Quotes on Growth: JFK

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth” JFK

President John Kennedy handled one of the toughest eras in US history — the Cold War against the USSR. Before his tragic assassination, Kennedy was well known for his nontraditional approaches to foreign policy, domestic affairs, and White House happenings, and he was always looking for novel ideas to bring to novel problems. To him, doing the same thing over and over again precludes fresh ideas and stifles one’s ability to branch beyond the regular. When people aim to fit in, they fail to grow.

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Quotes on Growth: Maya Angelou

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou

There’s almost nothing that Maya Angelou didn’t do. She was the first woman to be a train conductor, she was a feisty civil rights leader, and one of America’s most beloved authors. Much of her activism had to do with inspiring action and participation from all who cared about racial justice, whether they were personally oppressed or not. At once, Angelou is encouraging people to do the best they can, but also to reevaluate what it means to do the best that you can as your knowledge, experience, and capabilities change.

 

Quotes on Growth: Tracee Ellis Ross

“I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me and not terrify me” Tracee Ellis Ross

Actress, model, and fashion icon Tracee Ellis Ross has lived her life in the public eye from an early age, as her mother was the R&B Legend Diana Ross. Though Tracee has been an entertainer and an activist since the 80s, her most recent accomplishments have included her 2017 Golden Globe for her role in Black-Ish. Still, though, Ross has never been married, and in a heartfelt talk at a Glamour Summit, she explained how despite her long and impressive list of accomplishments, there is still a lot of room between her ideal life and where she is at present, without a spouse or children or a political claim to fame. However, in this quote, Ross explains how the distance between her present reality and her goals is only what she perceives it to be. Sure, it could be daunting, but it could also motivate her to keep trekking towards her goals.

Fred Rogers on Self Love

“If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” Fred Rogers

The universally beloved Fred Rogers wanted to make sure that all children knew they were loved and cared for. Rogers was a strong advocate for ensuring that children were well represented on television and was so passionate about ensuring good representation that he quit seminary school to pursue children’s TV programming full time. He wanted children to have positive role models and to be offered stability, love, acceptance, and a chance at happiness, whether they had one at home or not. To that end, Fred Rogers ensured that all his young viewers loved themselves. It’s easy for kids and young people to absorb blame for their difficult situations, but Fred Rogers wanted each child to know that there was something special inside each and every one of them.

The greatest ability is Dependability

There’s something to be said for someone who shows up exactly when and where they’re expected to — someone you can count on to come through no matter what. In sports, partnerships, and business alike, dependability is the name of the game for building credibility, trust, and long-term success. Highly talented people lose value to their company and friends if they can’t be depended on to do what they say. If you’re going to develop only one skill in 2018, make it dependability.

Don’t fake it till you make it; Fake it till you Become it!

Amy Cuddy rose to national acclaim after her viral TED talk on power posturing and developing confidence in the workplace, especially for young adults and young women at that. In her talk, she discusses the power of using one’s body to take up the space it rightfully deserves with purpose and intent. She demonstrates how simply reclaiming the full extent and capability of the physical body can help fool the mind into a feeling of dominance and calm command. “Fake it till you make it” only tells half the story — if you spend enough time “faking” confidence, soon enough, you’ll actually become more confident and self-assured.

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