went into a state of depression but then came back stronger. From her trademark song “Stormy Weather” to her last film appearance in The Wiz, Lena Horne is an example of a woman who didn’t let the world weigh her down. Whatever life gives you, carry it light. Let go of disappointments and don’t become too attached to successes. Seek a balanced perspective. If circumstances get tough, ease up or ask for help. Practice stress management and mindfulness techniques to build resilience. Live full-in and not spread thin. You can’t always control what happens around you but you can control what happens in you through your attitude, responses and choices.
Until next time, remember–it’s your divine life, live it to the fullest. The power is in your hands!
With Purpose & Power,
Terri
Note: This quote has also been attributed to author C.S. Lewis and former football coach Lou Holtz.
Written and designed by Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy. Read more Dose of Power Living. For information on syndication email info@power-living.com.
To practice stillness, check out the Power Living: Mini-Escapes CD. It makes a wonderful gift of relaxation! Be sure to order my latest book, Dancing Light: The Spiritual Side of Being Through the Eyes of a Modern Yoga Master, on 97-year-old yoga master Tao Porchon-Lynch. Learn more by watching Tao Porchon-Lynch Amazing Autobiography: Dancing Light and Amazing 97-year-old Yoga Master Tao Porchon-Lynch – Inspiration, Life & “Dancing Light.”
