25 quotes that inspire action
Anyone can talk about being an entrepreneur or starting a business, but very few do. The difference is found in those that choose to take action.
Successful entrepreneurs and business owners know that success requires taking action. Don't talk about what needs to get done - get out there and start doing it.
Here are 25 quotes from famous "action-takers" and how their perspective applies to your business to get you started:
1 - "I am not afraid...I was born to do this." - Joan of Arc
If you don't feel like you are doing what you were born to do, it's time for a change. What better reason to venture out and try something new?
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2 - "It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends." - J. K. Rowling
Your friends and family aren't always your greatest source of encouragement. It's not because they don't believe in you, they are protecting you and they love you too much to see you fail. Don't let them hold you back from taking action.
3 - "The secret of life...is to fall seven times and to get up eight times." - Paulo Coelho, from The Alchemist
The Alchemist is one of the greatest books about the entrepreneurial journey I have ever read. And how true, you are not a failure until you stop getting up again.
4 - "Far better to live your own path imperfectly than to live another's perfectly." -Bhagavad Gita
Perfection is the enemy of progress. It will never, ever be perfect and it's far better to move your venture along. You must remind yourself and your team of this daily and realize you have been taught perfection throughout your life. Entrepreneurship requires that you retrain your brain and take action.
5 - "Each moment of our life, we either invoke or destroy our dreams." -Stuart Wilde
Action is tied to belief. Do you encourage yourself and others towards the outcome you envision?
6 - "Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom." -Soren Kierkegaard
Feeling a little anxious about the action you are taking? Good, that means you are headed down the right path.
7- "It's not about breaking the rules. It is about abandoning the concept of rules altogether" - Paul Lemberg
Rules are what keep many from taking action. In order to really change the world, a few rules must be broken. Make sure you aren't creating rules that are getting in the way of breakout success.
8 -"Don't hire a dog, then bark yourself" -David Ogilvy
You must trust others to get you to your goal. The action you need to take may be getting out of the way and letting those you have hired do their job.
9 -"Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads." - Erica Jong
It's scary to follow your dreams and passions where they lead you. This is often what gets in the way - the thought that "one day" you will pursue a passion, a vision or a dream.
10 - "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
In other words, you have to walk the talk. Your actions will tell your team and the world your true intentions.
11 - "Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes." - Eleanor Roosevelt
How often do you let another deflate your idea or your dream who never had the power (or the decency) to help you out in the first place? Don't let others get in the way of your vision.
12 - "Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking." - William B. Sprague
There is no time like the present to start building your company. You will never have more time than you do today. Stop saying "when the time is right".
13 - "If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today." - E. Joseph Cossman
The worry you have about your business today - the ones that keep you from taking action - will morph into different worries as time passes. Don't let worries become an excuse.
14 - "Many great ideas go unexecuted, and many great executioners are without ideas. One without the other is worthless." - Tim Blixseth
Your inability to take action may be because you need someone else to help you bring your idea to life. I have found in my years of talking with entrepreneurs that there are 3 types - Visionaries, Implementers and Operators. All three are necessary to make a company really hum. Not sure which one you are? Take the quizon my site to find out.
15. "Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly." - Stephen R. Covey
No one will ever love your business, or care about it, as much as you do. It is up to you to take the actions needed to get it started and keep it going. You can't rely on others to bring you to action.
16. "Sometimes you just got to give yourself what you wish someone else would give you." - Dr Phil
Are you waiting on someone else to give you the motivation, inspiration or advice to get started? The person you are waiting on may very well be you. Give yourself permission to take action.
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17. "Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but don't quit." - Conrad Hilton
Are you mired so deeply in past mistakes that you can't seem to move forward? The decision to do nothing is a decision.
18. "There are only two rules for being successful. One, figure out exactly what you want to do, and two, do it." - Mario Cuomo
Don't get mired down finding your "one true path". Realize that getting started may be the only way you will learn what you ultimately want to do.
19. "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden
The secret is that all entrepreneurs and small business owners are faking it. You will never understand every aspect of your business and you can't use that as an excuse to not get started.
20. "Doing nothing gets you nothing." - Sean Reichle
Need I say more? If you don't go to the gym, you will never lose the weight - same with your business.
21. "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." - Abraham Lincoln
Take advantage of being the first to solve a problem or create a new offer. If you enter an established industry or vertical, the irony is that you will have to work harder to gain a foothold than those before you.
22. "The future depends on what you do today." Mahatma Gandhi
Amazing progress is made by taking tiny steps everyday. Even if you aren't fully ready to commit to a new business idea, network, read, discuss and study to prepare yourself for the journey.
23. "The universe doesn't give you what you want in your mind; it gives you what you demand with your actions." - Steve Maraboli
Visualizing your business or idea's success is not enough, you must take action to bring that vision to life.
24. "You cannot score a goal when you are sitting on the bench. To do so, you have to dress up and enter the game." - Israelmore Ayivor
Don't let the excuse of time, money or experience get in the way of playing the game. You can only learn how to play by actively participating.
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25 - "Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare." - Japanese Proverb
The most important aspect of action is making sure that it is in support of your vision. Don't just take action - make sure it's in line with your greater purpose.
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