12 Poems About Life For a Beautiful Life Well-Lived

1. When I think about inspirational poems for women, I think of Brooke Hampton and Barefoot Five. Loving this short, unique, strong woman poem about life!

I'm busy;
but not in the way
most people accept.
I'm busy calming my fear
and finding my courage.
I'm busy listening to my kids.
I'm busy getting in touch
with what is real.
I'm busy growing things and
connecting with the natural world.
I'm busy questioning my answers.
I'm busy being present in my life.
— Brooke Hampton, Barefoot Five

2. When I think about poems of encouragement, this collection of things you can control no matter what is going on in your life comes to mind.

Your Beliefs
Your attitude
Your thoughts
Your perspective
How honest you are
Who your friends are
What books you read
How often you exercise
The type of food you eat
How many risks you take
How you interpret the situation
How kind you are to others
How kind you are to yourself
How often you say “I love you.”
How often you say “thank you.”
How you express your feelings
Whether or not you ask for help
How often you practice gratitude
How many times you smile today
The amount of effort you put forth
How you spend / invest your money
How much time you spend worrying
How often you think about your past
Whether or not you judge other people
Whether or not you try again after a setback
How much you appreciate the things you have
— Caleb LP Gunner, Read full the full piece 26 Things That Are Completely Under Your Control

3. Sometimes short poems or simple poems still hold the most space in our hearts.

And then I realized
that to be
more alive
I had to
be less
afraid
so
I did it...
I lost my
fear
and gained
my whole life.
— Author Unknown

4. Sometimes poems about life make you stop in your tracks and think, "YES."

To live content with small means;
to seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion,
to be worthy, not respectable,
and wealthy, not rich;
to study hard, think quietly,
talk gently, act frankly,
to listen to stars and birds,
to babes and sages,
with open heart,
to bear all cheerfully,
to all bravely await occasions,
hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual unbidden
and unconscious grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony.
— William Henry Channing

5. One of my favorite inspirational poems, such a wonderful collection of motivational words.

Go into this week
with the attitude that
your peace,
your health of mind,
and your heart
mean more than
getting everything else done.
That your smile matters,
That feeling rested matters.
That holding the hand
of your loved ones matter.
So pause lots,
function at a pace
that doesn't pull you apart.
Honour the things that
make you feel good inside,
the things that make you feel alive.
Give time to those things this week.
Make time the gift it is,
by giving it to what really matters to you.
— S.C. Lourie of Butterflies and Pebbles

6. When I think about deep inspirational messages or what I consider to be honest poems about life struggles, I always think of the lovely author Krista O'Reilly Davi-Digui.

Fear is loud and bossy.
She can be vicious at times.
And the worst of it is that
she often mingles truth with fiction.
But you must learn to challenge
the stories she feeds you.
You get to be the boss of your thoughts.
You can learn to question
whether or not
everything she tells you
is truth,
whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
Since you have done the work
to deepen self-awareness
and self-compassion,
when she throws all your past failings
in your face you won’t crumble
because you already know you are imperfect…
AND you are beautiful
and resilient
and worthy
of building a
thoughtfully crafted life.
— Krista O'Reilly Davi-Digui of A Life in Progress

UNBUSY RESOURCE: 5 Ways to go Nose to Nose with Fear

7. Motivational poems about life encourage us to take a new perspective.

An amazing thing happens when
you get honest with yourself and
start doing what you love,
what makes you happy.
You stop wishing for the weekend.
You stop merely looking forward to special events.
You begin to live
in each moment
and you start feeling
like a human being.
You just ride the wave that is life,
with this feeling of
contentment and joy.
You move fluidly,
steadily,
calm
and grateful.
A veil is lifted,
and a whole new perspective
is born.
—Author Unknown

8. Quite possibly one of the best poems about life and success.

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has
breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
— Author Unknown, Research shows inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson

10. When I think about mother-daughter poems, I think of this piece of timeless parenting advice.

Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.
― William Martin, The Parent's Tao Te Ching

11. Some of the best poems about life are songs.

This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath
No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again
— Regina Spektor, On The Radio