“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
This quote is by the famous American Jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was also a civil rights activist who faced many setbacks during her time, yet she broke many barriers in the entertainment industry. Know this background helps us appreciate what she says in this quote even more. Pursuing our goals might be difficult, but if we’re doing them out of love and inspiration, we’re on the right track. So we can press on boldly and with confidence, knowing we can’t go wrong. Because if we succeed, we’ve put something good out there. And even if we don’t succeed, we’ve at least created some good in the process.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along’.”
This quote, by Eleanor Roosevelt, is simple. It’s about the strength, courage, and confidence we gain whenever we face our fears. Each time we face our fears, we are emboldened to face the next one because we aren’t the same person we were. Something in us changes, and we face new challenges at a higher level than before.
“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,…
“Becoming is better than being.”
A common question during a job interview or performance review is “Where do you see yourself in five years?” But we seldom get asked how we’ll get there. The focus is more on being there. This quote, from the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck, is about enjoying the process. Getting there could be a great experience in and of itself, depending how we perceive that process. On the one hand, we can perceive it as an unfortunate inconvenience or hindrance to where we want to be. But on the other hand, we can perceive the process not as an obstacle but a catalyst–as the means…
You May Also Like
A Path to Understanding and Discovery More About Who You Are
Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.
“Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.”
“If you work on something a little bit every day, you end up with something that is massive.”
A bird’s nest is made of so many twigs, dry grass, and moss that have been procured from near and far and then carefully and properly placed. The pieces are small and light. However, they result in a fairly sturdy and livable structure. Imagine all the back and forth trips and all the little pieces that come together to build that nest–something so necessary and impactful. Naturally and instinctively, the bird knows it needs to add little things, bit by bit, to build something massive. And we should remember that too, in our own lives. This quote, by Kenneth Goldsmith, reminds us that it’s okay to work on something little…
“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.”
This quote, by Stephen R. Covey, is about reflecting on what’s deeply important to you as the first step to establishing a clear path to each day. In a way, the things that are really important to you serve as a compass as you navigate each day–as you navigate life. The more consistently you keep those things in mind, the more you’ll find yourself consistently and naturally doing what matters most in accordance to those things. It’s all about reorienting your focus. For example, if it’s family, you’ll find yourself spending more time with them. If it’s being able to travel and see the world, you’ll find yourself conscious of…
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
The originator of this quote is unknown. It’s a saying that goes back well over a hundred years, appearing in different variations. However, this version most captures the essence of the quote. It reminds us of a simple and often unconscious progression that can influence our destiny or future. From our thoughts to our words, and from our words to our actions. Next, those actions become habits that form our character, which ultimately affects our future. What’s most striking about this quote is how it begins–to watch our thoughts. So let’s ask ourselves, are our thoughts mostly positive or negative? Where do they lead and direct our future?
You May Also Like
“Everything you do, every thought you have, every word you say creates a memory that you will hold in your body. It’s imprinted on you and affects you in subtle ways – ways you are not always aware of. With that in mind, be very conscious and selective.”
“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.”
Anxiety Part 2: How Knowing the Way Anxiety Develops Can Reduce Shame, Increase Understanding, and Inspire Action
“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”
Getting what you want all the time seems like the most ideal way to live. There’s nothing that will ever disappoint you. However, according to this quote by Dalai Lama, sometimes not getting what we want is luck. Sometimes, that helps make the moments we do get what we want much sweeter. We appreciate the blessings we do have a bit more. Perhaps what we wanted could have led us down the wrong path. Or maybe, what we wanted is not best for us now but better at another point in time. So next time we don’t get what we want, let’s consider these possibilities. We just don’t know what…
“Begin to see yourself as a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul.”
This quote, by Wayne Dyer, has a way of making us think beyond the here and now–beyond the things that may be weighing us down and beyond our physical being. We are all so much more than our occupation, physical appearance, accomplishments, and shortcomings. It’s important to take care of our body. But in addition to that, how can we take care of our soul? It’s a part of us that’s all our own. One that can never be duplicated or imitated.
You May Also Like
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
“Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.”
“The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s what you’re made of. Not the circumstances.”
