**I have to thank you ALL for last week’s post! I shared and you gave it right back. It is a pleasure getting to know you! That has to be my favorite post so far! On to today’s post! 🙂 **

Since the passing of Dr. Maya Angelou, her quotes have been posted everywhere. From Twitter to Facebook, my newsfeed and timeline has been filled with everyone’s favorite quotable from her. Like everyone else, I definitely have my favorites. There are actually too many to list here. I came across this one a couple of days ago. I’m not sure I’d heard anyone mention it before.

be prepared

It sounds great! I think I immediately re-tweeted, liked it and copied it to encourage myself later. It was just the thing I needed to keep me motivated that everything I wanted was mine. I only needed to ask. Whoot whoot!

I took another look at the quote though. When looking at it again, I saw it differently. I saw the work behind this quote that I didn’t see the first time *tire screech*.  The thing is, I took this and ran with at first. It’s easy to just see the surface of it. We ask for what we want and just wait. Boom! That thing I asked for appears. Nice! But I couldn’t stop there. Oh no! I couldn’t let it be pretty and magical. I had to take it a step further. Ugh!

When I looked at it again, the quote had a different meaning.  My guess is the the intent of this quote is to remind us to do the work.

This spoke to me so much as a mama! I have a million things I want to do and pursue. It seems like having babies only made that number multiply. This quote is a reminder to me. The life I want, the passion in my belly and the dream I can’t shake – they take work!  <– {tweet this} Once I’ve done the work though, it’s as simple as making the request and it’s mine. It’s that whole idea of luck. It’s really preparation and opportunity meeting, right? Not exactly hocus pocus, but still so worth it!

Had you heard this quote before? What passion are you working on?

48 Comments on It’s All in How You See it…

  1. I love Mama Maya! She is the Queen Midas of words. Everything she said was golden. I’m a firm believer in doing the work required to seeing your dreams come true and trusting God for the rest.

  2. I’ve really enjoyed reading more quotes from Maya Angelou since her passing. (I once heard her in person. She was amazing.) I definitely think that I can obtain what I ask for – as long as I’m willing to put in the work. I don’t think it’s all luck. (Though, maybe I lucked out with my current job, which is a long blog post in itself.) 🙂

  3. I have not heard of this quote before but it makes perfect sense both ways that you look at it.. My passion right now is to just live each day and try to be the best I can be.

  4. That is interesting to see both perspectives of your take on the quote. 🙂 My mom always said, ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ And to some extent that’s the same. 🙂

  5. maya angelou was such an inspiring woman. so wise. i hadn’t thought about this having another meaning until you said it but now i’m totally seeing it in a new light. i love how she provoked thinking!

  6. I hadn’t heard this quote before. I love it as well and the photo is fantastic! Right now I am working on trying to take hold of my finances and be more successful in general, spiritually, as a wife, as a Mom, and so on. I am trying to manage my time better and live more purposefully.

  7. Oh wow, you’re so right. I looked at it like you did the first time. But you have to be prepared to do the work!

  8. I have not heard of this quote before but I like it. I take this quote as meaning…if you are going to ask and want for something and you receive it, you better darn well be ready for it and take advantage of it. Don’t blow it. You will only get that one chance.

  9. She was an inspiration to so many people.I love this quote its the best way to look at things with a positive attitude.Positivity gets you everywhere.

  10. I haven’t read this quote before but love it. Reminds me of what they say…be careful of what you pray for because you could get it.

  11. I’ve learned so much more about Maya Angelou since her passing then I did my whole life. Such an inspirational woman!

  12. That’s a great quote, I look at it two ways. One way I look at is, ‘be careful what you ask for’ and the other way I look at it is, ‘you’re going to have to work for what you want’.

  13. What a great quote. It’s like the saying be careful what you wish for, it might come true….and you need to be prepared to handle it!

  14. I love all of the quotes that people are sharing in the wake of Maya’s sad passing. Thank you for this – work is an important component that cannot be overlooked.

  15. I’ve heard this quote before. I’m working on building my coaching business so I can kiss corporate America goodbye forever.

  16. There are so many times when I will read a quote and not think twice about it. Then something will happen that has me applying it to my current situation.

  17. I hadn’t heard this one before, but I really like it. She had such amazing and inspirational quotes that will definitely keep her memory alive for many, many years to come.

  18. That is actually one of my favorite quotes of hers. I plan on putting it on a wall in my boys room when we move them in together!

  19. I have a third meaning for this. Ask what you want, and be prepared to get it. It’s not always as pleasant as we think, it’s not always pure happiness. Sometimes getting what we ask is the worst thing that can happen to us.

  20. I love this quote. To me it means to ask for what you want, do the work to get it done and prepare for when it happens. Without the prep there is no place for what you want to happen.

  21. I absolutely love this quote. And, you’re so right..when you have a dream in your heart, it takes both faith and work to make it come true.

    Thank you so much for that reminder.

    My main passion is building a business. It’s definitely been a long journey, but totally worth it!

  22. Love that quote Camesha (and how you designed it!). Maya overcame so much, becoming an inspiration to countless women and men. I think what drew others to her was her unwavering belief that society, and people on a whole, can become more – better, wiser, more giving and she worked tirelessly towards that end. May we never forget her legacy.

  23. I love her quotes. She was wise beyond her years. I’m working on going on our 21st anniversary date! 🙂

Comments are closed.