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Inspiration

50 best quotes to inspire you on your journey towards success.

Achieving success is a process, not an event. It’s a journey , and journeys are more often than not, long and rife with difficulties and unexpected challenges. The great news is, if you’re currently struggling with your dreams and goals at the moment, you can take comfort in the knowledge that it is all part of the process. With that having been said, we are publishing this list of uplifting quotes to inspire you on your journey towards success.

So, if you’re looking for some inspiring quotes to encourage you on your journey of success, then let’s dive into these inspiring success journey quotes.

MOST INSPIRING JOURNEY TO SUCCESS QUOTES

1. “Success is not a destination, it’s a journey” – Zig Ziglar

2. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins

3. “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli

4. “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and the little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey

5. “Success is never final. Failure is never fatal.” – Winston Churchill

“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal.” – Winston Churchill

6. “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” – Bill Bradley

7. “Not everyone will understand your journey, and that’s okay, because you are here to make progress, not to make everyone understand.” – Success Journey Quote

8. “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Ashe

9. “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently.” – Marie Forleo

10. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

11. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but by all means, keep moving.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

12. “It’s all about the journey not the outcome.” – Carl Lewis

13. “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” – Bobby Unser

14. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

15. “Success is a journey. The best form of transport is happiness.” – Roy Smoothe

“Success is a journey. The best form of transport is happiness.” – Roy Smoothe

16. “Don’t expect anyone to understand your journey, especially if they’ve never walked your path.” – Anonymous

17. “The journey towards success is not always easy or upwards.” – Eugine Bouchard

18. “Patience, persistence and perspirations make an unbeatable combination for success.” – Napoleon Hill

19. “To me, the best part of success, is the journey!” – Latif Mercado

20. “Failure is often part of the journey to success.” – Anonymous

“Failure is often part of the journey to success.” – Anonymous

21. “Life’s too short not to enjoy the journey to success. And success starts with taking care of yourself. We only get one chance at life—why not reach our fullest potential? – Jim Rohn

22. “Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them.” – Success Journey Quote

23. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” – Estee Lauder

24. “I use pain to push me to greatness.” – Eric Thomas

25. “Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” – Mia Hamm

“Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” – Mia Hamm

26. “You know you are on the right track when you have no interest in looking back.” – Anonymous

27. “In the journey to success, tenacity of purpose is supreme.” – Aliko Dangate

28. “The end of a journey means that start of another one.” – Anonymous

29. “There are no secrets to success. [Success] is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell

30. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle

31. Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” – Matsuo Basho

32. “There is only one map to the journey of life and it lives within your heart.” – Willie Nelson

33. “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” – Anonymous

34. “Achievement seems to be connected with action . Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton

35. “Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.” – Tim Fargo

“Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.” – Tim Fargo

36. “Your life journey is about learning to become more of who you are and fulfilling the highest, truest expression of yourself as a human being.” – Oprah Winfrey

37. “Sometimes the longest journey we make is sixteen inches from our heads to our hearts.” – Elena Avila

38. “When setting out on a journey, do not seek advice from those who have never left home.” – Rumi

39. “Success is about dedication. You may not be where you want to be or do what you want to do when you’re on the journey. But you’ve got to be willing to have vision and foresight that leads you to an incredible end.” – Usher

40. “Success is a journey, not a destination. It requires constant effort, vigilance and reevaluation.” – Mark Twain

“Success is a journey, not a destination. It requires constant effort, vigilance and reevaluation.” – Mark Twain

41. “The road to success is always under construction.” – Anonymous

42. “Success is in the journey, but the reward is the view from the top.” – Larry Stevens

43. “Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself .” – Lolly Daskal

44. “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson

45. “I wandered everywhere, through cities and countries wide. And everywhere I went, the world was on my side.” – Anonymous

“I wandered everywhere, through cities and countries wide. And everywhere I went, the world was on my side.” – Anonymous

46. “Peace is the best journey. Happiness is the best destination.” – Ragu

47. “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

48. “Success for me isn’t a destination it’s a journey. Everybody’s working to get to the top but where is the top? It’s all about working harder and getting better and moving up and up.” – Rihanna

49. “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

50. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can .” – Arthur Ashe

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe

Bonus Success Journey Quote

Bonus: Alright, here is our last quote to inspire you on your journey to success.

“Stay Patient and Trust The Journey.”

Final Thoughts

You’ve made it to the end of our success journey quotes list and we hope you are a little more inspired than when you arrived. If you enjoyed a quote or two, please share them with someone who could use a few encouraging words on their journey towards success.

That said, thanks for stopping and come back soon.

Until you reach your aims,

PS – If you enjoyed our Journey to Success Quotes, then you’ll love these Quotes on Success and Acheivement.

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50+ SECRET OF SUCCESS QUOTES TO GUIDE YOU TO GREATER SUCCESS

35 MILLIONAIRE FASTLANE QUOTES TO ACCELERATE YOUR SUCCESS

The STRIVE is on a mission to inspire and uplift 1 billion people by 2032. Our primary aim is to help as many people as possible believe in the uncommon thought, that they can be more than they are, do more than they've done, and achieve more prosperity than they've ever dreamed possible. Let's achieve the impossible together.

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So many of us struggle with feelings of self-worth these days. We underestimate our value, we doubt our potential , and question what we bring to the table. We let people walk all over us, allow companies to take advantage of us, and accept relationships that actively diminish us. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can decide at any moment to begin trusting in our own opinions of ourself, vs. the opinions of others. External validation is expendable; meaning, we don’t really need it. All we need is a healthy opinion of ourselves, which is why we’ve pulled together this powerful collection of quotes about knowing your worth.

Our hope is that this collection of know your worth quotes serves as a reminder to you that you are more than the opinions of others, and that you can truly be as valuable and worthy as you set out to be. So, allow these quotes to wash over you, inspire you, and rekindle that silent self-belief that exudes your worth to the world.

BEST QUOTES ABOUT KNOWING YOUR WORTH

1. “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right here.” – Venus Williams

2. “If you don’t know your own value, somebody will tell you your value, and it’ll be less than you’re worth.”

3. “If you want to improve your self-worth, stop giving other people the calculator.” – Tim Fargo

4. “Know your worth. You must find the courage to leave the table if respect is no longer being served.” – Tene Edwards

5. “A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of sheep.” – Lionel Messi

6. “Only you can make the decision for what you believe your worth is and that will determine how you allow other people to treat you.” – Germany Kent

7. “Know your worth and don’t settle for anything else. You were born to win!” – June Doyle

8. “Knowing your worth and believing that you are indeed worthy is essential for happiness and well-being.” – Tchiki Davis, Ph.D.

9. “When someone treats you like you’re just one of many options, help them narrow their choice by removing yourself from the equation.” – Marc Chernoff

10. “Before you can win, you have to believe you are worthy.” – Mike Ditka

11. “Two things you will never have to chase: True friends & true love.” – Mandy Hale

12. “Anytime you look outside yourself to determine your value, your looking in the wrong place. Look inside you. You know your worth. Your value is inside you.” – Jody Urquhart

13. “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson

14. “Just being born makes you worthy enough to be here.” – Oprah Winfrey

15. “To double your net worth, double your self-worth. Because you will never exceed the height of your self-image.” – Robin Sharma

16. “Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.” – Anonymous

17. “If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.” – T. Harv Eker

18. “You are worthy of love and respect. You are beautiful, gifted, and intelligent. Don’t let the storm make you forget it.” – Russell T. Davies

19. “Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.” – Mark Twain

20. “You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be.” – Lou Holtz

21. “Dignity will only happen when you realize that having someone in your life doesn’t validate your worth.” – Shannon L. Alder

22. “Don’t give part-time people a full-time position in your life. Know your value and what you have to offer, and never settle for anything less than what you deserve.” – Marc Chernoff

23. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt 

24. “You’re worthy of being chosen, fought for, and loved. Remember that.” – Mark Groves

25. “The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone.” – Orison Swett Marden

26. “When your self-worth goes up, your net worth goes up with it.” – Mark Victor Hansen

27. “Know your worth. Hold your own power. Be you.” – Morgan Harper Nichols

28. “If you know your worth, you will know you are worthy of the beautiful and higher life.” – Anyaele Sam Chiyson

29. “Self-worth comes from one thing – thinking that you are worthy.” – Wayne Dyer

30. “Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.” – Abraham Lincoln

31. “You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” – Brene’ Brown

32. “Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need other’s approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” – Lao Tzu

33. “When you start seeing your worth, you’ll find it harder to stay around people who don’t.” – Anonymous

34. “I don’t know why we all hang on to something we’re better off letting go of.” – Meredith Grey

35. “We are what we believe we are.” – C.S. Lewis

36. “Know your worth. People always act like they’re doing more for you than you’re doing for them.” – Kanye West  

37 . “A lot of doubt and uncertainty in our lives comes from not knowing that we are worthy.” – Anonymous

38. “What other people think about you has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.” – Jen Sincero

39. “Be with someone who knows exactly what they have when they have you, not someone who will realize it once they’ve lost you.” – Kevin Hart

40. “There will always be someone who can’t see your worth. Don’t let it be you.” – Mel Robbins

41. “It’s not a bad thing to demand that everyone that comes into your life meet you at your worth. And I ain’t talking money.” – Tyler Perry

42. “The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else.” – E.E. Cummings

43. “The only thing that matters in life is your own opinion of yourself.” – Osho

44. “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball

45. “If you wish to achieve worthwhile things in your personal and career life, you must become a worthwhile person in your self-development.” – Brian Tracy

46.  “If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor; if according to people’s opinions, you will never be rich.” – Epicurius

47 . “There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela

48. “If your life’s worth living, it’s worth recording.” – Tony Robbins

49. “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

50. “When you know how much you’re worth, you’ll stop giving people discounts.” – Helen Keller

Related: Trust Yourself Quotes

FINAL THOUGHTS

Great job making it to the end of these quotes about knowing your worth. We hope they’ve helped you see yourself in a new and better light than before you got here.

And remember, you are special and unique. You have positive qualities that not everyone can see. But you can see, therefore only you know your value. You are one of a kind and there are undoubtedly things you can do that no one else can do, like be you. So, starting today hold your head up high and go out and get what you’re worth.

That said, if you found any of these quotes inspiring, please share them or the page with someone who may need a few inspiring words at this point in their life.

Till you reach your aims,

PS – If you enjoyed these know your worth quotes then we have a hunch you’ll also enjoy these quotes to help you boost your confidence .

One of the greatest things about life is that how you perceive it, determines what you can get out of it. If you perceive a world of limitations, that’s what you’ll get. Similarly, if you perceive a world of endless possibilities, that’s what the world will give you. Our mindset and our perspectives matter, which is why we’ve rounded up these inspirational quotes about possibilities.

If you’re looking for some encouraging words to help you shake up your mindset, and renew your perspective that world is yours for the taking, then you’ll love these quotes. So, if you’re ready to start living your life in possibility vs. probabilities, then let’s dive into these quotes about endless possibilities:

BEST QUOTES ABOUT POSSIBILITIES

1. “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!” – Audrey Hepburn

2. “You have to be open minded to the possibilities, ‘that I can do this’. Once you shut your mind down to the possibility that it can be achieved, it’s no way it can happen.” – David Goggins

3. “Your mindset is the key that unlocks the doors to unlimited possibilities.” – Anonymous

4. “Imagination belongs to hope. It’s the creative dance of possibility.” – Sharon Weil

5. “If you live your life in possibilities instead of probabilities you have a greater chance of finding happiness.” – Steve Harvey

6. “Potential is not a thing, it’s an idea.” – Eddie Pinero

7. “All things are possible until they are proved impossible and even the impossible may only be so, as of now.” – Pearl S. Buck

8. “You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” – Ralph Marston

9. “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this — you haven’t.” – Thomas Edison

10. “It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” – Paulo Coelho

11. “Do not become so attached to any one belief that you cannot see past it to another possibility.” – Christopher Paolin

12. “When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life.” – Eckhart Tolle

13. “If we can see past preconceived limitations, then the possibilities are endless.” – Amy Purdy

14. “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” – Pablo Picasso

15. “The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.” – George Bernard Shaw

16. “When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” – Margaret Drabble

17. “Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” – Mahatma Gandhi

18. “Turn your obstacles into opportunities and your problems into possibilities.” – Roy T. Bennett

19. “I saw all these people around me making all this money and I was like, ‘If they can do i, then I can do it.’ If it’s a possibility for anyone, then it’s a possibility for me.” – Myron Golden

20. “Every new day begins with possibilities.” – Ronald Reagan

21. “I dwell in possibility.” – Emily Dickinson

22. “I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.” – Elon Musk

23. “It’s the way you think about yourself and your possibilities that, more than anything else, determines your successes.” – Brian Tracy

24. “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – St. Francis of Assisi

25. “Anything you want is possible.” – Tyler Perry

26. “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” – Thomas Merton

27. “No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities-always see them for they’re always there.” – Norman Vincent Peale

28. “The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today.” – Les Brown

29. “The Wright brother flew right through the smoke screen of impossibility.” – Charles Kettering

30. “Hope is a passion for the possible.” – Søren Kierkegaard

31. “In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.” – Miguel de Cervantes

32. “What is now proved, was once only imagined.” – William Blake

33. “The possible’s slow fuse is lit by the Imagination.” – Emily Dickinson

34. “The world is full of hopeful analogies and handsome, dubious eggs, called possibilities.” – George Eliot

35. “Nothing in this world is impossible to a willing heart.” – Abraham Lincoln

36. “You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers. In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices.” – Deepak Chopra

37 . “I am too much of a skeptic to deny the possibility of anything.” – Thomas Henry Huxley

38. “I love those who yearn for the impossible.” – Goethe

39. “Think bigger. Forget limits. Embrace the idea of endless possibility…. It will change you.” –  Marianne Williamson

40. “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope .” – Martin Luther

41. “I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities.” – Whoopi Goldberg

42. “One of the fundamental keys to success and inner peace is allowing yourself to be open to the infinite array of possibilities in your life.” – Wayne Dyer

43. “We all have possibilities we don’t know about. We can do things we don’t even dream we can do.” – Dale Carnegie

44. “The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.” – Arthur C. Clarke

45. “Whether you believe you can or not, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

46.  “One’s only rival is one’s own potentialities. One’s only failure is failing to live up to one’s own possibilities. In this sense, every man can be a king, and must therefore be treated like a king.” – Abraham Maslow

47 . “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” – Albert Einstein

48. “Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.” – Louis D. Brandeis

49. “There is always tension between the possibilities we aspire to and our wounded memories and past mistakes.” – Sean Brady

50. “I am neither an optimist nor pessimist, but a possibilist.” – Max Lerner

51. “1 year equals 365 possibilities.” – Anonymous

52. “Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack.” – Sun Tzu

53. “When you focus on problems, you’ll have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you’ll have more opportunities.” – Possibility Quote

54. “When you look at the possibilities instead of the problems, the future is filled with endless opportunities.” – Zig Ziglar

55. “The possibilities are endless when you work hard and never give up.” – Anonymous

56. “Tomorrow is filled with as much possibility as you are willing to see.” – Kathyrn Lang

57. “If you embrace possibility thinking, your dreams will go from molehill to mountain size, and because you believe in possibilities, you put yourself in position to achieve them.” – John C. Maxwell

58. “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda

59. “Believe all the time that.. it’s going to be possible.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

60. “If you believe in yourself, anything is possible.” – Anonymous

61. “A world of possibilities awaits you. Keep turning the page.” – Oprah Winfrey

62. “We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

63. “You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.” – Deepak Chopra

65. “Life is a journey with almost limitless possibilities.” – Ken Poirot

66. “Behind me is infinite power, before me is endless possibility, around me is boundless opportunity.” – Mac Anderson

67. “Our thoughts and imaginations are the only real limits to our possibilities.” – Orison Swett Marden

68. “The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become.” – Ben Herbster

69. “Within us is the unborn possibility of limitless experience. Ours is the privilege of giving birth to it!” – Ernest Holmes

70. “With God, all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

71. “All that is within the limits of possibility may and shall be accomplished.” – Jules Verne

72. “Our aspirations are our possibilities.” – Samuel Johnson

73. “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.” – Henry David Thoreau

74. “Positivity = Possibility.” – Grant Cardone

75. “Anything is possible with the right mindset. If you believe in yourself and you sacrifice and dedicate, with the right help you can come back.” – Tyson Fury

76. “Strive for that greatness of spirit that measures life not by its disappointments but by its possibilities.” – W.E.B. Du Bois

77. “The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit.” – Jim Rohn

78. “When you hang out with whiners, pessimists, tweakers, bleakers, freakers-outers and life-is-so-unfairers, it’s an uphill climb to keep yourself in a positive headspace.  Stay away from people with tiny minds and tiny thoughts and start hanging out with people who see limitless possibility as the reality.” – Jen Sincero

79. “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you’ll be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” – Golda Meir

80. “When you believe in yourself you believe in possibility.” – Dr. Joe Dispenza

81. “If you can see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand.” – Bob Proctor

There you have it, the very best quotes about possibilities. We hope they inspired you think and believe beyond what’s been possible for you until now. We hope they’ve encouraged you to open your mind to a future that is filled with endless possibilities.

And remember, most people would rather cling to the familiar than take a chance in possibility. But not you! Believe in yourself and in your possibilities.

PS – If you liked these quotes about possibilities then you’ll love these quotes about achieving the impossible .

100+ LIFE GOES ON QUOTES TO KEEP YOU INSPIRED FOR YOUR BETTER FUTURE

If you’re in need of a few words of encouragement or some helpful life goes on quotes, then this page is for you.

Life constantly throws curve balls. Setbacks and major challenges are a part of life. But sometimes, no matter how much we prepare ourselves for those obstacles, they still have the ability to devastate our lives and derail our best plans. And they do, especially for those who are slow to embrace their setbacks, and realize that life always goes on.

With that said, we know that the best way to get back on track and moving towards our better brighter futures quickly, is to keep looking forward, to stay optimistic, and to continually embrace the fact that life goes on. As such, we’ve pulled together this powerful list of Life Goes On quotes to help people stay inspired and hopeful for the promise of a better future.

So, if you are currently experiencing any setbacks in your life, or if things have been looking bleak lately, allow some of these Life Goes On quotes to convince you that your better future is just around the corner, because it is…..

Best Life Goes On Quotes

1. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.” – Robert Frost

2. “Life is like the waves on the ocean, it keeps going.” – Anonymous

3. “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho

4. “Things change. Stuff happens. Life goes on.” – Elizabeth Scott

5. “Removing someone out of your life can hurt like a knife but sometimes, it may be the only way for you to survive.” – Mouloud Benzadi

6. “No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.” – Maya Angelou

7. “To help yourself, you must be yourself. Be the best that you can be. When you make a mistake, learn from it, pick yourself up and move on.” – Dave Plezer

8. “Sometimes you’re flush and sometimes you’re bust, and when you’re up, it’s never as good as it seems, and when you’re down, you never think you’ll be up again, but life goes on.” – George Jung

9. “When you lose what you love, remember to stay strong. Look out the window and remember life goes on.” – Drew Chadwick

10. “I walk slowly, but I never walk backwards.” – Abraham Lincoln

11. “You can’t keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on.” – Oprah Winfrey

12. “Regardless of how it goes down, life goes on.” – Rick Ross

13. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein

14. “Remember, whether you choose to move on or stay stuck in the past, life goes on!” – Billy Cox   

15. “We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.” – William Arthur Ward

16. “Mistakes do happen and life goes on.” – Sourav Ganuly

17. “Life goes by too quickly. So laugh, love, and try new things. Forgive, forget and don’t hold grudges.” – Anymous

18. “We take nothing away and we put nothing back, we pass by and we forget; And the sun is always punctual every day.” – Alberto Caeiro

19. “Life goes on, even when you think it can’t. Even when you don’t especially want it to.” – Jan Strand

20. “Life is an operation which is done in a forward direction. One lives toward the future, because to live consists inexorably in doing, in each individual life making itself.” – Jose Ortega Gasset

21. “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – Seneca

22. “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” – Herman Hesse

23. “Life goes on, but the scars remain.” – Lil Wayne

24. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus

25. “You carry on no matter what are the obstacles. You simply refuse to give up — and, when the going gets tough, you get tougher. And, you win.” – Vince Lombardi

26. “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” – Life Goes On Quote

27. “Keep moving forward.” – Walt Disney

28. “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama

29. “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” – Lao Tzu

30. “Life goes on if you’re one of the lucky ones.” – Judy Blume

31. “It’s hard to turn the page when you know someone won’t be in the next chapter, but the story must go on.” – Thomas Wilder

32. “This moment is but another chance to change your life. Cease brooding about the past, realize that life will go on, and go confidently in the direction of your dreams.” – Anonymous

33. “There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela

34. “Do something today for a better tomorrow.” – Anonymous

35. “ It’s never too late  to be who you might have been.” – George Eliot

36. “People change and things go wrong but just remember life goes on.” – Mac Miller

37. “God gave us rain to remind us that life will not always be sunny but it will keep going on.” – Anonymous

38. “If something does go wrong, here is my advice… keep calm and carry on.” – Maira Kalman

39. “I’ll be strong, I’ll be wrong, oh but life goes on. Oh, I’m just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.” – Taylor Swift

40. “There’s no time for regrets. You’ve just got to keep moving forward.” – Mike McCready

41. “Even though we have been hurt, we must find a way to get through it, life goes on whether we want it to or not. The world keeps turning no matter how bad we feel. This is why we have to learn how to bounce back and keep moving forward.” – Rashida Rowe

42. “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

43. “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.” – Charles Kettering

44. “Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.” – Sonia Ricotti

45. “Everyday is the opportunity for a better tomorrow.” – Hugh Laurie

46. “Life goes on, and one should look ahead and not backward.” – Sonali Bendre

47. “If you’re not okay, that’s okay. It will happen sometimes. But you have to tell yourself that things will be better tomorrow. Eve if they’re not better tomorrow, keep telling yourself they will be. Because eventually, tomorrow will be better .” – Sam Miller

48. “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” – Allen Saunders

49. “You can’t stop living just because it hurts. Life goes on and so should you!” – Anonymous

50. “Morning will come, it has no choice.” – Marty Rubin

Halfway There: You’re more than halfway through these life goes on quotes, great job! This next section consists of quotes about life goes on as well, but, they are more focused more on inspiring you. We hope they succeed in doing so.

51. “It’s always darkest before the dawn. So hold on to hope and be strong because it doesn’t last forever this darkness.” – Astrid Alauda

52. “It is not what happens that determines the major part of your future. What happens, happens to us all. It is what you do about what happens that counts.” – Jim Rohn

53. “One thing always sure. Life goes on with you or without you, no matter how much you have seen.” – Lalita Tademy

54. “As life goes on, the more you allow any negativity to consume your thoughts, the less room you have for positivity to enter them.” – Demi Lovato

55. “We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” – Oprah Winfrey

56.  “Head up. Shoulders back. Tomorrow is a new day.” – Anonymous

57. “Nature knows no pause in progress and development, and attaches her curse on all inaction.” – Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe

58. “We cannot control the wind but we can adjust our sails.” – Anonymous

59. “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

60. “Tomorrow the sun will rise on all your doubts.” – Marty Rubin

61. “Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.” – Steve Maraboli

62. “Life isn’t about waiting around for things that happen tomorrow. It’s about what we do right now while were alive!” – Anonymous

63. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E.E Cummings

64. “Whether you choose to move on from your struggles and enjoy life or waddle in your misery, life will continue.” – Germany Kent

65. “Life goes on. People move on, but God remains on your side.” – Gift Gugu Mona

66. “Accidents happen. Our bones shatter, our skin splits, our hearts break. We burn, we drown, we stay alive.” – Moïra Fowley-Doyle

67. “You cannot be truly humble, unless you truly believe that life can and will go on without you.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana

68. “Empires collapse, civilizations disappear, health deteriorates, and bodies turn to ash, but life will always go on” – Mouloud Benzadi

69. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is to smash my own spiders and get on with my day. There will be another!” – Hoda Kotb

70. “In the end, we all become stories.” – Anonymous

71. “There’s always tomorrow and it always gets better.” – Ariana Grande

72. “If you fail today there is always tomorrow to try again. You always have that second chance tomorrow.” – Avina Celeste

73. “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can .” – Anonymous

74. “Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard

75. “Mistakes happen and life goes on.” – Sourav Ganguly

76. “Sooner or later we’ve all got to let go of our past.” – Dan Brown

77. “Note to self: Nobody is worth stressing over. Move on, leave people behind and go find yourself. The world is your. Life goes on.” – Anonymous

78. “Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.” – Guy Finley

79. “Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.” – Roy T. Bennett

80. “You can’t turn the clock back, so you have to look ahead.” – Mel Gibson

81. “The longer your life goes on, the more death you face.” – Patrick Swayze

82. “Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” – Anonymous

83. “Don’t forget you’re simply human. It’s okay to have a meltdown, just don’t unpack and live there. Cry it out and then refocus on where you are headed. Life goes on.” – Anonymous

84. “Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” – Steve Maraboli

85. “The beginning is always today.” – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

86. “Life is about change. Sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes it’s beautiful. But most of the time, it’s both.” – Lana Lang

87. “As long as you’re still alive, you always have the chance to start again.” – Emily Acker

88. “Be strong, because things will get better. It might be stormy now, but it never rains forever.” – Anonymous

89. “Be strong, because things will get better. It might be stormy now, but it never rains forever.” – Anonymous

90. “Through every dark night, there’s a bright day after that, so no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep your head up, and handle it.” – Tupac Shakur

91. “Life doesn’t stop for anybody.” – Kevin Hart

92. “Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” – Germany Kent

93 . “… of all things this was the saddest, that life goes on: if one leave’s one’s lover, life should stop for him, and if one disappears from the world, then the world should stop, too: and it never did. And that was the real reason for most people getting up in the morning: not because it would matter but because it wouldn’t.” – Truman Capote

94. “One day the world stopped without any warning, spring didn’t know how to wait, showed up not even a minute late.” – BTS

95. “Nothing is permanent. Not even the end of the world.” – Isaac Marion

96. “The sky is blue, the grass is green and life will go on.” – Aly Aubrey

97. “I will go anywhere as long as it is forward.” – David Livingston

98. “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them — that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu

99. “There is nothing permanent except change.” – Heraclitus

100. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly.” – Richard Bach

Bonus Life Goes on Quote

Bonus: Here is our last and final Life Goes on Quote. We hope it will inspire you to shake off your past, and look forward to the promise of a better future:

 “Stop Acting As If Life Is A Rehearsal. Live This Day As If It Were Your Last. The Past Is Over And Gone. The Future Is Not Guaranteed.” – wayne dyer –

Related: Moving On Quotes

We hope you enjoyed these inspirational Life Goes On quotes. Please consider sharing this page or a quote or two with someone who could might appreciate a few encouraging words that life does indeed go on, and that tomorrow is a new day.

With that said, thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,

PS – If you enjoyed our Life Goes On Quotes then you’ll love these inspirational quotes about life and struggles .

50 INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES FROM THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY

Dream chasing is not for the faint of heart. Not only does it take massive courage to reach for the dreams and goals that many shrug off as impossible, but it also takes grit, tenacity, and an almost god-like will power to see things through. Indeed, success demands the overcoming of obstacles. And having and handful of powerful quotes to inspire you to keep moving forward against all odds is wise. As such, we’ve decided to publish the best The Obstacle Is The Way quotes to inspire you to succeed in the face of failure.

So, if you’re a fellow dreamer, or an aspiring high achiever, these inspiring words will keep you going strong. And if you’re ready to get started, let’s dive in.

50 Best Quotes From The Obstacle is The Way

1. “It’s okay to be discouraged. It’s not okay to quit. To know you want to quit but to plant your feet and keep inching closer until you take the impenetrable fortress you’ve decided to lay siege to in your own life—that’s persistence.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

2. “To argue, to complain, or worse, to just give up, these are choices. Choices that more often than not, do nothing to get us across the finish line.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

3. “Failure shows us the way—by showing us what isn’t the way.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

4. “You know what’s better than building things up in your imagination? Building things up in real life.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

5. “ Uncertainty and fear are relieved by authority. Training is authority. It’s a release valve.” – Ryan, Holiday The Obstacle is The Way

6. “Remember that this moment is not your life, it’s just a moment in your life.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

7. “He knew that to aim low meant to accept mediocre accomplishment. But a high aim, if things went right, create something extraordinary.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

8. “Like Earhart, Rommel knew from history that those who attack problems and life with the most initiative and energy usually win .” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

9. “We talk a lot about courage as a society, but we forget that at its most basic level it’s really just taking action—whether that’s approaching someone you’re intimated by or deciding to finally crack a book on a subject you need to learn.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

10. “Genius often really is just persistence in disguise.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

11. “It doesn’t matter whether this is the worst time to be alive or the best, whether you’re in a good job market or a bad one, or that the obstacle you face is intimidating or burdensome. What matters is that right now is right now.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

12. “It’s a huge step forward to realize that the worst thing to happen is never the event, but the event and losing your head.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

13. “Problems are rarely as bad as we think—or rather, they are precisely as bad as we think.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

14. “This is one thing all great men and women of history have in common. Like oxygen to a fire, obstacles became fuel for a blaze that was their ambition. Nothing could stop them, they were (and continue to be) impossible to discourage or contain. Every impediment only served to make the inferno within them burn with greater ferocity.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

15. “We blame our bosses, the economy, our politicians, other people, or we write ourselves off as failures or our goals as impossible. When really only one thing is at fault: our attitude and approach .” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

16. “The most harmful dragon we chase is the one that makes us think we can change things that are simply not ours to change.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

17. “It’s supposed to be hard. Your first attempts aren’t going to work. It’s going to take a lot out of you- but energy is an asset we can always find more of. It’s a renewable resource. Stop looking for an epiphany, and start looking for weak points. Stop looking for angels, and start looking for angels. There are options. Settle in for the long haul and then try each and every possibility, and you’ll get there.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

18. “You’ll have far better luck toughening yourself up, than you ever will trying to take the teeth out of a world that is, at best, indifferent to your existence” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

19. “The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

20. “Think progress, not perfection.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

21. “Today most of our obstacles are internal, not external.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

22. “Like any good school, learning from failure isn’t free. The tuition is paid in discomfort or loss and having to start over.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

23. “The good thing about true perseverance is that it can’t be stopped by anything besides death.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

24. “Each time, you’ll learn something. Each time, you’ll develop strength, wisdom, and perspective. Each time, a little more of the competition falls away. Until all that is left is you: the best version of you.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

25. “Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

26. “The one way to guarantee we don’t benefit from failure—to ensure it is a bad thing – is to not learn from it.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

27. “Bad companies are destroyed by crisis. Good companies survive them. Great companies are improved by them.” – Andy Grove, The Obstacle is The Way

28. “Persist in your efforts. Resist giving in to distraction, discouragement, or disorder.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

29. “Failure puts you in corners you have to think your way out of. It is a source of breakthroughs.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

30. “The things that hurt, instruct.” – Benjamin Franklin , The Obstacle is The Way

31. “If you think it is simply enough to take advantage of the opportunities that arise in your life, you will fall short of greatness. Anyone sentient can do that. What you must do is learn how to press forward precisely when everyone around you sees disaster.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

32. “ True will is quiet humility, resilience , and flexibility; the other kind of will is weakness disguised as bluster and ambition. See which lasts longer under the hardest of circumstances.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

33. “Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and wherever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the world to do it well. That’s our primary duty. And our obligation.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

34. “There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

35. “We forget: In life, it doesn’t matter what happens to you or where you came from. It matters what you do with what happens and what you’ve been given.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

36. “Failure really can be an asset if what you’re trying to do is improve, learn, or do something new.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

37. “No one said you can’t ever cry. Forget ‘manliness.’ If you need to take a moment, by all means, go ahead. Real strength lies in the control or, as Nassim Taleb put it, the domestication of one’s emotions, not in pretending they don’t exist.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

38. “If an emotion can’t change the condition or the situation you’re dealing with, it is likely an unhelpful emotion. Or, quite possibly, a destructive one. But it’s what I feel. Right, no one said anything about not feeling it.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

39. “Death doesn’t make life pointless, but rather purposeful.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

40. “Blessings and burdens are not mutually exclusive.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

41. “How we interpret the events in our lives, our perspective, is the framework for our forthcoming response—whether there will even be one or whether we’ll just lie there and take it.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

42. “First, see clearly. Next, act correctly. Finally, endure and accept the world as it is.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

43. “An entrepreneur is someone with faith in their ability to make something where there was nothing before. To them, the idea that no one has ever done this or that is a good thing.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

44. “The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

45. “Our actions may be impeded . . . but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

46. “Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

47. “There are far more failures in the world due to a collapse of will than there will ever be from objectively conclusive external events.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

48. “You will come across obstacles in life—fair and unfair. And you will discover, time and time again, that what matters most is not what these obstacles are but how we see them, how we react to them, and whether we keep our composure” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

49. “Our perceptions determine, to an incredibly large degree, what we are and are not capable of. In many ways, they determine reality itself. When we believe in the obstacle more than in the goal, which will inevitably triumph?” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

50. “We decide what story to tell ourselves. Or whether we will tell one at all.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

Bonus Obstacle is The Way Quote

“Focus on the moment, not the monsters that may or may not be up ahead.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is The Way

Related: Best Stoic Quotes

There you have it friend, 50 of the best quotes from The Obstacle is The Way . Study these remarkable quotes, and then put them into action in your daily life. Certainly the few gems we shared on this page should be enough to at least get you started on smashing through some of those daily obstacles we all face in life.

Lastly, if there is one book we would recommend to all entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, or even big dreamers who find themselves deep into the fire and fury that inevitably follows such pursuits, it would be the book we derived these great quotes from, The Obstacle Is The Way . It definitely is a book every dreamer and achiever should have in their library.

Note: We’re reader supported, if you buy through one of the links above, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.

With that being said, we hope you enjoyed these encouraging quotes. Now get out there and start leveraging this wisdom to turn your toughest trials into your greatest triumphs.

PS – If you enjoyed these The Obstacle Is The Way Quotes, then you’ll like enjoy these Inspirational Quotes About Life and Struggles .

100+ EARL NIGHTINGALE QUOTES TO HELP YOU SUCCEED IN THE WORLD TODAY

Earl Nightingale was a highly influential personality who came to fame in the 20th century. He retired early by the age of 35, pioneered one of the first audio-recordings in the success and self-development industry, and eventually published one the most well thought-out and masterfully narrated success guides ever created. Having discovered the secret to success , and then generously sharing that secret with the rest of the world, his contribution to modern society is for all intents and purposes, unmatched. As such, we aim to ensure his legacy and sage advice continues to change peoples lives. Which is why, we’ve decided to publish this collection of the very best Earl Nightingale quotes from a variety of his best works.

“Earl Nightingale Has Inspired More People Toward Success And Fortune Than Any Other Motivational Speaker On The Planet.” – zig ziglar –

So, if you’re ready to learn from the wise words of one of the world’s most prominent scholars on the subject of success, and learn the very secret to success while you’re at it, then let’s dive into these quotes:

BEST EARL NIGHTINGALE QUOTES

1. “Every one of us is the sum total of his own thoughts.” – Earl Nightingale

2. “People are where they are because that is exactly where they really want to be whether they will admit that or not.” – Earl Nightingale

3. “Your world is a living expression of how you are using and have used your mind.” – Earl Nightingale

4. “Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become reality.” – Earl Nightingale

5. “When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself” – Earl Nightingale

6. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” – Earl Nightingale

7. “ Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us.” – Earl Nightingale

8. “It is not what happens to you in life that makes the difference. It is how you react to each circumstance you encounter that determines the result.” – Earl Nightingale

9. “Wherever there is danger, there lurks opportunity; wherever there is opportunity, there lurks danger. The two are inseparable.” – Earl Nightingale

10. “The strangest secret in the world is that you become what you think about.” – Earl Nightingale

Earl Nightingale Quotes on Success

This next batch of quotes is some of Earl’s wisest words on the topic of finding and achieving success. No doubt, all of his advice can be attributed to success, but this next handful of quotes are the most poignant.

With that said, if you’re here in search of success insights then these Earl Nightingale quotes on success will do the trick. Enjoy.

11. “People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.” – Earl Nightingale

12. “Whatever the majority of people are doing, under any given circumstance, if you’ll do the exact opposite, you will probably never make another mistake as long as you live.” – Earl Nightingale

13. “We are all self-made, but only the successful will admit it.” – Earl Nightingale

14. “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” – Earl Nightingale

15. “Success is not the result of making money; making money is the result of success… and success is in direct proportion to our service.” – Earl Nightingale

16. “A success is anyone who is doing deliberately a worthy predetermined job, because that’s what he decided to do deliberately.” – Earl Nightingale

17. “There is no success without suffering. I think that the word ‘suffering’ was meant to mean tremendous effort and direction.” – Earl Nightingale

18. “Successful people form the habit of doing what failures don’t like to do. They like the results they get by doing what they don’t necessarily enjoy.” – Earl Nightingale

19. “Men credited with all kinds of ability, talent, brains and know how, including the ability to see into the future, frequently have nothing more than the courage to keep everlastingly at what they set out to do. They have that one great quality that is worth more than all the rest put together. They simply will not give up! When a man makes up his mind to do something then it’s only a matter of time. Staying with time takes bulldog persistence. This seems to be the entrance examination to success – lasting success — of any kind!” – Earl Nightingale

20. “We tend to live up to our expectations.” – Earl Nightingale

21. “Your success will always be measured by the quality and quantity of service you render.” – Earl Nightingale

22. “ Successful people are not without problems. They’re simply people who’ve learned to solve their problems.” – Earl Nightingale

23. “Most people tiptoe through life, hoping to make it safely to death.” – Earl Nightingale

24. “A success is the school teacher who is teaching because that’s what she wants to do.” – Earl Nightingale

25. “The only person who succeeds is the person who is progressively realizing a worthy ideal.” – Earl Nightingale

26. “All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” – Earl Nightingale

27. “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.” – Earl Nightingale

28. “A person who does not read is no better than one cannot read.” – Earl Nightingale

29. “Any person who contributes to prosperity must prosper in turn.” – Earl Nightingale

30. “A great attitude is not the result of success; Success is the result of a great attitude.” – Earl Nightingale

31. “If the grass is greener on the other side it’s probably getting better care.” – Earl Nightingale

32. “Each of us creates his or her own life largely by our attitude.” – Earl Nightingale

33. “One extra hour of study per day and you’ll be a national expert in five years or less.” – Earl Nightingale

34. “If you don’t have a good model for success, just look at what everybody else is doing and do the opposite.” – Earl Nightingale

35. “Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.” – Earl Nightingale

36. “Plant your goal in your mind. It’s the most important decision you’ll ever make in your entire life.” – Earl Nightingale

37. “The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.” – Earl Nightingale

38. “We must radiate success before it will come to us. We must first become mentally, from an attitude standpoint, the people we wish to become.” – Earl Nightingale

39. “Just one great idea can completely revolutionize your work and, as a result, your life.”

40. “You must radiate success before it will come to you.” – Earl Nightingale

Inspiring Earl Nightingale Quotes

If you’ve never read or listened to any of Earl Nightingales books or audio books, we highly recommend the investment. Quotes are a great starting place to get you accustomed to his line of thinking, but you’ll get the most out of his teachings by studying his material thoroughly.

With that said, here are some of the most inspiring Earl Nightingale quotes we collected during our study. Enjoy.

41. “A person’s discontent can be said to be measured by the distance between what he has and what he wants.” – Earl Nightingale

42. “We will receive not what we idly wish for, but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service.” – Earl Nightingale

43. “You are now and you do become, what you think about.” – Earl Nightingale

44. “Perseverance is another word for faith!” – Earl Nightingale

45. “Act the part of the successful person whom you’ve decided to become.” – Earl Nightingale

46. “We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light.” – Earl Nightingale

47. “A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You can’t go anywhere till you change it.” – Earl Nightingale

48. “The key that unlocks energy is ”Desire’.’ It’s also the key to a long and interesting life. If we expect to create any drive, any real force within ourselves, we have to get excited.” – Earl Nightingale

49. “Creativity is an expression of our enthusiasm.” – Earl Nightingale

50. “Everything begins with an idea.” – Earl Nightingale

51 . “Work never killed anyone. It’s worry that does the damage. And the worry would disappear if we’d just settle down and do the work.” – Earl Nightingale

52. “Problems are challenges to creative minds. Without problems, there would be little reason to think at all.” – Earl Nightingale

53. “The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else.” – Earl Nightingale

54. “Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now.” – Earl Nightingale

55. “Your problem is to bridge the gap which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach .” – Earl Nightingale

56. “You’ll find boredom where there is the absence of a good idea.” – Earl Nightingale

57. “There is a time when one must decide either to risk everything to fulfill one’s dreams or sit for the rest of one’s life in the backyard.” – Earl Nightingale

58. “Don’t concern yourself with the money. Be of service … build … work … dream … create! Do this and you’ll find there is no limit to the prosperity and abundance that will come to you.” – Earl Nightingale

59. “Do each day all that can be done that day. You don’t need to overwork or to rush blindly into your work trying to do the greatest possible number of things in the shortest possible time.” – Earl Nightingale

60. “What’s going on in the inside shows on the outside.” – Earl Nightingale

Earl Nightingale Quotes from The Greatest Discovery

Earl Nightingale’s first published book was ‘The Greatest Discovery’ which won him the Napoleon Hill Gold Medal for Literary Excellence. [1] As such, this next batch consists of some of the best Earl Nightingale quotes from his book ‘The Greatest Discovery’. We hope you enjoy this rare collection of inspiring quotes.

If you want to learn more about Earl Nightingale before you dive into this next batch of quotes, this is a terrific place to start here: Who His Earl Nightingale?

61. “The best is never the most popular.” – Earl Nightingale

62. “Using our intuition along with our intelligence as a guide, can be the best way to produce super ideas.” – Earl Nightingale

63. “Planting a problem or question deep in the subconscious by first turning it every which way during an in-depth conscious attempt to solve it, usually results in the answer eventually appearing completely unbidden in our consciousness.” – Earl Nightingale

64. “When can think better, more profitably, and serve more people through ideas than we can ever do physically.” – Earl Nightingale

65. “The ideas we hold should be in concert with our goals, if our goals are to be successfully achieved.” – Earl Nightingale

66. “An idea is the bringing together of known increments to provide a new result.” – Earl Nightingale

67. “Service, we are here to serve each other. And every one of us does who receives anything back in the way of return. Those who do not serve, do not receive anything.” – Earl Nightingale

68. “The greatest thing in the world is the opportunity to be of service to others.” – Earl Nightingale

69. “Attitude comes very close to being everything about success or failure.” – Earl Nightingale

70. “There’s a place for every person who will persevere .” – Earl Nightingale

71. “My habit of muttering to myself, “Stay with it!” had paid off, just as it always does.” – Earl Nightingale

72. “It’s staying with it that separates the winners from the losers.” – Earl Nightingale

73. “A person can have a great education, but if he also has a poor attitude, he will almost certainly fail.” – Earl Nightingale

74. “We are what we repeatedly do, but what we do is a matter of choice.” – Earl Nightingale

75. “We become successful to the extent of our true desires and determination, and we do so by building on our strong points; our forte.” – Earl Nightingale

The Strangest Secret Quotes by Earl Nightingale

Earl Nightingale’s claim to fame and lasting legacy was his creation of the audiobook ‘The Strangest Secret’. We’ve provided a few quotes from this masterpiece in earlier sections; however, this batch focuses on the very Strangest Secret quotes by Earl Nightingale.

76. “Books are filled with ideas, and ideas spur us into action.” – Earl Nightingale

77. “I can determine what I think about, therefore I can determine what I become and what I have.” – Earl Nightingale

78. “Our minds are the gyrocompasses of our lives, we can only go were they direct us, and we are in charge of our minds.” – Earl Nightingale

79. “You will do more good for the rest of the human race enthusiastically going full bore after the things you want, than in any other way, because the only way you can get the things you want is by providing service to others — and the more intense and enthusiastic you are about it, the better will be your service. It’s the way the free-market private enterprise American system works.” – Earl Nightingale

80. “The universal key to success simply put is this… as you think , so shall you become.” – Earl Nightingale

81. “You’ll do best at what you most want to do in the pursuit of your personal goals, in so doing, you’ll provide the maximum service to those you need to help you.” – Earl Nightingale

82. “Ideas are the most important things on earth, and each of us has his or her our own idea factory — it comes as standard equipment at birth.” – Earl Nightingale

83. “Don’t ever say, I’d like to get to the point where I can start taking things easy.” – Earl Nightingale

84. “Our rewards, all the years of our lives, will be in proportion to our service. We are here, we live, in order to serve one another.” – Earl Nightingale

85. “Without ideas, we’d still be sitting in the trees grooming one another.” – Earl Nightingale

86. “There are no guarantees. Don’t confuse opportunity with guarantee.” – Earl Nightingale

87. “It’s best you get rid of that terrible word “security” now, once and for all, there’s no such thing as security as long as you’re alive. Dead you’re secure. Unborn you’re secure. If you’re alive, you’re the very epitome of insecurity.” – Earl Nightingale

88. “People will make you rich, or keep you broke, depending on the way you serve them. You should make up your mind at the outset if you are planning to become a successful entrepreneur , that you are going to make people outside the organization and inside the organization your special concern.” – Earl Nightingale

89. “You can’t lose money on a customer if you treat him or her the way they should be treated.” – Earl Nightingale

90. “Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity.” – Earl Nightingale

91. “The successful person does things. The unsuccessful person has done things done to him or her.” – Earl Nightingale

92. “Life should be an exciting adventure. It should never be a bore. A man should live fully , be alive. He should be glad to get out of bed in the morning. He should be doing a job that he likes to do because he does it well.” – Earl Nightingale

93. “Your success will always be measured by the quality and quantity of service you render.” – Earl Nightingale

94. “There is no fragment of this freedom of ours, that can’t be turned into the success we seek.” – Earl Nightingale

95. “There are no jobs so humble, that they do not have lurking within them the opportunity for greatness and all the success we could possibly want, but it takes that expectant attitude to see it.” – Earl Nightingale

96. “More than any other factor perhaps, the unsuccessful person can usually be identified with a group.” – Earl Nightingale

97. “The person who succeeds in America is the person who sets his or her own wages, goals, and lifestyle.” – Earl Nightingale

98. “The American people can become whatever it is they want to become – the trouble is, they seldom make that decision.” – Earl Nightingale

99. “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice… it is conformity.”

100. “The unsuccessful person sowing little , reaps little.” – Earl Nightingale

101. “The law is, that our financial return will be in direct proportion to our service.” – Earl Nightingale

102. “If you believe you can enrich yourself by deluding others, you can end only by deluding yourself.” – Earl Nightingale

103. “ Money is the harvest of our production.” – Earl Nightingale

104. “No man can get rich himself unless he enriches others.” – Earl Nightingale

105. “The greatest journey is the journey of the mind.” – Earl Nightingale

Bonus Earl Nightingale Quote

Bonus: Here’s our last and final Earl Nightingale quote. It’s been said in one of the earlier quotes in a different way. But, it’s being rehashed here because we believe it’s one of his best, and it’s the one you’ll stand to gain the most from. So, if you take any quote from this page to run with, this is the one to take, Enjoy.

“We Become What We Think About Most Of The Time, And That’s The Strangest Secret.” – earl nightingale –

There you have it, the most comprehensive collection of Earl Nightingale quotes on the web. We hope the wisdom found in his words inspires you to learn more about this inspiring human.

But most importantly, we hope his quotes will eventually lead to your own serious study of his time-tested philosophy of success.

That said, if you enjoyed these quotes, please share them. Or, if you think there’s a Millennial or Gen Z’er out there who could benefit from the learning of Earl Nightingale’s timeless wisdom, please share these quotes with them as well. Because there’s no doubt, that his success philosophy is one of the best kept secrets of this generation.

PS – If you enjoyed these Earl Nightingale quotes, then there’s a good chance you’ll also stand to benefit from studying the wise words of these success-minded individuals as well:

Napoleon Hill | Zig Ziglar | Bob Proctor | Jim Rohn

75 INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES ABOUT RESPECT

Respect is a fundamental human need. We all crave respect and admiration from others, and we all have a deep need for self-respect as well. As Maya Angelou once put it, “I think it’s important to respect yourself because if you don’t then nobody else is going to respect you.”

Thus, both having and giving respect is essential to a happy and fulfilling life. It’s the foundation of a healthy self-esteem, a positive self-image, and our ability to give respect to others. Respect is an important part of life, and it’s critical to earn if one is striving for more success and influence in their lives.

So, if you’re looking for a little bit of inspiration and some of the best sayings and quotes about respect, you’ll find both here:

BEST QUOTES ABOUT RESPECT

1. “Respect is earned by action alone, not self-graticulation.” – Paul Combs

2. “Self-respect knows no considerations.” – Mahatma Gandhi

3. “You can’t force someone to respect you, but you can refuse to be disrespected.” – Barb Schmidt

4. “As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others.” – Robert Schuller

5. “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.” – Albert Einstein

6. “Do not tolerate disrespect, not even from yourself.” – Unknown

7. “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

8. “You should never be surprised when someone treats you with respect, you should expect it.” – Sarah Dessen

9. “Self respect is the fruit of discipline ; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. ” – Abraham Heschel 

10. “Self-respect is the cornerstone of all virtue.” – John Herschell

11. “Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you’ve got to give it.” – R.G. Risch

12. “If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are.” – John W. Gardner

13. “Blood, sweat and respect. First two you give, last one you earn.” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

14. “Never respect men merely for their riches, but rather for their philanthropy; we do not value the sun for its height, but for its use.” – Gamaliel Bailey

15. “When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us.” – Arapaho proverb

16. “Respect other people’s feelings. It might mean nothing to you, but it could mean everything to them.” – Roy T. Bennett

17. “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” – Jackie Robinson

18. “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” – Bryant H. McGill

19. “How people treat you with their karma. How you react is yours.” – Wayne W. Dyer

20. “I cannot conceive of a greater loss than the loss of one’s self-respect.” – Mahatma Gandhi

21. “There is no respect for others without humility in one’s self.” – Henri Amiel

22. “Be you. The world will adjust.” – Barry Popik

23. “Love yourself enough to surround yourself with people who respect you.” –  Anonymous

24. “Life is short, and we should respect every moment of it.” – Orhan Pamuk

25. “A human being is not to be handled as a tool but is to be respected and revered.” – Felix Adler

26. “When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” – Dalai Lama

27. “The right to be respected is won by respecting others.” – Vasyl Sukhomlynsky

28. “Always respect another’s opinion and another’s point of view.” – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

29. “Responsibility and respect for others and their religious beliefs are also part of freedom.” – Horst Koehler

30. “If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.” – Louis D. Brandeis

31. “One of the surprising things in this world is the respect a worthless man has for himself.” E. W. Howe

32. “Have a big enough heart to love unconditionally, and a broad enough mind to embrace the differences that make each of us unique.” – D.B. Harrop

33. “To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness. ” – Robert Moley

34. “You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.” – Amy Bloom

35. “The fact that someone else loves you doesn’t rescue you from the project of loving yourself.” – Sahaj Kohli

36. “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.” – Laurence Sterne

37. “Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you or makes you happy.” – Robert Tew

38. “Everyone’s a STAR and deserves the right to twinkle.” – Marilyn Monroe

39 “Respect is how to treat everyone.” – Richard Branson

40. “Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” – Bruce Lee

41. “Respect is as important as love in a relationship!” – Anonymous

42. “Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you.” – Roy T. Bennett

43. “Respect yourself and others will respect you.” – Confucius

44.   “I am who I am. That’s why my friends and peers respect and appreciate me.” – Kevin Hart

45. “The idea of respect is more than just being polite.” – Bruce Glassman

46. “Little people are indifferent. Superior people are caring.” – Maxima Lagac’e

47. “I can be hurt only by people I respect.” – Mary Balogh

48. “I must respect the opinions of others even if I disagree with them.” – Herbert H. Lehman

49. “Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be.” – Leo Tolstoy

50. “Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one is idolized.” – Albert Einstein

51. “Respect is earned. Honesty is appreciated. Trust is gained. Loyalty is returned.” – Ed Mylett

52. “Show up early, treat people with respect and perform at the highest levels till the world can’t deny you.” – Grant Cardone

53. “Our lives are a work of art. Plant seeds of love and respect and reap a harvest of prosperity and peace.” – Joan Pillen

54. “We can’t expect to be respected if we can’t respect ourselves.” – Derrick Jackson

55. “Don’t worry what others think of you, be confident and straightforward with decency and others will respect you.” – Lori Greiner

56. “Respect is earned, not demanded.” – Stacy Halls

57. “The respect you give others is a dramatic reflection of the respect you give yourself.” – Robin Sharma

58. “The only authority I respect is the one that causes butterflies to fly south in the fall and north in the springtime.” – Tony Robbins

59. “In many ways, effective communication begins with mutual respect, communication that inspires, encourages others to be their best.” – Zig Ziglar

60. “My company survives because I’ve learned to respect the ideas of people younger than me and recognize when my wisdom is obsolete.” – Robert Kiyosaki

61. “To undermine a man’s self-respect is a sin.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

62. “Service to many leads to greatness, great respect, great satisfaction.” – Jim Rohn

63. “No matter how they’re treating you there is one way to not only their respect, but turn the tables. Excellence.” – David Goggins

64. “The more that you treat your troops with respect, the more they’re going to respect you.” – Jocko Willink

65. “The highest form of self love and self respect is being fit.” – Bedros Keuilian

66. “People don’t have to like you, they have to respect you.” – Kevin O’Leary

67. “The more you respect yourself, the less disrespect you’ll put up with from others.” – Mel Robbins

68. “When people do not respect us we are sharply offended; yet in his private heart no man much respects himself.” – Mark Twain

69. “Reject rejection! If someone says no, just say NEXT.” – Jack Canfield

70. “Don’t ask for respect. Earn it.” – Robin Sharma

71. “People really do respect those who are willing to speak their truth.” – Wayne Dyer

72. “I don’t want to be liked, I want to be respected. Because if you like me you can throw me away too quick. If you respect me, you may not even like what I was wearing, but you’ll say, “I respect that.” – Ray Lewis

73. “We should respect all people.” – Helen Keller

74. “We do not covet anything from any nation expect for their respect.” – Winston Churchill

75. “You must find the courage to leave the table if respect is no longer being served.” – Mel Robbins

Related: Short Quotes On Life

Bonus Quote on Respect

Bonus: Here’s one last and final respect quote. We think it holds the key to a better life and a better world. Enjoy:

“Respect Is One Of The Greatest Expressions Of Love.” – miguel angel ruiz –

We hope you enjoyed these inspiring respect quotes. If any caught your eye please feel free to share it, and if you found inspiration in this page, please bookmark or share it with others.

PS – If you enjoyed these inspirational quotes about respect, then you’ll probably also enjoy these quotes about self-confidence or these truly inspiring believe in yourself quotes .

100 HARD HITTING QUOTES ABOUT LIFE, LOVE, AND SUCCESS

Life is too short, too precious to waste even a one single minute on meaningless words. Nobody has time for the unnecessary, and it’s for this very reason that we love hard hitting quotes. You know, the kind of quotes that don’t pull any punches. The type of quotes that tell you exactly what you need to hear when you need to hear it. The one’s that truly speak to your core.

In fact, we love quotes that hit hard so much, that we’ve pulled together this best of the best list from the vast collection of quotes that we’ve been publishing over the past 7 years. So, if you’re looking for some powerful hard hitting quotes, then you’ll enjoy this list.

BEST HARD HITTING QUOTES

1. “If you always do what you’ve done, you’ll always get what you’ve got.” – Henry Ford

2. “Change your thoughts and you can change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale

3. “Many times life will hit you hard, knock you down, and hurt you. Persevere, Never Give Up, and do your best to get up and Keep Going.” – John Cena

4. “We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” – Oprah Winfrey

5. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln

6. “Life will hit you hard in the face, wait for you to get back up just so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the stats of air.” – Sarah Kay

7. “Normality is a paved road: it’s comfortable to walk but no flowers grow.” – Vincent Van Gogh

8. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”  –  Helen Keller

9. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James

10. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass

11. “Not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do is the secret of happiness.” – J.M. Barrie

12. “Don’t wast your time in anger, regrets, worries, and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy.” – Roy T. Bennett

13. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams .” – Eleanor Roosevelt

14. “There are only two great tragedies in life: one is not getting what you want and the other is getting it.” – Oscar Wilde

15. “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” – Rocky Balboa

16. “Don’t think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money.” Voltaire

17. “A discipline mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.” – Dalai Lama

18.  “The two most important days of your life are the day that you’re born and the day that you find out why.” – Mark Twain

19. “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

20.  “When you cease to dream you cease to live.” – Malcom Forbes

21. “Diligence is the mother of good fortune, and the goal of good intention was never reached through its opposite, laziness.” – Miguel de Cervantes

22. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – James Dean

23. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” – Paulo Coelho

24. “Inside of a ring or out, ain’t nothing wrong with going down. It’s staying down that’s wrong.” – Muhammad Ali

25. “No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still ahead of everyone else who isn’t trying.” – Tony Robbins

Hard Hitting Quotes on Love

26. “Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.” – Oscar Wilde

27. “Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.” – Nicholas Sparks

28. “Love is not what you say, love is what you do.” – Anonymous

29. “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” – Lao Tzu

30. “You can’t go back and change the beginning. But you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis

31. “Love has nothing to do what what you are expecting to get — only with what you are expecting to give — which is everything.” – Katherine Hepburn

32. “A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” – Elbert Hubbard

33. “Relationships end too soon because people stop putting in the same effort to keep you, as they did to win you.” – Anonymous

34. “Expectations are resentments waiting to happen.” – Brene Brown

35. “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” – Aristotle

36. “Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” – Maya Angelou

37 . “The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just have to find the ones worth suffering for.” – Bob Marley

38. “You’ve got to be in a bad relationship to really understand what a great one is.” – Steve Harvey

39. “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard — they must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller

40. “Do what you did in the beginning of a relationship and there won’t be an end.” – Tony Robbins

41. “True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen.” – Francois de La Rochefoucauld

42. “The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved.” – Victor Hugo

43. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” – Charles Dickens

44. “What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Timothy Ferriss

45. “True love stories never have endings.” – Richard Bach

46.  “If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.” – Mother Teresa

47 . “The love we give away is the only love we keep.” – Elbert Hubbard

48. “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi

49. “When we are in love we seem to ourselves quite different from what we were before.” – Blaise Pascal

50. “When love is real, it finds a way.” – Avatar Roku

Hard Hitting Quotes on Success

51. “Be obsessed or be average.”  –  Grant Cardone

52. “There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison

53. “Tell me who your heroes are and I’ll tell you who you’ll turn out to be.” – Warren Buffett

54. “Failure shows us the way — by showing us what isn’t the way.” – Ryan Holiday

55. “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” – Eric Thomas

56. “Become a millionaire not for the million dollars, but for what it will make of you to achieve it.” – Jim Rohn

57. “One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.” – Colonel Sanders

58. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau

59. “Winners embrace hard work.  They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win.  Losers, on the other hand, see it as a punishment.  And that’s the difference.” –  Lou Holtz

60. “If you avoid failure, you also avoid success.” – Robert Kiyosaki

61. “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”  –  Benjamin Franklin

62. “Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches, or pounds, or college degrees, or family background: they are measured by the size of their thinking.”  –  David J. Schwartz

63. “Average people have wishes and hopes. Successful people have goals .”  –  Anonymous

64 . “God doesn’t require that you succeed, he only requires that you try.” – Mother Teresa

65. “Tell me how you use your spare time, and how you spend your money, and I will tell you where and what you will be in ten years from now.” – Napoleon Hill

66. “Success is when reality catches up to your imagination.” – Simon Sinek

67. “Don’t mistake activity with achievement .” – John Wooden

68. “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

69. “Obsessed is a word often used by the lazy to describe the dedicated.” – Tai Lopez

70. “The key to success is failure.” – Michael Jordan

71 “Faith will get you to a point. Luck will get you to a point. But to achieve the kind of success you dream about, you need to work. There are no shortcuts, you can’t cheat life, just get to work and don’t stop until you reach your highest potential .” – Denzel Washington

72. “Ambition is the first step to success. The second step is action.” – Mel Robbins

73. “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

74. “Show me a person who has never made a mistake and I’ll show you someone who has never achieved much.” – Joan Collins

75. “We are all self-made, but only the successful will admit it.”  –  Earl Nightingale

76. “Life is hard, money doesn’t care, your tears don’t add value.” – Kevin O’Leary

77. “Nobody ever changed the world by doing what everyone else was doing.” – Mark Cuban

78. “Being broke is temporary but poverty of the mind is permanent.” – Daymond John

79. “The difference between successful people and others is how long they feel sorry for themselves.” – Barbara Corcoran

80. “It is not the strong or the weak that will survive — it is the resilient.” – Robert Herjavec

81. “The greatest accomplishment in life isn’t what you’re paid, it’s who you become.” – Lori Greiner

82. “You are never powerful in life until you are powerful over your money.” – Suze Orman

83. “You always get what you tolerate. If you tolerate  mediocrity , then that’s what you’ll get.” – Bedros Keuilian

84. “Poverty is not something that is lacking out there, poverty is always something that is lacking inside.” – Myron Golden

85. “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” – Calvin Coolidge

86. “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” – Zig Ziglar

87. “Your ambition is predicated on your action, not your words.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

88. “No one is going to come help you. No one’s coming to save you.” – David Goggins

89. “Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity.” – Will Smith

90. “Every noble work is at first impossible.” – Thomas Carlyle

91. “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”   –   Steve Jobs

92. “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”  –  Vince Lombardi

93. “You are not given a dream, unless you have the capacity to fulfill it.” – Jack Canfield

94.  “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the rally great make you believe that you too can be great.” – Mark Twain

95. “It’s not about money or connections — It’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business. And if it fails, you learn from what happened and do a better job next time.” – Mark Cuban

96. “He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much.” –  James Allen

97. “Poor people stop learning as soon as they get out of school. Rich people continue their education long after they graduate.” – Myron Golden

98. “The world rewards results. Period.” – Andy Frisella

99. “Average is the enemy.” – Bedros Keuilian

100. “ Money  has no gray areas, you either make it or you lose it.” – Kevin O’Leary

Bonus Quote The Hits Hard

Bonus: Alright, here is one of our favorite hard hitting quotes. We added it as bonus, because we stand behind it, and believe it to be 100% true whether it be in life, love, or success. Enjoy.

“Our Greatest Glory Is Not In Never Falling, But In Rising Every Time We Fall.” – confucius –

Big kudos making to the end of these quotes that hit hard. We hope you agree with us, that they are indeed hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and helpful.

That said, come back again whenever you need a little bit of inspiration or motivation, we’ll be sure to have something new to help you reach your aims,

PS – If you enjoyed these hard-hitting quotes, then you’ll probably enjoy these inspiring quotes about strength .

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77 Positive and Inspiring Journey Quotes

Embark on a journey of a lifetime with these inspiring journey quotes. Life’s a thrilling ride, filled with ups and downs.

It’s about braving the storms and cherishing time spent with loved ones.

So whether your path is spiritual, an exciting travel adventure, or just starting something new in life, let these quotes fuel your spirit for exploration and discovery.

Journey quotes to begin your path towards greatness

1. “Never give up on your dreams, no matter how painful and difficult your journey is.” – Lisa

2. “The journey is never ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown

3. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

4. “Sometimes its more about the journey than the destination.” – Jamal Crawford

5. “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Ashe

6. “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson

New journey quotes to inspire your success

7. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

8. “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” – Drake

9. “Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

10. “Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don’t lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

11. “Struggle teaches you a lot of things, and I am happy that I witnessed a roller coaster ride. The journey has improved me as a person and made me more matrure.” – Manoj Bajpayee

12. “Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

Life is a journey quotes

13. “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” – Oliver Goldsmith

14. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

15. “Learn to trust the journey, even when you do not understand it.” – Lolly Daskal

16. “Life is a journey that have a lot of different paths, but any path you choose, use it as your destiny.” – Unknown

17. “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli

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18. “Life is a journey, not a destination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

19. “Everyday you got a chance to make your journey more beautiful than yesterday.” – Nitin Namdeo

20. “Every day is a journey and the journey itself is home.” – Matsuo Basho

21. “Everybody has their own story; everything has their own journey.” – Thalia

Enjoy the journey quotes

22. “Enjoy the journey as much as the destination.” – Marshall Sylver

23. “Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame.” – Benedict Cumberbatch

24. “Enjoy the journey and try to get better everyday. And don’t lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

25. “Enjoy the journey, the destination will come.” – Verghese

26. “Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you decide to enjoy your life.” – Joyce Meyer

27. “Dream big, stay positive, work hard, and enjoy the journey.” – Urijah Faber

28. “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey

29. “Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.” – Chanda Kochar

30. “Enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment, and quit worrying about winning and losing.” – Matt Biondi

31. “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.” – Babs Hoffman

32. “I haven’t been everywhere but its on my list.” – Susan Sontag

33. “You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.” – Les Brown

Inspirational journey quotes

34. “You can never regret anything you do in life. You kind of have to learn the lesson from whatever the experience is and take it with you on your journey forward.” – Aubrey O’Day

35. “Life is a journey. When we stop, things don’t go right.” – Pope Francis

36. “There’s no map for you to follow and take your journey. You are Lewis and Clark. You are the mapmaker.” – Phillipa Soo

37. “I’m different than most people. When I cross the finish line of a big race, I see that people are ecstatic, but I’m thinking about what I’m going to do tomorrow. It’s as if my journey is everlasting, and there is no finish line.” – David Goggins

38. “We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.” – Marcel Proust

39. “Though the road’s been rocky it sure feels good to me.” – Bob Marley

40. “We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.” – Earl Nightingale

41. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs

42. “If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.” – Enoch Powell

Motivational journey quotes 

43. “Make voyages. Attempt them. There’s nothing else.” – Tennessee Williams

44. “Gotta take that adventure in order to understand your journey.” – Jennifer Pierre

45. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

46. “The beauty of my journey is that it’s always been pretty unpredictable, so stay tuned.” – Andreja Pejic

47. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T.S. Eliot

48. “The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi

49. “The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.” – Unknown

50. “Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.” – Theodore Roosevelt

51. “The harder you work from something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.” – Sudhashree Acharya

52. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

53. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – ILHQ

54. “When setting out on a journey do not seek advice from someone who never left home.” – Rumi

Positive journey quotes

55. “You may only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West

56. “Every day you got a chance to make your journey more beautiful than yesterday.” – Nitin Namdeo

57. “Stay positive. Better days are on their way.” – Unknown

58. “Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.” – Ralph Marston

59. “You make a life out of what you have, not what you’re missing.” – Kate Morton

60. “Every sunset is an opportunity to reset. Every sunrise begins with new eyes.” – Richie Norton

61. “Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.” – Drew Barrymore

62. “Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. There is no short-cutting life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.” – Asha Tyson

63. “And suddenty you know…It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” – Meister Eckhart

64. “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” – Dolly Parton

65. “Your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude.” – Michelle Obama

66. “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde

67. “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

Journey of life quotes

68. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins

69. “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett

70. “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll

71. “You take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing, no one to blame.” – Erica Jong

72. “If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.” – Dan Rather

73. “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf

74. “Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier & healthier life.” – Germany Kent

75. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

76. “Our lives are the journey we take to find our true selves!” – Alyssa Gonzalez

77. “Your braver than you believe, stronger that you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne

Which of these journey quotes were your favorites?

We all have the potential within us to be great.

But greatness isn’t about luck. It’s a choice.

We must choose to succeed and take steps towards it.

Remember, the path to success is a journey, not a quick leap.

Let these quotes inspire you to stay focused on your goals and dreams, no matter what obstacles get in your way along the path.

Helping people and eating tacos are my jam! This blog exists to help provide tips and resources that can help you achieve your goals and live a better life. Whether you’re looking for tips on personal growth, fitness, advice on starting a side hustle, or resources for working remotely, I’ve got you covered.

51 Meaningful Quotes About How Life is a Journey

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They say that life is about the journey and not the destination. But what does that really mean?

You’ve probably heard this line a million times before, but maybe you couldn’t quite understand what it was trying to illustrate. 

The most successful people will tell you that the process of accomplishing something is far more valuable than the end result. You learn much more from all of your experiences and encounters than you do from arriving at the destination.

Ultimately, the process is the greatest reward. The sweetest moments come when you realize that you have attained the final goal because of everything you have experienced.

You look back on the mistakes, the challenges, and everything you had to endure—but you also celebrate the fact that you faced your problems head-on. Your journey through life is what makes you human.

In this article, we share with you a list of quotes about how life is a journey . We hope that, through these words, you’ll be able to enjoy everything that life has to offer. Even more so, we hope that they will inspire you to live a more meaningful and happier life .

But before we check out our list, let’s discuss how reading these quotes can get you motivated.

Table of Contents

Why Read Quotes About How Life Is a Journey?

Reading these quotes can inspire you to live a better and more fulfilling life.

They are, after all, from people who have found their journeys through life enjoyable and gratifying. There’s no better way to motivate yourself than to get inspiration from people who have already lived wonderful lives.

In the same vein, these quotes can help you appreciate the gift of life. They help you realize that you only live once, so you must relish the moments you have been given.

Finally, reading these quotes can encourage you to share your life with others. You will realize that, in order to be able to live your life to the fullest, you need someone to share both your joys and sorrows with. You require companions to fully live in the moment .

Now that you know why it’s important to read journey quotes, let us check out our list!

Meaningful Life is a Journey Quotes

• “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But by all means, keep moving.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins
• “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey
• “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
• “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” – Heraclitus
• “Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere – on water and land.” – Walt Whitman
• “The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.” – Norton Juster
• “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli

• “Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost.” – Erol Ozan
• “For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.” – Michelle Obama
• “I am no longer afraid of becoming lost because the journey back always reveals something new, and that is ultimately good for the artist.” – Billy Joel
• “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy
• “Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering.” – Santosh Kalwar
• “There is a strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.” – Aaron Lauritsen
• “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” – Drake
• “ Transformation is a process , and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery – there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.” – Rick Warren
• “The journey is never-ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, and adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown
• “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson
• “On your journey, don’t forget to smell the flowers. Take time out to notice that you are alive. You can only live one day.” – Ray Fearon

• “If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends. It simply means the river bends.” – Enoch Powell
• “It’s not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place because it frees you.” – Tyler Perry
• “Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.” – Chanda Kochhar
• “Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin
• “Your journey never ends. Life has a way of changing things in incredible ways.” – Alexander Volkov
• “Each one of us has our own evolution of life, and each one of us goes through different tests which are unique and challenging. But certain things are common. And we do learn things from each other's experiences. On a spiritual journey, we all have the same destination.” – A. R. Rahman
• “Going by my past journey, I am not certain where life will take me, what turns and twists will happen; nobody knows where they will end up. As life changes direction, I'll flow with it.” – Katrina Kaif
• “Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don't lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

• “But it's a journey and the sad thing is you only learn from experience, so as much as someone can tell you things, you have to go out there and make your own mistakes in order to learn.” – Emma Watson
• “The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.” – Wally Lamb
• “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” – Oliver Goldsmith
• “The Sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it's here is up to us. Journey wisely.” – Alexandra Elle
• “We may run, walk, stumble. drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way.” – Gloria Gaither
• “Whole life is a search for beauty. But, when the beauty is found inside, the search ends and a beautiful journey begins.” – Harshit Walia
• “Not everyone will understand your journey. That's okay. You're here to live your life, not to make everyone understand .” – Banksy
• “I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom.” – Les Brown
• “It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination.” – John Bingham
• “As you journey down the path, don't forget to be present moment-by-moment and absorb the beauty and richness of simply being alive.” – Cary David Richards
• “If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.” – Dan Rather

• “Life is a journey of either Fate or Destiny. Fate is the result of giving in to one's wounds and heartaches. Your Destiny unfolds when you rise above the challenges of your life and use them as Divine opportunities to move forward to unlock your higher potential.” – Caroline Myss
• “I know it can be tough to imagine how to get from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow. But I’m here to tell you that change is possible if you enter into this journey with your eyes wide open, and with real intention.” – David Hauser
• “Part of the challenge that comes with striving for success is how the entire journey comes with its own fair share of failures and disappointments.” – Rupert Johnson
• “The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That's all there ever is.” – Alan Watts
• “Life is a journey and it's about growing and changing and coming to terms with who and what you are and loving who and what you are.” – Kelly McGillis
• “Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.” – Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• “I just constantly tell myself that I should be the only one to define my worth and what I'm capable of and how I perceive myself. And that I should never source that worth from other people, especially strangers on social media. They don't know who I am, the length of my journey, who I am as a person.” – Catriona Gray
• “ You have learned a lot, but there are still lots of learning for you as you journey through life. Never stop learning.” – Kate Summers

• “One of the most important things that I have learned in my 57 years is that life is all about choices. On every journey you take, you face choices. At every fork in the road, you make a choice. And it is those decisions that shape our lives.” – Mike DeWine
• “I'm different than most people. When I cross the finish line of a big race, I see that people are ecstatic, but I'm thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow. It's as if my journey is everlasting, and there is no finish line.” – David Goggins
• “The journey matters as much as the destination. By engaging at the moment on set, I've stopped rushing and now find pleasure in the collaborative process – the characters, the costumes – rather than worrying about the finished product.” – Michelle Dockery
• “It's a life's journey of finding ourselves, finding our power, and living for yourself, not for everyone else.” – Mariska Hargitay

Final Thoughts on Life & Journey

Life is a journey, and we all take different paths.

There are those who take the road less traveled and enjoy unique accomplishments, while others go with the crowd but still end up loving the lives they’ve chosen as well. Regardless of our choices, we will all have the potential to become successful in the ways we personally define success.

We hope that these quotes inspired you to enjoy your life’s journey and make it more meaningful. Enjoy the moment and live happy!

And if you want more inspirational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:

• 63 Inspiring Walt Whitman Quotes About Life
• 51 Do What Makes You Happy Quotes for 2023
• 107 Quotes About Overcoming Adversity and Challenges in Your Life

Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success .

35 Quotes To Inspire You On Your Journey Of Success

Journey is defined as a long and often difficult process of personal change and development; traveling from one place to another. The path to success might be tough, but once gain momentum, everything will fall to its place. Always remember to enjoy the journey because sometimes it’s more worthwhile the the destination itself. Don’t forget to thank all the people you helped you on your way. Everyone’s journey is different, so try not to compare yours to others. May these quotes inspire you on your journey to greatness .

1.  “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Lao Tzu

2.  “Don’t expect anyone to understand your journey , especially if they’ve never walked your path.”

3.  “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” Steve Maraboli

4.  “It’s all about the journey not the outcome.” Carl Lewis

5.  “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” Tony Robbins

6.  “The true journey is one that is traveled with an inner GPS fully activated.” Alexis Brooks

7.  “The journey is yours. Enjoy each and every step .” Anonymous

8.  “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” Arthur Ashe

9.  “Embrace the journey.” Anonymous

10.  “Stay patient and trust your journey.” Anonymous

11.  “The journey is long but the goal is in each step.” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

12.  “Life is a journey.” Anonymous

13.  “The journey is the fun part.” Jaime Tardy

14.  “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” Matsuo Basho

15.  “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” Drake

16.  “Life is not a race but a journey to be savored each step of the way.” Anonymous

17.  “This is your journey, your body, your mind, and your spirit. Dig deep, own it and start doing things for you and by you.” Anonymous

18.  “Your journey has molded you for the greater good .” Asha Tyson

19.  “Life is a journey filled with unexpected miracles.” Anonymous

20.  “The end of a journey means the start of another.” Anonymous

21.  “There is only one map to the journey of life and it lives within your heart .” Willie Nelson

22.  “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” Martin Buber

23.  “To travel is to take a journey into yourself.” Danny Kaye

24.  “You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.” Les Brown

25.  “Take the journey even if it means alone.” Anonymous

26.  “Love is the spirit that motivates the artist’s journey.” Eric Maisel

27.  “Our journey is about being more deeply involved in life and yet, less attached to it.” Ram Dass

28.  “Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them.” Anonymous

29.  “So the single most vital step on your journey towards enlightenment is this: learn to disidentify from your mind.” Eckhart Tolle

30.  “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” Anonymous

31.  “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” Kenji Miyazawa

32.  “The best journey always takes us home.” Anonymous

33.  “The journey is much easier when you are not carrying your past.” Anonymous

34.  “The journey to freedom is paved by the substance of our character.” Erwin McManus

35.  “The only journey is the one within.” Rainer Maria Rilke

I hope these Journey Quotes inspired you to aim for success. Do let us know which one was your favorite in the comments section below.

Check Out This Video On Guided Meditation — A 10-Minute Journey To Inner Peace:

Have A Great Day!

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My name is Asad Meah, I am the CEO & Founder of AwakenTheGreatnessWithin. I am a dreamchaser who has gained a wealth of knowledge in entrepreneurship and personal development over the past five years through self-education. My mission is to inspire millions of people to become entrepreneurs by awakening their minds to their greatness that resides within them.

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Hilary Williams

March 12, 2019 at 2:05 pm

What an amazing quotes that transforms life. It gives one the courage to actually owns his own journey. I Love This.

March 28, 2019 at 6:14 pm

Glad you enjoyed the article Hilary

haddy Ndimballan

March 11, 2019 at 10:58 pm

Comment: The quotes are very inspirational, they give me more courage to push harder

March 28, 2019 at 6:15 pm

Glad you enjoyed the article Haddy

February 1, 2019 at 12:40 am

I I enjoy the wonderful quotes. It has been very inspectional.

February 22, 2019 at 11:40 am

Glad you enjoyed the quotes Rosaline

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77 Beautiful Journey Quotes & Captions To Inspire An Inner Awakening

Searching for some words to accompany your own journey? I’ve compiled the best list out there of the most beautiful journey quotes to inspire and uplift you…

Maybe the most famous quote about journeys that millions across the globe know is from Lao Tzu.  The ancient Chinese philosopher once said, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And since then, adventurers, journeyers and wanderers have passed on their own journey inspiration. 

Whether your journey is a metaphorical or literal one, you will love my list of the best journey quotes that are guaranteed to lift you up and propel you forward. 

These are the 77 best journey quotes.

The Best Journey Quotes 

You may recognize a number of these quotes about journeys, as they come from the minds of some of the greatest individuals throughout history. These writers, leaders, musicians and adventurers understand the power of a life changing journey. 

1) “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t walk run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but by all means keep moving.” – Martin Luther King Jr. 

2) “the road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” –  don williams, jr., 3) “the best part of life is to decide to make the journey through life like a best selling book. tell a fantastic story when you are ready to tell others how you did it. make sure life the best story ever written through a journey filled with overcoming obstacles, taking risks, and continuing to develop.” – catherine pulsifer, 4) “we are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. life is eternal. we have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. this is a precious moment. it is a little parenthesis in eternity.” – paulo coelho.

5) “If ever there was a metaphor to illustrate the importance of the journey over the destination, it is life itself. For everyone who departs from birth is destined for death, so the journey IS life. Savor it!” – Michele Jennae

6) “life is a journey, and if you fall in love with the journey, you will be in love forever.” – peter hagerty, 7) “the secret of getting ahead is getting started. the secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” – mark twain, 8) “it is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – ernest hemingway.

9) “To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

10) “our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. but no matter, the road is life.”  ― jack kerouac, 11) “in order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.” – anthon st. maarten, 12) “this thing we call life is not a destination with an end but a path down which we continue to journey as long as we can breath. life is to be lived not squandered or to give away waiting for the end to close upon us.” – byron pulsifer.

13) “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

14) “life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “wow what a ride”” – hunter s. thompson, 15) “sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. the true joy of life is the trip.” — robert j. hastings.

Short Journey Quotes 

Quotes don’t have to be lengthy to capture the spirit of what they are trying to convey. These short journey quotes say so much with so little words. 

16) “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

17) “learn to trust the journey, even when you do not understand it.” – lolly daskal, 18) “a journey is time suspended.” –  louis l’amour, 19) “take voyages. attempt them. there’s nothing else.” ― tennessee williams.

20) “I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.”  — Carl Sandburg

21) “stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.” – fitzhugh mullan, 22) “life’s a journey, not a race.” – unknown, 23) “life is a journey. when we stop, things don’t go right.” – pope francis.

24) “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin

25) “you must remain focused on your journey to greatness.” – les brown, 26) “i tramp a perpetual journey.” ― walt whitman, 27) “the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – marcel proust.

28) “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln 

29) “life is about waking up. it is a journey of discovery and you’ve already bought the ticket and are sitting on the train.” – michael sheridan,, 30) “the only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – tony robbins, 31) “without music, life is a journey through a desert.” – pat conroy.

32) “What you learn in tough times can be used in many ways to bless your personal life journey.” – Scott Gordon

33) “accomplishments will prove to be a journey, not a destination.” – dwight d. eisenhower.

Inspiring Journey Quotes  

Searching for the courage to take the first steps on your own journey? These inspiring journey quotes will light a fire under you, guaranteed to give you the courage you seek.

34) “I discovered that a fresh start is a process. A fresh start is a journey – a journey that requires a plan.” – Vivian Jokotade

35) “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” – unknown, 36) “you don’t have to understand my journey. you just need to respect it.” – izey victoria odiase, 37) “when setting out on a journey do not seek advice from someone who never left home.” – rumi, 38) “to get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.” – chinese proverb, 39) “you have learned a lot, but there are still lots of learning for you as you journey through life. never stop learning.” – kate summers, 40) “when you’re on a journey and you come to a wall, always throw your pack over first, because then you will be sure to follow.” – yongey mingyur rinpoche, 41) “ big things have small beginnings.” – prometheus.

42) “Life is a journey that have a lot different paths, but any path you choose use it as your destiny.” ― Ryan Leonard

43) “this is your journey, your body, your mind, and your spirit. dig deep, own it, and start doing things for you and by you.” – unknown author, 44) “as you journey down the path, don’t forget to be present moment-by-moment and absorb the beauty and richness of simply being alive.” – cary david richards, 45) “life is a journey of either fate or destiny. fate is the result of giving in to one’s wounds and heartaches. your destiny unfolds when you rise above the challenges of your life and use them as divine opportunities to move forward to unlock your higher potential.” – caroline myss.

46) “Temporary setbacks create opportunities for fresh commitment and renewal. There are seasons of sunshine as well as rain.” – T. D. Jakes,

47) “i believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom.” – les brown, 48) “to find your confidence, get out of your comfort zone, overcome your fears, and begin the journey to discover and accomplish what you want to do with your life.” – doretha dingler.

Journey Instagram Quotes & Captions  

Need a fantastic quote about journeys to accompany your own inspiring Instagram upload? These Instagram journey captions and quotes say so much in just the right amount of characters. 

49) “Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.” – Izaak Walton

50) “always say yes to new adventures.”, 51) “it is better to travel well than to arrive.” –  arthur c. custance, 52) “always take the scenic route.”.

53) “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”

54) “don’t listen to what they say, go and see it for yourself.”, 55) “what’s on my bucket list everywhere.”, 56) “on a hard jungle journey, nothing is so important as having a team you can trust.” – tahir shah.

57) “Travel not to find yourself, but to remember where you have been all long.”

58) “don’t spend your money on things. spend it on experiences”, 59) “leap and the net will appear.” – zen proverb, 60) “all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” ― martin buber, 61) “life is journey, travel it well.” – unknown.

Funny Journey Quotes 

These funny quotes about journeys are short, punchy and shine a humorous light on some of the many obstacles a journey may come up against. 

62) “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” – Confucius

63) “me: “i want to travel more”, the bank account: “”like, to the park”, 64) “i have panicked unnecessarily in all four corners of the globe.” – jon ronson, 65) “good things come to those, who book flights.”.

66) “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” –  John Steinbeck

67) “i crossed a time zone and i feel younger already. if i keep traveling west, i can become immortal” – jarod kintz, 68) “sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.” – jerry seinfeld.

Celebrity Journey Quotes 

Actors, entrepreneurs, musicians and more are the minds behind these poignant celebrity journey quotes that are sure to inspire and make you smile. 

69) “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey

70) “sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” – drake, 71) “you can handle just about anything that comes at you out on the road with a believable grin, common sense and whiskey.”– bill murray, 72) “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. you have to trust in something; your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. this approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – steve jobs.

73) “The main thing that you have to remember on this journey is, just be Nice to everyone and always smile.” – Ed Sheeran

74) “you take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are.” – joss whedon, 75) “if all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.” – dan rather, 76. “every day is a new journey for me, and i feel like, in my lifetime, i’ve been blessed to experience such a lot.” – bindi irwin, 77) “not everyone will understand your journey. that’s okay. you’re here to live your life, not to make everyone understand.” – banksy.

Did I miss any great journey quotes?

Is there a journey quote I missed off my list that is one of your personal faves and that you want to share? Reach out to me with the quote, and I’ll see if I can add it to the my list of the best quotes about journeys!

Looking for inspiration for your next travel journey?

The quotes that made my list could really sum up so many journeys travelers take every day across the world. I’m a travel blogger who has traveled across the globe, and as a result my site has a huge variety of inspiring travel content. Accommodation guides, music festival guides, itineraries, city guides and so much more await you. Get started with some of my most popular travel content. 

• 37 California Music Festivals That’ll Keep You Dancing All Year Long
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• Thailand Itinerary 10 Days | How to Spend the Perfect 10 Days in Thailand
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• The Ultimate 2 Days in Barcelona Itinerary & Travel Guide
• The Ultimate 2 Days in Kuala Lumpur Itinerary & Travel Guide
• The Ultimate 4 Days in Paris Itinerary & Travel Guide
• 51 Fun & Inspirational Sunset Quotes To Inspire Your Next Adventure

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Passion doesn’t always come easily. Discover your inner drive and find your true purpose in life.

From learning how to be your best self to navigating life’s everyday challenges.

Discover peace within today’s chaos. Take a moment to notice what’s happening now.

Gain inspiration from the lives of celebrities. Explore their stories for motivation and insight into achieving your dreams.

Where ordinary people become extraordinary, inspiring us all to make a difference.

Take a break with the most inspirational movies, TV shows, and books we have come across.

From being a better partner to interacting with a coworker, learn how to deepen your connections.

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Sleep may be the most powerful tool in our well-being arsenal. So why is it so difficult?

Challenges can stem from distractions, lack of focus, or unclear goals. These strategies can help overcome daily obstacles.

Unlocking your creativity can help every aspect of your life, from innovation to problem-solving to personal growth.

How do you view wealth? Learn new insights, tools and strategies for a better relationship with your money.

Top 30 Success Quotes to Start Your Journey to Greatness

Need some motivation to push you to the top of your game check out our selection of success quotes and start your journey to greatness..

There are so many recipes for success out there, and while ingredients may differ according to circumstances, we can all agree that the main ones are hard work and perseverance.

Every successful person has a certain drive, a hunger for success that cannot be appeased until their goal is achieved. Neither failure nor disappointment can stop them from reaching new heights. The following success quotes are a testimony to that.

When they have an idea -- no matter how silly or outrageous it may seem -- they carefully craft a plan and start working on it, whether others believe in it or not. In a nutshell, this is what sets successful people apart from unsuccessful ones.

It’s usually fear of failure that stops us from dreaming big. You’ll never see fear in the eyes of the greats. They won’t show it even if it’s there. So if you want success, you first need to work on your attitude. As soon as you get the right mindset, you’ll be able to build your steps and find the resources you need to reach your goal.

Here are 30 success quotes to start your journey to greatness:

Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. WINSTON CHURCHILL ( more Winston Churchill quotes )

Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER

Success is just a war of attrition. Sure, there’s an element of talent you should probably possess. But if you just stick around long enough, eventually something is going to happen. DAX SHEPPARD

There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed. RAY GOFORTH

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don't wish it were easier; wish you were better. JIM ROHN ( more Jim Rohn quotes )

Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit. CONRAD HILTON

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure. It is: try to please everybody. HERBERT BAYARD SWOPE

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. ALBERT SCHWEITZER

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that other throw at him. DAVID BRINKLEY

I strongly believe if you work hard, whatever you want, it will come to you. I know that's easier said than done but keep trying. BEYONCE ( more Beyonce quotes )

My teacher said to me, ‘If you’re going to fail, fail gloriously.' I’ve never forgotten it. You learn a lot from your mistakes. You have to take risks and make mistakes. It’s terrifying, but it’s the only way you will learn and improve. CATE BLANCHETT

When I thought I couldn’t go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck. ESTEE LAUDER ( more Estee Lauder quotes )

Success is about making your life a special version of unique that fits who you are -- not what other people want you to be. MARK CUBAN ( more Mark Cuban quotes )

You can want success all you want, but to get it, you can’t falter. You can’t slip, you can’t sleep. One eye open, for real, and forever. JAY-Z ( more Jay-Z quotes )

Achievement happens when we pursue and attain what we want. Success comes when we are in clear pursuit of why we want it. SIMON SINEK

The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. BRUCE LEE

Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be. ZIG ZIGLAR

Action is the foundational key to all success. PABLO PICASSO

Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. ORISON SWETT MARDEN

Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse. FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. ARTHUR ASHE

The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success. BRUCE FEIRSTEIN

Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be. GEORGE SHEEHAN

To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence. MARK TWAIN

The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. BENJAMIN DISRAELI

For success, attitude is equally as important as ability. HARRY F. BANKS

People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy. TONY ROBBINS ( more Tony Robbins quotes )

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. VINCE LOMBARDI ( more Vince Lombardi quotes )

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Teen Sentenced to 100 Years In Prison Heads to Law School

On June 24, 2001, 23-year-old Abdo Serna-Ibarra was on his way to play soccer with some friends. He never made it. Instead, he got into a fight with a gang of teenagers in a nearby Chicago park.

Mistaking him for a rival gang member, the last words he heard came from the lips of a 15-year-old ordering his friend to “Shoot him!”

A Teenager Receives a 100-Year Sentence Without Parole

Benard McKinley, 16 years old at the time, was arrested for Abdo’s murder. Three years later a jury found him guilty and the presiding judge sentenced him to a staggering 100 years in prison. Without parole .

At just 19 years old, Benard’s life of freedom was over. As far as he knew, he would spend the rest of his time behind bars.

On his way to the maximum security Stateville Prison, he made himself a vow. Despite his grim circumstances and a century-long sentence, he swore he wouldn’t let his new reality define him.

“I promised myself before I got out of that bus that no matter what the outcome was that, you know, I was just going to try to do better for myself.” Benard McKinley via ABC NEWS

​He was true to his word. For the next 20 years, Benard was the epitome of a model inmate in one of the most “violent” and “inhumane” prisons in the country.

He obtained his GED and a paralegal diploma, was one of 40 inmates selected out of 400 to enroll in Northwestern University's Bachelor's degree program (via Northwestern's Prison Education Program, PEP), held several jobs in prison, AND stayed out of trouble.

Along the way, he became interested in the law and spent hours poring over law books. As he became more familiar with the law, he repeatedly petitioned the courts to have his sentence appealed.

He received denial after denial. Benard kept fighting.

From Thug Life and Prison to Law School

Benard McKinley walking through the Arch of Northwestern University

Francesco Thorik-Saboia/The Daily Northwestern

Finally, in 2020, Benard found his redemption. In a rare case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit threw out his original 100-year sentence. Deeming it unconstitutional to hand out life sentences to juveniles, it reduced his sentence to 25 years.

In the fall of 2023, Benard, along with 15 other prisoners, graduated university with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences. But he wasn't done yet. Benard had big dreams. He became the first incarcerated person in Illinois history to take the Law School Admission Test. He passed.

In December 2023, after serving 22.5 years, Benard walked out of the prison gates and marched through the arch of Northwestern University. Literally the SAME DAY as per The Daily Northwestern .

Benard partook in the age-old tradition, "March Through the Arch" — a symbolic gesture of the beginning and the end of their university experience for incoming freshmen and graduating seniors.

For Benard, however, marching through The Arch symbolized more than just his academic journey — it symbolized his freedom. Dozens of his classmates and professors showed up and cheered him on.

"Five years ago, I would have never thought that right now, I’d be walking down the Evanston community coming from Northwestern University, as a Northwestern graduate on my way to law school. It’s a hell of a feeling.”

Making Amends and Giving Back to the Community He Hurt as a Teenager

Bernard McKinley during his commencement as part of the Northwestern Prison Education Program at Stateville correctional center

Monika Wnuk/Northwestern Prison Education Program

Officially accepted into Northwestern's prestigious Pritzker School of Law on March 15, Benard starts law school in the Fall. Until then, he is working as a paralegal and a researcher at Northwestern University and living in transitional housing.

After graduation in 2027, he plans to become a civil rights attorney and wants to open a nonprofit legal clinic to support marginalized communities.

He believes that education saved his life and hopes his story inspires others to make positive changes in their own lives.

"Not only do I want to help at-risk youth understand their potential, but I also want to help educate those who don’t believe that people who commit horrible acts can change their lives in a positive way,” he told the Washington Post .

Benard is proof that everyone deserves a second chance. Even those that society first deems irredeemable. Against nearly impossible odds and a whopping 100-year sentence, Benard refused to let his worst mistake define who he was or who he could eventually become.

He is a powerful reminder that no matter how dire the circumstances may seem, it is never too late to turn one's life around.

“From the day after I committed that horrible act, I was focused on bettering myself because I wasn’t my worst mistake.”

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Girl Rescued by Police Officer Grows Up to Become a Cop

In the bustling streets of Kansas City, a tale of resilience and unwavering kindness unfolds, touching hearts across the nation.

Meet Klynn Scales, a young girl whose childhood was marred by adversity and hardship. At just nine years old, she found herself thrust into the role of caretaker for her two younger brothers, stealing food from 7-Eleven to feed them and navigating a tumultuous home life overshadowed by neglect and her mother's battle with addiction.

The troubled childhood a little girl was going through

In the midst of this chaos, a beacon of hope emerged in the form of an unnamed police officer who became Klynn's everyday hero . Despite the darkness that surrounded her, Klynn found solace in the reassuring presence of this kind-hearted officer, Officer Jeffrey Colvin.

His daily check-ins provided a sense of safety and stability in Klynn's turbulent world. She recalls the comfort she felt knowing that Officer Colvin was always there to offer support and protection during her darkest moments.

One pivotal day, when Klynn failed to appear at her usual spot, Officer Colvin's intuition led him to her doorstep. What he found inside was a scene of desperation – a frail and gravely ill young girl in urgent need of medical attention.

Without hesitation, Officer Colvin sprang into action, rushing Klynn to the hospital where she received life-saving treatment for malnutrition. His swift intervention not only saved her life but also left an indelible mark on her heart.

Over two decades passed, and Klynn, now living in another state, lost touch with Officer Colvin. Yet, his memory remained etched in her mind, a testament to the profound impact of his kindness.

Determined to express her gratitude, Klynn embarked on a mission to find her hero, enlisting the help of the Kansas City Police Department. Through their assistance, she finally discovered Officer Colvin's identity and arranged a heartfelt reunion.

How one police officer proved small acts can have big impacts

To her delight, she learned that Officer Colvin had never forgotten her. Their emotional reunion was a poignant reminder of the enduring bond forged through acts of compassion and selflessness.

Inspired by Officer Colvin's example, Klynn made the decision to pursue a career in law enforcement . As she prepared to graduate from the police academy, she had one special request – she wanted Officer Colvin to pin her badge at the ceremony.

Touched by her request, Officer Colvin traveled to Texas to fulfill her wish, witnessing firsthand the remarkable journey of the young girl he had once rescued. Proudly reflecting on Klynn's achievements, he remarked on her resilience and determination to defy the odds stacked against her.

In a touching tribute to her lifelong hero, Klynn presented Officer Colvin with a plaque bearing the words, "A promise made, a promise kept, walking in the footsteps of a true hero!"

It was a fitting homage to a man whose kindness had not only saved her life but also inspired her to pursue her dreams. Their story serves as a powerful reminder that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places and that even the smallest acts of kindness can leave a lasting impact on those in need.

Copyright © 2024 Goalcast

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How to know yourself: Tips for beginning your self-discovery journey

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What does self-discovery mean?

How to start a self-discovery journey, 7 elements of self-discovery, why is self-discovery so important, 5 benefits of self-discovery, how to keep yourself engaged with your self-discovery journey, moving forward.

Life moves fast. We have errands to run, work to do, and commitments to uphold. Learning how to begin self-discovery could be the last thing on our mind. 

Our busy routines rarely give us time to consider what kind of life we actually want. Do you reflect on who you are while standing in line at the grocery store? Most likely, no. It can be hard to find the space to discover and become our most authentic selves . However, there are endless benefits that make taking the time worth it.

If you’re wondering how to begin self-discovery, know that the first step is making a commitment. Your journey will require you to focus, take action, and prioritize your needs. Remember, you can’t make a change without putting in the work. 

Ready to find out how to begin your self-discovery jour ney? Let’s start by defining what self-discovery is. 

Self-discovery is the process of understanding your true self: your values, your needs and wants, even what food you like and dislike. You might have naturally learned some of these things about yourself over time. Yet, for a lot of people, we have a way of losing touch with our values and hiding our own motivations and preferences, even from ourselves. Going deeper into self-discovery can transform your life. 

It’s one thing to know your personality type or your favorite meal. But true self-discovery starts when you evaluate your life and think about what’s energizing and what's not. What will bring more joy into your life? What inspires you to jump out of bed each morning? 

Once you’ve discovered more about yourself, you’ll have an easier time finding your life purpose and being your authentic self in work as well as in personal life. Understanding what’s been missing from your life will help you learn about yourself. 

But don’t think you can finish this journey overnight. Self-discovery is an ongoing process. It requires you to dive in and examine all areas of your life and take the time to reflect . You’ll need courage and resilience to stick with the process — in the process of looking inward, you may learn things about yourself that you find hard to accept . 

Discovering your inner self also requires lots of self-awareness , otherwise known as self-knowledge. Self-knowledge usually refers to your knowledge of your own feelings, beliefs, and desires . If you have more of this in your life, you’ll have better emotional regulation . This will help you better your personal and work relationships and improve your stress management . 

Knowing more about the way your mind works also improves your empathy, helps you exercise better self-control, be more creative, and have higher self-esteem. You’ll even be more honest as a result. 

There are endless benefits to learning how to start a self-discovery journey. The important thing is to take the first step and get started. 

You may feel intimidated by the prosp ect of embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Where do you even begin? The steps to self-discovery aren’t set in stone. That means you can start with whatever action feels right for you. Remember that having the courage to begin this journey is already admirable, so keep that momentum going.

Here are 11 tips you can follow to learn how to discover yourself:

• Work to be your best self each day, no matter what you’re doing
• Take risks and try new things
• Hone in on your passions and what makes you excited
• Understand your strengths and think about how you can apply them everywhere
• Start journaling your thoughts so you can reflect on them later
• Make sure you surround yourself with people who support you
• Learn from your mistakes and move on
• Think back to your childhood and connect with your inner child again
• Be curious and ask questions
• Build habits that support your personal growth and goals
• Practice positive self-talk and reward yourself for your wins

Discovering your true self will help you feel more confident in your decision-making abilities. This is true for all areas of your life because self-discovery helps you understand yourself on a deep level. You’ll know better than anyone else what’s good for you.

As you work to improve your sense of self-awareness, here are seven elements to keep in mind:

• Reflect on where you started and what you’re accomplishing each day
• Zero in on what gives you energy and what zaps your energy
• Visualize the person you want to be
• Follow where your passions and interests lead you
• Let go of your inner critic and any self-doubt
• Choose a life of meaning and be purposeful with your actions
• Be proud of your power, grit, and resilience during challenging times

BetterUp offers the guidance and objective support — not to mention accountability — that you need to start your journey. We’ll help you chart an organized and purposeful plan toward self-discovery.

Self-discovery is important because it helps us live more meaningful lives. You learn how to take better care of yourself when you understand yourself. Plus, you might find a more fulfilling career if you’re connected to your true self. And if you’re on a career path you’re truly passionate about, you’re more likely to succeed . 

Perhaps you’ll learn that, although you’re an introvert, you’re also a people person. Taking care of our social health is always important, but maybe you need more social connection than you’d initially realized.

This also gives you more clarity on what you want your future to look like. By understanding yourself, you can chart a future that satisfies your needs and supports your well-being . Without self-discovery, you won’t live the most passionate and fulfilling life possible. 

Let’s say that you do some reflecting and realize that your favorite projects at work are the ones you lead . That probably means that you have a talent or a passion for leadership. With that in mind, you can work to become a manager . You’ll have a clearer career path and find a role that you’re more passionate about. 

And when you know yourself, you can recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you’re skilled at mindfulness , empathy, or compassion . Or you could be an amazing writer or public speaker . The best way to find out is to begin your self-discovery journey. 

This process can help you see where you need to grow, too. If you need to strengthen your communication skills , for example, taking the time to reflect on yourself will show you that.

The impact of your self-discovery will touch other people’s lives, too. You can put your newly sharpened skills to work in your social life and form deeper relationships . This authenticity will help you become a better friend, coworker, and family member. 

The road to self-discovery can look different for many people. But for everyone, it brings benefits that help you become your true self.

To put that into perspective, here are 5 benefits that you can experience after finding yourself:

1. Your relationships will thrive

Your relationships will be healthier when you better understand your core values and what you want out of your life. You’ll be able to identify toxic traits — yours or not — and solve deeper issues you have. You can then improve your social health by being more honest and open.

2. You’ll experience less self-criticism

Rather than criticize every mistake you make , you’ll know that mistakes sometimes happen because we’re human. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. Plus, with more self-awareness, you’ll learn to avoid some mistakes. Understanding why you’ve made an error is the first step to preventing it from happening again.

3. You’ll feel more creative

Self-expression is key for letting others know how you feel and for becoming more creative . But how can you express yourself if you don’t know who you are? Self-reflection will help you find your identity and learn how to express it.

4. You’ll have a better ability to focus on what you truly want

The ongoing process of discovering yourself requires you to be committed and focused . That practice will help you set and achieve goals with a better sense of self in mind. You can plan a future that embodies who you really are.

5. Your self-confidence will increase

Believing in yourself and your abilities can impact your professional and personal life. With more confidence, you’ll walk into new experiences as a whole person ™, not someone who shies away from challenges or change. And as you begin your journey of self-improvement, your confidence will continue to grow.

Self-discovery isn’t something that you start and finish in one afternoon. It could take months, a year, or more to get to a point where you feel content with what you’ve discovered.

Throughout that process, here are a few ways you can keep yourself engaged and learning:

• Stay organized with the career and person goals you’re working to achieve
• Find journal prompts that keep you stimulated and thinking
• Listen to podcasts, read books, and watch videos about other people’s journeys to make you feel inspired
• Ask yourself questions like “Why do I like these things?” or “What impact do I want my choices to have on my life?”

Remember, finding your true self and defining your life purpose will be more than worth it. 

The journey of self-discovery doesn’t involve only thinking about the future. It asks you to take a look at your past, too. Spending time revisiting past feelings and experiences can be tough. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help from your friends and family.

Knowin g how to begin self-discovery is only the first step. In this process, you’ll need to get out of your comfort zone and ask yourself some hard questions. As you start, feel proud of yourself. It’s never too late to become more in touch with yourself and you’ll be so grateful you took the leap.

If you feel like you need some extra accountability to stay focused, BetterUp can help. You can experience what it’s like to reach new heights with a support system that brings out the best in you.

Discover your authentic self

Kickstart your path to self-discovery and self-awareness. Our coaches can guide you to better understand yourself and your potential.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

5 self-actualization examples: Unlock Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Tune in to the self discovery channel with 10 tips for finding yourself, reinventing yourself: 10 ways to realize your full potential, 10 self-discovery techniques to help you find yourself, how to stop being jealous by cultivating self-love, learning curves: the role of self-compassion at work, leveraging humanistic psychology to achieve self-actualization, how to give yourself a boost and start feeling better, how to stop being self-conscious: strategies to feel more confident, similar articles, the importance of knowing yourself: your key to fulfillment, finding the way back to you — 9 tips on how to find yourself, discovering your true north makes life easier: here's why, get to know yourself through the act of self-reflection, 50 self-discovery questions for getting to know the real you, 90 journal prompts for self-discovery to get the ink flowing, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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6 Ways to Take the First Step of Your Journey to Success Getting started is the hardest and most important part of getting from where you are to your loftiest goals.

By Sherrie Campbell • Jan 21, 2016

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

To become the type of success you are setting out to be you have to start at the beginning, just like in the alphabet you start with the letter "A." Success is not an event, it is a process. To finish any great endeavor you must first start. This may not be the start of a new business but could simply be the start of a new idea, a new path or a new way. To be a standout success is to take each new beginning and follow it through to the end.

The success journey is the process of working through each step to arrive at the next one, with each step motivating and inspiring you to press on without fail. "Z" may look far away from the vantage point of "A" but once you master "A" you will see "Z" gleaming out on the horizon. The beginning of any process is the most creative. Let's start with "A."

1. Awareness.

Always be striving for more, always be building and expanding your career and yourself as a person, not just as a success. The more you grow yourself, the more you grow the totality of your life. Hold an image of where you are in any given area of your life, right now. Now envision where you want to be: happier, richer, more successful, fit, healthier, in love.

To get from where you are to where you want to be, become acutely aware of the choices you make each day that lead you away from your desired goals. Become conscious of every single choice you make today, so you can begin to make choices that fall in line with the direction of your dreams for tomorrow.

Related: What Producer Jerry Zaks Can Teach You About Overcoming Obstacles

To win you have to begin. Map out the circumstances you need to get ahead in your life m. If you cannot find them, make them. Take initiative. If you don't see the door to your success, build the door yourself by taking actions in the direct pursuit of your goals. When you are passionate about what you want nothing will stand in the way of you getting it.

List the action steps you need to take to get to where you want to go, to do what you want to do. Make these goals as tangible as possible. One successful goal achieved will build your motivation to achieve the next goal in front of you, and so on. Will these steps all be the right ones? Maybe and maybe not. But you won't know for sure until you start moving forward. Once you start putting yourself into motion all steps taken are a gift because each right or wrong step will provide you knowledge and direction.

3. Accountable.

Few things prompt a person to follow through like accountability. You have to create ways to make yourself accountable and to push through any habits of laziness or doubtful thinking. One of the ways you can do this is to share your goals with others who can help motivate you to stay on task. When you tell others about what you intend to do, it puts a more intense pressure on you to keep working at it. Another option is to get a business coach who can request evidence of your weekly progress. Pairing up with someone acts as a living deadline to keep you moving.

Track every action that pertains to an area where you want to see progress, whether it relates to finances, health, career, or relationships. Whether you are working with someone or going at it independently write everything down, every day without fail with no excuses or exceptions. Tracking your progress and missteps is the path to building success. The process forces you to be conscious of your decisions.

4. Attraction.

Once you have become aware of the steps you must take to do what you want to do, and are taking action, and are being accountable you will begin to produce the behavior you desire. You are moving towards realizing your desires and objectives. This type of movement results in producing a very powerful side effect. You start attracting like-minded people into your life and into business ventures and ideas. The Law of Magnetism says, "who you are is who you attract."

If you want to be around growing people become a growing person. If you're committed, you attract others who are committed. If you're growing, you attract others who are growing. This puts you in a position to begin building a network of like-minded people who help each other succeed. Your greatest growth will always come as a result of finding people ahead of you who can show you the way forward.

Related: Define Yourself With the Expectations You Set

5. Accomplishment.

Get committed. Be willing to pay for your personal growth, financially and otherwise. Be consistent. Keep your every thought, word and deed focused on accomplishment. Be creative. Visualize your desired outcomes at all times. Involve yourself in multiple forms of personal development to feel a sense of accomplishment in every tangible area of your life. Study the people in business you admire. Read their books, attend seminars, hire a business coach, see a therapist and employ a personal trainer. Try and meet with those whom you admire in person, if possible. These people and the knowledge they have are gifts to your personal growth.

Spend time each day in preparation for these meetings and interactions. Reflect upon the interactions you have with all of these people you've sought to be a part of your personal development team and be thankful for every opportunity created for your learning. There is nothing more telling to the levels of success you can achieve then possessing a teachable spirit.

6. Authority.

When you do what you want to do it will be more difficult than you ever imagined. You have to be the authority over your own emotions to make success happen. You may have had no idea how much time it would take for you to be effective. You may not have expected to have as many demands placed upon you or your life as there have been, or you may not have realized how long you would have to keep paying the price for your success. You may not have fully comprehend how much your energy level would go down as a result of your commitment.

Great successes have the deep belief that the payoff of their success will make the times of great sacrifice well worth it. When you do what you want to do it will be better than you ever imagined. The compounding return of investing in your personal growth will be astronomical. You will be blown away by how much fun you have doing what you want to do and succeeding at it. Once you are in the fun place of experiencing your success, own it and revel in it. You deserve it... then start a new journey with a new beginning starting with the letter "A" that you can nurture all the way to "Z." You grow each time you go through this process. You grow in the ideas you hold of yourself, your life and your continued success. Success… doesn't really have an end.

Related: Get More Done In Less Time

Psychologist, Author, Speaker

Sherrie Campbell is a psychologist in Yorba Linda, Calif., with two decades of clinical training and experience in providing counseling and psychotherapy services. She is the author of  Loving Yourself: The Mastery of Being Your Own Person . Her new book,  Success Equations: A Path to an Emotionally Wealthy Life ,  is available for pre-order.

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10 Ideas to Support Your Personal Growth Journey

Keep your growth and personal development on track with these key ideas..

Posted April 26, 2023 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

• What Does "Self Help" Mean?
• Find a therapist near me
• Humans have the desire and capacity to change, grow, and adapt.
• With so much expert advice available on what we should and could be doing, it can be hard to know where to begin.
• Navigating a personal growth journey begins with looking inward.

We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us that we need to be better, faster, healthier, smarter, richer, stronger, busier: everything “-er.” We find ourselves in a constant state of wanting to improve, to do more, and to be more at any given moment.

Our human condition desires change and growth. But seeking out self-improvement doesn’t always mean that you are unhappy with the person you already are; it’s just that life can feel stagnant without it. We may start to feel dissatisfied, unhappy, and even unfulfilled if we are not learning and changing. To be able to function in a world that is constantly evolving, we need to be able to grow and adapt.

Where do we begin?

In our efforts to improve our habits and behaviours, we often turn to experts for answers. We plow through books and articles on personal development, sign up for courses, attend workshops, and connect with coaches. There are more resources available than ever on personal development topics such as time management , relationship repair, organization, fitness, healthy eating, professional development, stress management , emotion regulation , and more. The self-help and personal development market has become a multibillion-dollar sector globally. This industry is anticipated to continue growing and it is on course to be one of the fastest-growing industries by 2030 (Grand View Research, 2022). This is huge. Yet, we still don’t have all the answers.

The way forward

It can be hard to figure out where to start. Change is complex and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. And we know that knowing better doesn’t equal doing better. It is important to prepare yourself for the journey ahead (and all its messiness and beauty) by building the proper foundation on which to base your change. Here are 10 ideas to keep in mind as you embark on your personal growth journey:

• Prioritize you. The reality is that true personal growth and development come from looking inward. It’s getting to know yourself. Personal development is just that—it’s personal. It’s between you and yourself. You are unique and your situation is unique. It’s not selfish, it is science. You need to look after yourself. No one is coming to fix this for you.
• Become aware using a holistic approach. A holistic approach to personal development recognizes all areas of wellness. I invite you to think about how you are doing and how you hope to grow in these eight dimensions: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, environmental, financial, occupational, and spiritual . Ask yourself what you can do to bring yourself closer to your goals and closer to the person you want to become in each of these areas. There is no one right balance that will benefit two people the same way.
• Make room for your past. Your way forward is not defined by your past. All the things that you have weathered in your life are events, not characteristics. Trust yourself that you handled your life the best you could in the moment with the tools and resources you had. You have not only gone through hard times, but you have also grown through them too.
• Limit social comparison. Most of us will have heard Theodore Roosevelt’s words, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” While it’s valuable to take inspiration from those who inspire you, we need to be mindful that the trajectory forward will not look the same for all of us.
• Build healthy habits consistently. Consistency compounds. Commit to doing one activity, every day, even for just five minutes, that will bring you closer to your goals and the person you want to be. Having goals and something to work towards helps to maintain our drive and gives us a sense of fulfillment.
• Build the team to support the dream. There are guaranteed to be roadblocks, times of low motivation , and other curveballs are thrown our way. Knowing this, we all need a champion. Someone who is in our corner. When our foundation is solid, we create the space needed for growth.
• Embrace the discomfort. Being comfortable doesn’t help us develop. If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you. As the popular saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” Change is hard and noticeable. It is supposed to be.
• Celebrate your progress. Are you proud of a recent accomplishment? Are you handling or approaching situations better today than you would have five, or even just one year ago? Celebrating even the small wins in our change journey brings awareness to our progress. And it feels good.
• Take it slow. In a fast-paced society, we are often urged to do more, be better, and excel no matter the cost, but this is not sustainable. You don’t need to do a Herculean overhaul of your life. Give yourself permission to rest along the way. After all, growth is a lifelong journey, not a destination.
• Notice your allies. When you commit to personal growth, some people may not support or agree with your choices. Don’t let that deter you. Real allies want to see you living your best life.

Working on making self-improvements can have a remarkable impact on how we show up in the world, and it’s not easy. Yet, we can find comfort in knowing that we will find out what works best for us. We can trust in the process and know that we have the tools and supports available to navigate our lives and reach our truest potential. In an episode of In Time , singer-songwriter Peter Katz captured the idea that we are in the driver’s seat of our own growth when he said, “At any moment we can choose, and we can find ourselves on a new path.”

On a final note, I wholeheartedly believe that we can all show ourselves a little more compassion and grace on our journeys. Instead of drowning in all the things you are told you should be doing and could be doing, my invitation is for you to pause and reflect. Take inventory of all the things you are already doing right.

Grand View Research. (2022). Personal development market size report, 2022-2030. Grand View Research, Inc. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/personal-development-market

Katz, P., & Hanley-Dafoe, R. (Hosts). (2023, Mar 14). Listening for the compassionate voice (No. 5) [Audio podcast episode]. In In Time. https://hereintime.ca/episodes/this-the-perfect-time-ssw3a-3etga-5kdw4-ck5ff

Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, Ed.D. , is a resiliency and wellness scholar and speaker, author of Calm Within the Storm and Stress Wisely , and award-winning instructor and adjunct professor at Trent University.

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How to Begin Your Self-Discovery Journey: 16 Best Questions

As part of this process, we must not only search to determine what constitutes our true selves, but let go of objects of identification we’ve long mistaken for ourselves, requiring a balance of introspection and new experiences.

So let’s set sail.

In this article, we’ll give you a range of powerful questions to help you along your journey of self-discovery and point you toward further reading and resources.

Before you continue, you might like to download our three Meaning and Valued Living Exercises for free . These creative, science-based exercises will help you learn more about your values, motivations, and goals and will give you the tools to inspire a sense of meaning in the lives of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

What is self-discovery according to psychology, fostering self-discovery skills: 10 examples & tips, why is the process important, a look at self-discovery coaching, 3 exercises, games, and activities for adults, best worksheets and journal prompts, 16 questions to ask yourself or your clients, helpful books & apps for your journey, tools from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Drawing often from the field of philosophy , psychologists point to the illumination of our daimon (or ‘true self’) as the ultimate goal of self-discovery.

Formally defined, this true self is

“the central inner force common to all human beings and yet unique to each, which is the deep source of growth… [that is] free, healthy development in accordance with the potentials of one’s generic and individual nature.”

Horney, 1950, p. 17

As part of the process of searching for our true selves, we are ultimately working to identify three things (Waterman, 2011):

• Personal potentials
• Our purposes for living
• Opportunities to act upon those potentials and purposes in living

The search for our true selves, therefore:

“refers to those processes, both intuitive and reasoned, by which those [personal, purpose-related] potentials are discovered and come to attain the status of personally concordant goals that are to be actualized.”

Waterman, 2011, p. 360

According to this view, a person’s true self essentially lies beneath the surface, and our task is to find, recognize, or understand that which already exists. Once you have, you can then make choices about your life and identity that are more consistent with this self-knowledge (Waterman, 2011).

Seek a supportive atmosphere

The more time we spend in the presence of supportive family, friends, lovers, and communities , the sooner we will be likely to discover our true nature. This is because warm and encouraging atmospheres facilitate feelings of inner security while providing the freedom to have our own feelings and thoughts (Horney, 1950).

To this end, here are some ideas to consider:

• Seek quiet spaces and time out to facilitate reflection or journaling .
• Join a social group whose interests and passions align with your own, such as a painting, writing, or poetry group.
• Find a coach or therapist for a safe space to pursue self-discovery.
• Set boundaries with people who discourage your individuality, negatively affect your emotions, or put you down.
• Seek the company of people who inspire you, make you feel positive, and challenge your perception of yourself.

Identify your drifts

Pay close attention to the things you naturally love doing, or drifts, particularly those that are personally expressive . By paying attention to the subconscious pull of these activities, you can allow them to guide you toward your true self, stemming from your genetic makeup, upbringing, and experiences (Pagedar, 2021).

• Our drifts tend to emerge when the mind is still, so try selecting a quiet day to do some meditation or practice some relaxation techniques.
• Try to notice activities that cause you to slip into the state of flow , as these often point us toward our drifts.
• Consider which activities you possess a natural aptitude or talent for, perhaps using a strengths-finding exercise .
• Think about which activities you find intrinsically motivating . These are the activities you would undertake in the absence of external rewards, such as money or the approval of others.
• Notice times when you feel a strong sense of personal responsibility to do something or have a unique vision about how something should be carried out.

Download 3 Meaning & Valued Living Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to find meaning in life help and pursue directions that are in alignment with values.

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By filling out your name and email address below.

To understand why self-discovery is so important, we must consider the consequences of failing to identify our true selves.

According to Horney (1950), when a person experiences a large discrepancy between their lived and real selves, they are likely to experience a sense of alienation from themselves. This remains true even if the person is successful in their activities and receives external rewards.

Such a person may often notice themselves wondering, “ Why am I doing this when it’s not who I really am? ” The consequence is a feeling of guilt or dissatisfaction if we fail to live up to an idealized version of ourselves that we cannot be.

Besides this negative emotional toll, the problem with pursuing such an ideal is that it will be rooted in externally derived standards of worth.

To illustrate, here are some examples:

• A student feels pressure from their parents to pursue a prestigious career in law, even though this line of work does not inspire them.
• A famous musician has mistaken their true self with their like of the status, prestige, and social validation they receive while performing.
• A woman’s family talks her into finding a husband and settling down when she’d rather travel the world with her friends.
• A son feels obligated to take over the family business when he’d prefer to start his own venture.

When we cannot live in alignment with our true selves, we must spend energy attempting to deny and distort our experiences to make sense of a pervasive lack of happiness and personal fulfillment. This ongoing effort can go so far as to produce psychological states and conditions such as depression (Waterman et al., 2010).

This is why self-discovery is so important.

Our goal in life should not be to pursue imagined or externally derived ideals, but rather to develop a more realistic understanding of our strengths and limitations. By doing so, we can avoid negative psychological states and self-actualize , feel contentment, and make better contributions to the world.

A growing trend in coaching, self-discovery coaching is about looking beyond specific goal pursuits (e.g., “I want to improve my self-esteem ”) to discover how we can live authentically and be truly happy .

Self-discovery coaching has many components, including (Elevate Life Project, n.d.):

• Exploring your values to live in congruence with what’s most important to you
• Discovering grounded confidence, centeredness, and strength
• Identifying your abilities for making easier decisions

The role of a self-discovery coach in this process is to act as co-pilot on a client’s journey toward authentic fulfillment by challenging them, imbuing them with courage, and showing compassion.

If you or your clients are looking to set off on a self-discovery journey, consider the following fun and insightful activities to get you started.

This exercise is a useful starting point for viewing yourself clearly in terms of values, beliefs, and more. The exercise guides users through a two-step process of considering themselves from the perspective of others, followed by a consideration of their self-perceptions at different times in their life.

Spontaneous collage

Collage is a fun and cathartic method of self-discovery that helps people bypass the socially protective aspects of the mind and reveal aspects of their authentic self. Best of all, no previous art experience is required.

For a great resource, check out Shelley Klammer’s 12-week online course and check out the #collageforselfdiscovery hashtag on Instagram to get inspired by others’ collages.

Kokology: The Game of Self-Discovery

Created by famous Japanese psychologists Tadahiko Nagao and Isamu Saito, kokology , the study of kokoro (“mind” or “spirit” in Japanese), is a fun and sometimes hilarious game for learning about yourself.

The game invites players to answer questions about seemingly innocent topics, such as the color of an imaginary bird that has flown in their window, to reveal profound insights in their answers.

Journaling and worksheets can both be hugely helpful for this purpose.

To help, look at some of the following free resources from our site:

• Self-Awareness Worksheet for Adults This worksheet poses a series of 15 questions to help you discover more about your true self. Specifically, the questions tap into topics such as your talents/strengths, values, and barriers to living more authentically.
• What Are My Qualities and Traits? This worksheet invites you to identify your top five and weakest two qualities from a list of 100 strengths. It then invites you to consider how you might shape, develop, and use your toolkit of identified strengths to better your life.
• Reflecting on Three Things This worksheet invites you to explore what defines who you are. These reflections can include statements, objects, roles in life, people you admire, and ambitions.

If you’re more into journaling, see if any of the following prompts might inspire some of your upcoming entries (Hollis, 2019):

• What things have you been doing lately that may be positively or negatively affecting your mental health ?
• What ways can you touch or move your body that makes you feel good?
• If you could spend the day doing anything, what would you do?
• How do you show love to other people?
• What are some things about you that you wish other people knew?

How to discover your authentic self – at any age – Bevy Smith

For more ways to get started on your journey of self-inquiry, consider the following questions, drawn from leading books designed to guide you toward self-discovery (see Helpful Books & Apps for Your Journey ):

Mindful self-discovery questions

• What’s going on inside your body at the moment (e.g., sensations, flows of energy)?
• Is there joy, ease, and lightness in what you are doing at the present moment?
• Do you really have any problems right now in this present moment ?
• Is there anything you can do to change, improve, or remove yourself from a present dissatisfactory situation? If not, how can you move toward accepting your present circumstances?

Exploring values

• What are your top five personal and professional values?
• How are you living outside your values?
• In what areas do you feel a personal sense of responsibility to better the world?
• How are you living outside of your integrity?

Questions about fear and courage

• What do you fear the most?
• What fears have actually come true in your life?
• What would happen if you treated the actions you fear as an experiment?
• For which pending decision could you use 10% more courage?

Considering worthwhile experiences

• What has made your childhood worthwhile?
• What lessons did you learn last week?
• What makes life worthwhile for you?
• What trip have you always wanted to take, and how could you make this trip happen?

More questions for self-discovery

For even more powerful coaching questions, be sure to check out some of the dedicated articles throughout our blog:

• 73 Powerful Coaching Questions to Ask Your Clients
• 100 Most Powerful Life Coaching Questions [+PDF]
• Self-Coaching Model Explained: 56 Questions & Techniques for Self-Mastery

Here are some of our favorite books and apps to support greater self-insight and discovery.

1. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment – Eckhart Tolle

A critical first step toward greater self-insight involves ceasing to confuse your true self with the endless stream of thoughts flowing through your mind.

The bestselling book The Power of Now  takes readers on a journey to find their deepest self through the lens of mindfulness and spirituality.

The book guides the reader through steps to help recognize and free themselves from ego in the form of defense mechanisms, automatic negative habits, and over-identification with thought. From here, readers can then discover their true nature and lasting contentment, rooted in the present moment.

Find the book on Amazon .

2. Self-Discovery Questions: 155 Breakthrough Questions to Accelerate Massive Action – Barrie Davenport

Not all of us have the resources to employ a self-discovery coach, making it all the more important to know what questions to ask on your self-discovery journey.

Barrie Davenport’s book of 155 powerful questions is a perfect companion for self-reflection and journaling, helping readers become less reactive and take charge of their lives and destiny.

Once you become acquainted with your answers, you can strengthen self-awareness , break out of automatic patterns, and feel empowered to make positive new life changes.

3. The 365 Self-Discovery Journal: One Year of Reflection & Development – Created by 21 Exercises

Journaling remains one of the best ways to pursue self-discovery and greater self-insight (Charles, 2010).

This book provides journal lovers with a year’s worth of challenging and original questions to guide self-discovery.

By combining each prompt with thought-provoking poems and quotes, this book is an excellent tool to help steadily expand the reader’s comfort zone and curiosity across domains ranging from career and finances to love and relationships.

4. The Quenza app

Quenza was designed by our very own team as a one-stop resource for coaches and psychologists wishing to remotely support their clients’ self-inquiry between scheduled sessions.

The app links with an online dashboard and growing library of science-backed activities you can customize and send directly to your clients’ smart devices, including audio meditations, guided visualizations, and many thought-provoking reflections.

Try the app, platform, and entire library of pre-built activities for 30 days for just $1.

5. The Waking Up app

While Western takes on meditation tend to emphasize health and stress reduction, there is much more we can discover about ourselves through this powerful practice.

Waking Up , developed by philosopher and neuroscientist Sam Harris, features a rich array of audio-based meditations, exercises, and conversations with leading experts and teachers to help you make profound discoveries about the nature of your own mind.

This app is a top-rated resource for those seeking to dismantle illusions of the self and rediscover their true nature and purpose.

6. The Reflectly app

With the growing recognition of journaling as a tool for self-insight, new technologies are emerging to support this powerful practice.

Reflectly is a modern journaling app for self-care and greater happiness. Drawing on evidence-based approaches from positive psychology, mindfulness, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, this app serves as an AI companion to help you manage negative thoughts and find greater happiness.

Among its personalized functions, the app includes daily quotes, a mood tracker , and personalized insights via its reporting features.

Throughout this post, we’ve discussed the importance of clarifying values to better understand what brings meaning throughout one’s journey of self-discovery. To this end, we invite you to check out our free Meaning & Valued Living Exercises Pack .

This pack features three of our top tools from the Positive Psychology Toolkit©, all of which center on the theme of values-based living:

• The Top 5 Values This exercise draws on key principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients begin brainstorming their values. Following this, clients will then prioritize these values in a list to identify those most central to who they are.
• Self-Eulogy This exercise invites clients to consider how they’d like to be remembered at their funeral as a means to identify and clarify values. Based on this, they can then consider how well they are living in alignment with these values.
• The Scoreboard Metaphor This exercise helps clients recognize how to enact their values through goal-setting. In particular, it draws on the metaphor of a basketball game to illustrate how living into one’s values is an ongoing process and that the paths by which we pursue our goals are opportunities to enact our values in daily life.

You can access all three exercises for free by downloading our Meaning & Valued Living Exercises Pack .

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others discover meaning, this collection contains 17 validated meaning tools for practitioners. Use them to help others choose directions for their lives in alignment with what is truly important to them.

17 Tools To Encourage Meaningful, Value-Aligned Living

This 17 Meaning & Valued Living Exercises [PDF] pack contains our best exercises for helping others discover their purpose and live more fulfilling, value-aligned lives.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Self-discovery is an ongoing process of stripping away that which is unimportant, reviewing our core values, and seeking to live in greater alignment with these inner truths.

Importantly, anyone can take steps toward greater self-knowledge . All that’s required is an attitude of curiosity and regular time out for meditation, reflection, or self-questioning.

We hope this article has left you feeling equipped for your journey of self-discovery, and if you decide to try out any of the tools or exercises we’ve explored, be sure to let us know in the comments.

We’d love to hear from you.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Meaning and Valued Living Exercises for free .

• 21 Exercises. (2018).  The 365 self-discovery journal: One year of reflection & development.  Author.
• Charles, J. P. (2010). Journaling: Creating space for “I”. Creative Nursing , 16 (4), 180–184.
• Davenport, B. (2015).  Self-discovery questions: 155 Breakthrough questions to accelerate massive action.  Bold Living Press.
• Elevate Life Project. (n.d.). Self discovery coaching . Retrieved October 11, 2021 from https://elevatelifeproject.com/self-discovery-coaching/
• Hollis, B. (2019, July 16). Who am I? Journaling prompts for self-discovery and self-reflection. Learning to Be Free . Retrieved October 11, 2021 from https://www.learningtobefree.com/2019/07/16/journaling-prompts-for-self-discovery/
• Horney, K. (1950). Neurosis and human growth: The struggle toward self-realization . Norton.
• Pagedar, A. (2021). Finding awareness: The journey of self-discovery . Author.
• Tolle, E. (2004).  The power of now: A guide to spiritual enlightenment.  New World Library.
• Waterman, A. S. (2011). Eudaimonic identity theory: Identity as self-discovery. In S. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity theory and research (pp. 357–379). Springer.
• Waterman, A. S., Schwartz, S. J., Zamboanga, B. L., Ravert, R. D., Williams, M. K., Bede Agocha, V., … Brent Donnellan, M. (2010). The Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being: Psychometric properties, demographic comparisons, and evidence of validity. The Journal of Positive Psychology , 5 (1), 41–61.

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What our readers think.

This is a great article for self-discovery, I recommend it to all, it’s a must read for the young minds.

Thanks to a great counselor. I appreciate your encouragement and efforts that have served as an eyes opener to self discovery and other resources that is helpful.

You have some great resources listed here in this article. Thanks for the great read! -Ryan

Appreciated, Nicole, for insight well done to start kicking where need be. Keep up te good work!

Thanks Nicole. I will explore some of the resources which sounds great. I work with medical students, some of whom are at the very beginning of learning reflective approaches to enhance their self knowledge. The challenge is always to find a variety of ways to promote engagement. You have given me some helpful ideas.

Thank You Dr, Nicole.

I have left you a message on LinkedIn.

Thank you so much for this wonderful article. Very useful and helps in the journey of self awareness and so helpful to the therapist and counselors who are using these resources to support clients. Heartfelt thanks and gratitude for all the resources that benefit the clients and counselors who otherwise would not be able to access such great quality articles and resources. Thank you. As a counselor who is doing a lot of free counseling these resources and articles are so helpful, cause I cannot afford them otherwise. Thanks for supporting the counselors and therapist and clients who ultimately benefit.

Thanks, Nicole … you shared a very interesting set of perspective.

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5 Easy Ways You Can Share Your Journey and Inspire Others to do the Same

by joycelayman | branding , content marketing , relationships | 0 comments

We all know that sharing our journeys can be a powerful way to inspire others, but it’s not always easy to know how to get started. You may feel like your journey isn’t interesting enough, or that you don’t have the time or energy to share it. You may also know what you want to say but don’t have the confidence to put yourself out there.

As a former wallflower in the world of business networking, I get you. It was scary for me in the beginning until I discovered the power of story and how it accelerates the connection between you, your audience, and your ideal clients who can benefit the most. 

Your journey is made up of multiple stories so I’m going to start by taking you through the story creation process first.

I learned this process from my speaking coach back in 2007 when I was preparing for the Toastmasters International Speech Competition. Going through this process taught me SO much about the power of story, how to frame it, and most importantly how to share it with others. 

Start By Thinking About One Event

When you think about your journey, start with one story – an event that stands out to you. The memory could spark laughter, be inspiring, or even a challenge you overcame. I call it your ‘there to here’ story and it’s the same framework I used to create my TEDx talk. I also used this for the keynotes that I did since there multiple stories in each one.

Sometimes stories come out of the least likely places. One of my favorites was sharing the story of how I met Bob Burg via Twitter. It’s the ‘if you don’t ask the answer is always no’ story. The result was coming out of my wallflower shell and resulted in sharing the stage with Bob a year later. He later endorsed my second book which I am forever grateful for.

Sharing this story during keynotes and company training inspired other wallflowers to step outside of their comfort zone. How do I know this? Through the conversations I had with attendees at the events and the emails they sent me telling their stories. #POWERFUL TIP: Keep a story file. My speaking coach taught me this to make sure I didn’t forget a good story example. In 2007 I used a word document but now I use the notes app on my cellphone and Evernote on my computer.

Don’t Worry About How It’s Going to Sound

Write about what you want to share – don’t worry about how it’s going to sound. This is where the doubt tends to creep in. If you’re introverted that can make it even harder. This is why you start with a story file and think back through memories.

An easy one is to think through why you started your business in the first place. Or if you haven’t quite made that leap then what’s going on now to make you want to make the move. When you share your story, don’t worry about how it’s going to sound. Just start writing and see where the words take you.

You can always go back and revise it later, but getting started is the hardest part. The next step is to write down a few thoughts on paper (in a journal), in a word document, or in my favorite platform EVERNOTE.

You can also record with an app on your phone and have it transcribed through HappyScribe or another online platform for next to nothing! This is the process I used to write a 221-page biz book and went from nothing on paper to fully published in 35 days!

Use a  ‘There to Here’ Framework

When you share the story in a way that is interesting and easy to follow, it will keep readers/listeners engaged. You do this by making sure to focus on the main points. It’s easy to get caught up in the tiny details that we remember – but your audience may get lost in them. You should have the set-up, three to five main points. This will help you stay on track, and make sure that your story is clear and concise.

It’s also important to have a strong ending, so that your audience will remember what you said. I always say there are lessons to be learned in every story.

When you’re done, ask yourself how the experience has changed you, and what you learned from it. This is a great way to wrap up your story, and give your audience something to think about.

TIP: A clear ending with one main call to action will help your audience remember the entire story. If you want another set of eyes before you share your story ask a friend or business associate for feedback before publishing it publicly so you can make any necessary edits

5 Ways to Share Your Story

One story can be shared in multiple ways – repurposing makes sharing your story easy! Start by picking an outlet that feels comfortable to you. This also determines the length of your story.

• Blog, podcast (yours or someone else’s)
• Facebook post, live or Instagram story
• Interview with a local media outlet
• On the about section of your website
• In a conversion event – webinar, workshop, etc.

When it comes to sharing your journey, the most important thing is to just start. Don’t worry about how it’s going to sound, or if it’s interesting enough. Just write down your thoughts and see where they take you. You can always go back and revise them later. Sharing your journey can be a powerful way to inspire others, so don’t hesitate to get started today!

If you’re like me and you struggle to write, be sure to check out my favorite AI tool. It’s like having a professional writer in your back pocket and I use it for everything including blogs, video scripts, social posts, and more! Check it out here.

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• Aug 21, 2023

10 Ways To Start Your Self-Discovery Journey

Written by: vivien roggero , executive contributor, executive contributors at brainz magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise..

Self-discovery is an intrinsic part of personal growth . It allows us to delve beyond the surface of our identities and explore the depths of our being. Our personalities, behaviors, and beliefs are not set in stone; they are continuously shaped and reshaped by our experiences and perceptions. Let's embark on this journey of self-discovery and uncover the richness that lies within us.

Exploring the concept of self-discovery

Self-discovery is an enriching voyage that sheds light on our authentic selves. This journey uncovers our hidden depths, revealing who we truly are beyond our conditioned identities. The path to self-discovery invites us to question, explore, and ultimately transcend the labels and expectations imposed on us by society.

Understanding the benefits of self-discovery

Embarking on a journey of self-discovery opens the door to personal growth, emotional healing, and self-transformation. As we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, we develop a clearer perception of our passions, aspirations, and purpose in life. Moreover, self-discovery nurtures self-acceptance, fostering a sense of peace and fulfillment within us.

I present to you 10 insightful steps to initiate your self-discovery journey. Each technique is rooted in introspection, self-examination, and heartfelt exploration. By integrating these steps into your routine, you can progressively peel back the layers of your identity and connect with your true essence.

Reflecting on your past

Understanding the role of past experiences in shaping your identity.

Our past experiences play a crucial role in shaping our identities. They influence our beliefs, behaviors, and emotional responses. Reflecting on these experiences can unearth deep-seated scripts that operate unconsciously, shaping our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us.

Journaling prompts to explore childhood memories

Journaling provides a safe space for introspection and self-expression. It enables us to delve into our childhood memories, explore pivotal moments, and dissect significant challenges. Journaling prompts can guide our exploration, helping us unearth our unconscious patterns and behaviors. Here are a few prompts to start with: what is your earliest memory? What events from your past do you often revisit in your mind?

Acknowledging patterns and behaviors that stem from past experiences

As we reflect on our past, we often discover patterns and behaviors that stem from our experiences. Recognizing these patterns is a significant step in our self-discovery journey. It allows us to understand why we behave in certain ways and provides insights into areas of our life that need healing and transformation.

Practicing mindfulness and self-awareness

Exploring mindfulness techniques for staying present.

Various mindfulness techniques can assist us in staying present and enhancing self-awareness. Practices such as deep breathing, body scans, and mindful observation focus our attention on the here and now, anchoring us in the present moment. These techniques not only ground us but also train our minds to become more focused, aware, and accepting.

Cultivating self-awareness through meditation and self-reflection

Meditation is a potent tool for cultivating self-awareness. It encourages us to introspect and observe our thoughts and emotions without judgment. Complementing meditation with regular self-reflection can greatly enhance our self-understanding, bringing us closer to our authentic selves. As we become more self-aware, we gain deeper insights into our actions, behaviors, and motivations, furthering our self-discovery journey.

Noticing your thoughts, emotions, and reactions without judgment

Self-discovery involves observing our thoughts, emotions, and reactions with openness and curiosity, free of judgment or criticism. As we become more mindful of our inner dialogue, we begin to identify recurring patterns and themes in our thought processes. This non-judgmental observation is a cornerstone of self-discovery, arousing self-compassion and leading to transformative personal insights.

Setting intentions and goals

Defining what you want to achieve through self-discovery.

The journey of self-discovery is fueled by our desire to understand ourselves better. It's essential to define what we hope to achieve through this process. Whether we aim to heal past wounds, understand our values, or discover our passions, having a clear objective guides our exploration and keeps us motivated on our journey.

Setting both short-term and long-term intentions

Setting intentions for personal growth is a dynamic process that involves short-term and long-term goals. Short-term intentions focus on immediate growth areas, providing momentum and instant gratification. Long-term intentions shape our overall journey, guiding our long-term growth and development.

Aligning your goals with your values and aspirations

Aligning your intentions and goals with your values and aspirations ensures that your self-discovery journey is authentic and fulfilling. These goals provide a roadmap for your exploration, highlighting areas of focus and growth. In alignment with your authentic self, these goals become potent motivators, fueling your journey with purpose and passion.

Exploring your passions and interests

Identifying hobbies, activities, and subjects that ignite your curiosity.

Your hobbies and interests reveal what genuinely excites and motivates you. Whether it's painting, hiking, reading, or dancing, these activities offer a window into your values, desires, and passions. Identifying and nurturing these interests can provide profound insights into your authentic self, guiding your self-discovery journey.

Trying new experiences and stepping out of your comfort zone

Stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new experiences can play a pivotal role in self-discovery. Each new experience, though potentially daunting, offers an opportunity to learn more about yourself, your strengths, and your limitations. Embrace novelty, for it is in the unknown that we often discover the most about ourselves.

Recognizing how your passions can provide insights into your authentic self

Your passions are not merely activities you enjoy; they are reflections of your inner self. They can provide valuable insights into who you are and what makes you truly happy. Recognizing this connection can transform your perspective on self-discovery, turning it from a daunting journey into an exciting exploration of your passions and interests.

Seeking different perspectives

Engaging in meaningful conversations with diverse individuals.

Engaging in conversations with people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences can offer rich insights. These interactions can illuminate different ways of thinking, challenge our existing beliefs, and inspire us to see the world from varied perspectives. Each conversation is an opportunity to learn and grow, making our self-discovery journey more comprehensive and insightful.

Reading books, articles, and listening to podcasts on personal development

Dive into books, articles, and podcasts that delve into personal development topics. These resources can provide you with wisdom and insights from experts, thought leaders, and individuals who have embarked on their self-discovery journeys. The lessons encapsulated in these resources can enhance your understanding and guide you on your self-discovery path.

Challenging your beliefs and expanding your worldview

Self-discovery is an invitation to challenge your beliefs and expand your worldview. It involves questioning and reevaluating your long-held assumptions, making way for new insights and perspectives. As you open your mind and challenge your beliefs, you pave the way for a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you.

Embracing self-care and well-being

Prioritizing self-care routines that nourish your body and mind.

Develop self-care routines that nourish your body and mind. This could involve anything from regular exercise and healthy eating habits to mindfulness practices and engaging in activities you love. As you take care of your physical health, you also nurture your mental and emotional well-being, creating a strong foundation for your self-discovery journey.

Engaging in activities that promote relaxation and well-being

Find activities that help you relax and rejuvenate. This could be spending time in nature, practicing yoga, or indulging in a creative hobby. These activities foster relaxation and well-being, creating a balance in your life and promoting mental clarity crucial for self-discovery.

Recognizing the connection between self-care and self-discovery

Self-care and self-discovery are intrinsically connected. By taking care of yourself, you show respect and love for yourself, reinforcing your self-worth and boosting your self-esteem. This mutualistic relationship ensures that as you discover more about yourself, you continue to nurture and care for your ever-evolving identity.

Keeping a self-discovery journal

Starting a dedicated journal to document your self-discovery journey.

Kickstart your self-discovery journey by starting a dedicated journal. This journal serves as your personal space for exploration and reflection, allowing you to document your thoughts, feelings, and insights. As you journey through self-discovery, your journal becomes a testament to your growth, marking milestones and chronicling your transformation.

Writing about your thoughts, feelings, insights, and progress

Use your self-discovery journal to express your thoughts, feelings, insights, and progress. The act of writing down these experiences encourages introspection and enhances understanding. It allows you to delve deeper into your psyche and uncover patterns and perspectives that you may otherwise overlook.

Using journal prompts to delve deeper into various aspects of your identity

Journal prompts can be instrumental in unearthing different aspects of your identity. They provide a starting point for your introspection, guiding your thoughts and encouraging deeper exploration. Use prompts such as "What values are most important to me?", "What is my happiest memory?", or "What fears hold me back?" to stimulate reflection and discovery.

Seeking guidance and support

Exploring self-help books, workshops, and online resources.

Numerous self-help books, workshops, and online resources focus on self-discovery. These invaluable tools offer guidance, evidence-based techniques, and motivational anecdotes to enrich your self-discovery journey. Leverage these resources to deepen your understanding and navigate your journey more effectively.

Connecting with mentors, therapists, or coaches who specialize in self-discovery

Connecting with a mentor, therapist, or life coach who specializes in self-discovery can be immensely beneficial. These professionals bring their expertise and experience to guide you, provide feedback, and offer techniques to handle personal challenges. Their outside perspective can shed new light on your experiences, accelerating your self-discovery journey.

Building a supportive network of friends and like-minded individuals

Surround yourself with supportive friends and like-minded individuals who understand and respect your journey. This supportive network can provide encouragement, share their experiences, and offer fresh perspectives. As you navigate the waters of self-discovery, this support system becomes your anchor, providing stability and reassurance.

Embracing change and growth

Emphasizing the importance of embracing change and being open to growth.

Change is an undeniable part of self-discovery. As you learn more about yourself, your perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors may evolve. Embrace these changes as necessary stages in your journey. They denote growth and the shedding of outdated or unhelpful patterns, signifying progress in your journey.

Celebrating your progress, no matter how small, along the self-discovery journey

Celebrating your progress, regardless of its size, is a crucial component of self-discovery. Every insight gained, every negative pattern acknowledged, every positive habit developed is a victory. These victories, big or small, indicate your growth and deserve recognition and celebration.

Understanding that self-discovery is an ongoing process with no final destination

Remember, self-discovery is an ongoing process with no definitive endpoint. As you evolve, so does your understanding of yourself. Continue to explore, question, and learn with an open heart and mind. Welcome this continuous journey of self-discovery as a growth-centered approach to living, a path that leads to self-awareness, acceptance, and personal transformation.

Recap of the 10 Transformative Steps to Start Your Self-Discovery Journey.

We've journeyed together through ten transformative steps towards self-discovery: reflecting on your past, practicing mindfulness, setting clear goals, exploring your passions, seeking different perspectives, embracing self-care, maintaining a self-discovery journal, seeking guidance, and embracing change. Each step offers a unique path towards understanding and expressing your authentic self.

Encouragement to Embark on This Path of Personal Growth and Exploration.

Embarking on the journey of self-discovery is like opening the door to a new world – a world that existed within you all along, waiting to be explored. It can present challenges, but the rewards of this journey are incalculable: genuine freedom, a deeper connection with yourself, and a richer, more fulfilling life. As you traverse the path of self-discovery, remember that every step, every revelation, and even every challenge adds to the richness of your journey.

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Read more from Vivien!

Vivien Roggero, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Vivien Roggero is a certified Executive & Empowerment Coach and Entrepreneur. After 15 years of professional journey, expanding from Sales to IT Executive in some world-class startups’, losing his father to COVID, and going through a high-conflict divorce, he decided to dedicate his life to empowering people so they can live a fulfilling life. Those experiences also inspired him to create the One Freedom™ Framework, freedom and purpose-centric approach to life that helps his clients to accelerate their life design process and sculpt growth. His focus is to help clients who feel stuck in their professional or personal journeys or find struggles to re-navigate life after major life-changing events.

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If so, take comfort in knowing that, just as self-love looks, feels, and unfolds in wildly different ways from one person to the next, so does the practice of learning about yourself. And while your journey might involve traveling across oceans or leaning into a spiritual practice like meditation , the quest for self-discovery isn’t as simple as collecting stamps on your passport or stretching across a yoga mat .

So if you’ve been thinking about pulling the lid off of your unmet dreams, desires, passions, strengths, and values, stay with us. We rounded up the experts and asked them to share their self-discovery rituals, techniques, and tools, along with some empowering ideas to keep in mind as you explore deeper realms of who you are and who you wish to become.

Start a morning journaling practice.

Julia Cameron, bestselling author of The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity , coined the now-famous ritual she calls “morning pages,” which is essentially three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing to be completed upon waking. “Morning pages are like sending a telegram to the universe that says, ‘This is what I like. This is what I don’t like. This is what I want more of. This is what I want less of,’” Cameron tells Oprah Daily.

Don’t put pressure on yourself to perform for the pages, though. Cameron emphasizes that they’re designed to access your curiosities. “This disciplined daily practice is private, sacred, and full of surprises. Many people begin to find themselves fascinating. This is because morning pages train you to see your own worthiness,” she says.

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Take an audit of your relationships.

Terri Cole, licensed psychotherapist and author of Boundary Bos s , suggests kicking off your self-discovery journey with a brave and honest inventory of your relationships—particularly the ones that might be draining or toxic .

“Ask yourself, Where do I feel resentful, unseen, or taken advantage of? Before you can more deeply know yourself, you absolutely must determine your boundaries with others . You need to become more discerning about who gets access to you. Because not everyone should,” she tells Oprah Daily.

Make a list of things that delight you.

“Make an ‘okay’ and a ‘not okay’ list. It might contain things that either enhance or hinder your sense of ease. These small shifts are important because they offer ways of showing yourself that you’re worthy of your own attention and consideration,” says Cole.

For example, you might decide that your home will feel more cozy and inviting if you fill it with softer light and scented candles . Or it could simply be a matter of deciding that you need to craft a thoughtful email to your boss about your lack of work-life balance.

“The idea is to stop doing anything that goes against your constitution. Making small adjustments will allow you to experience more comfort and peace in all areas of your life,” says Cole.

Lean into a daily spiritual practice like meditation or yoga.

Ryan Haddon , spiritual life coach and meditation teacher, says that engaging in a quiet spiritual practice helps you recognize that any negative thoughts you have, no matter how loud or persistent, don’t have to run the show.

“We have upwards of 30,000 unconscious thoughts a day, most of which are negative. By curating a spiritual practice like meditation or yoga, you’re able to choose uplifting thoughts, rather than be at the mercy of the negative ones that lead you into a downward spiral. That’s true empowerment because you realize you have influence over your own mental and spiritual states,” she says.

Have a thoughtful, loving conversation with your inner child.

No matter how long you live, there will always be a child inside you, tugging at your attention, hoping to be acknowledged and comforted. Cole says that revisiting your vault of childhood wishes and wounds is a key part of any self-discovery journey, though it’s the part that makes most people roll their eyes.

“It can be difficult, but I’ve observed that you have to go back to the scene of the crime in order to understand why you are the way you are and why you’re sensitive to certain things. The child inside of you needs to be heard so that you can give your adult self permission to stop hiding or doing whatever it is that may have kept you from fully knowing yourself,” says Cole.

Pay attention to what lights you up.

What have you fantasized about doing for so long that you never got around to doing? It could be skydiving, studying a foreign language , or launching a side-hustle designing business. Or following your inspirations might simply look like carving out time each day to indulge in the books, documentaries, and podcasts that captivate you, says Rachel Rodgers, CEO of Hello Seven and author of We Should All Be Millionaires ,

Whether it’s combing through your old bucket lists, banging around on a piano, or curling up with a cup of coffee and a rapturous novel, focus on what makes you feel the most alive, even if it's just for a few minutes a day.

Consider leaving your comfort zone.

One of the easiest decisions in the world is to stay where you are. Rodgers stresses that self-discovery happens only when you’re willing to step into the future that you can’t stop dreaming about.

“Sometimes we feel trapped by the space that exists in between who we’ve been and who we want to be. There might be something you want to explore or try, but you’re afraid to let go of what’s familiar. If something is calling you, whether it's an adventure, a life change, or a new business idea, listen,” says Rodgers.

Know that when you get excited about your own growth and self-discovery, everyone wins.

If you aren’t acting from a place of authentic joy and fulfillment (when that's possible, at least), no one in your life will ever link arms with the best of you. So, attempt to prioritize yourself—we know, it's easier said than done—because if you want to serve the world, you’ve got to start by standing tall in your truth.

“I recommend that everyone sit down and brainstorm about 25 ways that they, their loved ones, and their community will benefit when they start prioritizing their needs and desires. Then read, reread, and add to the list often."

Of course, there are stages with every self-discovery journey, and some are more pleasant than others.

Over the years, Cameron has observed some interesting stages as readers move through her Artist’s Way program. In the beginning, there’s often a feeling of elation, quickly followed by a stretch of anger upon realizing the ways they may have settled in their life. Next comes a period of bargaining, which is then followed by the peaceful acceptance of one’s newfound evolution. And, finally, if one persists through the disorienting stages, there comes expansion, which Cameron says is the beautiful realization that it’s safe to take risks and reach for higher realms of fulfillment.

“Years ago, I taught these workshops where the rooms had these low-hanging styrofoam ceilings. You’d enter the space and think, Oh, wow, the ceiling is quite low. But then you realized you could tap it and move it to the side and see that there was actually 10 more feet of space above it. This is sort of how I see self-discovery. We often go through life thinking we’re a certain height—creatively, intellectually, spiritually. But as you start to tap the ceiling, you’re revealed to be so much more than you ever imagined,” says Cameron.

Remember that this journey is about you, and that you’re the one in control.

Deep exploration often invites big revelations. You might suddenly feel a flicker of desire to live a life that’s more adventurous and colorful, or to feel more seen and understood in your relationships. Or, perhaps, you might realize that you feel like you’re a hostage to a career or a lifestyle. The process can be intense and overwhelming, and you might feel pressured to act upon those epiphanies with haste. If so, Cole says it’s critical to remember that you don't have to burn the village down, so to speak. In fact, much of self-discovery and personal transformation can happen with a whisper.

“Don’t fear the personal inventories and discoveries, because you don’t have to change or blow up anything right away. The process can be gentle, and can simply look like getting honest with yourself about the things that feel right and the things that don’t. You can even stay in a situation, if you choose, but you’ll be doing it mindfully. And that’s the root of all self-discovery,” she says.

Embrace the ongoing process of your personal evolution.

While it’s tempting to view self-discovery as some shining destination on high, that’s not reality. Self-discovery is more of an ongoing pilgrimage that we make throughout our lives—sometimes one that’s jagged and lopsided, with unexpected stops, disorienting detours, and restarts.

Rodgers says we should give ourselves grace and freedom to revise our needs as the seasons change and the years pass. “Never stop discovering new levels of who you are and what you want. Constantly reevaluate your schedule, your priorities, and your life,” she says.

Coles believes that, in essence, self-discovery is the audacious act of choosing to no longer be driven by the wounds of the past, and deciding to become increasingly self-aware and self-determined. It’s about seeking the progressive realization of your own happiness, and discovering that the only life you can ever truly save is your own.

“Knowledge is power, but self-knowledge is the most powerful. This whole journey is one long, beautiful inquiry—an inquiry about knowing you,” says Cole. “And, I promise you, whatever that entails, you are so worth knowing.”

Lacey Johnson is a writer and editor whose has contributed to Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Woman’s Day, POPSUGAR and others, and is the founder of The Wonder Report. She feels most at home in airports, and is a radical seeker of engrossing conversation. Also a coffee connoisseur.

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Posted by: Team Tony

What decisions do you make on a daily basis?

Do you let a bad mood ruin your day? Are you always finding what’s wrong, rather than what’s right? When things don’t work in your favor, do you find yourself beating yourself up?

What if you didn’t? What if you could break the patterns that harm you, cause you unnecessary suffering, and replace them with patterns that move your forward?

Why Unleash the Power Within?

An event like no other, Unleash the Power Within, is 3 ½ days where you will overcome your limitations and get on the path to success.

Tony Robbins has devoted more than four decades to helping over 50 million people from over 100 countries around the world find their breakthroughs. His strategies have helped people like Serena Williams, Usher, Bill Clinton, and Hugh Jackman to identify and overcome their limiting beliefs.

No matter where you are right now, or where you want to be, Unleash the Power Within is your chance to improve the most important areas of your life – physical health, relationships, career and personal finances.

Discover the strategies to experience lasting energy and improved health. Master the powerful skills of rapport and influence to maximize your effectiveness as a leader, partner, business person and parent. Develop a clear target of what you want in your life and build a plan to achieve it.

All in one life-changing weekend.

The Power of Immersion

Today, people demand instant gratification. They want results and they wanted them five minutes ago. So many people talk about wanting to create change in their life, but they aren’t willing to commit to what it takes to make those changes. If you don’t see instant results, you’re more likely to give up and move on to something else.

But lasting change doesn’t happen overnight. You have to give up the idea of trying to make change and commit to it – by fully immersing yourself. Think about learning a language. If you want to learn French, you could take a night class once a week. You’ll probably pick up the basics after a few months, but not enough to be fluent. However, if you fully immerse yourself by going to France for an extended period of time, how fast will you become fluent?

The same goes for achieving your goals. You have to be completely immersed in your goals if you want to achieve them.

Unleash the Power Within is 3 ½ days of full immersion. 3 ½ days of you playing full out and committing to achieving any goal.

No matter how successful you are, there’s a gap between where you are and where you want to be. Maybe your thriving in your career, but your relationships are struggling. Or maybe your health isn’t where you want it to be. It’s time to stop accepting the ordinary and start living your extraordinary life.

Break through any limit and create the quality of life you desire and deserve at Unleash the Power Within !

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How To Start A Self Love Journey? (+FREE Self-Love Worksheets)

Today, you’re going to learn how to start your self love journey: what self-love is and what self-love isn’t, how to practice self-love .

To love yourself might be the hardest thing to do.

Our inner critical voice is constantly telling us where we could do better and what we should have done differently.

And there is nothing wrong with criticizing yourself. It helps you improve and make better choices.

However, when your inner critical voice takes over and all it does is talk negatively, set unattainable goals for you, drive you to perfection all the time, it becomes an issue.

But how do we stop self-loathing and simply love ourselves?

Self-loathing

Self-loathing vs. conscience, what causes self-loathing, what does self love mean, what self-love isn’t, how to start a self love journey, even five minutes are better than nothing, free printable self-love worksheets (pdf).

In essence, self-loathing is an extreme form of low self-esteem. You beat yourself up over everything you do believe that you can’t do anything right and that you’re worthless.

Most importantly you don’t believe you are worthy of anyone’s love. These thoughts are dangerous and can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Examples of self-loathing can be statements such as: I am incompetent, not good enough, stupid, ugly, embarrassing, etc.

Related: Self-Abandonment: What Is It & How To Get Back In Touch With Yourself

Many people with low self-esteem confuse self-loathing with a conscience. They believe that their inner critical voice is the voice of consciousness.

While your consciousness tells you what is morally correct and how to behave responsibly, self-loathing, on the other hand, beats you up for everything you are without you challenging it or recognizing that something is wrong with the way you talk to yourself.

Related: How To Stop Self-Critical Thoughts Using These Top 10 Techniques

8 Signs That You Have a Self-Loathing Mindset

1. Apologizing for everything that goes wrong. You think you are always at fault.

2. Setting goals low so you won’t disappoint yourself. You believe you’re not capable of reaching bigger goals.

3. Physical neglect. You do not care about your physical appearance and basic personal hygiene.

4. Struggling to accept compliments. You always worry about the intent behind compliments.

5. Constantly comparing yourself to others.

6. Depending on spending for approval. You need to acquire material goods to feel good about yourself or you buy ‘affection’ through expensive gifts.

7. Depending on social media for approval. You find yourself constantly checking your likes and followers number and posting on your “pretend life”.

8. Feeling afraid to fall in love. You’re convinced that once your partner discovers the real you, he’s going to leave. Which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you won’t love and accept yourself, who else will?

Self-loathing starts in childhood

Your critical inner voice can develop early on as you find yourself trying to figure out life and how to live it. It affects your thoughts and controls your behavior.

You believe it’s protecting you but in reality, it’s reinforcing feelings of guilt and shame and self-destructive behaviors.

As a child, you were extremely sensitive to the smallest increase your one or both of your parents’ levels of anger and stress.

Some children were abuse emotionally (were literally taught that they are worthless, bad, inadequate, not good enough, etc.) or even verbally and physically.

Even well-meaning parents, who did not understand the implications of some of their words, might have caused their child to take these words as core beliefs.

Fortunately, for most, negativity and anger episodes are few and far between. But for others, their experiences could have piled on guilt and shame leading to self-loathing.

Related: Shadow Work For Self-Love (+FREE Shadow Work PDF Download)

Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is a term used to explain the tendency for your mind to search for evidence to support your beliefs.

When you struggle with self-loathing, you will actively search for evidence that will support your beliefs about yourself. The evidence is mostly pure fabrications, whereas anything that suggests otherwise you will reject it.

This makes self-loathing a learned behavior, but it also means that it can be unlearned.

Self-love is about making space and prioritizing yourself. It allows you to embrace your life completely and wholeheartedly.

Practicing self-love helps you extend kindness and compassion toward yourself when you’re struggling and forgiveness when you make mistakes.

Self-love is a realistic, appreciative opinion of oneself.

“Realistic” means that we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses.

“Appreciative” means that we have an overall positive feeling about our self, despite our imperfections.

Related: Best 25 Journal Prompts For Self Love And Confidence Building

Self-love does not equal perfection . If anything, people who are neurotically driven toward perfection are often trying to compensate for a lack of self-esteem.

Self-love is not narcissism —the false security that implies that one is more worthwhile than others and should be on a pedestal. If anything, narcissism leads one to overcompensate by having feelings of grandiosity or entitlement.

Finally, self-love is not selfish. A selfish person is someone who cares only for himself. The other extreme is someone who cares only for others. A person with healthy self-esteem has healthy regard and respect for self and others.

Healthy self-love and wholesome humility come hand in hand. A person who feels humility recognizes that all people are worthy and that we can learn from everyone.

Related: Best 18 Self Compassion Journal Prompts (+FREE Worksheets)

It’s Not All Bubble Baths and Manicures

Most people believe that self-love is indulgent and luxurious. They believe that they don’t have the time for it when their work and families demand so much time and energy.

Relaxation and pampering are good ways to practice self-care and self-love. But true self-love is more about creating an authentic life, identifying our values, and being honest with ourselves. It’s also about breaking free from self-destructive patterns and negative beliefs.

True self-love comes from deep within.

The pathway to self-love must include deliberate practice and mindful focus to build this skill. Your willingness to practice these habits is the fuel that will get you there.

Related: Raising low self-esteem: 18 Ways to Build High Self-Esteem

Step #1. Accept Yourself

When you start loving yourself, you stop feeling threatened by other people’s opinions and you become able to accept yourself fully.

The following are some of the best ways to love yourself:

1. Appreciate How Special You Are

You are living life according to your own unique path. You were given special talents and gifts to share with the world. You have created your own unique reality with your own unique thoughts.

No one will think your thoughts the way you think them, and no one will ever be exactly like you. You’re special.

2. Drown Yourself In Affirmations

Affirmations are one of the best techniques to rewire your brain and train it to think positively. Even if you don’t believe these affirmations, repeating them over and over again will make you believe.

Choose some affirmations and repeat them all day long. Write them on Post-it notes and stick them around your house.

The following are some examples of self-love affirmations:

• My heart is open. Love pours in and out.

• I am worthy of infinite compassion.

• My body is beautiful and expresses my spirit.

3. Do Things You Love

Make yourself a priority.

No matter how busy you are, always make time to do the things you love. It can be anything from a weekend getaway to reading a book for a writer you love.

It’s about being proactive about creating a life you love instead of being stuck with one you don’t love. It’s about being generous with yourself and giving yourself the gift of a joyous life.

LIST OF PLEASURABLE ACTIVITIES

Related: Top 45 Self Care Day Ideas at Home To Kickstart Your Self Care Ritual

4. Ditch The Self-Deprecating Humor

Self-deprecating humor can be funny, but incessant self-deprecating humor can make you believe you are a loser. It’s like hitting yourself over and over again.

Why would anyone do that?

What you tell yourself on a daily basis is more powerful than you think. Seemingly harmless humor, over time, can turn into destructive beliefs.

5. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

Comparison is the fastest way to bring yourself down.

It doesn’t matter what other people are doing or how far they’ve come. Everyone works at his own pace. Everyone is unique, and no uniqueness is better than the other.

6. Forgive Yourself

Mistakes provide much-needed lessons that we couldn’t have learned otherwise. There’s no shame in making mistakes, so learn your lesson and get over it.

Dragging around guilt and self-criticism won’t make you a better person, just a sadder one.

Related: Best 21 Forgiveness Journal Prompts (+FREE Worksheets PDF)

Step #2. Know Yourself

The path to personal growth starts with acknowledging who you are and accepting yourself before you can start building.

You can know more about yourself by asking these questions:

Do I like what I’m doing now?

Many people don’t like what they do for a living.

They do it simply out of the necessity of having to make a living, or out of fear of uncertainty and the fear that they might not find anything better.

There’s definitely a risk in changing what you’re currently doing. You might fail or you might take a pay cut.

But which risk you would rather live with, the risk of failure, or the risk of coming to the end of your life with regrets that you never did what you love?

What would I like to do?

Passion gives you an advantage over others. It gives you energy.

You’re more likely to succeed and reach your potential doing something you’re passionate about than doing something you’re merely interested in.

If you don’t know what you really love to do yet, keep searching, because once you find it, you’ll bring something extra to your work that will guarantee your success.

Can I do What I like to do?

There’s a big difference between having a dream that drives you to achieve and “pulling an idea out of thin air” that doesn’t align with who you are and what you can do.

You need to know the difference between what you want and what you’re good at. Your dream should also be aligned with your values and priorities in life.

Finding your desire is the result of knowing yourself including knowing your values, priorities, what drives you in life, what gives you satisfaction most, your abilities and talent…

Related: Lack Of Self Awareness: 5 Signs & 5 Tips On How To Increase Self-Awareness

Step #3. Don’t Care About What Other People Think

This is not just about denying criticism, but it’s also about not getting caught up in the praise. Your self-worth isn’t based on what everyone else thinks of you. Don’t depend on a source outside yourself for validation.

So how can you truly stop caring what other people think and be your most powerful Self?

Related: How to Overcome People Pleasing for Good?

1. Be Honest With Yourself

Make it a habit to consciously examine what you do or say and ask yourself, “Why Am I about to do or say this? Is it to be liked? To put someone down because I’m feeling insecure? Or is it coming from a place of strength and truth?”

By bringing awareness to your motivations, you start acting and talking from a place of integrity.

2. Always Do Your Best

We fall prey to outside validation when we’re feeling insecure. And nothing can make us more insecure like knowing that put little care and effort in doing something, or not believing in what we’re doing.

Whatever it is that you’re doing, make sure you do your best and you do it from a place of integrity.

3. Find A Temporary Role Model

Not caring what others think is a habit that takes time to build up. By finding a mentor or a role model, when faced with a challenge, you give yourself a clear answer to the question “What would my hero do?”

Soon enough, you’ll be able to ditch your role model and start asking yourself instead “What Would I do?”

4. Love Yourself

Unconditionally and no matter what everyone else thinks.

Not caring about what others think is a skill worth acquiring. But that doesn’t mean that you should miss out on the opportunity to benefit from outside input altogether.

You need to consider constructive criticism and constructive complimenting, especially when they come from those who love you and know you well. It’s an opportunity for personal growth.

Related: Recovering People Pleaser: 5 Ways To Stop Being The Nice Guy (And Get What You Want In Life And Love)

Step #4. Get Clear On Who You Are And What Your Calling Is

Getting clear about what your calling is will make your life happier and more fulfilling.

Each one of us has talents and gifts to share with the world. Only when you share what you were brought here to give, that you are in alignment with your highest self.

The following are some ways to get clear on who you are and what your calling is:

1. Be The Alien

Like an alien who just landed on Earth and to whom everything is new and exciting, look around and ask yourself how are you going to use this body and this existence to create something awesome starting right now?

This strategy will help you get a new perspective and step outside of your old excuses and lame habits. It can also make you more aware of the endless resources that you have and take for granted or do not see.

2. Take The First Right Step

Instead of wasting your time trying to figure out and plan your next perfect move, just do something already. No matter how clueless you may feel right now, take action. You don’t have to know exactly where it’s going to take you, you just need to take the next step that feels right and see where it leads.

3. Do Your Best Wherever You’re At

Your first step might not land you in your dream situation right away, but it might be your stepping-stone. But no matter where it lands you, appreciate wherever you’re at. Acknowledge that everything you do along the journey contributes to where you’re going.

Perhaps you want to have your own business, but right now you need enough experience and network, so you work under someone else. Having a good attitude and being grateful even if you’re not having your dream, will raise your frequency and attract the right people and opportunities that will take you in the direction you want to go.

4. Don’t Reinvent The Wheel

You don’t have to invest your ideal life from scratch. Look around and see what other people out there are doing that you would love to do and that makes you feel alive the most. Is it that they have a solid routine? No routine? It is the fact that they get to travel the world?

The more specific you get about the things that turn you on, the easier it will be for you to picture what you want in your own life.

5. Don’t Get Caught Up In The Thunderbolt Hype

Many people share the misconception that your true calling is going to come to you in a “mighty flash of soul-defining insight”. Even though many people have always known exactly what they want to do, the majority of us are clueless.

Remind yourself that it’s fine not to have your calling figured out at the very beginning. You might even fulfill several callings throughout your life that evolve as you age. Always do what feels right to you and you’ll be sure you’re walking your destined path.

Related: Create A Life You Don T Need A Vacation From: 10 Questions To Find Your Purpose (+Finding My Purpose Worksheet)

Step #5: Shift Your Thoughts

Your thoughts are the most powerful tool you’ve got to create the life of your dreams.

You created the reality you’re living with your thoughts, which means that you can use the same power of thought to change it.

The following are some ways to change your thoughts and create your desired reality:

1. Act As If

Fake it until you make it.

Whatever you want, believe you can have it, even if you don’t have any evidence that it’s possible. Act as if it’s happening and stay open of opportunities that will lead you to your goal.

2. Surround Yourself With People Who Think The Way You Want to Think

You become like the 5 people you spend most of your time with.

Stay away from people with negative thoughts and start hanging out with people who see abundance everywhere. Spend more time with people you want to think like they do.

If you don’t know anyone who inspires you, make new friends.

Step #6: Give And Let Give

Giving is one of our greatest joys. When we trust that universe we live in, is abundant and allow ourselves to give freely, we raise our frequency and put ourselves in the position to receive abundance in return.

On the other hand, when we are scared to share because we don’t trust there’s more, we are creating more of the very thing we’re trying to avoid, which is lack.

We live in a universe where every action has an equal and opposite reaction; breathe and exhale, give and receive. This is why the more you give, the more you’ll receive, and vice versa.

Here are some ways to increase the give and receive flow in your life:

1. Pick one or two causes that have real meaning to you and give to them regularly. Give it some of your time and money until it becomes a habit. Even the smallest amounts count.

2. Leave a dollar more than you normally tip.

3. Smile and compliment people as often as possible.

Related: Best 9 Tips On How To Receive More In Life And Relationships?

Step #7: Cultivate An Attitude of Gratitude

Having gratitude goes way beyond having the good manner of simply saying “thank you” when receiving something from someone.

Being in a state of gratitude is about having awareness and deep appreciation for the many blessings in your life.

And because gratitude makes you feel good, it puts you at a very high frequency to manifest more good feelings, things, and experiences into your life.

Here are some ways to practice gratitude:

1. Finding benefits

When someone unfortunate or annoying happens to you, meet it with the statement, “This is good because…” and fill in the blank.

For example, “This is good that I got a flat tire on my way home from picking up my kids. I’ve shown them how to change a tire.”

 When you make this a regular practice, you’ll be able to see how easy it is to be grateful by always focusing on the positive.

2. Start a gratitude journal

Every day write down in a journal five things you’re grateful for in your life. It could be seemingly small things like the fact that your heart is beating, the flowers in your garden, the beautiful sunset…

Related: Daily Gratitude Ideas: 10 Ways to Practice Gratitude Every Day

  Step #8: Forgive and Let Go

When we physically hurt ourselves, we do anything to get the pain stop even if it would include pouring a disinfectant that stings on an open wound. We do it because we’re focused on one ultimate goal, which is a relief.

However, when it comes to emotional pain, we tend to prolong our misery by holding to our ill feelings and wallowing in our guilt, shame, and resentment, sometimes for our entire life.

Instead of letting these feelings go, we hold on to them, reliving them over and over, somehow believing that we’re going to make those who hurt us feel as badly as they’re made us feel.

The truth is holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for your enemy to die.

Holding on will not change anything, it will keep you a prisoner to your pain.

The moment you decide to forgive and let your negative feelings behind, you are on the road to freedom.

Forgiveness is about you, not the person you need to forgive. It’s putting your desire to feel good before your desire to be right. It’s about taking responsibility for your own happiness instead of pretending it’s in someone else’s hands.

Here are some ways to help you forgive:

1. Find Compassion

One of the best ways to find compassion for someone who hurt you is to imagine this person as a little kid who is acting out of fear in an attempt to protect themselves.

People usually act poorly when they’re in pain. Understanding this will help you find compassion for them. The same goes for anything you need to forgive yourself about.

Related: 12 Actionable Tips to Fix Lack of Empathy and Become a Strong Empath

2. Erase The Other Person From The Equation

Imagine yourself hanging out in your brand new boat when another boat bangs into you, leaving a scratch. If no one is on the boat, there’s no one to get mad at, and you deal with the situation in a calm way.

However, if someone is on the boat, you deal with it by going crazy.

The same situation, two different ways to react. One will leave you raging, the other opens your heart.

By refraining from blaming the other person, you erase him from the equation, and you start focusing on the situation at hand and how it can be fixed.

3. Choose to Be Happy Rather Than Right

Oftentimes, the key to freedom lies in choosing to be happy rather than right. When someone makes a mistake, instead of spinning out on it for days, it would feel so much better to let them think they’re right and just let it go.

4. Keep In Mind That You Won’t Even Remember This

Try to think about someone who had pissed you off three years ago. Can you come up with someone? If you can, can you get pissed off about them now? So why make a big deal out of it if you’re going to forget about it a year or two from now?

5. Forget About It

Once you’ve truly forgiven someone, forget all about it. Forgiveness is about pretending that we’re cool when we’re still holding on to some resentment. Instead, focus on their good behavior and intentions.

Related: Forgiving Someone Who Isn’t Sorry: 9-Step Guide To Free Yourself From The Past

Step #9: Change Your Stories

The quality of our lives largely depends on the quality of our stories.

Oftentimes, we cling to false beliefs like “I don’t have the money,” and “I’m not good enough,” that we prevent ourselves from seeing the endless possibilities and opportunities surrounding us.

If you want to change your life, start with doing the following:

1. Become Aware of Your Stories

You are the author of your own life, and as soon as you decide to write yourself a better script, you’ll get to live a more fulfilling life.

But before you can let go of your old stories, you need to become aware of what they are. Whatever you want to do, ask yourself why you’re not doing it? What’s holding you back?

2. Become Aware of What You’re Gaining From Your Stories

Whatever you tell yourself is serving you, be it in a healthy way or an unhealthy way.

For example, if you’re story is that you’re depressed, even though it feels awful, you don’t have to work as hard you take much care of yourself. It feels familiar and comfortable and gets you attention from other people.

Without realizing it, we make the benefits we get from our stories more important than getting the things we really want. It feels comfortable and we’re scared to let go of the comfort and take responsibility for our own lives.

Only when you identify the false benefits you’re reaping from your stories that you can let go of these stories and replace them with more empowering ones.

3. Write New Stories

After identifying your old stories and the benefits you’re reaping from them, start writing new empowering stories.

Old story: There aren’t any good men out there.

Benefits: I don’t have to take responsibility for why I’m not meeting any.

New story: The world is filled with awesome, loving men, and I’m capable of, and so excited to find a good one for myself.

In order for the new stories to become your new truth, you need to focus on them and feel how happy and excited they make you feel. Let them be your new affirmations to repeat over and over until they replace the old stories completely.

4. Take Action

After changing your stories, get a move on. If you want to change your “depressed” story, stop listening to sad music. Stop complaining, and start focusing on the good. Do more of the things you love.

Think, talk, and behave the way a person who isn’t depressed does.

Related: What Causes Cognitive Distortions? (+Top 10 Common Cognitive Distortions & How To Challenge Them)

Step #10: Build Healthy and Supportive Relationships

Studies show that people who enjoy healthy, supportive relationships are happier and less stressed than those who don’t.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology , shows that individuals who lacked social and community ties were two to three times more likely to die prematurely than those who were well connected.

The Change: Develop more healthy and supportive relationships, while avoiding those that are toxic.

The following are some ways to help you cultivate better communication and intimacy in your relationships:

1. Quality Control

If you want to build more supportive relationships, it’s important to know what qualities you deem important in the relationship.

Make a list of the qualities that make you feel loved, and supported the most and another list of qualities that make you feel the opposite.

Connect with people who possess these supportive qualities, and avoid individuals who possess the latter.

Even though you can’t completely cut off certain individuals out of your life, avoiding them and limiting your exposure to those individuals is critical to your mental well-being.

2. Give and Take

Healthy, supportive relationships require both parties’ involvement. This is why you need to an active role in developing and maintaining your relationships, just as it’s important that your friend or loved one does the same. Otherwise, the relationship can cause resentment and disappointment.

Support your friends and loved ones, but also allow them to support you too.

3. Practice Healthy Communication

When disappointed, communicate your disappointment honestly and in a respectful way.

Avoid unhealthy behaviors such as silent treatment or holding grudges.

Related: Top 5 Tips On How To Be Assertive Without Being Rude

4. Listen Actively

Healthy, supportive relationships require that each person feels heard and understood. Take the time to really listen and seek to understand the other person by asking open questions and rephrasing what they said to make sure you got it right.

Self-care opportunities happen all day long – getting some sunlight, making a hot cup of tea for yourself, writing down your thoughts in your journal, etc.

The best way to build a habit is to start small. Give yourself at least five minutes a day to connect with yourself.

Five-Minute Self-Love Hacks

Here are self-love acts you can do in five minutes:

1. Connect with nature

Go outside and enjoy the sunlight and the fresh air. Take a deep breath in through your nostrils. Feel the sensation of your lungs filling with air and exhale through your mouth while noticing the calming effect on your body.

2. Journaling

Write down your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Sometimes all you need is to release your thoughts and feelings and writing can help you with that.

Self-love affirmations

Pick up some self-love affirmations and read them aloud daily. The following are some examples:

• I am worthy of love.
• Loving myself is as important as loving others.
• It is okay to ask for what I need and want.
• My feelings are valid. There is no right or wrong way to feel.

Shop: Mental Health Worksheets

Continue Reading Shop: Mental Health Worksheets

3. Set an alarm for 10 minutes before you have to get up

Use the few minutes to think gentle thoughts that will help you start your day in a good mood.

Related: How To Manifest Self Love? Best 9 Ways To Grow In Self-Love

Loving yourself can change your life in so many ways.

You’ll be kinder and gentler with yourself. Your own encouragement and forgiveness will make your life more peaceful.

You’ll start living fully and embrace your life wholeheartedly.

By loving yourself, you’ll have more love to share with others. Your relationship will become healthier.

You become the creator of your own happiness.

Isn’t Self-Sacrifice A Virtue?

Most cultures regard self-sacrifice as a virtue.

We’re taught that the more we take care of others, the better. Many of us believe that we aren’t worthy of love unless we’re we keep others happy, even if it means sacrificing our own happiness in the process.

However, studies show that self-sacrifice is linked to higher levels of stress and depression

By not taking care of ourselves and well-being, not only do we suffer but our relationships suffer too.

Furthermore, when we overgive, we tend to attract “over-takers” into our lives. After all, we need to find others who are willing to receive our devoted care.

This kind of relationship is out of balance and eventually leaving you feeling bitter and resentful.

Portions of this article were adapted from the books:

• Attachment Theory Workbook © , April 19, 2020, by Emily Attached. All rights reserved.
• Self‑Love Workbook for Women ©, September 29, 2020, by Megan Logan. All rights reserved.
• The importance of self-love and how to cultivate it (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Self-Love and What It Means | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (bbrfoundation.org)
• Learn How to Self-love | Psychological Health Care
• The science of self-love: the evidence-based benefits of loving yourself (nesslabs.com)
• The Scientific Benefits of Self-Compassion – The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (stanford.edu)
• Self-esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental health promotion | Health Education Research | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
• Why self-compassion – not self-esteem – leads to success – BBC Worklife
• Loving yourself more than your neighbor: ERPs reveal online effects of a self-positivity bias – PMC (nih.gov)
• Self-Love or Other-Love? Explicit Other-Preference but Implicit Self-Preference | PLOS ONE
• The Role of Self-Compassion in Development: A Healthier Way to Relate to Oneself – PMC (nih.gov)

Hadiah is a counselor who is passionate about supporting individuals on their journey towards mental well-being. Hadiah not only writes insightful articles on various mental health topics but also creates engaging and practical mental health worksheets.

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30 Entrepreneurs Explain Why They Started Their Business

Each business has a story. No matter if the business is a Goliath like Wal-Mart, or a local business owned by a couple or family, the business has roots in an idea. For each business owner, the story of their journey can range from monetary needs or the passion for a unique project. Each story is different though the reasons may be the same. No matter the tale, the background behind each and every business is what fuels each and brand.

We asked some entrepreneurs and business owners, why they started their businesses:

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#1- replicate what i was doing for others.

I worked for several IT consulting companies. At every one of them I was the person who wrote the proposals, did the technical interviewed on candidates, went on sales calls with the Account Managers to make them look good and got put on troubled projects to help right the ship. I made a lot of money for a lot of people. I thought it was time to make it for myself.

Thanks to David Moise, Decide Consulting !

#2- We had a problem and didn't have a solution

We needed to grow our cookie business and did not have a commercial kitchen to produce in. We didn't know how to get licensed. We did not know how to sell to stores and grocery stores. We did not know how to price and package the product. We did not know how to get capital. We DID have a great product, though. And we realized that our problem was not a unique problem. We saw that many food entrepreneurs had these same problems. So we set out to solve them and help grow successful food businesses in DC. We built a commercial kitchen that we shared with other companies. On top of that, we built solutions, training, programs, and routes to market by solving each problem we faced and our fellow food entrepreneurs faced. We kept doing that until we grew into what we are now. We have worked with over 700 food companies. Many of which have opened stores or sold their product around the country. We currently operate a large 17,000 square foot facility, 5 stores to sell products in, and a distribution business to sell the product to retailers. In addition, we run an accelerator program to help businesses scale and grow nationally.

Thanks to Cullen Gilchrist, Union Kitchen !

#3- Secure my sense of purpose

When I medically retired from the police department I felt my world just crumbled because I loved my job/career and I was on the way to promotion; most people become cops to help others so I was so depressed because I felt I didn't have a sense of purpose any longer. I wasn't sure what else I could do to help others and find fulfillment in my work as I did as a police officer. We identify ourselves with our work and being a police officer for 18 years, that was my home and comfort space. I transitioned into the civilian world and started a new job; however, after a few months I began to dread going to work and was miserable because I felt no purpose and was not passionate about that work. So I decided to make a leap of faith, use my life coaching certificate and hone my coaching skills. I used my experience gained while hiring, creating job descriptions, interviewing, and being part of several promotional processes to start a coaching business which I absolutely love. It gives me the opportunity to help others and be part of someone else's success! I subsequently became a Certified Professional Career Coach and enhanced my skills with other training and certifications. I never regret leaving the 9-5 world and beginning my own journey!

Thanks to Mirela Borsan, Inspirational Leadership Coaching, LLC !

#4- Saw a gap in my industry

I started my business because I saw a gap in the meal planning industry for a whole foods plant-based meal planner that was customizable. One size does not fit all when it comes to meal plans and as more and more people are turning to a plant-based diet to improve their health, there needed to be something that could adjust to each person's needs. It was a combination of wanting to help people to feel their best and knowing that there was a need for this tool to help them get there that sparked a fire in me to start my business.

Thanks to Rachel Lessenden, Health My Lifestyle !

#5- Three reasons

Firstly, I have always been a rule-breaking rebel who despises being told what to do, being micromanaged or being held back despite my experience and skills, which happened to me alot when working for someone (both corporate and freelance ). My second reason is that I was working a day job in event marketing while pursuing a career in entertainment, so when covid lockdown hit, all my income streams disappeared in the same week. This encouraged me to no longer rely on outside sources for my financial stability. Lastly, I feel that traditional jobs are too restricting and that you can get stuck in earning a mediocre amount year after year. The lifestyle I dream of can't cut it on $40,000 a year. However with your own business, there is no cap to how much you can earn and additionally working towards a higher financial ceiling is far more exciting and fun!

Thanks to Julie Ann Dokowicz, Girl In Heels Travels !

#6- Being a restaurant owner and seeing generational changes

I myself being a restaurant owner saw a generational change in the way people were planning and purchasing their meals. Meal planning is a skill, one that is probably most seriously honed when children come along, so there was this huge market out there of 20’s and 30’s childless singles/couples who were attracted to the notion of outsourcing their meals. This generation is also very food and nutritionally savvy, so any offer had to tick boxes in terms of food style and nutrition. For too long we saw people turn to healthy aged packed meals because they were convenient. So we decided to start a meal delivery service with a few key differences. Our meals are made with locally sourced ingredients, they are handcrafted by real-life chefs in Melbourne and they are made with whole foods which are GOOD for you.

Thanks to Michelle Sievwright, Chefgood !

#7- Save people money

We created USA Rx to market a free product to save people money on their medication. This is one of the most critical items that people need in their life. You'd think this would be the easiest marketing job ever, but trust me it is not. There are many hurdles to jump through to get a customer to use our coupons for their prescriptions. But once they finally have enough trust in us, and use it the first time and save significant money (all for free), then they are hooked and we have a customer for life. We are very much looking forward to getting our savings to $100+ million in the next couple of years. That will be a milestone in marketing to remember.

Thanks to Chris Riley,  USA Rx !

#8- I owed it to myself

After ten years climbing the corporate ladder one cubicle at a time, the days became predictable, slow, and a grind to get through. I knew I wanted something more. So, I jumped ship. Another five years bouncing between startups and I still felt like I was just coasting. I needed a bigger challenge. Taking the plunge into the entrepreneurship deep end was the answer. I didn’t want to look back at my life and feel like I wasted chunks of it playing it safe. Win, lose, or draw, at least I can say I tried. About a year strapped to this rollercoaster and I managed to have my best month yet. Best of all, I don’t have any regrets!

Thanks to Coleman Dash, Rudemuzik !

#9- Desire to go global

I wanted to be the first Indian beauty/wellness brand to go truly global. India has been known for 1000's of years for health and beauty routines/ideas like Ayurveda/Yoga, which have derived inspiration from Nature. I felt that we should be the brand to share this wealth of knowledge from India to the world.

Thanks to Ashwin Sokke, WOW Skin Science !

#10- Make more of my legacy and control my future

My dad was one of the inventors of the 2-D Hologram. I saw him take a traditional paper business and turn it into a patented Holography company. They did Pokemon cards, Sports cards, Movie boxes, wrapping paper, the list goes on. He eventually sold that company before he passed away from cancer at 34 years old. That inspired me my entire life to make more of my legacy and control my own future. The best way to do that was through entrepreneurship. I started near the end of college with almost no money, and kept reinvesting profits that I made into learning, testing, and growing new projects. Now, we have a well-calculated formula for launching businesses that are 100% bootstrapped with a very small amount of initial capital.

Thanks to Brandon Monaghan, Miracle Brand !

#11- After being laid off from my corporate job

I went from a 9-5 to working different gig economy apps every day. While applying for new jobs, I realized that part of me did not want to go back to a 9-5. While the gig economy didn’t feel like it promised a future, it gave me the flexibility of schedule to start pursuing entrepreneurship. I noticed that the gig economy itself had a lot of room to grow. So I started a gig economy job site, with a focus on transparency of pay estimates and user reviews. We are now in over 300 US cities and we are beginning to expand to Canada. We get about 40,000 monthly visitors searching for jobs. It’s just the beginning, we’ll be releasing our app to provide powerful data driven insights to independent contractors in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks to Jonathan Whitney, GigSharks !

#12- Add the positive experience of social responsibility

My partners and I founded Reel Paper with the goal of adding the positive experience of social responsibility to the simple e-comm purchase of a household staple: toilet paper. The approach is simple: each roll of Reel that is purchased helps fund access to clean toilets for those in need. I grew up in Nigeria, and have seen up close the health and safety concerns posed by communities lacking clean toilets and running water. At some point in my life and career, I knew I wanted to address the pressing social and health issues this presents. And in 2019, after some early success marketing direct-to-consumer brands, I decided to do something about the toilet shortage crisis. I co-founded reel paper, which produces bamboo toilet tissue emphasizing environmental and social responsibility. Reel is part of an emerging movement of socially responsible brands redefining under-innovated categories of household staples, and we’re very proud of that.

Thanks to Derin Oyekan, Reel Paper !

#13- Provide general information

Throughout my career as a beauty editor, I noticed there was a gap in the marketplace for quality spa content. There were numerous trade publications that were geared towards companies and spa owners, but there wasn't much out there for consumers who wanted general information about spas they could visit. Another editor and I got together, and utilizing our industry connections and background in publishing, launched our own digital publication. We've built a comprehensive digital platform that organizes spas by location and features detailed spa profiles, which we have put together as a result of research and countless interviews with spa directors and owners around the world. Our goal is to demystify spas, make them more accessible, and encourage everyone to practice self-care.

Thanks to Kamala Kirk, Spa & Beauty Today !

#14- To support animal rescues and shelters

Millions of adoptable animals are euthanized across the country each year. Shelters and rescues aim to reduce those numbers but need financial support in order to be able to do so. I found myself thinking, What better way to help animals who need homes than to utilize funds spent on animals who already have homes? This question led to the launch of Sitting for a Cause.

Thanks to Ashley Jacobs, Sitting for a Cause !

#15- Out of personal frustration

I graduated college during the 2008 financial crisis and took a career ‘gap year’ to head to South Korea and teach English.  While looking for information and jobs, I was met with terrible websites that were either broken, outdated, or unresponsive.  When I returned from Korea, I dedicated my spare time to building something better and since then it’s grown from a blog designed to help new teachers navigate the process of teaching abroad to a full-blown recruiting service that helps place candidates in vetted jobs.

Thanks to Quincy Smith, ESL Authority !

#16- To fire myself

I started my business because I felt it was time to fire myself to create an environment of learning, training and celebration of people. I had given all I could and it wasn’t enough. As a sales professional, I thought it was time to sell myself and fill the gaps of preparing college students for the workforce by educating them and their support teams on opportunities as a sales professional.

Thanks to Anika Jackson

#17- Wanted to be free

I started my own practice, City Facial Plastics, because I wanted to be free of the corporate machine that is modern medicine and healthcare in the United States. The doctor-patient relationship has been eroded as more attention is paid to record-keeping and documentation than to patient care. In my practice, I can better control the patient experience and provide personalized care. I spend as much time as necessary with all patients without the pressure of meeting a quota. As a facial plastic surgeon, I have tailored my practice to include niche, super-specialized procedures that I might not have otherwise been able to do, such as a lip lift surgery and eyebrow transplantation.

Thanks to Dr. Gary Linkov, City Facial Plastics !

#18- Spread awareness

I started my busines because I wanted to help spread awarenes to people. I wanted people to be able to unleash their inner potential, and to improve the talents and skills they currently have. I believe that there is room for growth in each and everyone of us. All we need to do is nurture it and push ourselves to bring out our best.

Thanks to Lewis Keegan, SkillScouter.com !

#19- Save time and energy

Having come to the United States of America to learn robotics and automation, I was just another Indian living abroad. Post my Master’s, I took up a tech job and joined many others in living the American work life. The 5 years that I spent working in the US were majorly governed by 2 things: Work and Cooking. While I enjoyed cooking, doing it on a daily basis and that too the same kind of dishes seemed like a waste of time and energy to me. I found myself making the same curries on repeat throughout the week. Soon I was struggling at the thought of cooking every day after a long day at work. The redundancy of the day-to-day cooking process got me thinking of a way to automate the entire process. Consequently, in 2017, Riku was born. I decided to create a robot that could consistently cook delicious meals for anyone, effortlessly! The founding team and I have gone back and forth on many designs for Riku and I am quite happy with where we have landed. Riku is now ready to launch in the US, UK, Singapore, Australia, and Europe!

Thanks to Goutham Gandhi, Futuristic Labs !

#20- Add value to the global human community

If we believe that we all as different people can achieve different things, it means all of us have different approaches towards life. So my idea of life is to know this. Then reconcile with the fact that in order to be at my best, I am supposed to nurture my tendencies. Business is a domain where you get to showcase what you believe in. I believe in making the world a better place. With everything I have learnt over the years. My business enabled me to engage in something I am better at, make a living out of it and give back to the community. I wish to leave the world a better place than it was before I happened.

Thanks to Muhammad Antiq, Markhor !

#21- Talk about the unspoken

When I started Women’s Health Interactive, it was with the intent to address a deep need in creating a safe place where women — and men — could talk about the sometimes uncomfortable side of life without judgment. To that end, I was disappointed with the so called “women’s health” websites that were currently online. Most were simply schills for promoting vapid updates on celebrities, or quick articles with “tips” that really never got into any meaningful depth, and were designed as click-bait. In addition, most other websites tended to stay away from the “taboo” subject matter of women’s health, sexuality, reproduction, motherhood and mental health and loneliness. I realized that these were the EXACT type of topics that needed to be covered and there was a hungry audience of folks that wanted to talk about them. These people wanted to visit and interact with a community of like-minded souls that also opened up about deeply personal issues in order to learn from each other and be empowered in their own lives. That’s why I am extremely happy with what we’ve created at Women’s Health Interactive and while our content might not be for everyone, we pride ourselves on talking about the stuff nobody else will.

Thanks to Chris Fernandez, Women’s Health Interactive !

#22- Build something that was mine

I enjoy the process of completing things which are worthwhile and figured that, since I’d be spending so many of my waking hours working, that I wanted to put my energy into something which I thought could genuinely make a difference. I spent the first 15 years of my working life in large organisations as a middle manager and found that you spent as much time trying to protect your job as you did actually doing it. Being a ‘doer’ rather than playing the corporate game (sucking up to the boss, etc) I found it frustrating spending so much time being expected to constantly engage with colleagues, diplomatically getting them to do what was, frankly, their job, rather than doing any meaningful work. So, when a voluntary redundancy came up in 2011, I took it to start my own business as a consultancy putting in management systems – and I’ve never, ever regretted it.

Thanks to Russell Lawson, The Ideas Distillery !

#23- Create a solution to a misconception

I’m a member of the millennial generation who assume that if we haven't been clinically diagnosed with a mental health illness, then we don’t have mental health problems. In reality we're all burnt out, stressed, living life at a million miles per hour, and in most cases dealing with regular anxiety. I launched Journify as a tech-based solution to this misconception, but also as part of a wider movement aimed at incorporating mental wellness into our daily routines. We know to eat well, exercise and stay hydrated, but we don't do enough to protect our happiness and the health of our mind. At Journey we don't believe mental health prevention needs to be boring, clinical, or tedious. It needs to be mainstream, easy and fun.

Thanks to Lamia Pardo, Journify !

#24- Provide reliable information on oral health

I started my business in response to the lack of reliable information about the world of oral health online. There were other sites out there, but most were incomplete, had outdated information, an underlying agenda, or were just too complex to understand. I've always believed access to quality information is essential to helping people understand and improve their oral health, and so that's why Dentaly was born. We wanted to create the most reliable and easy-to-understand source of detailed information on all dental topics affecting both children and adults. Free access to that information is now more critical than ever, as people have been missing their routine dental appointments because of the pandemic.

Thanks to Max Harland, Dentaly !

#25- Through marriage

In 2013, I started dating a guy who started a marketing agency around the same time. I watched him successfully grow that business while starting various other ventures. Like many business owners, he had his ups and downs. Ironically, it wasn’t until things were at its worst that I wanted in. As with any relationship, you never want to see your partner go through tough times alone and that’s when I began my journey as an entrepreneur. I was determined to be the best business partner he's ever had. In 2016, we founded Melt On Demand together, an on-demand massage company. Melt became a national brand in less than 2 years and was acquired by Soothe in 2018. Addicted to entrepreneurship at this point, I started my own PR agency in 2019–– PAAPR (Public Attention And Public Relations ).

Thanks to Linda Chau, PAAPR !

#26- Find fulfillment

Back in July 2019, I quit my coveted job in the financial services industry. I had worked toward the position for years; I never expected it to make me so unhappy. I wanted to work with clients and impact their financial futures. What I ended up doing was answering phone calls, encouraged to close as many cases as possible rather than actually help the person on the other end. On top of feeling unfulfilled, my schedule was extremely micromanaged to the point of my bathroom breaks being tracked. I was taken into a room and berated multiple times for not being on a call every second of every workday. When I made the switch to an entrepreneur, I set out to do fulfilling work that meaningfully impacts businesses. I now make my own schedule, answer to myself, and most importantly, making a living from work that I love.

Thanks to Sam Hawrylack, How To FIRE !

#27- For money

It was a lifestyle decision. I had an enviable career, which I loved, but it was very taxing on my time and attention, and it pretty much dictated downtown living. When my newborn daughter came along, I wanted to raise her in the country and I wanted to spend time with her. So I ditched the career, moved out to the country and went freelance . When there was more work than I wanted to handle myself, I scaled up by incorporating and building a team.

Thanks to David Leonhardt, THGM Writers !

#28- Two reasons

I started my own business because it allowed me to make a living out of something that I love and truly passionate about, which is interior design. When I was working 9 to 5, I'm not truly happy even if I'm being compensated well. It's as if something is still missing, and it seems like I'm just going with the flow every day. And that's when I decided to turn my talent into a business. Now, I feel satisfied with my work. I also enjoy every waking minute, even when there are challenges or difficult clients at times.

Thanks to Kate Diaz, Swanky Den !

#29- Offer a comprehensive education solution

I've always been passionate about education and helping people achieve their goals. Growing up, I met several people who struggled to wrap their heads around concepts or find the resources they needed. I began tutoring in college and encountered many more students and families struggling to find the answers and resources they needed, so I began my company to offer a more comprehensive solution. In addition to tutoring for the times when they may need more hands-on help, I made it a part of my company's mission to create and aggregate resources for students. I want to make it easier for them to find the help they need and achieve the goals they set for themselves.

Thanks to Ralston Medouze, Strive Academics !

#30- Make expats' dream of life abroad a reality

From my personal experience in moving abroad, I realized that many other expats experienced the same challenges. We aren’t given clear guidance on what to do, when to do it, and the step-by-step process. And because there was a language barrier, it was even more challenging. By understanding the underlying challenges many self-sponsored expats experience, like us, I started looking into solving that problem. That’s how the idea for Avvinue was born. We all deserve to live the life we dream of; and sometimes it’s not in your home country. Some of us are seeking something more, something beyond… and that’s why I am passionate about helping others find a way to make their dream of life abroad a reality.

Thanks to Nicole Caba, Avvinue !

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Self-Care, Mental Wellness, & Self-Improvement

in Goals , Mindset , Self-Care , Self-Improvement · March 8, 2022

How to Start Your Wellness Journey in 5 Easy Steps

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When first exploring how to start your wellness journey, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with differing advice and contrasting opinions. It doesn’t have to be so complicated!

Here are 5 steps to starting your own personal wellness journey – along with additional tips, tricks, essentials, resources, and reminders!

What is a Wellness Journey?

To start a wellness journey, it’s important to have a clear idea of what a wellness journey is and what it looks like for you.

As a whole, wellness can be defined as “ the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health “.

With that, a wellness journey can be used to describe the act of pursuing and developing habits, routines, and lifestyle choices that better your health.

The term “health” here can refer to many different areas: mental, physical, emotional, etc. We have different areas of life that are all incredibly important for our overall health.

Because of this wide range, a wellness journey is going to be slightly different for everybody.

For example, say you feel that your financial/career health is strong, but would like to focus more on mental health. This would mean that your wellness journey would be directed towards mental health habits/activities.

Everyone’s wellness journey will look different.

Even more so, your own wellness journey will likely shift over time.

Your goals and intentions may shift over time from when you first start this wellness journey.

With all of that said, at its core a wellness journey is simple.

A wellness journey is about pursuing health – inside and out.

A healthy, happy, and well-balanced life is the ultimate goal of starting a wellness journey.

Here’s how we can achieve that…

5 Steps to Start Your Wellness Journey

1. identify where you are.

Do you already have wellness habits in place? What things are you already doing that make you feel good?

On the other hand, do you have habits that you know are making you feel unwell ? When you start a wellness journey, what do you think will have to change?

By being really honest with yourself and answering some of the questions above, you can get a really good idea of where you’re at right now. This is important for determining where you need to go.

When starting a wellness journey (or any new journey), it’s always a good idea to take a quick look at where you are starting from.

Chances are good you have some habits that actually don’t need to change! (Look at you!!)

For example, maybe you’re already really good about drinking your water or you have great self-care habits.

This is awesome!

With this information, you can better identify and pinpoint the places that DO need to change. Then, you can proceed with setting some goals for how you want to start your wellness journey.

2. Set Goals for Your Wellness Journey

Wellness goals can look very different depending on the person. We most often hear the term wellness in relation to physical health (drinking water, eating nutritious foods, etc.)… but wellness goes way beyond the physical body!

I highly recommend looking at each of the 7 areas of life and taking a deep dive into how each area looks for you.

Maybe your social/relational wellness needs some work… or maybe you notice that you feel unwell in your career. This is all super valuable information when setting wellness goals.

From here, you can set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) for your wellness journey.

Goal Ideas for Your Wellness Journey:

• Drink ‘X’ oz water/day
• Get outside daily
• No more than ‘X’ amount of time on social media everyday
• Attend one social even each week
• Journal every morning
• Meditate daily
• Unfollow negative accounts online

RELATED POST: 10 Tips to Make Instagram More Positive

• Get 8+ hours of sleep/night
• Develop a skincare routine
• Develop a morning/night routine
• Make time for at least 5 minutes of self-care every day
• Focus on more foods that feel good to eat
• No work after (set specific time)

3. Develop Daily Wellness Habits

Habits – what you do consistently on an everyday basis – is where you are going to want to focus when you start a wellness journey. The day-to-day behaviors and habits are what make up your life. Shifting habits is what will cause great, lasting change.

Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformations. james clear, atomic habits

These habit changes don’t need to be extravagant or overwhelming. In fact, too many big changes may set you up for burnout. (We don’t want that!!)

Instead, improving your small everyday habits on a consistent basis is the best way to achieve long-term success .

Habits to Consider on Your Wellness Journey:

• Water intake
• Daily movement
• Nutrient intake
• Social media consumptionn
• Social life/behaviors
• Money habits
• Making your bed
• Opening your blinds
• Night routine habits
• Organization habits
• Self-care habits

These are just a few of the MANY wellness habits you can focus on. Again, this will be entirely personal and individual.

Once you know where you’re at (wellness journey step 1) and have goals set (wellness journey step 2), you can really hone in on what habits are going to bring you closer to the life of wellness that you desire.

4. Keep Track of Your Wellness Journey

When we start a wellness journey, it’s very easy to lose sight of our progress and how far we’ve come. Tracking your progress along the way can help you stay motivated and appreciate how far you’ve come.

I highly recommend journaling on your wellness journey and using a habit tracker.

Habit trackers are a great tool for a wellness journey. I personally keep my habit tracker out on my desk with my planner. It’s a constant reminder of the habits I am working to adopt. Plus, it allows me to look back at the end of the week/month and see the progress I’ve made.

No matter how you choose to track your progress (with a habit tracker , in your planner , in an empty notebook , etc.), it’s incredibly valuable to keep track of your wellness journey.

Stay motivated, on track, and aware of your progress.

5. Be Flexible

Give yourself grace and be flexible when you start a wellness journey.

Adopting new habits and changing your lifestyle is no small task. In fact, it takes a ton of work and dedication. (You can do it though!)

This means that it’s super important to be kind to yourself through the process. Sticking to a routine and being dedicated is great… but don’t allow it to consume you and take a negative toll on your life. That defeats the whole purpose of your wellness journey!

Give yourself grace and leave room for mistakes. Be flexible and adaptable.

Life happens. I’m can almost guarantee that you will “mess up” on your wellness journey (probably many times!). This does not mean failure. You’re human.

To be honest, even an established wellness lifestyle is not structured and routine 24/7. I t’s all about balance. Some days may be filled with more “wellness habits” than others.

That’s the whole point of wellness… to be able to live a life of happiness, spontaneity, and adventure. A rigid and strict lifestyle is not a wellness lifestyle.

With all that, don’t be too hard on yourself. Treat yourself with kindness, compassion, and self-care always.

Top Wellness Journey Essentials

When starting a wellness journey, having the right tools and resources to help you is essential. Whether it be a good Podcast, an inspiring book, or a reflective journal, having the proper wellness journey essentials will be crucial for guiding you through the process.

Best Podcasts for Your Wellness Journey

Wellness podcasts are one of the most essential tools on my own wellness journey. Every time I go for a walk (nearly daily!), I thoughtfully choose a podcast that will inspire, motivate, encourage, or teach.

Listening to wellness podcasts is one of the simplest ways to incorporate wellness into your everyday life.

They are convenient and easy. Pop in an earbud while you walk, turn them on in the car, or play them out loud while you clean your house.

Here are some of my favorites.

Mental Wellness Podcasts

These podcasts focus on self-care, motivation, self-improvement, inspiration, routine, healthy habits, and overall mental wellness.

• The Happiness Lab with Laurie Santos
• Mood with Lauren Elizabeth
• SHE with Jordan Lee Dooley
• Manifest with Tori DeSimone
• We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle (My #1!!)
• Not Your Typical with Katelynn Nolan
• The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast

Physical Wellness Podcasts

While some of the above podcasts touch on physical wellness, these podcasts are specifically about physical wellness – food, exercise, nutrition, etc. Don’t worry – these podcasts all take an anti-diet approach to health. You’re safe here!

• DEATS with Deanna
• Find Food Freedom with Sam Previte
• What the Actual Fork? with Sam Previte and Jenna Werner
• Take the Cake with Kate Noel
• The Dear Body Podcast with Jessi Jean
• The Socieaty Podcast with Colleen Christensen

All of these podcasts have been a part of my own health, healing, happiness, and wellness journey. What podcasts do you love? Leave me a comment below!

Best Books for Your Wellness Journey

The first thing I did to start my wellness journey was investing in some wellness books. Whether it be about self-discovery, self-improvement, mindset, etc., these books are my absolute favorites for a journey to wellness.

These are the top 10 books I’d recommend to anyone looking to start a wellness journey.

1. Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Untamed is my #1 favorite book for anything related to personal growth. I cannot say enough about this book or Glennon Doyle. She’s an incredible author and exceptional human being. I just got her Untamed journal to go with the book and I’m excited to work through it.

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits is probably the #1 book I’d recommend for starting a wellness journey specifically. Since habits play such a huge role in this venture, it’s important you know how to work to change your bad habits and develop positive habits . I used my 50% off my first book on AudiobooksNow and I am so glad I did. This book is a life-changer.

3. Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

Intuitive Eating was a game-changer for me. After recovering from years of disordered eating and dieting, the concept of Intuitive Eating changed my life. Learning about true intuitive eating (it’s not just “eat whatever whenever”) is essential for starting a wellness journey, especially if you don’t already have a good relationship with food. I recommend this book to everyone!

4. Unf*ck Yourself by Gary Bishop

Uf*ck Yourself is a super popular and well-loved book – for good reason! Gary Bishop has gone on to write multiple more books of a similar fashion. However, I can only speak to Unf*ck Yourself… and it is good! It’s all about getting out of your own way in order to build the life you want for yourself.

5. Mark Manson Books

I couldn’t choose between Manson’s two most popular books, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything Is F*cked . Both of these books are a great mix of humor and humility, teaching you how to let go of things that don’t serve you and the art of caring less.

6. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements is a must-read for anyone looking to release self-limiting beliefs and overcome mindsets that hold them back. To be honest, all of Don Miguel Ruiz’s books are gold in my eyes. Toltec wisdom is something that I love and reading his books has been life-changing for me. ( The Mastery of Love is my #1 favorite!)

7. Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King

Anyone that’s read my blog before knows that I am ALL about self-love. I believe that loving yourself is an essential part of a happy, fulfilling life. Good Vibes, Good Life is about practicing and cultivating self-love to transform your life for the better. King does a great job of sharing his personal story in a way that inspires others. Love this book!

8. The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

The Untethered Soul is a classic book about mental wellness and inner work. This book is all about how to free yourself from the constraints that hold you back from your highest potential. Whether it be self-limiting beliefs or external restraints, The Untethered Soul is a guide to freedom from all things that hold you back.

9. Anti Diet by Christy Harrison

As someone very against diet culture and the effects it has, Anti Diet is a book that I love and respect. So many of us (myself included) have been caught up in the hold of diet culture, wasting time, money, energy, health, and happiness. If you are wanting to start a wellness journey, learning about why diets don’t work and why you should be anti-diet can be very helpful. Don’t lose yourself in diet culture!

10. Stop Overthinking by Nick Trenton

Overthinking is something that holds so many of us back. As a chronic overthinker myself, this book was eye-opening to just how much overthinking limits my happiness in everyday life. Stop Overthinking is intended to call out negative thought patterns, recognize how they negatively impact your life and help guide you forward into a life free of overthinking.

(This is the most recent wellness book I’ve read and I loved it!)

Best Journals for Your Wellness Journey

Podcasts, books, and journals – the wellness journey starter pack. 😉 In addition to the podcasts and books above, journals were a key tool when starting my own wellness journey.

Here are 5 of my favorite wellness journals.

1. The 5 Minute Journal

You’ve probably seen The 5 Minute Journal on TikTok or Instagram. It’s incredibly popular – and for good reason! Not only is it super aesthetically pleasing, but it’s simple, to the point, and effective for starting a wellness journey.

I actually just finished all the pages in my 5-minute journal last week… I’m going to order a new one. Using this journal has become one of my favorite parts of my morning routine. I love it.

2. Morning/Evening Affirmation Journal

By incorporating positive affirmations into my life, I’ve been able to shift my mindset and boost self-confidence. By no means do I believe positive affirmations are a magical fix, but I do think they’re a great tool!

Get FREE Positive Affirmation Cards HERE !

3. 3-Minute Positivity Journal

The 3-minute positivity journal focuses on improving 5 main areas of your life:

This journal is 60 days long and all it takes is 3 minutes in the morning and night. While this journal alone didn’t make me a positive person, the routine bursts of positivity definitely benefitted me and my mental wellness.

For the price, I’d definitely recommend giving this journal a shot!

4. 5-Minute Self-Care Journal

Having a guided journal dedicated to self-care can be really helpful for staying committed to your wellness journey. This journal includes prompts related to positive affirmation, self-care activities, goals, and more. It is affordable, simple, quick, and effective. I can’t complain!

5. My Self-Care Journal Bundle

After years of my own wellness journey, I decided to create a bundle of pages that includes all of my favorite self-care, health, and wellness resources. I made this bundle in hopes that I could help others pursue a life of happiness and wellness too.

This bundle is over 35 pages of guided wellness prompts and worksheets.

Once you purchase it, you have unlimited access to the PDF file of all the pages. That means you can print out as many copies as you want.

I am in love with this resource and I hope you love it too!

5 Important Reminders for Your Wellnenss Journey

Now that you know the best tips, steps, and essentials for starting a wellness journey, you’re almost ready to get started on your own journey. Along the way, it’s important to keep these 5 things in mind.

1. Your Wellness Journey is Unique

Comparison is the thief of joy. Comparing your journey to someone else’s will not serve you in any way.

There are lots of pictures and videos online from others sharing their own wellness journey (for example, the TikTok “That Girl” trend ). These videos can be inspiring, motivating, or fun to watch, but comparison can creep up quickly.

Your journey won’t look like theirs – and it shouldn’t!

Don’t compare yourselves to those around you or the people you see online. Your life is unique, your goals are unique, your wellness journey is unique. Stay true to yourself. It’s okay if that looks a bit different than what’s trending online.

2. Have a Strong ‘Why’

When you start a wellness journey, motivation is often high and it’s normal to feel the desire to give it your ALL. This is great!

But, if we’re honest, this motivation will dwindle over time. Motivation is great for getting started, but having a really strong “why” is what will keep you going.

Ask yourself: why do you want to start a wellness journey?

What will this add to your life? What are you hoping to achieve?

Having a clear reason for pursuing wellness will carry you through any waning in motivation or energy. A “why” gives your purpose – it’s important to have a strong one.

3. Consistency Over Perfection

Your wellness habits are not going to be 100% “perfect” 100% of the time. This just isn’t realistic and, honestly, is no way to live.

Perfectionism can be detrimental to your wellness journey.

In any circumstance, perfectionism can leave you feeling defeated. Drop the unrealistic expectations of perfection. Free yourself from those pressures.

Instead, focus on consistency.

Are you living your life in a way that overall aligns with your goals? If so, you’re doing great. Keep at it.

4. Give Yourself Grace

Again, perfection is an unrealistic expectation. Expecting perfection of yourself (in any area of life) is likely going to do more harm than good.

Instead, practice giving yourself grace. Be kind to yourself. Grant yourself permission to be human.

Ironically, dropping the perfectionism around starting a wellness journey is one of the best decisions you can make for your wellness journey. Take the pressure off and allow yourself space to learn and grow.

Unnecessary added pressure will only add stress to your life and hinder your wellness journey. Be flexible, be kind, and give yourself grace.

5. Mental Health First

Mental health is the priority – always . Without our mental health, our wellness journey will never be successful. Our mental health is at the root of everything we do.

Be sure to take care of yourself when you start a wellness journey. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in developing new wellness habits that we feel overwhelmed and stressed by the change.

If this is happening, remind yourself that mental health is the #1 priority.

Changing habits, developing routines, and starting a wellness journey are all intended to improve your mental health. If, at any point, it is doing the opposite, you should readjust.

Practice lots of self-care. Whether it be a 5-minute self-care activity or a full day of self-care , make it a priority to show yourself love and kindness at all times.

RELATED POST: 6 Types of Self-Care + Ideas for Each Type

Be kind to your mind, be gentle with your soul, and prioritize mental wellness above all else.

How will you start your wellness journey?

Now that you have all the tools, tips, and tricks for starting a wellness journey, where will you begin?

What wellness goals do you have? Which wellness journey essential will you explore first? What wellness habits do you hope to pick up?

Let me know in the comments! I love to chat about all things wellness!

Take care of yourself,

Hi! I’m Delaney (but you can call me Del)! Welcome to Authentically Del where we discuss all things self-care, productivity, self-improvement, mindset, and more. I'm here to offer authentic tips and advice in hopes that I can help make your life a bit brighter! More About Me...

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April 27, 2023 at 10:46 pm

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A Mindful Guide To Spirituality For Beginners + 15 Steps For Beginning A Spiritual Journey

Maybe you’re looking to understand your purpose in this life, or you’re experiencing an existential crisis . 

Or perhaps you’re starting to examine the belief system you grew up with. Whichever the case, you’re contemplating a spiritual journey .

But where and how should you start?

To help you figure it out, we’ve created this beginner’s guide to spirituality.  

Below, we’ll unpack definitions, look at different spirituality types , review the process, and briefly discuss the available practice paths.

What Is Spirituality?

What is a spiritual journey, mystical spirituality, authoritarian spirituality, intellectual spirituality, service spirituality, social spirituality, they lack patience, they engage in enlightenment arrogance, they search for external answers, they crave external validation, they confuse spirituality and material goal-setting, the benefits of learning how to be spiritual, 1. declutter your spaces, 2. take stock of your current belief system, 3. develop a self-care routine, 4. read up on the possibilities, 5. decide whether you will share your plans, 6. reconnect with nature, 7. learn to be kind to yourself, 8. choose the path you want to try, 9. keep an open mind, 10. give everything you try a chance, 11. be on the lookout for scammers, 12. keep a record of your progress, 13. try rituals, 14. allow yourself to believe, 15. read, learn and absorb, path of knowledge, path of devotion, path of meditation, path of service, path of energy.

What are the basics of spirituality ? In some ways, it’s an impossible question to answer because spirituality means different things to different people. 

For some, it’s a religious pursuit. For others, it’s an individual exploration of spirituality.

The director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, Christina Puchalski, MD, contends that “spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred.”

Generally speaking, most forms of spirituality:

• Invite practitioners to connect with a higher power or source
• Encourage a transcendental end-goal through belief or energetic experiences
• Involve the search for greater meaning or feeling
• Feature a relationship between the practitioner and a divine force

What Are The 3 Elements of Spirituality? 

Back in the day, the three pillars of spirituality were truth, goodness, and religiosity. People’s definitions, narratives, and rituals differed, but nearly everyone saw spirituality as a religious undertaking.

But things are different these days. Sociologically speaking, spirituality is no longer tethered to a theological framework. And while religion colors many people’s spiritual pursuits, growing numbers are severing that tie.

As contradictory as it may sound, it’s not uncommon to meet deeply spiritual atheists — which begs the question: What are the three new elements of spirituality in an increasingly secular world? We’d argue they’re connection, love, and faith.

Most people pursuing spiritual journeys want to feel deeper connections with themselves, others, and the Universe. For some, the bond is cosmic and otherworldly; for others, it’s about communing with nature, neighbors, and the galaxy’s physical realities.

It’s been said that love makes the world go round, and we’d agree. When people love instead of hate, offer grace instead of judgment, and collaborate instead of competing, everything — (and by extension everyone) — is better.  

Faith has myriad definitions and is expressed in disparate ways. For some, it’s a religious undertaking. For others, faith is linked to personal development and fostering humble confidence. 

Have you been wondering how to start a spiritual journey?

One of the most important things to understand is that going through one can take physical and emotional effort since most of us cruise through life on autopilot.

The energetic shift required to change spiritual gears can be more intense than people imagine.

But it’s well worth the endeavor. Navigating a spiritual journey can help us become comfortable with ourselves and live more meaningful, joyful, fulfilling lives.

With courage, forgiveness, and honesty, we can examine our true natures and develop greater capacities for love and compassion.

People who successfully go through a spiritual transformation tend to be more content, calmer, and self-confident.

What Are the Types of Spirituality?

There are several types of spirituality. Some folks pursue all of them; others pick one or two to master.

The choice is yours and may depend on a “soul contract” you signed before diving into this life.

Mystical spirituality focuses on cosmic and intuitive aspects of existence. People who subscribe to these types of esoteric belief systems have faith in a force more powerful than what we can see and touch.

They also believe in a universal unity that transcends the physical world.

Practitioners of mystical spirituality may say things like “everything happens for a reason” and “there’s a cosmic explanation behind everything.”

Authoritarian spirituality involves devotion to a hierarchical structure in the heavens and Earth. Fundamentalist commitment to a religion or belief system is the most common type of Authoritarian spirituality.

Sometimes, this type of journey can safely allow individuals to immerse themselves in their chosen faith, like monks living in ashrams and temples. Unfortunately, it can take a more violent, destructive turn, as is the case with some sects of fundamentalist cults and religious movements.

People who travel down the authoritarian spiritual path may believe that their belief system is the only right way.

Intellectual spirituality is rooted in the notion that knowledge is power.

People who choose this path enjoy reading about and discussing theories. They find their way to the unknown through learning.

All spiritual disciplines have an intellectual sect or path to enlightenment, and many people drawn to intellectual spirituality combine it with service, devotion, or mystical ritualism.

Service spirituality involves attending to others’ needs. Mastery of the craft comes when an individual genuinely helps others without expecting anything, not even a “thank you.”

It can be a tricky path because many folks don’t recognize that they serve performatively. They feast on the praise showered on them for being “good people.” However, healing through service can only happen in a pure state of generosity without a need or thought of recognition or reward.

Some people are introverted, and others are extroverted. Folks who fall under the former umbrella may appreciate individualized spiritual journeys, whereas those in the latter may seek out socially spiritual events — like group retreats.

If you pick this path, think long and hard about your relationship with dependency. Are you choosing to seek communal salvation because of fear or a genuine desire to live selflessly among others?

Common Mistakes on The Spiritual Journey for Beginners 

Ethereal journeys can be exciting and fulfilling — but nobody ever said they’re easy, especially in the beginning. Finding one’s spiritual sea legs can be a bumpy ride! 

With that in mind, let’s unpack a handful of mistakes many people make at the start of their spiritual awakening.

Have you ever tried spirituality for a week (or ten) and gave up when miracles didn’t immediately rain down in your lap? Please don’t feel bad; you’re not alone; it always happens. In fact, it’s more common than successfully establishing a mindfulness or spirituality routine.

Remember that devotional work — (both religious and secular) — isn’t a magic bolt that instantaneously ushers “the dream” into your conscious realm. Heck, monks practicing for decades have yet to experience bliss, much less enlightenment.

In other words, it takes time. Lots and lots…and lots of time. So cultivating patience early in your journey is wise.

The benefits of mindfulness (spirituality’s backbone) can sometimes lead to judgment. Bluntly stated, “baby spiritualists” can be “all ego and no insight.”

Many also approach the journey myopically and think: Well, if X worked for me, it can work for anyone. Then, when people fall short of expectations, newly minted “gurus” attribute their failure to some moral failing rooted in laziness and victimhood. 

But each life carves a distinctive path in the sands of time and space, and what’s good for the goose isn’t necessarily suitable or feasible for the gander.

It’s also a bad idea to cut people out of your life because they aren’t on the same exact track as you. Like stars, lives have singular trajectories — and judging another’s is rarely an excellent karmic idea. 

Bottom line: When it comes to spirituality, worry about yourself — and only yourself.

Spiritual newbies love to search for answers outside of themselves. Sure, the Universe throws people proverbial bones in the form of “signs” every so often, but the work of spirituality is internal. 

Forming a conscious bond with the world around you is about learning to recognize your divine spark.   

As discussed, novices frequently search for external answers. They also crave external validation, which defeats the purpose of a soulful journey. 

Ultimately, it’s best to avoid spiritual competition at all costs. Your quest for meaning, connection, and purpose should never be a status contest.

Another common mistake is conflating personal and professional goal-setting with spirituality. Goal-setting is about what you want your life to look like, materially and professionally. Spirituality is about how you want to feel, see, and experience the world. 

Please don’t read us wrong. Goal-setting and spirituality can work in tandem, but they’re different. The former requires external effort and feedback; the latter is an internal process.

Embarking on a spiritual journey for beginners can be disorienting at the start.

Think of it as if you’re a 16th-century explorer. When you leave port, you’re anxious, detached from what you know, nervous, and unsure of what awaits you. 

You’re out to sea for a long time. Then, one day, you discover a new land; you’re elated and rewarded handsomely. In most ways, a spiritual journey follows that same arc.

A spiritual journey has many potential benefits, including:

• Experiencing a cosmic-level of love and respect for all living people, animals, and plants, instead of only feeling connected with folks and things with which you’re most familiar and comfortable
• Moving through experiences with faith, optimism, and joy
• Being aware of life’s divine nature
• Getting to know and love yourself unconditionally, even when you mess up
• Being able to see magic in the ordinary
• Being aware of the divine grace that helps fuel your life
• Coping better with stress, anxiety, and depression
• Restoring a sense of hope and optimism about life

Spirituality for Beginners: 15 Steps for Starting Your Spiritual Journey

Some peoples’ spiritual paths are clear from an early age. The rest of us usually need to put in a little effort to find the road that most resonates with our eternal beings. In some ways, it’s a trial and error process.

However, there are things you can do to prepare and make the journey easier.

The Universe is, at its most basic level, a web of interconnected energy. Living and working in clean, uncluttered places attract healthy, positive vibes and wavelengths to your space and aura.

It’s beneficial to know where you’ve been to figure out where you’re going,

When embarking on a spiritual journey, take stock of the belief system you grew up with or currently subscribe to. Does it serve you? Is it comfortable? Do you practice it because that’s all you’ve ever known, or does it genuinely resonate with you?

A significant part of spiritual journeys is getting to know yourself. Getting it right takes self-compassion , honesty, and self-forgiveness — which isn’t always easy.

As such, you must care for yourself, and developing a self-care routine is wise during this period of your life. Moreover, we can control habits, which adds a bit of stress-lessening stability to a sometimes rocky time.

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Before you pick a path, read up on the possibilities. Think about your motivations and what you want to get out of the experience.

Don’t forget to consider the logistics of your life. Try not to pick something that doesn’t fit into your lifestyle. Sure, it’s fine to make some changes — like adding meditation and journaling.

But if you have a nine-to-five job, it’s not practical to pick a path that requires you to live in an ashram for 24 months straight.

You get to captain your spiritual journey and decide who gets to know. If it’s something you want to share with the world, post about it on social media. Start a blog about your journey.

And if you want it to be a personal experience between you and the higher forces, keep it 100% to yourself.

Nature plays a big role in spiritual journeys. After all, it’s the Earthly manifestation of otherworldly forces. Connecting with nature is akin to bonding with universal energy, and it helps during a spiritual transformation.

Spiritual journeys aren’t smooth sailing at all times. The waters can get rough, and you must learn to be kind to yourself to get through it.

Instead of listening to the negative voice in your head, give attention to the positive one. Learn to forgive yourself; understand that everyone messes up, including you — and that’s OK.

Once you’ve adjusted your mental facilities, done some research, and prepped your space for the journey, it’s time to pick a path you want to try.

Don’t worry about not picking right the first time. It happens to loads of people. Remember that this is a time of exploration and discovery, so feel free to try on different things till you find something that fits your soul.

Skepticism is bound to drop by for a visit during your spiritual journey. Do your best to keep an open mind. Some things you try may feel silly and improbable. But give it a shot anyway. Hey, you never know.

Giving everything a chance is another important aspect of a spiritual journey. You probably won’t get much out of the experience if you go through the motions half-heartedly.

So allow yourself to believe in magic and mysticism for a bit. Who knows, maybe there is a scientific explanation for why certain “spiritual” things work, and we just don’t understand it from a practical standpoint yet.

The spiritual market is filled with many aspiring cult leaders, grifters, and various types of scam artists. They prey on peoples’ vulnerabilities, and they’re usually skilled at leaching money from marks. So be careful about the orbits you inhabit.

Having a record of your journey is educational and fun. Think how satisfying it will be to go back a year or two from now and read how far you’ve come.

Rituals are a fun way to enhance the spiritual journey. Plus, they put you in the right frame. If you use candles, however, make sure to be safe.

One of the biggest hurdles some people face on their path to higher consciousness is that they refuse to believe.

But it’s a catch-22 because to perceive extra-sensory forces, you must believe in them. So try to put doubts aside and give yourself to the unknown for the time being.

Journeys can take decades. Heck, some people argue that one’s spiritual journey is never over as there’s always more to experience and learn.

Keeping up a reading and learning habit is the best way to keep your spiritual receptors tuned and receptive.

What Are The 5 Spiritual Paths?

Many paths can teach you how to learn about spirituality. Some people stick to one; others try on several.

The knowledge path is suited for people who gain depth and insight through wisdom and gathering knowledge.

Analytical meditation, contemplation, studying, and journaling are important tools for people on this path. They frequently delve into questions about self-knowledge and the greater good.

The path of devotion is all about surrendering to something greater than yourself. The ultimate goal is to liberate the soul from its ego. Praying, chanting, and using mantras are common.

Meditation is a spiritual path in and of itself. People who go this route usually are interested in connecting with a higher power. They also value stillness and calmness.

Active selflessness defines the path of service. But it can be a tricky road, as practitioners mustn’t focus on their efforts but instead on the needs of others. People who serve for the wrong reasons can find themselves in miserable places.

The energetic path is probably the least discussed and one of the most powerful. It combines several disciplines, including meditation and knowledge. People who go down the energy path typically use rituals.

We hope you found our guide to spirituality helpful. Whatever path you choose, and no matter how long it takes, your spiritual journey will help you have a deeper understanding of yourself and the meaning of your life. 

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Lessons from Amazon’s Early Growth Strategy

If you’re interested in strategies for scaling start-ups, this episode is for you.

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So much has been written about Amazon’s outsized growth. But Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta says it’s the company’s unusual approach to strategy that has captured his scholarly attention. Gupta has spent years studying Amazon’s strategy and its founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos.

In this episode, Gupta shares how Amazon upended traditional corporate strategy by diversifying into multiple products serving many end users, instead of having a narrow focus.

He argues that some of Amazon’s simplest business strategies — like their obsession with customers and insistence on long-term thinking — are approaches that companies, big and small, can emulate.

Key episode topics include: strategy, innovation, leadership, scaling, Jeff Bezos, long-term thinking, customer focus.

HBR On Strategy curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the full HBR IdeaCast episode: How Jeff Bezos Built One of the World’s Most Valuable Companies (2020)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org .

HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Strategy , case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock new ways of doing business.

So much has been written about Amazon’s outsized growth. But Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta says it’s the company’s unusual approach to strategy that has captured his scholarly attention.

Gupta has spent years studying Amazon’s strategy and its founder and former CEO, Jeff Bezos.

In this episode, Gupta shares how Amazon upended traditional corporate strategy by diversifying into multiple products serving many end users instead of focusing more narrowly.

And he argues that some of their simplest business strategies – like their obsession with the customer and insistence on long-term thinking – are approaches that companies, big and small, should emulate.

If you’re interested in innovation strategy, this episode is for you. It originally aired on HBR IdeaCast in November 2020. Here it is.

ALISON BEARD:  Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review.  I’m Alison Beard.

If you had to name the most successful business leader alive today, who would you say?  I can’t hear you from my basement podcasting room, but I would bet that for many of you, the answer is Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.  This is a man who over the past 25 years turned his online bookstore startup into a diversified company currently valued at $1.6 trillion.

Amazon is a digital retailing juggernaut, it’s also a web services provider, media producer, and manufacturer of personal technology devices like Kindle and Echo.  Oh, and Bezos also owns the Washington Post and Blue Origin, a space exploration company.  Forbes tells us he is the richest person in the world.

How did he accomplish so much?  How did he change the business landscape?  What mistakes has he made along the way?  A new collection of Bezos’s own writing, which full disclosure, my colleagues at Harvard Business Review Press have published, offer some insights.  Here’s a clip from one speech that’s included.  The book is called Invent and Wander.

And our guest today, who has spent years studying both Amazon and Bezos, is here to talk with me about some of the key themes in it, including the broad drivers of both the company and the CEO’s success.  Sunil Gupta is a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and cochair of its executive program, and cochair of its executive program on driving digital strategy, which is also the title of his book.  Sunil, thanks so much for being on the show.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Thank you for having me, Alison.

ALISON BEARD:  So Invent and Wander.  I get that Bezos is inventive.  You know, he created a new way for us to buy things – everything.  How is he also a wonderer?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So he’s full of experiments.  His company and his whole style is known for experimentation, and he says that in so many words that if you want big winners, then you have to be willing to have many failures.  And the argument is, one big winner will take care of a thousand failed experiments.  So I think that’s the wandering part.  But also his experiments are not aimless.  There is a certain thought and process behind what experiments to do and why they will connect to the old, old picture of what Amazon is today.

ALISON BEARD:  And your expertise is in digital strategy.  How does he break the traditional rules of strategy?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So for the longest time the way, at least I was taught in my MBA program and the way we teach to our MBA students and executives, is strategy is about focus.  But if you look at Amazon, Amazon certainly doesn’t look like it’s focusing on anything, so obviously Jeff Bezos missed that class, otherwise it’s a very, very different thing.

And then you’d say, why is it that so called lack of focus strategy seems to be working for Amazon?  And I think the fundamental underlying principle that he’s guiding his whole discussion of strategy is, he’s changed the rules of strategy.  So the old rules of strategy were, the way you gained competitive advantage is by being better or cheaper.  So if I am selling you a car, my car is better of cheaper.  But the inherent assumption in that strategy statement is, I’m selling one product to one customer.  And what Amazon is basically arguing is, the digital economy is all about connection.  We have got to connect products and connect customers.  Let me explain why that is so powerful.

So connecting products, here the idea is, I can sell you, this is a classic razor and blade strategy.  I can sell you a razor cheap in order to make money on the blade.  So I can sell you Kindle cheap in order to make money on the ebooks.  Now, at some level you might say, hey, razor and blade have been around forever.  What’s so unique today?  I think unique today is razor could be in one industry and blades could be in completely different industrys.

So for example, if you look at Amazon’s portfolio of businesses, you sort of say, not only Amazon is an e-commerce player, but also is making movies and TV shows, its own studio.  Well, why does it make sense for an e-commerce player, an online retailer to compete with Hollywood.  Well, Walmart doesn’t make movies.  Macy’s doesn’t make movies?  So why does it make sense for Amazon to make movies?

And I think once you dig into it, the answer becomes clear that the purpose of the movies is to keep and gain the Prime customers. Two day free shipping is fine, but if  you ask me to pay $99 or $119 for two day free shipping, I might start doing the math in my head, and say, OK, how many packages do I expect to get next year?  And is the Prime membership worth it or not?

But once you throw in, in addition to the two-day free shipping, you throw in some TV shows and movies that are uniquely found only on Amazon, I can’t do this math.  And why is Prime customers important to Amazon?  Because Prime customers are more loyal.  They buy three or four times more than the non-Prime customers, and they’re also less price sensitive.

And in fact, Jeff Bezos has said publicly that every time we win a Golden Globe Award for one of our shows, we sell more shoes.  So this is, and he said it in your book, Invent and Wander, also, that we might be the only company in the world which has figured out how winning Golden Globe Awards can actually translate into selling more products on the online commerce.

So this is a great example of the razor being in a very different industry and blade being in another industry.  Take another example.  Amazon has a lending business where they give loans to small and medium enterprises. If Amazon decides to compete with banks tomorrow, Amazon can decide to offer loans to the small merchants at such a low price that banks would never be able to compete.  And why would Amazon be able to do that?  Because Amazon can say, hey, I’m not going to make money on loans, as much money on loans, but I’ll make more money when these businesses, small businesses grow and do more transactions on my marketplace platform.  And I get more commissions.  So again, loan can become my razor in order to help the merchants grow and make money on the transaction and the commission that I get from that.  The moment I make somebody else’s, in this case the banks, core business my razor, they will make a very hard time competing.  So I think that’s the key change, the fundamental rules of strategy and competition in that direction.

The second part of connection is connecting customers, and this is the classic network effect.  So marketplace is a great example of network effects.  The more buyers I have, the more sellers I have.  The more sellers I have, the sellers I have, the more buyers I get, because the buyers can find all the items.  And that becomes flywheel effect, and it becomes a situation where it’s very hard for a new player to complete with Amazon.

ALISON BEARD:  In this diversification that Amazon has done, how have they managed to be good at all of those things?  Because they’re not focused.  You know, they’re not concentrated on an area of specific expertise.  So how have they succeeded when other companies might have failed because they lacked that expertise, or they were spreading themselves too thin?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I think it depends on how you define focus.  Most of us, when we define focus, we sort of define focus by traditional industry boundaries, that I’m an online retailer, therefore going into some other business is lack of focus.  The way Amazon thinks about is focus on capabilities.

So if you look at it from that point of view, I would argue that Amazon had three fundamental core capabilities.  Number one, it’s highly customer focused, not only in its culture, but also in its capability in terms of how it can actually handle data and leverage data to get customer insight.  The second core capability of Amazon is logistics.  So it’s now a world class logistics player.  It uses really frontier technology, whether it’s key word, robotics, computer vision, in its warehouse to make it much more efficient.

And the third part of Amazon’s skill or the capability is its technology.  And a good example of that is Amazon Web Services, or AWS.  And I think if you look at these three core capabilities, customer focus and the data insight that it gets from that, the logistics capability, and the technology, everything that Amazon is doing is some way or the other connected to it.  In that sense, Amazon, and there’s no lack of focus, in my judgment on Amazon.

Now, if he starts doing, starts making cream cheese tomorrow or starts making airplane engines, then I would say, yes, it’s got a lack of focus.  But one of the other things that Jeff Bezos has said again and again is this notion of work backwards and scale forward.  And what that means is, because you’re customer obsessed, you sort of find ways to satisfy customers, and if that means developing new skills that we don’t have because we are working backwards from what the customer needs are, then we’ll build those skills.

So a good example of that is, when Amazon started building Kindle, Amazon was never in the hardware business.  It didn’t know how to build hardware.  But Bezos realized that as the industry moved, people are beginning to read more and more online, rather, or at least on their devices, rather than the physical paper copy of a book.  So as a result, he says, how do we make it easier for consumers to read it on an electronic version?  And they’re spending three years learning about this capability of hardware manufacturing.  And by the way, Kindle came out long before iPad came out.  And of course, that capability now has helped them launch Echo and many other devices.

ALISON BEARD:  Right.  So it’s the focus on the customer, plus a willingness to go outside your comfort zone, the wander part.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Exactly.

ALISON BEARD:  Yeah.  How would you describe Bezos’s leadership style?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I think there are at least three parts to it.  One is, he said right from day one that he wants to be a long-term focus.  The second thing is being customer obsessed.  And many times he has said that he can imagine, in the meetings he wants people to imagine an empty chair.  That is basically for the customer. And he says, we are not competitor focused.  We are not product focused.  We are not technology focused.  We are customer focused.  And the third is, willingness to experiment.  And fail, and build that culture in the company that it’s OK to fail.

ALISON BEARD:  What about personally, though?  Is he a hard charger?  Is he an active listener?  What’s it like to be in a room with him?

SUNIL GUPTA:  Oh, he’s certainly a hard charger.  I mean, he’s also the kind of guy, when he hires people, he says, you can work long, hard, or smart.  But at Amazon, you can choose two out of three.  And I think this is similar to many other leaders.  If you look at Steve Jobs, he was also a very hard charging guy.  And I think some people find it exhilarating to work with these kind of leaders.  Some find it very tough.

ALISON BEARD:  Do you think that he communicates differently from other successful CEOs?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So the communication style that he has built in the company is the very famous now, there’s no PowerPoints.  So it’s a very thoughtful discussion.  You write six-page memos, which everybody, when their meeting starts, everybody sits down and actually reads the memo.

In fact, this was a very interesting experience that I had.  One of my students, who was in the executive program, works at Amazon in Germany.  And he is, he was at that point in time thinking of moving to another company and becoming a CEO of that company.  So he said, can I talk to you about this change of career path that I’m thinking about?  I said, sure.  So we set up a time, and five minutes before our call, he sends me an email with a six-page memo.  And I said, well, shouldn’t he have sent this to me before, so I could at least look at it?  He says, no, that’s the Amazon style.  We’ll sit in silence and read it together.  And so I read it together, because then you’re completely focused on it.  And then we can have a conversation.  But this discipline of writing a six-page memo, it’s a very, very unique experience, because you actually have to think through all your arguments.

ALISON BEARD:  You also mentioned the long term focus, and that really stood out for me, too, this idea that he is not at all thinking of next year.  He’s thinking five years out, and sometimes even further.  But as a public company, how has Amazon been able to stick to that?  And is it replicable at other companies?

SUNIL GUPTA:  I think it is replicable.  It requires conviction, and it requires a way to articulate the vision to Wall Street that they can rally behind.  And it’s completely replicable.  There are other examples of companies who have followed a similar strategy.  I mean, Netflix is a good example.  Netflix hadn’t made money for a long period of time.  But they sold the vision of what the future will look like, and Wall Street bought that vision.

Mastercard is exactly the same thing.  Ajay Banga is giving three year guidance to Wall Street saying, this is my three-year plan, because things can change quarter to quarter.  I’m still responsible to tell you what we are doing this quarter, but my strategy will not be guided by what happens today.  It will be guided by the three-year plan that we have.

ALISON BEARD:  There are so many companies now that go public without turning any profit, whereas Amazon now is printing money, and thus able to reinvest and have this grand vision.  So at what point was Bezos able to say, right, we’re going to do it my way?

SUNIL GUPTA:  I think he said it right from day one, except that people probably didn’t believe it.  And in fact, one of the great examples of that was, when he was convinced about AWS, the Amazon Web Services, that was back in the early 2000s, when a majority of the Wall Street was not sure what Jeff Bezos was trying to do, because they say, hey, you are an online retailer.  You have no business being in web services.  That’s the business of IBM.  And that’s a B2B business.  You’re in a B2C business.  Why are you going in there?

And Bezos said, well, we have plenty of practice of being misunderstood.  And we will continue with our passion and vision, because we see the path.  And now he’s proven it again and again why his vision is correct, and I think that could give us more faith and conviction to the Wall Street investors.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Oh, absolutely.  And he’s one of the persons who has his opinion, and you always surround yourself with people better than you.

ALISON BEARD:  How has he managed to attract that talent when it is so fiercely competitive between Google, Facebook, all of these U.S. technology leaders?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So a couple of things I would say.  First of all, it’s always good fun to join a winning team.  And all of us want to join a winning team, so this certainly is on a trajectory which is phenomenal.  It’s like a rocket ship that is taking off and has been taking off for the last 25 years.  So I think that’s certainly attractive to many people, and certainly many hard charging people who want to be on a winning team.

And a second thing is, Amazon’s culture of experimentation and innovation.  That is energizing to a lot of people.  It’s not a bureaucracy where you get bogged down by the processes.  So the two type of decisions that we talked about, he gives you enough leeway to try different things, and is willing to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into things that may or may not succeed in the future.  And I think that’s very liberating to people who are willing to take on the ownership and build something.

ALISON BEARD:  But don’t all of the tech companies offer that?

SUNIL GUPTA:  They do, but if you think about many other tech companies, they’re much more narrow in focus.  So Facebook is primarily in social media.  Google is primarily in search advertising.  Yes, you have GoogleX, but that’s still a small part of what Google does.  Whereas if you ask yourself what business is Amazon in, there are much broader expansive areas that Amazon has gone into.  So I think the limits, I mean, Amazon does not have that many limits or boundaries as compared to many other businesses in Silicon Valley.

ALISON BEARD:  So let’s talk a little bit about Bezos’s acquisition strategy.  I think the most prominent is probably Whole Foods, but there are many others.  How does he think about the companies that he wants to bring in as opposed to grow organically?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So some acquisitions are areas where he thinks that he can actually benefit and accelerate the vision that he already has.  So for example, the acquisition of Kiva was to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the systems that he already put in place in his warehouse.  And logistics and warehouse is a key component or key part of Amazon’s business, and he saw that Kiva already was ahead of the curve in technology that he probably wanted to have that in his own company.  So that was obvious acquisition, because that fits in the existing business.

Whole Foods is kind of a slightly different story, in my judgment, because I some ways, you can argue, why is Amazon, an online player, buying an offline retail store, Whole Foods?  And in fact, they bought it at 27% premium.  So that doesn’t make sense for an online retailer commerce to go to offline channels.  And I think, in fact, part of the reason in my judgment is, it’s not just Whole Foods, but it’s about the food business, per se.  And why is Amazon so interested in food?  In fact, Amazon has been trying this food business, online food delivery for a long period of time without much success.  And Whole Foods was one, another way to try and get access to that particular business.  And why is that so important to Amazon, even though you could argue, food is a low margin business?

And I would say, part of the reason is, food is something, grocery is something that you buy every week, perhaps twice a week.  And if I, as Amazon, can convince you to buy grocery online from Amazon, then I’m creating a habit for you to come onto Amazon every week, perhaps twice a week.  And once you are on Amazon, you will end up buying other products on Amazon.  Whereas if you are buying electronics, you may not come to Amazon every day.

So this is a habit creation activity, and again, it may not be a very high margin activity to sell you food.  But I’ve created a habit, just like Prime.  I’ve created a loyal customer where you think of nothing else but Amazon for your daily needs, and therefore you end up buying other things.

ALISON BEARD:  And Amazon isn’t without controversy.  You know, and we should talk about that, too.  First, there are questions about its treatment of warehouse employees, particularly during COVID.  And Bezos, as you said, has always been relentlessly focused on the customer.  But is Amazon employee centric, too?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I think there is definitely some areas of concern, and you rightly said there is a significant concern about the, during the COVID, workers were complaining about safety, the right kind of equipment.  But even before COVID, there were a lot of concerns about whether the workers are being pushed too hard.  They barely have any breaks.  And they’re constantly on the go, because speed and efficiency become that much more important to make sure customers always get what they are promised.  And in fact, more than promised.

Clearly Amazon either hasn’t done a good job, or hasn’t at least done the public relations part of it that they have done a good job.  Now, if you ask Jeff Bezos, he will claim that, no, actually, they have done things.  For example, they offer something called carrier choice, where they give 95% tuition to the employees to learn new skills, whether they’re relevant to Amazon or not.  Pretty much like what Starbucks does for its baristas, for college education and other things.  But I think more than just giving money or tuition, it requires a bit of empathy and sense that you care for your employees, and perhaps that needs, that’s something that Amazon needs to work on.

ALISON BEARD:  And another challenge is the criticism that it has decimated mom and pop shops.  Even when someone sells through Amazon, the company will then see that it’s a popular category and create it itself and start selling it itself.  There’s environmental concerns about the fact that packages are being driven from warehouses to front doors all over America.  And boxes and packaging.  So how has Bezos, how has the company dealt with all of that criticism?

SUNIL GUPTA:  They haven’t.  And I think those are absolutely valid concerns on both counts, that the small sellers who grow to become reasonably big are always under the radar, and there are certainly anecdotal evidence there, small sellers have complained that Amazon had decided to sell exactly the same item that they were so successful in selling, and becoming too big is actually not good on Amazon, because Amazon can get into your business and wipe you away.  So that’s certainly a big concern, and I think that’s something that needs to be sorted out, and Amazon needs to clarify what its position on that area is, because it benefits from these small sellers on his platform.

And your second question about environmental issues is also absolutely on the money, because not only emission issues, but there’s so many boxes that pile in, certainly in my basement, from Amazon.  You sort of say, and it’s actually ironical that Millennials who are in love with Amazon are extremely environmentally friendly.  But at the same time, they would not hesitate to order something from Amazon and pile up all these boxes.  So I think Amazon needs to figure out a way to think about both those issues.

ALISON BEARD:  And at what point will it have to?  I mean, it seems to be rolling happily along.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Well, I think those issues are becoming bigger and bigger, and it’s certainly in the eye of the regulators, also, for some of these practices.  And not only because it’s too big, and there might be monopoly concerns, but these issues will become larger, and any time you become a large company, you become the center of attraction for broader issues than just providing shareholder value.

ALISON BEARD:  Yeah.  So those are weaknesses possibly for the company.  What are some of Bezos’s personal weaknesses that you’ve seen in studying him and the company?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I think one thing that stands out to me, and at least in the public forums, I have not seen any empathy.  And it’s, I mean, we talk about that the leaders have, should have three qualities.  They should be competent.  They should have a good character.  And they should have compassion.  So he’s certainly very competent.  I mean, he’s brilliant in many aspects, right, from the computer vision and AI and machine learning, to the nuances of data analytics, to the Hollywood production, etc.  He also seems to have good character, at least I have not heard any personal scandals, apart from his other issues in his personal life, perhaps.

Those characteristics of competence and character make people respect you.  What makes people love you is when you show compassion, and at least I haven’t seen compassion or empathy that comes out of him.  I mean, he certainly comes across as a very hard charging, driven person, which probably is good for business.  But the question of empathy is perhaps something lacking right now.

ALISON BEARD:  Yeah.  The other issue is his just enormous wealth.  He did invent this colossally valuable company, but should anyone really be that rich?

SUNIL GUPTA:  Well, I guess that’s, you can say that’s the good or the bad thing about capitalism.  But I think, and again, my personal view is there’s nothing wrong in becoming rich, if you have been successful and done it with hard work and ingenuity.  But how you use your wealth is something that perhaps will define Jeff Bezos going forward.  I think Bill Gates is a great example how he actually has used his wealth and his influence and his expertise and his brilliance into some certain thing that actually is great for humanity.

Now, whether Jeff Bezos does that down the road, I don’t know, whether his space exploration provides that sort of outlet which is both his passion as well as good for humanity, I don’t know.  But at some point in time, I think it’s the responsibility of these leaders to sort of say, my goal is not simply to make money and make my shareholders rich, but also help humanity and help society.

ALISON BEARD:  If you’re talking to someone who’s running a startup, or even a manager of a team at a traditional company, what is the key lesson that you would say, this is what you can learn from Jeff Bezos?  This is what you can put to work in your own profession?

SUNIL GUPTA:  So I would say two things that at least I would take away if I were doing a startup.  One is customer obsession.  Now, every company says that, but honestly, not every company does it, because if you go to the management meetings, if you go to the quarterly meetings, you suddenly go focus on financials and competition and product.  But there’s rarely any conversation on customers.  And I think, as I mentioned earlier, that Jeff Bezos always tells his employee to think of the imaginary chair in which a customer is sitting, because that’s the person that we need to focus on.  Howard Shultz does the same thing at Starbucks, and that’s why Starbucks is so customer focused.

So I think that’s the first part.  And the argument that Bezos gives is, customers are never satisfied.  And that pushes us to innovate and move forward, so we need to innovate even before the rest of the world even sees that, because customers are the first ones to see what is missing in the offering that you have.

And the second I would say that I would take away from Jeff Bezos is the conviction and passion with what you do.  And many times that goes against the conventional wisdom.  And the Amazon Web Services is a great example of that.  The whole world, including the Wall Street Journal and the Wall Street analysts were saying, this is none of Amazon’s business to do web services.  But he was convinced that this is the right thing to do, and he went and did that.

And part of that conviction may come from experiments.  Part of that conviction comes from connecting the dots that he could see that many other people didn’t see.  I mean, that’s why he went, left his job, and went to Seattle to do the online bookstore, because he could see the macro trends as to what the Internet is likely to do.  So, I think that’s the vision that he had.  And once you have the conviction, then you follow your passion.

ALISON BEARD: Sunil, thanks so much for coming on the show.

SUNIL GUPTA:  Thank you for having me. Alison.

HANNAH BATES: That was Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta, in conversation with Alison Beard on the HBR IdeaCast .

We’ll be back next Wednesday with another hand-picked conversation about business strategy from Harvard Business Review. If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues, and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to leave us a review.

And when you’re ready for more podcasts, articles, case studies, books, and videos with the world’s top business and management experts, find it all at HBR.org.

This episode was produced by Mary Dooe, Anne Saini, and me, Hannah Bates. Ian Fox is our editor. And special thanks to Maureen Hoch, Nicole Smith, Erica Truxler, Ramsey Khabbaz, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listener. See you next week.

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70 Thoughtful Messages For A Meaningful Thank You Note

Not sure what to write in a thank you card? Here's how to show your gratitude with a handwritten note.

• Birthday Thank You Card
• Graduation Thank You Card
• Wedding Thank You Card
• Baby Shower Thank You Card
• Interview Thank You Card
• Teacher Thank You Card
• Host Thank You Card

If we learned anything from our mothers, it's that sending a thank you card is non-negotiable . It's the polite way to recognize a friend, colleague, or family member's thoughtfulness and to show you appreciate their support and warm wishes.

Keep in mind that it's also important to try and send your card in a timely manner, so be sure to prioritize your notes . Here are some thank you card messages to get you started.

What To Write In A Birthday Thank You Card

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• Thank you for thinking of me on my special day.
• I can't wait to use my new gift!
• I couldn't have picked out a better gift for myself if I tried.
• You knew exactly what I wanted.
• You know me so well, what a precious gift!
• Your thoughtfulness is a gift.
• You made my day!
• This gift is so thoughtful (and then share your plans for how you will use/celebrate this gift)
• I am touched you remembered me.

What To Write In A Graduation Thank You Card

• Thank you for supporting me in my next adventure.
• I'm thankful to have you in my corner as I take this next step.
• I don't know where I would be without your support.
• You lift me up!
• Thank you for believing in me.
• You've always been one of my biggest cheerleaders. Your support means the world!
• I wouldn't be where I am without your help along the way.
• I'm so thankful to have you as a mentor as I start this new chapter.
• Thank you for being part of this big moment.
• I can believe fully in myself because you believed in me first. I'm forever grateful.

What To Write In A Wedding Thank You Card

• Thank you for being here on our journey.
• Thank you for celebrating this milestone with us.
• We're so happy to have you in our lives to celebrate our Big Day.
• Thank you for being part of our joyous day.
• We're so lucky to have you in our lives as we start this new chapter. Thank you for celebrating with us!
• We're touched beyond words by your generous gift.
• Thank you for helping us start our lives together. We're so appreciative to have friends/family like you!
• We can't wait to use {insert gift} in our lives together.
• Having you there as we take this big step meant the world to us.
• We appreciate the miles traveled to attend our celebration, and can't thank you enough for being here. It means the world to us.
• Thank you for coming to our Big Day!
• How did you know we needed {insert gift}? We thank you for your generosity.

What To Write In A Baby Shower Thank You Card

• Thank you for helping us welcome our little one into the world.
• We're so thankful our child will know such love.
• Thank you for supporting us as we take on our exciting new roles.
• This is just what we needed for the baby!
• Thank you for showing us and our baby so much love.
• Your friendship and support make us certain we can do this.
• I can't believe how precious and small baby outfits can be! Counting the days until I can send you photos of our little one wearing the beautiful outfits you gifted us. Thank you!
• We can't wait for our baby to meet you!
• We will make sure the baby knows you were behind this special gift.
• How cute are the toys you gifted us? I can already picture afternoons spent on the floor playing. Thank you for giving me that daydream to look forward to!
• How did you know this is just what we needed? You must have raised a few little ones of your own ;).
• I can't wait to read these books to our little one. I know it will be such a special time. Thank you!

What To Write In An Interview Thank You Card

• Thank you for considering me for this position
• I appreciate you setting time aside to speak with me.
• It was great to hear more about the company.
• Thank you for our wonderful conversation.
• It was a pleasure to learn more about this company.
• Thank you for giving me the opportunity to show you how I can fit into your team.
• I appreciated your thought-provoking questions.
• Thank you for your time. It sounds like you have built a great team, and it's one that I'd be excited to join.

What To Write In A Thank You Card For A Teacher

• Your wisdom and outlook inspire us each day!
• Thank you for helping our child continue to learn and grow.
• We couldn't thank you enough for looking out for our child.
• You've had such a positive impact on our child.
• Thank you for pushing me to be my best self.
• Where would we be without leaders and teachers like you?
• Thank you for encouraging me to keep striving for the best.
• I appreciate all your support and motivation.
• The amount of time and dedication you've given us this year is tremendous. I can't thank you enough.
• Your mentorship is invaluable.

What To Write In A Thank You Card For A Host

• Thank you for hosting!
• Thank you for welcoming us into your home.
• You put together a wonderful celebration.
• I'm so happy we could get together.
• Your home is beautiful!
• Another event, another success. With you as a host, I'm never surprised by how well things go!
• Thank you for organizing everything.
• I appreciate all the time and effort you put in to make this event possible.
• It's always such a pleasure to attend one of your parties.
• As always, you have made everyone feel so welcome. What a wonderful get-together.
• It is always wonderful to spend time with you – thank you for inviting us into your home.

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From passion to profit: OFW mompreneur shares journey as business owner

How do you start a business as an OFW mom?

OFW mompreneur Cholen Nicole Valdehuesa shared that her main motivator to start a business is all about passion.

“You need to find what you like to do; your passion,” says Cholen. “It’s important to choose a passion at least because being a mom is already difficult, and adding a business would be a heavy burden if it’s not your passion,” she added.

However, Cholen’s main motivator to start a business was motherly love. Many entrepreneurs entered the business world with the goal of becoming wealthy, but Cholen was driven to enter the business because of her heartfelt commitment to her family’s well-being.

“I remember, we had our difficult times financially. We hit rock bottom,” Cholen narrated, explaining how she had to leave her full-time job to take care of her two-month-old baby. “While taking care of our son, I was thinking of anything to sell,” she said.

That is how Cholen started looking for passion in the things she could make. “ I started to cook and sell Putoflan, pre-order jewelry, and tried subleasing flats just to have my own money and help my husband with our finances,” she said. 

When her son reached two years old, she tried to DIY his birthday decoration. After a successful birthday party, Cholen found out that she liked decorating. That’s how BC D’Events came to life.

“My passion and love for decoration, aside from my husband’s salary, became one of our pillars for our family’s finances,” Cholen said. “I even supported my parents up until now because of my business. We were able to build a simple house in the Philippines and now, I am supporting two nephews in college,” she added.

Juggling motherhood and her business was challenging, yet Cholen’s unwavering motherly love and passion propelled her to excel in both realms.

“I remember, dala-dala ko si baby before whenever I had an event during weekdays kasi walang ibang mapagbilinan while his Dad is at work,” Cholen said.

“There were also times when my baby was doing his online classes while I was decorating the event venue,” she added.

Although she was super busy with her business, her motherly passion extended into her business endeavors, serving as one of her means of ensuring the financial well-being of her family.

“Putting up a business is a form of a mother’s love for her family,” Cholen said. “It requires a lot of sacrifices, commitment, and struggles,” she said.

“Your willingness to carry another burden just to help the family is selfless and a different level of love,” she added.

This coming International Mother’s Day on May 12, 2024, let’s take a moment to honor and appreciate the countless sacrifices that mothers have made for their families. Cheers to all the incredible mothers around the world!

Camille Quirino

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Privacy overview.

Cooperative Extension: 4-H

Do you know someone interested in becoming a 4-h volunteer tell them about start your 4-h journey.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a two-part online informational session for adults interested in becoming Maine 4-H volunteers on May 22 & 29 from 6 – 7 p.m. “Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey” will provide participants with information about the UMaine Extension 4-H youth development program through four short e-Learning modules. Attendees will also participate in an experimental learning activity, learn about the key aspects of positive youth development, and be introduced to ages and stages of youth. The two one-hour virtual sessions will wrap up with an outline of next steps and an introduction to a county staff contact to help with the application process if desired.

Registration is required. The sessions are free. To register, visit our  website .

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Jennifer Lobley,  [email protected] , 207.255.3345.