70 Reminders to Help You Break Any Barrier
Life April 14th, 2010I am pleased to introduce this guest article by a new friend John, the creator of HiLife2B, where he hopes to inspire people and to help them achieve their dreams, with tips to break any barrier. Follow him on Twitter: @janyasor
1. Believe that even the smallest compliment can save someone’s life
2. Remember that one person can change an entire nation
3. Understand that kids are smarter than we make them out to be
4. Just because old people are old, doesn’t mean they’ve lost their youth
5. Talent can be found under the dirtiest rock or in the most hopeless slum
6. Just because someone is poor in wealth doesn’t mean they are poor in spirit
7. Poverty is the greatest gift you can give a person. It is only then that they will have a choice to either become valuable or die as a quitter
8. Let the naysayers say nay and allow the criticizers to criticize: in the end you will have found greater happiness having pursued your dream
9. If a baby can smile living off of only breast milk and a mother’s love, you can smile too
10. The prettiest people can do the ugliest things
11. You are no different than the squirrel on that branch. You both eat a lot, hibernate for the winter, and have a tendency to be curious of humankind
12. From the CEO of a major corporation (Oakland aiport parking) to the lowly janitor who sweeps where his boss stands; they are all insecure
13. To be creative is the most valuable thing in the world; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise
14. People conform because there is strength in numbers, but true strength comes from the person brave enough to stand alone
15. Unrealistic goals are hardly ever achieved not because they are impossible, but because everyone is too scared to make them real
16. Don’t be afraid to let those go who are hindrance to your high self-esteem, the life blood of your success
17. Embarrassment is a pointless emotion that only serves to confuse and over exaggerate reality
18. The only ways to stop negativity is to avoid it completely or face it head on
19. Irrational self confidence is worth more than rational defeatism
20. To live in no one’s reality but the one you’ve created for yourself is to achieve true happiness
21. Giving is one of the most underrated tactics to getting what you want
22. Fear the person who dreams unrealistically; one day he may acquire what he desireshel
23. Everyone has a weakness
24. Live and die as your passion; to be known as anything else is an insult to your existence
25. Do not deprive yourself or others of the gift of cartoons. Their creativity, hilarity, and curiosity have made me who I am today
26. Quiet patience and adaptive persistence are the two keys to perpetual happiness
27. Never feel ashamed of your natural instincts. They are there for a reason
28. Look at the people you are following in their footsteps. Is that the person you wish to be?
29. Don’t indulge in distractions that are short-lived and derail your long term efforts
30. To create a piece of art is to exist as a God within your mental domain
31. The movers in this world are the ones who create and consume only what coincides with their ultimate vision of themselves
32. Things are never as they seem. Always dig deeper to find the gold beneath the rock
33. Stereotypes don’t come out of thin air; all that is left for you now is to disprove them
34. Any crack in your resilience will be exploited if you don’t patch it up from time to time
35. Being assertive is a sign of a steadfast will
36. Negative people don’t deserve your time; positive people crave it
37. When your beliefs are tested, bring evidence to prove them wrong (granted you actually feel the need to)
38. When you have the strength to ask for more even after being knocked down countless times, there is nothing you can’t achieve
39. To look down to the ground is a sign of weakness. Look forward to showcase your unshakable confidence
40. Even one who is deaf can produce the most beautiful music
41. How much do you want success? How far are you willing to go?
42. A true genius is one who can sit for hours intensely focused on what he loves
43. Do not screw around with your time. It is the only thing within your absolute control
44. The only sense of entitlement you should feel is toward living your passion
45. The answers are always right in front of us. Just open your eyes
46. If you do not want to put in the work to make your dreams real then you do not deserve the right to put down anyone who fails in trying
47. The human brain contains 15-33 billion neurons; do not tell yourself that you are not creative
48. Do not let yourself fall into despair; it is a massive waste of time and emotion
49. People don’t tell you to try new things because it sounds “adventurous”. They say it because it actually works
50. If today was your last day, how many of these words would you actually follow?
51. To be an authority of any kind, you must earn and emanate respect
52. When in doubt, just laugh. Find amusement in how absurd your situation is then come out of the gate with full force
53. Don’t admire those who are simply hard workers with lots of awards under their belts. Idolize the people who are successful by working hard doing what they love
54. Life won’t let you you get by with being stupid. You have to have knowledge of some kind to live in this world
55. Don’t confuse being stupid with being stubborn. Sometimes trying harder is all it takes
56. Do NOT allow anyone to disrespect you or make you feel less than you know you are
57. Don’t blame someone else for being better than you. Blame yourself for not working harder
58. Hard work is not something we should run away from. It’s pointless work we should fear
59. Don’t carry everything on your shoulders; that’s what friends are for
60. When you’ve lost your spirit, spend some time with youth. Their thirst for life and exploration will no doubt re-invigorate you
61. The fact that nothing in life is guaranteed is both a blessing and a curse
62. There is never only one choice: you don’t have to go up after you hit rock bottom. You can also choose to stay there
63. Sometimes you have to realize when you just aren’t good at something; this is the best time to regroup
64. Using old-age methods to solve new-age problems is setting yourself up for failure
65. When you’ve been sitting in the same spot for hours, trying to get something absolutely perfect, give yourself more than just a pat on the back
66. Not many people will risk everything in order to achieve what they want; in other words, be a risk taker and you will reap the rewards
67. Even when you know you’re close to the finish line, never let up
68. The only thing you can change about people are your relationships with them
69. What’s happened in the past is done. The future does not exist yet. The only thing in your mind should be what you’re doing now
70. You may be a great writer, a doctor, a lawyer, or a banker, but at your very core, the only thing we are best at is being ourselves
John is the creator of HiLife2B, where he hopes to inspire people and to help them achieve their dreams. Follow him on Twitter: Â @janyasor
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April 14th, 2010 at 1:23 PM
John,you are one of the wisest young people on the net :), Mike you made a wise choice with John as a guest blogger. I loved this list especially number 7: Poverty is a great gift one I’ve learned a lot from 🙂
April 14th, 2010 at 3:43 PM
Thanks so much, Steven! I really worked hard on this and I hope everyone gets a lot of value out of this. I’d also like to thank Mike for helping me get this message out into the world.
By the way, this post made quite a splash on Stumbleupon. Over a thousand hits 🙂
April 14th, 2010 at 6:06 PM
@Steven – On that note, I will have to agree with you, I’m honored to be connected with John and to host this wonderful guest post.
@John – this is a fantastic list and surprised by the depth of the list. I especially like a few #47 (the creative brain), #59 (friends to carry the weight), #68 (change only relationships). This last one I really like and it aligns closely from a section in my relationships ebook on how you can only change yourself in relationships, NOT the other person. Again, thanks so much for contributing here at LearnThis.ca.
April 14th, 2010 at 6:56 PM
Dear Mike and John, this is a wonderful list. Very wise and thoughtful. I’d say it was a list to easily live by. I recognize so many of these as things I use in my day to day life to either simply enrich my life or make it stronger and more whole or to get me through the challenging times. There are so many here I like but I really relate to #66 about being a risk taker. YES!!! It brings LIFE to our lives so fast. And also leaves us with few regrets. Thank you both SO much. Robin
April 14th, 2010 at 9:03 PM
Really nice work John,
This list has a parable like quality to it that touches us right where we live.
Mike, it’s nice that you have opened up your blog to some guest authors. John is one of my favorite young bloggers. Well done guys!
April 14th, 2010 at 9:04 PM
Mike! I love this list!
My *favorite* hands down is this:
“29. Don’t indulge in distractions that are short-lived and derail your long term efforts”
To me that means, keep my focus on what I really want to do – and don’t waste my time procrastinating =)
April 14th, 2010 at 9:05 PM
Oops, and thanks to John as well – my first comment timed outo and I got so excited rewriting my comment I left you out! Sorry John =)
April 15th, 2010 at 1:07 AM
Great in depth and delightful post John.
I love the entire list but there were a few that stood out for me.
#5: Talented people at times take their talent for granted, hence laziness and being mediocre creeps in.
#14: It is sad that there are lots of people who are too shy or scared to let their “potential” and uniqueness stand out.
#36: So true John. Sometimes we don’t have the heart to let go or spend less time with negativity, but then it hurts us in return by sticking with negativity more than positivity.
#67: Persistence is key even when the biggest obstacles are in front of you.
Thank you for an awesome list of Reminders John.
April 15th, 2010 at 3:04 AM
Very inspiring article, it has been awhile since I came across such thorough, meaningful quotes been gathered into one. Thank you John for sharing with us. As a first timer, I gained what I needed from this latest article. 🙂
Nice to be here and pleasure to meet both of you – Mike & John. (Happy to see some familiar faces in the comments – Sid & Jonathan)
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
April 15th, 2010 at 7:09 AM
@Robin – Good point here RObin that this list is a good list to use for a set of things to live by.
@Jonathan – Great to here your support for John and guest posts. I’ve had some before and am happy to include great articles and to highlight other bloggers here with similar topics and good learning advice!
@Sid – I love how everyone gets a different item on this list to highlight, it just shows the depth and variance that John put into this. THanks for your comment.
@Vincent – Oh, I really connected with #5 and #14 as well, which are great items to highlight!
@Ching – Welcome to the site! You’ve entered on a great list for sure, check out some of the 100 lists from the sidebar here on the site if you enjoy the lists!
April 15th, 2010 at 7:18 AM
@Mike – it was a pleasure to guest post for this great blog.
The reminders you highlighted are some of my favorites as well. We can always create and changing our relationships is actually a great way to open another person’s eyes.
What if one day, you stand up for yourself in the midst of a person who tends to scoff at your opinions?
Try it and find out.
@Robin – Thanks Robin, for your very heartfelt compliments. I just sat down and compiled the things that have made my life what is is now.
In regards to your favorite point, being a risk-taker is very important. Walking the path less traveled is something that will either lead you to great success or back where you started. Why NOT take a chance?
@Jonathan – glad you approve of the post. I tried to hit as many of the life lessons as I could before I got burned out.
It was well worth the hours to compile it.
Thanks so much, my friend.
@Sid – Hey Sid, happy to hear that you love it! Procrastination is the death of all success and the prolonging of all suffering. Don’t indulge in this frivolous activity.
I did enough of it over the summer vacation. This time it ends now.
@Vincent – Hey, happy I could make a list that brought value to your life. This reminders have really helped me to go through life with a clear head and confident mindset.
You’re welcome for the list. Until next time.
April 15th, 2010 at 7:21 AM
@Ching – Happy to hear this list was useful. I try to put value in every guest post. It seems to have worked 🙂
Nice to meet you too.
April 15th, 2010 at 10:54 AM
🙂
@Hi Mike,
I am glad we have a few “reminders” in common amongst a lot of humble and great reminders.
@Hi John,
Your list definitely brought value and I respect and admire your genuine intent to help others.
Great quality my friend 🙂
April 15th, 2010 at 11:09 AM
Wow, this is wonderful.
When I saw the title here, I immediately thought of a post I’d done on 70 scripts to encourage others. Then I clicked through and found the first item here: Believe that even the smallest compliment can save someone’s life. I totally believe that, because it’s happened to me… both as the receiver then as the giver.
Thanks for sharing.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
April 15th, 2010 at 11:54 AM
@Awesome example Marshall of how these reminders are real, what a great thing to align so close with the first words of an article. I think you and John would enjoy each other’s writing quite a bit actually!
BTW: You did read more than the first line right? jk…
April 16th, 2010 at 1:04 AM
Hey John.
#2 is one I am glad to internalize. It means quite a bit.
#7 is one that most would not agree with at first, but having nothing is freeing, and creates conditions that challenge one to show their competence, if it is there. I have heard enough stories about individuals who had little when they were young and ended up doing big things because of it to know that poverty is a competency-checking trigger.
#39 makes sense. I look at the ground sometimes. It’s not so great to do.
#54 is true and we have to remember that when we look at others. People are not as stupid as we might think of them at first glance.
#67 is one that can help many cross the finish line they can see in the distance.
April 17th, 2010 at 7:30 AM
@Armen – thanks for outlining your highlights, they really show a piece of what you stand for in such a huge list.
#7 on poverty certainly will raise some eyebrows as its not obvious the benefits that this can really give someone. Hard to understand for those who have never experienced seeing people in real poverty I suspect.
April 17th, 2010 at 2:47 PM
Great list. Number 56 is my favorite, and the one I live by best, and number 59 is the one I need to remember and rely on more.
April 17th, 2010 at 4:27 PM
@Vincent – Anytime my friend 🙂 Thanks for your support.
@Marshall – Really happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying the list. I really believe in the first one as well. It’s help me more than you know.
Thank you, Marshall.
@Armen – You’ve picked some really good ones. Hopefully we’ll all be able to remember these in our everyday life.
Having nothing really is a freeing experience. I’ve just recently started to embrace minimalism. We’ll see how well it works for me.
@Mitch – Hey Mitch! #56 is a very important one. That one really makes me feel good as a person and reminds me that we all deserve respect, regards of our relative backgrounds.
@Mike – Thank you so much for having me guest post. Since it’s publication, it’s reached over 6,000 hits on StumbleUpon. If that’s not a milestone I don’t know what is.
April 25th, 2010 at 2:22 AM
Great list. I tend to disagree generally on the idea that old people have not lost their youth. Maybe its just the old folks I know :).
May 5th, 2010 at 6:42 AM
The list seems like rules to live by more than help to break barriers. But Now that I have typed that I guess it is kinda both.
May 18th, 2010 at 6:36 AM
cooool.. simple yet powerful tips that keep reminding you that breakdowns are breakthrough…!!!
May 29th, 2010 at 3:19 PM
number 66 is really important, this fear of not moving forwards or fear of failure can petrify a person into stand-still existence. If we accept who we are then we discover what we want and then following the actions to obtain what we want isn’t so frightening.
Good list that prompts the thought processes with each entry. Thanks a Lot!
June 4th, 2010 at 8:07 PM
Great list, John! There are many reminders here that I love. My favorite is “When in doubt, just laugh. Find amusement in how absurd your situation is then come out of the gate with full force.”
Laughter is medicine for the soul. If only we’d all remember to occasionally pause & stop taking life so seriously.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:18 AM
Yes – very important to have self belief as I found these high achieving people at http://www.amazingpeopleclub.com
December 3rd, 2010 at 2:30 AM
Whoever wrote all of this; you have changed my life with it. Thank You…
April 11th, 2011 at 6:03 AM
“7. Poverty is the greatest gift you can give a person. It is only then that they will have a choice to either become valuable or die as a quitter.”
What a consoling throught for the millions throughtout the world dying of starvation.
April 29th, 2011 at 1:45 AM
This is Great List. Whoever has written this post, has really turned my life. Thanks a lot.
May 18th, 2011 at 10:36 AM
These are so true. You must be aware of the simple things and learn to value the people around you.
May 18th, 2011 at 12:51 PM
Ummm….
Regarding #7: Poverty is the greatest gift you can give a person. It is only then that they will have a choice to either become valuable or die as a quitter
I beg to differ. Anyone stricken with poverty will tell you that this hardship is most definitely not the greatest gift. Only someone who is NOT stricken with poverty would make such a comment. It is NOT only then that you will have a choice to “become valuable or die as a quitter.” We are faced with choices everyday where we decide to be “valuable” or “quit” regardless of how much money we make.
You are rude, dramatic, out of touch with the state of affairs in this country.
June 9th, 2011 at 9:14 AM
John, brilliant list. Went to your website Human Insanity expecting to find it there so I could post a link to it on my blogs. Could find anything there really, except a link to your Twitter account – am now following you.
Bottomline, you have a gift for connecting life’s basics in an easy to digest and inspirational to read format. THANK YOU!
June 9th, 2011 at 9:20 AM
Tara, it seems poverty hits home for you. Perhaps John was referring to someone not born into poverty, but one who had much, but never appreciated it.
Poverty stinks, the same way injustice stinks, or hate, abuse, torture stinks. The same way public humiliation stinks.
June 9th, 2011 at 5:31 PM
@Jeff, thanks for your additional comments here and response to Tara, I was thinking the same thing. I definitely read it along your lines, that realizing and experiencing poverty for those who don’t know it first hand is a great blessing to understand many people’s horrible reality in this world and to shed some light on the great need that exists to reduce poverty and hunger.
June 9th, 2011 at 6:10 PM
@Jeff and @Mike
Thanks guys, and yes, I meant poverty as a gift not as an all encompassing life circumstance. Having very little at some point in your life is quite humbling.
Should’ve been more clear. Having content without context is dangerous!
June 27th, 2011 at 9:38 AM
I shared this today on my facebook page which I saw in the news feed. I read each tip thoughtfully and connected with each and every one. All 70 tips rang true and served as a reminder of the frailities of the human mind and spirit. We create barriers because we have emotions and feelings and these can create hurdles to our success. But we can fly over any obstacle in our path once we have an understanding of how to move past barriers we create in our mind towards those endeavors that we truly aspire to. Thank you John for your reminders.
P.S. I understood #7 as soon as I read it…
August 2nd, 2011 at 10:15 AM
I believe that everyone is innately good, with some having had bad experiences where they live in bitter and hatred because they are so closed up. (or some just get brainwashed)
Regardless, I loved this post because all of us living in our own little world can easily get caught up at times whether we realize it or not. This is such a friendly reminder to not only break our own barrier with our own surroundings but to break the barrier on what we may think of others’ points of view.
My favorite was 68: The only thing you can change about people are your relationships with them. It is so true, and after having a real hard time with my own father this is what I finally began to realize. It feels wonderful having someone say it in such a concrete and matter of fact way! I actually talked about the effect of my estranged dad in short in the ‘about me’ of my blog last week so this really hits home. Thank you.
August 2nd, 2011 at 10:20 AM
WOW….QUOTES TO LIVE BY !!!
September 20th, 2011 at 10:37 PM
I usually think this sort of thing is rubbish. But I found this inspiring.
– Thank you.
November 7th, 2011 at 9:57 PM
I absolutely adore this John, and wanted to connect with you, but for me, both links in your byline / author bio did not work
Rock on man!
November 15th, 2011 at 11:10 AM
My new Twitter username, for those who want to connect:
@janyasor
November 15th, 2011 at 6:40 PM
Thanks John for sending the updated twitter username. I’ve updated the article links to reflect the change so people don’t get a broken link. Cheers!
November 18th, 2011 at 9:50 AM
Thanks Mike! Totally appreciate it.
January 27th, 2012 at 1:17 AM
Awesome List, adding it to my own list reminds me of this quote “Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they lead to actions. Watch your actions, they create habits. Watch your habits, they build your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.†~ Upanishads
Ben Winters CEO
http://www.TeachMeAwesome.com
Teaching you awesome…1 day at a time
January 28th, 2012 at 1:13 AM
@Ben, thanks for the common and I love that quote. I think I will have to use that myself sometime. Have always loved the idea of habits forming character, so it fits. I checked out your website, was shocked to see my passion on the top article, that of Parkour and Freerunning. I’ve been training for them for about 15months now and am hooked, as they are truely are an awesome sport as your site is well named for it. You can see an article I’ve written on learning Parkour on the site here. Cool site you have by the way!
February 4th, 2012 at 7:17 PM
Interesting wisdom and exhaustive list full of motivation. Thanks you!
February 12th, 2012 at 3:28 AM
this is amazing, welldone 🙂 some of these are so true!
March 14th, 2012 at 7:07 AM
Good stuff. Thanks for sharing!
October 7th, 2012 at 11:02 PM
Amazing list!
I’ve written down some of your quotes in my notebook, so that I can use them later in my articles. 🙂
Very nice, some of them really got me thinking and asking myself, is it way it should be done.
Thanks for the wonderful list.. 🙂