The average native English speaking person knows and uses in the realm of 12,000 - 20,000 words, varying with the level of education achieved. Some say college/university graduates use upwards of 20-25,000 words. Some of would rather just stick to a precious few. Great words like, "Huh?" Or "Ya think!" or "Who me?" : )
We get bombarded by words every single day. HOWEVER once in a while a single person strings together a few words into a thought,a question or an idea in a way that has the power and potential to change everything ... how we think, what we do, what we care about.... Personally, I am a collector of great quotes. I underline, star, highlight and bracket my books. I keep quotes in notebooks. And, yes, e-books have made this task more difficult.
Most quotes don't change our lives. BUT, A FEW REALLY DO...or can if we let them! A few words strung together can change us at a core level. And for me, a few really have! (or at least, are still in the process of working their way through me.) Here are 8 practical and powerful ones.
1. "Private victory precedes public victory." Stephen Covey
Covey's book, the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People gave hope that change was possible. This idea that our personal inside-out work could be done and that would affect the rest of life and leadership was significant. Who we are when no one else is looking will impact what and who we are when others are looking.
2. "Now with God's help, I shall become myself." Soren Kierkegaard
Spiritual growth involves not becoming like anybody else... but becoming fully and freely and really us! The most mature me is the me who lives out the best version of me! This is similar to story in the Talmud of Zusha, the great Chassidic master, who lay crying on his deathbed. His students asked him, "Rebbe, why are you so sad? After all the mitzvahs and good deeds you have done, you will surely get a great reward in heaven!" "I'm afraid!" said Zusha. "Because when I get to heaven, I know God's not going to ask me 'Why weren't you more like Moses?' or 'Why weren't you more like King David?' But I'm afraid that God will ask 'Zusha, why weren't you more like Zusha?' And then what will I say?!"
3. "I want to live my life, not have life live me." My friend Lori Petersen from Massachusetts
Wow! Lori casually said this one day while we were at her house. The message here: Be proactive. Be intentional. Life tends to pass us by if we don't decide who we really are, what we really want and what we seek to accomplish.
4. "I have come that they might have life and have it to the full." Jesus
Like many, I had no practical idea that the vision Jesus shared was a plan was that could equip us to live and be fully alive NOW, just not when we died and went to heaven. This needs to be taught.... and lived!
5. "Hurry is not just a disordered schedule. Hurry is a disordered life....You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." John Ortberg
Here's the context from John's book, The Life You've Always Wanted: "Another long pause. "Okay, I've written that one down," I told him, a little impatiently. "That's a good one. Now what else is there?" I had many things to do, and this was a long-distance call, so I was anxious to cram as many units of spiritual wisdom into the least amount of time possible. Another long pause. "There is nothing else," he said. "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."
Whenever I catch myself living in hurry, I think: My soul has become disordered. Work to be done! Got hurry?
6. "No one is born into the world whose work is not born with him." James Russell Lowell
Imagine, there really might be something we are here to do!? Think of the implications of that! Wouldn't it make sense to find what that work is --- and do it? Wouldn't it make sense to help other find AND do their work? Welcome to my calling....
7. "When you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay closest attention." Frederick Buechner
The message here is: pay attention. Your own body may actually be telling you what matters most and what direction you should head. Got tears?
8. "A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
A very, very small minority of people have ever really changed the world. Who is that group? Are we willing to join them?
PRACTICAL TOOL TO CREATE MORE MEANINGFUL DAYS
To help you do that and better plan to make a difference through your work – I created a tool I'd like to offer you as a gift. It's something I now use every single day and it MAKES A HUGE, HUGE difference in both focus and finding meaning.
It's a planner I now use to BOTH start my day and end my day by celebrating what worked. It's called THE REAL PROGRESS PLANNER. All on one simple page.
The goal is to help you make progress each day in doing the most meaningful things… and enjoy the ride!
Give it a shot! Print multiple copies. Best case do it for 21 days in a row. (And of course I'd LOVE to hear how it goes for you!)
