Great quotes are like little nuggets of wisdom. And, much like nuggets of chicken, you have the freedom to dunk your wisdom nuggets into whatever flavor sauce you’d like. That is to say; a quote is a brief line or two of text, taken completely out of it’s original context, often attributed to the wrong person, then jammed into whatever context the quote user sees fit.
I love quotes! Seriously. There are no rules for how to use the world’s knowledge. So, use it. Maybe, if your lucky, one day decades from now you too will be quoted out of context by some manager trying to inspire his team, or by a mom teaching her kids manners. The point is, quotes are very useful in so many ways, and one of my favorite ways to use them to guide mindset. I plan to post regularly about quotes. I’ll also share how I like to interpret and apply them to service leadership.
Here are five quotes (wisdom nuggets) I’m digging right now and the mindset implications they inspire.
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“It is not the critic who counts. … The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly … who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.” — Theodore Roosevelt
If you are driving change, then you will always face naysayers. You cannot let the critics get to you. They will point out and exaggerate every hurdle ahead of you. They will belittle your progress along the way. They will attempt to poke holes in your optimism. It is easy to oppose and criticize—this is why pessimism is so attractive. It’s much more difficult to support and build—this is why great leaders are truly hard to come by.
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“The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” — Albert Einstein
Do we live in a friendly or hostile universe? Train your self-awareness by asking yourself this question regularly. Contemplate how your feeling about the answer is affected by whatever is going on in your life. Recognize that when you are leaning toward “a hostile universe,” you are leaning toward the dark side. Not some bad-ass Darth Vader type of dark side. More like a wallowing in self-pity and pessimism type of dark side. Also, recognize that when you are perceiving “a friendly universe,” this represents a more stable and rewarding mindset.
When you are aware of your mindset it becomes much easier to shape. People have asked me how it’s possible to change mindset. The answer is that you just have to want to change. You must accept and openly embrace the idea that you are wrong. But, first and foremost, you must be self-aware.
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“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” —Robert Louis Stevenson
The need for instant gratification is a success killer. If you’re always hung-up on today’s payout, then you may be missing the bigger point. Life is a long game.
So you didn’t get a win today—or yesterday. Go cry about it. Or, have big goals and keep your eyes on the prize. Just like investing money, the work you put in every day compounds, and compounds, and compounds overtime. Keep pressing on. Keep learning, growing, and building. Build yourself. Build your business and processes. And, most importantly for service leaders, build other people. Delay self-gratification, and in the long run, this strategy will have a greater value creation effect for you and those around you.
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“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” —Edith Wharton
In this quote, light represents an idea or ideals. As a leader, or a person who desires to be a leader, it is common to feel as though you must personally create and emanate all that drives your mission forward. I urge you to break from this self-focused mentality.
When you have light to spread, spread it, no matter the original source. To whomever you spread that light, you will be their source. You will have created that value for them and you will be seen as more valuable for it. The point here is that as a leader you are responsible for value creation. Idea creation is great but you don’t have to be the original source of an idea to use it for value creation.
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“Here is a rule to remember in the future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not ‘This is misfortune,’ but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.’” —Marcus Aurelius
Many service leaders ride a roller coaster of high points and catastrophes throughout their career. What Marcus is talking about in this quote is optimism in the face of adversity. He knew that nothing worth fighting for would come easily. But, with grit and mental strength, he could weather any difficulty and come out stronger for it. The man was a true Stoic. Perhaps the best example we have of stoic philosophy are his writings.
This wisdom nugget is from a collection of writings by Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Though often called “Meditations”, the actual Greek title that Marcus gave to the writings translates more literally into “things to one’s self”. These are literally notes that a Roman Emperor made for himself, over 1800 years ago, for the purpose of keeping his mind in the right place.
Meditations is a window to a different time that you will find strikingly relatable. I recommend this translation of Meditations for its modern use of English. (no I don’t get paid for recommendations)
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