A few weeks ago I discussed the courage rituals my students and I used as part of success strategies in mentoring. These rituals can be used before reaching out to a mentor, prior to networking events or before doing a presentation. Courage rituals are anything that provides you with confidence needed for a big event. In the previous post, I shared “theme songs” that my students play before attending a networking event or public speaking. The list of songs included a wide variety of artists. Songs were anything from the Disney soundtrack to Tupac. In addition to songs, courage rituals can come in the forms of poems, and quotes. Below are great student examples that I like to share as part of my career tips and advice.
Sacrifice by: Ralph Waldo Emerson
THOUGH love repine, and reason chafe,
There came a voice without reply, –
“T is man’s perdition to be safe,
When for the truth he ought to die.”
“Do your little bit of good where you are; It is those little bits of good put all together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” -Steve Jobs
You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water. -Rabindranath Tagore
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle
While these songs, poems, and quotes are profoundly inspirational, one ritual that especially stood out to me was a student’s list of affirmations that she said into the mirror. Self talk is more powerful than anything the outside world can provide for us. Believing in your own success is driven by the way in which think about yourself. Some of the aspirations she included were,
You are…
Intelligent
Driven
Beautiful
Kind
Prepared
Loving
Going to be successful when you leave here
Destined for success no matter what they think of you
Do you have any quotes, poems, or affirmations help you with challenging times? How have these examples from my students inspired you to strive for more than you did the day before? Share below, and be someone else’s inspiration.
Visit this link for career tips and advice.