#10 shots of motivation for you
Motivational quotes are like espresso shots. They help you feel energised and get into a mindset that says - Yes, I can crack whatever comes my way!
Can a motivational quote help you to succeed?
People may ask-How is that?
Else every second person could have been a millionaire just reading through the quotes.
Millionaire joke aside - you could be spurred to success if you take the time to understand the deeper meaning and iterate it in your thoughts rigorously.
In a spiritual genius of commanding intellect, Swami Vivekananda said, “We are what our thoughts have made us - so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live - they travel far.”
Success may mean different things to people – it could range from acquiring wealth, career, solid relationships, reputation and some more. When we come across successful people, we see at first sight the indicators typifying success i.e. abundance and soaring careers, but these are not manifested overnight. Success indicators come about because of visualising the result, sheer grit and their continual positive affirmations. Success many-a-times takes a longish process of staying alert, spotting opportunities, overcoming hurdles & pursuing the vision. Each day is an opportunity to get closer to your goals and improve yourselves to get better, and every moment starting Now..counts!
There are times when we get downed and trashed and then magically a soothing word or assuring quote comes out of the blue. It hits you hard in your inner recesses, resonates with your inner being and carries you forth with a second wind. I speak from personal experiences here and love to share 10 quotes that were a pick-me-up for me, when I wasn’t actually looking for them.
- “Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” Swami Sivananda
Swami - a spiritual teacher and proponent of Yoga, taught key success factors to his students. He explained the value of the Now and how this single moment is the only moment you will ever get to act and do what is right to fulfil your purpose. Fantasising about the future that has not happened and brooding over past events is a waste of this moment, and only throws you into illusions. Remaining alert in the moment and immersing oneself fully into the task, protects you from distractions and allows a quality effort to be expended on the task.
- “It’s very hard to fail completely if you aim high” Larry Page
Google co-founder Larry Page - has understood this one through experience. A stretch goal needs strong and consistent effort as you labour endlessly towards your goal. But what if you do fail?
According to Larry, this setback is not Total as there will have been a wealth of learning generated from the sheer efforts and results. The learning comes in handy to fine tune your renewed efforts and hit back the trail.
- “None can destroy iron but its own rust can! Likewise, none can destroy a person, but its own mindset can” Ratan Tata
The former chairman of Tata Sons in an interview shared that a successful person has control over heart and mind while handling any life situation. A positive approach produces most favorable effects while a negative mindset diverts away from the goal.
- “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” Barack Obama
Change always starts from inside out! It was this trigger that motivated people to reflect and act on the change that they wanted to see in their environment and the thought turned into a movement.
- "Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out" John Wooden
Passing through tough situations might harden some and then there are those that are so adaptable they change themselves or the situation to make a new ending.
- “Learn by mistakes of successful people, not from their success story” Jack Ma
Chinese Internet Mogul and founder of Alibaba had this to say during an interview - for one success we make hundreds of mistakes and even more. If we will look at the mistakes of successful people, we are going to learn hundreds of lessons but if we see the success story, it will tell us only that one thing. Mistakes will teach us hundreds of things not to do, but success story will tell us the only one thing to do.
- “A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others” Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand – acclaimed novelist and philosopher focussed on the task as absolute. Drawing unnecessary references and parallels causes distraction. A creative person can only focus on the creative aspect if the mental noise is unpolluted by destructive thoughts.
- “Success is not a key to happiness. Happiness is a key to success. If you love what you do, you will be successful”
Albert Schwitzer is a French-German philosopher who explained - one needs to remember that an individual’s happiness cannot and should not be shackled with the burden of success. The journey itself is happiness and one takes this journey in a positive state of mind and this state becomes supportive for the individual to reach its milestone.
- “Please ask yourself, what would I do if I weren’t afraid? And then go do it”Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook
Life is all about ups and down, because even a straight line in the ECG readout means death. Challenges are the guide lines on the path of life and they will be there for you to learn your lessons and improvise on your approach as you breach the hurdles. Success lies behind the fear, fear that battles you from taking challenges and jumping over to your wins.
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started” Mark Twain
Procrastination & fear have stopped many a people on the path. Start with that first step and you have actioned the journey that will generate the motivation and build on the momentum.
These quotes are the espresso shots of experiences from great minds, who put their heart and soul into their endeavours to get to where they envisioned. In my own experience, reflecting on great quotes meditatively gets me into a domain where the mind connects with other leaders, leading into a communion. This state is where you can find the answers to life’s pressing situations and recharge on invigorated towards your own success goals.
