Use these final seven inspirational career quotes of this three-part blog series to catapult you to the next level of your career.

Sir Isaac Newton once remarked, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” 

While that famous quote is often used to reference scientific progress and the idea that great thinkers always build on their predecessors' work, a similar sentiment can apply to quotes as well. If you talk to almost any successful person, chances are that they can recite a great quote or two that have provided them with inspiration as they navigated their career paths.

In each of the first two parts in this series, we looked at seven inspirational career quotes that could help to power your career development. In this post, we present an additional seven quotes, as well as links to helpful articles that provide related advice, tips, and resources.

Part 1 and Part 2 of this quote series can be found here:

Inspirational Career Quotes to Power Your Career Development, Part 1

Inspirational Career Quotes to Power Your Career Development, Part 2

No shortcuts to success

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."— Beverly Sills

This gem from America's Queen of Opera is a truism that everyone should learn at an early age. The road to success in any venture can only be traveled one step at a time. You can crawl, walk, or run to get to that destination, but there are no reliable shortcuts that can spare you the journey's effort. All the best goals require doing the hard work needed to reach them. If you keep that truth in mind, it can help you to focus on following the career path you have chosen through to its ultimate end.

If you need help managing your path and are looking for advice about how to further your career advancement, the post Managing Your Career - 7 Tips to Taking Control may have the answers you need.

Prioritize work-life balance

"Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. The second is only part of the first."—Anna Quindlen

This advice from journalist Anna Quindlen is the type of sound counsel everyone needs to hear from time to time. Whether you are actively searching for employment or already working in a job you love, it is all too easy to allow your work to become your life. Unfortunately, that single-mindedness can lead to burnout at work and frustrations at home. To avoid those negative outcomes, it is important to achieve a healthy work-life balance.

The post, How To Achieve Work-Life Balance: 7 Simple Steps offers some fantastic advice that can help you balance competing work and home life priorities.

Mindset is everything

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't—you're right."—Henry Ford

The late Henry Ford was a true innovator who understood the importance of mindset. This famous quote perfectly captures the important role that your own mindset plays in your ability to accomplish the things you set out to do. When you approach a goal with the belief that you cannot succeed, chances are that you will fail. By the same token, confidence can fuel a successful outcome. This is true in everyday life, work, and even the job search process.

Thanks to the pandemic, an increasing number of workers find themselves struggling to maintain a positive mindset. If you are experiencing similar challenges, the post 5 Things You Should Do Right Now to Thrive in Your Career During a Pandemic may offer some tips that can help you refocus your mind and regain any diminished confidence.

Show up and do the work

"Eighty percent of success is showing up."—Woody Allen

There are many different variations on this theme, but they all say basically the same thing: to succeed, you need to commit to showing up. Of course, just being there is not enough to create success, so “showing up” must also include doing the work. But for those who are willing to consistently show up in that way, some level of success can always be achieved. The only real question will be just how successful you end up being, which will almost invariably depend upon your abilities, goals, and the amount of effort you are willing to expend.

That is especially important when you are starting a new job. Fortunately, you can find a host of great tips to guide you in navigating that challenge in our post,7 Tips for Starting a New Job. Use them to help you get the most out of that eighty percent of success!

Don't be afraid to embrace change

"The old rules are crumbling, and nobody knows what the new rules are. So, make up your own rules."—Neil Gaiman

English author Neil Gaiman noted the changing environment in the art world in a commencement speech to students at Philadelphia's University of the Arts in 2012. As the Great Reshuffle rolls on and millions of workers continue to seek new jobs and new opportunities, his words seem to be more applicable now than ever before. With the labor force realigning, the old rules really are crumbling, and employers and workers alike are scrambling to reinvent the employment relationship. Now may be the perfect time for you to make your own rules as you continue to chart your career path.

In our recent post, Use The Resilience Theory to Adapt Your Career, we looked at how a focus on resilience can help you to better manage your career advancement during periods of tremendous change. Some of the tips contained therein may be just what you need to help you rewrite the rules for your own career success.

To succeed, make your own luck

"I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have."—Coleman Cox

While many may choose to believe that successful people are just lucky, nothing could be further from the truth. For every person who lucked into success, there are a million who worked diligently to create their own opportunity. Hard work is a far more dependable partner than luck, especially when you are searching for your next great job. If you are sitting around waiting for a lucky break, you may be waiting for an exceptionally long time.

Instead of just relying on luck, you need to intentionally work to create your own opportunities. If you are ready to do just that, the advice offered in the post Tips for Getting a Job: How to Create Your Own Luck may be just what you need.

Don't allow your insecurity to limit you

“If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.”—T. Harv Eker

Eker's motivational advice is a truism. People have a natural tendency to assume that their competitors are all but superhuman, while underestimating their own capabilities. That is unfortunate, since all human beings are vast reservoirs of untapped potential. Most people never realize just how much potential they possess and allow insecurity to place limits on what they try to achieve. That insecurity can even bleed over into a job seeker's resume, preventing that important tool from properly highlighting their potential value to employers.

If insecurity is holding you back from reaching your career goals, be sure to check out the post From Resume Insecurity to Resume Confidence. It offers a fantastic case study in how the right resume can make all the difference in the world in your job search efforts.

Summary

Sometimes, the right inspirational career quotes can be just what you need to keep yourself motivated, focused, and moving toward your career and life goals. Hopefully, these quotes will inspire you to dream bigger, reach farther, and achieve more than you ever thought possible.

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