Motivation and reflection phrases

Abraham Maslow postulated in his theory of human motivation, that the actions carried out by each individual are driven by a force ; that force is motivation.

Continuing with what motivation means for an individual, we can affirm that this  is one of the vital elements that helps us to obtain a good psychic development. Thanks to this we are encouraged to move forward and try to improve ourselves.

Here is a list of motivational phrases and their explanations.

1. “The wise are those who seek wisdom; fools think they have already found it “

With this phrase we can reflect on how sometimes those who believe that they have all the knowledge and do not need to learn anything else, turns out to be the most foolish and ignorant person. Instead, he is a true sage who does not boast of having absolute wisdom or knowledge, and is open to listening to other people and learning from the teachings that life gives us every day.

2. “With effort and perseverance you will be able to achieve your goals”

This phrase tries to show us that although we can strive to achieve what we want and not see results instantly, in the long term the effort will always be rewarded and you will achieve your achievements.

3. “If you give up today, the effort you made yesterday was useless”

This phrase is related to the previous one; here we are faced with the same dilemma.

If we try so hard to achieve something and this something does not happen at the time we want, sometimes we tend to abandon that goal, putting aside all the effort made. But if instead, if instead of abandoning that objective because it did not happen at the desired time,  we wait to see the achievements in the future, we can see that all our effort was worth it and paid off.

4. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear”

If we focus on the meaning of this phrase, we can see that what it tries to show us is that we should not get carried away by our fears.

Fear can be our worst enemy if we let it, therefore, we must not stop or paralyze ourselves in situations that cause us fear, because if we cross this great barrier, nothing can stop us to achieve what we want.

5. “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity, but in doing it »

Phrase that motivates us and makes us reflect on the importance of moments.

The important thing is not only to get to the destination, but also to enjoy the road traveled. If we are aware of this path and we remain present, we can enjoy the little things and the little moments that life gives us.

6. “A person is 15 percent more likely to be happy if he is directly connected to a happy person”

When we are surrounded by positive people we generally tend to feel good. It is proven that emotions are contagious, therefore if we surround ourselves with happy and optimistic people we can benefit from their presence.

7. “Some people want something to happen, others dream about what will happen, others make it happen”

While we may want something and want it with all our might, these wishes will not come by themselves. We must propose to achieve that which we long for. With effort and will everything can be achieved.

8. “To learn to succeed you must first learn to fail”

This phrase shows us that if we want to do something in the right way, it takes practice and, within practice, sometimes we fail. Failing is nothing negative, on the contrary, this helps us and motivates us to continue striving and practicing to learn and achieve better results.

9. «Happiness is not something that comes prefabricated. It comes from your own actions »

We are the owners of our happiness, since it is produced due to our own actions and choices. We must be clear about our goal and use the right tools to achieve it.

10. “Tolerance and patience are much more profound and effective than mere indifference”

This phrase from the Dalai Lama invites us to become aware of ourselves, and to realize that with our actions we can change everything.

With indifference we do not produce a real change , however, with patience we get the other to recognize the situation and sincerely try to change or improve to achieve a healthier bond.

11. “In the end the years of life do not matter, but the life of the years”

This phrase by Abraham Lincoln tries to teach us that what is worth is not how much, but how. The important thing is not how many years of life we ​​have, but the intensity with which we have lived those years.

Many people live only to meet their basic needs, but life is not based on that alone. It is about enjoying every moment, achieving achievements, reaching goals, living it with desire and not only because we are biologically alive.

12. “You will not drown by falling into the sea, but by not leaving it”

Phrase that allows us to reflect on the way in which we face the obstacles that life puts in our way.

Problems are inevitable, but people do not collapse because of them, but because they do not dare to go through them. Sometimes faced with a problem we get pessimistic, we see everything black and we get involved in a vicious circle from which we find it difficult to get out; However, if we face problems in a positive way, we can see other perspectives in life and find solutions that help us resolve those conflicts that overwhelm us so much.

13. “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts”

It is known that we are slaves of our own thoughts . Our mind dominates us and is always one step ahead of us. This phrase invites us to reflect on the way we handle our thoughts and how relevant they are to us.

Thinking is inevitable. Thought is what gives us the quality of human beings;  But managing our thoughts is what allows us to be in control of our life. If we can transform negative thoughts into positive ones, we will get constructive thoughts and we will see how life turns in our favor. What we thought was very distant or impossible could become a reality.

14. “Even if you are the best version of yourself, you will never be enough for the wrong person, and even if you are the worst version of yourself, you will always be worth it for the right person”

Each person in this world has a suitable person, a person who complements them. This sentence shows a great example of the importance of finding that right person.

We all make mistakes, that’s fine, because from our mistakes we learn. Many times we can choose the wrong people to accompany us on this amazing journey of life, but when we find the right person; that which complements us in all our aspects; for that one that even with our imperfections we will always be perfect; there we will have found our life partner.

15. “The most valuable thing you can do is make a mistake. You can learn nothing from being perfect »

This phrase by the British writer Adam Osborne invites us to think about the importance of learning from our mistakes.

It is necessary to make mistakes to learn not to repeat our past mistakes. Every mistake serves as experience; learning from experience is the foundation of success. It is not good to always do the same thing; If we know that something did not work out, we must look for new alternatives and seek solutions so as not to make the same mistake again.

16. “Things are not said, they are done, because when doing them they say themselves”

Woody Allen uses this phrase to make us reflect on our actions. Many times we tend to say that we will do this or that thing, but sometimes those words are blown away.

There is a great gulf between what is said and what is done, so the important thing is not the saying but the fact. Action is the best support and the best argument that we can give.

17. “We may not reach our destination if we stop to throw stones at each dog that barks at us.”

Winston Churchill tries to show us the value of ignoring what is not worth it, what does not add or build, that crosses our path like a hindrance and does not contribute more than negative energy.

Many times we stop and give too much importance to things that are not relevant; things that we do not overlook and cause us to deviate from our true goals. For example: many people may not agree with our interests; others may be envious of our achievements; but if we stop to argue with each of these we would be wasting time. Time is something that cannot be recovered, it is time lost, which we could have invested and advanced in our purposes.

18. ‘Aim for the moon. If you fail, you could hit a star »

This phrase by W. Clement Stone tells us about ambition, the desire to want to have more than what you have. This desire for possession can usually be associated with the bad or the negative; however, ambition is far from being a negative. Wanting to have more is what gives human beings motivation, allows them to move forward, set goals and have clear priorities.

What W. Clement Stone was trying to do with this phrase was to show that one should not settle for achieving the minimum; you always have to aspire to more. If when we aim for a lofty goal it is not achieved, at least we will have achieved something higher than the minimum.

19. »Celebrate your own victories, because no one else really understands what it cost you to achieve them»

We must value and love ourselves. Every purpose achieved will have been sown with effort; But only we know how great that effort was, for that reason, we must always celebrate each achievement we achieve, no matter how small.

When we celebrate an achievement, some parts of our brain are activated, initiating the release of endorphins (pleasure hormones). Appreciating our efforts and rewarding us for our achievements will motivate us and drive us to better ourselves with greater actions.

20. «When one door closes, another opens; but often we look so long and sadly at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us »

This phrase is intended to make us reflect on the importance of the present.

Many times we get stuck looking back at the past and put our present aside. We must learn to appreciate it, because our future will depend on the present. Learn to leave the past behind, taking into account our mistakes and learning from them. We should not regret what did not happen; We must appreciate the new possibilities that are knocking on our door.

21. “We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are »

In this sentence we can highlight the point of view of subjectivity. Each of us perceives the world through our senses; each sense is different for each subject, therefore, we will never see the world from another person’s perspective.

22. “What bothers you about other beings is only a projection of what you have not resolved about yourself”

Many times we tend to judge and criticize other people, but we rarely wonder why we do it. People are our mirror, we reflect our defects and concerns in them, therefore, what bothers us so much about another person is nothing more than a projection , a mirror where we see reflected what bothers us about ourselves.

23. “If you don’t like something, take away all the power it has: your attention.”

Staying focused on something we don’t like seems absurd, but we usually do. Attention should be considered as a very precious value, where it should only be received by those who make our interest really worthwhile. For example: if we argue with a person who we believe has no basis or the only thing he tries to do is annoy us, giving him our attention we are giving him importance and, he will know that no matter how much his words lack content we will always listen to them.

24. “If you want different results, don’t always do the same thing”

This famous phrase by Albert Einstein makes us reflect on the power of change. If what we have done so far does not work, why continue doing the same? If we don’t like how others see us, why not try to change?

Many times we regret the way they treat us, but as the saying goes “how they see you they treat you.” Perhaps we should think first about the way we see ourselves, take charge of the situation and encourage change, because when we change a part of each person around us changes too.

This is not only true at the individual level; it also occurs frequently in society. When a certain problem occurs, some people repeat the same thing over and over again. Sometimes the problem ceases momentarily, but it is not solved. If they did not commit themselves to making the same mistake over and over again and looked for alternative solutions, a better result would probably be achieved.