What You Allow is What Will Continue Quote

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What you allow is what will continue. - Unknown

As you know, I'm an avid collector and great lover of inspirational quotes. I'm not sure I ever met one I didn't want to sit down and spend a little time with. Over the years, I find that I always have a few "favorite quotes of the moment" at any given time. The quotes that just seem to find their way into every conversation and seem to be applicable to whatever is going on around me.

Funny thing is, the quote you see above has been a favorite quote for as long as I can remember. What you allow is what will continue. It never goes out of style, never gets old, and (as far as I'm concerned) should never leave your side.

This past week, alone, the quote came to mind in three different instances.

My husband and I were at a favorite restaurant in town that often seems to have a problem with being understaffed. We've heard, on several occasions, that they have a problem with servers simply calling in at the last minute. As the manager ran around like a chicken in search of its head, I wanted desperately to write the quote down and slip it to him as he flew past our table on one of his rounds. If he keeps allowing his workers to treat him, the restaurant, and their co-workers with such blatant disrespect, they will. It'll continue.
I heard about a girl (from one of my daughters) who has a ridiculously unhealthy relationship with her boyfriend. He treats this girl in a way that makes me want to smack him in the head… with an electric eel. And she isn't even MY daughter – I don't want to even think what he'd be in for if she were! The relationship (if you can even call it that) has been going on like this for a few years and, by now, this unhealthy and abnormal reality probably seems normal to this young girl. What I wouldn't give for 10 minutes with her. If she continues to allow herself to be treated like a doormat, this jerk will continue to trample on her.
Okay, time to rat on myself. I try to eat healthy. Like most people, these days, I try to make the right choices in the store, in my kitchen, and in restaurants. A few times this week (alone!) I messed up big time. Let's see, I messed up in the grocery store by buying unhealthy snacks, I messed up at home by choosing the unhealthy ones over the beautiful fruit that was sitting on the counter, and I messed up in a restaurant (Seriously, Joi? Three rolls? With Butter? Three?) I whipped out the beloved quote on myself last night in the grocery store. I had a bag of Doritos in my hand, licking my lips as I was thisclose to throwing it into the cart. Then I realized that if I keep allowing my inner snacker (she with the rationality of a 10 year old) to call the shots, my downward spiral will continue. I put the bag of crunchy goodness back on the shelf and got some celery instead. It was cheaper, healthier, and is one step in breaking a cycle I want to break.

The celery over Doritos choice may seem small – and I guess, compared to gleefully eating 3 rolls… with butter… it is small. However, we'd all do well to keep in mind that every choice we make either carries us one step forward, one step backward, or sinks us further in the ground where we stand.

As I've mentioned before, one of the most searched things on Google is How to Be Happy. Ironically, that fact makes me pretty sad. The thought of so many people out there who may be so removed from happiness that they're turning to a search engine to remember where it is… well, that's sad.

The thing is, we're born happy. When we're babies and toddlers, we wear our happiness on our face for the world to see. Think of the insanely popular videos on YouTube with nothing but babies laughing. People (including me) love these videos and spend copious amounts of time watching them… laughing with the babies the entire time.

Why? Because pure joy is a beautiful, intoxicating thing. If we allow the wrong things to keep playing out, we'll continue to be further and further removed from happiness and joy.

Leave behind anything that stands between you and happiness and, while you're at it, tuck this life-changing quote into your pocket so you never forget it again…..

What you allow is what will continue. My wish for you is that you'll only allow positive, uplifting, joyous things in your life because… mark it down.. they'll continue! Pure joy is what I want for YOU – the kind you just can't keep in or hide.

~ Joi