10 Thought-provoking quotes to get you pumped up for progress in your career
Featuring one from a top Medium writer.
Ever felt stuck in a ditch at some point in your career? Be it your 9–5, or just starting out in business, or maybe even being established, we all need some motivation and some encouragement to take us out of that ditch. Sometimes all you need is just one word or a quote to provoke your thinking and either get you back on track or to stay on track.
I have curated some of the most inspiring and thought-provoking quotes that have blessed me and I want to share with you. There are some you might already have heard of, but another look at it could be that fuel you need this very minute to give yourself and your startup another chance.
Disclaimer: There are some quotes that have been ‘requoted’ by famous people several times it may be difficult to attribute the originators. Okay, enough talking –here are some of my favourite quotes:
“If you’re born poor, it’s not your mistake, but if you die poor it’s your mistake” — Bill Gates
I love this quote for what it is: zero tolerance for excuses. Now you might suggest that being rich is not the ultimate goal, and I agree, but it still points out the fact that we all have a goal to be successful, and however you define that, you do not have to make room for excuses. And I believe Bill was focusing much more on why shifting blame and failing to take responsibility regardless of our circumstance is a recipe for disaster. There is greatness inside you. Find a way to bring it out.
“I violated the Noah rule: predicting rain doesn’t count; building arks does.” — Warren Buffet
I deliberately followed up my favourite entrepreneur with a quote by his good friend and my 2nd favourite entrepreneur, the Oracle of Omaha. This little known quote appeared in Berkshire-Hathaway’s 2001 annual shareholder report and it was an allusion to the famous Bible story. Warren stresses the importance of proactive preparation especially in anticipation of adversity. So the lesson here is, it’s not enough to have the right predictions concerning impending trouble; prepare and arm yourself against the impending danger. It would either solve the problem or soften the blow…
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right” — Henry Ford
He said it all. What you strongly believe always happens. What you are convicted about is what you will see materializing. Our minds are wired to seek out social proof to validate that which we strongly believe to be true. So either you are convicted in faith or you’re convicted in fear. Your strongest convictions will birth your reality.
“A ship is always safe at shore, but that’s not what it’s built for” — Albert Einstein
Another quote to inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and take action. Remember the guy who dreamt big and kept talking about all these big plans they had? Neither do I. You will be remembered for what you did and not what you dreamt. Release the self-limiting beliefs that have anchored you from progress and take your first steps towards achieving your dream.
“The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win” — Kobe Bryant
I picked this quote as a tribute to honour the legend. Kobe knows he’s going to be missed and wants me to tell you to never give up. The moment you give up is like standing in a movie ticketing queue for so long you decided to leave just before it got to your turn. Imagine that. Someone once told me that patience can cook a stone. The moment you lose patience, somebody’s going to take all the credit for something you probably rightly deserved if you had persevered a bit longer. Persevere till you win.
“Procrastination is the thief of time. Comparison is the thief of value” — Jesse Quagraine
This is a quote from yours truly with a story behind it. I woke up one morning and this quote kept running in my mind. It seemed to be the right word at the right moment because I had been feeling quite down because I felt the ideas in my heard were not good enough when compared to the great success stories in a similar field especially among my peers. Every time I opened my LinkedIn or Facebook feeds it was another colleague or peer being celebrated for great achievement. Let’s face it- it can hurt sometimes especially when it looks like you are not making much progress in your career. I began to compare my abilities with theirs and started feeling I could not match up and be equally successful.
At the same time, I was getting puffed up because I found myself comparing my achievements and status with my mates who had not, in my eyes, achieved much so far. What I didn’t know was that I was robbing myself of my true value. I underestimated how great my ideas could actually be if I took the shot. The Lesson: Never be tempted to compare yourself with others. Run your race and work hard to make your dreams a reality. That is the true source of your value.
“In the journey to success, tenacity of purpose is supreme” — Aliko Dangote
A powerful statement from Africa’s richest man. And he couldn’t have put it any better. Tenacity; the relentless pursuit of your purpose, must be overriding in everything you do. How determined you are to see success despite the challenges is what will set you apart from the rest. Don’t just be a dreamer; be a dreamchaser. Persistence will get you into the realm of success.
“You need the right people with you, not the best people.” — Jack Ma
Jack reminds me of the power of association. The team you build around you is integral to the ultimate success of your business. Sometimes the fact that someone is super-talented does not mean they’re the best fit for you. Carefully observe what roles and characters your business needs and recruit or partner accordingly. That may sometimes mean sacrificing experience for passion and the right character.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” — Thomas A. Edison
This quote is to remind you and me that failure should never be an option. No matter how deep you are in the midst of your struggle, persist and find another way out. Thomas kept going until he had his ‘light bulb moment’, pun intended. So what are you working on now? Keep pushing it. If you hit a wall, break it down to make a way.
“You will never exceed your highest expectation. You will never exceed your highest craziest thought. Never. That’s a guarantee” — Dan Pena
At first glance you could be forgiven for mistaking this quote to be a motivation killer, but who else could make a straight stone-cold statement other than the ‘$50 billion man’ himself? He made this quote during a talk with Michael Pilarczyk. Upon a personal reflection on these words, I realized he was communicating something deeper. Pena is saying here to dream big. Set high targets and goals and never set the bar low. When you begin to pursue them you would have achieved much more than you probably expected, and that’s a good thing!
Bonus quote: “Comfortable people don’t make you grow” — Tim Denning
Tim is a LinkedIn influencer and Medium writer, that I admire and respect so much for the valuable content he puts outs out there (and on an insanely consistent level too!). This was a quote I pulled from his article on LinkedIn where he talked about his experience being the ‘dumbest’ person in the room. It preaches the power of association. He was basically talking about the comfort zone and why it is even more important the kind of association you find yourself in. When you are always walking with people you are comfortable people with, you do not get challenged. Ultimately you would not see much growth that way. Don’t confuse this with people you feel comfortable working with. Growth should be something consciously pursued in order to evolve into the better version of yourself and in order to do that, surround yourself with people who know more than you, or who are experts in topics or subjects you know little about but relevant to your career or profession. When this happens, Tim says in no time you would gain so much knowledge and become an expert just like them.
Conclusion
So there you have it. My first ever Medium post folks. It has taken me 3 months of getting past my fears to get this out there, thanks to these quotes.
What do you think about these quotes?
Is there any else you would have replaced with one on here? Why not drop your comments below and let’s share ideas.
As an aspiring blogger, I write about entrepreneurship, personal development and leveraging the power of digital to generate qualified leads and increase revenue for small businesses.
Outside Medium, you’d mostly find me on Linkedin.
