inspiring quotes

“The Desire for a more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, Paradoxically, The acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience”

- Mark Manson

Life is a balance of positives and negatives every day. You feel happy, that’s great. You feel bad, it’s fine. Let it cool down. The balance breaks when you start expecting too much positivity.

It breaks completely when you are not ready to accept negative experiences. You need positives to inspire. You need negatives to grow. But, if you expect everything to be positive around you, it can disappoint you easily. A lot of expectations can go sideways.

Positive experiences in life are a morale boost. There is no place for second thoughts about it. It gives you the confidence to move forward. But, is it good to look for it every time? If you ask me, the answer would be No.

if I keep looking only for positive experiences in life I could lose focus on the reality that’s in my hands. To take life as it comes will become difficult. The mind only desires what you expected. It will not be ready to expect and accept the unexpected.

On the other hand, with every negative experience in life, I learn a lesson. I get a piece of reality. Understanding what went wrong and what could have been better will be easy. To grow forward will be smoother and wiser.

Take both positive and negative experiences in life. Build yourself with it. Life’s a balance that holds both good and bad equally. Taking them both and growing is the best thing to do. This quote is a piece of reality we need to keep reminding ourselves.

“Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are”

- Theodore Roosevelt

How do we take on life? You do it by taking your first step. That is how every success journey we heard so far took place. It all begins with a first step.

Always, do what you can and do it with all you have. Even if there’s nothing left for you, you have your will. It’s an indestructible asset for you. With the will you have, confidently take your first step towards your goals.

Don't look for a perfect stage to begin your journey. You have to start where you are. Possibilities and opportunities will not wait for you till you feel like you are where you want to be.

So, start where you are in life right now. It doesn't matter if you are struggling, growing, or successful. If you have to do something in life, do it from where you are. With every step you take, success becomes closer and closer. If you can do it, then do it with all your efforts, hard work, time, and energy.

We heard people saying that they are waiting for the right time. Sometimes, you can’t wait that long. You have to begin now. Achievers around us are good examples. They don’t wait for the right time. They don’t mind where they are in life. They simply do what they can with what they have. Eventually, it takes them places.

“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today”

- Will Rogers

Let’s be honest here. The past does take up too much of our time. We can’t help it. It will take some time for us to emotionally break the wall of the past and walk forward.

You cannot just come out. It’s not the right way too. You need time. Take that time. Process it. Learn from it. But to heal from it, you need to get up. Don’t stay in the ‘yesterday’ longer.

It only takes too much of your time and energy. The result will always be unproductive. We all have experienced it. Yet, we still keep doing it.

Putting our thoughts and energy to what happened in the past will wear us down physically and emotionally. But, if you look today, it’s a new start to do things better than yesterday.

Every day when you wake up, you get a chance to make things right. You can make the ‘past’ heal better by taking ‘present’ in your hands and making it happy.

Every little thing you do today can impact your happiness for tomorrow. Remind yourself that, when you look down the past, it yields no good for you and you know it.

So, start giving importance to your present. Only take the lessons from the past. Start concentrating on 'Today'. It will be easy for you to work things out with your life. Instead, don't keep spending too much of your time on 'yesterday'.

Find out the importance of facing the truth and embracing reality for personal growth. Avoid self-deception and find empowerment in truthfulness.

“Better to get Hurt but the Truth than comforted with a lie.”
- Khalid Hosseini

Truth gives freedom like no other. Truth sets you free.

For time being, lies can be comforting. When we know it’s a lie, it becomes even more devastating.

Truth takes a different form. For instance, pointing to your mistakes can make me look bad in front of you. But, people who comfort you with a lie are the ones you should be careful of in life.

Don’t comfort your life with a lie. Face everything in life with truth, even if it is bitter. This truth will not only set your heart free. It gives wonderful freedom of expression that can only be felt and not explained.

When you get hurt by the truth, you can get out of it real soon. Truth can give you a clean state free of all things that pressured you so far. When you keep comforting with a lie, you will always be under pressure and fear.

The lie can look even very good for some time. Look at the end. Somehow, in one way or another, the truth comes out. That’s the specialty of truth. It comes out, and you cannot hide it for long.

Truth is internal too. Be true to your emotions, dreams, goals, habits, behaviors and just about everything with you. Don’t comfort yourself with a lie. Your mind can take the lie, but your heart always knows what the truth is. It will never let you sleep.

By lying to yourself, you are not just hiding the truth. You are curtailing your freedom. You will be under some control.

Truth Hurts. That's okay. Get hurt with truth. It's fine. Never rely on a lie for solution. Don’t get comfort yourself with a lie.

It is amazing what you can achieve if you don’t care who gets the credits
– Harry S Truman

If you work for yourself, you will not worry about who is getting the credits. If you work for your satisfaction, you don’t need any external accolades or appreciations. This is the success route to your professional growth. Do it for yourself.

It’s amazing when we work for ourselves. Growth becomes a part of you. Talents grow into excellent skills. Confidence and self-trust grows.

Instead, if you work for credits, you can’t go for long. Especially, if the credit goes to someone else, your motivation fades quickly. Similarly, if we keep looking for appreciations, we get upset easily.

The next thing that hinders our professional life is people taking credits. It’s the bad trait that destroys work ethics and morals.

Let’s not do it.

Let’s not worry when people do it for you.

It’s definitely difficult to let go when people take your credits and steal your work.

The reality is, People, can’t go far in life when they take undeserved credits and other people’s work.

In the act of trying to expose them, you may succeed, or you may fail. Either way, you are adding stress to yourself. Let it go. That’s the least they could do.

Here’s the truth. True character always reveals itself. You don’t have to put extra efforts to expose them.

People can steal your work but people cannot take away your knowledge, skill, quality of your work and talent.

Enjoy the work. You will gain more important things than credits. Gradually, you will not care who takes the credits.

Don’t do it for acclaims. Do it for yourself. You can achieve amazing things without hassle.

Learn the empowering truth that nobody can hurt you without your permission. Embrace self-assertion and take control of your emotional well-being.

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.” - Gandhi

Looking for a good life? Then don’t let other people bring you down. Nobody or nothing can hurt you if you don’t let them in. Life can be uncomplicated when you don’t let other people hurt you.

I understand that it could not always be possible. We are surrounded by all kinds of people. Some people are good. Some people like to make other people stay happy and positive. Meanwhile, there are people who enjoy making our day miserable. But we can do one thing to handle them. Ignore and move on with our work.

Initially, it may be difficult. It’s natural that we get angry, we intend to react and somehow we do nothing about it. The mistake we make here is ‘taking the emotions personally’. Don’t do it, guys! It’s not worth the time.

Unless you let them in, no people and no emotions can hurt you. For that, you need some good headspace. Be in a good headspace that is positive. Train it to focus on what’s important and what’s good. Don’t let other people and their negativities get into your headspace. It’s not worth your time, energy, and mind.

The quote doesn’t mean to shut people out. It means that, even if you allow people to, don’t allow their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors affect you. Don’t let them get to you.

Don’t let their negativities hurt you.

If you need some words on how to handle life, here it is. Accept people but don’t give permission to let them hurt you.

As long as you ‘don’t allow’ and ‘don’t create’ space for it, nothing can hurt you.

“May your choices reflect your hopes, and not your fears.” - Nelson Mandela

Take your life decisions based on what you love and what you hope to get. Don’t choose your decisions or make choices out of fear.

The choices we make can impact our life for good and bad. When we make those choices to reflect our ideas, hopes and towards our dreams, life becomes positive. Instead, if you direct your life choices bases on your fears, you will remain scared more. Clarity & Contentment goes out if the decisions I make are out of my fears and confusion.

In hope of good financial stability, take choices. Save yourself some money. Hoping to have a good family for yourself, then make choices accordingly. If you are hoping to get a good education, you will make choices accordingly. In better hopes, take your life’s choices and decisions.

What happens if we take our life's decisions and choices based on fear? You will stop somewhere in life unsure of what to do.

I agree. We all experience fear at one point. We may feel like ‘What if it happens’, 'We don’t know what might happen’, ‘what if things go entirely wrong’ etc. These confusion and fear will cloud our judgments and make us take bad decisions.

Taking decisions or making choices out of 'fear of losing', 'getting embarrassed' or 'What if I fail' is not the right approach to consider in your life.

Look for what you want in life and make the choices in that hope. It works great.

Life is a bag of hope and positivity. There’s no place for fear and negativities.

So, take your life choices based on your hopes and not fears.

“The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
- Martin Luther King

Convenience and comfort don’t reveal character. It is in desperate times, one truly identifies one’s true character. It applies to the good and the bad. Same way, we can identify the good and bad people in life when you are met with difficulties and challenges.

We may not know how capable we are until there're some challenges waiting for us. We would be astonished to see the changes inside us after life’s turbulences.

The measure of any individual is in how good they are in the light of troubles and challenges. It doesn’t end here. The stand we take during difficult times also reveals our measure.

Where we stand despite what’s happening in life is important to assess ourselves.

You can change for the good or for the bad. In the same way, you can either take a stand or stay put. Normally, it wouldn’t be a matter. But in challenging and difficult times, the stand you take and the shades you pick a matter.

What if a person takes a bad side or bad stand? Whatever they did before will not matter. What they did today will matter. So if they choose badly, it means everyone will know who they were inside all this time.

What if a person understands what’s right and takes the stand? Whatever bad they did in the past can be undone with a good deed they chose today. We will know who the person truly is on the inside.

True-Character reveals itself at some point!

“The Price of Success is hard work, dedication to the job in hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task in hand.”
- Vince Lombardi

In short, give your best and leave the rest. Give the best of your efforts and do it with dedication. That is the payment success needs from you.

Make sure you feel you have given your best. We start and end the day with multiple commitments, obligations and meet different people. Whatever the situation might be, all you need is a determination to do things and give your best.

Successful people don’t start out to get results first. They take one day at a time and put all their best to it.

To give your best and not caring about winning or losing shows, a great deal of strength the mind and soul has. It takes a highly positive level of mind space to concentrate on work and not worry about the win or lose.

Take your hobby, for instance. You keep doing it without worrying about what it could turn out. Same time, even if you lose, you get to learn something. Point is, you are playing for the game and not playing for the win or lose in the game.

True Success takes three routes. First, it needs hard work from you. Second, success demands dedication to whatever you are doing. Third and most important is success, likes the players. Success doesn’t care about winner or losers. It needs true, dedicated players.

Whatever you have in your hand, do it with dedication. Start! Give your efforts. Rest is always a success.

“It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties.”
– Abigail Adams

I form the true strength of character when my mind goes through difficulties and challenges in life.

Mental strength and vigor comes when you are put to contend with difficulties in life.

Great characters are not born but built and formed from a powerhouse called life.

Humility, humbleness, respect, and empathy are great characters that life instills in us. We may not understand it before, but after all that we have been through in life, now we will understand.

Once I come out of all the sufferings and challenges in life, I know how changed I would be. I can now understand that the world is not revolving around me alone. I will understand the power of empathy. I can see how people are strong and walking when life threw them down. I get inspiration and self-motivation from them.

We learn to respect and identify with fellow people. We will never know how difficult life can be until we are in such a situation.

The point is, good character is built by contending with life’s difficulties. It’s easy to see a person and say ‘you have changed’. What we don’t realize is the difficulties they faced.

The greatest character’s about smiling when everything in life is going wrong. It’s difficult to look positive and smile when there’s a lot of pain lurking inside.

See the people around you. The mental strength, vigor, faith, and courage has come after their sufferings.

Great character and vigor comes by contending in life.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow'."
~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage is not always in big acts. The thought about ‘To try again’ is the courage that roars by being silent.

You can easily quit. Or, you can say that ‘I don’t know. I am not sure about doing it again’. But, when you chose to try again tomorrow, you are already on top. This is a courage that sizes top mountains to a pebble. It’s not an exaggeration,, but the truth.

Courage can move mountains. Courage comes from self-confidence, faith, and self-belief.

We can see courage in little acts. To try again, to learn again and to pursue again and again is the biggest courage. The beauty is, this courage happens silently within us.

Outside, it may look all quiet. On the inside, the courage keeps your heart and spirit alive with a fire burning inside.

Boasting is not courage. To silently carry on inaction is courage. Courage doesn’t speak or roar. It’s a silent spirit that keeps the fire in us alive and burning.

Courage is not always about dreams, goals, and finishing tasks. Apart from the big, courage is found in small acts in everyday life.

Just getting through the day 'Productively' and 'Peacefully' is courage in a way. To say to yourself that you will be better tomorrow is courage.

To accept mistakes takes courage. To come out of it by trying again reveals the height of courage we have inside our hearts.

Courage is in all walks of life. It is happening every day silently inside every heart.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be Yourself. Your life’s greatest achievement is in staying who you are. Situations, people, challenges in life can all change you. But, don’t let your core change. Keep your inner spirit alive no matter what the world demands. That’s a true accomplishment.

We are constantly torn between ‘being ourselves’ and ‘being what others want us to be’. Stay true to yourself.

You need to be aware of four categories of people.

First, we have a set of people good at judging and reviewing others' life personally and professionally. We can see people who shut themselves off because of such people’s opinions.

Second is a category of people who keep giving suggestions, opinions, and ideas for other peoples to follow.

The third is a category of people who think they know what’s better for the other person.

Fourth is a set of people who are very good at convincing that our decisions are wrong. They are sneaky enough that we don’t recognize how they are bringing us down.

Not capitulating to their words, overcoming everyone and still being ‘yourself’ is truly an achievement. You can take genuine opinions and suggestions that people say. Make sure you don’t change yourself for the sake of others.

When the world forces you to change, don’t leave your faith, optimism, and courage. Don’t change when people say you are not good enough.

Being yourself is not letting the good in you go away after all life’s turbulences.

It’s great when you are still being yourself, after all, you have been through!

“It is the hopeful, buoyant, cheerful attitude of mind that wins. Optimism is a success builder. Pessimism is an achievement killer.”
- Orison Swett Marden

Optimistic people are a delight to be with. They stay happy, positive, cheerful and buoyant in life. Success becomes easy for them. Pessimistic people can even drag us into their negative space too.

We inspire positive people. The positive energy they exhibit is contagious to those who are around them. It exudes visibly. People feel light, happy and refreshed being with them. That is the power of optimistic and cheerful people.

What’s so special about optimistic people is that they look for the silver lining. They look towards hope. They believe in themselves. They try to stay cheerful to keep their spirit up in times of hardships. That is why optimistic people are a little extra than regular people.

Optimism is the true success builder irrespective of talents, skills, and goals. If there’s no positivity and cheer in you, how fast can you get up after failures? Think about it.

I can easily look at the negatives and find faults. I can easily quit.

But you know what is difficult? To 'keep going' and to 'stay positive'.

To keep the spirits up and stay cheerful is difficult. This is optimism. It’s true strength. It is what makes people strong.

Pessimistic people can easily drag people to their negative space. Stay away from people who look at everything in life with a negative shade.

This World is filled with optimistic and cheerful people. They are keeping this world alive. Let’s be cheerful and positive.

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room on earth."
– Mohammad Ali

If you are looking for a happy, meaningful life, then remind yourself of these words. Give what you can. Help with what you can. This is a wonderful service that we can do on earth.

Let me remind the truth here. Earth is a place for everyone and not just for me. Earth is also a place where few people have what You and I have.

The noblest thing that You and I can do to make it better is by giving. Let’s give what we can with what we have. Even if it is little, help is help.

Here’s a simple thing. Planting a tree is a service that we can do that helps you and helps others. It’s a wonderful rent that you can pay for your room on earth.

You need not offer any big service. Just do what you can. Help is ‘Help’ no matter the size.

We often take everything for granted. We feel like we deserve the world. That’s fine. How about others who don’t have privilege like you? They deserve the world like us too, right? The best solution for it is to do things that we can and give what we can to make people’s life better.

Life becomes a meaningful circle when we give and help. Even if it’s the least possible service that we can do for others, let’s do it.

Giving is the wonderful rent that we all can pay for our room on earth!

“Never speak out of anger, never act out of fear, never choose from impatience, but wait... and peace will appear.”
~ Guy Finley

How do you win your day and your life? The answer is simple.

Don’t speak when you are angry.

Don’t direct your outcomes in life based on fear.

Don’t act out of impatience.

"Pause before you speak. Wait before you decide. And, when you are angry, don’t even wait. Just shut yourself down. Take decisions later. It’s winning."

If faced with a difficult situation in a place, or in your life, do three things. Give a pause. Compose yourself. Wait till you feel a sense of peace and calm in your mind and heart. Finally, do what has to be done. The results will have clarity, and the process will be productive.

Same way, do not allow fear taking you over. Acting out of fear leads to bad outcomes. The entire process becomes unproductive. If you let fear get in your way of life, what you built so far can easily come down.

What happens with impatience? Nothing productive has ever come when you choose from impatience. Tolerance and patience are basic virtues that everyone in life needs. Somehow we forget it on the way and make people’s life difficult with our act of impatience.

Don’t act out of anger, impatience, and fear. Pause. Bring peace. Finally, act.

Take the variables of money, status, power, success, etc. out of the life’s equation. What is left out is the true winning. What makes you wonderful on the inside is the true victory you need in life.

Recognize the importance of time and health as two precious assets for a fulfilling life. Learn to prioritize self-care and time management for well-being.

“Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.” ~ Denis Waitley

We all have heard about ‘Time and tide waits for none’. Same way, health doesn’t wait for none. If you don’t tend to it, it will not wait until you do it.

We chase life at the cost of health. The time we sit back and In retrospect, we could have already done enough damage to it.

Remember that there is a success by compromising your health and happiness. People consider health as something you have to ‘do’ like a routine in life. It’s not. Taking care of your health is a way of life.

Being healthy is the best way of seeing how life thrives and nourishes within us. Healthy living is a way of leading a happy life. The healthier you are, the stronger you become, enduring physical and mental challenges in life.

Appreciate health at the right moment. Start taking care of your health as early as possible. Start working on improving your physical and mental health.

Have a healthy lifestyle that nourishes your mind, body, and soul. By the time we sit back at age, let’s not think, ‘I should have taken care of my health more.’

Time is another important life entity we often lose and wish for more. If you have unfinished things, finish them today. Don’t wait for perfect timing. Don’t waste time.

An interesting thing is that we save money for the future. We cannot do the same with time. Spend it today without wasting it. Time lost is Lost.

Spend time wisely. Start taking care of your health.

“What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it, would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.”
~ Ralph Marston

Experience life with gratitude! You will end up having more. What seemed less will now become enough for you.

True blessings will come pouring in when you appreciate little things in life.

Look at less fortunate people. You have everything that they only have it as a dream. It’s easy to say ‘life is not fair’, ‘I don’t have enough’ or ‘I don’t get enough’. What’s difficult is to look back and appreciate the blessings we have.

When you want success, inspired by such people. When you want happiness in life, look at those who don’t have privileges like you and appreciate life.

If I appreciate what I already have, I end up feeling content, satisfied and enough.

What is appreciating life? It’s not a big task. Appreciating life is simple. To wake up in the morning as you are is a blessing. The food on your table, the place for you to stay, clothes you have, is a blessing. There are people who don’t have even these basic necessities in life. Think about people who support you, a job that supports you, and the luxury you have in pursuing your dreams. These are things that you need to appreciate in your life. Few have this. Few cannot enjoy it even if they have it.

Take this quote as a practical example to live your life to the fullest.

“There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet.” - William Frederick Halsey, JR.

Look at all people who are sitting on top of life. They all are ordinary people who keep growing with every obstacle and challenge they meet. Like us, they all have a humble start in life. They became Extraordinary through facing great challenges their way.

The courage and confidence one gains in encountering challenges in life makes them stronger than the rest of the crowd.

Don’t be afraid of challenges. Build yourself physically and mentally to endure any size of challenges that life throws.

What makes people extraordinary from the rest is in two things.

First, they do what they like. They pursue their ideas and goals despite all hardships. They stand for themselves. They stand for the right. The second and foremost reason is, they are ready to meet any challenge that comes their way. The hardest and toughest challenge made them extraordinary.

People who are strong-willed and positive spirit overcome tests and trials in life. They emerge as extraordinary inspiring individuals.

One can keep quoting examples of successful people, achievers in different fields and record-setting sports people. What is the common thing among them all?

They are ordinary people like you and me. An exception is, they differ in two things. They endure the toughest challenge and come out. They rise step by step with every encounter they meet in life.

The story of amazing people who have accomplished so far in life tells one truth. They are ordinary people like us. But they keep pushing themselves and rising to meet life in all its glory.

“In doing something, do it with love or never do it at all.” - Gandhi

Do what you like. Do it with love.

Do things you like and give your efforts out of your interest and not because of any compulsion or condition. This simple line has the biggest inspiration we all need.

You can also take it this way. Do it with all of your heart, or never do it at all.

Why such emphasis?

Things you do out of love and interest yield more happiness, content, and success. When you do things that you don’t love, it ends up making all your efforts go vain. When you do things that you don’t like or do it out of external factors, you don’t get the true success feeling.

It applies everywhere.

Want to help someone? Do it if you mean it and love to do it. Else, the essence behind ‘helping’ gets destroyed.

Want to achieve success in life? Do things you like and do it with love and interest in it. If there is no passion, there are only poor results.

Don’t work on your dreams and goals if they don’t interest you or you don’t like them. To prove yourself to someone or something, don’t do things you don’t like.

Want to pursue goals in life? Do it with the best of your efforts and do it with love.

People succeed when there is dedication. People achieve top when they do it with all of their hearts.

Give all your best. Give all that you have and work. You feel happy, complete and content.

Do it with love or don’t do it at all.

“Scar Tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the Strength, move on.”
- Henry Rollins

Struggles to strengthen me. It makes me realize my strong suit in life.

Stronger people are made from their scars in life.

Endurance towards life becomes real for those who were scarred from life’s past.

You probably have seen this visibly in life. People who have suffered in life will have different outlooks and perspectives about what true life is. When compared to those who are still in their happy bubble, the ones who fell out of the bubble become stronger.

Mentally Strong and highly driven people are not born. Life builds them. Solid foundation in their life is from troubles, challenges, and failures they met. They keep building and never stop.

Tough terrains and hard surfaces make the perfect driver, right? Life and people are the same. Tougher life gets the stronger you become like never.

When I say I wish for a happy, trouble-free life, it means I am definitely living in a bubble.

Life treats us all equally with challenges and rewards, the good and bad. The good makes us finer. The bad strengthens us.

The times we suffer and endure difficulties can seem forever to end for us. The Pain it causes can break us. Remember, this is where strong people are made. They go through everything with self-drive, faith, hope and vigor in life.

When I overcome everything, I become stronger and pain heals faster.

Scars in your life are medals that honor your endurance efforts, faith, and confidence you had on yourself.

Embrace that your scars are your real teachers in life.

You will come out stronger than titanium!