INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

Inspirational quotes and motivational quotes have the power to uplift our spirits and can give us the courage to pursue our dreams.

Here is a collection of some of the inspirational quotes:-

1.   He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. –Epictetus

2.  If you keep saying things are going to be bad, you have a chance of being a prophet. -Isaac B. Singer

3.   Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything. -Napoleon Hill

4.  Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. -Sir Winston Churchill

5.  The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results. -Norman Vincent Peale

6.  Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. -Benjamin Franklin

7.  Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it.  -William Durant

8.  I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed against the sweet earth's flowing breast. -Joyce Kilmer.

9.   It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it. -Lou Holtz

10.   When someone tells me "no", it doesn't mean I can't do it, it simply means I can't do it with them. -Karen E. Quinones Miller

11.   Your life is an occasion. Rise to it. -Suzanne Weyn

12.   Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. -Martin Luther

13.  Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us. -David Richo

14.  Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. -Paulo Coelho, Brida

15. I said "Somebody should do something about that." Then I realized I am somebody. -Lily Tomlin

16.  Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. -Carl Bard

17.   I challenge you to make your life the masterpiece you want to paint, the novel you want to read, the day you want to wake to. -Toni Sorenson

18.  It's not about perfect. It's about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that's where transformation happens. That's how change occurs. -Jillian Michaels

19.  There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I. -John Steinbeck

20.   The chief beauty about time
is that you cannot waste it in advance.
The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you,
as perfect, as unspoiled,
as if you had never wasted or misapplied
a single moment in all your life.
You can turn over a new leaf every hour
if you choose.  -Arnold Bennett

21.  It was an image Melody would never forget. Or was it the emotions the image conjured - hope, excitement, and fear of the unknown, all three tightly braided together, creating a fourth emotion that was impossible to define. She was getting a second chance at happiness and it tickled like swallowing fifty fuzzy caterpillars.  -Lisi Harrison, Monster High

22. We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves, otherwise we harden. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

23.  You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose. Lou Holtz

24.  When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope. -Pittacus Lore

25.  A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it. -Ray Davis

26.   Do not sit still; start moving now. In the beginning, you may not go in the direction you want, but as long as you are moving, you are creating alternatives and possibilities. -Rodolfo Costa

27. Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. -Lou Holtz

Feel free to share some of your own quotes.

HABITS FOR SUCCESS

Success is often curved out of building a series of practices day-in, day-out. It's the little things that we do on a daily basis that make us who we are in the long-term. 'Practice makes perfect,' its often said. Practice connoting habit and action in all the goals set out to be achieved. 
Here are some habits that help in attaining success:

(i) Talk about ideas.
 Spend time with others talking about ideas and positive things you can create. Talk about about the world, and refrain from talking about too many useless negative things that waste energy. 

(ii) Surround yourself with successful people.
Avoid people that will distract your work and destroy your dream. Instead have only happy, positive people who challenge you to improve yourself and always ready to support you. 

 (iii) Keep a daily journal.
 Keeping a journal and reflecting on your daily experiences is one of the best ways to ingrain experiences and life lessons in your mind each and every day.

It's best writing in a journal twice a day. In the morning before you start your day; to get your juices flowing and get some positive words down on paper, and at night before going to bed; to get your overflowing thoughts down on paper and to take note of what you have learnt. 

For those who don’t like writing, mindfulness meditation is recommended.  

(iv) Keep learning.

Invest time and energy into continually learning and developing new skills. It can be through reading, videos and mentoring. It helps inspire your mind and creates a flow of ideas.

(v)  Express gratitude.
If someone does something nice for you, or you find yourself in a fortunate situation, be thankful and express your gratitude. Be genuinely thankful for any help you get no matter how small.

(vi) Make sacrifices.
Get in the habit of sacrificing things that you may like in your life, for things that will help you become successful. Focus on things that will help in your development and growth.

(vii) Be positive.
Always remain positive and think positively. Never let negative thoughts creep into your mind.

(viii) Work hard.
If you work harder than everyone else, success can’t hide from you. Make it an habit of working harder than your competition.

If your habits are those of a successful, happy, productive, hard-working person, there’s no way you can’t be successful.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle.

PAST, TO THE FUTURE

Time goes by,
Experiences etched in my memory,
Lessons kept in mind,
Disappointments partially fresh in my heart,
Gradually becoming habituated,
To the pain, joy, strength,
Once I reminiscence,
Or reflect on my encounters,
For its through them,
I got to where I am today,
Tougher, stronger and full of valour,
Towards a bright-bleak tomorrow;
Devoid of any negative emotions,
Ascribable to break one's step,
Exhaustively forged,
Far from the chains of the past,
Inevitably foiling,
Any achievements attained;
Rather devote on circumventing,
The horrendous intricacies,
Life is generous to offer-
By unleashing the spirit,
Of the willingness to fight on,
Just when no hope is on the horizon.

 

A FRESH (NEW) START

A demure smile escapes,
My solemn self,
So broad,
Also so genuine,
A smile of restored,
Peace and calmness,
Filled with more,
Hope and happiness;
For another chance,
To find a new start,
Far from the dark past,
That's already mended;
Yet with a fresh start on sight,
Am only left,
Loathing the overshadowed moments-
A melancholic memory,
Marooned in an abysmal corner,
That can never be reinstated,
After feeling the taste,
Of its successor-
A force of positive energy,
Devoid of unworthiness,
Studded with admirable motivation,
To look forward,
To a new day,
Or as I would proclaim,
A fresh start,
Towards a brighter future.

QUOTES BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare is a renowned Englishman. English language as we know it today has greatly been influenced by his work.

He is also one of my favorite author and poet. His work is inspirational and utterly entertaining. I came across an info-graphic bearing 8 quotes and phrases from Mr. Shakespeare himself.

Am sure you might have heard at least one of them. I would also welcome you to share any of your favorite quotes or any other piece of writing by him.

REALITY CHECK

The reality does not lie,
Even to the layperson,
Oblivious of its magnitude,
Since everybody mutatis mutandis,
Undergoes a reality check,
Though at times at the unexpected moments,
When off the guard,
Consequently inconceivable and incomprehensible,
To the soft and hard-hearted alike,
A blow that affects as well as influence,
Who you are and whom you become,
Haphazardly, 
Instituting injudicious consequences,
Or the obverse to the lucky few;
There is no turning back,
That's the reality check,
Seemingly a torment to the naive,
And a marvel to those with a mastery of life,
A joy and equally painful to confront,
At the end, 
A punch bag,
To test the ability,
To withstand,
Any atrocity or merry,
The reality check,
A reality to be experienced.

LEARNING FROM FAILURE

Learning from the failure can help improve future performances; that is if one takes the crucial lessons from it. This doesn't work for many individuals who often claim that failure is bad (there is no doubt about that) and the solutions to eradicating it's consequences are straightforward.

Learning from one's failure is often anything but straightforward. The proper strength and mentality required to amend the outcome may be hard to find.  

Lessons from failure will at the end empower you to undertake a different way of doing things and the whole aspect of decision making. This cannot happen unless you fail and learn how to confront failure.

Here are a few lessons one can learn:

(i) Explore new strategies
Failing means you have learnt what doesn't work. Explore new ways of doing things. Do not be scared of being different because not all the tested strategies work for everyone.

(ii) When to trust your instincts
If before you failed you felt that whatever approach you were taking wasn’t right and eventually it didn’t work out, then take it as a lesson. Learn to listen to that inner feeling that made you hesitant at first and try using a different approach whenever it awakens.

(iii) Welcome failure
It is greatly accepted that there can be no success without failure. Welcome it as an opportunity to learn. It will be worth it at the end.

(iv) Start afresh
If it doesn’t work out to your expectation, start afresh. It’s never late to rework and improvise. Create a better plan with a stronger foundation borrowing whatever you need from the earlier strategy.

(v) Evolve with your idea
The results for mistakes are lessons and growth. What you do will often evolve alongside your mindset and the desire to succeed. You and your idea will greatly influence the other. Learn to grow with your idea.

NATURE AND INSPIRATION

 

In our everyday lives, we tend to forget the intense connection we have with nature. Nature can be characterized with the ability to open up the mind to new ideas plus, stimulate and reawaken the senses. It does also help increase our energy levels, facilitate inner healing and strengthen the spirit. 

Finding some time off from a busy schedule or during your free time to go out and enjoy the beauty in nature can be refreshing. To have a ultimate experience, you can try meditation so as to clear the mind in order to create new inspiration.

You can either meditate with you eyes open or closed. Here is a guide for an amazing experience:

Eyes Closed

• Find a comfy position sitting or lying down.
• Start with a few deep breaths to help you relax.
• Close your eyes and be conscious to the sensations of the present moment without attempting to change anything. Notice the reactions going through your mind and the overwhelming emotions.
• Go on for about a minute then expand your senses to the surroundings; the breeze, sun, sounds and anything else that comes to your attention.
• In case your mind wanders bring it back gently to the experience of the nature.
• While meditating you will notice where your attention is drawn or you may choose to focus on one experience; for instance if it's a sound, just focus on the quality. Do not label it in your mind.

Eyes Open

It can be done while standing, sitting or walking. The main aim is to bring full attention to the surroundings. If you notice anything fascinating, do not label or become too mentality involved.

Thoughts will start forming - “Oh, that is a beautiful bird. What species is it?” but do not let them overpower you. Let them go. Experience all your surroundings without losing your focus.

By following meditation you will enjoy nature in a more energizing and refreshing way. Once you make it a routine by trying the process of mindfulness you will attain new sources of inspiration and get to appreciate nature as a whole.

A FALL TO SAVOUR

I stare up at the sky,
Notwithstanding what seems like an empty world,
With so little to digest,
Hold and cling on to,
Yet nothing captivating is on sight,
To my dismay I lament,
Hope crushing as reality dawns,
All feeble as the last hint,
To curve a smile upon my wannabe-wrinkled face, 
Scatters to pieces,
In a daze I search for an escape,
To circumnavigate what feels like an eternity,
Shanghai and perhaps alter my destiny,
If only it wasn't a mere wish,
For my own weight is hard to contain,
Knees shaky,
Losing their old energetic peculiarity.
And as I crush down,
It dawns on me that perhaps a good fall,
Is all I need,
To realize where I stand,
A thought I greatly savour.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Success is a desire that comes with a price. It takes dedication to get to the top. Success can't be attained overnight but by working hard. You also need to start somewhere in order to get to the top.

I have compiled some tips to guide you:

(i) Be new and different

Come up with new ideas. Avoid being the same as every Tom, Dick and Harry. It's hard to be successful if you are not courageous enough to start something new or do it in a different way.

(ii) Ignore negative advice
Focus on what you do and avoid negative advice. Don't just do the things people tell you to. You are the best and amazing in whatever your doing.

(iii) Love what you do
Derive pleasure and don't view whatever you do as a punishment or burden. Be passionate and love what you do, you will eventually succeed.

(iv) Embrace failure
If you fear failure, you can never start anything. Success is only for someone who isn't afraid of failing. View failure as your partner to success.

(v) Be content with what you have
Sometimes being over ambitious can inhibit success. Focus all the attention on what you have. It's the little things that ultimately, become powerful because they are done to perfection.

(vi) Be remarkable and add value
Put all your effort and dedication in whatever you do. That's the way to be the best. It helps create closer relationships and personal growth. Ensure everything you do adds value to someone.

(vii) Resilience
Never quit because you have encountered difficulties. Persist and move a step closer to your dream. Always keep your goal in mind.

(viii) Be the first
Create a path for others to follow. Be the first and not the second.

(ix) Do it now
Don't sit there waiting for the best moment to start. Make use of your ideas by starting now. 

A HEALTHY LIVING

Healthy living is one of the secrets of attaining the much coveted energy needed to meet the demands of a busy schedule. This for instance can be running errands, attending classes and so much more lined up every day. A healthy lifestyle can be the only escape. It will give you the power to forge ahead and conquer any difficulties.

Reward your body with a nutritious meal since it comes in handy when you want to push beyond your limits. Plus a few minutes of exercise can increase your productivity.

The info-graphic below contains a few guidelines and tips towards achieving a healthy lifestyle:

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

Thoughts are essential in life. They manipulate the decisions we make by weighing interests and eventually choosing what's best for us. Sometimes they can be positive which creates a convivial atmosphere for the day's undertakings but, they can be negative too. 

Negative thoughts drain the energy and instigate an uninspired individual. If you let them take the best of you, they become stronger and subsequently turn into a sea of ugliness. A contrast to positive thoughts which if well molded can conceive a wonderful outcome.

There are a few tips that can help you overcome the negative thoughts once they prove insurmountable:

(a) Look for the company of positive people.
This can greatly influence the way you also think as they will fill your mind with positive ideas.

(b) Try countering them.
Think of a moment when you had something difficult and you withstood it. It will give you motivation and a path past the negative thoughts.

(c) Create a positive thought.
If you have the capacity of thinking negatively then a positive thought cannot be hard to formulate. 

(d) Move forward.
If you are regretting about something; learn from the mistakes, forgive yourself and move forward. You cannot be stuck in the past forever. There is a whole world waiting for you out there.

(e) Smile. Smile.
A simple smile can change a person a lot. Just find a reason to force a smile on your face. It will relieve the stress.

(f) Meditate.
Meditation can take the focus away from your troubles and help find a solution to overcome them.

There are many other ways of dealing with negative thoughts such as singing and walking. Some of these tips work differently depending with individuals. Find the best method to overcome negative thoughts and always use it when necessary.

WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE

Many individuals often claim that creativity is a blessing or a divine gift. This is attributable to the fact that creativity cannot be taught or copied from anyone. Such a mentality leads to someone limiting abilities because if an idea comes to mind he/she might brush it off.

Also, even the most creative individuals sometimes feel uninspired and need a boost to reignite their potential; hence no one should deem himself/ herself uncreative.

I encountered an info-graphic from dailyinfographic.com that lists 29 ways to remain creative. It can help rediscover your creative side.

SOUR AND SWEET

The past inconveniently lurks in the mind,
Becoming a hurdle if subjected elaborate thought,
For it comprehensively comprises,
Hidden sorrows,
Which are deeply demoralizing,
Excruciating while tiresome with time,
Even in soup-con,
The pain inflicted by the memories,
Tend to affect one's productivity,
Tainting the heart with incessant,
Sour anger and immense hatred,
That subjugates the ordinary tranquil life,
Replacing it with unexpected upheaval,
Which initially could be eluded,
By being more cautious,
Like a prey all eyes and ears,
To spot a lurking predator-
The only secret to save its skin;
A trait we should all emulate,
To trade the regrettable mistakes,
For the sweet moments,
Rejoicing at the deserved success,
Far from turning sour.

A NEW JOURNEY

The feeble leaf cuts free,
In dismay from the branch,
Alone but courageously,
It feels abandoned,
With no hope of a return,
To the comfort of its home,
Yet it doesn't exhibit tearful goodbyes,
Shed by the sentimental,
Who with every step,
Are certain a return is inevitable,
Notwithstanding the cold nights,
Far from the warmth underneath,
The arms of loved ones.
Majestically it indulges in cruising,
Softly through the coveted journey,
Towards a new home,
Filled with growls,
That signal the dangers,
Associated with a new challenge;
But courage can be the only weapon,
To yield the energy,
For the battle many opted,
To drown their souls,
After falling prey to cowardice,
Unable to confront the bloody path;
Yet the leaf settles on the ground,
Ready to face the howling wind;
Vulnerable and shieldless, 
From its predators.