Throughout history, there been some pretty successful people who’ve said some pretty inspiring things. What makes their words so impactful is that most of the time, they’re based on their own experiences. After all, the best success stories don’t come from those who’ve had everything handed to them. They come from hard work, strength, and defying the odds.
If you feel like you’ve lost all progress toward your goals, look to the words of those who’ve been in your shoes to motivate yourself to keep going. Here are three quotes from some of the most successful people who’ve ever lived, to get you started.
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
Likely the greatest NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan is known for his competitive edge and unparalleled work ethic. It would’ve been easy for him to walk away from the game altogether after being cut from his high school basketball team, but what kind of story would that be? This setback only fueled his motivation to work harder than ever, and now he has six NBA championships, 10 scoring titles, and five MVP awards to show for it (along with a long list of other accomplishments).
What can we learn from this? Everyone struggles with obstacles on the road to success, even one of the best athletes to ever live. It’s how you overcome those obstacles that truly matters.
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you can never see the shadow.” – Hellen Keller
Staying positive in the face of adversity is an art that few have mastered, but Helen Keller is one of those rare few. She went deaf and blind when she was 19 months old and was forced to rely on touch alone to understand the world around her. Though this negative situation would consume most people’s lives, she achieved incredible things by learning to focus on the positives.
Our built-in negative bias has our brains wired to magnify the negatives and reduce the positives. Recognizing negativity is the first step to changing your mindset. Follow Helen Keller’s lead and just keep facing the sun.
“You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” – Steve Jobs
Did you know that Steve Jobs founded Apple™ in his family’s garage with his friend from high school? They created their first product, the Apple I™, with the money they got from selling Jobs’ car (talk about a leap of faith!). At that time, there’s no way that they could’ve known they were creating the company that would change the future of technology forever.
Trusting the process is easier said than done. Most of us are worried about what’s going to happen tomorrow, not 10 years from now. Remember that hindsight is 20/20. It may not all make sense right now, but eventually you’ll look back and realize that everything had to happen for a specific purpose.
Many people who have become successful beyond their wildest dreams did it because they once listened to the inspiring words of someone they admired. Ultimately, you build your own success, but it never hurts to have some help along the way.
Success starts by being positive! Read our post to learn how to become a “glass half-full” type of person.
