25 Powerful Inspirational Quotes with Commentary to Inspire You This Year!

25 Powerful Inspirational Quotes with Commentary to Inspire You This Year!

I love a great quote. They are just these bite-sized, inspirational morsels that have the capacity to speak directly to our soul in times of need. Because they are short, they don’t overwhelm, but they still have the power to really change us if we let them.

Back when I was teaching, I had sticky notes all over the place with powerful quotes on them that stood out to me. The one I needed to see most was stuck right on the side of my computer where I could look at it several times a day. My love for quotes spilled over into my teaching and I found that students, even teenagers, are also easily moved by a well-timed, perfectly chosen quote.

Inspirational Quotes for the New Year:

With 2021 on the horizon, many of us are cautiously hopeful for a year full of healing, restoration and a new normal (or some of our old normal back). When I talk to people about the coming year, the usual excitement for a new year is muted and many have abandoned the practice of setting goals for the new year completely. This is the effects of 2020. Hope is a gently flickering ember – and we need some inspiration to help nurture that into a glowing flame.

After all, the only constant in life is change. I feel like the billboard for life should be – “Expect Change.”

But, just because 2020 has taught us exactly how little control we actually have, that doesn’t mean that we can’t be inspired by a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning. So, in honor of the new year, I thought it would be fun to round up some of my favorite inspirational quotes. Feel free to share! Let’s create a tidal wave of inspiration, motivation, hope, and good vibes.

Come back tomorrow for a special post with a new writer who will be sharing astrology for the new year for each sign!

Inspirational Quotes to Inspire You This Year:

I love the idea of transformation and the opportunity to start new each day. I also love the quote by Jim Rohn, “If you don’t like where you are, move. You’re not a tree.”

I think the addition of gratitude is important in this quote, too. I have experienced the benefits of expressing gratitude each day as part of a daily gratitude practice. Highly recommend picking up a gratitude journal and taking a few minutes each morning to focus on the good.

2.

This simple reminder that each day is a new beginning is so powerful, particularly when we feel like we are living in the movie Groundhog’s Day and the daily doldrums start to get us down.

Life can start to feel like a daily grind, an endless monotony, but we have the ability to bring change – even in little ways – or at least change our mindset. And that is really powerful.

3.

One of my ALL TIME favorite quotes. Saw this on Corrie Lo’s Instagram. Def give her a follow for major inspiration. This one is so good, I have a couple friends who have turned it into their phone wallpaper.

It is so, so easy to get sucked into the whirlwind of the shoulda, coulda, wouldas. But, these will really slow you down and weigh on your heart and mind.

It’s time to let go, friends, of the illusion that it could have been any different. Start from today. Work forward from now.

4.

Putting in one of my own here, because I’ve been saying this one a lot lately. Whenever I talk with someone who shares something they want to learn, a goal they have, a new degree they want to get, or just any big life change or goal that they want to work towards – but feel like time is against them, I say this to them.

The reality is, as much as we look at TV and YouTube and see these super young people who have achieved massive success and reached incredible goals in their short lives, this is not the normal. This creates seriously unrealistic expectations. Also, this doesn’t give us the rest of their story – since it’s still being written. The fact is: the average person has at least three careers in their lifetime. Not jobs, but careers – which typically require some form of training, certification or education to acquire.

Plus, many inventors, scientists, writers, or other influential people reached their goals later in life. This illusion that we need to have it all figured out and have achieved greatness by 25 is truly crippling to a lot of people.

Here’s the facts: IF YOU’RE STILL ALIVE, YOU STILL HAVE TIME. And, you can spend that time pursuing the things that really set your soul on fire – or not. It’s your choice. But, the time is going to pass anyway.

5.

On that note, how about some powerful words from a couple hundred years ago? This was true back when Goethe said it around 1808 and it is true now.

Be gentle with yourself, friends. Speak kindly. Repeat affirmations if it helps. Things don’t get easier; we just get better at them. That takes practice, repetition, hard work, focus, effort. These things are not always natural and go against what is comfortable.

But, everything you are dreaming of is sitting outside your comfort zone. Breath in courage, breath out doubt. Go get it.

6.

#RIP Ruth Bader Ginsburg. What a powerhouse. Whether you agreed with her voting record or not, you had to admire her courage and her tenacity and her steadfastness for what she believed was right.

She was an overcomer and continued to serve in her position while fighting cancer multiple times. She is a great example of someone who understood that challenges can often be what shape us into the person we need to be to chart the course that is ours.

Sometimes the universe knows things we do not know and will guide us along the way if we allow it. Be open to discovering your path as you walk it. We don’t know what we don’t know until we know.

7.

Life is changing, as it always will. We have choices today that our mothers did not have even 30 or 40 years ago. Embrace these opportunities when looking at the possibilities.

Working from home as a writer and working with brands and companies all over the world, in my yoga pants, while taking care of my kids, is a balancing act, but an exciting one that I enjoy and challenges me each day. This is a possibility because of huge changes and advancements in technology in my lifetime. Not everyone in my life really understands what I do and sometimes I hear comments about how I need to get a “real job” or “go back to teaching”, even though the income I make is equivalent to or greater than what I made in previous “real jobs”.

So, don’t feel chained down to old ideas, antiquated roles, family expectations or anything else if you are looking forward and wanting to start or try something new.

8.

Fake it until you make it, friends. We have the power to control our minds, which gives us more power over our feelings, our thoughts, our bodies, our health, than we realize.

Sometime the smile brings the joy and other times we smile so that we can usher in the joy. Either way, the path is happiness.

9.

I love me some Rumi. The simplicity of this quote is similar to others that I love, with the same message, that when we find what sets our soul on fire, that is our purpose. This has also been called our Darma or our calling.

For many of us, it is acts of service – where we are giving to others or improving the lives of others in some way – that truly sparks joy in our lives. We can turn anything we do into an act of service, too, whether that’s taking care of our kids or doing our job outside the home. If you look at it like an opportunity to serve others, even it is just to serve kindness, than you will feel that joy that comes from working from the soul.

Find what makes you come alive and go do that. It is unique for all of us. After all, if we all played the same instrument, we wouldn’t be able to experience the beautiful music of an orchestra.

10.

I had a nice chat with an old friend about the idea of legacy. We are both hurling towards landmark decade birthdays and that is often a natural time to stop and reflect.

What leaving a legacy means to each person will have variances. To me, it’s leaving the world, my family, and my community a better place than when I came into it. I have particular causes that I feel specifically passionate about and look for ways to make a difference in those areas. As my businesses grow, my ability to make an impact grows with it. To me, social mission and personal prosperity are intertwined.

For each of us, what this means will look different. Be intentional about what you want to leave behind, too.

11.

So important to have adventures. One of my favorite families wrote on Facebook that their new year’s resolution is simple: to adventure. I think that is brilliant. That encompasses so many things. Adventures can be big or small, expensive or free.

Make a list of adventures you’d like to have this year and put it on the fridge. Start to work towards the bigger ones and checking off the smaller/easier ones.

12.

Ahhh, this one. I love it so much. It is so important for all of us to find the skills and abilities that come easier to us. These usually align in some way with our purpose in life or even just a hobby that we can use to refresh our spirits.

Forcing ourselves to fit into someone else’s mold or into a career (or relationship) that is just not a fit for us will only leave us with anxiety, frustration, feelings of self-doubt and even depression.

It’s a beautiful thing to see someone living in their purpose. If you want to read more about this idea, check out this incredible book by former Buddhist monk, Jay Shetty, called, “Think Like a Monk.” (affiliate link)

13.

Deep. This one really gets me. Fear is such a surface level human reaction – but a natural one. Once we can start to distance ourselves from our fears, we stop being so controlled by them. For me, a horrible plane ride in my 20s left me with crippling flight anxiety. But, my desire to travel and explore is greater than my fear, so I do a series of things before flights that allows me to get to my destination without making myself sick from stress and anxiety.

Our fears show us our own humanity. What we desire extends beyond the mortal. Think about that.

14.

We are not defined by our past – particularly the events that we could not control. I love reading books by Ekhart Tolle to better understand the place of the past in our present and future.

If you’re one of many who suffered pain or challenges as a younger person due to the decisions of others that you had no control over – this is a big one for you, too. And, even as we get older, mistakes happen. Failures happen. This is how growth happens. Hanging on to the past is like trying to drive your car while only staring out the rearview mirror. Eventually, you’ll crash. You have to look through the windshield – look ahead of you – look where you want to go – otherwise, you probably won’t get there.

And, on the days when you fail to do this, remember that each day is a new chance to begin again.

15.

One of my favorites. I had this one on my desk as a teacher. I wanted to bring it 100% each day (or try), and I wanted to be so good at what I did that the kids had no choice but to get swept away with my enthusiasm and feel passionate about our objectives, too.

As a writer, I strive for the same. In all areas of my life, I have this drive that if I’m going to learn or do something, I want to do it as well as possible. Not everyone has this same appetite for greatness, because it can be all-consuming and exhausting and also – frustrating. Because that climb is painful, friends. And the process can really break you down.

But, these words by one of my favorite comedians of all time reminds me that this is the goal. In anything you choose to do, do it well. Be so good they can’t ignore you.

16.

I can get so consumed by the pain in the world. Sometimes, I’ll lay awake at night thinking of all the struggles people are facing across the globe. I wish I could fix them all. I wish I could save everybody.

The only way, sometimes, for me to stop the spiral is to think about all the incredible people who overcame their challenges to become something so much more greater than could be possible without them. In fact, many of the most beautiful, soulful, interesting, funny, impactful people I have ever met come with the most unbelievable stories. The kind you want to record and turn into a book.

It seems that this is the only way. So, perhaps we shouldn’t try to avoid the pain of growth so much. Perhaps we should look at as essential to our becoming – to our ability to live out our purpose.

17.

Ahh, another quote on being thankful and expressing gratitude. Why? I believe the health benefits speak for themselves – read more about it here.

Plus, I think that prayer can sometimes be a tough concept for some, especially the non-religious. But, guess what, prayer, or mediation, or mindfulness, or whatever type works for you, is just the practice of being still, expressing gratitude, and turning your energy towards the issues and people important to you.

As Tony Robbins said, “Energy flows where attention goes.”

18.

Oh yes, it sure does. For some of us, it requires more courage than others – particularly if who you feel destined to be is different from a specific familial expectation or societal norms.

To create your own mold is always going to be harder, but the payout in your own happiness and the impact you can have, is also much greater.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself and don’t ever feel like you owe anyone an explanation for it.

19.

Are you the type that feels a connection to the earth and the collective human spirit? Do you look for ways to serve and help others? Or, are you more individualistic, choosing instead to focus on your unique sphere of influence? We have one of each type here in my house and it makes for interesting discussions on the world and how we approach various events and issues that arise.

Regardless of whether you see your mission inside or outside the home, or both, you can still do as much good as you can, for as many as you can, for as long as you can.

That’s a legacy, folks.

20.

To me, this is a little different than just “do what you love”. There are a lot of things I enjoy or love to do that would not make for great work. But, when you take something your passionate about and also skilled at and then look for ways to use that to make a contribution to your community or that industry, then you really start to find your stride.

21.

Ahh, George Clooney comin’ in hot with the major mic drops. Truly listening and learning from others requires closing our mouth and opening our mind.

We’ve all been around someone who loves to hear themselves talk and is formulating their response while we are still talking. I have been challenging myself to truly listen, give people space to really communicate what they want to say and then responding. There is no race or award to win from being the fastest to respond. And, if there was, do we really want that award?

Not only can this allow us to truly learn and grow, but also makes others feel truly valued and important.

22.

I can remember having students who needed to work on essays and they were just stumped. They would tell me, “I just don’t have anything to say.”

While everyone does have their own story, it is true that more life experiences gives us more to talk about, more depth, more understanding for others, and also more to write about.

When I would help source more writers for companies I wrote a lot for, several of the questions had to do with breadth of life experiences because plenty of people are incredible at the craft of writing, but prolific writers who can write about anything, endlessly, almost always have a very interesting life story.

Lesson? Get busy living and then you can make a living writing.

23.

Speaking of life stories, Helen Keller has an amazing one. I love this quote. We can’t be so afraid to fail or to experience pain or to make mistakes that we don’t live at all. That is, ultimately, the purpose of life – to learn lessons, to grow, to improve, and to leave some of that wisdom behind when we go.

24.

Yes. Yes. And yes.

It all starts upstairs. The elevator pitch? Control your thoughts – control your destiny.

25.

Let’s finish with this big inspirational kick in the pants.

It is no mystery why people who suddenly find out that they have a terminal illness immediately start making a series of radical decisions to change the course of the remaining years of their life.

But, should that be what it takes? Of course if we are planning to live up to 100 years, then there are things we need to do to responsibly prepare for that. I mean, we were just talking about our retirement plan the other day. It takes considerable effort and planning to prepare for many milestones in life.

If we know we don’t have to worry about those things, we would live differently. The lesson here, though, is that whatever is on that list of what we must do and what we wouldn’t do if we suddenly found out we had much less time on this planet, that is a clear sign that we need to look for ways to make changes in the ways that we can right now.

After all, we can ignore the reality, but none of us are getting out of here alive.

*****

What do you think of these inspirational quotes? Which one is your favorite?

If you love quotes as much as I do, you might also like these posts:

Before you go, leave your favorite motivational quote in the comments below!

Have a fabulous day,

E

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