4 Quotes To Inspire Your Goals
When you're working towards something, and particularly at New Year, you become like a sponge for tips and soundbites. The cynics among us may think that we seek out inspirational podcasts and articles to avoid actually doing something scary towards our goal, however I do think they're useful for getting us going, giving us an extra drive as well as a comfort blanket to hold onto.Here are 4 of my favourite quotes about goals which I remind myself of on an almost hourly basis...
"A dream without a plan is just a wish." - Susie Wolff
I don't know whether Susie Wolff came up with this herself, or whether it is written down elsewhere, but here I'm attributing it to her because she's such an awesome lady. She is so inspiring for going further than any woman has in such a male-oriented world, whilst maintaining her grace, her felinity, and her personality. I heard her talk at an event once, and this tidbit of a quote stayed with me - it's good to dream, but in order to achieve you have to be organised, and have a plan.
"How much of human life is lost in waiting." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I love this one for reminding you to make your own way in life. Too often I, at least, of guilty of living in the future, thinking in terms of 'when' something will happen rather than making it happen. If you are not proactively working for your goal, you are just waiting. And all that time will be lost.
"Act as if your goal is totally reasonable, and it will work out." - Tara Swiger
This one isn't verbatim, it's taken from this Tara Swiger podcast, but it's more about the sentiment than the beauty of the words. This one means a lot to me as it told me, in simple, matter of fact terms, to take myself seriously. If you don't believe in your goal, if you don't think it's reasonable, it'll always be a pipe dream that you'll never bother working on. Act like it's totally reasonable and you'll make it happen.
"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." - Confucius
What inspirational quote list is complete without Confucius, right? This one has so many layers. It says 'never give up' in pragmatic terms, it makes failure seem like a re-routing exercise rather than a total disaster. It reflects the fact that our plans are living things, ever changing and evolving, but always within our power to reshape. Crucially, it proves that nothing is finite. You can start on your goal now, and can always adjust the steps later. Just start, and don't compromise on what you want.