Aspire to be your true self, who you really are. In this way, you are and feel the way God sees you, and this is important because it’s the “bottom line”: What’s important is not how the world sees you, but how He does.

Aspire to meet your destiny.

Remember: a life lived in fear is not a life lived.

Remember also that you must hold up the Light.

Light a candle.

Just one can light a thousand others.

In this way, by just thinking the best of others (seeing His Face in them), you can change the world.

Don’t trade your identity for the approval of others. (Nor your values.)

When we stray from the path of what God destined for us — making hasty turns, headed in the wrong direction, moving a distance from where we were supposed to go — challenging events may be sent to wake us up.

Challenging events make us grow. God’s mercy.

The event is not important; how we handle it is.

Are all difficult situations a rebuke? Hardly. Life on earth is a test to see how we handle difficult situations and whether through it all we have hearts of love.

How to discern?

Quiet the mind and your spirit will speak.

As a wise man once said: You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. If you want to rise, give up everything that weighs you down. Ask these questions before you speak: “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?” Pass what you say through those three gates.

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”

Pride is meaningless.

Let your every thought be a prayer for others.

Oh, the greatest wisdom came from Jesus. Note this Lent how He lived exactly the life destined for Him, even unto the Cross.

“Your will be done, not mine.”

This frees us: living the life that God wants. “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith” (2 Corinthians: 13:5).

And practical advice?

Keep in motion. Don’t sit all day. You’re a target for evil. You gather “dust.” The world will not come to you. Move to improve.

Some famous sayings:

“Don’t rush anything. When the time is right it’ll happen. When it hurts, observe. Life is trying to teach you something. If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another. You only lose what you cling to.”

When we are living God’s Will, we fly high. That’s where He is.

[resources: Michael Brown online retreat, April 15 and Pilgrimage to holy sites of Italy]