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  • Writer's pictureBarbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND

Do you need inspiration to finish what you start? Harness the power of quotes.

A To Do list with check marks and a pen

How many unfinished projects do you have on your to-do list? Do you struggle to complete what you start?

 

Are you persistent? Or do you have a tendency to give up?

 

What can inspire us to finish what we start?

 

We can harness the power of quotes. Think of quotes as the inspiration of others.

 

In our last post, we explored the reasons we don’t get started. In this post, we will look at why we don’t finish what we start and identify quotes that can inspire us to persevere to the end.

 

Why do we struggle to complete a task?

Many of the reasons cited for not initiating a task are the same ones that keep us from completing it.


If we’ve managed to begin a task, but can’t bring ourselves to finish, we are likely dealing with the belief that the task is too long, too hard, too complicated, too boring, or any other adjective that makes the effort involved to complete it outweigh the perceived benefit of achieving its desired outcome.

 

To overcome this self-defeating belief, we can harness the power of quotes and be inspired to finish what we start.

 

What quotes can inspire us to finish what we start?

The following quotes come from people who succeeded in sports, business, arts and entertainment, and life by learning that finishing what we start comes from hard work, perseverance, and never giving up. Allow their wisdom to inspire you.

 

Quotes that remind us that success is the result of hard work.

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”  ~ Vidal Sassoon, Businessman

 

Without labor, nothing prospers.” ~ Sophocles, Philosopher

 

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Tim Notke, Basketball Coach

 

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”   ~ Pele, Brazilian Soccer Player

 

“There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.”  ~ Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer

 

“You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself.”  ~ Alan Alda, Actor

 

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”  ~  Stephen King, Author

 

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”  ~ Colin Powell, General and Politician

 

The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.”  ~ Epicurus, Greek Philosopher

 

“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful after all.”  ~ Michelangelo, Artist

 

Quotes that encourage us to persist and persevere.

“Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” ~ Thomas Huxley


“The only thing standing between you and outrageous success is continuous progress.” ~ Dan Waldschmidt, Business Strategist


“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”  ~ Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Inc.


“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”  ~ Dale Carnegie, Writer


“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” ~ Walter Elliot, Linguist


Quotes that encourage us to never give up.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan, Basketball Player


“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” ~ Henry Ford


“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”  ~ Thomas Edison, Inventor


“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”  ~ Walt Disney, Entrepreneur


“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” Babe Ruth, Baseball Player


“Never, never, never give up.”  ~ Winston Churchill, Prime Minister


Which quote will inspire you?

Which quote will inspire you? Where can you position it to serve you?

Check out this post for goal-setting ideas to effectively initiate and complete your tasks.


If your tendency to not complete tasks is extreme, you may suffer from completion anxiety. Quotes will likely not be sufficient to motivate you. Talk to a trained therapist for help.


Lastly, if you’re not completing a task, ask whether it needs to be finished. Some things are unnecessary. Evaluate your task list. If something needs to be done, do it! Allow these quotes to help.


“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” ~ President Calvin Coolidge


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