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.

Archive for the category “Life”

03 Nov 2012

“You Have to Pass Through the Fire”

“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” (Max DePree)

“It’s a misnomer that our talents make us a success. They help, but it’s not what we do well that enables us to achieve in the long run. It’s what we do wrong and how we correct it that ensures our long lasting success.” (Bernie Marcus, co-founder, Home Depot)

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” (Samuel Beckett)

“We learn … by growing older, by suffering, by loving, by bearing with the things we can’t change, by taking risks.

The things you learn in maturity are not simple things such as acquiring information and skills. … You learn not to engage in self-destructive behavior. You learn not to burn up energy in anxiety. You learn to manage your tensions, if you have any, which you do. You learn that self-pity and resentment are among the most toxic of drugs. You learn that the world loves talent but pays off on character.

You learn that most people are neither for you nor against you: they are thinking about themselves. You learn that no matter how much you strive to please, there are some people in this world who are not going to love you, a lesson that is at first troubling and then really quite relaxing. …

Those are things that are hard to learn early in life. As a rule you have to have picked up some mileage and some dents in your fenders before you understand. As Norman Douglas said, ‘There are some things you can’t learn from others. You have to pass through the fire.’” (John Gardner, founder of Common Cause)

Posted in Attitude, Challenges, Change, Inspiration, Life | Leave a comment

02 Nov 2012

“Hot Dogs and Attitude”

“There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs. He was hard of hearing so he had no radio. He had trouble with his eyes so he read no newspapers.

But he sold good hot dogs.

He put up signs on the highway telling how good they were. He stood on the side of the road and cried out: ‘Buy a hot dog, mister?’

And people bought.

He increased his meat and bun orders. He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade. His son came to help him out.

But then something happened.

His son said, ‘Father, haven’t you been listening to the radio? Haven’t you been reading the newspapers? There are problems with the economy. The war in Afghanistan is bad. The domestic situation is not too good.’ Whereupon his father thought, ‘Well, my son’s been to college, he reads the papers and he listens to the radio, and he ought to know.’

So the father cut down on the meat and bun orders, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered to stand out on the highway to sell his hot dogs.

And his hot dog sales fell almost overnight.

‘You’re right, son,’ the father said to the boy. ‘We certainly are in an economic slump.’” (Author Unknown)

“Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrive yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” (Groucho Marx)

“There is a little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” (W. Clement Stone)

Posted in Attitude, Challenges, Change, Inspiration, Life | Leave a comment

02 Nov 2012

“Do It Right or Go Home”

“There are only 3 colors, 10 digits, and 7 notes: it’s what we do with them that’s important.” (Jim Rohn)

“When it comes to deciding whether a leader is believable (or a parent, teacher, family member, friend, co-worker), people first listen to the words and then watch the actions. They listen to the talk, and watch the walk; then they measure the congruence. … Constituents are moved by deeds. Actions are the evidence of a leader’s credibility. The observation leads to a straightforward prescription: DWYSYWD – ‘Do what you say you will do.’” (Encouraging the Heart by Kouzes & Posner)

“Consciousness is, in the first place, not a matter of ‘I think’ but of ‘I can.’” (Maurice Merleau-Ponty)

“If you can’t do it with love and cheerfulness, don’t do it at all – go home.” (Mother Theresa)

Posted in Attitude, Challenges, Inspiration, Life | Leave a comment

01 Nov 2012

1 Comment

“Become a Possibilitarian”

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.

Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills.

Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.” (Earl Shoaf)

“Don’t miss out on each day’s opportunities.

Dare to dream possibilities.

Work your dreams into reality.

Stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone.” (Fr. Brian Cavanaugh)

“It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself; the dreams will come to you.” (Randy Pausch)

“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities – always see them, for they’re always there.” (Norman Vincent Peale)

Posted in Attitude, Challenges, Life

01 Nov 2012

“Have Faith in Your Dreams”

“We are our own coach and team

Yet we often sideline our best efforts.

We all have unique gifts and talents,

Yet many pass undiscovered.

The world is full of opportunities,

Yet our view of life can blind us to them.

We are all capable of so much,

Yet limited by so little.” (Donald S. Neviaser)

“Don’t join an easy crowd. Go where the challenge is great and the emotions are high. Go where the expectations are so strong that they provoke you, push you, and urgently insist that you not remain in one place. That way, you will grow and change.” (Jim Rohn)

“Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” (Cinderella)

Posted in Attitude, Challenges, Life | Leave a comment

31 Oct 2012

What Are The First Two Letters of the Word Goal?

“Direction determines destination. So here is a question you must ask yourself, ‘Are all the disciplines that I’m currently engaged in taking me where I want to go?’

What an important question to ask yourself at the beginning of the month, the beginning of the week, the beginning of the day. Because here is what you don’t ever want to do — kid yourself. Kid your neighbor, kid me and kid the marketplace, but don’t kid yourself — fingers crossed — hoping you will arrive at a good destination when you’re not even headed that way.” (Jim Rohn)

“Remove failure as an option.” (Joan Lunden)

“The first two letters of the word goal spell go.” (Unknown)

Posted in Attitude, Challenges, Life | Leave a comment

30 Oct 2012

1 Comment

“Dance Like Nobody’s Watching”

“We can learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to learn to live in the same box.” (Anonymous)

“The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny – it is the light that guides your way.” (Heraclitus)

“Which are you? … competent, inspiring, passionate, obsessed, provocative, impatient, hungry, driven, adoring, inspired, an artist, a genius, someone who cares?

With all these remarkable, powerful, important options available to each of us, why do so many of us default to competent? ” (Seth Godin)

You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,

Love like you’ll never be hurt,

Sing like there’s nobody listening,

And live like it’s heaven on earth. (William W. Purkey)

Posted in Attitude, Challenges, Change, Life

30 Oct 2012

“Great Minds”

“Our Focus and Context is shaped by three vital questions: Where am I going? (vision); What do I believe in? (principles and values); Why do I exist? (purpose or mission).” (Jim Clemmer, “Looking Back to Look Ahead”

“My father-in-law uses an expression, ‘Attitude is everything.’ It’s his non-confrontational way of saying, ‘Stop complaining.’ When my father-in-law says, ‘Attitude is everything,’ it isn’t just an admonition — it’s a prescription. Right now, we are experiencing a massive explosion of creativity. Businesses (and businesspeople) that can find the excitement in that have a fighting chance of surviving the transition and thriving. Those who choose to fight the future and pretend the old ways are coming back, well, you may be the subject of your own TV series one day. But it’s likely to be on the History Channel.” (Robert Safian, Fast Company Magazine)

“Who you hang out with determines what you dream about and what you collide with. And the collisions and the dreams lead to your changes. And the changes are what you become.

Change the outcome by changing your circle.” (Seth Godin)

“Great minds have purposes, others have wishes. Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them.” (Washington Irving)

Posted in Attitude, Change, Inspiration, Life | Leave a comment

29 Oct 2012

“The Choice is Yours”

“There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ people. Some are a little better or a little worse, but all are activated more by misunderstanding than malice. A blindness to what is going on in each other’s hearts … nobody sees anybody truly but all through the flaws of their own egos. That is the way we all see … each other in life. Vanity, fear, desire, competition— all such distortions within our own egos— condition our vision of those in relation to us. Add to those distortions to our own egos the corresponding distortions in the egos of others, and you see how cloudy the glass must become through which we look at each other. That’s how it is in all living relationships except when there is that rare case of two people who love intensely enough to burn through all those layer of opacity and see each other’s naked hearts.” (Tennessee Williams)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BEING HUMAN:

You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.
You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time, informal school called Life.
There are not mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”
Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re alive, there are still lessons to be learned.
“There” is no better than “here”. When your “there” has become “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here”.
Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours. (Cherie Carter-Scott, Ph.D.)