I love quotes! They inspire and make you think. I personally started to write them down a couple of years ago. Today I do have more than 100 of them written down on a list. I want to share them with
you on a weekly basis.
I will try my best to construe them and explain what they mean to me.
Please participate and share your thoughts in the comments. If you do have some quotes as well, feel free to share them with the community and moot down why they mean something to you.
Aspire to inspire !
Cheers Guys!
Your biggest fan
Alexx
Week #1
"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them"
My personal #1. My whole way of life is orientated by this quote from Walt Disney. I do believe that every human being has to have dreams.
Dreams keep us alive. Dreams give us the necessary drive to strive for more and the courage to do what ever it takes to reach them. They are the reason why we get up every day and (hopefully) do
what we love.
The best example for that is Walt Disney himself. Struggling to pay his bills and always on the edge of being homeless he had just one dream he was holding on: being the best cutout animation artist in the world. It took decades for him to reach his goals. Years of up's and downs - bankruptcies, hard losses,
unemployment and so on. We all know the end of the story. Mikey Mouse made him one of the best-known motion-picture production companies on this planet! And is still going on. Just because he
never gave up on his dreams.
There's a movie about it: "Walt before Mickey". Watch it and learn :)
Chase your dreams and put everything you've got in it to reach your own dreams Guys!
Cheers!
Your biggest fan
Alexx
Week #2
"There's no reason to look back when you have so much stuff to look forward to. "
There are three different tenses in our life's. The past, the present, and the future. Quite a lot of people tend to hype "the good old days." I guess everyone has talked about them now and then.
But are they so much better than the present or future? Does it even matter? I think it's great to look back. It's nice to rewind
the inner self sometimes and think about memories. But isn't it more meaningful what's ahead of us? I keep telling myself that I don't have any control about the past. I made mistakes,
experiences and great memories - fine! But what I can control is the future. Life is meant to be enjoyed forwards not backwards. You have to admit that you do have a choice. It depends on
yourself.
You can create a life at any time that is worthy of yourself tomorrow.
Cheers
Alexx
Week #3
" Do not let the vision you have for your life disappear when things are difficult. Have faith. Keep the horizon of a better tomorrow in mind and rise with enthusiasm each new day. "
Life can be a roller coaster ride. Every human being is confronted with ups and downs. There are sunny days followed by dark days. Frothing summer days followed by long winter periods. Happy days
followed by sad days which are not going how we do want them to go. But isn't that what life makes so interesting? Unpredictable circumstances appear now and then. It's up to us how we handle
them. Bodo Schaefer used to say in his book: The Winner Laws : " If i happen to find myself in a winter period in my (business), I will be aware that with every winter day that passes,
that I will automatically be one step closer to summer. The more I work now, the quicker summer will come. [...] Winners accept that there will always be summer and winter. The longer winter
lasts, the more confident they become. "
We grow with every obstacle. We gain more confidence with every difficulty in life. We just need to keep the faith for a better tomorrow in our mind. Hold on to our goals and dreams and do not
let ourselves put down by things which are in our way.
PS. There are great books, articles and blogs to help gain faith. They do show practical techniques how we can train our mind and get mentally stronger. Give me a shout if you'd like to know
where to find them.
Cheers Alexx
Week #4
" Do not search for perfection nor seek the approval of others. Your inner positive fulfillment does not depend on them "
I guess you already know the sentence 'Nobody is perfect'. Of course nobody is. Every human being has strengths and weaknesses. Everyone is different. And thats the good thing about it. We can
learn from every person we are crossing paths with.
But why is everyone still striving for perfection? Why do we have to be 'perfect' ? Those questions kept my mind busy all week long. I still don't know the 'perfect' answer. But what I know is,
that my life became much easier and liveable after I accepted the fact that I do not have to be 'perfect'. I know where my strengths are. I will work on them and try to get better every day. I
kinda do strive for perfection. Dissatisfaction is a propelling force; you can also call it ambition or the desire to improve yourself. I am not expecting others to go the exact same way.
It may sound harsh but everyone is responsible for their own happiness and fulfillment. Others may not understand it. But that's
okay. It is not important what other people say. Your goal needs to be more important than other people's opinions.
Keep dreaming, work on your goals and make it happen.
Cheers
Alexx
Week #5
" You may not see it today or tomorrow. But you will look back in a few years and be absolutely perplexed and awed by how every little thing added up and brought you somewhere wonderful - or
where you always wanted to be. You will be grateful that things did not work out the way you once wanted them to. "
I do believe in that everything happens for a reason. The universe is challenging us every day. It is a matter of how we approach those tests. It is a matter of how we learn from them and how we
continue with our lifes. There's no road to happiness. Happiness is the road.
We need to accept that life is a zig-zag-road. How many times did you experience dead ends on your personal road? It may be a job that does not fulfill you, tricky circumstances with your family, break ups with your partners. You can name many more. I think everyone is experiencing those things now
and then. But didn't you catch yourself occasionally, thinking: 'ohh, it was a pretty shitty situation - a tough time -
and yes it did not work out the way I wanted it to be. But at the moment it is not that bad, it is even better now and it made me grow."
Whatever you do, do it with all of your heart and you will see that every experience you make is a little mosaic piece. Some of them
are ugly, some of them are beautiful. Some of them may not fit the puzzle. But at the end of the day you will have a masterpiece. A stunning piece of art with hundreds of small little mosaic
fragments. You will see.
Cheers
Your biggest fan
Alexx
Week #6
"The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision"
Do you know this feeling? You are trying to get through the day nice and smooth but there's always this thing in your head which keeps your mind busy. There is this decision to make. YES or NO?
Should I wait to make my decision later? Should I just ignore it and see what's gonna happen? I am pretty sure everyone of us had decisions to make. But don't you think it always felt great to
let go after you made a decision, wheter it was the right or wrong choice?
Our lives are defined by our ability to make decisions. Our careers, relationships or health depend on them. Everything we are is depending on the decisions we have made in the past. We are
afraid to make the wrong choice.
I believe that we all need a healthy bit of rashness. We need to balance out our decision-making-processes with some habits which make our lives easier. Take the restaurant visit, for example.
How long do you stare at the menu card and wonder what to order? I apply the 60 seconds rule to make my decision. It helps me to act quick. Time limits force you to quickly asses pros and cons
and quickly come to a decision. Do you really think your decision gets better when you wait until christmas? I doubt it.
Try to think a little bit more like black and white. We live in a world with to much choices. More access to different sources, more products, more knowledge, more more more. It can be
overwhelming and can lead us to analysis paralysis. We can often become overwhelmed with the big picture. We are trying to predict how our decisions affect our future. It sounds naive but simply
try to make the best decision possible in 'the moment'. Save yourself energy and do not worry about the future to much. Embrace the idea of failure. Our decisions will sometimes lead us to 'bad'
decisions. But let's be honest: any decision is better than no decision. Trust your guts and you will see that you will come far - very far in life.
Cheers
Alexx
Week #7
"We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic to creativity. When we get home, home is still the same, but something in our minds has changed, and
that changes everything."
I'd like to start this year with a very special quote. This quote truly says what I've experienced the last 12 months. I had the chance to travel to 7 different countries. Got to see so many
places and met great and inspiring people. The desire to travel and to start my own business both stem from want to explore the unknown and put myself out of the comfort zone. I have always been
seeking, always been striving to push boundaries and see how far I can go with my adventures. There are plenty of reasons why everyone of us should travel more often.
First of all it's the unknown that makes every trip so special. There comes a time when everyone must deal with an unexpected situation when on the road. We are forced to step out of our own
comfort zone. We are forced to make it happen somehow. Whatever happens, there is a way to deal with the problem and knowing that you can deal with these situations is a big boost for your
self-confidence and therefore your own happiness.
Furthermore, travelling is the best way to educate yourself. Take advantage from your travels. Widen your horizon. Learn from other cultures - either way: about the differences or
similarities. Get to know other languages and make new friends. Extend your network all around the globe. You will be astounded how fast your mind will grow.
And there is another thing which comes with your travel experiences: it makes you appreciate home & family even more. Once gone it feels great to come back some day. To hug family and friends
- to tell them about your experiences. That changes everything.
Cheers
Alexx