9 Cheesy, But Inspiring, Sayings You Wish You Never Heard -- But Will Be Glad You Did Finding the motivation to motivate when you lack motivation is as much a science as it is an art -- not to mention a stroke of luck.
By Jeff Boss •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Feeling a little gloomy today? Uninspired, perhaps? No worries, it happens to the best of us.
Finding the motivation to motivate when you lack motivation is as much a science as it is an art -- not to mention a stroke of luck. In BUD/S (Navy SEAL training), humor was just as valuable in dealing with difficulty as the self-talk that circulated through our heads.
If inspiration is what you need, below are nine cheesy and inspirational sayings (followed by a little sarcasm, of course) and their positive takeaways:
1. It's what's on the inside that counts.
This may be true, but love and niceties don't pay the bills. Don't get me wrong, compassion, trust and all that jazz are important -- heck, I write about them every week -- but execution is what matters. If you don't believe me, try paying your insurance agent with a hug.
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2. To the world you are one person, but to one person you could mean the world.
Oh, puke. If this doesn't make you want to gag then you're stronger than I am. On the less cynical side, though, everybody generates value every day. Whether that value is positive or negative remains to be seen, of course, so the question is, whose world do you impact?
3. Reach for the moon ... if you miss at least you'll be among the stars.
I'm not even sure what this means, but if the previous quote didn't make you vomit in your mouth just a little, then maybe this one will. Sure, there's always a silver lining to every "miss" that occurs in life not to mention a significant lesson learned that can be applied for the next time.
4. Success is not owned, it's rented -- and rent is due every day.
No sarcasm on this one because I don't even know where to begin. At any rate, the cost of success is time, effort and emotional investment, just to name a few things that come to mind. Failure is another one. Yes, it does get costly the more you invest in yourself or others but the payoff always yields positive returns.
5. Be yourself.
Well, duh. Who else would you be? At the same time, being "authentic" is an easy quality to fake since nobody knows your true intentions except you. Personally, I would replace "authenticity" with "consistency" because being consistent is more evident, which means it's more accountable.
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6. It's not whether you fall down but whether you get back up.
No kidding. However, the not-so-obvious takeaway here is the value of learning how to fail. Much like anything, failure is a learned skill, and translating an unwelcome reality check into a positive lesson learned requires an adaptive mindset that "turns your frown upside down" (that's another cheesy saying that never gets old).
7. The most important thing is to never stop questioning.
Questioning what? I'm not sure what we're even talking about so can somebody please enlighten me? Get it? Seriously though, curiosity is a game-changer because it builds awareness and accountability. When you embrace new possibilities you subvert your own preconceived notions and open your mind to new opportunities. The more aware you become, the more tools you build in your mental repertoire to call upon when uncertainty presents itself, thus creating the feeling of accountability.
8. Always drink upstream from the herd.
This quote by Will Rogers says many things, but for the purposes of this article it means this: Location is everything. The right location provides opportunities galore in terms of relationships, sales and business development.
9. Everybody has a plan, until they get punched in the face.
Thank you, Mike Tyson. However, Iron Mike was right: no plan survives first contact with the enemy (or competitor), which is why contingency plans, adaptability and lean are all hot trends in businesses today. The speed of technology forces change at a moment's notice and if you're not ready and willing to change with it, you'll be one of the many your competitors see in their rearview mirrors.
There's a positive to every negative and finding it just depends on how hard you're willing to look. Remember, you have to look through the rain to see the rainbow (and you thought the cheesiness had stopped).
Do you have any other favorite cheesy sayings? Share them in the comments section below.
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