Quotes can have a powerful effect on our psyche, and can sometimes be the life changing words that wakes us up to ourselves! They can help keep us safe and healthy (an apple a day…), they can be a calming influence or they can help to push us along on our journey. In this first post of a periodic series, I’m going to share with you some of the quotes that have influenced my journey.
The Life Changing Words
I’ll start today with a quote from a giant of the 20th century, Henry Ford, who was quoted as saying:
If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
This is probably the first (of what would become many life changing words) that actually hit me between the eyes, woke me up and truly started me on my journey of change. Up until this point, I pretty much carried on as usual and actually expected to get different and better results. I just thought I needed to do more of the same, never realising that by doing more, I would get more of the same result, good or bad! The definition of insanity from Einstein is also pertinent here… “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”!
Finding the Way by Mistake
Long before Mr Ford’s quote entered my consciousness, I actually stumbled upon the effect that making a change to my behaviour could have on me, by successfully completing my accountancy exams. Yes, in my day job I’m an accountant, but for many years I struggled to find the time and energy to apply the required commitment to actually pass the exams.
At that time I had a young family and a full time job and I would come home from work and be immediately distracted by domestic and childcare duties. By the time the children were in bed, there was no energy left for study. This routine carried on for a long time and my results were at best, mediocre. But somewhere in that melee, I decided that if I was ever going to pass the exams, something needed to change.
Experimenting With Change
I tried a number of different techniques, from attending evening classes to locking myself away in my bedroom. Neither of these worked very well because the former still required that I study after getting home from work, and the latter meant that I was still accessible to the family and domestic demands.
No, the answer for me was to remove myself entirely from my home for the duration of my study periods. After some trial and error, I eventually achieved this by leaving work at 5pm each evening, heading straight to the local library and staying there until 7pm, before heading home. This may seem a bit excessive, and in some ways it was (particularly for my husband who had to hold the fort!), but in reality, our world didn’t crumble and after many difficult months, I achieved success and passed the exams!
Missing and then Finding the Lesson
That should have been a happy ending and also an opportunity to learn Mr Ford’s lesson. But unfortunately it would take a few more years before I once again realised that I had fallen back into the trap of doing the same things over and over while the results I desired eluded me.
The quote itself fully entered my consciousness when I once again started to question the direction my life was travelling. I had some ill-defined goals, but I was making poor progress and I realised that I needed to take a different approach. I needed to review what I’d been doing up until that point, continue with and do more of the good stuff, but completely strip out and change the stuff that was taking me in the wrong direction. This wasn’t an easy task to undertake; it required a lot of introspection, false starts and tough decisions. And if that’s not scary enough, it’s a lifetime’s work!
You see, there is no end to the doing, reviewing and course altering that’s needed to reach our goals!
Keeping it Small and Simple
But there is some good news; whilst I made a big behavioural change when studying for my exams, sometimes the changes we need to make are actually quite small on a daily basis.
As I’m an accountant, I’ll use the example of compound interest: by saving a little money regularly and often, never withdrawing the principal or the accumulated interest, our money will grow relatively quickly into a sizeable and worthwhile sum!
Here are a few more examples of how these life changing words can be applied to our lives. We could:
- Improve our health – a short daily walk + a daily apple
- Improve our wealth – as above!
- Improve our language skills – learn 10 new words a day of our chosen language
- Improve our self-esteem – listen to and repeat confidence affirmations daily
The possibilities are endless, and the beauty of it is that the actual changes are usually quite small, requiring little effort and/or time, but when compounded, the effect can and will be huge! The important thing to remember though is that whatever change we introduce, it needs to be different to or more than we’re currently doing for there to be a different outcome.
If you already walk to work for example, but want to drop a few pounds, you’re going to need to increase that walk a little to see any beneficial changes…because as Henry Ford reminds us… “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got”!
Do you have any life changing words? Words that have caused you to make a change? Or, where would you like to see some different results in your life? Care to share? Leave a comment and commit to making that change today! I promise to support you 🙂
Loved this article and it immediately brought to mind three words which, thanks to you, I have found so helpful….’Progress not perfection’. Simple but very effective!
So glad you like the article and I’m pleased to have been of help! Prefection should be crossed out of the dictionary since it’s impossible and causes problems for so many people. Just keep progressing Essy, I’m sure you’re getting a real buzz from the changes you’re achieving!
Right On Nicola! Where would we be without Quotes?! I especially love the oft-quoted Marianne Williamson & I mean Anything she says just really resonates with me. I think quotes serve to stimulate the greater discussion contained within them & to dislodge us from our galvanized ideas…at least that’s the effect they have on me. Thank you for your awesome blog…you have actually achieved something here where many others flounder- You provoke thought & discussion & I really appreciate your efforts.
“We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.”
― Marianne Williamson
Hi Michelle! Ah yes, I love that quote too, particularly the way it not only challenges us to think bigger, but actually forces us to see that we owe it to the world to be and do the best we can. Great words!
Thank you for your kind words also, I’m humbled and pleased that you are enjoying my posts 🙂
Hi Nicola,
In a similar vein, “doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result is insanity.” Areas that I want to have change is income and influence. The new things I’m trying this year are: become a Toastmaster, create an e-book with my daughter, blog regularly about brain health. Please support my efforts by commenting on my blog on topics that move you. http://www.teemingconnections.com
Thank you!
That’s a great choice of new things to try this year 🙂 I’m a member of a Speakers Club in the UK and thoroughly enjoy it! Let us know how you get on!
This is a terrific article! That Henry Ford quote is one that woke me up as well.
Thanks for this!
Hi Lynn, good to ‘see’ you! There’s lots more where that post came from – I love quotes, they can say so much in so few words!
Great post! One of my favorite quotes is, “If it is to be, it is up to me” – it reminds me that I am the only person who can make changes in my life.
Thanks Erica! That’s a great quote too, it’s all to easy to let others take control of our lives, but as you say, it you want something, you’re the only one who can really make it happen!