“The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s what you’re made of. Not the circumstances.”
It’s interesting to note that boiling water can both soften a potato and harden an egg. If we think of the boiling water as challenges in life, then those challenges can either make us weaker (soften us) or make us stronger (harden us). This anonymous quote reminds us that the same boiling water–same circumstances–can have different effects. In other words, the circumstances are not what automatically determine our outcome. It all depends what we’re made of. It depends on the composition of our mind, body, and soul.
“The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.”
It’s one thing to be afraid of making a mistake. Being afraid of messing up is a natural feeling when you want to do something well. However, when that fear is constant and preoccupying, it becomes unhealthy. This quote, by John C. Maxwell, reminds us of that. It reminds us that living with a constant fear of making a mistake is one of the greatest mistakes we can make. It’s a mistake that can make us shy away from difficulties and challenges and prevent us from taking chances or trying new things. So, instead of having a constant fear of making a mistake, it’s best to understand that mistakes are…
“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.
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Tim Notke, a high school basketball coach, once said during a motivational speech to his players that “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” This couldn’t be more true. Talent alone gets us nowhere without hard work. A person can be one of the most talented people in the world. However, if they don’t use their talent, it’s wasted and doesn’t get them very far. They could be exceptionally gifted intellectually or physically. Yet they only achieve a fraction of what they’re capable of. Meanwhile, someone with much less talent (that’s applied) has a greater potential to go further. This quote reminds us to use the gifts we’re…
You May Also Like
Living Life Poetically: At the Water’s Edge
“Someday, somehow, this will all make sense.”
“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.”
“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.
“Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits.”
No one ever becomes a professional athlete or marathon runner without ever once pushing themself beyond their limits. That person must train to be at the level they are in. It’s that extra mile–those extra reps–that redefine what they can achieve. If they would stop or go easy every time they feel the’ve reached their max, they would never grow but plateau. This idea not only applies to fitness but other aspects of life that challenge us. However, when challenges mount, the first thing we want to do is limit them. We want to make them small until we’re comfortable. But if we were to limit our challenges all the…
PositLive Music: “The Climb”
“The Climb” Written by: Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe Released: March 5, 2009 This song is about overcoming the obstacles we face in life. The songwriters experienced their own obstacles in the music business. So they wrote this song about their experience (Source)–acknowledging that life is not a race but a journey–a climb. Select PositLive Music: Lyrical Playlist to view all playlist songs as they’re being added.Select Exploring New Ways to PositLive to read about the inspiration for PositLive Music. “The Climb”: Cover sung by Point of Grace The Climb: Original Lyrics I can almost see it.That dream I’m dreaming, butThere’s a voice inside my head sayingYou’ll never reach it.…
“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.
“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.
“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.”
In life, change tends to be the only constant. No two years are exactly the same. Neither are two months, weeks, or days the same. So, that means no two chapters of our life are the same. Life is constantly evolving, while forcing us to evolve as well. This anonymous quote reminds us that each next level of life will demand a different version of ourselves. Would a new chapter in our life challenge us to be more compassionate–patient–understanding–knowledgable–wise-skilled? Either way, we’re forced to evolve in some way or another so we can face that new chapter. Meanwhile, our goal is to not only be willing to evolve and allow…
