I am a collector of quotes. In their concise, imaginative, lyrical, or profound way they summarize the "truths" of our lives and our natures in a way that hits us square in the face. They package insightful wisdom in short, easy to remember, phrases that rest lightly in our minds and yet can catalyze new ideas and actions. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., in commenting upon the power of ideas noted, "The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."

I sometimes find that the right quote can be a valuable tool in my Coaching because it can do three things:

1. Provide a unique perspective on a critical issue

2. Cause an instantaneous shift in perspective that eliminates roadblocks to progress or opens new vistas for exploration

3. Expand awareness and speed forward progress toward desired goals

1. "Most of us don't get epiphanies. We only get a whisper - a faint urge. That's it. That's the call. It's up to you to do the work of discovery, to connect it to an answer." - Author Po Bronson in Fast Company

As a Coach I specialize in working with clients that want to redesign their lives, their careers, or their businesses. Most show up with the belief that the fully-formed design for the next chapter of their lives should hit them like a lightening bolt. In my experience working with hundreds of clients, lightening-bolt revelations are not the norm. The answers are out there but they don't just "appear," they need to be excavated and explored. I help my clients learn to look for, and recognize, the subtle signs - to strip away the dinginess of limiting beliefs and assumptions that cloud their vision, to expand their awareness of choice and of possibility, and to learn the skills and the tools for discovering who they are, who they want to be, and what they want to do.

2. "If you listen to your body when it whispers, you will never have to listen to it scream." - Source unknown

We tend to live in our heads and we ignore other sources of wisdom such as our bodies. There are all kinds of channels through which we receive and send information. Part of learning how to take control of your life is learning what these channels are and how to use them effectively. The funny thing is, when we want to make a change in our lives most of us get so focused on finding out exactly what we want to "do", that we forget that most of the time what we are really searching for is a feeling - and feelings manifest themselves in our body. The wisdom of your body, which shows up in the signals that it sends you, can help you learn what is working and not working for you in any given situation.

3. "The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in our attitude towards them." - Antoine de Saint Exupery

I believe this powerful insight can be used to shift how we think not only about things and situations, but also about individuals in our lives. Here is something to consider: "Everybody has their own story and their own perspective." Most of us can accept this idea intellectually, but cannot effectively internalize it. Thus, we "react" when people say things that we assume are "about us" instead of being curious about what their behaviors are telling us about them. Next time you find yourself reacting to a situation or a person, remember that the natural pattern is NOT "stimulus - response." The true pattern is "stimulus - interpretation - response." Take a moment to interrupt your own pattern and experiment with a new interpretation. Ask yourself provocative questions such as, "What is this telling me about him/her/them?" or "What is the most favorable interpretation I can make about what is happening" and then proceed from there. Be wiling to explore the truth of the concept, "Change your attitude, change your life."

4. "Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the recognition that something else is more important than fear." - Source unknown

Many people believe they want to be, or need to be, "fearless" - but they can't figure out how to lose the fear. The important shift to make in the area of fear is to realize that you don't have to lose the fear. People who do brave or courageous things are not fearless (i.e., they still feel the normal physiological reactions we call fear), but they have learned that fear does not need to mean "Stop." They allow themselves to feel the fear and do what they need to do anyway. Often the easiest way to prepare yourself to be able to move forward in the face of fear is to get fully aware of, and connected with, the most important things in your life (in Coaching we often refer to these things as your "Values"). When you know what is important to you, then it is easier to move through roadblocks because rather than focusing on the fear, you focus on what it is that is more important than the fear.

5. "Growth and comfort seldom ride the same horse." - Source unknown

Many people have the misconception that if you are making the right changes or choices in your life, and if you are moving in the right direction, then things will always be "easy." While I am a great believer in the fact that sometimes taking the path of least resistance is the right way to go, and that when you are moving in the right direction synchronicity often surfaces to support you, I also know that growth can be an uncomfortable and messy process. In order to grow you must be willing to let go of old things (beliefs, relationships, etc.) as you simultaneously reach out for the new. As humans we often have an innate resistance to change, to stretching out of our comfort zones. Discomfort is not a bad thing; in fact it is a normal thing as we shift, change, and upgrade who we are and what we do.

6. "We don't see things as they are. We see them as we are." - Anais Nin

This is another powerful reminder that what we call reality is not a fixed and static thing we view with crystal clarity. Our perceptions, and thus our reality and our reactions, are always colored by our unique perspectives that have developed through our upbringing, education, and experiences.

7. "Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?" - Tao Te Ching

We live in an action-oriented society. When looking to make changes in our lives we want to know all the answers "up front" before we move out, and we want to know them NOW. Unfortunately, when you are in the process of redesigning any significant aspect of your career or your life the process is more "organic" and not subject to forced timetables. To engage in the process of reinvention you need to be willing to not know all of the answers in advance, to be willing to simply begin moving in a direction and trust that the next right action will reveal itself. You need to be open to serendipity and synchronicity, and to honing and trusting your intuition.

8. "Forgiveness does not change the past but it does enlarge the future." - Source unknown

People need to get clear of the past in order to move forward. But many have a hang up about forgiveness because they feel they are showing weakness or being suckers. When you learn to forgive you are benefiting yourself at least as much, if not more, than you benefit those that receive your forgiveness.

9. "There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way." - Christopher Morley

This is one of my favorite quotes because it reminds me and all of my Coaching clients that each of us has buried within us a personal definition of success and fulfillment, and that one of the most joyous tasks we have here on earth is to find out what it is and express it in the world through our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.

Wrap Up: I hope that at least one of these quotes has served to "stretch your mind" and expand your awareness and potential for trying new approaches and actions.

What is your point of view? Please post your thoughts on the discussion board.

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