Sometimes fixing yourself is the only way to improve your relationship with the outside world and the people in it. You can help strengthen your friendships until you are an actual stable, strong person yourself. Here are our favorite quotes and images about focusing on yourself and general improvement. If you’re looking for a jump-start to your day you can also see our list of 500 motivational quotes!

Sayings and Images about focusing on yourself

1. “The only one you should compare yourself to is you. Your mission is to become better today than you were yesterday. You do that by focusing on what you can do today to improve and grow.” – John Maxwell

You can make yourself very unhappy by constantly comparing yourself to those around you. This is especially worrisome when we’re bombarded with highlights of other people’s lives in the form of Facebook updates, celebrity updates, and countless other “top moments”. I think we’ll always perceive someone to be smarter than us, better looking than us, and happier than us, even if it isn’t necessarily true or quantifiable.

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2. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and you will be happy.” – Stephen Fry

It’s really easy to think of yourself as the victim. Unfortunate and unplanned things happen everyday and we’re often on the receiving end of bad news. One aspect that you have full control over is how you interpret and handle situations. Happiness is a choice, and finding your peace of mind is often reliant on you.

3. “I think self-knowledge is a key to happiness. We can build happy lives only on the foundation of our own natures, our own values and our own interests.” – Gretchen Rubin

Knowing what you love best, what you don’t like, setting goals on the foundation of your own nature and interests will help you live a happy life with fewer disappointments. Here are some quotes about waking up happy to help you start your day off a little better.

4. “Your life is the fruit of your own doing. You have no one to blame but yourself.” – Joseph Campbell

What is currently happening in your life is a consequence of yesterday’s actions. Therefore, strive to be a better person everyday, as it will determine who you’ll be tomorrow. Here are some quotes about loss, condolences, and sympathy to help you deal with setbacks.

5. “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” – Muhammad Ali

The only thing that might be holding you back from achieving your set goals is the small excuses you pile up every day. Getting those pebbles and small hindrances in your life can really help you move towards bigger dreams and goals. Here are some journey quotes to get you a step up if you’re about to embark on an adventure.

6. “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda

At the beginning of every year, we set goals hoping to achieve them, but very few of these ideas come to life, why? It is simply because some of us are more determined than others. Stick to your plan and you will achieve your set target.

7. “Never say never because limits, like fears are often just an illusion.” – Michael Jordan

The things that we’re really afraid of are often temporary and trivial. Failure is rarely fatal and bad decisions can often be reversed. Michael Jordan has missed more game winning shots than he’s made them, and he’s regarded as the best Basketball player in history.

8. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

Winning is a habit. We nudge ourselves towards victory or towards defeat with every thought. If we can learn to take better care of which thoughts we entertain we may be able to change the outcome of our day to day “victories”.

9. “Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up.” – Rocky Balboa

Everyone starts somewhere. A common factor of champions is their refusal to give up. Steve Jobs built a huge brand out of his garage, got fired from the company he started, and began again to rebuild and elevate his creations until the day he died.

10. “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh

We’re filled with doubt and uncertainty, many times this can help to save us from pain and danger. However, in many cases, our inner voices can be overly negative and prevent us from achieving at all. Take into account the “dangers” and worst case scenarios, and if the results aren’t fatal, take the plunge into something new.

11. “Often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” – Helen Keller

Our minds are program for negativity and avoidance of pain. It’s often known, but unacknowledged that growth comes from pain and discomfort. Be mindful and take account of pain and missed opportunities that help you grow, and misery that holds you down. You can see some thoughts about pain and quotes about being hurt in our blog.

12. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw

We’re often stuck in the spiral of “what should I be doing?” or “What am I supposed to do?”. Maybe its not about what we’re doing, but how we’re doing it. With the proper care, we can create value and happiness even from the most “meaningless” tasks.

13. “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.” – Clint Eastwood

It’s important that you respect your efforts because it’s likely that no one else will. In many of our everyday “attempts”, whether it’s asking for that raise or a pretty girls name, we’re going to be bombarded with failure and rejection. Take note of your efforts and strides because you’re often moving forwards even though things seem still.

14. “When you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.” – Ryan Reynolds

Let go of your expectations and along with that everyone else’s expectations too. We’re often paralyzed in living up to what we “should be”. Take some time to get comfortable in your skin, and work towards what you believe in deep down. It’s a really good thing to get feedback from friends and family who truly care for you, but it’s another thing to be stuck on unrealistic and unhealthy expectations.

15. “The more you are like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.” – Walt Disney

We often criticize ourselves for not fitting in or keeping up. Questions like “Why don’t I have the same things as him/her” and “How can I be more like my idol” can create a lot of unhappiness in our lives. We only have one “at-bat” in life, why live someone else’s. It’s OK to be inspired by others, and we should dig deep and see if our actions and efforts reflect what’s truly in our hearts and not just to mimic success in others.

16. “Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.” – Lao Tzu

It’s easy to view and judge other people. It’s much harder to look inwards and take full account of yourself. It’s our experience that many of faults you see in others is a reflection of the faults and prejudices that you in yourself.

17. “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha

I think this is the one were most guilty of. Most of us are extremely hard on ourselves and many of us would never talk to others the way they talk to themselves. It’s important to remember that ideas and thoughts are incredibly infectious to us and our company. If you hate yourself, then you’re bound to project some of that hatred towards others whether intentional or not.

Inspirational Quotes to Help You Concentrate

Concentrating on your goals can be difficult some days. Here are some motivational quotes to keep you focused on your ambition.

Focus on Yourself Quotes Video

Related Post: Positive Quotes to Inspire You

Be True to Yourself

The way you interact with the world is often a reflection of how you feel and care for yourself. We hope that you’ll take a good look inwards and use these quotes and images about focusing on yourself to grow as a person and nudge your relationship with the outside world to a more meaningful, happier place.

Have a wonderful day and work on improving yourself,

Bb