“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.”
This quote is by former baseball player Steve Garvey. The quote isn’t just about reaching for the stars and having ambitious goals. Instead, it’s about the consequence of not having ambitious goals. Therefore, the key message here is being stuck. Without setting goals that are almost out of reach, we inevitably find ourselves stuck with things that are far below our talent and potential.
“A river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but its persistence.”
It’s fascinating to realize that water causes the formation of caves, canyons, and valleys. It’s a process geologist refer to as downcutting. Rivers slowly erode rocks, cutting away at them bit by bit to form canyons and valleys. Meanwhile, water slowly drips into rock layers, dissolving the rock and creating open spaces within to form caves. These natural processes take millions of years. This quote, by Jim Watkins, reminds us to be like the water. It may not be the strongest or most powerful element on earth; however, we can never underestimate what is possible with consistency and persistence.
“Failure is the only opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
Failure provides some of the best learnings and insights. But sometimes we don’t try again at that thing we failed at. This quote, by Henry Ford, reminds us to take advantage of the opportunity to try again. It reminds us to apply the knowledge that failure brings. Sadly, so many endeavors go unaccomplished when failure is perceived as an end to their pursuit instead of as a new and better beginning.
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
Imagine being behind the steering wheel with no say or control on where your car turns or arrives. That’s similar to what happens when we don’t make the unconscious conscious. This quote, by psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Carl Jung, reminds us that if we’re not aware of the things that direct our lives, they will continue to direct our lives without us knowing. Therefore, we fail to redirect our path for the better because we’re unaware we need to. You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. So how do you make the unconscious conscious? It takes more reflection, mindfulness, and metacognitive awareness along with less denial. If necessary (and…
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing [themself].”
From a young age, we develop a desire to change the world. Whether it’s the answers we gave as kids when asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” or the careers we take on as adults, there’s a deep-seated desire to “make a difference.” It’s human nature to pursue things that make us feel like we matter. However, this quote, by Leo Tolstoy, is a reminder that most of us are not spending enough time thinking about how we might change ourselves. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to change the world, a tunnel vision focus on this can make us blind to the changes that…
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
When we do something by accident, it simply means we do something we didn’t intend to do. We may take a wrong turn, press a wrong button, or forget to turn something on/off by accident. This quote, from former soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento (aka Pelé), reminds us that the same doesn’t apply to success. Instead, success is on purpose. It happens with intention. More precisely, with “hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, [and] love of what you are doing or learning to do.” In other words, we can’t sit on the sidelines and wait for success to happen by accident. Rather, one and most likely all of the…
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“If you’re reading this… Congratulations, you’re alive. If that’s not something to smile about, then I don’t know what is.”
“There is no such thing as a ‘self-made’ man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”
Step 1: Motivation. Step 2: Climb
Living Life Poetically: The Psychology of the Calm Mind
This is the second of a two-part poem series looking into the psychology of the calm mind. Check out the previous poem, “The Psychology of the Worried Mind”, here. Instead of personifying a mind that’s worried, “The Psychology of the Calm Mind” personifies a mind that’s calm. Again, a bit of imagination needed here as we psychoanalyze what it’s like inside a calm mind. If you’re needing more peace and serenity (as we all are from time to time), perhaps this window into what that looks like can be a source of inspiration. The Psychology of the Calm Mind While the worried mind seeks to find what will be tomorrow,The…
“Change your opinions, keep to your principles. Change your leaves, keep your roots intact.”
This quote comes from Victor Hugo, who’s best known for Les Miserables and Notre Dame de Paris. During his lifetime, Hugo was obstinate when it came to his principles. Some of them were unpopular and ostracizing. But after several years of exile, he still hung on to certain core values. He also never forgot where he came from–his roots. This quote is a reminder that even though our opinions may change, we can still follow guiding principles of right, wrong, fairness, justice, honesty, kindness, integrity, etc. In other words, you might change your mind and realize you don’t really like broccoli but still believe vegetables are good for you. This…
Living Life Poetically: The Psychology of the Worried Mind
This is part one of a short two-part poem series looking into the psychology of the worried mind. A poem on the psychology of the calm mind will follow. “The Psychology of the Worried Mind” personifies a mind that’s worried. Put on your imagination hat for a second and imagine being able to psychoanalyze a worried mind. This poem is the result of doing just that. If you happen to be worried about something, perhaps it will give you a glimpse into your mind. Moreover, this inspection may lead to reflection, a deeper understanding, and a renewed path to peace. The Psychology of the Worried Mind The worried mind seeks…
“Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo.”
This quote, by poet and writer John Sinclair, reminds us that failure may hurt for a little bit. However, whatever pain or disappointment we feel is not meant to last forever, like a tattoo. Rather, like a bruise, the pain and disappointment goes away. Also like a bruise that heals, with cells that regenerate, failure has a way of healing us. When we handle failure the right way, it should regenerate us into a new and better version of ourselves.
