Success means different things to everyone. For some, success is all about accomplishing their goals or dreams. For others, it is fame and social position. Irrespective of the perspectives, it is what we all strive for each day. However, the road to success is not that easy to navigate. There are challenges, risks and numerous factors that can easily demotivate us from pursuing our goals. In such times, a little motivation boost can do wonders for our confidence and inspire us to keep moving forward.
But from where can we find those words of encouragement? Thankfully, some authors challenge our ideas of who we are, embolden our actions, and push us to make the most of our lives. One of them is Dale Carnegie, an American author best known for his books, How To Win Friends And Influence People and How To Stop Worrying And Start Living.
Carnegie’s teachings on self-improvement and interpersonal skills changed the lives of millions across the world, and his quotes have helped people build self-confidence, enhance communication skills, and improve their attitudes. If you find yourself stuck and looking for motivation to move forward, here are a few of Dale Carnegie quotes that can encourage you to keep trying and achieve success in life.
“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success”
This Dale Carnegie quote emphasises on taking a moment to reflect on your last week’s performance. Where did you fall short of your expectations? Was it a presentation that didn’t go as planned or a conversation that made you think ‘I wish I had said that?’ When you view these setbacks as opportunities for improvement, you will find areas for growth and learning. Developing this mindset will help you see past your failures so that you can pursue your goal without doubting yourself.
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all”
Achieving your goal is an exhilarating feeling. But if you are flirting with the idea of giving up mid-way, you could be jeopardising a bright future. While the road to success is difficult and numerous obstacles may cause anxiety due to the fear of failing, if you remain undeterred and keep persisting, you will arrive at the destination sooner or later. However, if you give up your pursuit, you will never know how close you came to achieving your target.
“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing”
This quote talks about the importance of finding joy in your work. When you start enjoying what you do, it boosts your overall productivity and enhances your performance. You become more optimistic, motivated, make fewer mistakes, learn faster, and make better decisions.
“Our thoughts make us what we are”
What we think about a situation directly influences our beliefs, and eventually our actions. If you are constantly thinking about how bad your life is, why someone else at work is getting a raise instead of you, or why you can’t seem to catch a break, then you are programming your mind to turn these thoughts into your reality. These negative thoughts can stop you from living the life you want. On the other hand, the reverse is also true. If you consistently nurture positive thoughts, you give yourself the confidence to achieve success in life, no matter how difficult the situation you find yourself in.
“Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied”
In the era of social media and smartphones, we are constantly surrounded by a massive amount of information in the form of tweets, texts, emails, viral videos, and an endless barrage of news articles. Although it is practically impossible to retain every piece of information, you must find a way to use whatever you were able to store in your brain because, in time, that will also fade away. Knowledge is power but it is useless without action. There is no point in being a genius if you don’t use your intelligence for something useful. If the knowledge you gain doesn’t change the way you act, think or live, then the whole exercise of learning is futile.
“No matter what happens, always be yourself”
It takes courage to be true to yourself because the world outside will try its best to influence your behaviour and turn you into something that you are not. When you know yourself, you trust in the values you live by and the boundaries you have set for yourself. You know your goals and how you plan to accomplish them. This will also help you in living a more fulfilling and rewarding life.
“One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses”
When you try to impress others, you involve yourself in doing what they want you to do. It doesn’t matter whether you are doing this in your friend circle, workplace or relationships. When you try to please others with an assumption that they might start liking you, it makes you feel invalidated and disempowered. This also affects your self-esteem, and eventually makes you unhappy.
“You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.”
This Dale Carnegie quote is based on the belief that fear is a psychological construct. When we constantly fear about risks or adversities that can befall us on our road to success, we restrict ourselves from accomplishing our goals. While obstacles will not vanish by developing a fearless attitude, it will help you find a way to move past them and keep yourself motivated during unfavourable circumstances.
“The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.”
If you do the same thing over and over again and expect something new to happen, be prepared to be disappointed. But if you learn from your mistakes and make the necessary changes, the results will improve over time. With each change, you will get closer to success. Remember, no matter what you do, you will make mistakes along the way, but to succeed in life, you need to learn from them and try again in a different way.
“Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.”
This Dale Carnegie quote talks about the true causes of fatigue in your life. Think about it, whenever you start worrying about something, you become restless, and this tension drains your energy, which causes fatigue. Whenever you feel this way, consider it as a sign that you’re doing something wrong. In doing so, you will develop awareness when these negative feelings rear their ugly heads. You can use mindfulness breathing techniques to calm your mind when these emotions try to wear you down.