Find Your Fuel in 2021
Last week I grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down at my desk, and did something that’s become an annual tradition: I started reviewing all of the quotes I curated over the prior year. Some of the quotes I shared via my newsletter and social media; others I noted and returned to when I needed to “refuel my tank”. And there were many moments last year when I needed to do that.
Last week I also shared my intention for 2021: Keep going! One of the ways I’ll keep going is to return to the words that make a big difference – reminding me that I have the energy it takes, the skills to crush it, and the time to do my fair share for something larger.
Each of these quotes do that for me. I hope they do the same for you, too.
Keep going!
Ben
“Life won’t leave you alone. It’ll challenge you one way or another.”
Eckhart Tolle
“Basketball is kind of like life, it can get rough at times. You can get knocked on your butt — but what you have to do is get up and hold your head high and try again.”
Kobe Bryant
"When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something, to say something, and not be quiet."
John Lewis
“The momentum of today's movement for racial justice is built on the foundation of right & wrong. History reminds us that every enduring change has come from motivated citizens joining with inspired leaders toward a shared moral purpose. Let this be our rendezvous with destiny.”
Doris Kearns Goodwin
“May we, once COVID-19 is contained, tell a story about how people of faith responded to a global pandemic to make God’s love visible to a frightened world.”
Bishop Karen Oliveto
“This is the moment of all moments to insist that we make our politics what it could be. As I’ve said before – at its best, politics can be magnificent. Because it’s not just about policy. It is soulcraft. And it is moral.”
Pete Buttigieg
“Being authentic is the only way to bridge the barriers—physical distance, emotional separation, social divides, and even those not-so-intimate Zoom calls. We must show who we truly are, what motivates us, and what we believe about the future.”
Gary Burnison
“Peace of mind is actually an oxymoron. When you’re in your mind, you’re hardly ever at peace, and when you’re at peace, you’re never only in your mind.”
Richard Rohr
“The most important conversation is the conversation you have with yourself each day.”
James Clear
“As the years pass, I’m learning how to better trust my gut and not do the wrong thing, but every so often I get a harsh reminder that I’ve still got work to do.”
Cheryl Strayed
“What makes us powerful isn't our ability to withstand pain, but our willingness to be impacted, grief-struck, brokenhearted, and show up anyway. It's holding the sacred "and" knowing that life is filled with paradox; that we can be elated and sad, celebratory and somber, brave and brokenhearted.”
Lynne Twist
“What if we just lived and stopped seeking what isn’t here?”
David Hickman
"All that we have done can be turned into something heroic and wonderful."
Hazelden Stepping Stones
“Our freedom from the prison of our own illusions comes in realizing that in the end, everything is a gift.”
James Finley