Inspirational quotes for the start of the year: Part 1 of 3

2020 was a challenging year but 2021 is a chance to start afresh:

We can, if we so desire, learn to see everything that is both terrible and wonderful about the pandemic time vortex. In a year in which so many of our choices have been shown to be illusory, this choice remains.

It starts by understanding that our interpretation of the world determines how we experience it:

In any moment, we have a narrative about that moment. A story, an interpretation, an evaluation. And that story will determine our experience.

This is empowering because it means that you are in charge of your life:

The only thing you truly have control over is yourself: your thoughts, your choices, your actions. You can’t control what nature does or what anyone else does. You can only control you.

It also means that nobody can change how you feel unless you let them:

Whenever you allow someone to change your mood, you give them control over you. The truth is that your moods and feelings are completely under your own control, and when you let someone else change those moods or feelings, you give them power to alter your internal life.

So, instead of spending another year doing what no longer makes sense, choose what works for you:

Be really sure that you’re happy with your life today and in the direction it’s headed, to deeply understand the connection between the two, and to keep a constant eye on things to make sure that you don’t gradually drift off into a direction you’re unhappy with.

This starts with breaking bad habits so that you can build better ones instead:

If you keep up your old routines, you’ll never really change. You absolutely have to knock down some things and rebuild from scratch if you want to see change.

One habit many of us need to develop is the habit of taking action:

The closer your everyday actions are to being in alignment with your long term goals, the easier it becomes to just march straight to those goals.

Unfortunately, many of us get trapped by fear, especially when our goals are big:

All of us can do incredible things, but the more incredible the thing in question, the more we will simultaneously want to not do it, out of a craving for comfort and certainty.

That’s why it’s good to take comfort in the fact that small steps can lead to big results:

Take on the hard tasks, in small chunks. Check things off your list, while feeling the meaning and possibility you’re creating. Be in action, over and over, and you’ll train the action muscle.

Indeed, your action doesn’t have to be perfect when you realise that doing something is better than doing nothing.

We do make choices, and they do have consequences. But the idea that there’s a “correct” one is only ever a story we tell ourselves. Choices can be well reasoned or poorly reasoned. Their results can be surprisingly beneficial or surprisingly damaging. But there’s no such thing as a categorically right course of action, just an array of possible ones—and for each, a sprawling, endless web of consequences.

And even if things don’t work out as planned, you can always adjust as you go along:

Everything is temporary, even failure, even success, even getting off track. These are not the end points, they’re waypoints. Keep going.

But if things do work out, remember to celebrate your success:

You can do all of the great work in the world, but if you’re not willing to communicate, someone else will take credit for it, whether they do it directly or indirectly. It’s up to you to get the credit you deserve.

Ultimately, to build a better life in 2021, you have to focus on what you can control instead of worrying about what’s out of your hands:

Remain vigilant but don’t put your entire life on hold. Be cautious but not afraid. Stay tough and do whatever you can to find moments of joy. Put yourself first and you’ll end up being a better support to others.