“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure–which is: Try to please everybody.”
While the definition of failure is subjective, it is true that some things don’t work out. And there are a lot of reasons why they don’t work out. This quote, by the iconic journalist Herbert Bayard Swope, describes one of them as trying to please everyone. Sometimes, it’s just impossible to make everyone happy. We can absolutely try our best to do so. But there’s a certain point where trying to please everyone can paralyze you and nothing gets accomplished. It can also force you to reduce things to a level that is the most acceptable by everyone. However, as a result, you may compromise on what you envisioned, and…
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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.”
When an artist paints a picture, they are constantly working through mistakes. They might realize a color is slightly off, a brush stroke is too thick or in the wrong direction, or an object in the painting isn’t where they want it to be. So they adjust things–and it’s all in their power to do so. In the same way, we are the artists of our own lives. As this quote by Guy Finley reminds us, we have the power to let go and start over. And no person or thing can stop us from turning a new page, mixing new colors, and adjusting as we go. Meanwhile, we can…
“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.”
Sometimes we try at something and experience defeat. And that’s ok. According to this quote, by George Edward Woodberry, not trying at all is the worst kind of failure. Without actually doing something, we automatically fail. But that’s not all. We fail without ever knowing what could have been if we only tried. So, we will always wonder, what if. Additionally, we may not realize what could be our potential. Lastly, we may miss out on whatever life lessons a failure might teach us.
“You never fail until you stop trying.”
This anonymous quote forces us to ask ourselves at which point we can legitimately say we failed at something. The simple answer? We can only say we’ve failed when we’ve stopped working at it. When we stop trying, we put and end–a full stop–to whatever it is we’re trying to accomplish. Technically, that’s when it fails. So, if there’s something you really want that you feel has failed, ask yourself if you’ve stopped trying. If not, then technically it hasn’t failed. It’s still in motion.
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“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.'”
“Success is what happens after you have survived all of your disappointments.”
“No exact recipe for today. Gather all available ingredients and whip yourself up something delicious.”
“Dream big and dare to fail.”
This quote comes from Norman Vaughan who was an explorer, dogsled driver, and olympian. During his illustrious life, he was part of an expedition to The South Pole and he summited Mount Vaughan in Antarctica, which was named after him, at the age of 89. When he finally arrived at the top of the mountain after many setbacks, he gave these words of advice: To dream big and dare to fail. These are certainly words he lived by. This quote reminds us to not only dream big. That is already something we hear all the time. However, we less often hear about the most important part–the part about acting on…
“Weaknesses are just strengths in the wrong environment.”
We usually beat ourselves up for our weaknesses. Meanwhile, we celebrate our strengths. But what if we’re able to celebrate our weaknesses just as much as we celebrate what we’re good at? This quote, by Marianne Cantwell, challenges us to stop referring to our weaknesses as such. We can actually think of them as strengths. Things we may conventionally consider a weakness, like being slow, loud, soft spoken, spontaneous, or overly caution are not bad in and of themselves. They just need to be placed in an environment where they are valuable traits. So we can stop beating ourselves up for our weaknesses and know that it’s all a matter…
“Failure is success in progress.”
Imagine if how far we’ve gotten on achieving success on an endeavor was measured through a progress bar. Based on this quote by Albert Einstein, that progress bar would be filled with the word “failure”. Meaning, the more there is failure, the more we load up to success. Our failures is success in progress. So, whenever you feel like you’re not having any success on your goals due to many failures, remember that those very failures can also mean you’re moving closer toward success. Those failures are shaping and teaching you in ways you may not realize.
“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
This quote, by Joseph Campbell, talks about being willing to let go of the life you planned. This is not to say you give up easily when things don’t go according to plan or you don’t plan things out at all. There’s nothing wrong with persevering or planning your future to a T. Being able to do that is a good thing that typically sets you up for success. However, understand that sometimes things don’t work out because they aren’t meant to. They were only meant to teach you a life lesson. But the more you fixate on them, the less likely you are to see or accept any alternative,…
“Learn from others, as you would learn from your own mistakes.”
Learning from your own mistakes is one thing. However, the ability to learn from other’s experiences takes things a step further. They may have already walked a path you’re currently traveling. They know where the dead ends and stumbling blocks are. Maybe they took the wrong path entirely or made decisions that prevented them from reaching their destination. This quote, by Kazi Shams, reminds us to learn from other’s mistakes. Perhaps we can avoid making them ourselves and spare ourselves from a more difficult road ahead.
“Giving up doesn’t always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.”
In life, we’re conditioned to believe that giving up is a sign of weakness. If you’re giving up on something, it must automatically mean you’re not capable or strong enough to do that thing. However, this quote, from the book Crossing Tinker’s Knob by Inglath Cooper, turns this thinking upside-down. Sometimes giving up means we’re strong enough to let go. Sometimes it’s actually harder to give up than to keep going. Knowing when it’s time to end one course in favor of an other not only requires an incredible amount of discernment but also strength in humility.
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“How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to do what really matters most.”
A Path to Understanding and Discovery More About Who You Are
Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.
