Inspirational Monday - Quotes

As in times past, I won't bore you with what I have to say; instead, I will let these quotes speak for themselves:

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. ~Albert Schweitzer

The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us but those who win battles we know nothing about. ~Unknown

Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?' ~Brian Tracy

Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out. ~Robert Collier

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. ~Steve Jobs

Be happy with what you have while working for what you want. ~Helen Keller

Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. ~George S. Patton

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely. ~Henry Ford

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Finding Happiness

Published with permission from +Colby Brown on Google+

Too often I see people searching for happiness by focusing on external tangibles. If I got this job, I would be happy. If I met this person, I would be happy. If I was a good photographer, I would be happy.

Happiness comes from within. It is perspective on life. If there is one thing I have learned through all of my travels as a photographer, it is that one doesn't need any of these "things" to be happy. After all, some of the happiest people I have ever met have had nothing.

"Remember happiness is a way of travel, not a destination" ~Roy Goodman

www.colbybrownphotography.com
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Inspirational Video - The Law of Attraction

This video is slow, and may even seem long; but I think its message is nice and in line with "Inspirational Mondays".

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEqdr_Awdak

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Inspirational Monday Quotes

I won't bore you with what I have to say, and instead allow these quotes to speak for themselves:

“Fall seven times; stand up eight.” – Japanese proverb

“You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.” – Joseph Campbell

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

“All is flux, nothing stays still.” – Heraclitus

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.” – James Joyce

“I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.” – Plutarch

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus

“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else” – Judy Garland

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

“The mind can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven” – John Milton

“Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” – James Oppenheim  ▣

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Inspirational Monday Quotes

It's been a while since I added any inspirational quotes, and given that it's Thanksgiving week, it's only appropriate.

I hope you enjoy the following 2 quotes as much as I have:

Photo from Flickr

There are many who are living far below their possibilities because they are continually handing over their individualities to others.
Do you want to be a power in the world? Then be yourself. Be true to the highest within your soul and then allow yourself to be governed by no customs or conventionalities or arbitrary man-made rules that are not founded on principle.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Quote & Photo from Zeenat's Blog

It is by going down into the abyss
that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble,there lies your treasure.

~Joseph Campbell~

Got inspirational quotes to share? Your comments are always welcome.  ▣


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A Quote on Communication

Amongst many others, a company's culture can be measured by observing its inner communication. And in my opinion, to overcome most communication issues requires no more than some common courtesy, respect and consideration.

Given some of the horrendous communication I've observed most recently, I found the following quote very inspirational:

A team is two or more people w/ two things in common: a shared goal and good communication. ~Chuck Bowman

How can you tell if you have good communication within a group? The following, taken from Dyepot Teapot, is really essential within any kind of structure, hierarchical or not:

Good Communication

People bring up questions and problems before they become crises.

Everyone involved is in agreement about each others’ roles and responsibilities.

People readily admit fault and take responsibility for their actions and decisions.

If a person doesn’t immediately have the answer to something, they state this and offer assistance finding the information (as appropriate to their role within the group).

When a person does have answers or information, they share it readily, and don’t use that knowledge to gain more power or control.

Bad Communication

People seem to be withholding concerns or questions, and others who observe this don’t attempt to engage them in the discussion.

Discussions quickly turn into arguments, which may or may not seem relevant to the original topic. (Think of a married couple’s fight on a sitcom.)

Group members often avoid talking to particular people when gathering information or making decisions (going around them).

Outsiders get the sense that there’s an elephant in the room (something on everyone’s minds that no one wants to talk about).

One of my colleagues often talks about how people’s personal and professional lives are linked, particularly when it comes to communication. Most of us enter the adult world with only the (sometimes dysfunctional) patterns we learned at home. It can really kill all of your interactions with other people to not pay attention to the quality of communication you have in each of the parts of your life.  ▣


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The Strangest Secret - A True & Inspirational Audio

This true and inspirational audio was recorded in the 1950's. It's truly worth listening to on a regular basis. I may even convert this to mp3, or see if I can find it, just to have it for myself. Hands down one the most inspirational things I've heard in a while.


iPhone & iTouch users can find the Google Video at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8448018326921957619

A huge thanks to Paul D. for posting this on Facebook for all his connections to see. I've not heard of this before, and I'm truly inspired by it. It's just as true today as it was 50+ years ago. I hope you find it just as inspirational.  ▣


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Inspirational Monday - Quotes

We all come across challenges in our lifetime. And occasionally, a word you hear from a family-member, a friend, on TV or on the Web can make the difference and give you the renewed commitment you need. Today's inspiration comes from a number of quotes I came across. Some I've heard before, and some were funny considering their source; while others were refreshingly new. I hope you find at least one that makes the difference you need.

Never consider the possibility of failure. As long as you persist, you will be successful. - Brian Tracy

Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow. - Robert T. Kiyosaki

To succeed, you need to take that gut feeling in what you believe and act on it with all of your heart. - Christy Borgeld

The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat. - Napoleon Hill

You don’t have to get it right; you just have to get it going. - Mike Litman

It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! - Rocky Balboa

For every problem you ever come across, sit down and brainstorm 10 different solutions. - Brian Tracy

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. - Zig Ziglar

I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work. - Thomas A. Edison

Keep the faith and just keep moving forward. Always remember, the more action you take, the more money you will make. The money will come, it’s almost impossible for it not to. You just have to keep working hard… - John Reese

The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. - Chinese Proverb

Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands. - Clint Eastwood

When you engage in systematic, purposeful action, using and stretching your abilities to the maximum, you cannot help but feel positive and confident about yourself. - Brian Tracy

I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. - Thomas A. Edison

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. - Henry Ford

The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started. - Dawson Trotman

Perfection does not exist - you can always do better and you can always grow. - Les Brown

He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. - Benjamin Franklin

Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly. - Robert H. Schuller

Do, or do not. There is no ‘try’. - Yoda

Bonus Funny Quote:

Here’s something to think about: How come you never see a headline like ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’? - Jay Leno

Inspirational Monday - Change

Today, I have two inspirational quotes I'd like to share:

"People can't live with change if there's not a changeless core inside them. The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value." --Stephen Covey

"Everybody has accepted by now that change is unavoidable. But that still implies that change is like death and taxes it should be postponed as long as possible and no change would be vastly preferable. But in a period of upheaval, such as the one we are living in, change is the norm." --Peter F. Drucker

In trying times like these, inspiration goes a long way. If you have inspirational pieces, pictures, video, etc. please write me back a comment with its location.