Inspirational Quotes to Get Your Week Started!

From Featured Writer: Leslie Branch

Inspirational Quotes to Get You Through the Day

When your work is going terribly and you’ve only been in the office an hour, it can be pretty easy to lose perspective. The same goes for when your relationships are on the rocks or your health is less than you would like it to be. I always try to remind myself during these times that yes, this circumstance is in my life right now, but it isn’t my life. Here are some quotes that help me maintain this mental state.

“Do the thing we fear, and death of fear is certain.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Once of America’s great transcendentalists and individualists came up with this quote, and it always struck a chord with me. It was a favorite quote of my grandfather’s, who often counseled me to look at a fear carefully in order to feel it dissolve. I find that this is true for me: when I look away from something that scares me, I give it more power. www.becomeacounselor.org/  has more information if you’re counseling someone going through a tough time or considering becoming a counselor yourself.

“And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche

When I’m having a relatively good and not-so-trying day, it’s always easy to settle down into a comfortable place where I feel like I know what I’m doing and have it “figured out.” This quote helps me to even keep the easy days in life in perspective and to remind myself not to take my life so seriously.

“Take the time to write. You can do your life's work in half an hour a day.” 

-Robert Hass

I’m a writer, so this quote feels especially apt for me, but it applies to people of any vocation or calling. The quote reminds me of how much you can really accomplish if you apply yourself—even for a tiny amount of time. This can help me get off my butt when I’m procrastinating and scared to death that something I do might not be perfect.

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

-Jon Kabat-Zinn

This quote came from a book (Wherever You Go, There You Are) which I was gifted by a social worker while I was going through a rough time regarding my daughter’s health. The quote really embodies the idea that it’s up to you to safeguard your own mind and to make it a place of solace for yourself; when you do this, you’ll be surprised at the types of tough situations you can pull through. If social work is inspiring to you as a career option, check out the educational info here.

Sources

ASU (2012)

MEC (2012)