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“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.”
In the popular workbook activity, connect the dots, you typically look ahead to connect one dot to the next. But life is not a workbook activity. This quote, from Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, reminds us that, in life, you connect the dots looking backwards not forward.…
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“Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
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“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.”
This quote, by Gilda Radner, gives us a great summary of life. It’s about change, enjoying each moment, and seeing the silver lining, all the while not knowing what’s around the corner. In a nutshell, it’s about change, mindfulness, and gratitude in the midst of uncertainty. But the part of…
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“Follow your dreams. They know the way.”
“Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.”
“Understand: you are one of a kind. Your character traits are a kind of chemical mix that will never be repeated in history. There are ideas unique to you, a specific rhythm and perspective that are your strengths, not your weaknesses. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness.”
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“A bend in the road is not the end of the road…Unless you fail to make the turn.”
Life is full of twists and turns, which can make it difficult to stay on course when you have a one-track mind. Having a one-track mind is like constantly going straight and never bending the wheel. This quote, by Helen Keller, reminds us that without making the turn–being willing to…
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“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself—the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us—that’s where it’s at.”
“A change in bad habits leads to a change in life.”
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.”
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“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
This quote, by Ameilia Earhart, reminds us that when we’re faced with something scary, the hardest part of it is usually deciding to face it. To act. So often, we avoid facing this decision altogether. Unfortunately, the longer we don’t decide to act, the further that action drifts away from…
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“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.”
In 2005, Steve Jobs delivered a commencement speech at Stanford University. It’s a very thoughtful and inspiring speech. To watch or read it in full, click here. This quote is lifted from that speech, stating: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only…
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“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure.”
“Use action to cure fear and gain confidence. Do what you fear, and fear disappears.”
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
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“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
This quote, by James Baldwin, serves as a reminder that we cannot expect something to change if we’re not willing to face it. We may not be successful. “Not everything that is faced can be changed.” However, without endeavoring to make the change, nothing can be changed. Therefore, it’s much…
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“Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.”
Many authors start to write a chapter without knowing what it’s going to be called. They decide that later. The same can be said of life. We don’t know what each chapter of our life will become as we’re writing (i.e. living) it. We can only look back at the…
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“Understand: you are one of a kind. Your character traits are a kind of chemical mix that will never be repeated in history. There are ideas unique to you, a specific rhythm and perspective that are your strengths, not your weaknesses. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness.”
“Be not afraid of going slowly. Be afraid of standing still.”
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”
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“To make a change, you need to be aware and acknowledge that something isn’t working first.”
When it comes to changing something that’s not working, you first have to see that it’s not working. It seems like a no-brainer. But sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. And a much needed change may not be so evident. This quote, by Justin Kan, reminds us of…
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“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
This quote is often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson. However, it seems to have actually appeared in a 90’s Nike ad by Janet Champ and Charlotte Moore. It’s partly based on the idea of self-fulfilling prophecy. This is the notion that we will try to make our beliefs come true…
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“Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”
“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.”
“If you are unhappy with anything…Whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.”
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“You can’t fall if you don’t climb. But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground.”
In this anonymous quote, we’re reminded that with climbing, or taking action, we risk falling–i.e. failing. On the contrary, without climbing and without taking action we significantly reduce our chances of ever falling or failing. No one wants to get hurt. So it would seem living our life on the…
