Even if you’re not a New Year’s resolution kind of person, there’s something appealing about starting fresh on the first of the year. Sure, it’s an arbitrary marker — there’s nothing magical about January 1st that makes it a better time for new beginnings than a random day in March. But there’s nothing wrong with using the “new year, new start” mentality to your advantage. When it comes down to it, you’ve got nothing to lose (and a lot to gain) by deciding that this year will be the best ever for your career.
That said, you might also need some inspiration to get your mindset right. These quotes from famously successful people could do the trick.
When you need to remember your worth…
“Over the years, I’ve interviewed thousands of people, most of them women, and I would say that the root of every dysfunction I’ve ever encountered, every problem, has been some sense of a lacking of self-value or of self-worth.” –Oprah Winfrey
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and try to duplicate it.” –Bruce Lee
“You are to set your own value, communicate that value to the world, and then not settle for less. Sound daunting? That’s just because it takes you out of your comfort zone. You have got to stop being an obstacle on your own path to wealth and security and happiness. You must understand that valuing yourself is well within your control.” –Suze Orman
When you need to be brave…
“You got to be brave. If you feel something, you’ve really got to risk it.” –Mel Brooks
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” –William G. T. Shedd
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’” –Eleanor Roosevelt
“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.” –August Wilson
When you’re facing a tough negotiation…
“The most difficult thing in any negotiation, almost, is making sure that you strip it of the emotion and deal with the facts. And there was a considerable challenge to that here and understandably so.” –Howard Baker
“For me, relationship is very important. I can lose money, but I cannot lose a relationship. The test is, at the end of a conversation or a negotiation, both must smile.” –Sunil Mittal
“Always go into meetings or negotiations with a positive attitude. Tell yourself you’re going to make this the best deal for all parties.” –Natalie Massenet
When you become a leader…
“Leadership is not bullying and leadership is not aggression. Leadership is the expectation that you can use your voice for good. That you can make the world a better place.” –Sheryl Sandberg
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” –John Quincy Adams
“I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm, and their inspiration to work together.” –Queen Elizabeth II
When you’ve experienced failure…
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” –Michael Jordan
“Failure is just a resting place. It is an opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” –Henry Ford
“My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you’re moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.” –Richard Branson
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” –Winston Churchill
Sources: BrainyQuote, GoodReads, Inc, Entrepreneur, The Muse, Virgin.com
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