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”

09 Oct 2012

YOU

“People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering.” (St. Augustine)

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” (Leo Buscaglia)

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” (William James)

Be who you really are, show the world your uniqueness and share with everyone. ~ GMUniverse

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09 Oct 2012

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Be Like Children

“You can understand and relate to most people better if you look at them – no matter how old or impressive they may be – as if they are children. For most of us never really grow up or mature all that much – we simply grow taller. Oh, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales.” (Leo Rosten)

“The great enemy of creativity is fear. When we’re fearful, we freeze up … . Creativity has a lot to do with a willingness to take risks. Think about how children play. They run around the playground without thinking about where they’re going. They trip, they fall down, and then they get back up again and run some more. They have a wonderful belief: that everything will be all right. They feel capable; they let go; they play … . No matter how many facts and figures you have, you can’t predict the future. There will always be surprises … . Creativity helps us realize that we don’t have to understand everything. We can enjoy something – feel it and use it – without ever fully comprehending it.” (Faith Ringgold, Fast Company, April 2000)

“All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile …. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.” (All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum)

Posted in Attitude, Inspiration, Life, Perception

09 Oct 2012

“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)

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05 Oct 2012

“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

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04 Oct 2012

Let’s Believe in Ourselves!

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04 Oct 2012

“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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03 Oct 2012

Today’s Schedule – “Plan for a Miracle”

Getting Out of Bed

Why do you get out of bed each morning?

Is it your job? Is it to fulfill a hope or dream? Is it the damn alarm clock?

Is it the chance to make a difference, however great, however small, in your work, your family, your community, and possibly even the world in which you live?

Your answer could change your life. It could also change the lives of those around you. (Unknown)

Beginning of the Day

“This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind … let it be something good.” (Unknown)

Expectation for the Day

“Be realistic: Plan for a miracle.” (Rajneesh)

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30 Sep 2012

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“Courageous Change”

“Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me, ‘This is going to take more than one night.’ “ (Charlie Brown)

“If you have ever planted a seed, you know the power and promise of hope.” (H. Jackson Brown

“I promise you, as you choose to remake yourself, to see in new ways who you are and what you are capable of, to dedicate yourself to using body, heart, mind and spirit in living your life, you will open up windows of possibility within your life and within the lives of others. Your courage will inspire others to be brave. Your model will inspire others to change. Together, the courageous change will create something worthwhile, something completely human.” (Stephen R. Covey)

Posted in Attitude, Challenges, Change, Life

29 Sep 2012

“YOU MATTER”

“When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter. When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter. When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter. When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter. When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter. When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter. When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter. When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter. When you inspire a Nobel Prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter. When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter. And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.” (Seth Godin)

“It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined.” (Henry James)

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25 Sep 2012

“A Thief or Maybe Not”

“Once a man found that his axe was missing, and suspected his neighbor’s son of having taken it. Observing the youth walking around, the man was convinced that his was the walk of a thief. The youth looked like a thief and talked like a thief; everything he did pointed to his having stolen the axe.

Then one day the man happened to find his missing axe. After that, he noticed his neighbour’s son wasn’t behaving like a thief anymore.” (Lieh-tzu)

How many times have we looked at people and automatically developed an image of who they are and what characteristics that person has? How can we do that? Experience? Gut feeling?

Isn’t every person unique in their own way? Don’t we owe it to others to look at them without judging them initially? Look at it from their side – how are you perceived the first time they see you? Think about this: “The reality of life is that your perceptions – right or wrong – influence everything else you do. When you get a proper perspective of your perceptions, you may be surprised how many other things fall into place.” (Roger Birkman)

Let’s remember to “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” (Wayne Dyer)

~ GMUniverse