Top 15 Quotes

The following will be a list of my 15 favorite quotes on motivation and inspiration. In the coming days, I will review a new quote every few days, with a short paragraph on my thoughts in regards to the quote. Come back every few days to discover the next quote and let’s grow together.

1. “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” Theodore Roosevelt

This is a great quote to start off with. If you’re going to get and stay motivated, you have to have direction. I named my coaching business after a similar theme that Teddy is speaking of here.or Dreaming Big, is a key to success. If your goals aren’t far off enough to stretch you, you won’t do everything you can to reach them. But, how important it is to stay grounded, and work on each day as it comes. You won’t reach the stars until you master the everyday.

2.“Quality is not an act, it is a habit” – Aristotle

This quote is a great follow up to #1. If you want to reach your big dreams, it takes relentless pursuit, a habit of the highest quality of commitment you can give. It takes not just short term periods of production, but a lifestyle of giving your best.

3.“If you can dream it, you can do it.” - Walt Disney

4.“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” -Tony Robbins

We continue with our theme with two great quotes. The first step to success is determining where you want to go. The key is that we are able to achieve more than we give ourselves credit for. I truly believe if you can dream it, you can do it. And you can reach what was previously thought as invisible or unthinking, IF you’re willing to make the necessary sacrifices.

(Now that we have our goals, and are motivated to get there, let’s get inspired on ways to keep the right mindset so we can achieve.)

5.“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows” - Ralph Marston

So simple, yet so hard for many to grasp and drive home. Success is built on the day in and day out small progresses. Each one builds on the other like a snowball effect until you’ve reached the goal.

6.“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”- Derek Jeter

This one should hit home to everyone reading this. There is always going to be someone with more talent or some advantage to start out with. But there is no reason you can’t over come it, and that is done by hard work, day in and day out.

7.“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” – Confucius

If your will is steadfast, your desire fervent, and your urge like life and death, you can over come any adversity.

8.“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” - Aldous Huxley

9.“Everybody thinks. That everybody knows. About everybody else. Nobody knows. Anything about themselves. Cause they’re all worried about everybody else. – Jack Johnson (Singer/Songwriter)

Another double quote for today, these go together well on today’s theme. I love the lyrics from Jack Johnson, it comes from a song of his, (Wasting Time), but paints such a clear picture. If you worry about everyone else, you’re never going to achieve your true potential and really know yourself. Stop worrying about what so and so is doing in their workouts, and go execute yours to the best of your ability.

10."If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough." - Mario Andretti

I love this one. It defines what it takes to be at the top. The most successful people don’t get to the top because they settled when they had everything under control. No, they continue to push the envelope and ride the edge of out of control. Endless pursuit for knowledge, self awareness, and efficiency for the best process.

11.“We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

This one might stop you in your tracks for a bit. It will get you thinking. Who are the 5 people you spend the most time with? They have a huge impact on the way you live your life. Simply put, they are either helping you become successful and reach your dreams, or they aren’t. I’m not telling you to cut yourself off from the world, but it would be wise to discus with your close friends/family what you’re after in life. Either bring them with you and help each other win, or decide to leave them behind. You can’t reach the top of the mountain if your foot is tied to a tree at the bottom.

12. "It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe." - Muhammad Ali

Speaking of reaching the mountain top, this paints another clear picture of the small things that surround you that will keep you from success. The small pebbles could be your friends/people in your life that pull you down. It could be the small inefficiencies like not getting enough sleep every night, or not drinking enough water. The little things we all can control but CHOOISE not to. Those little pebbles will trip you up before you ever really get started. Figure out what these things are in your life, and take them out of your shoe!

13. "Age is no barrier. It's a limitation you put on your mind." - Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Another great quote. This hits very close to home for me because I have the privilege to work with such a wide range of individuals in terms of age. Most will think of older adults with this quote, but it applies both ways. Sure, things seem to get harder as you age, and the world wants to put you in a box of what is possible. But we define what is possible. The same goes for the young adult. Just because I work with athletes that could be my grandparents, doesn’t mean I (we) can’t be successful. You don’t have to be up there in years to acquire knowledge and learn how to apply it to help others. Or to be successful in whatever realm of life you are pursuing. I’ll be the first to admit I struggled with this when I first started coaching. But it all comes down to believing in your own abilities, and when you commit all that you are to improving those abilities, it becomes very easy to believe in yourself. When you believe in yourself with full conviction, you persuade others to do the same in themselves.

14."Remember this. Hold on to this. This is the only perfection there is, the perfection of helping others. This is the only thing we can do that has any lasting meaning. This is why we're here." - Andre Agassi

15.“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 -Moses

I’ll leave this with two quotes that are very meaningful to me. I’ve told athletes before that I was “born to coach.” I truly believe that. But more so, I believe God created us to help others. And coaching is the playing field he has given me to do so. If you want to find lasting meaning in this life, find a way to help others during your journey to success. It’s not going to be easy, nothing worth doing ever is. But the good news is HE is with us, and will never forsake us. All things are possible.