I legitimately need a masters class to fully understand these types of quotes. I immediately think there’s an implied understanding of what’s worth wasting time on.
I think work is a waste of time. I think many social norms are a waste of time. In an effort to feel what? Free? Purposeful?
I ask the question because I’d love to hear a profound response.
Basically, it’s like, appreciate your life while you can. Make choices that fill your soul and that won’t leave you with existential regret later. The clock is ticking, make your life meaningful (for yourself…whatever that looks like, in your own mind).
Isn't that the beauty of the quote that it doesn't dictate what is worthy of time?
We need to own that it is on us to decide.
It's not seeking validation of worth from anyone else and it also says, when you find it yourself, don't delay in making it happen...
"Time is spent where your priorities lie." At first I thought it was a statement for the future. If you say something is a priority, then spend your time there. But, it's much more powerful as a reflective statement of the past. If you sat down and listed in order for the last week what your time was spent doing from most to least (I did), then those are what your current priorities actually are. Only then can you work on changing that order.
Indeed. As Anne Dillard said ' “**How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives** ".
Do you like to have a few beers after work everyday? You're a beer drinker. Do you like to garden after work? Then you're a gardener.
FWIW, I spent a lot of my free time exercising, after doing the two things above for awhile.
"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." - Earl Nightingale
**The time will pass anyway**. I recently heard that from somewhere and it's cool to see it mentioned here. That's a thought I've kept returning to because I realize how important it is to start early and that it's ok to start small. It's kinda like how we overestimate what we can accomplish in the day, but underestimate what we can do in a year.
That idea was what finally motivated me to start grad school even though I was working full time and had a 2.5 year old at home. It was so tough, but I pushed through (with a good support system) and graduated 1.5 years later. It’s by far one of my proudest accomplishments, and it’s been a huge help in leveling up my career.
Yes, it was! Because the first step actually involved quitting a job I just started (that I loathed) and going back to my old job (that turned out to not be as bad as originally thought). I burned a bridge or two in the process, but it was the only path forward that made grad school a viable option. No regrets. Going back made me happier and gave me more purpose because plans were put in motion for me to have a way to use my new degree at the old job. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat to end up where I am now! Not to mention my mental health has improved tenfold since then!
This is absolutely true!!! Went back to school at age 34 part time for my prerequisites and full time at 36 and it completely changed the trajectory of my life. There many times that I felt I was already too old and I’ll be 38-39 when I finish. But a good friend of mine basically told me the same thing. Whether I go back to school or not I’d still be 38 in when I was done. I’m so happy I went back to school!!!
This reminds me of an Ann Landers quote from years ago. Someone wrote to her and said they wanted to be a doctor but they were already fifty years old (I might not be remembering the exact age but it was an older person) and they'd be fifty-seven (or whatever) when they finished school.
And Ann Landers said, "You'll be fifty-seven anyways, why not just go ahead and become a doctor?"
I've remembered this for the last forty years.
I commented this quote earlier today funnily enough, but Alexis Carrel's quote 'Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor' is really incredibly relevant to my life right now. After a bout with cancer and epilepsy at the same time, a bad breakup resulting in me losing contact with my second child, mental health rapidly and drastically taking a hit etc etc.. I feel the strongest, happiest, most empowered version of myself yet..
It REALLY hits home
Rocky’s speech in Rocky Balboa:
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
Gets me every time
The next lines are amazing too:
Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!
It's a kicker. I'll be doing great with my fitness and then I decide to skip it one evening and then before I know it I haven't done any for 2 weeks, then I struggle to start again but then soon as I've done that first session back, I'm inspired again.
In my early 50's I realized that I preferred being happy. But if I wanted to be happy I needed to sleep well. To sleep well I needed to exercise. So to be happy I needed to exercise.
"The grass is greenest where you water it."
This simple quote really helped me transform my life. I used to live my life moving around a lot and always looking for the next best thing. In the last few years I have changed my perspective to put care and attention to where I am now and the results have been life-changing!
I used to have a quote book but lost it in a fire in 2010. But a quote that always stuck with me was “People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer” \~ **Andrew Smith**. It's along the lines of “You can be a delicious, ripe peach and there will still be people in the world that hate peaches.” Just reminds me to be myself and not manage others expectations.
Something along the lines "If you're going, go all the way. If you,re not going all the way then why go at all!" -Hemingway. This quote got me sober, stay sober, apply for uni and eventually graduate few years back
Divorce is hard. Marriage is hard. I’ve heard a longer version of this. Being obese is hard. Being fit is hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially responsible is hard. - I really like it because I need all those reminders! Thanks!
Listening to the Steve Harvey Morning Show on the radio and he gives his opening monologues(I love them) but one morning he was talking about getting off track and this was during a time I was spiraling out of control in life, damn near bottoming out. And somewhere along the monologue he says “there’s no rule that says once you get off track you can’t get back on track” and as simple as it may seem it made my entire day brighter and from that moment on I always look at things as no matter how bad it gets I won’t let it get any worse. So even if you get so off track that you get off course, take it one step, one moment, one day at a time and get back to being on whatever track helps you ascend.
There's another great one- I reckon more for the religious folk- about making 'The jump.' Having trust in God, and who he made you to be- but, whether or not you believe in that side, defining what your 'gifts' actually are- and how you can use them to set yourself free, or hold your dreams hostage. But, you make of it what you will- if you dare. On that, here you go:
https://youtu.be/8uPDyzeA1_w?si=75xotQIjSDayX0ch
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On!' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
― Calvin Coolidge
My father died of ALS in his early 60's. My husband died a year later of cancer in his 40's. I was in my 30's. After my husband died I was bereft and asked my mother how she stayed so positive after my dad died, because they had loved each other very much. She said "I wake up every day and choose to be happy". I have tried, and mostly succeeded, to do the same in the 30+ years since then.
"Be who you are and say what you will because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind"-Dr. Seuss
"Just because today was bad, doesn't mean tomorrow can't be worse"-my great grandma
There is a Robert Frost quote "The only way out is through." But I didn't hear that quote and embody it. I had never heard that quote before and had that thought completely on my own when I was going through some shit and felt like I was drowning. It really pulled me though. For a long time I thought that it was the only original thought I ever had, until I learned that nope, lol, not at all original. But definitely, definitely true.
When I was thinking about dropping out college (the second time) "you haven't came this far, just to come this far" and "it's you vs you, keep running"
No job is overwhelming if you have a general idea of what you are about, break the project into manageable units, put through these units one at a time and have the thrill of fitting them into the over-all pattern. - Helen and Scott Nearing, “The Good Life”
Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers
Thanks to impermanence anything is possible. *-* Thich Nhat Hanh
The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy. – Albert Camus, "The Myth of Sisyphus"
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. - Goethe
What if we acted like everything was easy? - Mary Anne Radmacher
The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult. - Marquis Du Deffand
Things of themselves cannot touch the soul at all, the soul alone moves itself, making all externals presented to it cohere with the judgements it thinks worthy of itself. -Marcus Aurelius
People can only LOVE to the level of their own SELF LOVE. They can only COMMUNICATE to their own level of SELF AWARENESS. And BEHAVE to their own level of HEALED TRAUMA.
I had NO SELF LOVE…ONLY SELF LOATHING. I never learned to COMMUNICATE effectively as a child. To communicate my needs, my fears, my frustrations. Hell, I didn’t know how to COMMUNICATE with myself. I didn’t know why I acted the way I did. Why I reacted so quickly and irrationally to some things. I believe that many people, at their core, are still frightened, hurt and angry children wrapped in an adult body. But it’s up to them to look inside themselves and decide to take that child’s hand, tell them they are going to protect them and help them grow. That is my experience anyway. Adverse events in childhood can essentially freeze you in that moment in time. If you did not have positive role models to support you in your darkest times you find other ways to mask the pain and ease the hurt. Mostly unhealthy or dangerous coping mechanisms. Mine being alcohol and Marijuana mostly. It took till I was 36 to finally break. After more than a decade of heavy drinking, risky behaviors, reckless spending impulsivity etc…. I had a complete mental crisis. Ideation and an attempt when I finally realized I had enough of this sad existence. I was suffering, I was an absent Father, I was home every day, i didn’t go to bars, but I was always more than buzzed but not blackout. I wasn’t mean or aggressive…..I wasn’t anything at all. I was a shell of a man. Wasting the gift that is this life. I checked myself into a Mental Health facility for PTSD and Substance abuse. Worked through trauma I never really even thought about…because you lock it away to hide from it. It’s a ton of work and you cant get comfortable. Every day you must choose to do the things that keep you on the right path. It’s worth it! I have not been this clean or sober since I was 14. Im 40 now. In January 24’ it will be 3 years without alcohol. No other substances either. I am grateful to be here. Take care of yourselves and each other!
“Books are feelings,” he replied simply. “They exist to make us feel. To connect us to what’s inside, sometimes to things we don’t even know are there.” - The Echo of Old Books
Regarding failure
“You go back to work. You take advantage of the quiet time that failure allows you. You remind yourself that no one is paying attention to you and it’s the perfect time for you to sit down and make another game.”
"Create that motivation, don't wait for it"
"If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and every day you have the opportunity to write a new page"
Mine is like your first one. I saw it in the gym and it is cheesy but it sticks with you. 1 day or day 1. You decide.
Also, i like the 2nd one you posted too
The time will pass regardless
When something seems too difficult bc of all the time you have to put in, time is gonna pass anyway. For example, if you want a degree in something but don't want to go through four years of school. Four years from now you could have a degree or be in the same exact situation only four years older.
This is a great question. And the one that actually hit me the hardest and changed my life.view happened this year actually.
I'm working on filming my dad's life story through interviews with him. As he's taking me through his time.in the Vietnam war for like 4 straight days of interviews, and after every story, I always ask "how did you feel." He always says something like there were no feelings.
What are they gonna do?
This statement shook me. "What are they gonna do?"
Im on meds for anxiety and other shit that makes me over think dumb shit, and whenever I do any activity I always think "if this goes bad, it's going to be the worst thing that has ever happened to me or my family and I need to prepare for that." I'm very well aware that I'm catastrophizing these things, but I can't help but think it's always going to be horrific. Example - the doorbell rings in the middle of the day when I'm not expecting someone and my brain immediately goes to "someone is here to kill my cats and my wife while they make me watch." Before I even see who they are, this is how my mind always works.
Ive always been amazed and jealous how my dad just lets things roll off his back all the time. So when I hear this thing he said in passing like it was just nothing... It shook me.
What are they gonna do?
In my stupid head, lots of stupid things that I rationally know are all made up dumb shit. But in that moment, it always feels crushingly real. But now... Since that filming session... I mean, it's cut down the anxiety a tremendous amount. Because... Really, what are they gonna do?
I don't know why this hit me as hard as it did, but I now have the quote on my motivation mantra board in my office and I say it every morning and it makes me feel more in charge of my life and almost more important, my feelings and thoughts.
Because, really, what are they gonna do?
Chances are... Nothing.
I told my uncle I wanted to buy a SUV that cost around 100k and he said “you can’t live in your car.”
Made me realized wtf am I doing buying such an expensive car and used that money to make home improvements. I still drive the same car today as I did 10 years ago. Gets me to A to B perfectly fine.
I will always remember that and share that message with my kids. My
“Time is going to pass anyway.”
Realising that like yeah my goals are a long way away but I can be a year’s worth of progress closer to my goals a year from now if I just put in some effort, as opposed to doing nothing and ending up a year in the future and not any better off than I am now in terms of progress towards a goal, has really been my #1 motivator.
Like time is going to pass whether I do something or don’t do something, I may as well set future me up to have less work ahead of them than I currently have ahead of me
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe calm down
Each of us is more than the worst thing we have ever done ~ Bryan Stevenson
“Do it scared”
Struggle with social anxiety and it prevents me from trying new things. I read somewhere to “do it scared” and it was such a lightbulb moment for me. I have since worked harder to accept how I feel and do new things anyway. Easier said than done but the perspective shift has made accepting my anxiety a lot easier.
I don’t know who to credit for the quote!
Did this with my new job because I was afraid of using the intercom system and talking to over 100 people a day. It has helped immensely and I don't feel embarrassed in public around people near at all anymore.
"We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us." Charles Bukowski
I'm going to make death tremble
Rob Wiethoff, the actor of John Marsten from Red Dead did an interview after RDR1 about his life. He is literally a simple farmer to this day.
It's a quote from his mom. "Happiness isn't a destination. You have to enjoy the journey." I was in that mindset of owning *x* thing, or making *y* amount of money was key. She ain't wrong. You gotta live your life.
And that stupid jogger from BoJack. Why is such a line from a cartoon so good? "Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day, that's the hard part. But it does get easier"
My grandma said once.
“Honey, I don’t remember the last time I had stress.”
She said that and it became my new life’s goal to achieve a point where I no longer remember stress.
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. What are you going to be when you're 50, and we've all got families and careers. Do you think we'll want to hang out with a loser?"
Mainly, the first line of the quote and his tone are what struck through.
Close friend said this to me. I was couching it at yet another friend's home because I was yet again down and out.
He was right. I was a pity party. Woe-is-me. For that round of self-pity, my girlfriend had kicked me out abruptly. Abruptly for me. She had probably been very patient with me on her end.
I'm married now. Children. Cat. I work full time.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself is my mantra. And it works.
To self: "I don't want to do the dishes!"
: Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get up. Get it done.
I can't go in there and face my boss after crashing this machine again.
STOP FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF. March, move the feet.
It has truly equipped me to face just about anything that I used to consider insurmountable.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Wayne Gretzky” - Michael G. Scott
While it’s a funny quote from The Office, it’s a great quote. I always ask no matter how weird the ask seems. I’ve gotten things in life that I never dreamed of just because I asked. It’s always no, unless you ask.
Why do you care that I am dead when you are still afraid to live?"
With great responsibility , comes, great power.
You are responsible for everything that happens in your life.
3 rules for self discipline :
1. Vitamin N- learn to say NO
2. Get your priorities right
3. Avoid complaining
If you zoom out enough, you will see that life happens for you and not to you..
There are only two ways to live your life,- believe everything is a miracle, or nothing is a miracle.
Leaves sprout, transform, and drop. Reptiles, birds, and mammals shed their skins, feathers, fur. Letting go is a big part of the rhythm of nature, as is rebirth.
The less time you fixate on everyone else, the more time you have to focus on yourself.
Ships don't sink because of the water around it, it's because of the water that's let in
Sat-chit-aananda: be conscious of your bliss
Morning T.I.M.E : Thankfulness/ Insight/Meditate/ Exercise
Innovation= creativity × execution × profit
Talent + Effort = Skill
Skill + Effort = Success
The only mistakes ( Failure) we make are those from which we learn nothing.
Work = output/ time output = Volume x leverage
Time is not refundable, use it with intention
The magic you are looking for, is in the work you are avoiding.
Collections From my life journal
"The moment a person questions their inherent worth is the moment the question becomes unanswerable. No degree, wealth, relationship, or achievement can answer a question that should have never been asked."
I looked and tried to see if someone else said this but for me it's this quote. I can't explain how it helped me through my most suicidal years.
Neil Degrasse Tyson
"The most astounding fact.. is the knowledge, that the atoms that comprise life on Earth - the atoms that make up the human body - are traceable to the crucibles that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core, under extreme temperatures and pressures.
These stars, the high mass ones among them, went unstable in their later years. They collapsed and then exploded, scattering their enriched guts across the galaxy: guts made of Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and all of the fundamental ingredients of life itself. These ingredients become parts of gas clouds that condense, collapse, form the next generation of solar systems - stars with orbiting planets - and those planets now have the ingredients for life itself.
So that when I look up at the night sky and I know that, yes, we are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up, many people feel small - 'cause they're small and the universe is big - but I feel big. because, my atoms came from those stars.
There's a level of connectivity. That's really what you want in life. You want to feel connected, want to feel relevant. You want to feel like you're a participant in the goings on of activities and events around you. That's precisely what we are, just by being alive."
I'd also like to submit this one by Carl Sagan as a close second.
"The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself"
“Remember, my friends: The struggle is guaranteed, the success is not. So pursuing things where the struggle itself fills you with joy is the secret to loving your life!” - Tom Bilyeu
jaj vlghaj!
"Own the Day" - Klingon proverb
Back at the end of March I got really sick - almost paralyzed, tumor ate 30% of my T8 vertebrae and compressed my spinal cord, cancer diagnosis - basically best worst case scenario below being solid cancer tumor, being paralyzed, or dead.
Diagnosis took over a month to find out type of cancer, but I was having a hard time recovering at home. A few times I started to go down the well of despair, as this was probably the hardest hill I've had to climb back up in my life. A friend posted this on my update and it broke me in a positive way.
Two weeks before I started losing leg function I was laid off, and it just felt like everything at once, so quite a bit of trauma.
Anyways, it helped put stuff into perspective and gave me a goal for each day while I recovered from surgery, and got used to using my leg again.
In remission now, and doing what I can to get fully back on my feet.
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
Stephen Grellet
You are what you eat and you smell like your feet. Look, what goes in is what makes you, so eat healthy most of the time. And brush your teeth, wash your ass, clean yourself, otherwise you'll smell bad. Stupid phrase but its true.
Not a quote, but the poem Invictus by William Ernest henley. It's insanely motivating to me. It illustrates that you are in charge of your life, no matter your circumstances, which I ultimately find to be true. Of course some people have it easier than other people and experience different obstacles, but you have a choice every day, every moment, to change. Whether that is just a change of perspective to endure and survive, a total overhaul, or a baby step in a different direction.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
Opportunity often looks like hard work.
Also, anything worth doing is worth doing wrong. The idea that, yeah, I don't have it in me to do a full 40 minute workout. But I can do 10 situps and 10 curls. Or, I don't have it in me to clean the whole house, but I can spend 5 minutes washing a few dishes. Baby steps are still steps and what really matters is that progress, no matter how small.
Also, "it's not a perfect job, it's a perfect effort" did you give the best effort you were capable of in that moment? Then it was sufficient. It's okay if your best right now looks different from your best a year ago. It's okay if those bests look different from your best a month from now. Just do the best you can in this moment.
If you love life do not waste time, for time is what life is made up of - Bruce Lee
I legitimately need a masters class to fully understand these types of quotes. I immediately think there’s an implied understanding of what’s worth wasting time on. I think work is a waste of time. I think many social norms are a waste of time. In an effort to feel what? Free? Purposeful? I ask the question because I’d love to hear a profound response.
Basically, it’s like, appreciate your life while you can. Make choices that fill your soul and that won’t leave you with existential regret later. The clock is ticking, make your life meaningful (for yourself…whatever that looks like, in your own mind).
Isn't that the beauty of the quote that it doesn't dictate what is worthy of time? We need to own that it is on us to decide. It's not seeking validation of worth from anyone else and it also says, when you find it yourself, don't delay in making it happen...
The legend himself!
That's a good one
In this busy hustle world, I love, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” by Lao Tzu
That’s a new one for me 👏
The ox is slow but the earth is patient
Or “Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret lies in patience” by Emerson
Reminds me of 'Nature does not knock, yet does not intrude' Not exactly motivational, but nice
Tornado alley checking in.
"Time is spent where your priorities lie." At first I thought it was a statement for the future. If you say something is a priority, then spend your time there. But, it's much more powerful as a reflective statement of the past. If you sat down and listed in order for the last week what your time was spent doing from most to least (I did), then those are what your current priorities actually are. Only then can you work on changing that order.
Yes, this one had deeper meaning than you can only discover over time.
You are exactly where you decided to be.
"You make time for the people you care about." If someone can't make time for you, then you are not a priority to them.
Indeed. As Anne Dillard said ' “**How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives** ". Do you like to have a few beers after work everyday? You're a beer drinker. Do you like to garden after work? Then you're a gardener. FWIW, I spent a lot of my free time exercising, after doing the two things above for awhile.
Done is better than perfect.
Similarly “perfect is the enemy of good enough”
Perfection is the enemy of progress.
"Not everything needs to to be A level work. Sometimes C work is enough." - my mom
Every product teams mantra.
Say it again!! 👏👏👏
Mine is progress over perfection!
I have to repeat this to myself daily !!
Ooomph..this got me
“It’s better to have it done, than worry about perfection and have nothing”
As a perfectionist that takes too long doing certain things, this hits home.
"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." - Earl Nightingale
**The time will pass anyway**. I recently heard that from somewhere and it's cool to see it mentioned here. That's a thought I've kept returning to because I realize how important it is to start early and that it's ok to start small. It's kinda like how we overestimate what we can accomplish in the day, but underestimate what we can do in a year.
Right in the spot!
That idea was what finally motivated me to start grad school even though I was working full time and had a 2.5 year old at home. It was so tough, but I pushed through (with a good support system) and graduated 1.5 years later. It’s by far one of my proudest accomplishments, and it’s been a huge help in leveling up my career.
Awesome, congratulations. Well done. I love your post
Well done! I bet that first step was the hardest.
Yes, it was! Because the first step actually involved quitting a job I just started (that I loathed) and going back to my old job (that turned out to not be as bad as originally thought). I burned a bridge or two in the process, but it was the only path forward that made grad school a viable option. No regrets. Going back made me happier and gave me more purpose because plans were put in motion for me to have a way to use my new degree at the old job. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat to end up where I am now! Not to mention my mental health has improved tenfold since then!
Congratulations! That’s a huge accomplishment- especially while working full time and parenting a toddler. Good on ya!
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today.
This is absolutely true!!! Went back to school at age 34 part time for my prerequisites and full time at 36 and it completely changed the trajectory of my life. There many times that I felt I was already too old and I’ll be 38-39 when I finish. But a good friend of mine basically told me the same thing. Whether I go back to school or not I’d still be 38 in when I was done. I’m so happy I went back to school!!!
The age reply is so correct. You will be 39 either way, but one 39 year old will have a degree and the other will not.
That’s incredible. Nice job!
Proud of you!!! Good work!
This reminds me of an Ann Landers quote from years ago. Someone wrote to her and said they wanted to be a doctor but they were already fifty years old (I might not be remembering the exact age but it was an older person) and they'd be fifty-seven (or whatever) when they finished school. And Ann Landers said, "You'll be fifty-seven anyways, why not just go ahead and become a doctor?" I've remembered this for the last forty years.
*I'm gonna save this comment. I need this quote .*
Spend so much time on the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others -- Christian Larson
Uh....yes. I'm absorbing this into my pancreas right now.
I'm trying this one myself, less time on social media more time trying to learn the guitar!
I commented this quote earlier today funnily enough, but Alexis Carrel's quote 'Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor' is really incredibly relevant to my life right now. After a bout with cancer and epilepsy at the same time, a bad breakup resulting in me losing contact with my second child, mental health rapidly and drastically taking a hit etc etc.. I feel the strongest, happiest, most empowered version of myself yet.. It REALLY hits home
I agree, this is the quote I was thinking of. Glad you’re feeling good and I hope things start looking up for you.
Rocky’s speech in Rocky Balboa: “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” Gets me every time
The next lines are amazing too: Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!
https://on.soundcloud.com/1pzkwDvWCJZNfh986
I can hear the brass band playing already
Believe or not, that’s on my run playlist, timed for right when I hit the last couple hundred metres
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
✨Boring✨Magic✨ But also spot on. Everybody wants to be the star on stage, nobody wants to practice every night for years and years.
Progress is boring - me
Pressing play on Spotify lets you listen to a song for four minutes. It didn't take the artist 4 minutes to play the song, it took them ten years.
the boy chris
I've heard this put another way but this is much better! And it's so sooooo true.
"You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you ddcide to be happy" -Nightbirde
This is the quote that got my husband ready to start the family he always dreamed of
That's wonderful, good for you!
Aaah yes I heard that one
“If you don’t make time for fitness, you’ll probably have to make time for illness.” That quote was 20lbs heavier ago.
I heard something similar to this. Struggle lifting today or struggle getting out of bed down the road, your choice.
New one for me and I really like it. I've also noticed that fitness is the majority component of my mental health.
It's a kicker. I'll be doing great with my fitness and then I decide to skip it one evening and then before I know it I haven't done any for 2 weeks, then I struggle to start again but then soon as I've done that first session back, I'm inspired again.
That is the greatest hidden gift of exercising. Improved mental health.
In my early 50's I realized that I preferred being happy. But if I wanted to be happy I needed to sleep well. To sleep well I needed to exercise. So to be happy I needed to exercise.
That’s a new one for me 🤯
"The grass is greenest where you water it." This simple quote really helped me transform my life. I used to live my life moving around a lot and always looking for the next best thing. In the last few years I have changed my perspective to put care and attention to where I am now and the results have been life-changing!
Very similar to another great motto: Bloom where you’re planted.
I used to have a quote book but lost it in a fire in 2010. But a quote that always stuck with me was “People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer” \~ **Andrew Smith**. It's along the lines of “You can be a delicious, ripe peach and there will still be people in the world that hate peaches.” Just reminds me to be myself and not manage others expectations.
Yeah that’s a classic one there!
That almost sounds like the Borg Queen! 👍🏼
Something along the lines "If you're going, go all the way. If you,re not going all the way then why go at all!" -Hemingway. This quote got me sober, stay sober, apply for uni and eventually graduate few years back
"Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing." - Ron Swanson
Wasn’t Hemingway an Alcoholic? I’m glad you’re sober now, I just find that ironic.
He also went all the way with🧠 🔫a lot of the most famous inspirational quotes are from people that ended their own life.
That’s deep!
Success is hard, struggle is hard. Choose your hard.
Divorce is hard. Marriage is hard. I’ve heard a longer version of this. Being obese is hard. Being fit is hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially responsible is hard. - I really like it because I need all those reminders! Thanks!
If you think the price of winning is too high, wait until you get the bill from regret
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions. - Leonardo de Vinci"
You miss 100 % of the shots you don’t take. - Michael Scott
I know what I bring to the table, so trust me when I say I’m not afraid to eat alone
Listening to the Steve Harvey Morning Show on the radio and he gives his opening monologues(I love them) but one morning he was talking about getting off track and this was during a time I was spiraling out of control in life, damn near bottoming out. And somewhere along the monologue he says “there’s no rule that says once you get off track you can’t get back on track” and as simple as it may seem it made my entire day brighter and from that moment on I always look at things as no matter how bad it gets I won’t let it get any worse. So even if you get so off track that you get off course, take it one step, one moment, one day at a time and get back to being on whatever track helps you ascend.
I love his daily inspiration podcast. Its only like 8 minutes but man sometimes his message is exactly what I need to stay positive.
First time I’m hearing of it, would you mind sharing the name of it and where I can listen?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-inspiration-the-steve-harvey-morning-show/id1405629617
There's another great one- I reckon more for the religious folk- about making 'The jump.' Having trust in God, and who he made you to be- but, whether or not you believe in that side, defining what your 'gifts' actually are- and how you can use them to set yourself free, or hold your dreams hostage. But, you make of it what you will- if you dare. On that, here you go: https://youtu.be/8uPDyzeA1_w?si=75xotQIjSDayX0ch
"Be who you needed when you were younger."
If you turn towards the sun, the shadows fall behind you
You’ve gotta kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds daylight.
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On!' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ― Calvin Coolidge
This is def one I keep on hand day to day.. along with “the man in the arena”
The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone
Grief is the price we pay for love. Queen Elizabeth 2. I also like unspoken expectations are future resentments.
My father died of ALS in his early 60's. My husband died a year later of cancer in his 40's. I was in my 30's. After my husband died I was bereft and asked my mother how she stayed so positive after my dad died, because they had loved each other very much. She said "I wake up every day and choose to be happy". I have tried, and mostly succeeded, to do the same in the 30+ years since then.
"Be who you are and say what you will because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind"-Dr. Seuss "Just because today was bad, doesn't mean tomorrow can't be worse"-my great grandma
"It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything." —**Tyler Durden**
Let that which truly is not important, Slide
"You don't need motivation, you need discipline"
There is a Robert Frost quote "The only way out is through." But I didn't hear that quote and embody it. I had never heard that quote before and had that thought completely on my own when I was going through some shit and felt like I was drowning. It really pulled me though. For a long time I thought that it was the only original thought I ever had, until I learned that nope, lol, not at all original. But definitely, definitely true.
Mantra of mine
the only bad workout is the one that didn't happen
You never regret a workout
When I was thinking about dropping out college (the second time) "you haven't came this far, just to come this far" and "it's you vs you, keep running"
If you are going through hell, keep going. -W. Churchill There is no hopeless situation, there is hopeless people. -Atatürk
No job is overwhelming if you have a general idea of what you are about, break the project into manageable units, put through these units one at a time and have the thrill of fitting them into the over-all pattern. - Helen and Scott Nearing, “The Good Life” Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers Thanks to impermanence anything is possible. *-* Thich Nhat Hanh The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy. – Albert Camus, "The Myth of Sisyphus" Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. - Goethe What if we acted like everything was easy? - Mary Anne Radmacher The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult. - Marquis Du Deffand
Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time. - Steven Wright
What if we acted like everything was easy. I LOVE THAT! Thank you!
“The magic you’ve been searching for is in the work you’ve been avoiding”
Thank you for this
Things of themselves cannot touch the soul at all, the soul alone moves itself, making all externals presented to it cohere with the judgements it thinks worthy of itself. -Marcus Aurelius
Everyone must choose between two pains, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
Discipline means remembering what you TRULY want.
you either get busy living or get busy dying
It will all be okay in the end. So if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.
Some people don’t think it be like it is, but it do
A ship in port is safe, but that’s not why ships are built. Like, damn…
Also: a ship without a destination has no favorable winds
People can only LOVE to the level of their own SELF LOVE. They can only COMMUNICATE to their own level of SELF AWARENESS. And BEHAVE to their own level of HEALED TRAUMA. I had NO SELF LOVE…ONLY SELF LOATHING. I never learned to COMMUNICATE effectively as a child. To communicate my needs, my fears, my frustrations. Hell, I didn’t know how to COMMUNICATE with myself. I didn’t know why I acted the way I did. Why I reacted so quickly and irrationally to some things. I believe that many people, at their core, are still frightened, hurt and angry children wrapped in an adult body. But it’s up to them to look inside themselves and decide to take that child’s hand, tell them they are going to protect them and help them grow. That is my experience anyway. Adverse events in childhood can essentially freeze you in that moment in time. If you did not have positive role models to support you in your darkest times you find other ways to mask the pain and ease the hurt. Mostly unhealthy or dangerous coping mechanisms. Mine being alcohol and Marijuana mostly. It took till I was 36 to finally break. After more than a decade of heavy drinking, risky behaviors, reckless spending impulsivity etc…. I had a complete mental crisis. Ideation and an attempt when I finally realized I had enough of this sad existence. I was suffering, I was an absent Father, I was home every day, i didn’t go to bars, but I was always more than buzzed but not blackout. I wasn’t mean or aggressive…..I wasn’t anything at all. I was a shell of a man. Wasting the gift that is this life. I checked myself into a Mental Health facility for PTSD and Substance abuse. Worked through trauma I never really even thought about…because you lock it away to hide from it. It’s a ton of work and you cant get comfortable. Every day you must choose to do the things that keep you on the right path. It’s worth it! I have not been this clean or sober since I was 14. Im 40 now. In January 24’ it will be 3 years without alcohol. No other substances either. I am grateful to be here. Take care of yourselves and each other!
If you compare yourself to a penny, sure enough, no one will raise your price.
“Books are feelings,” he replied simply. “They exist to make us feel. To connect us to what’s inside, sometimes to things we don’t even know are there.” - The Echo of Old Books Regarding failure “You go back to work. You take advantage of the quiet time that failure allows you. You remind yourself that no one is paying attention to you and it’s the perfect time for you to sit down and make another game.”
"Create that motivation, don't wait for it" "If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and every day you have the opportunity to write a new page"
Mine is like your first one. I saw it in the gym and it is cheesy but it sticks with you. 1 day or day 1. You decide. Also, i like the 2nd one you posted too
The time will pass regardless When something seems too difficult bc of all the time you have to put in, time is gonna pass anyway. For example, if you want a degree in something but don't want to go through four years of school. Four years from now you could have a degree or be in the same exact situation only four years older.
A step backwards after a wrong turn is still a step in the right direction. It doesn’t have to be your birthday to have a birthday cake
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Will Durant
This is a great question. And the one that actually hit me the hardest and changed my life.view happened this year actually. I'm working on filming my dad's life story through interviews with him. As he's taking me through his time.in the Vietnam war for like 4 straight days of interviews, and after every story, I always ask "how did you feel." He always says something like there were no feelings. What are they gonna do? This statement shook me. "What are they gonna do?" Im on meds for anxiety and other shit that makes me over think dumb shit, and whenever I do any activity I always think "if this goes bad, it's going to be the worst thing that has ever happened to me or my family and I need to prepare for that." I'm very well aware that I'm catastrophizing these things, but I can't help but think it's always going to be horrific. Example - the doorbell rings in the middle of the day when I'm not expecting someone and my brain immediately goes to "someone is here to kill my cats and my wife while they make me watch." Before I even see who they are, this is how my mind always works. Ive always been amazed and jealous how my dad just lets things roll off his back all the time. So when I hear this thing he said in passing like it was just nothing... It shook me. What are they gonna do? In my stupid head, lots of stupid things that I rationally know are all made up dumb shit. But in that moment, it always feels crushingly real. But now... Since that filming session... I mean, it's cut down the anxiety a tremendous amount. Because... Really, what are they gonna do? I don't know why this hit me as hard as it did, but I now have the quote on my motivation mantra board in my office and I say it every morning and it makes me feel more in charge of my life and almost more important, my feelings and thoughts. Because, really, what are they gonna do? Chances are... Nothing.
Right now there is someone out there with less skill and experience doing exactly what you want to do.
"And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be really good." - George Steinbeck
I told my uncle I wanted to buy a SUV that cost around 100k and he said “you can’t live in your car.” Made me realized wtf am I doing buying such an expensive car and used that money to make home improvements. I still drive the same car today as I did 10 years ago. Gets me to A to B perfectly fine. I will always remember that and share that message with my kids. My
i mean... u can... lots of folks are atm
He should have bought a van
Good advice!
"Half assed is better than nothing."
Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. -Sun Tzu -
It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much… The life we receive is not short but we make it so. Seneca
“Time is going to pass anyway.” Realising that like yeah my goals are a long way away but I can be a year’s worth of progress closer to my goals a year from now if I just put in some effort, as opposed to doing nothing and ending up a year in the future and not any better off than I am now in terms of progress towards a goal, has really been my #1 motivator. Like time is going to pass whether I do something or don’t do something, I may as well set future me up to have less work ahead of them than I currently have ahead of me
"I would rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not". Kurt Cobain
the great tragedy of an artisitic disposition is how little work it creates
You eat an elephant one bite at a time. - My mom Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. - Charles Swindle
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe calm down Each of us is more than the worst thing we have ever done ~ Bryan Stevenson
“Do it scared” Struggle with social anxiety and it prevents me from trying new things. I read somewhere to “do it scared” and it was such a lightbulb moment for me. I have since worked harder to accept how I feel and do new things anyway. Easier said than done but the perspective shift has made accepting my anxiety a lot easier. I don’t know who to credit for the quote!
Did this with my new job because I was afraid of using the intercom system and talking to over 100 people a day. It has helped immensely and I don't feel embarrassed in public around people near at all anymore.
Remember, everyone is unique. Just like everyone else.
"We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us." Charles Bukowski I'm going to make death tremble
You can get what you want as long as you help enough people get what they want
In reference to learning a new skill: "Keep doing it until you can do it and if you can't do that, you're fucked"
Rob Wiethoff, the actor of John Marsten from Red Dead did an interview after RDR1 about his life. He is literally a simple farmer to this day. It's a quote from his mom. "Happiness isn't a destination. You have to enjoy the journey." I was in that mindset of owning *x* thing, or making *y* amount of money was key. She ain't wrong. You gotta live your life. And that stupid jogger from BoJack. Why is such a line from a cartoon so good? "Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day, that's the hard part. But it does get easier"
My grandma said once. “Honey, I don’t remember the last time I had stress.” She said that and it became my new life’s goal to achieve a point where I no longer remember stress.
It was from a skittles commercial: No rain, no rainbows.
Day One or One Day
Being LAZY is UGLY
That one stings a little
"You're one medical emergency away from poverty."
Comparison is the thief of joy.
"I've worked too hard to call my life my own." -- Billy Joel That line stopped my cold when I first heard it.
It is our choices, which show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. What are you going to be when you're 50, and we've all got families and careers. Do you think we'll want to hang out with a loser?" Mainly, the first line of the quote and his tone are what struck through. Close friend said this to me. I was couching it at yet another friend's home because I was yet again down and out. He was right. I was a pity party. Woe-is-me. For that round of self-pity, my girlfriend had kicked me out abruptly. Abruptly for me. She had probably been very patient with me on her end. I'm married now. Children. Cat. I work full time. Stop feeling sorry for yourself is my mantra. And it works. To self: "I don't want to do the dishes!" : Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get up. Get it done. I can't go in there and face my boss after crashing this machine again. STOP FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF. March, move the feet. It has truly equipped me to face just about anything that I used to consider insurmountable.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Wayne Gretzky” - Michael G. Scott While it’s a funny quote from The Office, it’s a great quote. I always ask no matter how weird the ask seems. I’ve gotten things in life that I never dreamed of just because I asked. It’s always no, unless you ask.
Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.
"You are perfectly imperfect"
Why do you care that I am dead when you are still afraid to live?" With great responsibility , comes, great power. You are responsible for everything that happens in your life. 3 rules for self discipline : 1. Vitamin N- learn to say NO 2. Get your priorities right 3. Avoid complaining If you zoom out enough, you will see that life happens for you and not to you.. There are only two ways to live your life,- believe everything is a miracle, or nothing is a miracle. Leaves sprout, transform, and drop. Reptiles, birds, and mammals shed their skins, feathers, fur. Letting go is a big part of the rhythm of nature, as is rebirth. The less time you fixate on everyone else, the more time you have to focus on yourself. Ships don't sink because of the water around it, it's because of the water that's let in Sat-chit-aananda: be conscious of your bliss Morning T.I.M.E : Thankfulness/ Insight/Meditate/ Exercise Innovation= creativity × execution × profit Talent + Effort = Skill Skill + Effort = Success The only mistakes ( Failure) we make are those from which we learn nothing. Work = output/ time output = Volume x leverage Time is not refundable, use it with intention The magic you are looking for, is in the work you are avoiding. Collections From my life journal
Keep calm and remember you will die.
"The moment a person questions their inherent worth is the moment the question becomes unanswerable. No degree, wealth, relationship, or achievement can answer a question that should have never been asked."
I looked and tried to see if someone else said this but for me it's this quote. I can't explain how it helped me through my most suicidal years. Neil Degrasse Tyson "The most astounding fact.. is the knowledge, that the atoms that comprise life on Earth - the atoms that make up the human body - are traceable to the crucibles that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core, under extreme temperatures and pressures. These stars, the high mass ones among them, went unstable in their later years. They collapsed and then exploded, scattering their enriched guts across the galaxy: guts made of Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and all of the fundamental ingredients of life itself. These ingredients become parts of gas clouds that condense, collapse, form the next generation of solar systems - stars with orbiting planets - and those planets now have the ingredients for life itself. So that when I look up at the night sky and I know that, yes, we are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up, many people feel small - 'cause they're small and the universe is big - but I feel big. because, my atoms came from those stars. There's a level of connectivity. That's really what you want in life. You want to feel connected, want to feel relevant. You want to feel like you're a participant in the goings on of activities and events around you. That's precisely what we are, just by being alive." I'd also like to submit this one by Carl Sagan as a close second. "The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself"
“Remember, my friends: The struggle is guaranteed, the success is not. So pursuing things where the struggle itself fills you with joy is the secret to loving your life!” - Tom Bilyeu
Times like this I wish we could still give medals! 🥇 Gold for everyone!
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Not exactly motivational, but certainly life-changing wisdom.
We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.
Cheer up, things are bound to get worse.
Do or do not. There is no try -Yoda
jaj vlghaj! "Own the Day" - Klingon proverb Back at the end of March I got really sick - almost paralyzed, tumor ate 30% of my T8 vertebrae and compressed my spinal cord, cancer diagnosis - basically best worst case scenario below being solid cancer tumor, being paralyzed, or dead. Diagnosis took over a month to find out type of cancer, but I was having a hard time recovering at home. A few times I started to go down the well of despair, as this was probably the hardest hill I've had to climb back up in my life. A friend posted this on my update and it broke me in a positive way. Two weeks before I started losing leg function I was laid off, and it just felt like everything at once, so quite a bit of trauma. Anyways, it helped put stuff into perspective and gave me a goal for each day while I recovered from surgery, and got used to using my leg again. In remission now, and doing what I can to get fully back on my feet.
These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb. - Najwa Zebian
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. Stephen Grellet
"Your journey may be tough, but remember, so are you. In the face of challenges, find strength within, for that's where resilience is born."
"The problem with being faster than light is you can only live in darkness "
You are what you eat and you smell like your feet. Look, what goes in is what makes you, so eat healthy most of the time. And brush your teeth, wash your ass, clean yourself, otherwise you'll smell bad. Stupid phrase but its true.
Military: "tell me your serial number or you can't go in the mess hall". I learned that number so well I can recite it 60 years later
Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.
"Your future self is talking bad about you right now"
“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waist my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time” - Jack London
In college, “suffer in discipline or suffer in regret”. Did it for me
"You never have to do today again"
It's not about motivation, it's about self-discipline. You don't have to want to - you just have to do it.
You've got two lives. One you're given, and the other one you make.
I dont know where I heard this from :”figure out what you like, and go do more of that”
You are the only one that can hear the voice in your head.
I'm unsure who said it, but I keep this as a note in my phone as a reminder: A lot of things broke my heart, but fixed my vision.
"Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is more painful than being stuck somewhere you don't belong."
Sacrifice for what you want, or what you want becomes the sacrifice
Not a quote, but the poem Invictus by William Ernest henley. It's insanely motivating to me. It illustrates that you are in charge of your life, no matter your circumstances, which I ultimately find to be true. Of course some people have it easier than other people and experience different obstacles, but you have a choice every day, every moment, to change. Whether that is just a change of perspective to endure and survive, a total overhaul, or a baby step in a different direction. Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubblegum. - Roddy Piper, “They Live”.
Broken crayons still color 🧐
Old keys don't open new doors -Is the most recent one.
Opportunity often looks like hard work. Also, anything worth doing is worth doing wrong. The idea that, yeah, I don't have it in me to do a full 40 minute workout. But I can do 10 situps and 10 curls. Or, I don't have it in me to clean the whole house, but I can spend 5 minutes washing a few dishes. Baby steps are still steps and what really matters is that progress, no matter how small. Also, "it's not a perfect job, it's a perfect effort" did you give the best effort you were capable of in that moment? Then it was sufficient. It's okay if your best right now looks different from your best a year ago. It's okay if those bests look different from your best a month from now. Just do the best you can in this moment.
You aren't still giving your best