Ever need a little bit of motivation at the start of the working day? Here’s 10 motivational quotes to write up on the whiteboard…
1. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. – Winston Churchill
Famous for suffering what he also termed ‘the black dog’ and (despite his demons) for leading us to victory through the Second World War, if anyone could give those wise words credence it is their author: Winston Churchill.
2. Well done is better than well said. – Benjamin Franklin
Another famous leader, albeit of America this time, Benjamin Franklin was here speaking about the importance of getting the job done and done well over simply and however perhaps eloquently speaking about it.
3. If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects. – Albert Einstein
A heart can be stolen and so can money and possessions. A goal meanwhile is yours alone, whether you ultimately achieve it or not. At least, Albert Einstein seemed to think so.
4. People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou
Whilst striving to be ‘successful’, it can be all too easy to forget that success is not necessarily or solely measured in material things, and neither does it derive from them, as poet Maya Angelou is quick to remind us.
5. Whenever you see a successful person, you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them. –  Vaibhav Shah
What can be gleaned from Vaibhav Shah’s words is that a hard life and / or hard times are not what prevent a person from succeeding. In turn, no success is gained without sacrifice.
6. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. – Arthur Ashe
What more is there to say, except that tennis legend Arthur Ashe’s words apply to us all, and taking him up on them is not only empowering, but will result in the most successful life each of us is capable of achieving.
7. It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.  – J.K Rowling
Skills and talents are only as good as the uses we choose to put them to, as the world’s richest and most successful author, J.K Rowling still makes a point of keeping in mind.
8. I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. – Estee Lauder
Whether success to you means making millions in cosmetics or simply getting through the day, dreaming about it is more likely to waste time than get you there, as Estee Lauder knew all too well.
9. The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. – Ayn Rand
Taken out of context, this quote could easily be misconstrued. Then, to clarify, Mr’s Rand was trying to remind those of us going about our daily grind to know who and what we are asking permission for.
10. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill
So we have come full circle, having begun and ended with a Winston Churchill quote, and why not? After all, sometimes going back to the beginning is the best thing to do, if only to end with a perfect quote with which to begin the day anew.