Here they are, the most inspirational quotes ever uttered, sure to
stir you and get you moving through the day. Whether you feel stuck or
just need a good dose of inspiration from great minds, these should do
the trick. Be sure to feed your brain inspiring quotes and phrases
daily, since it needs to be fed regularly just like the rest of your
body.
#1 Winston Churchill Tells How to Be a Success
“Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” ~Winston Churchill | Tweet this
Getting knocked around by failures is never fun or easy, but this
advice from Churchill reminds us that it’s vital that you remain
enthusiastic when facing your next venture, or you can expect more of
the same.
It’s not an easy task, but it’s clear to see that if you let your
defeats get you down you only make it harder to get that next success
under your belt. Make an effort to get enthusiastic about your current
endeavor, regardless of how many times you’ve fallen short in the past.
This is sure to result in a success or two, which builds momentum and
makes it easier to get excited about what you’ll do next.
#2 Lao Tzu on Taking That First Step
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” ~Lao Tzu | Tweet this
Each step you take toward a bigger goal might not seem like much. It
may seem like you’re not really doing much at all. This will be
especially true of any outside observers. Others might think you’re not
getting anywhere, that you’re not getting anything done. That’s why you
have to have a lot of confidence in where you’re going. You need to be
clear about where you want to end up so that you have the conviction
that the small steps you are taking will eventually get you to where you
want to be, and you can squash any naysayers.
#3 Norman Vaughan on Big Dreams
“Dream big and dare to fail.” ~Norman Vaughan | Tweet this
Having small dreams and being afraid to fail is the antithesis of
this advice, and it’s something many of us do, even though we may not
want to admit it. The two go hand in hand, if you are too afraid of
failing you’ll keep your dreams on a leash. But if you overcome that
fear, and jump out there fully willing to completely fail, you free your
mind to dream up new adventures and goals for your life. Failure comes
with trying, and a life of not trying will not leave you satisfied, so
it’s good to continually put yourself out there.
#4 Emerson on the Importance of Action
“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson | Tweet this
Here’s a take on the “Actions speak louder than words. adage. It’s
true that words can often be contradicted by the actions we take. This
may be because words are easy to spew out, but you can only perform so
many actions in a day. Actions must be more thought out and are a more
accurate measure of what you really intend to do. Make sure to choose
your actions wisely, as others will come to their conclusions about you
based on what you do rather than what you say. Many times there is a big
discrepancy between what is said and what is done, which is why what
you do matters more.
#5 Gandhi on How to Change the World
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~Gandhi | Tweet this
It’s easy to get frustrated by all the violence and pain being
experienced around the world, and even easier to feel helpless about it.
But rather than sitting around waiting for the world to change, it’s
better to start making changes within your own sphere of influence. The
theory behind this quote is that if everyone tended to their own selves
the world would be the way we all want it to be. What can you do today
that would help make the world around you a better place? By making the
changes you wish the world would make you instantly and automatically
make the world better.
#6 Dr. Robert Schuller on Being Tough
“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” ~Dr. Robert Schuller | Tweet this
It’s true that even the toughest of times don’t last forever, and as
long as you remain strong you’ll make it through and be able to weather
whatever storms come your way. The human spirit has shown that it’s
capable of making it through tough times, and getting to the end of the
tunnel. The best part of dealing with adversity is that it toughens you
up for the next trial in your life. Knowing that you’re only getting
better with each new struggle can be an inspiration during those times
when you feel like giving up. Being a tough person doesn’t mean you have
to be callous, it just means you have an inner strength that’s
battle-tested.
#7 Helen Keller on Keeping the Best Outlook
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you can never see the shadow.” ~Helen Keller | Tweet this
As long as you’re looking on the bright side of things you’ll be
ignoring the not-so-good things in your life. What you give attention to
grows, so if you’re focusing on what’s wrong in your life you’ll just
get more of it to focus on. But if you focus on what’s right in your
life, what makes you happy, what you’re grateful for, and why things are
so fantastic for you, you’ll only get more of the same to be happy and
grateful for. Some days are easier to face towards the sunshine than
others, but it’s always there, you just have to try harder during hard
times.
#8 Christopher Morley on the One True Success
“There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.” ~Christopher Morley | Tweet this
It’s your life, your one and only life, and it would be a shame to
spend it in a way that doesn’t suit you. But many of us wish that things
were different. Either we’re unsatisfied with our jobs, or our
relationships, or just the way things are going. It’s vital to your
overall success to make changes as you see fit so that you can have your
life be the way you really want it to be. It’s the foundation to all
other success, and you can’t really have a different success without
first tending to this matter.
#9 Robert Frost on Making It Through Tough Times
“The best way out is always through.” ~Robert Frost | Tweet this
If you’re in a tough spot it’s tempting to think of a clever way
around it, but this serves as a reminder to just take the most direct
route: through. You’ll find that a funny thing happens when you make up
your mind to barrel through whatever dilemma you’re facing. Everything
starts shifting when you stop hemming and hawing and finally decide to
take actions to make your way through. It’s a way to get yourself on
board with the idea of sticking it out and making it through, and when
you stop the internal bickering you start to use your full potential to
solve the problem at hand.
#10 John Muir Reminds Us of Our Own Power
“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” ~John Muir | Tweet this
You use your imagination each day, even if you think you don’t. No
matter how big or small your accomplishments today, it all began in your
imagination. You can use it as much or as little as you want, but it’s
the starting point for everything that happens in your life, from what
you eat, to what you wear, to what you do. It all begins as pictures in
your mind. Be sure to harness the full power of your imagination to
dream up bigger and better things for yourself. It’s the part of you
that taps into the infiniteness of the universe, so don’t neglect it.
#11 John Wooden Constructing a Masterpiece
“Make each day your masterpiece.” ~John Wooden | Tweet this
It’s easy to lose sight of the importance of each day, because we
seem to have so many of them. But it’s been said that a single day
serves as a microcosm of your life, so be sure to spend your days in a
way that embodies the way you want to live your life. At the end of it
all your life will boil down to the accumulation of all of your days,
and will serve as your masterpiece, so be sure to spend time each day
chiseling the great sculpture that is your life. Treat each day the
same, don’t write off days as being “bad, they still count towards the
total work of art.
#12 Cherie Gilderbloom on Dreaming While Awake
“The best dreams happen when you’re awake.” ~Cherie Gilderbloom | Tweet this
Living a life that feels like a dream is the ultimate goal, isn’t it?
You don’t want to save your best experiences for dreams experienced
while you’re sleeping, because as tantalizing as they are they aren’t
real. Having real moment in life that feel surreal and dreamlike is a
wonderful thing to have, and the good news is that you can create this
with focus and determination by making it your goal. Pick something you
think would be a dream to be, do, or have, and then put all of your
resources into attaining it. When you get there once you’ll be hooked,
and you’ll want to move onto the next dreamlike moment.
#13 Christopher Reeve and the Power of Hope
“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” ~Christopher Reeve | Tweet this
The opposite of this quote is also true, once you give up hope or
choose hopelessness, nothing’s possible. Hope is the feeling that things
will somehow get better, that they will somehow work out. You don’t
even have to know how it will happen, but it’s the believe or even the
wish that it will. That’s why it’s never a good idea to give up hope
because you just don’t know how things will pan out. When going about
your day it’s better to feel hopeful about the things you’re working on,
or the task at hand. If you have hope, it’s quite possible that it can
all turn out for the best.
#14 T.S. Eliot on Starting Anew
“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” ~T.S. Eliot | Tweet this
It’s interesting to think that you can start anew with each passing
moment. You can let go of the past, let go of whatever is holding you
back, and start again, doing whatever it is you want to do. It’s
refreshing to know that the present is not entirely enmeshed in the
past, and your future is being created moment by moment. If you’ve been
mired in doubt and hesitation to start a new project or to mend a
relationship because of things that have happened to you in the past,
remember that this moment is totally new and you can move in the
direction you want to go.
#15 Charles Kettering on Failure as an Impossibility
“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.” ~Charles Kettering | Tweet this
What a great way to greet the world! Acting might come before
believing on this one, as it’s not an easy task to believe that it’s
impossible to fail. It might be a case of faking it until you make it,
taking bold actions as if you really believe that you can’t fail, and
then building up your confidence and your belief that you really can’t.
Even if things don’t work out you still infused them with the right
energy, rather than taking a defeatist approach that it probably
wouldn’t work. It means you’ll try bigger and bolder things than if you
are doubting yourself the whole time.
#16 Muhammad Ali on Counting Days
“Don’t count the days, make the days count.” ~Muhammad Ali | Tweet this
It can be dangerous to start counting down your days, because you
want to make each one count. But many times there will be an event
coming up that makes you start counting down how many days until it
arrives. But each day between now and then is important, and you don’t
want to breeze over any part of your life just to get to the next,
seemingly better part. Putting the most of yourself into each day will
make it so you never have any regrets about how you spent your time
here, and you’ll know that you really did make it count each day.
#17 Jimmy Johnson on Giving That Little Extra
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” ~Jimmy Johnson | Tweet this
This is a cute way of pointing out the difference between what makes
things extraordinary rather than ordinary. It really is a matter of a
few degrees, going that little bit further to push things past the point
of regularity. The key is that you want to always strive for the
extraordinary. Doing a few extraordinary things might make you
complacent, and ready to rest on your laurels. But then you run the risk
of slipping back into ordinary behaviors. Always ask yourself if what
you’re doing is ordinary or extraordinary and then give that little
extra if needed.
#18 Henry David Thoreau on Hitting the Target
“You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your might.” ~Henry David Thoreau | Tweet this
Thoreau points out that it’s not enough to get yourself focused in
the right direction, but also to give as much effort as possible to
propel yourself forward. The situation can arise where you know exactly
where you want to go, but you just can’t muster up the motivation to
build up the momentum to get you there. Another point to consider is
that you can spend a lot of energy and give a lot of action, but if
you’re not pointed in the right direction you won’t end up where you
want to be. Both are necessary for true success and progress.
#19 Elizabeth Barrett Browning on How to Use Today
“Light tomorrow with today.” ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning | Tweet this
Today is your opportunity to make your tomorrow better. If you think
of it from the point that your today is the result of your yesterdays,
it’s clear that what you are doing today is either moving your forward
or moving you backward. That’s why you want to grab today by the horns
and make the most of it as you can. Do that enough times and you’ll
start to see signs that your todays are getting better, which only sets
you up better and better for tomorrow. You can find yourself in negative
or positive spiral based on how well you are spending your days.
#20 Will Rogers on Keeping on the Right Track
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” ~Will Rogers | Tweet this
It’s often hard just getting on the right track, but you have to
remember that once you’re there it’s no place to idle. You’ve got to not
only get on the right track, but move yourself forward along that track
once you make it there. If it took you a long time to get on the right
track, you may find it daunting to have to still give a strong effort to
stay on it. But things get easier as you go along, and once you have
the hang of it it’s easy to stay on the right track and keep the pace so
you don’t get run over.
#21 Mary Kay Ash on Overcoming Roadblocks
“When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” ~Mary Kay Ash | Tweet this
Sounds easy enough, but it’s not our natural instinct. The natural
instinct is to either get discouraged and give up, or ram up against the
roadblock until we knock ourselves out. But what’s so bad about taking
the long way around as long as you get to your final destination. It
does take a bit of belief that the detour is still leading you to where
you want to go, and it takes mental fortitude to not get sidetracked
along the way and lose sight of where you’re going. Once you remove time
from the equation and give yourself room to breathe you can actually
enjoy taking the scenic route to your goals and dreams.
#22 Babe Ruth and the Right Mindset
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” ~Babe Ruth | Tweet this
The Great Bambino struck out over a thousands times in his career, so
he saw his fair share of swings and misses. But it mentality was right
on. He knew that each time he got a strike, or swung and missed the
ball, he was one step closer to knocking it out of the park. This is
easy to apply in life rather than baseball, because if you’re swinging
you’re trying, you’re attempting to get that hit. And with enough swings
and adjustments you’ll eventually make contact and get that home run
you’re wanting. You can never get a home run if you don’t swing at the
ball.
#23 Theodore Roosevelt on the Importance of Belief
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” ~Theodore Roosevelt | Tweet this
The power of belief can’t be overstated, and it’s summed up nicely
here. Without belief you’ll never get there, so believing that you can
is crucial to the process. Believing that you can do it summons the
forces of the universe behind you to help you along. Doubting yourself
and whether or not you can do it means that you’ll only give
half-hearted effort, and you won’t be nearly as powerful as you could
be. Belief can come with time, so don’t feel you have to believe you can
do it all, just believe that you can accomplish the first step in
getting there.
#24 Napoleon Hill Shares the Best Time to Start
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” ~Napoleon Hill | Tweet this
It always seems like something’s just not right in order to start
something new in your life. But the timing may never be perfect, you
just have to get it started so that things can begin to develop. You
make things right as you go along, and you tinker with the process to
account for what’s not perfect. As things pick up steam and build
momentum you’ll realize that the “just right thinking was just an excuse
to delay the start or procrastinate. You’ll thank yourself for starting
even though it seemed like it wasn’t the best time to do so.
#25 George Addair on Getting Everything You Want
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” ~George Addair | Tweet this
Imagine there’s a door marked Fear and behind that door is all of the
things you’ve wished for all of your life. You try to open the door and
it’s locked. The key is overcoming that fear so that you can have the
things you want and be the person you’ve always wanted to be. Fear is a
tricky demon to exorcise. It’s different for each of us, and isn’t
always a very strong feeling. It is sometimes a low-level vibration,
that slight underlying feeling of dread that bubbles up when thinking of
doing something new or venturing into the unknown.
#26 Karen Lamb on Getting Started Today
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” ~Karen Lamb | Tweet this
What things did you start a year ago that you’re glad you started
back then? If nothing comes to mind it’s high time you start something
today that you can be proud of a year from now. If you’ve already got
something in the works, project things out a year from now and imagine
how excited you’ll be that you already got it going. A year is a long
enough time to see some real progress in your efforts, and you are often
enjoying the fruits of your labors from a year ago or more. Start
something today if you don’t have any irons in the fires.
#27 George Eliot on Staying Optimistic
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” ~George Eliot | Tweet this
As long as you’re alive it’s not too late to become the person you
really want to be. No matter how bad you might have screwed things up in
the past, or no matter how far off course you’ve gotten from what you
really want to do, you can always turn it around. It doesn’t take an
overhaul in most cases. You can start taking steps towards being what
you might have been today. Start implementing little actions into your
daily routine to make up for the gap between where you are and where you
want to be.
#28 Roger Staubach on the Benefit of Giving More
“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” ~Roger Staubach | Tweet this
Not many people go the extra mile, which makes it easy for the rest
of us to get to where we want to go. They say it’s lonely at the top,
and this is because few people ever make it that far. Going the extra
mile is part of that process, and it’s a habit you can start getting
into right away if it’s not currently a part of your makeup. Try it out
on a small scale in your personal relationships, or at your current job.
As you make it a habit you’ll notice more and more opportunities to go
above and beyond, and you’ll be able to accomplish more and more.
#29 Teddy Roosevelt on How and Where to Start
“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” ~Teddy Roosevelt | Tweet this
This is a great way to look around you and see what it is you can do
with the resources you have on hand right now. Don’t say things like “if
only I had this… or “I need to do that before I can do that… as these
are just clever ways of putting things of to a future point that never
comes. The fact is there are things you could be doing right now that
will further your endeavors. Work on those and everything will start to
fall in place, you’ll be where you need to be, and you’ll have what you
need to have to get bigger things done.
#30 John Madden on Getting to Easy Street
“The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.” ~John Madden | Tweet this
It’s often enticing to dream of Easy Street as having finally made
it. But Madden reminds that it’s no picnic getting there, and you have
to pay your dues. Things do become easier, but you may have to put up
with a lot of stinky situations before getting there. Most people will
give up before getting there, and spend too much time in the sewer,
thinking that Easy Street is just a pipe dream. But the unpleasant parts
are just a way of weeding out those that really want the prize from
those that only talk about wanting it.
#31 Frederick Douglass on What Struggle Means
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” ~Frederick Douglass | Tweet this
Struggle often feels like a lack of progress, so it’s nice to turn it
on its head and realize that it’s actually the way progress is made. If
you’re not struggling you’re probably not challenging yourself enough.
The important part is not to let struggle deter you from making that
progress. Step one is learning to view struggling as a positive thing,
rather than a negative thing. Then you won’t be so hard on yourself if
you find that you’re struggling again. It just means you’re learning,
growing, and taking on enough to keep you busy.
#32 Tim Ferriss on Doing What You Fear
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” ~Tim Ferriss | Tweet this
You can use your fear to point you in the direction of what is most
important to you, rather than be hard on yourself for feeling fear in
the first place. If you aren’t afraid of doing something, it generally
means you don’t find it very important, or you wouldn’t have that fear.
In this way fear can help us drill down to the things that we simply
must do. Part of that is going to entail getting over that fear, or
learning to live with it so that you can still get the things done that
need getting done.
#33 Elbert Hubbard on How to Avoid Criticism
“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” ~Elbert Hubbard | Tweet this
It’s easy enough to get people to criticize you, just try something,
say something, or be something. Most are at home criticizing what others
do and say without offering their own opinions or actions. That’s why
it’s silly to worry about getting criticized. What you should really
worry about is not being criticized, because that means you’re not
putting enough of yourself out there to face the criticism. Over time
you’ll be able to brush off criticism that has no merit, and learn from
the criticism which can help you grow. It’s hard at first, because your
feelings might get hurt from the initial onslaught, but it does get
easier.
#34 Richard Bach on What Work Really Means
“The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” ~Richard Bach | Tweet this
Work can be miserable and tedious, or it can be a task you look
forward to accomplishing each day. The choice is yours, and if you want
to shift your thinking on it, try to develop a strong desire to get it
done. This will make it seem more like a game than work, and will give
you a strong sense of accomplishment when the day’s tasks are complete.
You may even feel like you didn’t really do any work, because you really
wanted to get it done. Trudging along doing work that you don’t
particularly like can be stifling, so work on wanting to get it done.
#35 Albert Einstein on How to See What’s Coming
“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” ~Albert Einstein | Tweet this
If you like watching movie previews before a film, you may like the
idea of your imagination acting as your own sneak peek of what to
expect. That’s because you dream it up in your brain first before it
happens. This can work to your benefit, but also to your detriment, so
be sure to use it advantageously and imagine your life the way you want
it, rather than the way you don’t want it. If you aren’t actively using
your imagination you’ll grow stagnant, and you’ll notice that your life
hasn’t really been improving or worsening, just kind of hovering in the
same spot.
#36 Marsha Sinetar on the Best Way to Make Money
“Do what you love and the money will follow.” ~Marsha Sinetar | Tweet this
They say you should think of what you want to do when you retire, and
start doing it now. That way you’ll know that you’re doing something
you love, and if you do that long enough you should be able to start
charging for it. Going after the money is not a good method because
you’ll typically end up doing work you don’t really enjoy just for a
paycheck. If you’re stuck at a job you don’t like make sure that you’re
doing what you love in your free time so you can eventually replace that
income.
#37 Gary Player on Hard Work and Luck
“The harder I work, the luckier I get.” ~Gary Player | Tweet this
It’s easy to equate success with luck, but that is often not the
case, and those that are seemingly lucky have put in the hard work to
get that way. Luck has been described as the moment when preparation
meets opportunity, so you have to put in the work to get prepared for
the time when opportunity comes knocking. You may have opportunities
presented to you but you are not prepared to capitalize on them, and
therefore cannot take advantage of that lucky moment. Put in the work
and the opportunities will come and you’ll be ready for them.
#38 Frank Gehry on Bravely Going Forward
“You`ve got to bumble forward into the unknown.” ~Frank Gehry | Tweet this
The unknown is a scary place, which is why so many stay in their
comfort zones. But the unknown is also where all of the fun things in
life are created. You have to venture forth, and this quote reminds us
that it doesn’t have to be pretty when it happens. Bumbling and
stumbling is fine as long as you are leaving the familiar behind and
pushing forward. You may stub your toe or bump into things, but it’s
better than remaining still and staying in your safe places. The better
you get at being comfortable with the unknown, the more successful you
should become.
#39 Victor Kiam on What Progress Looks Like Sometimes
“Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.” ~Victor Kiam | Tweet this
Here’s some reassurance that falling flat on your face is not the end
of the world. It still represents forward progress, even though you
won’t get any style points. It’s a reminder that you won’t always have
the proper footing, and that you can recover from any mishap as long as
you continue onward. Often it seems that to make progress in our lives
we have to be perfect and unerring. But the reality is that the fear of
making a mistake can leave us frozen and not moving forward. It’s better
to lunge forward and risk falling down than not move at all.
#40 Dalai Lama on Our True Purpose
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” ~Dalai Lama | Tweet this
The Dalai Lama has a way of saying things that makes it very hard to
argue. It can’t be stated any plainer than this, and it’s easy enough to
see if you’re currently living out your life’s purpose or not. It also
makes it clear which things serve your purpose, and which take away from
it. If you’ve been pondering your purpose lately, this is a quick way
to get grounded again, and to take an inventory of what’s working and
what’s not in your life. You may find another purpose for your life, but
underneath it all is this deeper underlying purpose.
#41 James Allen on Being a Dreamer
“The dreamers are the saviors of the world.” ~James Allen | Tweet this
Those that dare to dream move the world forward. Everything that’s
ever been accomplished by mankind started off as a dream in someone’s
mind before it became a reality. That includes the city and country you
live in, the house where you reside, and the car that you drive. It’s
all thanks to the dreamers out there, and you can be one of them, just
as long as you make it a priority to dream and then carry out the
visions of your dreams. The real saviors are those that dream and then
follow through on their dreams with inspired action.
#42 Henry David Thoreau on the Cost of Everything
“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” ~Henry David Thoreau | Tweet this
This is true and gives new meaning to the phrase time is money. The
reason people have so much emotion wrapped up in money is the time it
takes to attain it. When you buy something and exchange money for it,
what you’re really exchanging is the time it took you to earn the money,
so your time is what really paid for everything you have in your life.
Looking at money as your life energy will either make you feel better
about it, or worse, depending on how much you have and how hard you feel
you’ve worked to obtain it.
#43 Russell Warren on What Obsessed Really Means
“Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” ~Russell Warren | Tweet this
If you’re dedicated to your work and forego other activities in order
to see it through you may be dubbed obsessed by those that don’t have
as much passion for what they’re doing. You may be referred to as a Mad
Scientist while you toil away, but when you have your vision locked into
achieving your goals and dreams, everything else has a way of fading
into the background. If you’re truly interested in seeing yourself
succeed it’s good to become obsessed with it, because the more you think
about something the more likely it is that it will come to you.
#44 Denise Brennan-Nelson on Putting Things Off
“Someday is not a day of the week.” ~Denise Brennan-Nelson | Tweet this
We’ve all heard that someday never comes, but it’s just too
effortless to push things back to that very vague “someday. It’s a way
of rationalizing that you might do something, or might get something one
day, just not today. But the reality is that it’s probably not going to
happen, you just can’t bear the thought of it not happening. It’s hard
to monitor yourself for this type of thinking, but you’ll want to do
your best to eradicate it from your mind. If it’s really important to
you, set a deadline for it or you probably won’t ever end up getting it
done.
#45 Beverly Sills on Taking Shortcuts
“There are no short cuts to any place worth going.” ~Beverly Sills | Tweet this
These days it seems like everyone is trying to get there faster than
everywhere else, but what’s the rush? If it’s something worthwhile it’s
worth doing it right and enjoying the journey along the way. If you take
a shortcut you miss out on the full experience, and you miss the point.
Don’t be afraid to put in the time it takes to get to where you want to
go. If you stop looking for a shortcut and spend that time going down
the right path, you’ll get there right when it’s the perfect time for
you.
#46 Arthur Christopher Benson Brings
“Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.” ~Arthur Christopher Benson | Tweet this
You take yourself with you wherever you go, so running off to a new
place is no way to escape. You’ll just end up replicating the same
patterns that got you where you are in the first place. But if you work
on changing habits that don’t serve you, and replacing them with ones
that do you’ll notice that you no longer feel like you have to escape
from the situation, and can feel more comfortable in your surroundings.
You can still use a change of scenery to help uproot you from your rut
and make lasting changes.
#47 Ben Hogan on How to Get the Advantage
“If you can’t outplay them, outwork them.” ~Ben Hogan | Tweet this
There will be times in your life when you’re outmatched. There will
always be someone better out there, but that just means you have to find
other ways to beat them. The one thing you have control of is your own
work ethic. You can be sure to outwork them by giving it more than they
will or are able to. This extra work translates to a better ability the
next time you’re matched up against them, shifting the odds of winning
to your favor. So remember, all is not lost when you find yourself
outplayed, you just have to remember to put in the extra work to pull
off the victory.
#48 Alan Kay on Inventing the Future
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” ~ Alan Kay | Tweet this
This is a slight twist on the more familiar quote which states the
best way is to create it. What would you expect from an inventor but to
adjust it accordingly. It’s true that the future does not yet exist, so
it’s possible to come up with a version of it that suits you best.
Either way, you’re going to invent your future, so put your best efforts
into creating the future you want, rather than one you won’t be happy
with. Just be sure not to spend so much time pondering your future that
you miss the present moment where life actually takes place.
#49 Billie Jean King on What Makes a Champion
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” ~Billie Jean King | Tweet this
Think of how many people quit playing before they become a champion.
Perhaps they might have made it if they just would have kept playing,
making adjustments, and getting better at their craft. If you want to
experience more success all you have to do is keep practicing, keep
playing against better opponents, and keep learning all that you can.
With enough perseverance you’ll find that you become a champion because
you’ve spent time “in the trenches and now you know your game better
than anyone else and you are dubbed a champion. This is not just
applicable to sports, but to several areas of personal development.
Which areas of your life do you want to become a champion in?
#50 Norman Vincent Peale on Changing Your World
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” ~Norman Vincent Peale | Tweet this
It seems like it would be easy enough to change your world if all it
takes is changing your thoughts, but thoughts aren’t the easiest thing
in the world to change. Many of the thoughts a person has each day are
the result of habitual thinking, thinking the same thoughts again and
again, day after day. It takes work to try and undo this sort of
thinking and have new thoughts. But if you can manage to think more
positive thoughts, your world will become more positive. The opposite is
also true, which is why you should pay attention to the way your
thoughts make you feel.
#51 Arnold Palmer on Bringing Your A Game
“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.” ~Arnold Palmer | Tweet this
Giving it your all is hard enough, but when the odds are stacked
against you it becomes very tempting to just pack it up and go home. But
if the odds aren’t in your favor you have to give it as much effort as
you possibly can if you hope to come out on top. Only you know if you’re
giving your full effort, so this becomes a battle with yourself more
than anything else. Learning to get the most out of yourself is a trick
that the most successful achievers have mastered.
#52 Mario Andretti on Being a Bit Out of Control
“If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough.” ~Mario Andretti | Tweet this
This is an interesting concept to grasp, since many of us long for
feeling like we have everything under control. But if that’s the case
then it means you’re not getting as much done as you could. If you can
reach a point where you feel comfortable with things being a little out
of control you’ll be able to get more done and have a fuller experience.
Leave it to a race car driver to come up with a quote about speed, but
this is easily applicable to everyday life, by taking a look at how many
balls you’re juggling and whether you feel challenged enough. Be able
to give up some control in order to push your boundaries.
#53 Pablo Picasso on the Importance of Action
“Action is the foundational key to all success ~Pablo Picasso | Tweet this
Without action nothing gets done. The key is not doing action for the
sake of action, but taking inspired action that is in line with your
bigger picture. Many people stay “busy all day, but don’t really get a
lot accomplished. The difference between being busy and taking inspired
action is great. You rarely feel flustered or overwhelmed when you are
taking action based on a strong desire to reach your goals. But it’s
easy to feel frustrated and frantic when you are just completing actions
in order to have something to do.
#54 David Livingston on Making Progress
“I will go anywhere as long as it is forward.” ~David Livingston | Tweet this
Time moves in one direction, and your life should be moving in that
same direction if you want to have the most satisfaction from it.
Forward is the only way to go, it’s the direction of life. If you’re not
moving forward, growing, expanding, taking on new challenges, you’re
moving backward, shrinking, atrophying, and eventually dying. Don’t send
yourself to an early grave, keep your eyes forward and your mind active
so that you can keep moving in the direction of life, growth, and fun.
It doesn’t really matter which destination you end up in, as long as it
represents forward progress in your life.
#55 Joe Namath on Giving It Your All
“If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all? ~Joe Namath | Tweet this
The goal is getting there, and if you don’t plan on going all the way
in order to get there, it’s best not to start the journey in the first
place. It’s possible to start a new project in your life, get halfway
there, and then stop. But the rewards come at the end, and if you didn’t
commit to going all the way, giving it everything you have, and
sticking it out until the end, why bother starting in the first place.
The point he seems to be trying to make is that at one point you wanted
to finish this, which is why you started, so be sure to go all the way,
as you originally intended.
#56 Yoda Explains Why There’s No Try
“Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” ~Yoda | Tweet this
Yoda dropped one of his most famous phrases on Luke when Luke said he
would try to move the sunken ship. He pointed out a very true
statement. You either accomplish what you set out to do, or you don’t,
there is no in between, no gray area called try. Choose to do that one
thing that you’ve been “trying to do but have yet to succeed at. Feel
that satisfaction that comes with knowing that you did, and that you
didn’t just try, or you didn’t do not. You must unlearn what you have
learned.
#57 Ted Williams on Consistent Improvement
“Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it.” ~Ted Williams | Tweet this
It’s natural to want to quit in the early goings, since that’s when
it is typically the hardest. But the trick is if you stay with it,
you’ll learn how to get better at it, more efficient, more effective,
and then you’ll become proficient at it. It’s the process of learning
through doing, and if you quit too soon you never end up getting to the
point where you have mastered it. Think back to times in your life when
you weren’t good at something at first, but eventually got better as you
went along. Even the act of tying your shoes once was a challenge, but
now you don’t even think about the steps involved.
#58 Scott Reed on Staying with Our Goals
“Choosing a goal and sticking to it changes everything.” ~Scott Reed | Tweet this
Getting a goal is not enough, you have to stick with it if you want
to accomplish it. The reason that sticking to it changes everything is
that it means you’ll actually achieve your goal and then you can
establish your next goal from a totally different place. It’s good not
to set too many goals from the place where you are now, because after
achieving a few of them you’ll be in a different place, and you can make
better goals from there. You don’t want to limit yourself by your
current situation. Knock out a few goals first and then reevaluate what
you want to do from your new place.
#59 Jim Rohn on What to Wish For
“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.” ~Jim Rohn | Tweet this
They say you should be careful what you wish for because you just
might get it. In this case if you are going to be wishing, it’s better
to wish that you were better able to handle the task at hand, rather
than wishing for an easier task. It’s may seem like a subtle shift, but
it takes the focus off of the difficulty of what’s in front of you, and
turns it inward so that you can grow to the challenge. It’s better for
you to grow than for the challenge to shrink, because you always want to
be improving and getting better.
#60 Ralph Waldo Emerson the Power of Small Things
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson | Tweet this
Not just the creation of a thousand forests, but thousands of wooden
products like desks and chairs. That acorn has a lot to offer, so don’t
be discouraged if the tasks you’re completing seem miniscule. The
potential of each little thing you do is great, and can lead to big
things. You can also look at your ideas as the acorn, with so much
abundance locked within, all that is required is the proper nutrition to
get it to grow and produce more seeds, more ideas to grow into big
trees. There are many ways to look at this saying, but its core message
is that big things come in small packages.
#61 Wayne Gretzky Talks About Taking Shots
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” ~ Wayne Gretzky | Tweet this
It’s true enough that you may miss a shot if you take it, but at
least you took it. It’s far better than being a spectator of life,
watching other people take the shots and only wishing you had the guts
to get out there and give it a go. If you’re looking to get inspired to
do something great you have no further to look than this quote which
reminds us that it’s not very important if the shot goes in, but rather
that you had the courage to get the shot off, and even more so that you
were in the game to begin with.
#62 Vince Lombardi on Getting Back Up
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” ~Vince Lombardi | Tweet this
Getting knocked down is a part of life, and if you stay down you’re
not going to get very far. Getting back up is the key to success in all
areas of life, business, finances, relationships, and health. There are
surely moments in your life where you’ve been knocked down, but you
found a way to pick yourself back up and carry on. Use these memories as
a highlight reel to help you get back up more quickly the next time you
get knocked down. It’s easy to do it again when you’ve confirmed you’ve
done it before.
#63 Napoleon Hill on the Basics of Achievement
“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~Napoleon Hill | Tweet this
This is an amazing quote that may sound simple but has a lot behind
it. It’s saying that whatever you can dream up in this life, you can
achieve. But it brings up an important element, one that many overlook.
You have to believe that you can achieve it, which is the part that
trips up most people. You can have a big goal, or a big dream, but if
you don’t believe you deserve it, or you don’t believe you can
accomplish it, you won’t. Spend equal time on building up your belief
and dreaming about what you want to accomplish.
#64 Howard Ruff on Being Prepared
“It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” ~Howard Ruff | Tweet this
Being prepared is one thing, but this quote is asking you to take it
to the next level. Noah was tipped off that the flood was coming, but
life doesn’t always work out that way. You almost have to assume that
something bad is going to happen at some point in your future, so why
wait until it occurs to try to deal with it then? Prepare yourself for a
disaster and if it doesn’t come even better. But if it does you’ll be
able to handle it better and get through it more easily. It’s not a form
of negative thinking to prepare for hardship, in fact it is a way of
preserving your positive thinking even through rough times.
#65 Doug Ivester on Continually Dreaming
“Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.” ~Doug Ivester | Tweet this
Memories represent your past, and your dreams represent your future.
The wisdom of this quote is that you should always have more planned for
your future than what you’ve accomplished in the past. Getting
nostalgic is one thing, but if you get to the point where you feel like
your best days are behind you it can get pretty boring and desolate.
Always have a dream to be working towards rather than sitting around
thinking of the yesterdays gone by. Memories are still cherishable, but
shouldn’t be your point of focus. Keep your eye on the future so you
will always be creating new memories of great times.
