Friday 27 December 2013

Inspirational Quotes

Inspirational quotes and motivational quotes have the power to get us through a bad week, and can even give us the courage to pursue our life’s dreams. In my book, 4 Keys to Happiness and Fulfillment at Work, I share surprising research into the true triggers of workplace motivation. So in the spirit of self motivation, here are 100 inspirational quotes.

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. –Napoleon Hill
Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. –Albert Einstein
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. –Robert Frost
I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse. –Florence Nightingale
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. –Wayne Gretzky
I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. –Michael Jordan
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. –Emelia Earhart
Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth
Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. –W. Clement Stone
The past is a ghost, the future a dream. All we ever have is now. –Bill Cosby
Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. –John Lennon
We become what we think about. –Earl Nightingale
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover. –Mark Twain
Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. –Charles Swindoll
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. –Alice Walker
The mind is everything. What you think you become. –Buddha
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb
An unexamined life is not worth living. –Socrates
Eighty percent of success is showing up. –Woody Allen
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs
Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. –Vince Lombardi
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. –Stephen Covey
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. –Pablo Picasso
You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Christopher Columbus
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou
Either you run the day, or the day runs you. –Jim Rohn
Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. –Henry Ford
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The best revenge is massive success. –Frank Sinatra
People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily. –Zig Ziglar
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. –Anais Nin
If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. –Vincent Van Gogh
There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. –Aristotle
Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. –Jesus
The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me. –Erma Bombeck
Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him. –Booker T. Washington
Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart. – Ancient Indian Proverb
Believe you can and you’re halfway there. –Theodore Roosevelt
Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. –George Addair
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. –Plato
Teach thy tongue to say, “I do not know,” and thous shalt progress. –Maimonides
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. –Arthur Ashe
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. –John Lennon
Fall seven times and stand up eight. –Japanese Proverb
When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. –Helen Keller
Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see. –Confucius
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne Frank
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. –Lao Tzu
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. –Maya Angelou
Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions. –Dalai Lama
If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on. –Sheryl Sandberg
First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end. –Aristotle
If the wind will not serve, take to the oars. –Latin Proverb
You can’t fall if you don’t climb. But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground. –Unknown
We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained. –Marie Curie
Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. –Les Brown
Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. –Joshua J. Marine
If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. –Booker T. Washington
I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. –Leonardo da Vinci
Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless. –Jamie Paolinetti
You take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing, no one to blame. –Erica Jong
What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do. –Bob Dylan
I didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong. –Benjamin Franklin
In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. –Bill Cosby
A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it. –Chinese Proverb
There are no traffic jams along the extra mile. –Roger Staubach
It is never too late to be what you might have been. –George Eliot
You become what you believe. –Oprah Winfrey
I would rather die of passion than of boredom. –Vincent van Gogh
A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. –Unknown
It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings. –Ann Landers
If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money. –Abigail Van Buren
Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs. –Farrah Gray
The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself–the invisible battles inside all of us–that’s where it’s at. –Jesse Owens
Education costs money. But then so does ignorance. –Sir Claus Moser
I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear. –Rosa Parks
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. –Confucius
If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough. –Oprah Winfrey
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. –Dalai Lama
You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. –Maya Angelou
Dream big and dare to fail. –Norman Vaughan
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. –Martin Luther King Jr.
Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. –Teddy Roosevelt
If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. –Tony Robbins
Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. –Gloria Steinem
It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live. –Mae Jemison
You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try. –Beverly Sills
Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. –Eleanor Roosevelt
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be. –Grandma Moses
The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. –Ayn Rand
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. –Henry Ford
It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. –Abraham Lincoln
Change your thoughts and you change your world. –Norman Vincent Peale
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. –Benjamin Franklin
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, “I’m possible!” –Audrey Hepburn
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. –Steve Jobs
If you can dream it, you can achieve it. –Zig Ziglar

LIFE PRINCIPLES

What Are Basic Life Principles?

1. Design

Understanding the specific purposes for which God created each person, object, and relationship in my life and living in harmony with them. Thanking God for my design brings Self-Acceptance.

2. Authority

Honoring the responsibilities of parents, church leaders, government, and other authorities and learning how God works through them to provide direction and protection. Honoring my authorities brings Inward Peace.

3. Responsibility

Realizing I am accountable to God for every thought, word, action, and motive. Asking forgiveness of those I offend brings a Clear Conscience.

4. Suffering

Allowing the hurts from offenders to reveal “blind spots” in my own life, and then seeing how I can benefit their lives. Fully forgiving offenders brings Genuine Joy.

5. Ownership

Understanding that everything I have has been entrusted to me by God, and wisely using it for His purposes. Yielding my rights to God brings True Security.

6. Freedom

Enjoying the desire and power to do what is right, rather than claiming the privilege to do what I want. Regaining ground surrendered to sin brings Moral Purity.

7. Success

Discovering God’s purpose for my life by engrafting Scripture in my heart and mind, and using it to “think God’s thoughts” and make wise decisions. Meditating on Scripture brings Life Purpose.

1. Believe the record that through faith in Christ, you have received eternal life.

1 John 5:10-13 “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Remember that you are now a living testimony of the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The life of Christ is in you, the believer. Are you sure you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour?

2. Love God and Others.

Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength according to Mark 12:30, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Love your neighbor as yourself as commanded in Mark 12:31, “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandments greater than these." Make these the highest goals of your new life in Christ. There is nothing you can possibly do greater than these in your life. Ask the Lord to help you love more and more. 1 Thessalonians 3:12, "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:"

3. Read and study your Bible, memorizing portions that are helpful to you.

Give special attention to the promises of God. Meditate on these and they will be food for your soul. 1 Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Remember that the Word of God, the 1611 King James Bible, is the light to your path. Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." It is the weapon of our warfare against temptation, Ephesians 6:17, "And take ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

4. Pray daily to God, your heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank Him for all things. Ephesians 5:20, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Praise God for His blessings. Ask God to give you victory over sin and weakness. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Pray for the needs of others when praying for your own needs. Remember that your prayer life will keep you spiritually strong and growing. Don't recite prayers. Pray and talk to God from your heart in your own words with respect.

5. Confess the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour as often as you can.

Water Baptism by immersion is the first step to take in confessing Christ, see Acts 8:36-38. Continue confessing Christ to others. Matthew 10:32, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." Use every opportunity you have to tell others what the Lord Jesus Christ has done in your life. Try to lead them to accept Christ as their Saviour as you did.

6. Avoid temptations.

The Bible tells us that they will come. But we must be careful not to walk in their path. Psalms 1:1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." When temptations arise, remember that God has promised a way of escape for those who faithfully serve and obey Him. 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Pray that the Lord will help you avoid temptation. Matthew 6:13, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Jesus quoted Scripture when the devil was tempting Him. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Learn Scriptures that pertain to your weaknesses and memorize them. Quote them often.

7. Witness to others about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Many today do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Who will tell them? Romans 10:13-14, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" The believer’s greatest joy is the privilege of telling the good news of the Gospel to every creature. Witnessing for Christ is not only a blessed privilege but a divine command, Matthew 4:19, "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." The Lord will use you to win souls to Him.

8. Serve the Lord with gladness.

Psalms 100:2, "Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing." God has a regular ministry for every believer. (Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-21.) Assemble regularly in a Bible-believing, separated church. Hebrews 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Invest your time, talents and money for eternity. Colossians 3:1-3, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."

9. Stand firmly on the Word of God.

(See Ephesians 6:10-18.) Beware of false teachers and false doctrines. 2 Peter 2:1-3 "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." Test everything by the Word of God, not by experience. Isaiah 8:20, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Remember that God has promised the victory to those who honor Him and His Holy Word. 1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

10. Commune with the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:14 "... the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." Get to know the Holy Spirit as personal as you know the Father and the Son. He is a person. John 16:13, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." Talk to Him. Commune with Him. Ask Him to help you with all the things mentioned on this leaflet. Do not try these things in your own flesh, but with the help of the Spirit. Galatians 3:3, "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" 2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

11. Be a separated Christian.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Not only should we be separated from unbelievers, but our Lord prayed for us to be separated from the evil in this world. John 17:15-16 says, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” Be an answer to Jesus’ prayer, stay away from evil. Try to win unbelievers to Christ but be separated from them and their lifestyle. 1 Timothy 5:22, “...keep thyself pure.”

12. Forgive each other.

All of us have been hurt by somebody in our life. Some to a small degree, some very greatly. We, too, have offended a Holy God and our sins led Christ to die for us ... yet ... the Lord forgave us. We are to follow His example. Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Take a moment and read the story about forgiveness in Matthew 18:23-35 in your Bible.

1. Our intimacy with God – His highest priority for our lives – determines the impact of our lives.
More about Our Intimacy with God
2. Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.
More about A Life of Obedience
3. God’s Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.
More about Our Anchor in Times of Storm
4. The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.
More about Energized by His Presence
5. God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.
More about The Unreasonable Will of God
6. You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.
More about The Principle of Sowing and Reaping
7. The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.
More about The Dark Moments in our Life
8. Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.
More about Fight Your Battles on Your Knees
9. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.
More about The Thrill of Trusting God
10. If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will.
More about God Will Show You His Will
11. God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.
More about His Promise to Provide
12. Peace with God is the fruit of oneness with God.
More about The Key to Continued Peace
13. Listening to God is essential to walking with God.
More about Listening to God – Walking with God
14. God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
More about God Acts on our Behalf
15. Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.
More about God’s Pathway of Brokenness
16. Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.
More about When Plans Turn to Ashes
17. We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.
More about Standing Tall and Strong Through Prayer
18. As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances.
More about Victim or Victor?
19. Anything you hold too tightly, you will lose.
More about Holding Too Tightly
20. Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.
More about Overcoming Discouragement
21. Obedience always brings blessing.
More about Obedience Always Brings Blessings
22. To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit.
More about Walking In The Holy Spirit
23. You can never outgive God.
More about You Can Never Outgive God
24. To live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us.
More about The Key to the Christian Life
25. God blesses us so that we might bless others.
More about Passing on God’s Blessing
26. Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.
More about Burden or Bridge
27. Prayer is life’s greatest time saver.
More about Prayer: Our Time-Saver
28. No Christian has ever been called to “go it alone” in his or her walk of faith.
More about Together In the Christian Life
29. We learn more in our valley experiences than on our mountaintops.
More about The Valley Experiences In Our Life
30. An eager anticipation of the Lord’s return keeps us living productively.
More about Anticipating The Lord’s Return