What is your favorite quote about personal growth and why?
To help inspire your personal growth, we asked business professionals and leaders this question for their insights. From “being the change to wish to see in the world,” to “doing the best you can until you know better,” there are several quotes you can use as motivation each day.
Here are 14 quotes about personal growth from business leaders:
- Explore and Expand What You’re Capable Of
- The Best Investment You Can Make Is in Yourself
- I Praise Loudly; I Blame Softly
- Be the Change You Wish to See in the World
- You Are Your Best Investment
- Excuses Don’t Help Make Things Better
- If You Want More, Then Claim It
- Growth and Comfort Do Not Coexist
- Do the Best You Can Until You Know Better
- The Secret of Getting Ahead is Getting Started
- From Little Acorns Mighty Oak Trees Grow
- We Can Learn From Our Past
- It Starts With Passion
- You Can Choose Courage
Explore and Expand What You’re Capable Of
When I look at a set of personal development quotes, particularly the one stated above, I see a few distinct similarities. What I’ve discovered is that personal development is a process rather than a destination.
Believe in yourself, develop yourself, unleash your potential, work well with others, play to your strengths, enjoy the process, share your unique gifts with the world, and grow your greatness by challenging yourself, developing yourself, and learning new things every day.
Carey Wilbur, Charter Capital
The Best Investment You Can Make Is in Yourself
This is something I truly believe. The majority of people associate investments with financial ones. They are preoccupied with making more money and keeping track of how much money they have in their bank account.
Spend some time and effort on becoming a better version of yourself. You’ll soon notice that success follows! It will undoubtedly help you in your own development.
Henry Babichenko, European Denture Center
I Praise Loudly; I Blame Softly
This quote by Queen Catherine II has helped me greatly in my personal development. You may have achieved success, but there’s a good chance that others helped you along the road.
Find innovative methods to share the credit and help others climb the success ladder alongside you. Everyone can hear, observe, and be motivated positively if you praise loudly.
Randall Smalley, Cruise America
Be the Change You Wish to See in the World
This quote by Mahatma Gandhi is one of my favorite sayings. I know how simple it is to be pessimistic about life. Many things can go wrong in your life and the world around you.
Still, we shouldn’t be discouraged by this! Keep up the optimism and do your best to lift up those around you. I try to lead my lash supply business this way and have a mission to help other women become their own boss, which has helped me grow, too.
Vanessa Molica, The Lash Professional
You Are Your Best Investment
This is one of my favorite quotes that has helped me in my personal development. It’s why I take time to constantly learn new skills and further develop my current skill set.
It’s also why I feel so strongly about helping others get life insurance. Spending time to improve myself and assisting customers with getting an insurance parachute are two things I have never regretted.
Chris Abrams, Marcan Insurance
Excuses Don’t Help Make Things Better
I believe that every person has a choice to decide how to interpret their challenging moments in life. They can either look outside and blame their circumstances or other people for their failures, or they can look inside, take responsibility, and change their actions going forward.
The first option is easy but doesn’t provide much room for growth where the second option is much harder and has the potential to set the course to be the best version of yourself in the long term.
Guy Katabi, Lightkey
If You Want More, Then Claim It
One of my favorite quotes is from Tony Robbins which states, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” This resonates with me because life is about evaluating what’s working and what’s not.
If it’s working, then great. But if at any point you feel things aren’t moving or progressing forward, make a conscious effort to change directions, change strategies, or change mindset.
You are in the driver’s seat and in control of many things, most of all your mind. If you want more, then go out and claim it.
Jenn Christie, Markitors
Growth and Comfort Do Not Coexist
I remember this quote from IBM’s former CEO Ginni Rometty and it has guided me in my personal growth since. For me, it means that to learn and grow (personally and professionally), as well as to have access to better, greater opportunities, I would need to pursue opportunities that put me out of my comfort zone and challenge me. While comfort zones can be safe, they don’t push you to try new things or experiences that will help you grow.
Susanne Tedrick, Microsoft
Do the Best You Can Until You Know Better
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” That quote by Maya Angelou is my favorite quote about personal growth.
Its message is fairly simple but can apply to several life circumstances such as work and personal relationships. Maya Angelou invites us to never stop learning and improving ourselves.
Andrew Bernstein, Kinder Beauty
The Secret of Getting Ahead is Getting Started
Mark Twain famously said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Being a self-starter will get you incredibly far in life.
Sometimes, it can be hard to start a new project or chapter in life. However, with enough perseverance, you can tackle any obstacle that comes your way. Starting something new is half the battle.
Jenn Ohara, Soba Recovery
From Little Acorns Mighty Oak Trees Grow
This was my junior school motto, and the badge emblazoned on our uniform. It has stayed with me all these years and reminds me that something great can come from a very modest beginning, and those small things can be very strong.
Stewart McGrenary, Freedom Mobiles
We Can Learn From Our Past
One of my favorite quotes is, “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it,” because it is simple and profound, and has such a positive message about our ability to change. All of us have past lives that provide the context in how we view the world.
Much of our decision-making is centered around those experiences, and while people will sometimes repeat mistakes, the view that it is not a predestined conclusion is a positive one.
In this quote, we find the affirmation that we have the opportunity to learn from our missteps and advance, rather than tread water. It is a message of progress and hope, and I have always found comfort in it.
Cody Candee, Bounce
It Starts With Passion
Pat Tillman was quoted saying, “Passion is what makes life interesting, what ignites our soul, fuels our love and carries our friendships, stimulates our intellect, and pushes our limits…A passion for life is contagious and uplifting. Passion cuts both ways…Those that make you feel on top of the world are equally able to turn it upside down…In my life, I want to create passion in my own life and with those, I care for. I want to feel, experience, and live every emotion. I will suffer through the bad for the heights of the good.”
In life, it is very hard for people to grow personally and professionally if they are living a life they are not passionate about. Yes, you might grow by moving up in a company, but you are likely not growing on a personal level as well.
I’ve found that when you are growing personally, your life is always impacted for the better. It might not always feel like it, but you will always be able to look back and see where you grew. It all starts with passion.
Brittany Ethridge, Mosaic
You Can Choose Courage
In the revered words of Dr. Brene Brown, “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, you cannot have both.”
This quote impacts each and every element of our lives, especially those who lead others. It takes courage to have difficult conversations, it takes courage to receive feedback and it takes courage to challenge ideas and concepts.
Leading with courage is sadly what’s missing in many of our current executive leaders who pass off the tough conversations to others versus taking ownership of the conversation and the outcomes.
Barbie Winterbottom, The Business of HR
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