Inspiring Quotes From the Most Successful People in History

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and these sayings from some of the most successful people in history should have an inspiring effect on you, all curated by the Upspirity review team.

1. "Success is most often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable." -- Coco Chanel

2. "Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out."

- John Wooden

3. "Courage is grace under pressure." -- Ernest Hemingway

4. "If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary."

- Jim Rohn

5. "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." -- Albert Einstein

6. "Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life -- think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success." -- Swami Vivekananda

7. "Sometimes you can't see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others." -- Ellen DeGeneres

8. "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."

- Walt Disney

9. "It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop."

- Confucius

10. "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Winston Churchill

11. "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." -- Warren Buffett

12. "Whenever you see a successful person, you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them." -- Vaibhav Shah

13. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." -- Dr. Seuss

14. "Success? I don't know what that word means. I'm happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody's eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That's a good day for me." -- Denzel Washington

15. "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." -- Mae West

16. "Opportunities don't happen. You create them." -- Chris Grosser

17. "Once you choose hope, anything's possible." -- Christopher Reeve

18. "Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value." -- Albert Einstein

19. "There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires." -- Nelson Mandela

20. "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." -- Charles Darwin

21. "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched -- they must be felt with the heart." -- Helen Keller

22. "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

23. "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." -- Mahatma Gandhi

24. "The best revenge is massive success." -- Frank Sinatra

25. "The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting."

- Walt Disney

For plenty more inspirational words, eBooks and podcasts, check out Upspirity today.

Here’s why New Year’s resolutions don’t work

If you had a dollar for every time you heard the phrase ‘new year, new me,’ you’d probably be quite well off (and able to tackle one of your resolutions to be better with money!). However, the cold hard reality is that many New Year’s Resolutions rarely make it past the second week in January.

While a new year seems like the perfect time to wipe the slate clean and usher in a new version of yourself, especially after the holiday season’s excesses, the start of January is often the worst possible time to do this. Here’s why:

The weather

For a start, it’s still the middle of winter. It’s cold, the days are short, and the nights are long. Many of us just want comfort at this time of year, and the notion of embarking on some life-altering resolution seems too much.

However, we can still engage in small self-betterment acts, such as wrapping up warm and getting outside for a walk regularly. It doesn’t require much commitment, and you can take it at your own pace. Getting out is great for your mood, as it gives you a chance to grab whatever limited sunlight there is.

The calendar

January 1 maybe New Year’s Day, but when it comes to significant behavioural change, do we need to be wedded to the calendar? Deciding to change our behaviour shouldn’t be dictated by an arbitrary date. Besides, New Year’s used to be celebrated at different times of the year by other cultures. Celts and Pagans marked the New Year around springtime when all the plants and flowers came back to life. Maybe that’s a better time to make New Year’s resolutions.

Find more inspirational content with the great books from www.upspirity.com.

How you can give positive criticism

No matter how positive an outlook someone may have, none of us are very good at taking criticism. Even if it is well-meaning, having your faults pointed out can immediately trigger defensive instincts and we end up feeling antagonism towards the person rather than listening to and focussing on the points they are making.

However, when it comes to criticism, there are ways to be constructive and helpful without making an enemy of someone. Here are some ways you can make your feedback more constructive.

Begin with praise

You can get off on the right foot by providing some positive feedback. You may still intend to point out faults, but pointing out what a person has done well will not only cushion the blow, it will let them know that they are at least on the right track.

Avoid the ‘but’

When you are doling out praise, the recipient may understandable be waiting for the ‘but’ and the kick pivot into negative criticism. How you couch those negative comments is important. So, by saying something like ‘you have done a great job on the plot in this short story and your characterization will improve the more you write’. Replacing ‘but’ with ‘and’ allows you to point out a problem, but do so in a positive manner, giving the person the confidence that they can improve on those areas which need more work.

Reinforce improvements and set targets for them

Operate on the assumption that the person is capable of making the improvements they need and set that as a goal for them to achieve. Convince them that they are already the person who has achieved the sort of improvement you are suggesting and they’ll have something to aim for.

For more uplifting content check out the books at www.upspirity.com.

A man who gave up his job for a struggling family

There are times in life when things seem to fall so neatly into place that it cannot be coincidence. This story is all about a man who was ready to retire, but instead of giving up his job, he did something wonderful – he gave it away to someone who needed it. Here is the tale of the man who gave up his job to help a struggling family.

A man was toying with the idea of retiring from his job. He had worked in construction all his life and he wasn’t sure that he was quite ready to spend the rest of his days sat on the front porch in a rocking chair. He was still debating what he should do when he met a young man he had worked with in the past. The young man had a wife, three children and was struggling to find work. He hadn’t worked for some time and the family was finding it hard to make ends meet.

The morning after, the man went to the union office to submit his retirement paperwork. He had come to a decision whilst talking to his young friend. As he submitted his retirement paperwork, he gave the office the name on his young friend and told them that this young man was his replacement. Six years later, that young man has been employed ever since.

For more about random acts of kindness, visit www.upspirity.com where you will find more uplifting stories of kindness.

Self-help books for women that you need to read

If you’re looking to change your life in the new year or your way of thinking, it’s a good idea to invest in some self-help books. There are loads available worldwide that it can be hard in knowing where to begin, however, here are a few suggestions on what to consider.

How to be a badass by Jen Sincero - An alternative and fun approach to changing your life and finding your purpose, this book is for anyone who’d like to feel empowered. It’s practical, funny and offers wise advice on why you are how you are, how to love things you can’t change and how to change what you don’t love. The book is full of real life experiences and how the author made the changes in her life to be a badass.

The 5 am club by Robin Sharma - This novel explains all the benefits of an early alarm and how it will change your life. The author explains how much it can help you max out productivity, improve your health and feel more relaxed than ever.

Points of You by Vick Liu, Julia Rue, Mina Fahmi, Drew Brent - This book shares four friends real accounts of what they wished knowing growing up and highlights a variety of points. Things such as finding purpose, mental wellness and relationship are included. It’s not necessarily written to tell you what’s right but aims to help you see the four different perspectives.

For more inspiration in the new year or for other self-help book suggestions, check out the large selection at www.upspirity.com.