TCW #048 | 2 quotes to tickle your work mindset
In case you're open to refining your resolutions, mantras, and that ever-present bathroom mirror sharpie note.
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I'm not sure about you, but I love quotes. I love how they harness the wisdom of people past and present and offer us the words we need in the moments we most need them.
As a teenager, I was smart enough to know I lacked wisdom, so I tried to source it from quotes. I bought books full of quotes from Barnes & Noble. Then, I highlighted my favorites and made quote posters. Overplayed adages like “Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars” papered the walls of my room and forced me to incorporate longstanding wisdom into my daily thoughts.
Nowadays, I still love a good quote, though these days, I go for more incisive ones that force me to think.
This week’s post includes two pieces of incisive advice to prime your mindset for work in 2024. I sourced these quotes from The Morning’s 2023 annual collection of advice from the New York Times.
Let’s dive in.
If everyone is driving you crazy, then the feeling is probably mutual.
— Bill Chappell, Atlanta
I recently realized that the people who tend to irk me the most have characteristics I least accept about myself. So it’s not that I’m bothered by them; I’m bothered by myself. Seeing myself in them triggers frustration that I haven’t yet improved myself in these areas. I think this is true of many people.
This quote speaks to that phenomenon.
We’ve all worked with the cranky person who is so sure that everyone else is an incompetent idiot and only they can salvage the mess others have created.
We’ve all worked with overeager sky-is-falling types who fan more fires than they help extinguish.
We’ve all worked with the chatty colleague who spends more time gossiping than actually getting anything done.
…and the list goes on. The question is whether you’re bothered by these personas.
This quote reminds us that if you’re frustrated with the world, the world is probably frustrated with you, too. The energy coming in reflects the energy you put out.
The only way to get un-bothered is to look within, as Buddha would say 👀
Be a fountain, not a drain.
— Christine Clemens, Lowville, N.Y.
Kindergarten teaches us to share, to give first, and to trust that there is enough for everyone and that we will receive what we need.
Late-stage capitalism teaches us to “look out for #1” first and foremost. Take first, share later. Amass wealth, then share on your terms only.
We’ve all worked with others who are only in it for themselves. Every decision and every action optimizes for what they want, at any cost to others (and even to the project, product, or users).
This quote reminds us to give abundantly, rather than take relentlessly.
Be a fountain, not a drain.
What being a fountain might look like at work: