SerenDestiny #8: How Can Quotes Help Us Lead a Life We Love?

“I am in love with hope.” – Tuesdays with Morrie author Mitch Albom

I guess you can tell I am in love with quotes . . .

Why?

Condensed pearls of wisdom can stop us in our tracks and remind us of – or introduce us to – something essential.

I particularly believe in keeping inspirational quotes in sight, in mind.

Instead of reading a quote that reminds us of the wonder of life and thinking “Wow, that’s great” and then going about our day; posting quotes on our refrigerator or near our desk — or printing them out and keeping them in our purse or wallet — keeps them top of mind.

For example, if you were feeling a little down today, imagine how uplfiting it would be to see this insight from cyclist/cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, “I take nothing for granted. I now only have good days or great days.”

Wouldn’t that put things in perspective? That’s the power of the right words at the right time.

Here are my 10 favorite inspiring quotes on how to lead a life we love – pulled from the more than 2000 (!) quotes featured in my books POP! Tongue Fu!®, ConZentrate, Take the Bully by the Horns, What’s Holding you Back? and the upcoming SerenDestiny.

Hope you enjoy them and keep them where you can see them on a daily basis so you create the quality of life you want now, not someday.

1. “If there were a rehab for curiosity; I’d be in it.” – CBS news anchor Diane Sawyer

2. “To succeed, we must live from our imaginations; not our memories.” – Stephen Covey

3. “When I die, I want to come back as . . . me.” – NBA team owner Mark Cuban

4. “A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t see and pursuing that vision.” -Starbucks’ Howard Schultz

5. “There’s no such thing as a wrong note as long as you’re singing.” – singer Pete Seeger

6. “The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.” – columnist Maureen Dowd

7. “There is moment in every child’s life where a door opens and lets the future in.” – author Graham Greene

8. “What a wonderful life I’ve had. I only wish I’d realized it sooner.” – singer Colette

9. “Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told, ‘I am with you, kid. Let’s go.'” – author Maya Angelou

10. Before there were drawing boards, what did we go back to?” – comedian George Carlin

Oh what the heck – I’m on a roll and can’t stop. Here are some more quotes that can help us see life as a blessing, not a burden.

11. “Guard your good mood.” – Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep

12. “To do what you love and feel that it matters; how could anything be more fun?” – Katherine Graham of the Washington Post

13. “People treat you the way you teach them to treat you.” – author Jack Canfield

14. “”At the moment of truth; there are either reasons or results.” – aviation pioneer Chuck Yeager

15. “I have the world’s best job. I get paid to hang out in my imagination all day.” – author Stephen King

16. “Let us then, be up and doing.” – author Longfellow

17. “I have found if you love life, life will love you back.” – composer/painist Arthur Rubenstein

18. “Everyone thinks of changing the world, no one thinks of changing himself.” – author Leo Tolstoy

19. “If you wait to write, you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” – self-publishing pioneer Dan Poynter

20. “It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. Intuition tells my thinking mind where to look next.” – Jonas Salk

21. “When I saw Ellen DeGeneres at the cover shoot for O, I didn’t even have to ask how she was; it showed on her face. It radiated the type of happiness and peace that only happends when we’re living at our highest potential.” – Oprah

22. “Is there ever any particular spot where one can put one’s finger and say, “It all began that day, at such a time and such a place, with such an incident?’ – Agatha Christie

23. “The purpose of life is to matter; to feel it’s made some difference that we have lived at all.” – Leo Rosten

24. “The feeling of putting yourself on the line, putting your talent out there and betting on yourself, is the most exhilarating feeling in the world.” – Conan O’Brien

25. “When I was a carpenter, I wokred with a Russina lady architect who would respond to requests for changes with, ‘ No limit for better.’ I think that’s a worthy credo.” – Harrison Ford

Do you have favorite quotes that have helped you lead a “mo betta” life?

You are welcome to email them to us at Sam@SamHorn.com. I look forward to seeing them and sharing them in future SerenDestiny blogs and presentations so other people can be inspired too.

SerenDestiny #7: Are You Leading a Life You Love?

A friend gave me a card recently that read, “A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”

I believe this is the ultimate power of books, blogs and presentations – and spending time with a compatible friend.

The best communicators introduce ideas that result in an epiphany – either of something we once knew and have forgotten or of something that crystallizes in front of us and we SEE a truth for the first time.

That was my experience of re-connecting with Jane Pollack, author of the insightful and moving book Soul Proprietor. http://janepollack.com/

I had the privilege of keynoting the Speaker U event sponsored by NSA – NE recently. I walked into the lobby of the conference center and there was Jane. We had met years before at Book Expo. What a treat it was to see her again.

We found a quiet corner and played “hookie” so we could get caught up. Jane’s found her life purpose which is coaching people who want to make their art their work; their passion their profession.

If that sounds good to you; be sure to get a copy of Jane’s book Soul Proprietor which has been described as an “an artist’s odyssey from remote crafts fairs to an invitation to the White House and appearances on NBC’s Today Show.”

Soul Proprietor is one of those books you can dip into on any page and find something thought-provoking. It features one hundred 1-2 page lessons including:

Lesson 12: Don’t quit before the miracle.

Lesson 44: Keep calling.

Lesson 74: Stay productive (not busy).

Lesson 87: Enjoy the ride, but don’t let the ride drive you.

Lesson 98: What you do for pleasure is your passion.

Intrigued? If you want to love your work and life, check out Jane’s blog for her wise observations about how to lead a remarkable life now, not someday . . . http://janepollakblog.com/

I’ll be interviewing her to find out what started her on the path to SerenDestiny and including some of her wit, warmth and wisdom in my book.

Jane is walking talking proof that it’s not “frivolous” to pursue a career in the artists . . . it’s our right and responsibility to create a profession that gives a chance to get paid to do what we love most and do best.

Do you have friends who’ve supported your dream to do work you love?

What advice was given you when you were picking your major in college and/or your first job?

Were you told you were being “irresponsible” and would never earn a living doing something creative – or were you told that you can do and be anything you want, as long as you’re willing to work hard?

What impact did that have on you?

SerenDestiny #7: USA Today Announces Their 2010 ALL-USA College Academic Team — and They ALL Talk About Following Their Passion

This morning’s USA Today article on the ALL-USA College Academic Team starts by quoting Julie Markham, a University of Denver grad, who says,

“I refused to give up on my dream – even when some people thought it was impossible. I believe in the words of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw who said, “All progress depends on the unreasonable man. No matter where my journey takes me, along the way I hope to be unreasonable.”

If you have a son, daughter, niece, nephew, neighbor or friend who’s in college or who graduated recently, you might want to send them this link to the article. http://bit.ly/a7XpWm

It’s chock full of wisdom from these 20-somethings who already know the importance of listening to your gut and acting on your convictions. For example, Neha Deshpande of John Hopkins says, “Do things because you care, not for your resume or to look good. If you let your passion shine through, everything else will follow.”

If that sounds a little woo-woo, don’t worry.

As the article points out, the extraordinary experiences many of these students have had didn’t just “fall in their laps. Luck may have played a role, but the students laid the groundwork.”

These young people are already showing that anyone can set SerenDestiny in motion and lead a life you love if you make congruent decisions at Crucial Crossroads that are in alignment with your vision and values, and if you’re willing to invest sweat equity to realize your dreams.

As Jennifer Lamb, (a Virginia Tech grad – go Hokies!) says, “You have to make opportunies for yourself. When you find something that excites you, talk about it to the people you perceive to be most knowledgable, even at the risk of sounding stupid.”

There’s a particularly helpful section entitled “How to Get The Most Out of College” with advice from nine of the awardees that’s worth cutting out and posting on your refrigerator.

For example, Elizabeth Longino (UNC – Chapel Hill) says, “Throw away your ideas of what a successful college career is supposed to look like. There is no template or set of rules to follow. Seize on topics that are important and compelling to you and then engage deeply.”

Hmmm. Engage deeply . . wise advice for all of us.

What’s your best piece of advice on how someone could make the most out of their college experience?

SerenDestiny #5: What Randy Pausch Taught Us About Leading a Life We Love Now, Not Somday

My son Tom just called me to ask, “Have you ever watched The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch?”

Tom is a 25 year old role model of SerenDestiny.

He is living his dream, working as a certified mission controller at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. He still gets “chicken skin” (what Hawaiians call goose bumps) at the thought that he gets to work with the shuttle and the ISS (International Space Station).

As he says with wonderment in his voice, “I do something down here; and it makes something happen up there.”

Tom was at a birthday party over the weekend and someone mentioned the impact that Randy Pausch’s video had on him. Tom promptly went home and watched it. http://bit.ly/3rvB6V

If you haven’t seen this You Tube video before, carve out an hour and a half to watch it.

Trust me, it will be worth it. Randy is absolutely brilliant. Funny. Dropping to the floor to do push-ups. Condensing a life-time of lessons into pithy, profound sound-bites.

It will have an enduring effect as it reminds you of how precious each day is. How important it is for us to look around and imprint and be grateful for each breath, each moment, each loved one.

If you don’t know Randy Pausch’s story,this beloved Carnegie Mellon professor, husband and father of three young children was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and told he only had months to live.

Randy dug deep and asked himself, “If I have the opportunity to give one last lecture to pass on to my kids, my students, anyone who cares to listen, what I passionately feel about life, what I’ve learned, what I want them to know — what would that be?”

His wisdom, wit and enduring observations about really matters – “That time is all you have – and you may find one day you have less than you think” – are classic.

I thanked Tom for “re-introducing” The Last Lecture to me.

Tom said, “What do you mean ‘re-introduce?'”

I said, “Tom, are you familiar with Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs?”

To my surprise, Tom said no. Tom knows about galaxies, physics and can even explain a black hole to you, however hadn’t yet been introduced to Maslow.

I explained, in layman’s terms, “Abraham Maslow posited that human beings have a pyramind of needs. Physiological needs – breathing, water, food – are at the bottom. Next is Safety, then Love – Belonging, then Esteem. Finally, at the top of the pyramid, is Self-Actualization. http://bit.ly/fAla

Only AFTER needs at a particular level are fulfilled can we move up the pryamid to the next level.

Maslow also posited that ‘A fulfilled need is no longer a motivator.’ So, once we have plenty of food, water and safe shelter, we tend to take them for granted because they’re taken care of.

Once we have a family and friends, we tend to forget what blessings they are and tend to focus on what’s wrong with them rather than what’s right.

For most of us, our health is a fulfilled need. We breathe without any problem, so we never give it a moment’s notice. We can get up and go outside for a walk whenever we want, so it’s no big deal. We go through our days without aches or pains, so that’s a given. We just count on waking up in the morning and having a guaranteed tomorrow, so we never stop to realize what a miracle it is.”

I told Tom, “I think the power of Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture is that we need to over-ride Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs on a daily basis so we DON’T take for granted all the daily blessings we have in our life.

Randy Pausch would have LOVED to have had another year, another ten years, to see his children grow up. He would have LOVED to have continued to teach, and run, and spend time with his wife and friends. He didn’t have that opportunity and he’s pleading with us to fill our mind with the marvel of it now instead of looking back with regrets because we didn’t see it, feel it, appreciate it while we had it.

So, thanks Tom, for reminding me of Randy Pausch and his impassioned reminder to look at everyone and everything as if we’re seeing them for the first – or last – time. Then our days and moments will be filled with the wonder and appreciation they deseve, instead of being overlooked, ignored or missed altogether.

A recurring theme of the hundreds of SerenDestineers I’ve interviewed is that they make a conscious effort to stay in a state of gratitude. On a daily basis, they take stock of what’s right with their world and celebrate it. That approach to life becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and life just keeps getting better and better.

Have you read The Last Lecture – http://amzn.to/9CALSa – or seen the You Tube video?

How did it impact you?

How do you over-ride Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs and stay in a state of gratitude?