Photo by dailyjoke23 on flickr.
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” When I think of inspirational leaders, I can honestly say Napoleon was right. We admire people who plant the seeds of hope. We gladly follow the leader who is able to awaken a sense of expectation inside of us. And, whether we lead at home or at work, hope is an essential element of success.
Here are some of my favorite “hope” quotes.
Self-Control, Self-Mastery, Self-Discipline
Many say that the first step to leadership is self-leadership. The ability to discipline yourself is important in achieving any goal. Whether a New Year’s resolution or a business goal, I am inspired by these quotes on the subject. Mastering yourself is one of the hardest things to do. I also believe that it’s impossible to achieve perfect victory over yourself, but these quotes will inspire and encourage you on your self-mastery journey.
What’s your favorite?
Yesterday, I was a guest blogger on my good friend Michael Hyatt’s leadership blog. In Lessons from the Ordinary, I shared observations of everyday, ordinary people and lessons we can learn from them. By being alert and slowing down, we are able to see beyond the obvious. You can read the full post here.
This was my very first guest post on another blog. Since I’ve previously written about the benefits of guest posting, I thought I would give it a try. My own policy of accepting guest posts will be modified in coming days since managing the process is more involved than I previously realized.
Some of the lessons from the post:
General Norman Schwarzkopf passed away this week in Tampa of complications from pneumonia. “Stormin’ Norman” was the four-star General who commanded Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Here are a few of his memorable quotes.
- You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.
- Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.
- You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.
- People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.
- You can have everything in life you want, if you just help enough other people get what they want.
- If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.
- Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat and taking the tartar sauce with you.
- Remember that failure is an event, not a person.
- A goal properly set is halfway reached.
- Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.
- Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.
- You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.
- Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember – The only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.
- Of course motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis.
- Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.
- You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
- If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.
- Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.
- If you learn from defeat, you have not really lost.
What’s your favorite Zig Ziglar quote? Do you have one to add?
