There is something about the beginning of a new year that fills me with even more optimism than usual. I won’t deny that last year was challenging on many levels for many people around the world. But that simple digit change on the end of the date invites the potential for something different—something better—something hopeful. And as a person who believes in the power of affirmations to help direct our thoughts in positive ways—I decided to go through a few of my favorite quotes to see which ones I want to focus on as 2018 gets underway.
As suspected, just by spending a couple of days researching and deciding which ones to include, I felt my own mood being optimized and energized. That’s when it occurred to me that a very good practice just might be to read every one of these quotes, every day, for the next 21 days. Could something so easy really make a difference? Is anyone else interested in joining me to find out?
Here are 21 quotes that I feel are thought-seeds that will encourage us, keep us focused on the positive, and inspire us to be hopeful about the future. They are:
- Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of humans as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is a daring adventure or nothing. ~Helen Keller
- Someone ought to tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now. ~Michael Landon
- We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world. ~The Buddha
- We are meant to outgrow ourselves; indeed, we can no more avoid this development than we can stop the aging process. The only question is how gracefully—and healthily—we will handle the transition. ~Caroline Myss
- If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you. ~The Gospel of Thomas
- Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
- You do not need anybody’s permission to live a creative life. ~Elizabeth Gilbert
- Think progress, not perfection. ~Ryan Holiday
- Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ~St. Francis of Assisi
- I learned when hit by loss, to ask the right question: “What’s next?” instead of “Why me?” ~Julia Cameron
- The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. ~Carlos Castaneda
- Things are always working out for me. ~Abraham-Hicks
- Every day you can choose to be happy, loving and live life to Its fullest. Remember, you get to make it up! ~Thom Gottberg
- I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and the doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. ~Joseph Campbell
- Peace is not something you wish for. It is something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away. ~Robert Fulghum
- If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. ~Maya Angelou
- Use every letter you write, every conversation you have, every meeting you attend, to express your fundamental beliefs and dreams. Affirm to others the vision of the world you want. You are a free, immensely powerful source of life and goodness. Affirm it. Spread it. Radiate it. Think day and night about it and you will see a miracle happen: the greatness of your own life. ~Robert Muller
- Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- The turnaround came when I got up one morning and realized the sun was shining whether I wanted it to or not. CHOICES. That’s the word. That’s when I realized that every day I had a choice. I could choose to be miserable, or I could choose to move forward. Obviously, I chose to move forward. ~Richard Navarre
- We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better. ~ J.K. Rowling
- Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire. ~Saint Catherine of Siena
During the Christmas holiday Thom and I spent time with friends named Carol and Dave. During one of our conversations, Carol mentioned that she routinely struggled with letting go of some of the more difficult issues that she had faced during 2017. Worst of all, she seriously doubted it was even possible for her to think about other things with those thoughts so heavy on her mind.
But maybe there is. What if for the next 21-days each of us read these quotes (preferably out loud) and allowed them to sink into our minds? While they may not solve a person’s (or the world’s) problems, they just might help switch our thoughts in more positive or hopeful ways. From there, who knows what opportunities might develop? Again, who else wants to see what’s possible?
I continue to believe that with the right intentions we can design a better, more hopeful, and a more loving world for ourselves and each other. But we can’t sit around hoping it will just spontaneously happen or that someone else will do it for us. With the right thoughts, the right actions, the right intentions, 2018 can be an improvement. And as Gandhi said, it is always SMART to remember that, “We must be the change we hope to see in the world.”
Okay, your turn? Interested in joining me in this “thought experiment?” Please let me know in the comments below. Also, did I miss YOUR favorite quote? Feel free to add any quotes in the comments that are important for your positive future.
Nikki says
May 29, 2019 at 1:11 PMHello Kathy,
I enjoyed reading these quotes, thank you for brightening my day! I have an application on my phone that I check in with every day and it gives me an inspirational quote, and I also noticed my mood was more positive! My favorite quote you posted was- We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world. ~The Buddha
I have not heard this quote before and I hope to memorize because it speaks to me, Thank you for your words!
Tom Tollen says
February 5, 2018 at 8:58 PMamazing positive and hopeful way in the post thanks for Sharing this post.
Liesbet says
January 12, 2018 at 12:30 PMNice selection, Kathy. Very inspirational and most of them make sense to me as well. My favorites: “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” (because every day counts and could be the last one), “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. (while I do complain – hard to cut certain habits :-)) – I do believe that changing the things you are unhappy about is the best approach to a better life) and I like Thom’s quote – glad you added it – everyone should live with that in mind. Life is about the choices you make…it’s up to you, indeed!
Terri+Webster+Schrandt says
January 11, 2018 at 12:25 PMThese are all magical, Kathy! #2 resonated with me because it is reality. I read somewhere years ago that our bodies begin the steady decline at the ripe old age of 26! Gotta get up, get out, do and live!
Kathy Gottberg says
January 11, 2018 at 2:16 PMHi Terri! Yes there are a lot of processes in the body that start “changing” through the years. But depending on how well you take care of yourself, we still have many more ahead. Even then, NEVER, ever should we put off our dreams because you never know right. Thank for telling me which one you liked best. ~Kathy
Anthony rufrano says
January 9, 2018 at 11:38 PMReally very energetic quotes at new year .i will like to join you Kathy Gottberg ..Thanks
Kathy Gottberg says
January 10, 2018 at 1:10 PMHi Anthony! Glad you liked my quotes AND that you’re joining us in reading them every day. And yesterday, when I was having a particular “challenge” I pulled them up and read them for the second time and FELT SO MUCH BETTER by the time I was done. ~Kathy
Dan says
January 9, 2018 at 5:04 PMPat and I enjoyed your 21 quotes. just a couple we like…..”Hate is always foolish, Love is always wise.” ” Always try to be nice, never fail to be kind.” Doctor Who
Kathy Gottberg says
January 11, 2018 at 2:15 PMHi Dan! Thank you for your comment! 🙂 I love finding out that friends are reading! AND those Dr. Who quotes sound like they are from the recent Christmas Special from Dr. Who. Were they? I thought that episode was epic!!! Although I will really, really miss this “version” of Dr. Who and Bill too. Of course it is far past time for a female Dr. Who though isn’t it! ~Kathy
Laura Smith says
January 9, 2018 at 2:11 PMHI Kathy
Number 17 resonated with me. I could feel the power in it and in myself
Thanks
Laura
Kathy Gottberg says
January 10, 2018 at 1:08 PMHi Laura! I loved that quote too! Of course I’m pretty attached to all of them. I hope you’re reading them for the next 21 days along with the rest of us. It turns my thinking around in such a positive way. Thanks for your comment. ~Kathy
Dr+Sock says
January 8, 2018 at 10:02 AMI too love the sense of potential that a new year brings — new possibilities and permission to move on. Of your list of quotes, the ones that especially speak to me are 7, 9, 14, and 20.
Jude
Kathy Gottberg says
January 8, 2018 at 11:41 AMHi Jude! I figured I wasn’t the only one who also loves the “potential that a new year brings!” Thanks for letting me know which ones you liked best 🙂 ~Kathy
tom sightings says
January 7, 2018 at 5:40 AMLove ’em all, esp. 7, 8 and 10.
Thom Gottberg says
January 7, 2018 at 8:25 PMWhat…not #13! We need to have coffee and talk…
Kathy Gottberg says
January 8, 2018 at 11:40 AMHi Tom! Yes…aren’t they wonderful? Of course I obviously think they are all great–including the one by my husband! ~Kathy
Haralee says
January 5, 2018 at 8:39 AMI love the Gandhi at the end and #9 St. Francis of Assisi and #13 Thom! A good positive quote, like a pep talk is a great way to start the day. Thanks Kathy and Happy New Year!
Kathy Gottberg says
January 6, 2018 at 10:26 AMHi Haralee! Yes, I agree that in many ways these offer us all a pep talk — a positive one for sure! Let us always remember that change has to start with us and spread out from there. Thanks for checking in! ~Kathy
Still+the+Lucky+Few says
January 5, 2018 at 7:31 AMA cornucopia of positive thought! (Thom’s included). I recognize so many of the authors—I guess I’ve been on this path for a loooong time!
Kathy Gottberg says
January 6, 2018 at 10:24 AMHi Diane! Yes I can tell from reading your blog that we have read (and maybe studied?) with a lot of the same teachers. Good to return to some of their wisdom at the beginning of the year don’t you think? ~Kathy
Mona+McGinnis says
January 5, 2018 at 7:27 AMI say “yes” to this 21-day challenge. #8 resounds with me – Think progress, not perfection. In the words of Jane Fonda – we’re meant to be whole, not perfect. I agree with Thom about choice – every day we have the ability to choose. A quote that has inspired me for ~40 years – All things are difficult before they are easy; difficulties are meant to arouse not discourage.
Kathy Gottberg says
January 6, 2018 at 10:24 AMHi Mona! Yay! Thanks for joining us. And thanks for adding your inspiring quote too. May any and all difficulties any of are facing arouse us in positive ways. ~Kathy
Gary Lange says
January 5, 2018 at 6:34 AMI will join you. Love the one from T Gottberg: “You get to make it up!”
Kathy Gottberg says
January 6, 2018 at 10:22 AMHi Gary! Yes, you’ve known us long enough to know how long ago it was that Thom came up with that one, right? I still repeat it frequently myself and thought it surely deserved to be in this list. Thanks for letting me know you’re joining us. ~Kathy
Janis says
January 5, 2018 at 6:27 AMHi Kathy! What a great compilation of quotes (including that one by the great philosopher Thom Gottberg ?). I’m game! I’ll print these out and put them in a place that I’ll see every day.
Kathy Gottberg says
January 6, 2018 at 10:21 AMHi Janis! Thom is greatly flattered that you would even consider him to be a great philosopher! 🙂 May we all aspire to be the same. And thanks for the suggestion about printing them out. I did that for Thom and I but I don’t know how to attach a pdf to this post. Is there a plugin for that? Anyone know? ~Kathy
Donna says
January 5, 2018 at 6:25 AMThis post is exactly why I follow your blog. I love all of these quotes and believe that they are each very powerful. I especially like #13 (Every day you can choose to be happy, loving and live life to Its fullest) and #22 (I continue to believe that with the right intentions we can design a better, more hopeful, and a more loving world for ourselves and each other.) Thank you for setting a very positive start to the New Year!
Kathy Gottberg says
January 6, 2018 at 10:20 AMHi Donna! Glad you liked my quotes too. And yes, Thom’s quote has been around for quite a few years and I nearly ALWAYS refer to it. 🙂 As is probably pretty obvious, I do believe that we have the power to direct our thoughts NO MATTER WHAT! Do I always do it? Not as well as I’d like. But I am SO much better than I used to be! Think progress, not perfection! ~Kathy