Read These 5 Quotes Now
They Have The Power To Change Your Life
In my lifetime, I’ve lost over 100 pounds and consistently kept 80lbs off for 25 years. I once had the courage to break up with a jerk for treating me like trash, even though I was terrified I might never find love again, because I was obese. In 2019, at the ripe age of 49, I started a business. I’m still working this one out and loving the journey along the way. Everything worthwhile I’ve ever done started with a shift in mindset.
My ultimate pro tip for a better mindset is, once a new power thought is introduced and nurtured, over time, it will mature in your mind. The maturation of a new thought is the beginning of real change. And real change has the power to transform your life.
As an avid reader, I’m always expanding my mindset with new ideas, but there are five core beliefs I return to without fail. These five beliefs have transformed my life and empowered me to go after my dreams.
If you are feeling broken, lost, and unmotivated, read these five quotes and begin the process of strengthening your mindset. Remember, real change takes as long as it takes. These quotes are meant to inspire you. Commit to the process by doing the hard work- whatever that looks like for you.
Sometimes hard work takes the form of saying no to over scheduling your days, or driving past that mom and pop donut shop. It could be as challenging as finding a therapist and showing up to do the work. Whatever changes you are after, accept the fact that change rarely happens overnight. It often involves growing pains. Transformation can take days or decades. No matter the timeline, believe you are worth every second and start right where you are.
FYI, it’s my professional responsibility to tell you that I am not a guru or therapist. I’m just a woman who’s been wounded by life and received therapy- lots of therapy. My future was almost derailed by a grown man who preyed on me as a child. That started my journey to heal my mind and find peace. You can visit some of my other articles if you want to learn more about my story.
As I was saying, no one needs another quasi guru telling them, “If you think this or do that for 90 days you will get the life you’ve always dreamed of”. Many of us fall prey to these scams, especially when we are weak and vulnerable. It happens to the best of us. I have fallen victim to a few emotional scams in my lifetime. Nothing I’ve ever purchased or tried from a scam, has produced lasting, healthy results.
What really worked for me? Well, after nearly 50 years on this complex orb, I can only tell you that real transformation happened for me and millions like me when I changed my mindset.
“It took nearly two decades for me to realize that wounded people tend to think wounded thoughts and behave in wounded ways.”
I can only think as far as my experiences have taken me. What thoughts do you find limiting? Is your mind in need of an overhaul? Here are five power quotes to introduce into your meditation/ prayer time. These quotes are forever in my arsenal and housed neatly in my journal. It makes for easier access. You may want to screen shot each one or write and post them where you can see them often.
5 Life changing quotes
1.…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34 b)
This powerhouse verse is emblazoned across my soul. I also wrote it on a note card and taped it to my mirror. This quote made me realize I was speaking (and living) from a handful of painful experiences. In my youth, I believed I was unattractive and unlovable because of my weight. As a result, I made fat jokes about myself before anyone else could. I also found it normal to talk about poverty and my constant mistrust of others.
These experiences were all I knew at the time, they flowed easily from my heart to my mouth.
This quote made me realize, I was speaking from an abundance of childhood trauma and hardship. I lived this way until I looked outside of my experiences and researched how other people do it differently. Learning how to get healthy and value myself did not invalidate my life experiences. Knowledge gave me options. I realized living through poverty does not mean I have to live in it. Having been overweight in the past does not mean my future can’t be healthy.
I started filling my mind with all things health and fitness, even while helplessly overeating. Over time, my thoughts and language shifted. I slowly became aware of saturated fats and grams of sugar in food. This newly acquired information cemented its way into my thinking. I eventually started behaving in ways that transformed my life and health. I filled my mind with new ways to think and be. This quote transformed the way I live life. It can do the same for you.
2. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.– Confucius
Confucius gives us all permission to kick the comparison game to the curb! Real change takes however long it takes. I found it easier and quicker to learn about saving a portion of all I earn. My poverty mindset was forever altered. Meanwhile, I’m still fighting to extract myself from the people pleasing trap child abuse dropped me in. I’m not sure I will ever see a fully healed version of myself. And that’s okay. I have to give myself grace and time to heal. Extend yourself that same grace. If the process is slow, respect it. Your only job is to stay the course and DO NOT STOP.
3. The Secret of getting ahead is getting started. Mark Twain
There isn’t a lot to explain about this quote. It’s the kick in the pants we all need from time to time. I wish I could say I have honored this one perfectly. I haven’t. What I have done is allow my fears to hold me hostage for too long. Have you found this to be true for you?
Getting started requires courage. And that’s just the deposit. You may be required to gather time, savings, and information along the way. The beauty of what Mark is saying here is that you need to take one singular step to get started. That’s it. When you are finished taking one step, take another. I recall feeling so fearful to start my business at the ripe age of 49. I mean, who does that??? I did! The best part about birthing my company was it started with a single step. I did one thing and then I went to bed. Of course, I took another step the next day and the day after that. But it all started with a single step.
Let yourself off the hook ,and stop thinking about losing all 50 pounds or making your first million. Whatever gigantic mission you are on, just take a step in that direction. Eat healthy today and save 10 percent of your pay tomorrow. Keep taking one more step and then another. The real secret to getting ahead and achieving your goal is to get started!
4. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle
When I look out at the expanse of my life, I realize I got here by habit. Love it or hate it, our lives reflect our habits. Habit is to blame habit for my current health status, relationships and the bulk of my being. It’s almost frightening to realize how much power is held in one’s habits. The comfort comes in knowing that new habits hold the same power to transform your life.
It’s easy to say if you don’t like what you see, change your habits. It’s much harder to change your habits quickly. I’ve heard it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a year to make the change. If that’s the case, none of us have time to waste. What habit(s) would you like to break or incorporate into your life?
Oxford dictionary defines habit as, “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.”
Notice the part about “hard to give up”? I like to think of habits as having a life force of their own. Habits want to live and exist at all cost. Breaking a bad habit is like injuring a part of yourself. You feel the pain of that injury. I have experienced real pain while breaking a bad habit. I mourn its loss. I second guess myself and generally feel miserable in the process. Habit breaking is not for the faint of heart. It’s a long and intense process. So why do it- ever?
Just imagine what your life would like if you dropped that bad habit and put a really amazing one its place.
The beauty of a good habit is it works the same. Good habit are equally hard to give up. Once formed, good habit fights to live in you. It will pain you to walk away from it. A good habit has the power to transform your life. Identify the good habits you want to form and begin the process. They will reshape your life for the better.
5. “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
This quote still give rings true. I stumbled across it decades ago in undergrad. I included this exact quote in my teaching portfolio because it summed up why I wanted to become a teacher. Thankfully, this bit of wisdom seeped into the other areas of my life . It has become my motto in business and a part of my faith.
I think the best example of this quote in action is Starbucks®. Now I know I can make a good cup of coffee at home. Homemade coffee literally costs pennies on the dollar. I go to Starbucks® because they make me feel welcomed and wanted. It’s the reason I never minded paying several dollars for a cup of joe.
What if you applied this quote to your profession, family, and faith? What if you applied this to yourself ? Maya want us to remember the power of our words and actions towards others. This power comes with great responsibility. We have to be careful not to intentionally wound others with our words and actions. She reminds us that they will “never forget”. Those who are verbally and physically abused never forget the abuse and who it made them feel. Their wounds may heal, but the scars remain for a lifetime. Let this quote become a life changing habit of treating others with kindness and respect. This quote will not only transform your life, but the lives of others.
These five quotes are loaded with seeds of wisdom. Allow each one to have its time and space in your mind. There is no rush to master them in a day. Whether you choose to focus on one, or all five over time, your life will be changed in ways you never thought possible.
I wish you grace and peace on your journey to a new mindset.