My Top 10 Motivational Quotes
Lately, life has been challenging me in ways I never prepared for.
In the past six months, I’ve lost two friends to two separate causes. One struggled with depression, the other was a mysterious natural cause. Both were complete surprises. Both hurt like I was never alive until I felt how gone they were and then for the first time ever I’m hit with this consuming feeling called grief.
I cried so much both times. I cried deeply because I was so grateful for having met them. I cried even more for having lost them. “This a pain I never want to feel again,” I said. But I know that’s not how life works. There are ups and downs to this roller coaster. It’s never going to balance out the way we want it to. Therefore, I’m sharing 10 of my closest kept motivational quotes that has made me who I am today and will continue to make me who I am tomorrow.
- “Uncertainty is the only certainty there is.” — John Allen Paulos.
Life is how life is always going to be. Uncertain. We can’t count on life to save us from mishaps, but we can count on life to throw us into a loop when we’re most comfortable. The best thing I learned to do to counteract this is to roll with the punches. Get hit, get up, get going.
2. “Everyone dies, but not everyone lives.” — William Ross Wallace.
Dying’s guaranteed. Living’s not. Book that vacation, confess your feelings, eat an extra slice. Since I read this quote years ago, I’ve been motivated to make decisions I won’t ever regret. Though, I’ll be honest not all of them were perfect. Some were literally for fun and just that — pure fun. But I think that’s what life is sometimes, you gotta have fun.
3. “Low expectations, high responsibilities.” — Me.
It’s easy to lose your patience and become frustrated when you have high expectations that are not easily met. I trained myself to be more patient and to keep trying, hopelessly sometimes, but at least I’m still trying.
4. “Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it comes and sits on your shoulder.” — Henry David Thoreau.
5. “There are times where I wish I was where I was back when I wished I was here.” — Drake (yes the rapper).
It’s not a secret I’m a huge Drake fan girl. This is a direct line from his song Emotionless. Think back five years ago, where did you think you were going to be today? Today I wish I was where I was five years ago. I don’t always wish this. In fact, I rarely do, but just for today I do.
6. “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” — Oscar Wilde.
I freaking I love myself and I hope you do too.
7. “Where ever you are, be there.” — Jim Rohn.
A little over a year ago, I used to space out when I hung out with my friends after a long day. We would hang out all the time, every night almost. I took their time for granted. I thought of them like background noise or a body to fill an empty chair. I was somehow there but not there. Never again will I be absentminded. I vow to be present and to value every exchange I have.
8. “You get what you have the courage to ask for.” — Oprah Winfrey.
I think having courage is comes naturally when you’re a woman living in a man’s world. But I personally believe courage is the bare minimum anybody should exercise to attain what they desire.
9. “I cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good I can do.” — Jana Stanfield.
10. “You can lie to me, you can lie to your mother, but you cannot lie to yourself.” — My dad.
This is by far my favorite quote of all time. Nothing in particular happened in my life that made my father say this to me. He told me this when I was barely 11 years old. I was surprisingly a good kid and I always listened whenever he’d share his wisdom. My dad isn’t a man of many words, so I took every opportunity I had to soak in his knowledge.
I don’t condone lying or cheating, but if you’re going to do either — don’t do it to yourself. There’s no point in trying to cheat your way out of a test and get a grade you did not earn rightfully. It’s only going to catch up with you and it doesn’t have kind words to say. Same with lying. When we speak, our words have weight. It carries through our listener’s minds. It can carry in our own minds too. There’s no reason to spiel lies to others only to have ourselves believe them to be true when they’re not.
Thank you for reading my top 10 motivational quotes!
