A latest in a new series by my husband, who happens to be a great writer and one heck of a motivator!
From my last post I had two big take-a-ways. First, a lot of people liked it, which is very flattering. Second, others pointed out that while they liked it, it was rather cliché.
I thought about that and they were right. Just about everything I said had been said many times before, by great men and women. Being cliché has a negative connotation, but I am not sure it should. We all need reminding every once in a while about things we already know. Hearing or reading motivational comments is like practice for our mental strength. A basketball player knows how to play the game, but still needs to practice to keep sharp. The same is true for each of us in life.
So here are a few of my favorite quotes that I like to think about and re-read every so often:
“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right” – Henry Ford. One of the most cliché and yet one of my favorite. I am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking.
“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” – Anna Quindlen. Much easier said than done, but well worth the effort.
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar. Love it…just start and things will happen. Far too often we over think something so much that it never even gets off the ground. Better known as paralysis by analysis.
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their mind to be.” – Abraham Lincoln. It is all about how you want to approach life.
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” – Walt Disney. It sure is. It is even a blast just trying to do the impossible.
“There are no short cuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills. Something I wish I had learned a long time ago…and I am still learning today. I have learned that the journey can be a lot of fun.
“In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy.” Jean Paul Getty. This is so true in business. When things are moving fast and changing rapidly, you cannot rely on experience alone.
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” – Aldous Huxley. I love this one because we all do this. Ignore facts because we don’t want to deal with them. We need to hit life head on, accept reality, and change what we can.
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West. Mae has some great quotes, but this one is her best. As I said last time, you want to be able to look back on your life and say, “Well that was fun.”.
Okay…I could go on forever here. The point is to seek out ways to reinforce what you already know. Become your own life coach. Whether it is taking a few minutes in the morning to read motivational quotes (in my previous job I would write one up on my white board everyday for all to see) or just throwing in a book that motivates you in between novels every once in a while (it can be a book you have read before). Find a way to train. That’s all this is, just training for life.
