Catalyst Quotes

Compiled by Alex Pena ~ ‘Catalyst’: “to spark, to ignite, energize, mobilize; something that accelerates a reaction (DDI)." Thought-provoking & motivational quotes and stories for you to read, reflect on and move forward in making creative and positive changes in your life.

Author Archive

“Why Not Be Great?”

“Dreams are really the thoughts that you have hidden in your heart.   When you start a brand new day, let your heart show you the way and make a dream or two come true.”    (‘Land of Make Believe’ by Chuck Mangione)

  

“You can choose beliefs that limit you, or you can choose beliefs that support you.”    (Anthony Robbins)

  

“The thing is, we still live in a world that’s filled with opportunity.   In fact, we have more than an opportunity – we have an obligation.   An obligation to spend our time doing great things.   To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing.   You get to make a choice.   You can remake that choice every day, in fact.   It’s never too late to choose optimism, to choose action, to choose excellence.   The best thing is that it only takes a moment — just one second — to decide.  …  you have the power to change everything that’s to come.   And you can do that by asking yourself (and your colleagues) the one question that every organization and every individual needs to ask today:      Why not be great?”    (Seth Godin, Fast Company, June 2003)

Be Awesome Today

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Leadership – “Is Anybody Better Because of You?”

“The ripple effect of a leader’s enthusiasm and optimism is awesome.   So is the impact of cynicism and pessimism.   Leaders who whine and blame engender those same behaviors among their colleagues.   I am not talking about stoically accepting organizational stupidity and performance incompetence with a ‘what, me worry?’ smile.   I am talking about a gung-ho attitude that says ‘we can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best!’”     (Colin Powell)

 

“You cannot build a team or organization that believes in different things from you.   You can’t make them into something you’re not.   Leadership isn’t just a job; it is a commitment to other people’s excellence.   As an illustration, think of the movie, ‘Remember the Titans.’   One of the highlights of that film was the heated exchange between the white captain and one of the black players, who had experienced firsthand the captain’s lack of acceptance and support.   When the captain confronted the player for deliberately missing a play, the player retorted, ‘attitude reflects leadership, captain.’    We must remember that, unfortunately, too many managers and supervisors who are responsible for developing others haven’t learned the basics of good leadership and development, even for themselves.  They are trying to build organizations or provide services based on a different value system.   It doesn’t work.   Employees quickly observe the disconnect between words and deeds.”     (Don Ritz)

  

“If you want to know whether or not you’re a leader, your title may or may not give some clues.   The real clue is in the answer to this question:  Is anybody better because of you?   Do the people you work with say, because of him or her, I’m a better person or I’ve been able to find skills and talents I didn’t know I had, or develop skills that were latent.”    (Mark Sanborn)

 

“Heroes and Fools”

“If one of us could ascend to the heavenly realm and for a few hours accompany the Divine on His daily rounds, he would see below millions of his fellow humans busily hurling themselves into the passions, sports, (work) and actions of the moment – all the while seemingly oblivious of those around him.

But if our observer had the power … he would also feel and sense, pulsing through and vibrating from every one of us here below a desperate and unending plea …. ‘Notice me! I want to be known, admired, and loved by the whole world!’

And it is this; this glorious weakness, this dependence of us on each other that makes some of us heroes and some of us fools – and most of us heroes and fools at the same time!”    (Rev. Michael Burry)

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”     (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

“Everybody can be great …  because anybody can serve.   You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.   You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.   You only need a heart full of grace.   A soul generated by love.”     (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)

“It’s Fun To Do the Impossible”

“You’re good, but you’re going to be great.  You’re the best, but you’re going to get better.   Sometimes the paths we take are long and hard, but remember:  those are always the ones that lead to the most beautiful views.  Challenges come along, inevitably; how you respond to them determines who you are deep down inside – and everything you’re going to be.   Increase the chances of reaching your goals by working at them gradually.  The very best you can do is all that is asked of you.  Realize that you are capable of working miracles of your own making.  Remember that opportunities have a reason for knocking on your door, and the right ones are there for the taking.  You don’t always have to win, but you do need to know what it takes to be a winner.  It’s up to you to find the key that unlocks the door to a more fulfilling life.  Understand that increased difficulty brings you nearer to the truth of how to survive it – and get beyond it.  Cross your bridges.  Meet your challenges.  Reach out for your dreams, and bring them closer and closer to your heart.   Get rid of the “if only’s,” and get on with whatever you need to do to get things right.   Go after what you want in life, with all the blessings of all the people who care about you.   And find out what making your wishes come true really feels like.”     (Unknown)

  

“If we did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”    (Thomas A. Edison)

  

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”    (Walt Disney)

 

Whenever you are faced with a challenge or you believe that something is impossible, think of the words above and you will rise above your challenges.    ~  GMUniverse

 

Escape

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I took this photo of a book on my desk next to the keyboard.  Get the connection?

Always pay attention to what’s around you; it could be telling you something.

            I believe it’s time for me to get into the moment and escape.     ~  GMUniverse

“If You Can Dream It …”

“Our ordinary mind always tries to persuade us that we are nothing but acorns and that our greatest happiness will be to become bigger, fatter, shinier acorns; but that is of interest only to pigs.   Our faith gives us knowledge of something much better:   that we can become oak trees.”            (E. F. Schumacher)

 

“We are what we think.

All that we are arises with our thoughts.

With our thoughts, we make the world.”    (The Buddha)

  

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.

If you can dream it, you can become it.”   (William Arthur Ward)

 

Open your eyes and realize what you can do.  To repeat a quote stated in an earlier post, “Control your own destiny or someone else will.”  (Jack Welch)   

Whether it is at work or at home, you have the power inside of you to determine what you can do positively and not let outside negative forces stop you.   Use that power wisely or as a great ‘philosopher’ once said “Use the Force, Luke.”      ~  GMUniverse

THINK and Make It Happen!

It’s early in the morning and you are just arriving at work.   You get to your office or your workstation and you begin thinking, “How in the heck am I supposed to feel good, be motivated and do a good job when it seems that everything around me is going bad?   There are too many changes going on in the company, there are issues at home, the economy is topsy-turvy, and there are some things that I just don’t understand!”   With all those thoughts in your head, your mind begins spinning and you feel woozy, and then all of a sudden …

  (Background music begins … harp playing … a dream-like state begins)

… you find yourself sitting on a chair in the middle of a large room.  You see a line of people coming towards you.  You can’t move.  As a key floats down to you, you hear a booming voice that says, “Do not worry; you already have the keys to your success.”   Then, one by one, each person in line comes to you, gives you a key and says:

“Change your thoughts and you change the world.   How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself – so always think positively.”     (Norman Vincent Peale)

“Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul.”     (Niccolo Machiavelli)

“There are no secrets to success.   It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”     (Colin Powell)

“Trust is enormously powerful in a corporation.   The only way I know how to create that kind of trust is by laying out your values and then walking the talk.  You’ve got to do what you say you’ll do, consistently, over time.”     (Jack Welch)

“We have a ‘strategic’ plan.   It’s called doing things.”     (Herb Kelleher)

“Essentially there are two actions in life  –  performance and excuses.   Make a decision as to which you will accept for yourself.”     (Stephen Brown)

“In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently that anything we say or do.”     (Stephen Covey)

And then poof! ….   All of a sudden, you begin to wake up, your mind becomes clearer and you look around your work area and realize it was all a dream.   Or was it?   “But it made sense,” you say.   “I’ve heard those sayings before but I never paid too much attention to them.   Could those statements be some of the keys to success?” 

It’s now become clear to you that, in order to be successful and create a positive and fun environment at work, (and at home), it all begins with you – the way you perceive events or issues, and the image you project to your employees, your costumers, your friends and your family.   As you go back to work, you can’t help but start singing James Brown’s song, “I Feel Good!”

 

Now, what can YOU do to “think and make it happen?”      ~  GMUniverse

Let’s Believe in Ourselves!

“Impossible is Nothing”

“What would I do if I knew I could not fail?

If I believed, would the wind always fill up my sail?

How far would I go, what could I achieve

Trusting the hero in me?

What would I do today if I were brave?”    (“If I Were Brave” –  lyrics and music by Jana Stanfield and Jimmy Scott

 

“You were born with potential

You were born with goodness and trust.

You were born with ideals and dreams.

You were born with wings.

You are not meant for crawling, so don’t.

You have wings.

Learn to use them and fly.”     (Rumi)

 

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it.

 Impossible is not a fact.  It’s an opinion.

 Impossible is not a declaration.  It’s a dare.

 Impossible is potential.

 Impossible is temporary.

 Impossible is nothing.”     (Adidas TV Commercial)

 

Don’t underestimate the power of the mind and the will to excel that we all have.  Be brave and do it!    ~ GMUniverse

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