This may not be your personal experience, but for a lot of people, 2017 was a brutal year in some way or another. I don’t feel like going into specifics — why bother with the past in a post about the present? — but I do want to share my hopes for the year with you, and I’ve been considering how to do so for a week. To me, it’s incredibly important to start the year off right, and so instead of wrapping up my personal goals into a tiny list all about me, I’ve decided that the best way to sum up my hopes for 2018 is to share some of the things I’ll be using to inspire myself to achieve them.
Science fiction has always kind of been my escape, but as I’ve grown older, it’s become oddly realistic to me in a way. The characters and voices behind these out-of-this-world stories are often where I find inspiration in trying times, and these are the 5 quotes I keep coming back to when I think about my goals.
“Believing takes practice.”
Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time
Sometimes it’s hard to get your head out of a dark place when faced with a challenge, even on the smallest scale. Resolving that you’ll fail and not trying at all is easy, but believing that you can accomplish what you set out to do takes work. This quote helps remind me that sometimes, the first challenge I need to face is my own self-doubt. Also, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that the movie adaptation of this book is just on the horizon!
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
Carrie Fisher
I spent a good deal of last year mourning the loss of Carrie Fisher, and seeing her as a beacon of hope in The Last Jedi — even in the face of failure — felt like closure on some level. On days when I feel like I can’t accomplish anything, I think about this now extremely-famous quote by Carrie, and it helps me get up and try things that I’m uncertain of.
“You don’t just give up. You don’t just let things happen. You make a stand! You say no! You have the guts to do what’s right, even when everyone else just runs away.”
Rose Tyler, Doctor Who
There is no better time than now to begin standing up for what is right. The first “Rose Quote” on this list is a great reminder to speak up when we see injustice; to take care of each other when aggressors seek to do us harm. That’s how we’ll survive and progress as a species. Which leads me to the second “Rose Quote” on this list …
“We’re going to win this war, not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
Rose Tico, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Rose was easily my breakout favorite new character in The Last Jedi, and for good reason. She embodied what it meant to be genuine and earnest, to believe in a brighter future and to fight with the right intentions.
“The beginning is always today.”
Mary Shelley
Going back to my struggle to produce creative work in a consistent manner last year, this is yet another quote that explains why the present is always the best time to start something.
I hope these help you stay focused, and that you achieve everything you want in 2018. Happy New Year!
