Three Quotes That Have Changed My Life
And will dramatically improve your own
In June of 2020, I walked away from my job in private equity to radically redesign my life. I had no idea what I was going to do next, I just knew that something needed to change.
For nearly 12 months, I had felt like I was slowly letting myself down. I knew I could make a difference in the world by sharing ideas and connecting with people, yet instead, I was wasting away behind a computer screen. My biggest fear wasn’t that I was going to quit my job and flounder; it was that I would never have the courage to take action and change my life.
I had nightmares of waking up at age 40, asking myself what happened? I’d wake up sweating after imagining myself looking at my future self in the mirror and asking when did I settle?
But this story has a happy ending. I was finally able to muster up the courage and step into the unknown. Now, a year and a half after my leap of faith, I want to share three quotes that have played a monumental role in my journey.
1.) “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anais Nin
This quote pairs exceptionally well with something I once heard from Naval Ravikant. It went something like this:
Imagine that your life is a superhero movie and you are the protagonist. Do you want the film you are starring in to be dull and boring? Or do you want it to be exciting, transformational, and full of action? Seriously, did you ever see a movie where the boy sits next to the beautiful girl on a bus and didn’t strike up a conversation? No, cause that movie would suck.
Whenever I find myself in a situation requiring courage I repeat this quote to myself. It helps me find courage by reminding me that taking bold action is often the prerequisite to an extraordinary life.
2.) “You accrue incremental wisdom as you implement your flawed plan” — Jordan B. Peterson
If I could share one idea with every human being on the planet, it would be this one.
These 10 words have changed the trajectory of my entire life by transforming me from a detail-oriented perfectionist (who never shared his work) to someone who repeatedly publishes projects that are only 90% polished. It gave me permission to start living my dream of becoming an entrepreneur, reassuring me that I would figure things out as I went.
From starting The Dare to Dream Podcast with the legendary Vincent Van Patten to building a successful nonprofit and raising $65K in two months, I had no idea what I was doing. But this quote permitted me to take the first step, and once I did, I started figuring out everything I needed to know along the way.
3.) “The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.” — Stephen King
Have you ever started a project or finally gotten around to something you’ve been putting off for weeks and then had the thought, wow — this isn’t so bad?
It’s often the anticipation of the event, not the event itself, that slowly kills us. Before we begin, we have to grapple with Resistance, which Steven Pressfield describes as the negative force in the world that keeps us from fulfilling our dreams. Resistance is the little voice inside our heads that asks what if it doesn’t work?
But what if you asked a different question instead? What if you followed the advice of my dear friend Vincent Van Patten and instead asked, What If It Turns Out Better than You Could Have Possibly Dreamed of?
All we need is to get in motion. Once we are in the arena, and our face is marred with dust and sweat, and blood, things can only get better. There is no greater feeling than progressing toward our goals and once we are in motion, it’s going to take a lot more than a little Resistance to stop us. All we have to do is take that first step and get started.
And since you made it this far, here’s a bonus quote:
“Do it scared. Do it unprepared. And then do it again” — Coach Sean Smith
Good luck and please get started immediately. The world needs to see what you are going to create.
Did I say anything that made you smile, pause, or ponder? If so, follow me on medium and check out my website to get to know me better. I’m a coach, a podcast host, and you can join my newsletter, Weekly Wonderings, for Monday morning motivation!