“I never lose. Either I win or learn.”
Whenever someone doesn’t win, the assumption is that they lost or tied. However, this quote, by Nelson Mandela, reminds us not to think in such absolute terms when it comes to winning and losing. Moreover, it reminds us to rethink what losing actually means; or rather, what losing actually results in. Yes, it often results in sadness and disappointment–But it also results in learning. No matter what, there’s something to learn. There’s always a lesson. Unfortunately, feelings of sadness and disappointment have a way of overshadowing the lessons loss teaches us. But if we find a way to learn the lessons, then our losses are never in vain.
“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.”
This quote, by Jack Kornfield, reminds us to make peace with the fact that everything that has a beginning has an ending. Remembering this helps us accept when good things come to an end. Meanwhile, it helps us cope when bad things, or unfortunate events, present themselves. This simple fact of life is key to having a steady sense of peace and happiness.
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I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
“Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not.”
Awakening is transformative and intense. It leads to self-discovery and deeper understanding. Furthermore, it requires intention, reflection, meditation, and prayer. Often, the primary focus is to change who we are. However, this quote, by Deepak Chopra, reminds us that discarding who we are not is just as important. Because when we become less of what we are not, we become more of who we really are. We get rid of all the noise, distractions, pretenses, and imitations that obscure our path.
“Anything that makes you weak–physically, intellectually and spiritually–reject it as poison.”
A poison is anything that can cause illness or death to a living thing. This quote, by Swami Vivekananda, helps us recognize that toxic people, environments, and situations are poisonous. They make us weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually. We would undoubtably reject poison in its tangible form. However, we don’t always reject it in the other ways it can appear in our lives. So, let us remember to reject the things that cause similar harm–The things that ill or deaden our body, mind, and soul.
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
Sometimes we tend to have a much greater compassion for others than we do for ourselves. We understand when others make an unintended mistake and we’re prepared to help them in times of need. Meanwhile, we may be quick to dismiss our own hurt and pain and be less forgiving of our own mistakes. This quote, by Jack Kornfield, reminds us to not be so hard on ourselves–to also offer ourselves grace and compassion. Otherwise, our compassion is not whole but rather incomplete.
“God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.”
Metals, degrees, diplomas, and various accolades are nice to have. But what’s not so nice is being so consumed by them that we don’t see the things that really matter. Moreover, it’s not so nice when they come to define who we are–become our identity. This quote, by Elbert Hubbard, reminds us that God doesn’t care about metals, degrees, diplomas, and all other accolades we chase after. Beyond this world, these things are left behind and forgotten. However, the failures and scares that shape us will be a better indication of who we really are than any of our accomplishments. So while we pursue our goals, let’s remember that we…
“Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.”
Most buildings take more than a day to build. Each day that work is put in to it brings it closer to its completion. This illustration applies to life and our personal growth and development. Sometimes the day (today) doesn’t end up being what we hoped for. However, this quote, by Ken Poirot, reminds us that each day is an opportunity to build the tomorrow we want, whether “today” is a good or bad day. We can decide whether we want to put construction on our life on hold or do things that would make it more structurally sound tomorrow. Each day is an opportunity to choose the latter.
“If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.”
Imagine a bird picking up a stone and placing it on its wing or balancing it on its beak. The question is: Would it be able to fly? Yes, birds can fly. But clearly not if something is heavy enough to weigh them down. So they know not to fly with something like a stone. Instead, they opt for things like twigs and pebbles. Similarly, we sometimes try to fly while carrying a lot of baggage. These are things that weigh us down emotionally–mentally. This quote, by the writer Toni Morrison, reminds us to be like the birds. If we want to fly, we are going to have to give…
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
Have you ever wished you could go back in time and start over on something? Maybe you want to start over on your entire life. The desire to go back in time to change something is not uncommon. You may have had a rough start in life or on a particular endeavor. However, this quote (perhaps by the author, James Sherman), reminds us that we don’t have to be limited by the past. What we know now and do now can change our future.
“If Opportunity doesn’t Knock, Build a Door.”
Sometimes opportunities present themselves right at your feet, and all you have to do is take a small step forward. Better yet, the opportunities come knocking at your door, and you only have to invite them in. This is ideal. However, it’s not always the case. This quote, by Milton Berle, is for the many times opportunities do not come knocking. Building a door means finding an alternate route or creating that opportunity. It may mean a leap of faith. Who knows where that new door you build might lead.
