No matter what the hurdles are on your journey, these inspirational determination quotes will light a fire within you to go beyond limits, chase your dreams and be successful. Browse through these determination quotes and let these words reignite your spirit. Get ready to achieve the extraordinary and keep moving forward.

Motivational Quotes About Determination

Determination is the key to achieving your dreams. No matter the difficulties, these motivational quotes about determination will motivate you to stay focused and unlock your full potential.

• “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  
• “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” —Tommy Lasorda
  
• “Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out.” —Robert Collier
  
• “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” —George Eliot
  
• “Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you.” —Walt Whitman

• “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
  
• “The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” —Les Brown
  
• “The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it and the perseverance to follow it.” —Kalpana Chawla
  
• “If you can’t, you must. If you must, you can.” —Anthony Robbins

Related: 40 Consistency Quotes to Help Kickstart Your Future

The Power Of Being Determined: Quotes to Inspire

With determination, we can turn any obstacle into an opportunity. Anything is possible with perseverance and relentless effort. Here are some hard work and determination quotes to help you stay determined and become unstoppable. 

• “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” —Estée Lauder
  
• “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 are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” —Calvin Coolidge
  
• “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” —Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

• “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the [one who’ll decide where to go…” —Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
  
• “An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything, and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men.” —Thomas Fuller
  
• “What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise” —Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
  
• “Small, daily, seemingly insignificant optimizations—when done consistently over time—lead to stunning results.” —Robin Sharma
  
• “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” —Robert Collier

Related: 30 Inspiring Quotes About Never Giving Up

Inspirational Phrases About Determination

Success isn’t achieved overnight. Let the following inspirational quotes about determination inspire you to push forward, stay persistent and turn your dreams into reality.

• “Willpower, strength and determination will take you places.” —Julianna Pena
  
• “Dreams can still come true; you need a great deal of energy and determination, and a little bit of luck.” —Stefano Gabbana
  
• “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” —Barack Obama
  
• “When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.” —Queen Elizabeth II
  
• “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.” —Marie Forleo

• “Going that one more round when you don’t think you can—that’s what makes all the difference in your life.”  —Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, Rocky IV
  
• “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” —Theodore Roosevelt 
  
• “It’s always too soon to quit!” —Norman Vincent Peale, Positive Thinking Every Day: An Inspiration For Each Day of the Year
  
• “If I don’t succeed, I will try again and never stop trying. When I succeed, I will again explore new opportunities.” —Lailah Gifty Akita, Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind 
  
• “Make yourself necessary to somebody. Do not make life hard to any.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
  
• “Don’t limit your challenges; challenge your limits.” —Jerry Dunn

Self-Determination Quotes to Encourage Your Ambitions

Self-determination is the force that empowers you to shape your future, even when the path ahead seems uncertain. Regardless of the odds, these self-determination quotes will inspire you to take control of your journey and pursue your passion with clarity.

• “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” —Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
  
• “See great things happening in your life. Make a decision to become one with whatever you want.” —Bob Proctor
  
• “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.” —Steve Jobs
  
• “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” —Muhammad Ali
  
• “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” —Anatole France, Works of Anatole France

• “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” —Wayne Gretzky
  
• “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” —Maya Angelou
  
• “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” —Brene Brown, Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. 

Short Sayings About Focus & Determination From SUCCESS®

Determination and focus are the keys to success. They are driving forces that can empower you to stay committed, overcome hurdles and reach your goals. To help you on your journey, we’ve created a few short quotes about focus and determination to help you keep going forward. The sayings below are originally written by SUCCESS® contributors. 

• “Determination opens the path to success.” 
  
• “Always focus on the goal, not the hurdles.”
  
• “Stay focused and determined, and victory will follow.”
  
• “Focus on your goals, and let go of the rest.”
  
• “Stay determined, stay unbeatable.”

• “Focus is silent; success makes noise.”
  
• “Focus and determination turn effort into achievement.”
  
• “Determination and clear focus can turn dreams into reality.”
  
• “Focused minds and determined hearts move mountains.”
  
• “Determination and focus can unlock endless possibilities.”

Positive Quotes About Bravery and Determination

Bravery and determination are key factors for transforming challenges into opportunities. In this section, you’ll find quotes about bravery and determination to inspire you to keep a positive mindset and exceed your limits in order to succeed.

• “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” —Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
  
• “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.” —Maya Angelou 
  
• “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” —Mary Anne Radmacher
  
• “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” —Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life

• “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” —Christian D. Larson, Your Forces And How To Use Them
  
• “There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of your life can change!” —Rhonda Byrne, The Secret
  
• “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” —Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman In The World
  
• “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” —J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
  
• “The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” —Richard Branson

Transform Your Passion Into Achievement With Determination

Life isn’t easy. The inspiration found in some of these determined quotes could provide the push you need to get through the challenges of everyday life. And if you’re looking for motivation to keep you going through tough times? These determination quotes can serve as a reminder that success is based on resilience, persistence and an unwavering focus. Let these uplifting, timeless words inspire you to keep going through all boundaries to accomplish your goals.

The post 55 Determination Quotes to Power Your Passion & Push You Further appeared first on SUCCESS.

And the importance of effective communication isn’t limited to coworkers and conference tables. From the right coffee order to our most intimate relationships, our words and how we wield them can affect every aspect of our lives, day in and day out. Whether it’s mastering the art of conversation or simply knowing how to express ideas or information clearly, communication is critical in our daily lives. 

Effective communication is so vital that the greatest leaders of our time have spoken on the topic. Here are 37 of the best communication quotes to inspire and motivate you to relay your message with eloquence and clarity. 

“Failure to Communicate” Quotes That Show Why It Matters

While poor communication can lead to many problems, failure to communicate can be even more detrimental. No team can be expected to succeed without a clear vision of their goals. Everyone needs a roadmap, so here are some good communication quotes to get your wheels turning. 

• “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” —Mark Twain
• “The kinds of errors that cause plane crashes are invariably errors of teamwork and communication.” —Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success
• “You can’t be heard if you’re not communicating.” —Gary Vaynerchuk
• “Communication works for those who work at it.” —John Powell

Related: 11 Inspiring Leadership Quotes That Will Push You to Be Better

Communication Is Key: Quotes On The Importance Of Good Communication

We all know that good communication is key to improved productivity. What you may not realize is that conveying your points clearly and meaningfully can also help solve problems, build relationships and enhance company culture. These “communication is key” quotes help demonstrate just how critical this skill can be. 

• “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” —Peter Drucker
• “In the last analysis, what we are communicates far more eloquently than anything we say or do. We all know it. There are people we trust absolutely because we know their character.” —Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• “Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break.” —Earl Wilson
• “Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift From the Sea
• “The ABCs are attitude, behavior, and communication skills.” —Gerald Chertavian
• “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.” —Larry King

Effective Communication Quotes For Work 

Poor communication can have some very real consequences in the workplace, not the least of which are negative work environments, increased conflict, and high turnover. Your message should not only be delivered but also heard and understood. Use these effective communication quotes for work as inspiration to keep honing your skills. 

• “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”  —Epictetus
• “Speak when you are angry — and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.” —Laurence Peters
• “Communication is not about saying what we think. Communication is about ensuring others hear what we mean.” —Simon Sinek
• “Silence is a form of communication, too. Sometimes less is more.” —Pat Summitt
• “Effective communication starts with listening.” —Simon Sinek
• “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” —George Bernard Shaw
• “Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.” —Jim Rohn
• The art of effective listening is essential to clear communication, and clear communication is necessary to management success. —James Cash Penney
• “Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.” —Brian Tracy 

Related: 12 Must-Read Books to Boost Your Communication Skills 

Famous Inspirational Quotes On Communication 

Communication is such a powerful tool that the greatest leaders, thinkers, and speakers, from Dale Carnegie to Tony Robbins, have weighed in on the matter, and their famous quotes about communication still inspire us today. 

• “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” —Albert Einstein
• “The way we communicate with others and ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.” —Tony Robbins
• “Pay less attention to what men say. Just watch what they do.” —Dale Carnegie, How To Win Friends and Influence People
• “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” —John C. Maxwell

Leadership Communication Quotes to Help You Be Your Best 

When it comes to communication, every leader has skin in the game. If you really want to know how well you communicate, take the pulse on workplace culture and customer relationships. 

• “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” —Ralph G. Nichols
• “The two words information and communication are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.” —Sydney Harris
• “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” —Lee Iacocca
• “Communication is the real work of leadership.” —Nitin Nohria
• “Say what you mean, and mean what you say.” —George S. Patton
• “Being able to effectively communicate is the most important skill any leader can possess.” —Richard Branson
• “If you care about being thought credible and intelligent, do not use complex language where simpler language will do.” —Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow
• “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” —James Humes
• “Asking a deep question should feel like sharing. It should feel, a bit, like we’re revealing something about ourselves when we ask a deep question. This feeling might give us pause. But studies show people are nearly always happy to have been asked, and to have answered, a deep question.” —Charles Duhigg, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection

Motivational Quotes On Communication And Teamwork 

Being a leader means you have to rally the troops—regularly. Here are a few inspirational quotes about communication to help you inspire the masses.  

• “A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations they are willing to have.” —Timothy Ferriss
• “Think like a wise [person] but communicate in the language of the people.” —William Butler Yeats 
• “Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” —Bernard Baruch
• “If we are to succeed, we must communicate.” —Bob Johnson
• “In teamwork, silence isn’t golden; it’s deadly.” —Mark Sanborn

Inspirational Quotes About Communication Can Help You Improve 

Communication is far more than firing off a few emails and leading the weekly Zoom call. It’s how you interact with your team, how you deliver the message and how it’s received. If you want to inspire a good team to do more and be more, effective communication is key. 

Whether it’s workplace-related quotes that touch upon ways to be more effective in our jobs or quotes that remind us how much communication matters in all areas of life, powerful messages like these can give us wisdom. Inspiring and motivating words can help propel us to do better when it comes to expressing ourselves or getting a message across. Learning what good communication looks like, taking cues from super communicators and continuing to learn and grow in this area can have a positive impact on all of our interactions and relationships.  

Photo from Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com

The post Communication Quotes to Inspire Connection, Collaboration & Teamwork  appeared first on SUCCESS.

Unfortunately, discomfort with speaking in public can impact your life in many ways. It can make it more difficult to form friendships and romantic relationships as well as impacting your ability to interact with others or get promotions at work. Ultimately, being uncomfortable communicating your ideas can come at a cost.

The good news is that overcoming this fear is possible. By taking a few simple steps, you can increase your comfort level with speaking in both social and professional situations. 

What Is Glossophobia? 

For those who suffer from glossophobia, speaking in public is a source of anxiety. In fact, it can sometimes cause such extreme fear that a person may experience physical and psychological effects. 

How Does Glossophobia Affect Daily Life?

So, how does glossophobia affect daily life? Some of the symptoms people may experience when speaking publicly could include:

• Developing a dry mouth
• An increase in your blood pressure. 
• Perspiration
• Muscle stiffening in the upper back. 
• A feeling of nausea when you have to speak in public
• Experiencing panic when you must speak publicly
• An increase in anxiety when you speak publicly or when you know you must speak publicly 

Many people who experience a fear of public speaking have at least some of these physical symptoms. 

Why Are People Afraid of Talking in Public?

People who experience glossophobia fear public speaking for many different reasons. Some of the most common reasons for anxiety around speaking publicly include the following: 

• Fear of judgment or embarrassment:  Speaking in public can feel like a high-stakes activity because if you misspeak or don’t perform well, the entire audience can see you fumble. It’s natural to be afraid of how people will judge your speech or to worry about being embarrassed when things go wrong. However, when these reasonable concerns get out of control, then a major fear of public speaking can develop.
• Perfectionism and unrealistic expectations: No one can be perfect, and expecting yourself to be just sets up a situation where the pressure gets to be too much and you’re afraid to perform at all. 
• Lack of experience: If you don’t have public speaking experience, the prospect of getting up in front of others can be very intimidating. This fear of the unknown can prevent you from getting the very experience that would help you feel more at ease talking in front of others.
• Inadequate preparation: Finally, if you are not fully prepared, you may be afraid of not knowing what to say and leaving the audience disappointed. 

Understanding the root causes of your fears can help you to overcome them. 

7 Effective Tips & Skills to Help With Public Speaking

While glossophobia is very common, it can be a challenging issue and have a negative impact on a person’s life. Understanding the fear and taking steps to address can be an important way to improve your communication skills. Overcoming a fear of public speaking can enhance your career and personal life.  

When you’re more comfortable making killer presentations or sharing ideas, you’re more likely to be seen as a leader at work. This could lead to potential promotions and access to new opportunities. You may also have an easier time making and keeping social connections. In short, it’s worth the effort.

If you’re afraid of talking in public, these seven public speaking tips can help. Learn to develop the confidence to speak in front of people with great skill and limited stress. 

Related: Secrets to Being a Better Public Speaker

1. Prepare Well For Your Presentations Or Speeches 

Knowing your material inside and out can alleviate a key source of stress—fear of being caught off-guard or not knowing what to say.

While you usually don’t want to just read from a script (since you need to pay attention to audience cues and respond to their feedback), you do want to have a detailed outline for what you want to say and when you want to say it.

When you go into a presentation or speech well-prepared, you’ll have more confidence. Plus, even if you feel anxious, you can still come across as knowledgeable and informed. When you get positive feedback from the audience as you demonstrate your knowledge, this can further help put you at ease. 

2. Practice Public Speaking Regularly

Practice makes perfect when it comes to becoming a good speaker—and when it comes to overcoming your fears. The more you speak in front of others, the less intimidating the prospect becomes. Practicing also helps you learn techniques, such as how to pace yourself when public speaking, to improve your presentation so you feel more confident going forward. 

You can start small by doing mock presentations in front of family or close friends, eventually working up to speaking in front of large audiences. Groups like Toastmasters can also provide opportunities to work on your speaking skills in front of a supportive audience.

3. Stay Positive 

If you let your fear of speaking in public overtake your mind and continuously have negative thoughts, this can create a vicious cycle. You’ll fear public speaking more and more each time, which in turn will make it more difficult to succeed, and ultimately, reinforce your apprehension. 

Instead of focusing on your fears about what might go wrong, emphasize the positive. You have a chance to share your ideas and thoughts with an interested audience, you know your stuff and are prepared, and you are going to connect with the audience to educate and inform them. 

If you keep these thoughts in mind instead of dwelling on your public speech phobia, you’ll gain the confidence you need to be a great speaker. After a few big successful speeches, it’s likely that the idea of talking in front of others won’t seem so frightening anymore.

4. Utilize Visualization Techniques

Visualization techniques can help you to break negative thought patterns and reframe your perception of speaking in public. 

Imagine yourself connecting well with the audience, speaking persuasively, and getting your point across clearly. The more you picture these desired outcomes, the more you can build the confidence to make those dreams a reality.  

5. Use Deep Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing exercises can help to calm your nerves and can be especially useful in the time immediately leading up to your presentation or speech. Some common techniques to try include:

• Alternate nostril breathing: With this technique, you breathe through one nostril at a time. 
• Diaphragmatic breathing: This is also called belly breathing. It involves consciously focusing on using your diaphragm muscles to take in air and expand your lungs. 
• The 4-7-8 method: With this technique, you breathe for four seconds, then hold your breath for seven seconds before breathing again for eight seconds. It helps to activate your body’s relaxation response. 

Implementing these techniques can help you to better manage the physical symptoms of your anxiety while calming you before you have to speak. 

6. Think About Your Material Instead Of The Audience 

When you give your speech, it’s critical to pay attention to the audience so you can respond to their cues and make sure they are engaged. 

However, as you prepare for the speech and think ahead to what will happen, it’s best to focus your attention on the message you want to deliver rather than worrying about your phobia of talking in public. 

When you start to get worried about having to go in front of people, simply redirect your brain to the message you’re hoping to send and the public speaking skills you need to convey it clearly. Work on refining your language, clearly expressing your thoughts and setting the right tone. Thinking about these issues can both serve as a distraction and help you to feel more confident. 

7. Seek Professional Help 

Finally, if you really struggle with public speaking anxiety, you may want to get help from an expert who can teach you how to avoid fear of public speaking. A therapist or other mental health professional can help you identify the root causes of your anxiety. They can work with you to find coping mechanisms that allow you to speak effectively and with confidence. 

Overcome The Fear Of Public Speaking & See Positive Changes 

If you’re ready to overcome your glossophobia fear of public speaking, start implementing these tips today and discover what positive changes can happen. Now that you know to start overcoming the fear of public speaking, jumping in with both feet can make a big impact. 

When you have your next opportunity to speak in front of others, consider taking the plunge. Being proactive in overcoming your phobia of public speaking can help open up new social opportunities or career options. Say hello to your newfound skill and embrace the positive changes it can bring.

Photo from Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com

The post 7 Powerful Tips On Overcoming A Fear Of Public Speaking appeared first on SUCCESS.

As I grew older, life took an unexpected turn when, at 17, I ended up homeless in a shelter. I dropped out of high school, got three fast-food jobs and focused on survival. Work was my lifeline at that stage—my escape from reality and the only way to create a better life. 

I eventually left the homeless shelter and got my apartment. At one of the jobs, I met the woman who would become my wife, and we got married the day after I turned 18.

My work history continued with jobs in retail and getting my CDL at 18. With each new job, my salary was higher, and I felt more accomplished. It felt good to support my wife and my first child at age 19. 

Whenever I met someone new, they’d ask, “What do you do?” I was happy to tell them about my job and my high salary as a 19-year-old. Without knowing it, I was tying my identity and measure of success to my work. 

This pattern and mindset of work being my everything would continue to build over 20 years. It wasn’t until my children started entering the workforce that I realized my identity was ingrained in my work. My Gen Z children taught me lessons about work that my generation didn’t, and it has changed me. Here’s how.

Growing up in an immigrant household meant a focus on work

My mother is an African woman from Mombasa, Kenya, and my stepfather is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I’m a first-generation African American who grew up with two parents who often talked about the struggles our family faced trying to make a living in Africa.

My mother would tell us that a good job was the key to a successful life. The importance of work was cemented in my mindset. As an adult, I felt so proud to be able to name-drop well-known companies like Pepsi or QuadGraphics when telling others about my work.

At 19, I had the opportunity to start my first business, a vacation-relief service for independent bread vendors. The company cost $100 to start, had low expenses and quickly grew into a highly profitable business. My family was proud.

My identity and how I saw success was deepened toward my work. When my business revenue increased, I was the happiest person you’d ever met; when sales were slow—I felt like a loser.

I learned there’s more to life than work

When my Gen Z children started working, I would ask them about their jobs. I was often surprised at how they viewed work and what their jobs meant to them. I have five Gen Z children who work traditional jobs, and our oldest owns a business. 

My Gen Z children see their jobs as a way to earn money to live and do things outside of work. They work to live—not live to work.

They don’t buy into the belief that you work hard for most of your adult life to enjoy the last few years. They told me they use their sick days and other company benefits, such as vacation time, mental health days and discounts offered for employees on merchandise and stays (one works at a hotel). They don’t see this as being a bad or uncommitted employee.

Much commentary is offered about Gen Z. What I see missing from this conversation is that Gen Z is the first generation that doesn’t tie their identity to their work, and to see there’s more to life than work. 

“(Gen Z’s) attitude is slightly different because they come in without all the baggage that other generations have carried. (Gen Z) cares more about their life balance than other generations have, and they’re not willing to sacrifice their time like other generations have,” says Melanie K. Hall, a licensed clinical professional counselor, therapist and coach.

Tying your identity to work can be unhealthy

I can’t tell you how often someone has told me they feel Gen Z is lazy and doesn’t care about their jobs like previous generations have. However, many previous generations aren’t aware how unhealthy it can be to tie your identity to your work.

Charese L. Josie, a licensed clinical therapist and leadership development trainer who’s worked with different generations in the workforce, says we don’t realize that work has an end date—there’s an achievement wall. 

“When we get to that job that we long for, even if we get a promotion, there’s an end date. We have now achieved that goal. And then what we’re not taught is, then, who are we now once that end date has [been] achieved?… We have no idea what’s next for us and who we are, and what’s the next thing for us to grab onto,” says Josie. 

I’m 44 years old, and that’s not what my immigrant parents taught me about work growing up. These conversations with my Gen Z children made me realize how much of my identity I had attached to my work.

When I noticed how work was affecting my mindset, I knew I needed help. I decided to get therapy. I’ve had therapy regularly over the past six years, and it’s helped me see that success, growth and who I am are more than what I do for work. 

“I not only think it’s unhealthy, I think it’s dangerous to tie our identity to work because work is ever evolving,” says Josie. 

Creating a work-optional life is my goal now

My Gen Z children in the workforce helped me understand lessons about life and work that my generation didn’t. I’ve seen them work and earn money to travel, take time off, not work as much as possible, and fund their retirement accounts in earnest so they may retire early and create a life where work becomes optional. Work isn’t the first or main thing they discuss when meeting someone new; it’s how they enjoy life. I’ve seen two of my kids quit jobs that didn’t align with their values and take less pay for jobs that do. I’ve seen them ignore work communication outside of working hours and watched them stick to the strong boundaries they’ve set for their work parameters.

Their outlook, along with therapy, changed my mindset and helped me detach work from being a major part of my identity.

My goal is to spend my working time only on things that contribute to my personal and professional development, and to use my businesses to build financial independence. I’m taking what I earn and investing as much as possible into assets that make my money work for me. 

I aim to create a work-optional life that allows me to spend my time, attention and energy living a life of freedom where I don’t have to work if I don’t want to. I used to work seven days a week, but now I take off every weekend. I don’t answer client correspondence outside of normal business hours, and I don’t take meetings anymore. 

My wife and I get massages, enjoy fancy meals and spend hours in our favorite place, bookstores, every weekend. I spend more time on my personal development, reading books, watching YouTube videos and listening to fiction audiobooks. I’ve set a goal to take more vacation time than work days, and I understand now that how I achieve success is much broader in scope than what I do for work.

Photo from Kimanzi Constable

The post I Have 5 Gen Z Children in the Workforce. They Taught Me Not to Make Work My Identity appeared first on SUCCESS.

Success isn’t limited to one specific era, and there are plenty of opportunities to be inspired by the wisdom of these great minds’ great quotes. After all, we can all live victorious lives, finding our passions and discovering what success means to us.

Get inspired by these 40 famous success quotes from great minds. Their powerful words might be just what you need to get started on your own journey of growth and success. Take the insight of some of the brightest minds of all time and make it your own.

Quotes About Success From The World’s Greatest Minds

Great minds have used their knowledge to achieve goals and break barriers to succeed in life. Find inspiration in these quotes about how to succeed from some of history’s greatest minds. After all, famous phrases about success can go a long way to inspire our own excellence.

• “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” —Dale Carnegie
• “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of virtue.” —Albert Einstein
• “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”—Booker T. Washington
• “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” —Truman Capote
• “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well.” —Henry W. Longfellow 
• “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.” —Gen. George S. Patton
• “Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.” —Oscar Wilde
• “Action is the foundational key to all success.” —Pablo Picasso
• “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” —Thomas A. Edison
• “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”—Abraham Lincoln
• “The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well.” —John D. Rockefeller Jr.
• “All successful men have agreed in one thing—they were causationists. They believed that things went not by luck, but by law; that there was not a weak or a cracked link in the chain that joins the first and last of things.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Related: Powerful Quotes From Successful Entrepreneurs 

Thought-Provoking Quotes About Great Minds 

“Great minds think alike,” at least according to 17th-century playwright Dabridgcourt Belchier. But is it true? Here are some great minds’ quotes that may prove he was accurate—or not. 

• “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” —William Shakespeare

• “Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise above them.” —Washington Irving
• “Every now and then a man’s mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
• “A simple and independent mind does not toil at the bidding of any prince. Genius is not a retainer to any emperor.” —Henry David Thoreau
• “A genius is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.” —Thomas Edison
• “To make the common marvellous, as if it were a revelation, is the test of genius.” —James Russell Lowell
• “The tough mind is sharp and penetrating. It breaks through the crust of legends and myths, and sifts the true from the false.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
• “You only get one mind and one body, and it’s got to last a lifetime.” —Warren Buffett

Related: 10 Inspiring Quotes On Innovation

What Great Minds Discuss: Motivational Sayings to Expand Your View

What can you do with a great mind? How does the genius of a great mind work? Do great minds discuss ideas, people, things or events? Throughout the ages, many people have had ideas about how to motivate a great mind and why it’s important to push boundaries. Read these quotes and decide for yourself. 

• “Those who believe they can achieve the object of their definite chief aim do not recognize the word impossible.” —Napoleon Hill 
• “Times of general calamity and confusion, have ever been productive of  for the greatest minds.” —Charles Caleb Colton 
• “If the people really set their minds on anything, it is impossible to prevent their getting what they want.” —Henry Ford

• “Small minds discuss other people, gossip. Good minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.” —Denzel Washington
• “Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy.” —Mark Victor Hansen
• “Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the Romance of the unusual.” —Ernest Hemingway
• “Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.” —Emily P. Bissell
• “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” —John F. Kennedy
• “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” —Steve Jobs 
• “You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” —Zig Ziglar
•  “Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas.” -—Charles Stewart

Related link: 17 Motivational Quotes to Help You Achieve Your Dreams

Powerful Quotes From Some of The Greatest Minds Of All Time 

A strong mindset and willingness to seek wisdom have been the ideals of some of the greatest minds in history. If we reach back in time, we can gain some powerful inspiration. Thanks to these words from some of the greatest minds, we can further our own wisdom and get motivation to grow our intellect.

• “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” —Aristotle
• “A great mind becomes a great fortune.” —Seneca the Younger
• ‘“The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.” —Plutarch
• “Minds are of three kinds: one is capable of thinking for itself; another is able to understand the thinking of others; and a third can neither think for itself nor understand the thinking of others. The first is of the highest excellence, the second is excellent, and the third is worthless.” —Nicolo Machiavelli

• “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” —Sun Tzu
• “A mind without instruction can no more bear fruit than can a field, however fertile, without cultivation.” —Cicero
• “A full belly is little worth when the mind is starved.” —Mark Twain

Be Inspired By History’s Greatest Minds 

You don’t have to be famous or a philosopher to find your own inspiration from great minds. So use the ideas and thoughts to move you to think differently in your everyday life. Be motivated by some of the greatest minds of all time to live your life to its fullest. And if great minds discuss ideas with others, you can try sharing these quotes to get the conversation started. 

Photo by Alpha Media Shutterstock/Shutterstock

The post Great Minds: 40+ Inspiring Quotes From History’s Greatest Thinkers appeared first on SUCCESS.

Parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, movie stars, wrestlers—basically, anyone who has lived enough under the sun—all have something to say about the benefits of discipline and its role in personal growth, productivity and success. Needless to say, all of them are right.

For some, discipline is the key to everything they want. For others, it’s what keeps them going forward amid challenges. However, everyone agrees that it’s difficult. 

Discipline requires resisting impulses, stopping procrastinating, eliminating distractions and focusing on what really matters. None of this is easy unless you have a well-thought-out plan. This is where setting clear, actionable goals becomes important. Read on to learn how to set discipline goals and build self-discipline. 

The Power Of Self-Discipline

Self-discipline offers many great benefits for work, personal life and beyond.

Improved Focus And Productivity

A study conducted with 377 college students found that individuals with a stronger sense of self-discipline are less likely to procrastinate in daily life and academics. In other words, discipline helps beat procrastination—an arch nemesis of productivity.

Learning how to be disciplined also keeps you in control of your thoughts and emotions, making you more focused on your tasks and, hence, more productive.

Better Time Management And Consistency

M. Scott Peck, an American psychiatrist and author, once wrote, “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” 

Indeed, when you start valuing your goals over your urges, you also start valuing your time more. You become aware of its finiteness, how you spend it and how you should spend it more efficiently. Gradually, you become better at managing your time, which helps you consistently achieve your goals for days, weeks, months and years.

Increased Self-Confidence And Resilience

Confidence is among the most rewarding benefits of self-discipline. Every task you check off motivates you to do the next task. Over time, as you see yourself ticking off goals via sheer discipline, your self-confidence fires up.

This confidence makes you show up even on days you feel like giving up, making you more resilient and reinforcing discipline—continuing the cycle.

What Is A Discipline Goal?

A discipline goal is a commitment that helps you build self-discipline via self-control, consistency and habits. Unlike regular goals, discipline goals focus not on your desired outcomes but on improving the processes that lead you to the outcomes.

Unfortunately, we are all so used to setting outcome-based goals that we forget to care about the processes. For example:

• Getting straight A’s in school
• Reading a trending bestselling book
• Learning to play the guitar
• Buying a house

The list never ends, but there is a catch: fixating solely on the outcomes doesn’t work. 

While regular goals tell you where you want to go, discipline shows you how. So, contrary to outcome-based goals, discipline goals sound very different and could include:

• Studying for three hours every day after school
• Reading 10 pages of a book every day
• Attending guitar lessons and practicing every day
• Saving a fixed minimum amount of money every month

This way, discipline goals not only help you achieve your goals; they also help you build habits that set you up for betterment and long-term growth.

How to Set Discipline Goals That Stick

Practicing self-discipline, in itself, is not a goal but a habit—and a very tough one at that. But, setting discipline goals can keep you on track. Here are the steps to set effective discipline goals:

1. Identify Your Priorities

Self-discipline starts with prioritizing the things that truly matter. To do that, create to-do lists for the day’s most important tasks and check them off before the end. Or follow the Eisenhower matrix approach and categorize tasks into four categories in this order:

1. Urgent and important
2. Urgent but not important
3. Not urgent but important 
4. Not urgent and not important

Organizing your tasks in this way will help you put your best efforts into the things that matter the most and manage your time more efficiently.

2. Set SMART Goals

The SMART framework is among the best goal-setting models for the workplace and life. It ensures that your goals are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

For example, if you want to read more, here’s what a SMART goal might sound like:

“I want to finish four books over the next two months by reserving 30 minutes after dinner to read and minimizing distractions by switching my phone off while reading.”

Remember that the better the quality of your goals, the greater your chances of achieving them. 

3. Break Goals Into Smaller Habits

Ironically, often, the secret to achieving big goals is starting small. You can be more disciplined without getting too overwhelmed by dividing big, tough tasks into smaller, doable chunks. For example:

• To build a reading habit, pick up a short book and read five pages every day. 

• To improve your self-care, build one habit (like getting seven hours of sleep) at a time. 

• If you want to get promoted at work, start taking on leadership roles, completing relevant training and seeking mentorship.

4. Write Down Your Goals

Writing your goals down on paper helps bring them out of your head and into the real world. Take a piece of paper, jot your goals on it and stick it on a wall. These written goals will keep reminding you of your ambitions and keep you on track when distracted.

5. Track Your Progress

The only person you must compare yourself with on the path of self-discipline is your past self, and that’s why you should keep monitoring your progress regularly. Here are some ways to do that:

• Maintain to-do lists to manage daily tasks
• Keep a journal to reflect on your daily or weekly progress
• Mark your calendar every day you check 90% off your to-do list
• Use habit-tracking apps like Habitica, Streaks, StickK, and Habitify

Self-Discipline Exercises to Build Long-Term Habits

Think of self-discipline as an endless ladder. It takes you to new heights, but only if you keep climbing. However, going up against the gravity of procrastination, distractions and similar evils needs practice, and these self-discipline exercises can help:

1. Time Blocking

Time blocking is a time-management technique in which you divide your day into several fixed time slots. You block each time slot for a single task or group of tasks and do nothing else during that time. 

For example, you can block 7-8 a.m. for exercise and meditation, 8-9 a.m. for shower and breakfast, the next 30 minutes for responding to emails, the two subsequent hours for focused work and so on. Since we only get 24 hours per day, time blocking is a great way to efficiently utilize those fixed hours.

2. The 2-Minute Rule

David Allen introduced “the 2-minute rule” in his book Getting Things Done. The rule states that if something takes less than two minutes to complete, you should do it as soon as you think of it. This approach helps you beat procrastination, as many times, we procrastinate small tasks until they add up and become too much to handle. 

3. Mindfulness And Meditation

To stay disciplined, focus on the present rather than past mistakes or future uncertainties. Practicing mindfulness techniques such as meditation can relieve stress and help you stay in the present moment.

Here are some ways to practice mindfulness:

• Breathing meditations: Focus on your breath for as little as two minutes per day
• Mindful journaling: Jot down your thoughts, feelings and emotions every day
• Single-tasking: Do one task at a time with full focus (try time blocking)

The more present you are in an action, the higher the quality of your efforts.

4. Delayed Gratification

Delayed gratification is the practice of resisting immediate rewards to get greater, more valuable rewards later. 

For example, suppose you want to lose weight, so you resist your cravings throughout the week and reserve Sundays for your favorite sweet snack. You delay the reward of having sweets for the greater reward of shedding some extra pounds and feeling healthier.

Delayed gratification helps you avoid temptations and say yes to what’s truly important.

5. Monk Mode

Monk mode is exactly what it sounds like—adopting a monk-like attitude to achieve your goals. It’s not a specific exercise but a period during which you fully commit yourself to something. Going into monk mode is ideal for achieving a single goal within a rough time frame (usually a few days to weeks).

For example, you may have to write a research paper, train for a marathon, lose 10 pounds or meet a tight deadline. Fixate on the goal, create a strict routine and rules, eliminate all distractions and get to work.

Take Charge Of Your Life With Self-Discipline

Building self-discipline is hard, especially if you struggle with procrastination, instant gratification and poor focus. But the good news is that habits like task prioritization and setting SMART goals, coupled with exercises like time blocking and delayed gratification, can help you be more disciplined—one step at a time.

There is no need to aim too big in the beginning. Identify just one area of your life that needs improvement, set a discipline goal and start from there. With time and consistency, your self-discipline will create a domino effect of success across other areas of your life.

Photo from Khosro/Shutterstock.com

The post How to Set Discipline Goals And Take Charge Of Your Life appeared first on SUCCESS.

Developing strong communication and public speaking skills can both open up new professional opportunities and deepen relationships. You’ll also bolster your confidence and feel more comfortable going into new situations. It’s well worth the effort to become a good communicator, especially when there are simple techniques to help you overcome barriers standing in your way.  

This guide will explain why learning how to speak well and comfortably in public is so important. We’ll also share some simple but effective public speaking tips and how to develop communication skills for success.

Types Of Communication And Key Skills

There are four basic types of communication: verbal, non-verbal, written and visual. Depending on our roles and positions, we may use multiple types each day. When interacting with others and engaging in public speaking, we tend to use multiple types, such as non-verbal and visual communication (in addition to verbal). Effective communication skills that can help us be more successful include: learning to speak with clarity and confidence, using emotional intelligence to communicate with empathy and respect, developing active listening skills, being responsive to feedback and being adaptable to the needs of our audience or those we’re communicating with. 

The Importance Of Communication Skills For Success

If you want to expand your professional opportunities and excel in your career, developing strong communication skills for success is key. In fact, LinkedIn data revealed that communication was the most in-demand skill among employers in 2024. 

So, how can improving your communication skills and public speaking abilities impact your career success? When you can share ideas and information effectively, it makes you a better leader, enables you to give more effective presentations and makes teamwork easier since you can inform and inspire others. 

Strong communication skills can help you outside of work as well. Divorce.com reports that communication issues are one of the leading causes of marriages ending, while Verywell Mind explains that communication issues lead to stress and toxic relationships as small problems turn into larger ones when people can’t effectively communicate to resolve them.

When we’re able to effectively communicate our thoughts, preferences and needs, we can set ourselves up for success both personally and professionally. 

Overcoming Barriers to Effective Communication And Public Speaking 

To reap the benefits of becoming a better speaker, it’s important to understand some of the biggest barriers to effective communication. 

Fear of public speaking is a significant challenge people face. Between 72% and 75% of the public fear public speaking, and it’s hard to be great at something you’re afraid of.  That’s especially true if your worries about speaking in front of others prevent you from practicing and developing this talent. 

A lack of clarity and poor listening skills are also common problems. If you aren’t an empathetic, responsive listener, it becomes harder to tell if your audience is responding to you. This makes it more difficult to become an effective speaker. Failing to clarify your ideas in your own mind is also an obstacle to sharing your thoughts and preferences with others. 

Techniques For Mastering Public Speaking

While some people have a natural talent for public speaking, those who aren’t born with this ability can still develop this skill. In fact, many people overcome the barriers that affect their ability to communicate effectively and go on to become skilled orators. It just takes the right techniques. 

Some of the best ways to become a better speaker and develop communication skills for success include:

• Preparation: If you are confident in what you’re going to say, it’s easier to say it well. Research the subjects you are speaking on so you feel fully informed. Outline your presentation so you’ll have a plan for presenting information in a logical, cohesive way. You can also practice your speech or presentation to gain confidence. 
• Delivery: Effective speakers focus on audience engagement. They don’t speak too fast or too slow, and their body language helps them present as confident and informed. You can practice your delivery to develop these skills by speaking in front of a mirror or recording yourself and watching for changes you can make. 
• Storytelling: Weaving a narrative can help engage and interest people in the information you’re sharing. Look for ways to make your message both memorable and relatable by painting a picture through storytelling—instead of just relaying facts. 

Implementing these tips for public speaking can help you to build communication skills for professional success and communicate more effectively in your personal life as well. 

Building Strong Communication Skills

Whether you plan to speak publicly or professionally, or simply want to talk and share more effectively with co-workers, bosses, family and friends, you can also implement different techniques to improve your communication skills. These include:

• Developing active listening habits: Active listening means closely focusing on the verbal and non-verbal information others are presenting. It means not just thinking about what you’re going to say next, but deeply hearing the words and messages of those around you. The better you become at listening, the better your communication skills will be as you develop a deeper understanding of the needs of others. 
• Practicing non-verbal communication: Eye contact and gestures affect how you convey information and impact the way others respond. Practice making eye contact when you’re speaking. Pay attention to your gestures to make mastering public speaking easier and become an inviting presence. 
• Learning to tailor your message to different audiences: Finally, you need to know your audience so you can communicate on their level. Different people respond and process information in their own unique ways, and you’ll do better at getting your message across if you meet people where they are. Communication skills for workplace success may differ from those you need for personal relationships, so it’s important to develop effective messages for both audiences. 

Practical Public Speaking Tips For Real-World Application

The good news is that there are many ways you can implement these techniques in the real world to become a better speaker and develop effective communication techniques. Some action steps you can take to become a great communicator include:

• Engage in opportunities to practice, such as Toastmasters or work presentations: Practice can go a long way toward improving your public speaking skills, so look for opportunities to speak publicly. Toastmasters International is an excellent group where you can develop your talents and learn public speaking tips. Or, you can simply sign up to give presentations at work as often as you can to help build your communication skills for career success.
• Record and review your speaking engagements to identify areas for improvement: Recording yourself and reviewing your performance can help you identify areas for improvement. Focus on things like the pace and flow of your speech, your body language and your responsiveness to the audience. 
• Use feedback constructively to refine your skills: Ask others around you to provide feedback on how effective your presentation was so you can look for areas of improvement and better understand your strengths and weaknesses. 

Communication Skills And Public Speaking Go Hand In Hand 

Strong communication skills for success can be the foundation for a successful life because many things you do in your personal and professional relationships involve sharing ideas and information with others. 

Identifying effective communication strategies for leaders, preparing for speeches, learning how good communication skills lead to success and working on your delivery can help you become a better communicator. You’ll develop not just the ability to speak well but also a level of comfort with public speaking that will go a long way toward making you a confident, skilled orator who inspires others around you.

Photo by Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com

The post Enhance Your Public Speaking And Communication Skills For Success appeared first on SUCCESS.

“It’s costly to struggle with poor emotional intelligence,” says psychotherapist Lauren Farina. According to her, low EQ can be a big liability to both individuals and organizations, “because we know that [it] disrupts communication, it disrupts relationships, it damages mental health. And all of those are huge factors when it comes to performance and motivation and productivity.”

The 4 pillars of emotional intelligence

There are generally four pillars of EQ:

1. Self-awareness
2. Self-management
3. Social awareness
4. Relationship management

These represent the intersection of your awareness and actions toward yourself and others. As the founder of Invited Psychotherapy and Coaching, Farina helps professionals level up their performance, motivation and emotional well-being. That often involves developing a healthy EQ, which is imperative for mental health, emotional well-being and career success.

“High EQ can help us to attune to and connect with our clients and colleagues in a way that optimizes that relationship for a mutually beneficial outcome,” she says. “On the other hand, many folks with an extremely high EQ, often referred to as empaths, struggle with taking too much responsibility for the feelings of others. This tendency makes us vulnerable to people-pleasing and codependency, making it difficult to be assertive and to set boundaries.”

Is your emotional intelligence an asset or a hindrance? Here are a few ways to assess and improve it, regardless of where you fall on the EQ spectrum.

1. Look at your relationships

Individuals who have a healthy level of emotional intelligence often enjoy strong personal and professional relationships, Farina says. They work well on a team and have solid people skills. “You can have difficult conversations,” she says. “You’re not afraid of confrontation, but you have those difficult conversations with respect and compassion.”

But those who struggle with poor or low emotional intelligence often experience a lot of conflict in their relationships. They might be prone to increased irritability, anger and resentment, which can manifest as constant venting in the workplace, Farina says. Other signs you might benefit from emotional intelligence-building practices include struggling to manage stress and regulate your emotions and jumping to defensiveness instead of giving and receiving feedback effectively.

“If you find yourself constantly venting or being negative or responding with sarcasm, you’ve probably got some unprocessed emotions that need identification and expression,” Farina says.

On the other hand, you might have a very high EQ if you struggle to set boundaries because you’re scared of letting other people down. “When we fail to set boundaries, we tend to grow more resentful of others,” Farina says. “I often tell my clients, ‘When we feel resentful, it’s because we’ve often failed to advocate for ourselves.’”

To strike a healthy balance, tune into how you’re feeling and learn to express yourself with respect and compassion. “It’s a matter of sort of observing, ‘What am I thinking? What am I feeling? And how are those thoughts and feelings driving my behaviors?’” Farina says. “That’s essentially what we mean when we talk about mindfulness practice, which is something I recommend to my clients a lot.”

2. Make meaning through your childhood experiences

According to psychotherapist Duygu Balan, who specializes in intergenerational trauma, early attachments promote emotional intelligence and influence how we connect to and talk to ourselves. They also predict whether we allow ourselves to feel our feelings or not, whether we think it is safe to be vulnerable and our ability to be in tune with somebody else’s emotions.

According to Balan, children who grow up in secure homes with parents who encourage them to name their emotions and who validate their emotions tend to have higher emotional intelligence. “They’re better able to feel their feelings, know what they are and… have better coping mechanisms,” she says.

“But the good news is that because secure attachment styles [aren’t] genetic, we can actually level up… through awareness-building,” she says. “We level up through making meaning through our childhood experiences and having safe relationship experiences, whether this is through therapy or community resources or members. But that’s how we can increase our understanding of ourselves. The more we do it, the more we heal.”

3. Write down your values and the characteristics of your authentic self

Therapist Priya Rednam-Waldo recommends starting from a place of self-awareness.

“We cannot know where we need to go without understanding where we are now and… some key points of how we got there,” says Rednam-Waldo, who coaches women and couples navigating the unique transition from pregnancy to postpartum. “It doesn’t have to be this huge unpacking of a lifetime of [experiences], but it is a deeply personal experience where we have to kind of be ready to take stock,” she says.

By identifying your values and whether or not you’re living them or not, you can figure out where you are in life and whether your EQ is working for you. This can feel really challenging, “because often that’s an indication… [that] we’re not maybe as emotionally intelligent as would be helpful for our lives if we aren’t quickly able to say, ‘Oh yeah, this is who I am, and this is what I believe,’” Rednam-Waldo says.

Keep in mind that boosting your EQ isn’t about changing yourself to fit a preconceived mold of what it means to be a great leader, team member, partner or parent. It’s about honoring who you are. “We can all have areas of improvement,” Rednam-Waldo says. “We can be ourselves and honor other people being themselves and still be really successful.”

4. Schedule a regular check-in with yourself

Set aside time, ideally daily, to identify your highs and lows. Jot down on paper or type in a notes app a few key events or points of the day and how you reacted emotionally. If you have a data-driven mind, you can even give the events a rating. Then, look for patterns over time. “The highs will be in a particular space and the lows will be in a particular space,” Rednam-Waldo says.

A recurring low could be a particular interaction with a team member at work that makes you feel misunderstood, which you can turn into an opportunity to realign your actions with your values and true authentic self.

5. Accept that improving your EQ is a dynamic journey—not a destination

The human experience is unpredictable and is filled with interactions both challenging and joyful. That means there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and you might have to put different levels of effort into it over time, depending on the progress of your EQ. “As we feel stronger in our emotional intelligence, we won’t have to necessarily check in daily. Maybe we spread it out to monthly,” Rednam-Waldo says. “Maybe… it becomes a part of how we think about things or assess how things are working for us.” 

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The post How To Know if Your Emotional Intelligence Is Doing You a Disservice appeared first on SUCCESS.

The good news is, if you develop the ability to speak in public with confidence and ease, this will give you a big leg up in life since it’s a skill so many people don’t have. This guide will explain more about the benefits people get from engaging in public speaking so you can better understand why this is such an important talent to develop.

5 Powerful Benefits Of Public Speaking

The benefits of public speaking extend to every area of your life. Here are some of the key ways that becoming a good speaker can enhance both your personal and professional life. 

1. Improve Your Personal Development

Why is public speaking important for personal growth? There are multiple reasons. If you are one of the many people with public speaking anxiety, then overcoming your fear of public speaking could be an important personal development goal. Facing your fears allows for personal growth and helps you to become a more confident person as you realize you are capable of doing the things that you were frightened of.  

When you learn how to manage your anxiety surrounding public speaking, this can also help you overcome other life fears that are holding you back. Accomplishing big things often is scary and requires you to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. The more you force yourself to do things you are afraid of, the greater heights you can reach.

Beyond facing your fears, there are other benefits of public speaking for your personal development as well. Becoming a better storyteller helps you communicate your preferences and ideas more clearly when you’re speaking with others. As a result, you’re more likely to have your needs met and your thoughts respected.

2. Access New Professional Opportunities

Many successful entrepreneurs are excellent public speakers. That’s because being able to convey ideas clearly helps them to inspire investors, attract customers and inform employees so they can understand and execute the company’s vision.

Even if entrepreneurship doesn’t interest you, public speaking is also important to advance your career prospects for many reasons. 

• When you are a good public speaker, networking is easier so you can develop new professional connections that open the door to more opportunities.
• Speaking clearly and confidently in public helps you demonstrate leadership qualities in the workplace. If you put together a killer presentation in meetings and deliver it with ease, you stand out among staff members and are more likely to advance in your career.
• Strong public speaking skills help you to persuade others that your ideas are correct and can improve your negotiating skills so resolving conflict is easier.

According to a 2024 LinkedIn study, communication skills are the top in-demand job skills. No matter what line of work you are in, you must be able to communicate effectively with people around you. Getting better at doing that is one of the many benefits of engaging in public speaking experiences.

3. Strengthen Your Communication Skills

The skills required to become a strong public speaker are assets you use in many areas of your life.

Learning to articulate ideas clearly and effectively is beneficial not only when you are giving a speech, but also in job interviews, when you’re talking with your spouse or kids, or when you’re writing a report at work.  Effective public speakers become skilled at organizing their thoughts and conveying ideas clearly—and those are skills everyone can use.

Another key part of good public speaking involves listening actively to others and engaging with the audience. Doing this effectively helps you become more responsive to social cues and more conscious of the ways you convey ideas to keep people informed and engaged.  Plus, since you also must adapt messages to different audiences, you learn to think about how best to share information in a way that resonates. 

These are transferable skills that not only make you a better public speaker but also a better communicator and a better listener—two very important life skills.

4. Make New Social Connections

Strong social relationships are the surest indicator of life happiness, according to research. When you develop your public speaking skills, you can make many new social connections—not just from formal speaking engagements but also because of your increased comfort level in social settings.

Being able to effectively share stories, ideas and viewpoints with others makes more people want to be around you and enables you to make deeper connections with those in your orbit. Then, you can develop more meaningful relationships that truly enhance your overall life satisfaction.

5. Inspire Change  

Why is public speaking important for our world? This skill goes beyond personal and even professional growth. Strong communicators shape the world. If you have causes you care about or issues you’re passionate about, public speaking skills allow you to bring others around to your viewpoint. You can also become a voice for others who might struggle to be heard.

This not only enriches your own life as you find yourself making a meaningful difference in your workplace and community, but it also helps you to enhance the lives of those around you as you convince others to implement positive change.

Grow & Succeed When You Use Your Public Speaking Skills 

If you’ve ever asked yourself why public speaking is important, the reasons above help show why this skill is so powerful and beneficial. Becoming a strong public speaker has many benefits that go beyond being able to give a good speech. Along with personal growth, professional development, strengthening your communication skills and finding new opportunities and connections, it also opens doors to inspiring change. If you want to become more empathetic, more confident, less anxious, and more successful, learning how to speak well in front of an audience can open the door to achieving all these goals and more.

Photo by Jacob Lund/Shutterstock.com

The post Why Is Public Speaking Important? 5 Key Ways It Fuels Your Success appeared first on SUCCESS.

Licensed clinical psychologist Alexandra Solomon, Ph.D., a bestselling author and host of the hit podcast Reimagining Love, argues against thinking this is a binary question.

In fact, she says it’s both.

“There are elements of consistency, and there are elements of specificity,” Solomon, author of Love Every Day, explains. There’s the me piece, the intrapsychic piece, which ought to be consistent across conversations. Then there’s the you piece, which is relational and should be tailored to the individual and the context.

On the surface, this may seem to contradict the desire to live authentically—a theme Solomon says is exceedingly popular at the moment. However, she stresses that authenticity is not about being the same in every situation—it’s far more nuanced. “It’s about effectiveness and discernment.”

Applying the four pillars of emotional quotient

Knowing how to act in every situation means tapping into your EQ. Solomon points to the four pillars of EQ: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and social skills—and explains how they relate to this me-you understanding of behavior.

“The first two—self-awareness, self-regulation—these are the me things,” Solomon says. Here, you ask yourself, “How am I going to come into a conversation? How am I going to handle myself in the conversation?”

Whether you’re heading into a hard conversation with an employee or a loved one, you hold yourself to certain commitments such as remaining calm, giving the benefit of the doubt and leading with kindness. She explains these ought to be consistent across all situations: “[These] are me values—the values that are reflective of how I want to be as a person.”

The remaining parts of EQ, empathy and social skills, refer to the other person—the you piece. 

This is where tailoring to the situation is key. “It is empathic to talk differently to your parent when they’re 80 than when they were 60,” Solomon says. This ability to appropriately modulate or change your communication style showcases your empathy and social skills.

The workplace is no different. “I think that part of being an effective coworker or an effective leader, certainly, is that you understand the other person,” Solomon adds. Some will better receive a critique if it’s encased in positivity. But others will feel patronized, she explains. A kind approach for them is direct and straightforward.

Questions to ask yourself in advance should include, “‘What’s going to be most effective here?’ and ‘What does this moment call for?’” Solomon suggests. These will clarify your approach and help modify behavior accordingly.

The outsized role of setting appropriate expectations

Fundamentally, there’s a need to level-set expectations no matter the scenario, Solomon points out. “What’s different, though, is what you do about it—what action you take.”

Meeting with a struggling employee means grappling with what can be fairly expected of the individual. With more training, can they succeed or are they simply a poor fit? At home, what’s reasonable to expect of your child?

“There’s something quite unkind about continuing to expect something that can’t happen,” Solomon says. It’s hard on you, too, as it’s tiresome to continue to argue with reality and wish things could be different than they really are.

“In all our relationships, we have to keep exploring what’s a reasonable expectation,” Solomon says. Otherwise, you’ll feel frustrated and the person on the other side will feel they’re a disappointment.

Stop focusing on what someone should be able to do and instead challenge yourself to reimagine expectations, she counsels. Abandoning unrealistic expectations is kind—and in the case of an unsuccessful employee, sometimes letting them go is an act of kindness.

When family and business collide

Plot twist: What if you work in a family business, which can potentially send two very different worlds on a collision course? Solomon says this situation is extremely common and cautions that it’s critical to build a firm framework at the outset.

Fully discuss how to protect the relationship, where family stuff fits in at the office and what boundaries look like. Name your roles aloud as if reintroducing yourself, she suggests. For example, you could say, “I am your little sister. I will always be your little sister. And yet, when we’re in the workplace, I’m your boss.”

Have an honest conversation about all these types of potential pitfall issues. Then, create a set of clear agreements you’ll have waiting to fall back on.

“In the best of situations, it’s enriching. But how you start matters,” she says.

This article appears in the January 2025 issue of SUCCESS+ Magazine. Photo courtesy of lassedesignen/Shutterstock

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