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quote series

In The Words of Earl Nightingale

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In The Words of Earl Nightingale

Today I’m drawing on the works of Earl Nightingale, a radio broadcaster and author who rose to his calling in the 1940’s and 50’s.

Nightingale’s story is one of rags to riches. He spent his childhood in the Tent City district in California, joined the US Marine Corps at the age of 17, and after WWII developed into a talented speaker, author and broadcaster.

Nightingale’s work is prolific. He wrote more than 7,000 essays and recorded over 10,000 radio shows in his lifetime.

So here are a few quotes from his works which I hope you will find inspiring, insightful or maybe even a little challenging! [Read more…] about In The Words of Earl Nightingale

The Quote Series: 5 Quotes To Inspire Your Future

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5 Quotes To Inspire Your Future

Having our future isn’t a given, although we all take for granted the idea that our lives will stretch out into the future, affording us the time, energy and resources to do the things we want to do ‘someday’. But it’s an often repeated cliché that the only time we really have is now.

But what does that really mean for us?

For me, being aware of my ‘now’ and how that, through my daily actions and lack of action, is creating my future produces an awareness of what I’m doing, and how it is leading me in one direction or another. And most importantly, is that direction the way I want to go?

With this in mind, I went in search of some quotes that would help us define and really live our ‘nows’ so that our futures become the space and reality we would like them to be. And, if our future turns out to be more terminal than we had anticipated, by living the message of these quotes, we will at the very least have lived a life that was worth celebrating.

Aubrey Hepburn

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

I love this eclectic mix of beliefs from Aubrey Hepburn. It reminds me to go with my own particular oddities and not to worry about what others think. It also reminds me that I can let go of the things that don’t serve me on any particular day, wake up tomorrow and start afresh. We all need this reminder sometimes.

For a bit of fun, I decided to rewrite Audrey’s quote using my own words. What do you think?

I believe in sky-blue. I believe that laughing is the best antidote to negativity. I believe in kissing, but I believe in hugging even more. I believe in being strong but that there is strength in vulnerability. I believe that there is power in the laughter of children. I believe that tomorrow is another day and miracles appear when you’re ready to see them.

[Read more…] about The Quote Series: 5 Quotes To Inspire Your Future

The Quote Series: Why It’s Good To Be Self-Disciplined

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cakeThe word ‘discipline’ can have many negative connotations.  We can associate it with being restricted in some way or being prevented from doing that which we want to do, it can also be associated with corporal punishment and therefore with pain.  Is it any wonder then that today’s society is perceived as lacking the discipline of our forebears?

Nowadays we are perceived as a generation of people who, through lack of discipline or knowledge or peer and/or media pressure seek instant gratification, forgoing the foresight to assess the results of our current actions on our future selves.

Maybe our society, in an effort to ‘be all things to all men’ has become too liberal, or maybe we’ve just forgotten the benefits of a disciplined life and the long term advantages this can have for us, or, by contrast, the difficulties which await us in the future should we choose to live an un-disciplined life now.

Below I’ve picked out a few quotes which delve into the subject of discipline, with an emphasis on why it’s so important.  A key concept to remember though is that discipline isn’t something we ‘do’ to other people.  Instead, the emphasis is on self-discipline, which, in time sends out a clear message to those around us about our values and underlies our personal integrity.  It is also likely that our self-discipline will ‘rub off’ on those around us, especially our children who, of course, learn from our actions. [Read more…] about The Quote Series: Why It’s Good To Be Self-Disciplined

The Quote Series: 5 Quotes to Live By

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stopnotToday I’m taking a little delve into my quotes book and have picked out five quotes which I personally find inspiring.  I hope you like them too!

Accept responsibility for your life.  Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.  Les Brown.

How often do we take personal responsibility for what happens to us?  Not just in the sense of wanting to be successful, but in the broader sense of looking at our immediate or wider circumstances?  If we’re facing a problem, do we look at it and wonder to ourselves what part have I played in this?  How could I have contributed to the circumstances that have created this experience that I am now living?

Take some time with this concept, because the more we ponder, absorb and accept its true meaning, the more freedom we will experience. [Read more…] about The Quote Series: 5 Quotes to Live By

The Quote Series: Procrastination

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ProcrastinationToday I’m going back to basics and taking a look at procrastination through the eyes of a number of influential and/or famous people.

Procrastination is a problem for a lot of people.  Sometimes it’s just an occasional problem but for others it can be a chronic habit that causes difficulties in many areas of their lives.

Napoleon Hill describes procrastination in terms that we will all find familiar:

Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday. 

Like many people, I recognise myself in this quote, although I don’t procrastinate over everything.  Some tasks are appealing enough in their own way and I need nothing more than for the task to present itself for me to take action.  But sometimes, even tasks that I find appealing fall out of favour and I find myself putting things off.

Why do we procrastinate?

I love this quote from Christopher Parker which illustrates one of the reasons why we procrastinate:

Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.

Imagine all the fun, exciting or relaxing things we can be doing instead of getting on with the task that we know we should be doing.  By ‘should’, I don’t mean things like getting the washing up done or washing the car.  Instead I’m thinking of those things that will bring us longer term enjoyment and gratification.  Our problem is that we’ve become a generation who are obsessed with instant gratification.  If it doesn’t please us right now, then we don’t want to wait, consequently taking action on our long term goals is delayed.  We take our fun now, and then have to live with the long term consequences. [Read more…] about The Quote Series: Procrastination