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We live in a distinct point in history where efficiency and productivity are constantly at the forefronts of our minds – in a rapidly changing world, we need to use our time wisely if we hope to stay competitive.
These quotes on success and hard work will help motivate you to push forward productively to success.
Indeed, we are met with “10 Things All Efficient People Do” or “10 Ways to Be the Most Productive Person You Know’ types of articles on a daily basis. And there’s a reason for this: most of us want to be more productive.
We are always pushing ourselves to do more in every facet of our lives: more at work and even more in our personal lives. To do better, to be faster, to accomplish more.
For proof of this, think for a moment. Just how many productivity apps do you have on your smartphone?
At the end of a long day, it can be difficult to even muster up enough energy to actually make dinner at home instead of taking the easy route and reaching for the takeaway menu for the third or fourth time that week.
On top of all of this, we all have goals that we’d like to accomplish beyond the responsibilities we have to our careers and in our personal lives. Perhaps we want to write a novel or learn a new language.
But it’s often difficult to get up the energy and enthusiasm to push ourselves further, which always results in the same conclusion. We will do it tomorrow.
We are not robots (not yet, anyway!), which means that operating at peak efficiency can be difficult to sustain each and every day. This is especially true in our sleep-deprived modern world. And yet, we all want to make the most of our time.
Motivation, of course, is what pushes us to do more. Unfortunately, there isn’t an app for that.
We know all too well that motivation is fleeting. Just as we find ourselves motivated to do something, it slips just out of our grasp. Just like time in the day, we never quite have enough of it.
And yet, it is exactly this motivation that is the most significant predictor of success. We all want to be successful, so how can we maintain a consistent level of output in order to accomplish our goals? These famous quotes about success and achievement will help to put it in perspective.
Here are also some of the secrets that self-motivated entrepreneurs know.
The Science of Motivation
There is a lot of science on the topic of motivation. How do we sustain it? What factors predict demotivation?
In general, psychologists have identified three factors that prevent us from being motivated. Interestingly, they are all related to our patterns of thinking.
These patterns of thinking are significant because every time we are unmotivated to do something, if we know what we are doing, it becomes possible to identify our thinking patterns and alter them in such a way that we feel motivated again.
The first factor that quickly makes us lose all motivation is the feeling that we “have” to do something. While there are some things we have to do (go to work, for example), this thinking quickly becomes catastrophic in the pursuit of our personal goals.
We already had to go to work. But now that we are free, the moment that we begin to think that we have to start writing our book is the moment we decide to watch television instead.
The solution? Change your thinking so that you want to do something because of the benefits it will bring you via your hard work. The hard work pays off quotes may be some of the best to read.
Another factor that makes us lose motivation is when the activity doesn’t align with our own values. For example, perhaps your boss has called you in to work on the weekend, but this directly conflicts with the value you place on quality time with your family on the weekends.
If you find yourself in this situation, find a way to make the task align with your values. For example, if you log extra hours on the weekend, make it a point to find some quality personal time during the week.
The third demotivating factor is a sense of incompetence. Perhaps we feel that we are unable to complete a given task at all and because of our feeling of failure, we either don’t attempt it at all or we procrastinate.
Interestingly enough, although we may have motivation to get something done, we have to have willpower in order to actually take action. Willpower, however, is very finite.
Even though motivation is necessary, it does not always translate directly to productivity. But, why?
It all comes down to decision fatigue. The more decisions we have to make every day, regardless of how small, from choosing what to wear to work to what we will have for dinner, the more quickly our willpower is depleted.
That’s why Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg wears the same two t-shirts to work. As you can see, if we want to sustain a high level of willpower, we need to eliminate as much extemporary decision-making as possible. Setting routines is key to this.
The more we don’t have to think about what we are going to do next, and the more it becomes a habit, the easier it will be to get more things done.
It is also important to accomplish high-priority tasks at the beginning of the day when we have an abundance of decision making willpower still in stock.
Beyond eliminating decision fatigue, there are several lifestyle factors we can put into practice so that we have not only the mental stamina to allow us to complete our goals but also the physical stamina, as well.
This means ensuring that we are eating healthy foods, avoiding junk and getting enough rest. But there is something to be said, too, about getting into the right mindset.
There are many articles discussing how to get motivated to accomplish everything you want in life, but many of them overlook the power of words, of reading motivational thoughts on success from the great leaders throughout history.
Sure, we can download another app to try to propel us to action, but sometimes reading the powerful words of the greats can be a very great source of motivation.
With that said, these motivational quotes for success will almost certainly help you feel inspired to accomplish your goals.
Indeed, these are truly quotes to inspire.
“The ones who are crazy to think enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do” — Unknown
Most of us have heard this quote before, but it bears repeating. That we have the power to change our destiny – that the choice is ours – is a comforting thought.
For many of us, some goals seem out of reach. We often question whether or not we are capable of actually seeing them through. Indeed, it is all too easy to get into our heads and to allow negative thinking patterns to change our desired course of action. Believe in yourself and your ability to accomplish your goals, and you probably will.
“Action is the foundational key to all success” — Pablo Picasso
The problem is often not that we are lacking ambition or that we don’t have great ideas. It is often a matter of execution. Thinking about all of the work involved in accomplishing a given task can quickly demotivate us, and as we know, the science supports this.
When a task seems too overwhelming, this is a great reminder that taking action will put us on the right path. Just put yourself into action and things will eventually get done.
“It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t stop” — Confucius
Similar to Picasso’s quote, the first step is indeed always the most difficult. We anticipate all of the challenges involved and any motivation is gone before we even begin. This is a quote that can be applied to any aspect of life. It is a reminder that taking the first step, and continuing forward, is key.
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” — Thomas Jefferson
This is a very motivational quote because it is a reminder that if we work hard, we will be rewarded. Indeed, it is not luck that Jefferson was reaping but rather the culmination of all of his hard work. Keep working and you are much more likely to see good results.
Here is a great source on how to stay focused at work.
“I do not have superior intelligence or faultless looks. I do not captivate a room or run a mile under six minutes. I only succeeded because I was working after everyone else went to sleep.” — Greg Evans
This quote from comic book writer Greg Evans is a reminder that whenever we are feeling like turning into bed, logging a few extra hours instead may actually mean the difference between accomplishing our goals and not.
It is easy to slip into a night in front of the television, which is why these motivational quotes about life are always some of the best.
Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. — Vince Lombardi
If we put hard work into everything we do, our efforts will be rewarded: we will achieve great things.
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” — Robert Collier
This is a great source on how to motivate yourself to do hard work when you don’t feel like it.
“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.”
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” — Muhammed Ali
“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” — Ella Wheeler Wilcox
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones that you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover.” – Mark Twain
It is easy to put things off. Perhaps we have a great business idea but don’t know if we have what it takes to put it into motion. This quote is a great reminder that our time here is short, that time is fleeting.
That is precisely the source of motivation we need to tap into each and every day. In the words of Mark Twain, sail away from the safe harbour.
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” —Pablo Picasso
“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” — Diane Ackerman
“Nothing in this world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.” — Unknown
This quote sets the fire underneath our sails to be more than mediocre, to not waste our talents but to make the most of them.
“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” — Bruce Lee
This may be the greatest motivational quote on this list. And who would ever want to argue with Bruce Lee?
“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
As the science shows, the anticipation of failure is something that quickly puts us off from doing a task. In some cases, however, we actually experience this failure very acutely. This is a reminder to continue on anyway.
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney
This quote from the beloved Walt Disney still applies to us even though we are no longer children. Simple words, but still very wise.
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life–think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success” —Swami Vivekananda
Psychologists have identified several different factors that motivate humans. One of the best ways to get motivated to do something is to feel a sense of personal fulfillment in doing so. This quote serves as a reminder to always be living and breathing what it is we are passionate about.
If we do, chances are we will be very successful.
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” — Steve Jobs
All entrepreneurs can find a lot of inspiration in this quote to be as avant-garde and experimental in everything you do, to push the boundaries of what is simply average.
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that made all the difference.” — Robert Frost
This is one of those famous motivational quotes that you will easily recognize. While it applies to all aspects of life, it is especially applicable to the life of the entrepreneur, where life is lived outside of typically defined boundaries. If you have a vision, it is valuable to be bold.
“The leaders who offer blood, toil, tears, and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic.” — George Orwell
A reminder for those in leadership roles to push others to their limits.
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” — Rosalynn Carter
“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” — Nolan Bushnell
“The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” — Peter F. Drucker
While the motivation to accomplish our goals may be difficult to see through the completion of those goals, if we can, alter our thinking, do hard work and seek inspiration from the greats by reading motivational quotes for success, we will arm ourselves with the power to accomplish things.
Of course, you might want to download Any.do and get some free time back for your business with Yocale’s scheduler app while you’re at it. You can’t survive on quotes alone.
Nonetheless, quotes to inspire can help power you through your greatest goals in life, which is why we will leave you with this:
“Look well to this day. Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this day.” — Francis Gray
