💭 Help Build Our Inspiration Wall | Badge of the Month | January 2021

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
I know this one is way easier said than done, but I am a strong believer that going off the beaten path will result in a more exciting, eventful, and fulfilling outcome (most of the time)!

"Possibility is not a luxury; it is as crucial as bread." -Judith Butler
"Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming." -Alice Walker

I couldn't choose just one, so these are two of my favorites!
Both of these quotes inspire me to be active in the making of my future (and the futures of others). They both recognize the deliberate, hard work that goes into outcomes that matter.
Similar to what LaurenK said, the exploration of possibility and the unknown inevitably leads us to the most exciting discoveries, and where we ultimately need to be.

No matter how tough the day is or what is going on around me....one of these three quotes always seems to get me through.

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." ~Albert Einstein
It is important that we help people find what they are capable of doing well. The one who finds their genius will soar. There is exponential growth potential in talent (Rutherford Learning Group).

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
~Mary Oliver

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will
~Suzy Kassem

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

"Bull**it baffles brains, lads."
-Roger Bennett's (Men in Blazers podcast/TV show) unnamed 6th grade teacher

I love reading motivational quotes. Here are a few of my favorites:
You must do the things you think you cannot do. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself. - Charlie Chaplin
Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party. - Jimmy Buffett
-Paige

Attributed to Winston Churchill, but certainly embodied by Curious George :)



Quote by the Sufi poet Hafiz (picture posted on IG by Jack Kornfield)

If you have 60 minutes (metaphorically speaking) to answer a question, spend 50 minutes analyzing the question, rephrasing it even. At the end of the 50 minutes, if you still haven't found the answer to your question, spend the next 10 minutes to mentally prepare yourself to move on. You've done everything you can.

I'm not where or when I read this, but this is my guiding principle in life.

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
-Winston Churchill
A yoga teacher read this during a practice years ago and I wrote it on a little piece of paper I found in my car after class and I still have that paper to this day!

For the first portion of my life I lived a very carefree and sheltered life. A few years ago I felt like I got hit with tragedy after tragedy - death of a beloved grandparent, a divorce that uprooted my life (literally), and the loss of my nephew at three days old (whose anticipation of arrival got me through my divorce, I was going to be so happy and busy helping care for a baby our family and doctors thought would be healthy). Those followed me like a dark cloud everywhere and I would snap for "no reason." But really it was the stress and grief caused by these losses. It wasn't until then that I could understand this quote. I feel like being given the grace of this quote by my friends and now living this quote has made me a better, more patient person. I always try to be kind and forgiving knowing that things are out the person's control or there might be something unseen causing them to have a bad day, week, year(s). It also helps me as a supervisor remember to look after the whole of my employees and not just what I get out of them for the business.

https://www.qualtrics.com/community/discussion/comment/33436#Comment_33436bstrahin thank you for sharing. There is so much power in patience and understanding. Not everyone is an open book, and we never know the hardships someone has experienced or is going through. This is everyones friendly reminder to check in on their loved ones, coworkers, friends, and anyone else that may need it! 🙂

I like this one :
Ok, I'm a little geek...

And this second one is hung in my desk, courtesy of my teammates :
I admit : I have a sweet tooth !

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I think these two short sentences perfectly resume my personnality at work :
If I engage into something, I'm gonna bring it to completion and I actively avoid time consuming task with no benefits.

I tend to live by this recommendation from the late, lamented, and beloved Douglas Adams which is written in large friendly letters on the cover of his "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy..."

Where your focus goes, your energy flows.

Generic, but so true... its one of those that no matter how you feel it should remind you that you make your own reality. You have the power to transform your day by changing your focus into whatever you need to achieve, either in life or simply during your day. And your energy will shift accordingly giving you strengh and meaning to whatever you put your attention into.

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. – Rumi

It is always great to do what we love.

So many great quotes that resonate with me already mentioned. I'll add another kind of generic quote: "It is the spirit of the game, not the letter of the rules, which is important."

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
Quote attributed to Chuang Tzu; image from Buddha Groove