Know that success does not have a definite form. We are all unique with our own special talents, concerns, and challenges, and our views of success are one-of-a-kind. Neither I nor anyone else can say what success will look like for you. Whatever you are individually striving for, you will eventually need that motivational boost to continue onward. Here are ten of my favorite quotes for developing a success mindset.
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1. “The road to success is always under construction.” – Lily Tomlin
Plans are not always going to go the way we want them to. Many will see these interferences as signs to just give up. That’s not the case. Many times, there are going to be various challenges to arise and different routes for us to have to take. If it feels like your progress is constantly hitting setbacks, know that it is normal, albeit extremely frustrating. Just search for the detour route and keep moving forward!
2. “There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking” -Brian Tracy
Our minds are powerful tools. Everything we have today began with an idea and the strong faith that it could be done! Whenever we start listening to friends, family, and complete strangers talk about why our ideas won’t work, it becomes so easy to become discouraged by their negative words. We cannot allow others’ expectations to determine our goals! Check out our vlog for more about developing a success mindset concerning our goals versus others’ expectations.
3. “Failure is success in progress.” – Albert Einstein
Say it with me: We’re going to make mistakes! No one has gotten to where they are now without their own challenges, and neither will you! Every mistake that you make is a learning opportunity for something greater. Developing a success mindset will keep this lesson front and center!
In our blog, “Work for your Passion, Not Just for a Paycheck,” I explained how I had a social anxiety MELTDOWN due to a Promoter position I picked up to help cover bills. Still, to this day, I vow to never again do hard-sales like THAT again, but I still learned how to organize a sales-pitch.
Thanks to that learning opportunity, despite the embarrassing outcomes and concerned bystanders, I got into self-studying content marketing which combines my storytelling skills with advertising without having to be pushy about it!
4. “I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time.” – Herbert Bayard Swope
Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, are going to have their own opinions as to what you should do with your life or how to accomplish your goals, or in some cases why you should just quit. Know that many of these words will be said to “protect you”, some will be aimed to harm you, others will have good intentions to try to help you, but only you can determine what’s right for you! Will you always make the right decision? Nope.
Remember though that every decision that you make will provide a learning opportunity to push you further towards your goal.
Yeah, it may feel like a setback…more like a couple of miles back…but that experience will be priceless later own. Hear out others’ advice, but make the decision for yourself because no matter what you choose, there is always going to be someone to get an attitude about it. Sorry, but it can’t be avoided (even if you choose to do nothing, someone will still complain).
5. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Have you ever heard the saying that “knowledge is power”? Well, this is only partially true. The more accurate saying would be that knowledge is potential power. So, what does this mean exactly? Have you ever taken a course in high school, college, or online, then nearly forgot most of the information after a few months from not actively using what you learned? It becomes as if we never gained the knowledge in the first place.
If we wish to learn a new skill or pursue a new opportunity, it’s not enough to just watch tutorials and read books on how to do it. We have to actually do it! I know. We need to have the experience to do what we want to do. Let me ask you this, though: how do we obtain the experience that we need to obtain our goals? That’s right…by doing it (even if we suck at it at first)!
Many of us fall victim to something called Analysis Paralysis.
This means that we subconsciously refuse to do something out of fear of mistakes or the fear that we are not experienced enough to actually succeed. Check out our vlog as we discuss more in-depth how Analysis Paralysis can be one of the biggest self-made roadblocks toward our goals.
6. “You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing.” – Dale Carnegie
Seriously, what’s the point of pursuing something that makes us miserable? I’ve heard of many people going to college to study something because it’s “high in demand” or because “it pays well.” Okay, but do you actually LIKE it? Do you wake up looking forward to going to work, or do you feel miserable or hopeless every time your alarm clock goes off?
I have some disappointing news:
If the only things we look forward to at our job are our bi-weekly paychecks and retirement, we’re most likely are not going to feel successful anytime soon or even a few years down the road. Money may enable you to do things that make you happy, but it cannot buy you happiness.
If you’re having to spend every last penny just to squeeze out any drops of joy that you can find outside of your working hours, then it’s not worth it. Period. What is it that you genuinely enjoy doing? Why not pursue that? If the answer is “because it doesn’t pay enough” then look harder at the opportunities surrounding your interests. You’d be surprised how much people can make when they’re able to put their heart into their work.
7. “Measure your success according to fun and creativity.” – Anita Roddick
Fun is not just for kids! Did you know that it is possible to get paid for things you genuinely have fun doing? Crazy, right!? Just to drive this point, check out this Fox Sports article on “The Top 10 Highest-Earning Gamers in the World.” Yes, you read that title correctly. These numbers are for individuals who get paid for playing their favorite videogames!
Maybe videogames aren’t your thing, but you are passionate about teaching Physics! What can you do to make those courses even more engaging or entertaining? Could you create an online beginners’ course to help others understand the fundamental basics of the subject? Maybe you have always had a love for building or fixing things!
Are there opportunities in your neighborhood that allow you to put your skills to good use?
This next realization might either be the door opening to angelic hymns or the release of some tight chains for someone: you don’t have to stick with what you earned your degree in if you don’t care about the topic anymore!
WHAT!?
I had a professor that was passionate about directing animations and TV shows! He had an eye for appealing composition and great storytelling! One day, while I was debating if I made the right decision in pursuing the Animation degree, I asked what it was that he majored in, and this man said Economics! ECO-freakin’-NOMICS!! His dad wanted him to work in Wall Street, but he decided to be a Director AFTER he realized that Economics was too boring for him! And no, he didn’t go back to school to study how to direct! He networked with the right people that soon offered him opportunities in the field he desired! If you are no longer passionate about what you went to school for, it’s not the end of the world for you! You can still do something else! Go for it!
8. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right,” – Henry Ford
First, let me say that I did my best to find the exact wording of this quote. There are various phrasings but the message remains the same.
Both a positive mind and a negative mind are powerful weapons. They just have opposite effects. It doesn’t matter how many people have faith in you. If you refuse to have faith in yourself, you won’t get far. What if you don’t have a college degree in the field you prefer? There are affordable online resources to self-teach yourself. What if you don’t have the work experience? Attend workshops that relate to your interests and place that on your resume.
If we have a strong enough desire to do something, we will figure out a way to do it.
If as toddlers we can figure out how to walk, talk, and climb places that would give our mothers near panic-attacks, we can accomplish so much more as adults! We just have to use our minds, release that unconditional childlike confidence, and stop listening to the nay-sayers!
9. “Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development because success is something you attract by the person you become.” either Hal Elrod or Jim Rohn
Both individuals were consistently accredited to this quote! Dang it, I’m putting both! Research can be a pain in the buttocks!
Never compromise your integrity for the sake of false accomplishment. We all will have different beliefs and different passions. You have to determine for yourself what yours will be. If you climb up a ladder full of things that contradict who you are, you will never be happy. Focus on what makes you smile and enjoy life. Focus on developing the best version of you that you can muster. When you can look back at the things you’ve done and feel proud of yourself, you’ll know that you’re on the right path.
10. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success” -Albert Schweitzer
Are you pursuing your goals for yourself or for someone else? Can you honestly say that you are passionate about the things you associate yourself with? Look, it’s okay if we’re not 100% sure what we want to do with our lives; I mean, look at all the possibilities to choose from! If you are not happy with where you are now, what’s stopping you from exploring other options? For developing a success mindset, it’s important to be honest about how happy you are with your life right now.
You don’t have to suddenly quit your current job (unless it’s causing health issues, then please find something different ASAP). I do advise taking a close look at where your career choice is going for you. Take a moment to analyze what is it that you can honestly say would make you happy to do almost every day. If what you do now provides that, you’re on your way to a positive future!
Want to learn more about how to have a successful mindset?
If you are searching for books on developing a success mindset, one of my reading recommendations for this blog is Steve Harvey’s Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success. If anyone needs more proof that success is preceded by some outrageous challenges, serious tests of will power, and some snarky haters, this book is filled with laughter as Steve Harvey shares his many downfalls before getting to where he is now.
Now let’s hear from you!
Developing a success mindset can be a challenge! Have you ever had an AMAZING idea just to have others bombard you with reasons why it wouldn’t work? Did you take their word as truth, or did you still push forward with your idea? Also, if you had the opportunity to create your dream job, what would it be? Please share your thoughts and your stories in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this blog, I would greatly appreciate it if you shared it on social media to your friends! Thank you all for taking the time to read this, and remember to just live your life one story at a time!
Take care,
Kyndall Bennett from Kyrabe Stories
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Great post! Inspiring others to change their mindset and add more gratitude and positive thoughts is brillant!
Thank you! I truly wish I had more of these lessons when I was in school, but better to learn these lessons now than never, right?
As I was reading each point, I found myself nodding, and saying, “Yes!” Great motivation post. I’m going to go check out your other book recommendations too. 🙂
Thank you! That truly means a lot! ❤ I’ll be adding more to the book recommendations page throughout the year.
#4!!! Yes, yes, yes! It’s like the presidency…unless you run yourself, you’re not going to agree with any president 100%. You can’t please everyone!
? That is a very fascinating way to look at it, but very true!
Just today I took a plunge and did something that I was afraid to do because I was worried I’d fail. I realized that if I didn’t believe in myself now, when would I. And, if I didn’t, who would? Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies,
I’m proud of you for bursting out of your comfort zone towards your goal! That initial attempt is always the worst, but your persistence will be worth it in the long run. Any mistake made will also just be a learning opportunity for you to do better the next time around!
Love this post! Thank you for taking the time and finding such encouraging quotes. Some of these I had never heard before. We all could use a little more encouragement each day.
Thank you and no problem! I agree too. There are days I need a truck-load of encouragement, especially whenever I decide to learn a new skill.
Such Inspirational Quotes! I love Dale Carnegie
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the list! ❤
My favorite – Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right! So true! You will do exactly what you tell yourself you can do. I totally and completely believe this.
I also love Jen Sincero where she stated that our beliefs become our reality. Our minds can be our strongest weapon or our most dangerous enemy.
I have always loved the Henry Ford quote!!!! It is so very true, and I try to get my kids and grandkids to understand, they are the map to their own life.
The younger they are to learn these tips, the better!
Mindset is key! Great post!
Thank you for visiting the post! ❤
Great post! I especially love success is not happiness but happiness is success. Far too often we think we need to reach something or someplace to be happy. But if we are happy, everything else is a success.
You are so right! And comparing ourselves to others do not help at all! We’re all pursuing different aspirations, so each of our journeys will require a unique path!
These are all fantastic. I was taught by my parents that you are as successful as you want to be and persistence and hard work pays off, sometimes in unexpected ways.
I’m glad that your parents were able to teach you such an amazing lesson at a young age!
Great tips and motivation. Thanks!
Thank you for visiting the blog, Tracy! That means a lot!
This are great! Thanks for sharing. Number 1 and 3 and my fav.
Thank you! From living near Orlando, FL which is CONSTANTLY under construction, #1 was like, “OMG, that makes so much visual sense!”
i agree with so many quotes. Particularly about you being right whether you think you can or you can’t and the fact that success depends on actually DOING the things you want to do. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Mistakes will happen. It’s up to us to see them as learning opportunities and to keep it moving!
My favorite quote you listed. This is reality for me now…..I had to leave HR because I no longer liked what I was doing!
“You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing.” – Dale Carnegie
I broke down crying in the middle of Sam’s Club when I was doing hard sales for a partnering company. That was the first job I ever had to quit almost immediately, and I felt like I had failed myself. After a few months, I realized that staying would have just done me more harm than good with my social anxiety. There’s nothing wrong with leaving a position that contradicts with what makes you “you”. If you’re not happy, then it’s up to you to discover something that will make you happy, even if it takes a few tries. No position is worth your sanity ❤
I love # 3. “Failure is success in progress.” – Albert Einstein! I recently retired from teaching high school math, a difficult subject for many. I always said that getting a problem wrong was just part of the learning process and was okay!
Thank you!!!! Even though I loved math, I had a teacher that almost broke that love because it was “expected” for us to have it figured out by a certain point! I still shudder when I hear “Trigonometry”, but the teachers that were patient with me helped to save that interest in math.
#4 is so true. Gah! It frustrates me that I do that. Thank you for putting some encouraging words out there.
I did it a lot too, so no worries! It really is a hard habit to break, but it lifts so much heaviness once it is broken!
Gratitude is always the seed that germinates goodness! Really lovely post
Thank you! I’m grateful you came to visit the blog! ❤ Many thanks for that too!
“you don’t have to stick with what you earned your degree in if you don’t care about the topic anymore! ” YESSSSSS!!!!!!! Abso-freeking-loutely!!! So much guilt about it, but I’ve learned to let it all go 🙂
Lol! One tip I was given was to creatively think of ways to use the skills we have in combination with our passions. For example, I became good at developing sales pitches (but I HATED doing hard sales). Because I had a passion for storytelling though, I came across content marketing and blogging. This way, the skill doesn’t collect dust but instead helps to propel my passion for storytelling! Whatever you or a friend majored in that is no longer of interest, maybe there’s a way to use those skills to complement your current passions!
I love all of these. But this one especially: “There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking” This sums up life. You have to try new things and reach for things that seem impossible, just to see if you can make it happen!
I wish I had that quote back in high-school. I was notorious at saying “I can’t do this…” to myself. There’s no telling what all I could have learned had I known to just believe in myself back then.
I like #7 the most! Fun and creativity are essential to success for sure!
True! If we’re miserable at doing something, what’s the point of torturing ourselves!? Yes, bills need to be paid, but nothing says that we can’t have fun and get paid at the same time!
Oh, thank you! This is the first thing I read this morning! My BIG thing right now is my blog and parts of it are daunting for me. I will probably come back to this a few times. Thanks!
I’m glad it helped! I’m in the same boat with learning to blog since I just started in January. I kept trying to learn everything at once and I almost cried from how much I DIDN’T know! One of the best exercises I’ve started is my checkpoint list. Create SMALL goals like writing down 5 blog ideas, gaining 10-25 more followers on social media, getting accepted for 5 affiliate links, etc. Whenever you accomplish a small checkpoint, date it, then write another one beneath it. This way, whenever you feel discouraged about not making any progress, the checkpoint list will show you that the small accomplishments are gradually building up!
Honestly, I needed this right now. I’m in a time of transition. Quitting my “real” job, working online and trying to turn my blog into a business… It can be so discouraging and intimidating!
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. No matter how slow the progress may seem, the fact that you’re still putting your heart into it will pay off when the time is right. I suggest keeping a checkpoint list. It’s a sheet of paper with SMALL goals like completing this week’s blog or making it to another 10-25 followers on social media. Whenever you make it to a checkpoint, date it, then add another SMALL checkpoint. This exercise helps me see that small progress is still progress! ?
I love number four. You have to do your own thing and wholeheartedly embrace your journey. The haters will only slow you down!
And there will ALWAYS be someone to try to hold us back! As long as your heart knows what it wants, it doesn’t matter what the nay-sayers have to say!
I love all of the quotes you mentioned but what stands out for me the most is “I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time”.
This is absolutely true! We like to please people even though it’s not what’s best for us!
This was my greatest downfall in middle and high-school. It carried over at the beginning of my military time, but then there was a breaking point where I just said, “Screw everyone who dares to mess with me!” Surprisingly, things became more tolerable once I learned who to separate from my life.
I love motivational posts! I have a chalk board I’m my kids “hang out area,” and I stole a few of these quotes for that board. Great thoughts for all ages!
I hope your kids find great encouragement from the quotes as well! ❤
My life has been riddled with people telling me I wouldn’t amount to much, didn’t have what it took or who didn’t believe in me. I am now coming more into my own and moving past that, building on a dream I’ve had forever. Thanks for the encouragement!
I’m glad you pushed through the negativity! One saying I remember hearing as well is that the best revenge one can have on a hater is to prove them wrong! Keep proving them wrong, T.M!!
Every quote I read is beautiful and inspiring! I couldn’t agree more, although it’s hard sometimes but you just need to keep going. Never give up and know that everything will come to pass. And one day you will look back and realize how far you’ve come!
Very true! It can be difficult to see how much we’re growing during the process, but farther down the road, it’ll become more obvious!
[…] ? Kyrabe Stories – Kyndall with Kyrabe Stories is a personal and professional development blogger whose words are always motivational, inspirational and insightful. She helps motivate and inspire those who are trying to break out of their comfort zones with articles such as 10 Quotes to Encourage a Successful Mindset. […]