Inspirational quotes are something that I absolutely enjoy collecting. Although they’re often cheesy and big ol’ cliches, I always find them empowering. Even more when I’m feeling down and in need of a little push of motivation. I keep them on my Pinterest board, around the house, and even on my phone. That said, I’m sharing my favorite inspirational quotes or life mantras that I want to live by this year.
20 Inspirational Quotes To Help You Become Your Best Self
Be present.
I’ve been noticing how much I live in the past worrying about something that happened, or in the future worrying about what’s yet to come. Meanwhile, I’m wasting the present moment, the one I actually have some control over. What if we lived a bit more mindfully? What if instead of worrying about the past or the future, we brought our attention to the present moment, without judgment? What if we stopped for a minute to actually appreciate it? Take action: Give meditation a try.
Create a daily habit.
Why do we expect different results when we keep doing the same thing every day? I’m so guilty of wanting change without doing anything to get it. The idea overnight success is wrong. Success takes consistent action. Change something in your daily routine that will help you get closer to your end goal. Make your actions a habit. Starting will be a challenge but consistency will make it easier. Take action: What can you do today to get you closer to where you want to be?
The thief of joy.
Comparison is something that most of us struggle with, even more now when we compare our behind-the-scenes to someone’s highlight reel on Instagram. We forget that we don’t know the whole story, it’s just a feed where we put the best version of ourselves. So we waste our energy competing, feeling like we have to be better than x. After so much time competing, there’s no time left for doing your own thing, is there? Take action: Reach out to someone you admire & let them know why.
Have faith.
I like to think that everything happens for a reason. It’s comforting to believe that is true, isn’t it? Life happens, things don’t always go according to the plan and it’s important to have faith that everything will work out in the end. Maybe not as we thought it would. But perhaps it will take you to something better. Trust that this is the place you’re meant to be right now and that it will get you to where you’re going next. Take action: List 3 reasons why you’re in the right place right now.
Let go of control.
The only thing you can control is your attitude towards what happens to you. It’s quite the challenge to accept this. Trust me, I know. But it’s true. You don’t have control over what goes wrong in your life. You don’t have control over what other people think of you. So instead of feeling sorry for yourself, why don’t you get up and go do something about it? Let go of what you can’t control and accept what you can. Take action: Next time something goes wrong, be aware of your attitude.
Stop living your fears.
It’s always scary to follow a dream without knowing if it will work out. It’s always scary to step out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there. Am I enough or will I fail completely? So we make excuses why it won’t work without even trying, as a way to avoid failure and disappointment. But it’s time to move past fear and fight the inner voice telling you you’re not enough. Because you are! Don’t let fear tell you otherwise. Take action: List 3 fears and 3 small ways to try to overcome each.
Love yourself.
I used to believe that you need to love yourself in order be loved by someone else. That’s what people said. But I don’t agree with it 100% anymore. While I believe you have to accept yourself for who you really are and not live your life waiting for someone else to validate your worth, self-love is not something you reach and that’s it, it can be a long journey. No matter where you are on that journey, you deserve to be loved by others, and yourself. Take action: Make time for self-care today.
Turn on the light.
In the midst of chaos, it’s easy to get caught up in everything that’s going wrong and forget what’s going right. But it’s still there, it really is. You just have to remember to turn on the light and notice the good around you. To change your perspective and see things through a different lens. It’s about choosing to stay positive and taking something good from every situation because that will give you hope to keep moving on. Take action: List 3 positive things from a recent struggle.
It’s not about you.
This is probably one of the hardest things for me. As a people pleaser struggling with self-doubt, I take things personally and tend to dwell on it for days. But I’m glad to have come across this quote. It’s a reminder that what other people say or do has nothing to do with me and everything to do with them. It’s because of how they see the world and what they think is right. It’s a projection of their own reality, not mine. Take action: When you’re struggling, repeat this to yourself.
Be yourself.
It has become quite the cliche but it never hurts to say it one more time, especially for those of us struggling with it. Stop hiding, stay in your lane, embrace your flaws and imperfections, and surround yourself with people who see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful, magical person that you are. Let go of what people think and embrace who you truly are. Let your true self be seen. Take action: Write this quote & put it somewhere you can see daily.
It’s time for a change.
While I’m all for positivity, I’m not that naive to believe that we can be happy all the time. We can’t. Even if we could, without struggles we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the wins, right? That said, negative emotions also play an important role in a happy life. They are signs that something needs to change. As Thomas Edison said, discontent is the first necessity of progress. Some form of unhappiness is actually good. Take action: List what you’re unhappy about + how you can change it.
Let it go.
A lot of us spend way too much time dwelling on the “what ifs”. Letting our past hold us back. This also applies to holding on to dreams that don’t resonate with us anymore. It’s time to reevaluate and let it go. It’s challenging, but accepting who you are at this moment will bring you peace and happiness. Also, it’s only when you let go of who you were that you have the opportunity to discover who you can become. Take action: Reevaluate your dreams, do they still resonate with you?
Be your own motivation.
Far too often we rely on others to give us the motivation to pursue our dreams. As if it was some kind of validation that we can actually achieve them. The thing is, not everyone will understand your dreams. And it doesn’t always mean that they don’t believe in you. They’re most likely projecting their own realities or insecurities onto you. That’s why we must learn how to be our own cheerleaders. You don’t need a fan club. Take action: Motivate yourself as if you were motivating a friend.
It’s OK to fail.
I like to think things through before making a decision. Because I put way too much thought into it, I keep going back and forth with my decision, afraid to make the wrong one and fail. The truth is that we didn’t learn to walk by following rules or even a plan, right? While it’s great to have a plan, it will take you nowhere if you don’t put it into action because you’re following the rules religiously or are afraid to fail. It’s OK to fail, it’s how you learn. Take action: List the reasons why you’ll succeed.
Perfection is the enemy.
Perfectionism is not about striving to be your best but to believe that everything needs to be perfect so that you can be accepted and avoid blame, judgment, and shame. The thing is, there is no such thing as perfect. It is an unattainable goal. To let go of perfectionism, you need to practice self-compassion by accepting your imperfections, exploring your fears, and being kind to yourself. Afterall, failing is part of being a human. Take action: Write your own My Perfect Imperfections.
Just start.
How many times did you wonder, I will be happy when…, or I will do it when…? If you’re anything like me, too many to count. But if we keep waiting for the right moment, it might never come. It’s time to start where we are, use what we have, and do what we can to make our dream happen. We don’t need to know it all before we start working towards our goal. Just imagine, where could you be right now if you had started one year ago? Take action: Take a small step towards your goal today.
Practice gratitude.
How often do you feel your mind clouded with negativity, anxiety, and jealousy? Gratitude is about pushing those feelings aside and taking time from your busy life to appreciate what you have. When you take the time to count your blessings, you realize that your life is actually pretty amazing. Your mind was simply too clouded and too busy to see it. This awareness of what makes you happy will most likely motivate you to cultivate more of it. Take action: Write 3 things you’re grateful for.
Thoughts are not reality.
Something I learned from Brooke Castillo is that your thoughts create your feelings, your feelings create your actions, and your actions create your results. Your thoughts are powerful and can create your results. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t change your thoughts or that they are your reality. Don’t believe everything you think, more often than not it’s just fear talking. So be aware of your thoughts. Take action: Pick a negative thought and replace it with something positive.
People who motivate you.
Jim Rohn once said that we are the people we spend the most time with. If you’re surrounded by people who settle, it will probably be extra hard for you to get out of your comfort zone and go after your dreams. Let’s not forget about toxic people. Who never had someone in their life who pushes them down? That’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with people that will lift you up. People who believe and encourage you. Take action: Reach out to someone who inspires you.
Enjoy the small moments.
According to Brené Brown, joy often comes to us in ordinary moments. But as we keep waiting for something extraordinary to happen to bring us joy, we often don’t give importance to the small moments in our everyday life. It can be tricky because your mind tends to look for big, exciting things but please, make it a habit to not forget to appreciate every little thing. Because the small bursts of joy matter, too. Take action: List 3 small moments that made you happy today.
Love that you took the time to detail every quote. And I agree with everything you said! I particularly need to work on letting it go, surrounding myself with people who motivate and support me, and forgetting about perfection.
Thank you, Léa! At first, I thought about just sharing the quotes in a quick blog post but I thought it lacked something. So I’m very happy to know that 🙂
I hope you manage to work on those three things this year! x
This was so great. You could see the effort you put into this post and I loved it so much. My favourite quote was the one on loving yourself and your response to it is so true. I agree, with what you said about not being able to receive love without loving yourself. we all need love!
jayolivia.blogspot.ca
Thank you! I really enjoyed writing it so it’s great to see that came across 🙂 We all need love, for sure. From others but also from ourselves! x
I loved this post and might sneak a few of the quotes. So inspirational.
The Lisa’s World
Thank you, Lisa!! 🙂 x