There are some quotes that are said only because it is what is meant to be said at the particular moment but do not carry or possess any meaningful significance. These words are comparable to place holders, words said in positions when silence is just not appropriate.
One may wonder, "is there a problem with going cliche once in a while to fill the conversational void?"
Obviously the answer is No, there is no harm at all. However...
Obviously the answer is No, there is no harm at all. However...
In as much as there is no harm in filling the gaps with mumbling, there is also no harm in positively enhancing one's position and thought process in life by replacing such 'placeholder' phrases with words that are meaningful. It actually leads to self edification which can better improve performance and even opinion.
Below are some cliche phrases you really need to let go of and find better and more precise words to address a situation.
These are listed in no particular order of redundancy.
1. "Time will tell"
Time is arguably the most constant entity on this planet and has been pin point constant for centuries. It does not change and is never dependent on anything. A single second has been the same as it was back in the 15th, 10th or 1st century.
In fairness, it does seem logical and justifiable to wait on such an entity because sooner or later the future will become the present and in that future you will get a result for whatever you cast upon time.
However, if someone is seeking greatness or the extraordinary, one thing that you do not have is the time to just wait. Allow me to explain...
Everything does indeed happen in its due time but the result of waiting is based on a decision made. Never let the flow of nature dictate your outcome without an injection of your decision into the matter. Life is not a coin toss, neither is it a gamble. It is a series of decisions which need to be made.
Time will not tell. Rather, the decision you make will tell in due time.
Many times the fear of failure freezes people from making a decision such that no decision is made and the whole situation is left to 'fate', thus employing the phrase "time will tell."
BUT.... Not making a decision or choice is a decision on its own. This is because either way you will get a result! It may be positive or negative but there definitely will be an outcome from the decision to not make a choice.
Never fear failure to an extent that it cripples you from making your own choice. After all, failures are bound to be experienced.
If you have never experienced any form of failure at some time you really should be looking at yourself and asking "have I ever tried anything?"
Failures happen, it is your ability to rise, redesign and rebuild that will help you overcome them.
"Success is often achieved by those that do not know that failure is inevitable" - Coco Chanel
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising every-time we fall" - Anonymous
2. "Half a loaf is better than nothing"
Candy is sweet, but if you are not careful it can smack you with cavities. In the same manner, positivity is good, but mind where it leads you.
There is a fine line between positivity and settling for less.
Settling for less is a subconscious fear to pursue that disguises itself as positivity for what has already been achieved.
Half a loaf is indeed better than not having anything at all in it's literal sense. However, never forget that your initial target was a full loaf.
Therefore do not make camp on half a loaf! Rather treat it like a lay-by en route to the final intended destination.
It is like aiming to get 365 pieces of cake for your upcoming year but then you get 250 pieces instead. Initially, it does not seem like a big deal and you will probably be thinking, "250 pieces is still an awful lot of cake to take. I can live with that."
The mistake would be settling permanently for those 250 pieces and stopping the pursuit for 365.
The mistake would be settling permanently for those 250 pieces and stopping the pursuit for 365.
Eight months into the year whilst consuming a cake a day will shed light on the harm of the seemingly harmless mistake made at the beginning of the year. The difference in number of pieces will seem so much bigger than it initially did in January.
It is the same thing with settling for less. Initially, all seems well only until some time down the line when the potential of what a full loaf would have yielded sprouts up. You may beat yourself up for the opportunity missed. It is unfortunate that on most occasions it will no longer be within your power to change the situation.
3. "Cowards flee, cowards survive"
If ever you aspire to achieve something, you earn it by your action, not a lack of it.
You are already what you can do, that which you ought to achieve can only be taken by fighting for it, not fleeing from it.
"fortune favours the bold" - Virgil
Besides...should life really be a matter of 'survival' every time?
Why not move away from the mentality of satisfaction in mere existence and aim at making a difference. Making a difference does not necessarily refer to making decisions and taking actions that shake the entire world to its knees.
It is all about choices that help the growth, evolution and expansion of an individual, group, firm or family.
Running away from every challenge may not lead to failure or defeat but it is guaranteed not to lead anyone to victory either.
It just hangs you in no man's land, in-between failure and success. Where neither experience is acquired nor life lessons are grasped.
Grabbing opportunities not only helps in attaining achievements, it also helps in the growth and balance of any individual. Who could argue that experience is the best teacher. Even in academics, what would be the point of acquiring knowledge and a library of facts when you cannot apply it in this life?
"Cowards die many times before their deaths" - Shakespeare
4. Ignorance is bliss
Mirriam Webster dictionary defines ignorance as a lack of
knowledge or understanding.
The relief of not feeling the pain of a missed opportunity
due to self imposed unawareness is not bliss, it is DENIAL. It is denial to be
real with oneself enough to face whatever demons that haunt you, especially
those of failure.
So instead of seeking opportunities, you hide from them just
so that you won’t supposedly feel the pain of failure after committing or the
guilt of not having tried when the opportunity availed itself…
How ridiculous!
Everyone is bound to face some form of failure. The greatest
strength is not in never failing but it is in rising every time you fall. That
is because the only way to beat failure is to succeed!
So if at one time you
don’t succeed, try, try and try again. Running away from a challenge is already
a failure on its own.
Self deprivation of knowledge is suicide on its own. You make yourself a victim of the world changes.
Self deprivation of knowledge is suicide on its own. You make yourself a victim of the world changes.
If you are malnourished knowledge-wise and have a constant
hunger for knowledge is suicide the solution to solving the problem?
Suicide may remove the hunger and pain, but does it solve
the problem???
Of course not!
Being consciously ignorant is the same as suicide. It may
seem as if it will bring peace and quiet to your life yet it takes the life out
of you!
So what is “peace and quiet” when you no longer have the
life in the first place?
What other quotes and phrases are you tired of hearing people mumble?
What other quotes and phrases are you tired of hearing people mumble?
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