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“How do I stay motivated when setting goals?” is the most frequent question I get asked of late. I decided to compile a list of helpful quotes from all different sources to help add some motivation to your goal setting journey.

It’s not uncommon to feel a surge of enthusiasm when you initially set a goal, only to find that motivation waning as time goes on. The key isn’t just to start strong; it’s to stay strong throughout the journey. This is where motivation becomes crucial. It’s the fuel that keeps your goal-setting engine running, despite obstacles and plateaus.

So, why exactly does motivation matter? Well, it’s pretty straightforward. Without motivation, the most meticulously planned goals can become nothing more than items on a wish list. The battle isn’t just in creating a goal; it’s in maintaining the persistence and determination to see it through to fruition. That’s why it’s essential to find something that resonates with you, something that lights a fire in your belly every time you think about your goal.

Read More: How to: Goal Setting | The Guide

One approach to keep your motivational levels topped up is to harness the power of language. Words have a significant impact on our thoughts and actions. That’s why a carefully selected set of quotes can be a secret weapon in your motivation arsenal. They remind you of what you’re fighting for and why you started in the first place.

So I combed through books, speeches, and various texts to gather over 70 motivational quotes that transcend backgrounds and cultures. They aren’t just catchy phrases; they encapsulate the collective wisdom of thinkers, doers, and leaders who have faced their own battles with staying the course.

Remember, these quotes are stepping stones. As you journey toward your goals, think of them as guideposts, illuminating your path during moments of doubt or uncertainty. Choose something that resonates with you, and don’t hesitate to refer back to it whenever you need to rekindle that motivation.

A Treasury of Inspirational Words for Your Goal-Setting Voyage

In my opinion, there’s a special power in words that can lift us up, especially when we find ourselves in a rough patch on the road to our goals. I’ve put together over 70 motivational quotes for goal setting that I hope will serve as beacons of inspiration for you. They come from a diverse array of voices, each with a unique perspective on the trials and triumphs of striving for a goal.

I encourage you to take these quotes to heart. Perhaps you’ll find a few that resonate with you, sparking that inner fire when you most need it. Look at them as signposts along your journey, reminding you why you started and fueling your determination to keep moving forward.

• “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins
• “Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” – Les Brown
• “The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.” – Michelle Obama
• “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” – Zig Ziglar
• “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
• “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
• “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar
• “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
• “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston S. Churchill
• “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – Jordan Belfort
• “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
• “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “If you’re bored with life – you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things – you don’t have enough goals.” – Lou Holtz
• “The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” – Benjamin Mays
• “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act.” – Pablo Picasso
• “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” – Bill Copeland
• “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” – Andrew Carnegie
• “People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” – Earl Nightingale
• “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
• “If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.” – Les Brown
• “Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” – Les Brown
• “You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” – Steve Garvey
• “Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. And there’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.” – Jim Rohn

• “Set a goal that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning.” – Unknown
• “Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” – Les Brown
• “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “Goals are dreams with deadlines.” – Diana Scharf Hunt
• “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
• “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn
• “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” – Albert Einstein
• “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Goals transform a random walk into a chase.” – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• “The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.” – Earl Nightingale
• “You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
• “Goals give you a compass in the wilderness of life.” – Brendon Burchard
• “A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.” – Bruce Lee
• “Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua J. Marine
• “Goals determine what you’re going to be.” – Julius Erving
• “The purpose of a goal is to focus your attention on your destination and awaken your determination, ambition, and energy to reach it.” – Les Brown
• “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” – Earl Nightingale
• “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
• “A goal without a timeline is just a dream.” – Robert Herjavec
• “You can’t hit a home run unless you step up to the plate. You can’t catch fish unless you put your line in the water. You can’t reach your goals if you don’t try.” – Kathy Seligman
• “The greater danger for most of us isn’t that our aim is too high and miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” – Michelangelo
• “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
• “A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.” – Bo Bennett
• “You are what you think about all day long.” – Dr. Robert Schuller
• “The starting point of all achievement is desire.” – Napoleon Hill
• “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
• “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” – Confucius
• “Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.” – Brian Tracy
• “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” – Zig Ziglar
• “Success is not just about making money. It’s about making a difference.” – Unknown
• “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” – Anatole France
• “The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi
• “The distance between your dreams and reality is called action.” – Unknown
• “Success is not in what you have, but who you are.” – Bo Bennett
• “A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.” – Bo Bennett

• “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
• “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.” – Charles Kingsleigh (Alice in Wonderland)
• “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
• “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson
• “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar
• “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn
• “Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” – Roy T. Bennett
• “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

Don’t worry too much about which quote is the best; the right words can reach out to you at the perfect time. Whether it’s the wisdom of an ancient philosopher or the can-do spirit of a modern-day entrepreneur, each message is meant to encourage and empower you in equal measure.

You can always adjust your approach down the road, but these quotes will stay with you, providing guidance whenever you glance their way. So go ahead and choose a handful of these sayings. Write them down, pin them on your wall, or carry them in your pocket. Let them remind you that every step you take is part of a larger, magnificent story of your own making.

And remember, your first attempt doesn’t have to be your last. Use these motivational words as a starting point to revisit and redefine your goals. They’re not just passive sentences to read—they’re a call to action, an invitation to rise to the challenge every single day.

I really hope that you find these motivational quotes to be as uplifting and energizing as I have. As you continue on your path, let them be the wind at your back, pushing you towards the summits you’re striving to reach. After all, the journey towards achieving your goals is often where the most profound growth happens.

All the best,

Jake

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