Determine what specific goal you want to achieve. Then dedicate yourself to its attainment with unswerving singleness of purpose, the trenchant zeal of a crusader.
—Paul J. Meyer
The mode in which the inevitable comes to pass is through effort.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American Jurist, Author
The most effective way I know to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed. It focused on what you want to be (character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based.
—Stephen Covey (1932–2012) American Self-help Author
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
To spend life for something which outlasts it.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
It’s your aptitude, not just your attitude that determines your ultimate altitude.
—Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American Author
To be a top performer you have to be passionately committed to what you’re doing and insanely confident about your ability to pull it off.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
I have discovered that I cannot enhance anybody’s performance without getting them not only to live with the butterflies that come with high-pressure jobs but to embrace that kind of physical response, enjoy it, get into it. That’s the first real ticket to being a performer who thinks exceptionally.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.
—Les Brown
Great performers in all fields seem immune to what outsiders think about them. Their sense of themselves never depends on the feedback—positive or negative—they get from the environment.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
When science, art, literature, and philosophy are simply the manifestation of personality they are on a level where glorious and dazzling achievements are possible, which can make a man’s name live for thousands of years. But above this level, far above, separated by an abyss, is the level where the highest things are achieved. These things are essentially anonymous.
—Simone Weil (1909–1943) French Philosopher, Political Activist
The size of your accomplishments, the quality of your achievement, will depend very largely on how big a man you see in yourself, what sort of image you get of your possible self, yourself at your best.
—Orison Swett Marden (1850–1924) American New Thought Writer, Physician, Entrepreneur
God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.
—Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) French General, Statesman
The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune.
—Plutarch (c.46–c.120 CE) Greek Biographer, Philosopher
Stick with your own perception of yourself—living in your own world—and letting your reality, not the reality presented by other people or particular situations, control your performance.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
If life were measured by accomplishments, most of us would die in infancy.
—A. P. Gouthey
Accomplishment is easiest when we work the hardest, and it is hardest when we work the easiest.
—Unknown
You must do the things you think you cannot do.
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American First Lady, Diplomat, Humanitarian
Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight.
—Mark Victor Hansen (b.1948) American Public Speaker, Motivational Speaker, Writer
Overachievement is aimed at people who want to maximize their potential. And to do that, I insist you throw caution to the wind, ignore the pleas of parents, coaches, spouses, and bosses to be “realistic”. Realistic people do not accomplish extraordinary things because the odds against success stymie them. The best performers ignore the odds. I will show you that instead of limiting themselves to what’s probable, the best will pursue the heart-pounding, exciting, really big, difference-making dreams—so long as catching them might be possible.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.
—Robert H. Schuller (1926–2015) American Christian Televangelist, Author
The physical symptoms of fight or flight are what the human body has learned over thousands of years to operate efficiently and at the highest level…anxiety is a cognitive interpretation of that physical response.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
The mathematics of high achievement—
Begin with a dream.
DIVIDE the problems and conquer them one by one.
MULTIPLY the exciting possibilities in your mind.
SUBTRACT all the negative thoughts to get started.
ADD enthusiasm and determination.
And the RESULT will be the attainment of your goal.
—Anonymous
Stress is the high-level performers PowerBar.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
The achievements which society rewards are won at the cost of diminution of personality
—Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) Swiss Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher
Never measure the height of a mountain, until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.
—Dag Hammarskjold (1905–61) Swedish Statesman, UN Diplomat
You can do anything you wish to do, have anything you wish to have, be anything you wish to be.
—Robert Collier (1885–1950) American Self-Help Author
Where you see valid achievements or virtue being attacked, it’s by someone viewing them as a mirror of their own inadequacy instead of an inspiring beacon for excellence.
—Vanna Bonta (1958–2014) Italian-American Novelist, Poet, Actress
There is no short cut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation—veneer isn’t worth anything.
—George Washington Carver (1864–1943) American Scientist, Botanist, Educator, Inventor
If you wish to achieve worthwhile things in your personal and career life, you must become a worthwhile person in your own self-development.
—Brian Tracy (b.1944) American Author, Motivational Speaker
No great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
Elevated levels of confidence are omnipresent among history’s greatest overachievers. Benjamin Franklin, one of the most famous men in the world even before he signed the Declaration of Independence once lamented about humility, “I cannot boast of much success in acquiring the reality of this virtue”.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
Bill Russell is one of the great names in basketball, an all-American… and the only athlete to ever win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic Gold Medal, and a professional championship all in the same year—1956…But Bill Russell had this one problem: He threw up before every game.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
All the great performers I have worked with are fueled by a personal dream.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
Personal development is your springboard to personal excellence. Ongoing, continuous, non-stop personal development literally assures you that there is no limit to what you can accomplish.
—Brian Tracy (b.1944) American Author, Motivational Speaker
Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense.
—Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) British Novelist, Playwright, Critic
Only on paper has humanity yet achieved glory, beauty, truth, knowledge, virtue, and abiding love.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
If the track is tough and the hill is rough, THINKING you can just ain’t enough!
—Shel Silverstein (1930–99) American Children’s Books Writer, Poet, Short story Author, Playwright, Author, Songwriter
None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.
—James Lane Allen (1849–1925) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate,
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) American Poet, Educator, Academic
If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.
—Tony Robbins (b.1960) American Self-Help Author, Entrepreneur
The only way around is through.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
Achieving starts with believing.
—Unknown
The top players in every field think differently when all the marbles are on the line. Great performers focus on what they are doing, and nothing else…They let it happen, let it go. They couldn’t care less about the results.
—John Eliot (b.1971) American Psychologist, Academic
The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit. Try, if you can, to belong to the first class. There’s far less competition.
—Dwight Morrow (1873–1931) American Businessman, Diplomat
Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.
—Ben Stein (b.1944) American Lawyer, Writer, Economist, Humorist
No matter what our achievements might be, we think well of ourselves only in rare moments. We need people to bear witness against our inner judge, who keeps book on our shortcomings and transgressions. We need people to convince us that we are not as bad as we think we are.
—Eric Hoffer (1902–83) American Philosopher, Author