Inspiring Quotes From the Most Successful People in History

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and these sayings from some of the most successful people in history should have an inspiring effect on you, all curated by the Upspirity review team.

1. “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” — Coco Chanel

2. “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.”

– John Wooden

3. “Courage is grace under pressure.” — Ernest Hemingway

4. “If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”

– Jim Rohn

5. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” — Albert Einstein

6. “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” — Swami Vivekananda

7. “Sometimes you can’t see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others.” — Ellen DeGeneres

8. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

– Walt Disney

9. “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.”

– Confucius

10. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

– Winston Churchill

11. “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” — Warren Buffett

12. “Whenever you see a successful person, you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them.” — Vaibhav Shah

13. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” — Dr. Seuss

14. “Success? I don’t know what that word means. I’m happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody’s eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That’s a good day for me.” — Denzel Washington

15. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” — Mae West

16. “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” — Chris Grosser

17. “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” — Christopher Reeve

18. “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” — Albert Einstein

19. “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.” — Nelson Mandela

20. “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin

21. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.” — Helen Keller

22. “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

23. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi

24. “The best revenge is massive success.” — Frank Sinatra

25. “The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting.”

– Walt Disney

For plenty more inspirational words, eBooks and podcasts, check out Upspirity today.

Here’s why New Year’s resolutions don’t work

If you had a dollar for every time you heard the phrase ‘new year, new me,’ you’d probably be quite well off (and able to tackle one of your resolutions to be better with money!). However, the cold hard reality is that many New Year’s Resolutions rarely make it past the second week in January.

While a new year seems like the perfect time to wipe the slate clean and usher in a new version of yourself, especially after the holiday season’s excesses, the start of January is often the worst possible time to do this. Here’s why:

The weather

For a start, it’s still the middle of winter. It’s cold, the days are short, and the nights are long. Many of us just want comfort at this time of year, and the notion of embarking on some life-altering resolution seems too much.

However, we can still engage in small self-betterment acts, such as wrapping up warm and getting outside for a walk regularly. It doesn’t require much commitment, and you can take it at your own pace. Getting out is great for your mood, as it gives you a chance to grab whatever limited sunlight there is.

The calendar

January 1 maybe New Year’s Day, but when it comes to significant behavioural change, do we need to be wedded to the calendar? Deciding to change our behaviour shouldn’t be dictated by an arbitrary date. Besides, New Year’s used to be celebrated at different times of the year by other cultures. Celts and Pagans marked the New Year around springtime when all the plants and flowers came back to life. Maybe that’s a better time to make New Year’s resolutions.

Find more inspirational content with the great books from www.upspirity.com.

Motivational Quotes to Keep You Hustling

Keep inspiration on hand with these wonderful pearls of wisdom.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

-Arthur Ashe

“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”

-Estee Lauder

“Don’t think about making art. Just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”

-Andy Warhol

“I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.”

-Audre Lorde

“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it, and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.”

– Roald Dahl, “My Uncle Oswald”

“We have a strategic plan. It’s called doing things.”

-Herb Kelleher, Co-founder of Southwest Airlines

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

– Maya Angelou

“Sometimes, you’ve got to work a little, so you can ball a lot.”

-Tom Haverford

“Go to your desire and don’t hang around here.”

-Jack Kerouac, “Big Sur”

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined!”

-Thoreau

“Now tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

-Mary Oliver

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

-Dolly Parton

“Some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

-Michael Jordan

For more daily inspiration, check out www.upspirity.com.

Top Motivational Quotes For Dieters

If you want to diet more effectively, here are a few quotes to help you diet and lose weight for good.

The groundwork of all happiness is health.

Stick to your diet and lose weight not only will you look amazing, you’ll also feel much happier in your day-to-day life.

It took more than a day to put it on. It will take more than a day to take it off.

Results from dieting take time, but when they do come they’re definitely worth it.

If you keep good food in your fridge, you will eat good food.

Filling your home with healthy nutritious food is the first step to dieting success.

It takes five minutes to consume 500 calories. It takes two hours to burn them off.

Is that muffin really worth throwing all of that hard work away for? No.

One must eat to live, not live to eat.

When you get into the habit of eating healthily it will become second nature.

Exercising should be about rewarding the body with endorphins and strength. Not about punishing your body for what you’ve eaten.

Successful dieters understand that eating healthily and exercising work best when used together, rather than on their own.

Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.

If you eat healthily you’ll feel better, have more energy, and ultimately live longer.

Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality.

Dieting is a fantastic thing, because if you do it properly you know that you will reach your goals.

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.

Give yourself the best possible chance of succeeding by starting your diet on a quiet day when you know that you can control what you eat.

You don’t drown by falling in water. You drown by staying there.

Staying at an unhealthy weight is never a good idea, and if you accept your fate all you’re going to do is gain even more.

For more inspirational content, check out www.upspirity.com.

Motivational Workout Quotes To Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals

Here are a few powerful fitness quotes from all-star athletes and other public figures that you need to repeat in your mind over and over until they stick.

1. “Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” —Jerry Rice

2. “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” —Unknown

3. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” —Aristotle

4. “No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody on the couch.” —Unknown

5. “Sweat is fat crying.” —Unknown

6. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” —Wayne Gretzky

7. “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” —Tommy Lasorda

8. “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” —Thomas Jefferson

9. “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” —Steve Prefontaine

10. “You’re only one workout away from a good mood.” —Unknown

11. “Nothing will work unless you do.” —Maya Angelou

12. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” —Unknown

13. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” —Michael Jordan

14. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” —Mahatma Gandhi

15. “The difference between try and triumph is a little ‘umph’.” —Unknown

16. “The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens.” —Arnold Schwarzenegger

17. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” —Muhammad Ali

18. “Making excuses burns zero calories per hour.” —Unknown

19. “If you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.” —Unknown

20. “When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.” —Unknown

21. “Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.” —Oprah Winfrey

22. “Create healthy habits, not restrictions.” —Unknown

23. “Don’t let the scale define you. Be active, be healthy, be happy.” —Unknown

24. “It’s going to be a journey. It’s not a sprint to get in shape.” —Kerri Walsh Jennings

25. “No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.” —Tony Robbins

For more inspirational content, check out www.upspirity.com.

How you can give positive criticism

No matter how positive an outlook someone may have, none of us are very good at taking criticism. Even if it is well-meaning, having your faults pointed out can immediately trigger defensive instincts and we end up feeling antagonism towards the person rather than listening to and focussing on the points they are making.

However, when it comes to criticism, there are ways to be constructive and helpful without making an enemy of someone. Here are some ways you can make your feedback more constructive.

Begin with praise

You can get off on the right foot by providing some positive feedback. You may still intend to point out faults, but pointing out what a person has done well will not only cushion the blow, it will let them know that they are at least on the right track.

Avoid the ‘but’

When you are doling out praise, the recipient may understandable be waiting for the ‘but’ and the kick pivot into negative criticism. How you couch those negative comments is important. So, by saying something like ‘you have done a great job on the plot in this short story and your characterization will improve the more you write’. Replacing ‘but’ with ‘and’ allows you to point out a problem, but do so in a positive manner, giving the person the confidence that they can improve on those areas which need more work.

Reinforce improvements and set targets for them

Operate on the assumption that the person is capable of making the improvements they need and set that as a goal for them to achieve. Convince them that they are already the person who has achieved the sort of improvement you are suggesting and they’ll have something to aim for.

For more uplifting content check out the books at www.upspirity.com.

A man who gave up his job for a struggling family

There are times in life when things seem to fall so neatly into place that it cannot be coincidence. This story is all about a man who was ready to retire, but instead of giving up his job, he did something wonderful – he gave it away to someone who needed it. Here is the tale of the man who gave up his job to help a struggling family.

A man was toying with the idea of retiring from his job. He had worked in construction all his life and he wasn’t sure that he was quite ready to spend the rest of his days sat on the front porch in a rocking chair. He was still debating what he should do when he met a young man he had worked with in the past. The young man had a wife, three children and was struggling to find work. He hadn’t worked for some time and the family was finding it hard to make ends meet.

The morning after, the man went to the union office to submit his retirement paperwork. He had come to a decision whilst talking to his young friend. As he submitted his retirement paperwork, he gave the office the name on his young friend and told them that this young man was his replacement. Six years later, that young man has been employed ever since.

For more about random acts of kindness, visit www.upspirity.com where you will find more uplifting stories of kindness.

Self-help books for women that you need to read

If you’re looking to change your life in the new year or your way of thinking, it’s a good idea to invest in some self-help books. There are loads available worldwide that it can be hard in knowing where to begin, however, here are a few suggestions on what to consider.

How to be a badass by Jen Sincero – An alternative and fun approach to changing your life and finding your purpose, this book is for anyone who’d like to feel empowered. It’s practical, funny and offers wise advice on why you are how you are, how to love things you can’t change and how to change what you don’t love. The book is full of real life experiences and how the author made the changes in her life to be a badass.

The 5 am club by Robin Sharma – This novel explains all the benefits of an early alarm and how it will change your life. The author explains how much it can help you max out productivity, improve your health and feel more relaxed than ever.

Points of You by Vick Liu, Julia Rue, Mina Fahmi, Drew Brent – This book shares four friends real accounts of what they wished knowing growing up and highlights a variety of points. Things such as finding purpose, mental wellness and relationship are included. It’s not necessarily written to tell you what’s right but aims to help you see the four different perspectives.

For more inspiration in the new year or for other self-help book suggestions, check out the large selection at www.upspirity.com.

Do You Know When to Quit?

Modern society piles accolades on people who display temerity, never giving up and remaining resolute throughout. While this attitude might help with a disaster, it might be doing you more harm than good if you adopt it as a mantra for everyday living. Here’s a closer look to examine how to decide when it’s healthier to just quit.

Are you being driven by “should” rather than what you really want?

It’s easy to focus on the wrong things and to blame life’s ills on what you don’t have. Therefore, when you’re making a decision whether to stay or leave, consider whether you’re being influenced by what people think you should be doing. For example, if your job has little prospect of progression but you love what you do, leaving just to get ahead on the career ladder might not be the right move. Take a long, hard look at how you feel inside and make sure you’re considering your options for the right reasons.

Are you staying out of fear?

If the only reason you haven’t quit is because you’re scared of what may lie ahead, it’s time to gather your courage and make a plan. Staying out of fear is no basis for a future. Whether you’re afraid to concede you made a bad choice or because you find it too daunting to try anything else, you’ll never be truly happy until you move on.

You can’t think of an alternative

It can be tempting to throw in the towel at the first sign of trouble but that won’t tackle any underlying issues. It’s worth first considering how you could fix the problem and what you would need to do. This can be helpful in identifying any contributing factors – and also whether there’s any potential solution. If you really can’t think of a way forward that would resolve the issue, the chances are that you really should quit.

To read more about life-affirming choices, check out www.upspirity.com where you’ll find a whole library of books waiting to be explored.

How to Get The Life You Want

There may be times when you’re a bit envious of what others have, and how their life is working out. While it’s rare to be able to have everything you desire, there are ways to achieve more of the things that matter. A positive mindset is the key to getting the life you want; here are a few more tips which could help you reach your goals more easily.

Focus on the journey, not the destination

It can be demotivating when you hit a hurdle and your plans aren’t working out. However, if you switch your focus to the journey rather than the end result, you will be far less likely to get frustrated at the lack of progress. Take your time and enjoy your experiences along the way and you’ll achieve a far greater sense of satisfaction.

Challenge yourself

It’s easy to wait for the perfect set of circumstances to arise to take action but in most cases, this is nothing more than procrastination. Don’t delay, challenge yourself to just go for it, no matter what.

Don’t burn out

While it’s important to push and challenge yourself, everyone needs a break from time to time. If you go at it too hard, you’ll end up breaking – and then you’ll never achieve what you set out to do. Rest and relaxation aren’t optional extras, they should be part of your schedule to help you operate at your maximum potential.

Rely on yourself, no-one else

Whether it’s your family, partner or boss, you might find you have lots of offers of support. While these are lovely and can give you a boost, don’t rely on them entirely to get the job done. They will have their own personal goals and priorities and at times, might not deliver on what they’ve promised. Accept help along the way, but make sure the only person you’re really relying on is yourself and you’re far less likely to hit any hitches.

To get more inspiration about leading the life you want, check out the online library of titles at https://upspirity.com. Exhilarating, entertaining and uplifting, there are lots of books available which can help you zone in on what you really want out of life.