Can you believe we have experienced five months of lockdown already? There’s no question on whether or not lockdown has started to take its toll on many of us. And, in such times, we just need a good ‘pick me up’ or something inspiring to hold onto that can help us persevere through these tough times.
We therefore went and asked a few of our employees about their favourite motivational quotes that inspire them. If these quotes can inspire them, hopefully, they might also inspire you.
What is it about motivational quotes?
We’ve all been there, scrolling through social media while having the blues (or vice versa!) when suddenly, we see a quote. It’s something that touches our core, resonating with us on a deep level. You either immediately take a screenshot, save or share it.
Why is that?
If I could put it into one sentence, I’d say that it is a quick ‘pick me up’ with a lasting effect. As millennials, we’re always on the go and we want instant gratification in this ever-so-busy world. If we can get a quick way that requires minimal effort to receive something that will be worthwhile, we would definitely opt-in for such a deal. Hence: Motivational Quotes.
Apart from the more ‘calculative’ reason as described above, motivational quotes can also have a deep (and often positive) psychological effect. Remez Sasson states it so well: It inspires, energizes and encourages you to take action (acting as a driving force). Often it teaches us by providing insight and wisdom.
Because a lot of people resonate with motivational quotes based on their personal experiences, it also tends to create a sense of belonging. If you see that someone else has captured your feelings better than you would have ever been able to, it might give a sense of closure on a subconscious level to know you are the first (or only) person that has felt this way.
Motivational quotes are often a means of hope where one sentence can be an inspirational force for an entire day, week, month or even year. If that isn’t significant then what is?
Given we are all facing a worldwide pandemic, the significance of motivational quotes should not be underestimated. As Sasson points out, motivational quotes often bring “light and happiness” into a situation and even more importantly, it helps open the mind to see life from a wider perspective.
Quotes have a way to ‘open our eyes’ by helping us understand and acknowledge things we otherwise would have missed. It’s so easy to get tunnel vision when you’re in a bad place and that’s where a motivational quote can help. It can provide a wider perspective that often helps to bring hope.
Unpacking our employees’ favourite motivational quotes
Since the relaunching of DotActiv’s culture blog, we have focused a lot on portraying the culture of our company with initiatives like our Careers page and Employee Value Proposition.
Where these initiatives are focused more on the ‘corporate’ side of the company, we now wanted to bring you a light read that is more about the people of the company. That’s why we decided to ask some employees to share their motivational quotes
Below is a selection of motivational quotes from Dotactiv’s employees. When we asked everyone below, we gave them the option to let us reveal their name or remain anonymous.
“Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods.” - William A. Donohue
Rina Wilkens: I believe it is important to acknowledge that there is more than one way to reach your goals. There's hardly ever a straight line to success. Once you understand and accept this, you'll come to recognise change as an opportunity.
Continuously plan, make moves, and take risks until you get the results you want.
"Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it." - Aubrey de Grey
Christopher Hawkridge: It reminds me that mistakes can happen and I should recognise that and move past that mistake even if I put in plenty of effort leading up to it.
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” - Babe Ruth
Anonymous: This quote inspires me to never give up no matter how challenging things may seem or become. With perseverance and the willingness to succeed - you will reach your goal.
“Good relationships are the glue to holding a team together.” - John C Maxwell
Pravashnee Nageshar: I always build good relationships with the people I meet and the people I work with. If we think about it, everything we do depends on teamwork, whether we are a leader, parent or child. At work, I practice building good relationships with everyone I interact with, only because I want to build a solid relationship to ensure that work/tasks become fun and positive. I want to ensure positivity by being around each other and making things fun.
"Nothing will work unless you do." - Maya Angelou
Sihle Ndlozi: Nothing is going to come your way without any action on your part. If you want something, then go after it until you receive it. That's how life works.
"Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.” - Charles F. Kettering
Hanelke Bruwer: Life is full of ups and downs, which is scary and exciting. Sometimes you will stumble on something that you did not expect. Life is full of surprises and does not wait for anyone. So I just try and remember to keep going.
“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” - Coco Chanel
Thuli Sidaki: We live in a very judgmental society that comes with so many rules and regulations. Being yourself is so much easier than pretending to be someone you are not. God created us differently for a reason. There is something beautiful in each of us.
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” - Carl Jung
Matthew Beadsworth: It doesn't matter what you’re going through or your circumstances. Choose to stand up and make good decisions that will shape your thoughts and ultimately, your reality.
I also just need to share another favourite quote: “If the bar ain’t bending, your just pretending.” - Kyle Dorfling (... hehe...)
"Being positive isn’t pretending that everything is good - it’s seeing the good in everything." - Anonymous
Anonymous: Given the current situation we are in, it is easy to focus on the negatives rather than look at the positives. As a result of lockdown, our whole work environment has changed.
Although this may not be ideal for everyone, there are a lot of positive things that have come from this. I feel as though communication with buyers has greatly improved during lockdown for example.
“Magic is believing in yourself. If you can make that happen, you can make anything happen." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Nadia Cloete: As children, we see the world as this magical place full of wonder where we have the ability to do and to be anything we want, but as we get older we become a bit more jaded. We tend to fixate on the negative things, the self-doubt ... we become our own worst enemies. This quote reaffirms the power of a positive mindset. If you don't have faith in yourself, you can't expect others to have faith in you either.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill
Yolande du Preez: I believe one is never too old to learn, and the best way to learn is through helping others. The quote from Winston Churchill is a constant reminder for me to rather focus on being kind and generous, offering advice or a shoulder to others - and in turn, they will be more willing to do the same for me.
“What would you do if you weren't afraid?” - Spencer Johnson
Darren Gilbert: I don't believe that there is only one motivational quote that inspires me. Or even people in general. Rather, I believe that there are multiple quotes or sayings that you can apply to different situations as well as where you are in your life.
The quote I've chosen. It's a simple question. But I use it to look at myself and ask whether I am happy with where I am at the moment. It also acts as motivation because it makes me question whether the fear of not doing something is rational or not. Oftentimes, that fear is not rational and it helps me to confront whatever it is.
"If you're going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that cannot be erased." - Maya Angelou
Anonymous: This quote serves as a reminder to me that I am here for a certain purpose. And Although I do not know what that purpose is yet, I know that ultimately, my duty is to serve and to shine my light in the lives of others and leave a mark that will not be forgotten even when I am gone.
“Life’s too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it'd be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.” - Dr Seuss.
Stephanie Laubscher: There are so many things/words that inspire me and it all depends on the situation at hand to help me feel inspired or motivated. But when reading this quote, it just encompasses all the great life lessons with the right attitude to have when going about this thing called "life".
And I believe that having this in your mind can help you overcome your obstacles, allow you to take those chances, live without regrets (which allows you to live for each day) and value those people who build you up to live each day to the fullest. Plus who doesnt feel better after reading something written by Dr Seuss?
“You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That’s part of the deal.” - Denzel Washington
Rayyaan Scharnick: We all have our aspirations and dreams. It could be a dream job. An ideal house. A perfect lifestyle. And so we pray for rain. We ask God to open doors. We take steps towards our goals. It’s important though that we understand that when the rain comes, so does the mud. You may get your dream job, but perhaps not everything about it is perfect. You may find the man (or woman) of your dreams, but they will still have flaws.
Don’t get too upset. Don’t wish that things were the way they were before. Don’t complain about your lack of good fortune. Just make sure that you have a realistic perspective of life. Be grateful for the rain and learn to deal with the mud.
Conclusion
How inspiring to see what our colleagues’ favourite motivational quotes are and why these are the specific quotes that inspire them. For all employees who contributed to this article, we would like to give a special thanks.
If you feel down and out, or you feel that your motivational quote is due for an update, you now have a personal ‘DotActiv Motivational Quote Library’ where you can visit and find some inspiration from your fellow colleagues.
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