Curiouser and curiouser!
Motivation
July 3rd
It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight.
12 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Go After Your Wildest Goals
You’re reading 12 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Go After Your Wildest Goals, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Do you have a clear sense of direction and specific goals or do you wander through life hoping that things will turned out just fine?
If you don’t have specific goals yet, the following quotes should inspire you to start setting exciting goals that you’ll want to go after for the next few years.
My hope is that at the end of this article you’ll feel motivated to take the first step toward your wildest goals. Let’s get started.
Here are the 12 quotes that will inspire you to go after your wildest goals:
On the power of goals
- “Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I will give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal, and I will give you a stock clerk.” –J.C. Penny
On having genuine goals
2. You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass – Dale Wimbrow
On turning your dreams into goals
3. “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins
On having a clear direction in life
4. “Ten years from now you will certainly arrive. The question is: where?” – Jim Rohn
On creating your own destiny
5. “People without goals are doomed to work forever for people who do have goals.” – Brian tracy
On having big goals
6. “The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits. There is just less competition for bigger goals. 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.” – Timothy Ferris
On improving your present reality
7. “The purpose of goal-setting isn’t to control the future. That would be senseless because the future only exists in your imagination. The only value in goal-setting is that it improves the quality of your present moment reality.” – Steve Pavlina
On becoming a better person
8. “The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.” – Jim Rohn
On writing down your goals
9. “Most people are so apathetic about their goals that they only write them down once a year when the media says: “oh it’s resolution day, we got to write our New Year’s resolutions. As far as I’m concern, nothing worth doing is done once or twice a year. It’s ridiculous!” – Grant Cardone
On being consistent
10. “It’s not the smartest people who achieve success. It is the people who procrastinate the less, make fewer excuses, as they take actions every day towards the goals that they want to achieve.” – John Assaraf
On using goals as a medicine
11. “Use goals to live longer. No Medicine in the world – and your physician will bear this out – is as powerful in bringing about life as is the desire to do something.” – David J. Schwartz
On persevering
12. “The major difference between the big shot and the little shot is the big shot is just a little shot who kept on shooting.” – Zig Ziglar
To conclude
As Lao Tzu wrote: “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. What is your single step? What concrete action will you take today to start the journey toward your most exciting goals? Leave me a comment below and let me know.
**** Here Is a Special Bonus For You ****
Why not go further in your personal development journey? If you like this article I’m sure you will benefit from my free e-book. You can download it below:
The 5 Commandments of Personal Development
Thibaut Meurisse is the founder of whatispersonaldevelopment.org. Obsessed with improvement, he dedicates his life to finding the best possible ways to durably transform both his life and the lives of others. Check out his free e-book “The 5 Commandments of Personal Development” or order his book Goal Setting: The Ultimate Guide To Achieving Goals That Truly Excite you on Amazon now.
You’ve read 12 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Go After Your Wildest Goals, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
12 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Go After Your Wildest Goals
You’re reading 12 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Go After Your Wildest Goals, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Do you have a clear sense of direction and specific goals or do you wander through life hoping that things will turned out just fine?
If you don’t have specific goals yet, the following quotes should inspire you to start setting exciting goals that you’ll want to go after for the next few years.
My hope is that at the end of this article you’ll feel motivated to take the first step toward your wildest goals. Let’s get started.
Here are the 12 quotes that will inspire you to go after your wildest goals:
On the power of goals
- “Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I will give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal, and I will give you a stock clerk.” –J.C. Penny
On having genuine goals
2. You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass – Dale Wimbrow
On turning your dreams into goals
3. “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins
On having a clear direction in life
4. “Ten years from now you will certainly arrive. The question is: where?” – Jim Rohn
On creating your own destiny
5. “People without goals are doomed to work forever for people who do have goals.” – Brian tracy
On having big goals
6. “The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone else is aiming for base hits. There is just less competition for bigger goals. 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.” – Timothy Ferris
On improving your present reality
7. “The purpose of goal-setting isn’t to control the future. That would be senseless because the future only exists in your imagination. The only value in goal-setting is that it improves the quality of your present moment reality.” – Steve Pavlina
On becoming a better person
8. “The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.” – Jim Rohn
On writing down your goals
9. “Most people are so apathetic about their goals that they only write them down once a year when the media says: “oh it’s resolution day, we got to write our New Year’s resolutions. As far as I’m concern, nothing worth doing is done once or twice a year. It’s ridiculous!” – Grant Cardone
On being consistent
10. “It’s not the smartest people who achieve success. It is the people who procrastinate the less, make fewer excuses, as they take actions every day towards the goals that they want to achieve.” – John Assaraf
On using goals as a medicine
11. “Use goals to live longer. No Medicine in the world – and your physician will bear this out – is as powerful in bringing about life as is the desire to do something.” – David J. Schwartz
On persevering
12. “The major difference between the big shot and the little shot is the big shot is just a little shot who kept on shooting.” – Zig Ziglar
To conclude
As Lao Tzu wrote: “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. What is your single step? What concrete action will you take today to start the journey toward your most exciting goals? Leave me a comment below and let me know.
**** Here Is a Special Bonus For You ****
Why not go further in your personal development journey? If you like this article I’m sure you will benefit from my free e-book. You can download it below:
The 5 Commandments of Personal Development
Thibaut Meurisse is the founder of whatispersonaldevelopment.org. Obsessed with improvement, he dedicates his life to finding the best possible ways to durably transform both his life and the lives of others. Check out his free e-book “The 5 Commandments of Personal Development” or order his book Goal Setting: The Ultimate Guide To Achieving Goals That Truly Excite you on Amazon now.
You’ve read 12 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Go After Your Wildest Goals, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
July 2nd
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
July 1st
Four Productivity Tenets From Stoicism
You’re reading Four Productivity Tenets From Stoicism, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
It was a rainy Friday afternoon and as usual, I was going through a post-lunch slump. Unfortunately, as an intern at a rapid startup, it was something I couldn’t really afford.
My manager was in a meeting and I checked the clock.. it was around 3:45, still an hour and fifteen minutes for the weekend.
To pass the time, I googled “Best Productivity Apps 2016” and started browsing, hoping that a piece of software will make me more productive. At first, some apps did look pretty appealing. I checked out ten different sites, browsed through the features, checked the customer reviews, the pricing, and then it hit me- I was procrastinating by browsing productivity apps.
Something had to change and surely, paragraphs of code wasn’t going to help me.
That is when I turned to Stoicism, and, it changed my life.
What is Stoicism?
To put it simply- Stoicism is an ancient greek school of Philosophy founded at Athens by a Philosopher named Zeno of Citium. It basically believes that virtues like wisdom is happiness and that our judgements should be based on actions, not words. And that, we cannot rely on things outside our control to grant us happiness and serenity.
It’s a school that firmly believes on doing, not talking.
Stoicism has been practiced by many- entrepreneurs, writers, kings, presidents, however, there are three principle leaders whose work is now read. First is Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor of the Roman Empire. His book Meditations is a series of private notes that he used to write to himself. Then there’s Epictetus, a slave who ended up founding his own school to teach Stoicism to some of Rome’s greatest minds, His book “Discourses of Epictetus” contains series of extracts of his personal teachings. Lastly, there’s Seneca, a statesman and dramatist whose works include “Letters from a Stoic”, “The Shortness Of Life”, amongst others.
I started off feeding my curiosity with Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and, amongst the many other things it taught me, some of the teachings can be linked to how we can be more productive in our day to day lives. Now, before I jump into the four tenets, let me address a question you could be think about right now: Why would you turn to Stoicism to gain insights on Productivity?
Because when it comes to changing behavior, we need to tweak our mindset. Of Course, using productivity apps will help you get stuff done for some days, but, in the long run, only a shift in mindset would sustain a positive change.
And, what better way to shape the mind than Philosophy itself?
So, here’s some wisdom from an emperor who never had access to an App store.
Four Productivity Tenets From Stoicism
#1 Do Less
“If you seek tranquility,do less. Or (more accurately) do what’s essential. Do less, better. Because most of what we do or say is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more tranquility. But to eliminate the necessary actions, we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well” Marcus Aurelius, Book 4, Meditations.
Today, we’re so focused on doing more stuff that we lose sight of what’s really important. What’s worse- we try to chase everything (unrealistic) and end up getting nowhere. Our list of to-do’s is so big that we actually get off on striking everything off.
But.. how is that helping us get deeper work done? How is that going to put us in the flow state? And, if we’re not focused enough, how are we going to deliver quality?
So, how can we do less?
Pareto’s 80/20 principle can be used. The goal thus, is to devote our energy to those 2-3 most important tasks that are likely to give us higher returns.
So, look at the list of your tasks and ask yourself these questions:
– What’s the ideal outcome if I finish this task (this will help you think about the returns)?
– How can I automate this task (helping you focus your energy on things that */really/* require your effort, leaving the rest to computers)?
– How is this task going to help me or someone else? (helping you strike out things that isn’t likely to benefit anyone)
Getting more Sh$% done is great. But, the quality of your work is likely to be Sh$%. Instead, acknowledge the fact that we have a limited attention span and focus on figuring out two-three most important tasks of the day and devote your undivided attention to accomplishing them.
#2 Visualize the process to the end
“Everything is interwoven, and the web is holy;none of its parts are unconnected. Together, they compose the world.” Book 7, Meditations.
“I have a relationship with other parts, so, I have no right as a whole to complain about what is assigned to me by the whole. Because what benefits the whole can’t harm the parts, and the whole does nothing that doesn’t benefit it. So, by keeping in mind the whole that I’m a part of, I’ll accept whatever happens. I will do nothing selfish, but aim instead to join them, to direct my every action towards what benefits us all and avoid what doesn’t. If I do that, then my life should go smoothly” Book 10, Meditations.
Logos (logic) can be applied to everything. Including, the tasks we do. So, applying logos to our tasks would mean systematically breaking them down into individual steps from the start, till the end. This would help us clearly notice how tasks move from one stage to another and also, if there are any visible bottlenecks in the process.
However, when we start working on something, so often, we fail to clearly think about the process. We just..start with unrealistic expectations. And this lack of clarity leads to procrastination.
That, is a recipe for failure.
Instead, we need to break down the process’ of each of our tasks. This exercise will helps us see the individual steps that are needed, giving us a more realistic sense of what we can accomplish today with a hundred percent focus.
Mind Maps are useful tools that can help us break down the process and clearly see the steps needed to accomplish a task.
So, break down the three most important tasks you plan to accomplish for the day. Ask yourself the intended result and list the process out, step by step. Then, focus on one step at a time with undivided attention.
That, is a recipe for deep work.
Additionally, once you break down something into its individual parts, you will notice that every single step is important. Thus, in reality, work does not have a nature. There is no ‘grunt work’. Every step has a purpose that leads to something bigger.
For instance, lets say one day your manager asks you to make her a cup of coffee.
Now, ask yourself- how is this going to affect the greater good? Well, one way to look at it would be to see that your contribution (that cup of joe) will help her get through the day. And perhaps improve her productivity. That, will affect the organization. Even the cleaning lady’s job is important. Her contribution affects us mentally, leading us to be more productive and effective.
So, break down everything you do and focus on each step, one at a time.
#3 See what’s in your control
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself with are externals, not under my control, and which have to do with the choice I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are me own” — Epictetus, Discourses, 2.5.4-5.
If you attempted to visualize the process of a task, you would’ve noticed something- sometimes,not every step of the process is under your control. In the modern workplace (or school/college), working with others is a necessary skill. And, to some extent, it makes sense why- we can’t do everything on our own.
Now, while working with others is great for the overall benefit of the organization, it could leave us a little stranded on our productivity path.
You could be waiting for that one email from a colleague without which, you can’t begin your task. Or, perhaps, you’re waiting for the IT guys in your company to approve some changes. Whatever the case is, the question needs to be asked- what can we do when we’re working with teams, and, nothing everything is in our control?
We can clearly differentiate between steps that are in our control and ones that aren’t.
Fortunately, the Stoics acknowledged the fact that not everything in our life is under our control. And, thus, getting upset over these uncontrollable things is not only irrational, but, can actually drive us insane. No amount of bitching about a colleague is going to make them do their job. The fact of the matter is- we cannot control other people’s choices and actions.
But, we can fully control our job. We can gain the clarity to know which part of the process is in our control and leave the rest to others. And, then, do our job.
Nothing less. Nothing more.
#4 Change your definition of success
Enjoyment means doing as much of what your nature requires as you can. And you can do that anywhere. Keep in mind the ease with which logos is carried through all things. That’s all you need. – Book 10, Meditations.
We’re all quite aware of the fact that success is dependent on many variables. Some, in our control while others, not quite. Things in our full control include our effort, while, external variables include things like luck, and other people’s efforts (in case of a team task).
And yet, despite of knowing this, failing at something drives us mad. It leads to a vicious cycle of self criticism, wasting even further time.
For the stoics, enjoyment meant doing their job. And, to some extent, the same ideology can be applied to success.
Success shouldn’t be whether or not we accomplished something. Instead, it should be measured by the amount of effort we put towards a task. It should be the extent to which we completed /our/ job.
This perception not only makes us take full control, but, also helps us reflect when things don’t work out. And, if we know something about reflection, it’s that it makes us wiser.
So, the next time you work on something, measure your performance by your effort. As long as you put your hundred percent into it, you’ve won. That’s success. It doesn’t matter what the external outcome is.
Over To You
Regardless of whether you use Trello or some other productivity app, I hope these tenets help you achieve clarity and wisdom as you strive towards becoming more productive.
I will let Marcus end this post.
“ Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly.”
—————————-
Monil is a business student turned writer who helps people live a better life through Stoic Philosophy. Find me at:
Facebook: facebook.com/mindandtheheart
Tumblr: monoshah.tumblr.com
Facebook: facebook.com/mindandtheheart
Tumblr: monoshah.tumblr.com
You’ve read Four Productivity Tenets From Stoicism, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
June 30th
Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone.
7 Ways to Brighten Your Horizon Forever
You’re reading 7 Ways to Brighten Your Horizon Forever, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
- Read Books that Make you think Outside the Box!
Brighten your horizon by realizing that everyone is your teacher. Gradually, you’ll gravitate to books – reading them will shape and mould your character brick by brick. Over time, they’ll help carve out a masterpiece of an inner canvas, making you consider possibilities you would have never otherwise considered.
One idea has the potential to change your life forever if you act on it.“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” Sometimes, the most profound insights you have in your life will come through reading one sentence, one quote, in one book.
- Invest BIG in Yourself
Countless people similar to you have made mistakes and often pass on their decades of experience — so that you don’t have to learn things the hard way. Warren Buffett, the world renowned and famous investor, once said “It’s good to learn from your mistakes. But it’s better to learn from other people’s mistakes.”
Whether it’s through an online course, seminar, or a three-day event (related to skills you’re passionate about improving) — you’ll usually come back with an upgraded toolkit. Having the willingness to let go of your ego, by investing in yourself, will cut your learning curve and allow you to get the skills that some people have taken YEARS to learn.
Just because you’ve finished your degree doesn’t mean your life education is over. In fact, it’s always just getting started. Remember: if you don’t invest in yourself, then who will?
- Reflect on your Direction Regularly!
You only ever have so much energy to give, and every once in awhile; you need to make a pit stop. That can take the form of a public blog, a written journal, or simply a conversation with a friend to reflect on your year so far.
Reflecting on your journey, is one of the most important things you can do for your direction and self-awareness in the long term. The active recovery will give you the clarity needed to act on hard truths — so that you can make wise improvements in both your personal and professional life.
- Save BIG Money Every Month
If you don’t have money under control, you don’t live free. If you don’t save money every month, you’re not preparing for the future. Making a saving plan doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need to calculate how much you automatically spend every month, and then create a comfortable monthly standing order for an amount that you can easily commit to.
Brian Tracy, one of the most prominent self-improvement gurus, in his book, the 21 Secrets of Millionaires, wrote: “if you don’t save money, the seeds of greatness aren’t within you. By saving for the future, you show that you understand that a little money saved each month, will end up going a long way towards your freedom. And freedom is something you value tremendously.
- Mostly Eat Healthy Food!
Anyone can eat a couple of fruits and vegetables per day. Anyone can eat one protein-rich meal per day. Anyone can skip the soda and make sure they drink enough water. Eating healthy is not a pursuit of perfection, it’s just about feeding your body more of what it needs, and less of what it doesn’t.
Companies are spending billions of dollars on marketing processed foods so you can’t be too harsh on yourself if you eat unhealthy on occasion. Yes, you’ve probably grown to love cookies, ice cream, and the like — but by feeding your body more nutritious foods most of the time, you’ll disable part of the lure processed foods have over you.
- Exercise Regularly!
Exercise isn’t just about improving your physique or your health; it’s about improving your mentality and physiology. Similarly to fine-tuning a car, your body needs the right intervention to operate at its best! You only ever end up getting one body in your lifetime, so you do what you can to take care of it! Whether you go to the gym three times per week, jog once a week, play sports with your friends — you were built to move!
Having an xercisee ritual is a gateway into a higher state of energy and focus. And with that state, you can experience more rewarding days = a more rewarding life.If you’re exercising in some form regularly (even if it’s just taking a long walk), then you’re leveraging all the areas of your life closer to their full potential!
- Be Mindful of your Media Consumption!
One of the easiest ways to relax and stimulate yourself after a long day at work is to turn on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or whatever’s trending now. With a flick of your fingers, you can get access to a whole variety of entertainment. The average person in America consumes an average of five hours of Television per day! Zig Ziglar, in his book, How to Stay Motivated, mentions that the average Chairman of a board only consumes four to eight hours of television per week.
Be the chairman of your life — by being mindful of the quality and quantity of information you allow to flow into your consciousness. You decide whether you want to experience the better part of the thrills you seek, through a screen, or your life…
With time and application, these seven different components of your life will start clicking into place, as they continually serve to brighten your horizon!
My Last Words
If you work on a PC and you’re interested in learning how to brighten your path to its full potential, read my free book on Spiritual Productivity.
- You’ll learn about how to split up your day into four chunks, so you worry less about external influences.
- You’ll discover the small hacks that will take your productive work on the PC to the next level.
- And much more…
Samy Felice is a writer who brings meaning to words. His Free Book explores how to make success easier.
You’ve read 7 Ways to Brighten Your Horizon Forever, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
June 29th
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Sig Nordal 