For most of my life, I had a HARD TIME focusing on myself.
I just felt like I should please everyone around me, make them happy, and PRESERVE HARMONY. In some instances, I’ve been distracted by money problems, too much work, and the busy city life.
Both paths lead me to FORGET TAKING CARE OF MYSELF, first.
But when you go down that road, when you DON’T FOCUS ON YOURSELF, FIRST, many things go wrong. I’ve destroyed a relationship, started to hate jobs, lived in fear and anxiety.
That’s why FOCUSING ON YOURSELF is really important.
But I should know that it’s not always easy. STRONG MOTIVATION IS KEY.
And you can always revive it thanks to QUOTES ABOUT FOCUSING ON YOURSELF.
So here they are…
Quotes To Help You Focus On Yourself.
My Own “Thoughts” On How and Why Focus On Yourself
I’d like to start with my own thoughts and quotes to help you focus on yourself.
1. My happiness is in MY OWN HANDS. If I’m not taking decisions that make me happy, NO ONE ELSE can do it for me.
That’s what I realized one day when I was about to break up with someone I was deeply in love with. But I wasn’t feeling like he was committed to the relationship. And instead of torturing myself for weeks or months, I made the decision to stop it all.
It wasn’t easy back then, especially because we both cried and he didn’t seem to want to let me go, either.
But I had this strong feeling that it would all just make us mad and sad. And that trying to fix this relationship would only prolong the pain.
I took the decision to go for happiness and peace of mind. I stood up for myself and realized NO ONE ELSE would do it for me.
2. You can only improve the world when you’ve improved yourself.
I used to see things differently when I was younger. I thought the world was there to be changed, and all I had to do was GO OUT, TAKE ACTION, and GET THE JOB DONE.
But with time, I’ve come to realize that it ALL STARTS FROM WITHIN. You think that the older generation, the extremists, the aristocrats… are judgy. But you do the same. You are judging them.
“But”… you may say… “it’s different! They’re WRONG!”
There it is. You just did it. You came from the young, idealist side and you used your cause to JUSTIFY a clear separation. You are disconnecting from an entire part of humanity.
At some point, Socrates’ famous quote…
“I know that I know nothing”
… became my leading philosophy.
So, WORK ON YOURSELF. FOCUS ON YOURSELF. Once you’ve made progress, you’ll probably be done judging others.
3. Focus on yourself. For no one else than YOURSELF is responsible for everything that is happening to you.
This may sound similar to my first thought above. But it’s going much further.
And that’s something I learned not so long ago.
I guess it’s the Hawaiian spiritual practice known as Ho’oponopono that opened me to this new perspective.
The concept that YOU are responsible for everything. EVERYTHING.
Now, it may seem a little too far stretched, but the implications for your behavior can be vastly positive.
Say a friend comes to tell you how tough life is for him at the moment. In our western mentalities, we may comfort him and offer help, BUT WE SEE HIS PROBLEMS as VERY SEPARATE from OURS.
We would NEVER think that we were in SOME WAY responsible for what’s happening to him.
Taking responsibility will help you LOOK DEEPER.
Do you, yourself, contribute in some way to making life TOUGH for someone else?
Do you treat your friend in a way that EMPOWERS him?
I am NOT saying that you should try and solve your friend’s problems. However, you can offer support.
But it’s all more about KILLING THE PAIN IN ITS ROOTS. If all friends were thinking this way, relating more and feeling more responsible on a LARGER SCALE, the world would make a leap forward.
So, FOCUS ON YOURSELF. You can lead and show a different path.
4. You can truly shine. But ONLY from WITHIN.
No matter your physical appearance, no matter your clothes, hair, makeup…
You will ONLY TRULY SHINE if YOU feel GOOD about yourself!
So FOCUS on your inner self, first.
5. Stop waiting for an answer. You are the answer.
When I was younger, I remember DESPERATELY WAITING for SOMEONE to tell me WHICH PATH TO TAKE.
I was having SUCH A HARD TIME making decisions.
And I had SO MANY QUESTIONS. About myself, about the future, about the world.
In a desperate attempt to find answers, I looked everywhere. I studied, I took surveys and personality tests, I tried laying out cards… I asked my mom… my friends…
NO ONE KNEW THE ANSWER.
I felt endlessly FRUSTRATED and STUCK.
Until one day I finally understood. The answers. They were all inside me. I had always known them.
It’s just that the NOISE in my head wouldn’t let them out.
I first had to LET GO and trust myself, focus on myself, to finally find my ANSWERS.
6. Taking time off JUST FOR YOURSELF is not selfish. It is MANDATORY.
Oh, my. I used to FEEL SO BAD about leaving a conversation, going to bed when the party was still going on, or not being fully available for friends or family visiting for a couple of days. And that’s just a few examples.
Wasn’t it RUDE and SELFISH to just TAKE A TIME OUT? Just for myself?
Until I realized that GIVING, GIVING, GIVING without GIVING TO YOURSELF, FIRST, would turn into FAILING TO GIVE PROPERLY.
There needs to be a balance. If you wear yourself out, you will not be of the BEST COMPANY.
If you feel like you are giving too much and NOT RECEIVING ENOUGH, it will make you ANGRY.
But remember this: you can be the one to GIVE BACK TO YOURSELF.
If you just set the boundaries and take the time you need.
7. Focus on expressing YOUR TRUE and UNCONFLICTED SELF if you want life to FLOW and SHINE for you.
Have you noticed how sometimes life just seems to be in a perfect STATE OF FLOW?
You get up and HAPPY COINCIDENCES SEEM TO HAPPEN TO YOU. You see SIGNS all the time.
And you feel SO SURE about everything you are doing.
Personally, I find that this state happens to me when I am TRUE to myself. Or when I finally manage to LET GO of inner conflicts.
Focus on your TRUE SELF and the rest will FLOW.
Kickass Quotes: Focus On Yourself
8. “You needn’t settle for a mediocre life just because the people around you did.”
― Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life
9. “People will judge. Let them. Judgment is but a mirror reflecting the insecurities of the person who’s doing the judging.”
― Minimalism: Essential Essays
10. “a career is one of the most dangerous things you can have if you want to find fulfilment.”
― Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists
11. “It doesn’t matter what others think. This is about YOU. Create a life that you genuinely love with your whole heart and start with yourself.”
―
12. “Life is too short to do shit you dislike.”
― Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists
13. “I don’t want anyone who doesn’t want me.”
― Oprah Winfrey
14. “Sometimes I go out and hear people talk about irrelevant things and then I tell myself this is why I don’t go out.”
― Keanu Reeves
15. “Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.”
― Lao Tzu
16. “Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Don’t let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through this form. Risk being seen in all of your glory.”
– Jim Carrey
17. “Maybe other people will try to limit me but I don’t limit myself.”
– Jim Carrey
18. “If you want to see a miracle, be the miracle.”
― Morgan Freeman
19. “Without understanding yourself, what is the use of trying to understand the world?”
20. “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”
Focusing on Yourself, Not Others…
21. “It is not for me to judge another man’s life. I must judge, I must choose, I must spurn, purely for myself. For myself, alone.”
22. “APPLY WITHIN
You once told me
You wanted to find
Yourself in the world –
And I told you to
First apply within,
To discover the world
within you.
You once told me
You wanted to save
The world from all its wars –
And I told you to
First save yourself
From the world,
And all the wars
You put yourself
Through.
APPLY WITHIN”
―
23. “Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings and emotions.”
– Will Smith
24. “Don’t chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing and work hard. The right people – the ones who really belong in your life – will come to you. And stay.”
– Will Smith
25. “The purpose of relationship is not to have another who might complete you, but to have another with whom you might share your completeness.”
26. “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
– Buddha
27. “Well, if you’re true to yourself you’re going to be true to everyone else.”
28. “Those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”
29. “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”
30. “Give yourself more opportunities for privacy, when you are not bombarded with duties and obligations. Privacy is not a rejection of those you love; it is your deserved respite for recharging your batteries.”
31. “You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself.”
Learn To Say No
32. “If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
33. “Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.”
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
34. “NO IS A COMPLETE SENTENCE”.
—Anne Lamott
35. “REMEMBER THAT A CLEAR “NO” CAN BE MORE GRACEFUL THAN A VAGUE OR NONCOMMITTAL “YES””
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
36. “You have your own life, why waste it on focusing on others.”
―
37. “Focusing is about saying No.”
―
38. “You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”
―
Focus On Yourself Quotes That Will Help You To “Love Yourself”
39. “Love Yourself Like your life depended on it.”
― Ravikant
40. “If you are continually judging and criticizing yourself while trying to be kind to others, you are drawing artificial boundaries and distinctions that only lead to feelings of separation and isolation.”
― Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
41. “Now I am older, I understand we have to accept who we are.”
– Jackie Chan
42. “as soon as you notice you’re suffering you automatically embrace yourself with compassion.”
43. “When you focus on yourself you create more self-worth.”
―
44. “Whenever I notice something about myself I don’t like, or whenever something goes wrong in my life, I silently repeat the following phrases: This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is part of life. May I be kind to myself in this moment. May I give myself the compassion I need.”
― Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind
45. “Happiness comes from within, from inside yourself, from living a meaningful life.”
― Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life
46. “When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.”
― Oprah Winfrey
47. “He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.”
― Lao Tzu
48. “Before you can successfully make friends with others, first you have to become your own friend.”
―
49. “I just want to be myself.”
– Jim Carrey
50. “Glorify who you are today, do not condemn who you were yesterday, and dream of who you can be tomorrow.”
51. “The most important investment you can make is in yourself.”
― Warren buffet
52. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
53. “Hack your past with forgiveness. Hack your present with mindfulness. And hack your future with ‘I AM ENOUGH’.”
― Vishen Lakhiani
54. “You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.”
― Buddha
55. “I think beautiful is like looking like you take care of yourself.”
― Cardi B
56. “In order to find yourself, who you really are, you got to be with yourself; you got to hang out with yourself.”
57. “Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself.”
58. “Self-care is really about taking care of you and focusing on feeling good about yourself – mind and body.
59. “Don’t forget to love yourself.”
Focus On Yourself Quotes To Help You See That “You Are Unique”
60. “I never wanted to be the next Bruce Lee. I just wanted to be the first Jackie Chan.”
– Jackie Chan
61. “Comparison is an act of violence against the self.”
― Iyanla Vanzant
62. “COMPARE YOURSELF TO WHO YOU WERE YESTERDAY, NOT TO WHO SOMEONE ELSE IS TODAY”
―
63. “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
64. “If I have to feel better than you to feel good about myself, then how clearly am I really going to see you, or myself for that matter?”
65. “Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own.”
– Bruce Lee
66. “Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”
– Bruce Lee
67. “Every struggle in your life has shaped you into the person you are today. Be thankful for the hard times, they can only make you stronger.”
― Keanu Reeves
68. “When you can’t win by being better, you can win by being different.”
69. “Don’t be different just for different’s sake. If you see it differently, function that way. Follow your own muse, always.”
70. “There are always people who are into the old way of doing things. I don’t think it’s a bad thing necessarily, but things change – nothing stays the same. If you can stay true to yourself, you’re always going to be legendary.”
71. “I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.”
Focus On Yourself Quotes: “The Power Is All Yours And Yours Only”
72. “Do not let circumstances control you. You change your circumstances.”
– Jackie Chan
73. “I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”
– Bruce Lee
74. “Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.”
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
75. “When you focus on being the best person you can be, you draw the best possible life, love, and opportunities to you.”
―
76. “Just because I was invited didn’t seem a good enough reason to attend.”
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
77. “Stop judging and minding other people’s business. Focus on shaping your life to align with your true destiny. There is always some flaws that need to be fixed in our various lives.”
―
78. “We can either make our choices deliberately or allow other people’s agendas to control our lives.”
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
79. “This is the journey of your life. Don’t try to explain it to others, because only you can see it.”
― Nitin Namdeo
80. “when people make their problem our problem, we aren’t helping them; we’re enabling them.”
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
81. “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you. ”
― Oprah Winfrey
82. “Self-esteem comes from being able to define the world in your own terms and refusing to abide by the judgments of others.”
― Oprah Winfrey
83. “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”
― Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
84. “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”
― Lao Tzu
85. “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
― Lao Tzu
86. “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”
―
87. “If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control – myself.”
― The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
88. “Your own life is the way it is because of you, and the choices you have made – or failed to make.”
89. “Intuition comes from your heart which gives you answers from your true self.”
― Vishen Lakhiani
90. “Challenge yourself; it’s the only path which leads to growth.”
― Morgan Freeman
91. “Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”
92. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
93. “The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile.”
― Plato
94. “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”
95. “You can either see yourself as a wave in the ocean or you can see yourself as the ocean.”
Focus On Yourself Quotes: The Essentialism/Minimalism Philosophy
96. “What if society stopped telling us to buy more stuff and instead allowed us to create more space to breathe and think? What if society encouraged us to reject what has been accurately described as doing things we detest, to buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like?”
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
97. “You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.”
― John Maxwell
98. “Our memories are not in our things. Our memories are in us.”
― The Minimalists.
99. “When you say yes to something nonessential, you are saying no to something essential”
― Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
100. “What is the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
― Gary Keller, the one thing
101. “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”
– Will Smith
