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What’s Your Go-To Quotation?

By Tammy McCausland posted 06-17-2019 08:52

  

Wise Words

I’m writing this on a Monday. Online every Monday the hashtags #MotivationMonday and #MondayMotivation accompany memes with famous quotations designed to encourage and inspire us as we begin a new work week. Why do so many people find Mondays so hard? Are weekends always that good?

Many times I’ve written down or tried to remember inspirational quotations that resonate with me. I’ve saved several inspirational memes posted by friends on Facebook. I’ll admit I haven’t gone back to look at them, but I know where to find them. Recently I caught the tail end of a news story that featured a woman––I’m not sure who and my online news search came up empty—giving a commencement address. She said, “A setback is a setup for a comeback.” It’s not poetic, but it’s simple and impactful. It works for me, where I am, right now.

I’ve always loved the last three lines of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 
I’m not sure how much the road I’ve taken is the one less traveled by, but I’ve definitely traveled and had some great opportunities, and I'm glad for the experiences I’ve had. I like these lines because they encourage the reader to follow the unbeaten path, to think differently, and things will turn out fine—even better. I wonder if that’s the message Frost intended when he wrote the poem, and whether he’d be pleased that I, and others, love it so much.

I also like quotations by the beloved American college basketball coach John Wooden and bestselling author Brené Brown. Someone close to me, who asked not be named, said his go-to motivational quotation is “Always give your best, never get discouraged…” Turns out it’s part of a quotation by former President Richard Nixon. I found it ironic, but he—my unnamed source—is pretty positive and I would say he’s definitely always given his best.

When I texted a good friend to ask what her favorite was, she sent me several. She said she has Erma Bombeck’s “If I had My Life to Live Over” posted on a bulletin board in her office. My favorite of the ones she sent was “You can’t always have a good day. But you can always face a bad day with a good attitude.”

MotivationWhat’s your favorite quotation that motivates you? Do you have it, handwritten or hand printed, and placed somewhere strategic or somewhere secret? Do you look at it daily or pull it out when you need it? Can you recite it? Do you share it with others? Have you shared it with your children, your loved ones, your friends? Have you shared it at work?

Maybe you have more than one or maybe you’ve traded in one for another as you’ve progressed through your career and through life. Is it a line from a poem, words said by someone famous or is it advice from someone you know? Have you noticed how motivational quotations appear at just the right time? I certainly have. Whatever works for each of us is what works.

Motivational quotations keep us focused, determined and hopeful. They inspire us when we’re down; they help us get back up and keep going. They guide us through tough times and remind us of what’s important. Whatever yours is, work it.

 #HappyMonday

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07-25-2019 17:49

​​Hi Tammy,

I really enjoyed your article, you have a wonderful way with words.  Wise words are of course always the best path.  Monday's are hard, sometimes it's hard to get motivated so plastering quotes around to get me moving is an easy way to remind myself I can get through this.  At work I remind myself with quote's that help me to do my best, here are a couple of my favorites.

Aristotle "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work" 
Elbert Hubbard "The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today"
Winston Churchill "Success is not final, failure is not fatal:  It is the courage to continue that counts"​

06-24-2019 12:56

Great post!
Here is my Monday go to quote:
" Every job is a s self-portrait of the person who did it.
Autograph your work with excellence."

06-20-2019 11:19

​​Another great post Tammy! I always look at the glass as half full! ~I am definitely a fan of motivational quotes!
Here are a few of my favorites:
"Don't Bury your Failures, Let Them Inspire You...Robert Kiyosaki
"People Rarely Succeed Unless They Have Fun in What They Are Doing"...Dale Carnegie
"Your Talent Determines What You Can Do
Your Motivation Determines How Much You Are Willing To Do
Your Attitude Determines How Well You Do It"...Lou Holtz
"Go As Far As You Can See, And You Will See Further"...Zig Ziglar
"Coming Together is A Beginning
Keeping Together is Progress
Working Together is Success"...Henry Ford
"Fall 7 Times, Stand Up  8"...Japanese proverb
"Your Imagination Is Your Preview of Life's Coming Attractions"...Albert Einstein

Everyone have a great day!









06-17-2019 16:09

​Tammy,
thanks for the great blog!  I have a couple of quotes I use as my "go-to's".
I am a huge Packers fans so they are both from Vince Lombardi but I think applicable to any situation:
  • "It is easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're number one.  What you got to have is faith and discipline when you're NOT a winner."
  • "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."