Monday Motivation: 16 January
Got the Monday blues? Reclaim the day and set the tone for the entire week with these helpful, motivational tidbits:
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world” – Anne Frank
Anne Frank’s story is a world-famous one: she and her family went into hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. During this time, she kept a diary, which her father published two years after her death from typhus at the age of 15 – just several months before the Nazi concentration camp at which she kept was liberated at the end of the war.
Anne’s diary showed she was an insightful teenager, one who was wise beyond her years; despite the circumstances at the time, she wrote of her goals, her dreams, and her vision regarding her contribution to the world in which she lived, including the legendary quote above.
Thus, from Anne, there is an important lesson to be learned: you are in charge of changing your perspective, your lifestyle, and your choices for the future. How this has any bearing on the world around is up to you, so long as you make the most of it and do so with the utmost positivity.
“Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, stupid people already have all the answers” – Socrates
A Greek philosopher, a teacher and a scholar during his lifetime, Socrates was an enigmatic figure who believed in asking questions in order to attain certain truths and expand one’s knowledge. For his teachings, which were deemed as heretical, he was executed in accordance with Athenian law: poisoned by hemlock.
From Socrates’ quote, we can ascertain that those who are regarded as “stupid” believe themselves to be right all the time, are unapologetic about their views, and have no room to learn; “average” people learn from continuous trial and error – which is not a bad, thing of course, but sometimes thinking through the process more or asking for assistance will certainly help them getting it right the first time.
And the “smart” people? Despite their vast experiences and knowledge, they are the ones who, in search of answers to questions they can’t answer, will seek out any means to find it. They will open their ears and their hearts to everyone – from the richest person to the poorest person – so that they can cultivate their own wisdom for the benefit of themselves and their peers.
“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like there’s nobody listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth” – William W. Purkey
One of the world’s foremost educators, speakers and authors, William W. Purkey began his career as a public school teacher – now, he serves as the Professor Emeritus of Counselor Education at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, with numerous books and articles on classroom management, discipline, success and psychology under his belt.
In a sense, there is a theme of Carpe diem (“Seize the day”) to William’s quote – although life is full of obstacles and constant reminders of how difficult it can be, you need to take each day at a time, at your own pace and in your own unique style!
You don’t need to change your whole lifestyle to be healthier and happier. Every small step you take towards more positive living will add up and make a big difference.
