These are some more daily quotes I read to program my thoughts. I keep these in the forefront of my mind to remember how to act. Inspiration is like bathing; you need to do it daily. They are a gentle reminder of what’s most important in life.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
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You build yourself along the journey. This can go for your life partner. It’s not about finding the perfect person; it’s more about growing together and being what each other needs most.
“Success isn’t about how your life looks to others. It’s about how it feels to you.”
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Be careful of the status symbol type stuff. Fancy cars and a big house don’t mean anything if those inside are miserable. Success is connected to relationships around you.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. One who lives life fully is prepared to die at any time.”
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This also made me think that fear and action can not occupy the brain at the same time. When I am anxious about a situation just act. Fear will melt away.
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.”
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An idle mind is a sad mind. Being busy keeps sadness at bay and gives us purpose. Knowing what must be done does away with fear. There’s no rule for how to live this life and what you can deem worthy of your attention.
He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.
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One of my favorite books, From Strength To Strength, asks the two questions: Why were you born, and what are you willing to die for? The goal of life is to have a solid answer to those two questions.
“We can control 2 things – our thoughts and actions. Everything else is not under our control. We can’t control what others will think about us, so stop worrying.”
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I would even argue that our thoughts are not in our control at times. Negative thoughts will come so must also learn to let them pass.
If you resist something, it usually falls into one of these categories: it’s something others might judge you for, it causes some kind of conflict, or it’s your first time experiencing it. Recognize this and push through the uncertainty and doubt.
That dude is about to run off the cliff… Taking the path less traveled.
“I didn’t pay attention to times or distance, instead of focusing on how it felt just to be in motion, knowing it wasn’t about the finish line but how I got there that mattered.”
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Motion is a gift. It’s temporary like everything else so be grateful to be moving!
I greet every sunrise with cries of joy like a prisoner who is reprieved from death.
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I wake up, and my first words internally are “Yeah baby, I get to do it all again!” You GET to do this, and you GET to be here. Be grateful for every breath you have on this earth while you are here! Stop complaining. Stop criticizing. Stop comparing. The 3 Cs of a CRAPPY life occur when those things CONSTANTLY come out of your mouth.
Days, when I create media, feel more fulfilling than those when I just consume it, especially mindless media like TV. This doesn’t apply as much to thought-provoking content like books or podcasts. Try creating something before you consume, like having a healthy meal before indulging in junk food.
Life is not up, up, up. It’s up, down, up-down. Just be aware of the downs, but realize they don’t last forever.
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Thoughts of insecurity, difficult times, and sadness all pass like a moving storm. Just note gone, from the inception until it passes. NOTHING is forever, not you, or anything you have built. Enjoy only the current moment because it’s all you have.
Nothing beats a good paperback book while blasting down a rocky trail…
The benefits in life come from compound interest. Investment in knowledge pays exponentially.
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The more time you commit to almost anything starts to provide major returns. That goes with relationships, running, and money. Remember, learn to love slow progress!
I’m either ready or I’m not. Worrying about it right now ain’t gonna change a damn thing. Whatever’s gonna happen is gonna happen.
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This is a critical message to all athletes in the taper phase. It is also about what they tell themselves the night before an event. But for god sake please have a plan if it’s a race…
Be kind. Harsh words are remembered for a long time.
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It’s a fine line between being funny, and harsh criticism that puts another person down. The best humor is self-deprecating, you don’t need to make fun of others.
Thanks for reading. Please share some of your favorite quotes in the comments below.
Patrick is an ultrarunner and coach from Philadelphia who loves documenting his running career. His mission is to provide useful tips and tricks to assist others along their ultra journey. You can find his coaching services at https://ultraruncoach.com.
You wouldn’t think a quote would have much power to change your life, but they do. They can be a framework for how to think. I’ve collected these over the years and wanted to share. These quotes have profoundly impacted me, and you might have seen them in some of my posts. After each quote, I share how I interpret it and use it daily.
“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”
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Comparison is the thief of joy, right? Don’t compare your life to someone else; you have no idea what they had to do to get there. Racing is never a level playing field. If you win one day, it doesn’t mean you’re better; maybe you just have fewer obligations than your competitor.
It’s not the weight of the load that breaks you down, it’s how you carry it.
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It’s your thoughts about the situation that cause the most damage, in racing and in life. Those who remain happy in a race tend to do better. Smile more in racing you’ll have better outcomes.
“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”
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I do my dance, and if you profit, so be it. I don’t care what others say or think about my actions. I put myself out there. I create videos and write blog posts, because I enjoy having a voice, and who knows, maybe I’ve inspired someone.
“Never look up to anyone; never look down on anyone.” If you look up to someone, you will exaggerate their positive qualities; if you look down on someone, you will exaggerate their negative qualities. But if you simply look—not for something, but just look—you will see things just as they are.”
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Accept people for how they are, don’t hold them to some high standard.
“Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.”
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You will always have something going wrong in life. Learn to solve problems and move forward. It never gets easy, you get better at dealing with adversity.
“Rules for happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.”
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Happiness is a nebulous term. I prefer just being content. I add things to my calendar to look forward to, like races, vacations, and meetups with friends. I have a family to love and plenty to do with my job and coaching.
“If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future, look into your present actions.”
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What you do today has a huge impact on your future. Stop creating problems for the future version of you. Being lazy or procrastinating now only hurts future YOU.
“Death doesn’t need to be treated as an enemy to be able to delight in life…I encourage people to make peace with death, to see it as a culminating adventure of this adventure of life. It is not an error, it is not a failure. It is taking off a tight shoe that you’ve worn well.”
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Once we die, this whole charade and social construct will be over. Is that so bad? I don’t have a death wish, but I am not afraid of death itself, more of the slow dying part.
I am a master of my emotions, if I feel depressed I will sing. If I feel sad I will laugh. If I feel ill I will double my labor. If I feel fear I will plunge ahead. If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent I will remember past success. Today I am a master of my emotions.
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You can CHOOSE to be happy. Isn’t that crazy? Throw on a favorite song from your youth. You will quickly notice how your mood changes. Moods like thoughts can be treated like a passing storm. They are just thoughts, you don’t have to believe them.
“When you get rid of your fear of failure, your tensions about succeeding… you can be yourself. Relaxed. You’ll no longer be driving with your brakes on.”
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To do well in racing you need to let go of your fixation on the outcome. No cherished outcomes!
“Perfect love casts out fear. Where there is love there are no demands, no expectations, no dependency. I do not demand that you make me happy; my happiness does not lie in you. If you were to leave me, I will not feel sorry for myself; I enjoy your company immensely, but I do not cling.” You can see a person as a sunset, for all to enjoy. Owned by no one.
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I don’t demand anything from anyone in my life. Just be you, and I accept you as you are.
When I prayed for his life it was an act of desperation fueled by the hope that the religion of my youth might yet save what was most precious to me. When he died, a victim of random cell mutation within his otherwise perfect body, I was left with the conviction that no god who would allow such a thing to happen was worthy of a moments more of my contemplation. I envy those who can retain their faith through such a loss and even imagine a purpose to it. I cannot. But still I hope for a reunion with the soul of my departed son, so what kind of Agnostic am I?
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This is not a quote, but an excerpt from a book that had a profound impact. I can’t imagine his pain and suffering in losing a child. I feel as though there are still massive amounts of loss I’ve yet to experience. I am grateful for the time I have with those while I have it.
Humor is a form of sharing, an interpersonal exercise. To share laughter is a way of affirming that we are all in this lifeboat together. The sea surrounds us; rescue is uncertain; control is illusory. Still we sail on.
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Don’t take life so seriously… Nobody gets out alive, so laugh, smile, and have fun while you are here.
“As we have seen, whatever you do with your body, mind, or energy leaves a certain imprint. These imprints configure themselves into tendencies. These tendencies have been traditionally described in India by a wonderfully apt word: vasana. Literally, vasana means smell. This “smell” is generated by a vast accumulation of impressions caused by your physical, mental, emotional, and energy actions. Depending upon the type of smell you emit, you attract certain kinds of life situations to yourself.”
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You know the “smell” of a person, it’s their mannerisms and what makes that person unique. It’s why I feel like some people repel, or attract you to them. It’s their smell! The people in your life should have a “good” smell.
You are your only obstacle. Every failure teaches a lesson. Watch your children learn by failure, and provide guidance.
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You have to fail and lose to grow past your current level. There is no getting around that. If you meet someone great at what they do, odds are they have failed a 1000 different ways.
People won’t remember what you said, how you acted, or, even what you did. They will remember how you made them feel.
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Your interactions in life might be the only thing left once you are gone. The memory of you survives in the people you interact with. People will remember what it was like to be around you vs what you did. Treat people kindly. That’s it.
Those are some of my top quotes; I continue to add to my list daily as I come across them. Please share your quotes in the comments below; I love hearing the ones that have affected people the most and WHY.
Patrick is an ultrarunner and coach from Philadelphia who loves documenting his running career. His mission is to provide useful tips and tricks to assist others along their ultra journey. You can find his coaching services at https://ultraruncoach.com.
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