How to create motivational quotes that actually work

Love them or hate them, there’s been an explosion of motivational quotes in recent times, and I’m really not convinced we’re any more inspired as a result of consuming them all.

I’m talking about the ones that our social media feeds serve up daily: an inspiring piece of advice about how to live our life, written by a guru we probably haven’t heard of, and often made all the more powerful by the backdrop of a sunrise, a cliff edge, a seagull or a mountain. I often read them and think to myself ‘that’s really good, I like that’. Then it disappears from my mind, never to be seen again. And I’m not inspired, I’m really not. 

Imagine if all it took to create a real boost in motivation, confidence and happiness was a handful of carefully chosen words. Not written by a guru, but by ourselves. The good news is that it’s very possible, and actually very easy. You just need 15-20 minutes of quiet time. 

Create motivation, confidence and happiness in five simple steps

So here’s my simple 5-step approach to creating motivation, confidence and happiness for someone. It’s easier to be able to do this for others we care about, but with practice and commitment, we can also master the art of creating these fabulous feelings for ourselves too. 

Step 1: Choose someone you care about

Hopefully, this step is easy. It can be a family member, a friend, a work colleague or anyone else in your network you care about. 

Step 2: Think about why you value them

Maybe they have a personality trait you particularly love. Maybe they share a passion of yours and you like talking to them about it. Maybe they help you out when you really need a little support. Or maybe they just make you laugh. 

Step 3: Write one or two sentences that capture what you’ve been thinking about

The important thing here is to try to be completely honest, from the heart. Don’t be tempted to write much more than this - you’ll probably dilute the message and it will be less meaningful. 

Step 4: Tell them!

Tell them how you care about them, how you value them, what you love about them. You know them well, so perhaps think about how they’d most like to receive the message. Post them a card, send them a message, meet them for coffee, call them, whatever you like. But tell them!

Step 5: Repeat

Repeat tomorrow. If you can create some happiness for someone you care about with 15-20 minutes of effort, you can’t stop after one! 

If you’re fortunate enough to have someone amongst your family or friends that already does this you may already have received a message like this. And you know it works. It’s meaningful because it’s specific to you, and it’s powerful because it comes from someone you care about. When we know we’re appreciated we feel motivated and more confident. And we feel happy. 

So why not send someone a ‘motivational quote’ that will definitely work today?