Inspirational Life Quote

Inspirational Life Quote by Scott Canipe

If one peruses through the literature of self help books, personal development blogs and how to philosophies that come from successful people, there is a plethora of inspirational quotes to be found. Many of these highly respected and influential individuals have come up with one key philosophy from which the remaining of their successful endeavors emanate.

For example, the highly touted football coach Vincent Lombardi once stated, "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."  This is a very powerful inspirational life quote to adhere to regarding overcoming obstacles through willpower.

The noted educator, Booker T. Washington made a powerful point when he said, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome." Hardships can teach us many things about what to or not to do when trying to reach a successful level. 

Another inspirational life quote by the famous Five Star General, George S. Patton is, "I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom."  Straight from the mind of one of the most brilliant military tacticians since Alexander the Great. 

These are just a few of the many examples from people that have made a significant impact worldwide. Each one has his or her own inspirational life quote that they subscribe to. These philosophies have provided fuel to garner much attainment and peace of mind. 

However, within the body of these many words of wisdom, there appear to be a single train of thought uniting them altogether. This train of thought is the ability to overcome when times are not easy and continuing forward with the plan of direction. This seems to be the crux of each inspirational life quote mentioned above. 

One that deeply resonates with me is what the late great martial artist, Bruce Lee, coined,  "Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”  Mr. Lee was definitely right in his philosophy concerning being yourself and fulfilling what is within, however, in order for us to do that we must have the courage to carry it out. This is powerful regarding personal expression, but, I feel it should be taken a step further to make this desire a reality. Through my experiences in life and the study of other successful people, I feel that,“To be the best you, you must be courageous enough to be you."

This is my top inspirational life quote and everything else follows under it as I am trying to achieve my personal growth. Allow me to elaborate a little deeper regarding being courageous enough to do what is necessary.

Definition of Courage

My definition of courage is the skill and temperament to face unpleasantries believing that it is the moral thing to do with the intent of accomplishing some goal. These unpleasantries run the gamut from being intimidated, dangerous situations, physical pain, and uncertainty. Too many times our lives never fulfill their potential because of a lack of courage to face these unpleasantries.

As is obvious, being courageous enough "to be and do us" is not easy for most. There are many reasons. Certain life patterns hold us at bay. For example, we may be in a negative relationship with someone in which there is no or very little mutual compatibility. The relationship is going nowhere in a productive manner; it is stagnant and moving toward destruction. Nothing seems to work to put it back on a positive course. Unmitigated misery and a lack of direction follow. In this instance, you just must decide to end the relationship permanently. This will take an act of courage to do so.

Personally, I have been in this situation before with a specific romantic relationship. I made the choice to leave the relationship. There were several losses such as: a certain amount of financial stability, a very nice home with cozy accoutrements and I had to relocate to an environment that I was unfamiliar with. It took courage to face this unknown element. In many respects, I was having to reset my life. It appeared to be a daunting task.

I chose to follow my inspirational life quote and, through time, I realized that it was not only the right decision, but it was a choice that has assisted me in my own personal development. It was one of the best decisions I ever made and I'm still growing from it.

Another example of being courageous is the involvement of an occupation that is going nowhere. Actually, the job may already be at a dead end street with no future promotions, raises, etc.. This happens frequently with people as they are enslaved to specific sectors of Corporate America. This includes both blue-collar and white-collar workers. They have a college degree or are well-trained in a specific occupation. It may appear on the surface that they are happy in what they are doing, but deep down inside there is much uneasiness and are in desperate need of a change. They know how to make the change but do not have the courage to carry it out.

I have experienced this scenario too. Professionally, I have a background in Civil Engineering and was employed with a specific company. There were times of enjoyment, but other instances I saw the nasty side of corporate politics. Furthermore, I felt like I was not fulfilling my potential and there was much more for me to achieve. So, I set forth a plan of action to become an entrepreneur.  Later, the time came to muster up the courage to abdicate my corporate position and to moved into this brand-new change of life. 

It was not easy for I realized the risks that were at hand. There were many unfamiliar waters that I would have to "swim through." The stakes were high for there much to lose, but I had a burning passion in the belief that there was much more to gain. My self-esteem was high and I made this dream of entrepreneurship a reality. I often think of that momentous decision that was made and am very happy that I took that course of action.

There were failures in this new venture, but also many successes. I willed myself to be courageous to do what was within me to achieve happiness and fulfillment. 

Do It

Life can be a wonderful experience. Ultimately, we all want to be happy. This is the end result that we are all trying to achieve with our decision-making processes. 

Most of you have big dreams, goals and great aspirations. Your imagination races freely within the mind to attain certain goals. You covet them to become a reality. This can be achieved as long as this mental creativity is within reason, of course. With courage as the catalyst, imagination can be turned into a “living dynamo.” 

This inspirational life quote is the cornerstone of my thinking. It is a tried and true experience which have led to other great experiences. If you want to fulfill your potential and tap into that wellspring of greatness then, “To be the best you, you must be courageous enough to be you.”