3284: 8 Life-Changing Quotes from Inspirational Authors by Jay & Heather Harrington of Life And Whim

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[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Living Daily, 8 Life-Changing Quotes from Inspirational Authors by Jay

[00:00:44] [SPEAKER_00]: and Heather Harrington of LifeAndWhim.com.

[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm Justin Malik.

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: I read an article every day of the year and give a little bit of commentary at

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_00]: the end just to give us both a bit more inspiration, motivation or happiness in our days.

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Really adds up in my experience.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: So with that let's get right to our next one as we optimize your life.

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_00]: 8 Life-Changing Quotes from Inspirational Authors by Jay and Heather Harrington of

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_00]: LifeAndWhim.com.

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: When I read a book, I'll remember the broad strokes of the story or in the case

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_00]: of nonfiction the main thrust of the message.

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_00]: But it's rare that I'll remember the details of a minor character or the intricacies of a

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: professional development sequence.

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Every so often however, I'll come across a book passage that makes me sit up straighter

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_00]: in my chair, grab my highlighter and dog ear the page.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a message so powerful that it stays with me long after I've finished the book.

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00]: It's profound and remarkable when it happens.

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And it only seems to occur when the circumstances are right.

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Which is when a powerful message reaches you at a time in your life when you're ready to

[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_00]: receive it.

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_00]: From kids books, which is the most pervasive genre in our house these days, to fiction, to

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: nonfiction, all types of books are filled with sticky quotes that stay with you long

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_00]: after you've finished reading.

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Here are 8 of my favorites with a bit of commentary about how they have impacted

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00]: my thinking and my life.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Number 1.

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: From Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Ours is a world of limited resources, the most finite of which is time.

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And time is not on your side.

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_00]: It marches on relentlessly and you can't get it back.

[00:02:30] [SPEAKER_00]: That's why it's critical to figure out your goals and start acting toward them no

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: matter how scary the journey.

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Urgency is the most powerful antidote for regret.

[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Number 2.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: If you're making mistakes, it means you're out there doing something good.

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: From Neil Gaiman's Make Good Art.

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Fear of failure stops us from doing so many things such as quitting a job, starting

[00:02:53] [SPEAKER_00]: a business, or having a difficult conversation.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: We tell ourselves that we will take action when the time is right.

[00:02:59] [SPEAKER_00]: But the only time that is ever right is right now.

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Waiting for the fear to go away is a hopeless strategy and never will.

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: At some point you have to be more afraid of settling than you are of

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00]: chasing your dream and failing.

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00]: We also tell ourselves that we don't take action because we lack confidence.

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_00]: But confidence is not what is required, courage is.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: In fact when pushing boundaries almost no one is confident.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_00]: The courageous few do something anyway.

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Soon as Gaiman explains you come to realize that fear is not to be

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: avoided but to be embraced.

[00:03:32] [SPEAKER_00]: You grab fear by the throat and never let go.

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Number 3.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_00]: You have brains in your head.

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: You have feet in your shoes.

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

[00:03:43] [SPEAKER_00]: You're on your own and you know what you know.

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_00]: And you are the one who will decide where to go.

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_00]: From Dr. Seuss' Oh The Places You'll Go.

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: This passage brings to mind a quote from entrepreneur, author,

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: and motivational speaker Jim Rohn.

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Rohn often speaks of life's possibilities and once said, quote,

[00:04:02] [SPEAKER_00]: If you don't design your own life plan chances are you'll fall

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_00]: into someone else's plan.

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: And guess what they have planned for you?

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Not much, end quote.

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_00]: The point is that life will push you around if you let it.

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_00]: We're too often on cruise control mindlessly going

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: through our days.

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Achievement requires intention and action.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Without both you'll either stand still or wander aimlessly.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_00]: As Dr. Seuss and Rohn make clear,

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_00]: it's only by acting with intention and purpose

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_00]: that life's possibilities can become a reality.

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Number four, and now that you don't have to be perfect,

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_00]: you can be good.

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_00]: From John Steinbeck's East of Eden.

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_00]: No one is perfect and in any event,

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_00]: perfection is not something to aspire to.

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: What makes each of us special is our humanity

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and fallibility, it's our rough edges,

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_00]: not our smooth perfect lines.

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_00]: As Steinbeck explains we must first accept

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_00]: our own imperfections before we can attain contentment.

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: A life spent chasing perfection is one doomed

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_00]: for dissatisfaction and disappointment.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Embracing who we are, words and all,

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: that's what leads to a good life.

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Number five, when you want something,

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00]: all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_00]: From Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist.

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_00]: It's funny how life works.

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: People who get lucky and achieve great success

[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_00]: in business and in life are almost always

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_00]: the ones who conjure the biggest dreams

[00:05:23] [SPEAKER_00]: and work tirelessly to realize them.

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Of course as you might have guessed from the quote,

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: luck has nothing to do with it.

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Number six, it's only after we've lost everything

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_00]: that we're free to do anything.

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00]: From Chuck Palinux Fight Club.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_00]: I've never lost everything but I have experienced loss.

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Tuesday was the fifth year anniversary of my dad's passing

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_00]: and with the benefit of perspective,

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_00]: I look back at that moment as a transformational one

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00]: in my own life.

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Not only did it bring to the surface

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_00]: the reality of my own mortality,

[00:05:54] [SPEAKER_00]: but it fueled me to honor his legacy

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: by living more in accordance with his values.

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_00]: One month after his passing we learned

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_00]: that Heather was pregnant with our twin girls.

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_00]: We knew that the introduction of two new little ones

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: into our family would involve some loss

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_00]: in terms of our time and freedom,

[00:06:10] [SPEAKER_00]: but instead of focusing on what we would lose,

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: we used the occasion to consider what we could become.

[00:06:15] [SPEAKER_00]: This put us on a path that ultimately led us

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_00]: to Trevor City in the launch of Life and Wim.

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Loss can lead to opportunity if you let it.

[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Number seven, our battered suitcases

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_00]: were piled on the sidewalk again.

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: We had longer ways to go,

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00]: but no matter the road is life.

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_00]: From Jack Kerouac's On the Road,

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Heather and I spent much of our pre-child life together

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: with our heads down focused on advancing in our careers

[00:06:41] [SPEAKER_00]: and growing our business.

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Looking back, we should have traveled more,

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: seen more, done more and had more adventures.

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Now that our kids are a bit older,

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_00]: we're trying to make up for lost time.

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Heather is more of a wanderer by nature

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_00]: and I'm trying to follow suit.

[00:06:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Insights like this from Kerouac

[00:06:56] [SPEAKER_00]: help our desire to live a rich, meaningful life

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: full of new experiences.

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: And number eight, you must live in the present,

[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_00]: launch yourself on every wave,

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_00]: find your eternity in each moment.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Fool will stand on their island of opportunities

[00:07:11] [SPEAKER_00]: and look toward another land.

[00:07:13] [SPEAKER_00]: There is no other land, there is no other life,

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_00]: but this from Henry David Thoreau's Journal.

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_00]: This quote comes from Thoreau's Journal.

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a timeless reminder to not live for the future

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_00]: nor dwell in the past.

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_00]: You never know what tomorrow will bring

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_00]: or even if there will be a tomorrow

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_00]: and you can't do anything to change what happened yesterday,

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: so you might as well focus on all that is great

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and possible about the present moment.

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_00]: You only get one shot at life, make the most of it.

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you enjoyed

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_00]: and perhaps were inspired by this review of the insights

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_00]: of some of the most provocative

[00:07:47] [SPEAKER_00]: and thoughtful minds in modern history.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_00]: I found that no matter how tough life gets,

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_00]: there's always wisdom and encouragement

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_00]: that can be found in great books

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00]: that can help me to get back on track.

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Life is short and at times, it's hard,

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_00]: but there's no escaping the fact

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER_00]: that the only way to tackle it

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: is head on with purpose and intention.

[00:08:06] [SPEAKER_00]: After all, it's the bumps in the road

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_00]: that make life's journey worth living.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to the post titled

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Eight Life-Changing Quotes from Inspirational Authors

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_00]: by J.N. Heather Harrington of lifeandwim.com

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_00]: and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you to Jay and Heather.

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_00]: I think out of this list I've only read

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_00]: one of these, the Alchemist,

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_00]: which I do remember enjoying.

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER_00]: You might like that one too.

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_00]: And then I've seen only two of the movies mentioned,

[00:09:54] [SPEAKER_00]: The Shawshank Redemption and Fight Club.

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I never realized it the first time I saw the movie,

[00:10:00] [SPEAKER_00]: but Fight Club has a lot of minimalist principles in it.

[00:10:05] [SPEAKER_00]: So much so actually that Joshua and Ryan

[00:10:08] [SPEAKER_00]: of the Minimalist wrote an article titled,

[00:10:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Fight Club's Tyler Dyrdnan is a Minimalist.

[00:10:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And it's a list of 26 quotes from the movie

[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_00]: that apply to minimalism pretty directly.

[00:10:20] [SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of similar to this post that we heard today.

[00:10:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And I thought it was pretty interesting,

[00:10:24] [SPEAKER_00]: but as a warning, that movie is very dark

[00:10:28] [SPEAKER_00]: if you haven't seen it before.

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_00]: The Shawshank Redemption is somewhat dark too,

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_00]: but not as much I'd say.

[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_00]: And it happens to be ranked as the best movie

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_00]: of all time ever.

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER_00]: That's by users on IMDb.

[00:10:43] [SPEAKER_00]: So probably worth watching that movie

[00:10:45] [SPEAKER_00]: if you haven't seen it before.

[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_00]: In any case, hopefully the quotes from today's article

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_00]: were inspirational for you.

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_00]: I thought there were some great ones in here.

[00:10:53] [SPEAKER_00]: But I'll leave it at that for today.

[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for being here and listening every day.

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_00]: And thank you if you've ever shared this show with someone

[00:11:00] [SPEAKER_00]: that's the greatest thing you can do

[00:11:02] [SPEAKER_00]: to help keep all of this going.

[00:11:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Have a great rest of your day

[00:11:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and I'll see you tomorrow

[00:11:06] [SPEAKER_00]: where your optimal life awaits.