Motivation

 

Marc and Angel, a beautiful husband and wife team began their blog Marc and Angel Hack Life in 2006. Ever since they have been inspiring, teaching and coaching thousands of readers with stories of success, love, life and relationships! 

I had dinner with Marc and Angel last summer and found them as inspiring and authentic as they come across on their blog. I love following them on social media. 

They continuously post fabulous and fun photos of themselves enjoying life. They never fail to make me smile and wish that they were my next door neighbors!

They have 100 thousand raving fans, 1000 – 100 thousand subscribers, 100 million page views, and growing! 

Their first book, “1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently“ is a focused collection of short, concise tips and reflections on the little things that make a huge difference in our daily lives.  It’s available online on Amazon.

Note: And then there were three! From Angel’s Facebook page last Thursday: “It wasn’t easy… It was amazing. It was magical. It was worth it. Introducing Mac Austin Chernoff. Born Thursday, July 10 at 9:25 pm, 6 lbs 14 oz, 21 inches. We are in LOVE. 

Here are a collection of 16 inspirational Marc and Angel quotes that will inspire you to get over your fear and on with your dream! Don’t forget to share them with your friends.

Marc and Angel Quotes

1. Your biggest fears are completely dependent on you for their survival. ~ Marc and Angel 

2. Regardless of fear or actual real world barriers, whenever you want to achieve something, you have to envision it and declare it. You have to keep your eyes open and focused specifically on what you want. It’s simply impossible to hit a target you haven’t declared, or get anywhere worthwhile with your eyes closed and your vision blurred. ~ Marc and Angel

3. Don’t be afraid of facing your fears. They’re not as scary as you think, and they’re not here to stop you. They’re here to let you know that what you want is worth fighting for. ~ Marc and Angel

4. So get up, get out in the stormy weather of the real world, and kick fear as hard as you can right in the teeth.  Do so by staring at it dead in the eyes and then walking right through it into the storm. Let the rain kiss your skin. That’s the first step. Because once you’re wet, you won’t fear the rain anymore. ~ Marc and Angel

5. Failure is not falling down; failure is staying down when you have the choice to get back up. Ultimately, what you need to remember is that you are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself. Your toughest competitor is simply the voices in your head. ~ Marc and Angel

6. You have to stop worrying, wondering, and doubting every step of the way. Laugh at the confusion, live consciously in the moment, and enjoy your life as it unfolds – struggles and all.  You might not end up exactly where you intended to go, but you will eventually arrive precisely where you need to be. ~ Marc and Angel

7. You want to be stretched to the edge of your ability sometimes. It needs to be hard and uncomfortable. That’s how your brain grows. We learn when we’re in our discomfort zone. ~ Marc and Angel

8. Breath by breath, let go of fear, expectation, anger, regret and frustration. Let go of the need for approval too. You don’t need any of it. The world is as we are inside. What we think, we see, and we ultimately become. ~ Marc and Angel 

9. There’s no use in wallowing in negativity. You simply can’t expect victory while planning for defeat. ~ Marc and Angel

10. You need to take small chances every day. It’s the best way to face any problem, crush every fear and overcome life’s greatest challenges. And you get just about as many chances in life as you’re willing to take. So never let your fear decide your future. ~ Marc and Angel

12. Because your obstacles are your opportunities. Obstacles are put in your way to help you determine if what you want is really worth fighting for. ~ Marc and Angel

13. Move forward with gusto. Remember that the extent to which we sometimes allow fear to rule our lives is truly startling and unnecessary. Especially when you consider one very important fact about fear: It’s a total figment of your imagination. ~ Marc and Angel

14. Great challenges make life interesting; overcoming them makes life meaningful. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. In its place will be something that you have left behind. Let it be something worthwhile – something you are thankful for. ~ Marc and Angel

15. When your efforts are met with failure, you know you are on to something; because on the flip-side of that failure is a real, substantial accomplishment that doesn’t come easy. Your failed attempt is simply evidence that you are reaching higher. And “higher” is always the best direction to travel in. ~ Marc and Angel  

16. If you only remember two words from this whole article, let them be: “Stretch” and “Observe.”

Stretch:  As in… stretch yourself. Always push yourself to the edge of your ability, so you can expand it and grow. 

Observe:  As in… observe your mentors and those who are more skilled than you, so you can take notes and emulate them. ~ Marc and Angel

17. Believe that the answers are out there waiting.  Believe that life will surprise you again and again.  Believe that the journey is the destination.  Believe that it’s all worth your while.

 

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” ~ Gandhi

There seems to be an outbreak of overwhelm on the planet. Everyone seems to think they need to always be on the internet or on the go. 

When you feel overwhelmed, stop and listen to what you’re telling yourself about your work, your time and your life.  In order to change your feelings, you have to change your thoughts. You could say overwhelm is all in your head!

We forget that life is in the moment. Nothing else exists. We only have to live in the now and do one thing at a time. 

Overwhelm is a story we tell ourselves. It offers us an excuse to get out of what we don’t want to do or don’t feel we can do. Overwhelm is an illusion.

We decide how to live our lives one choice at a time. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, you might find the following tips helpful.

“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Begin your day by doing your most difficult task. Set your timer for 15 minutes and begin. Usually that’s all it takes to get going.  Work until it’s finished. You’ll feel less fear. You’ll have completion.

2. Clear your clutter. Get organized. Take 15 minutes at the end of your day to clear off your desk and list your three most important tasks for the following day. 

3. Commit to a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is an energy giver. Just do it. When you are under pressure, don’t skip meals. Choose food that is good for you. Don’t give up sleep to get more done. Sleep gives clarity and focus.

4. Sit still. Listen for guidance. We avoid getting quiet because we fear what we might learn. We prefer to keep busy, rush or be distracted. It’s less painful than admitting we might need to do something different or change.

5. Share the load. Give up perfection. Learn to delegate. If you can’t afford to hire someone, find a way to barter. Release your burden and allow others to feel needed.

6. Appreciate what you have now. Having is about the present moment. Appreciate where you are and how much you have. Wanting is about the future. Your focus is on what you don’t have now but what will make you happy in the future.

7. Breathe. If you’re feeling anxious or fearful about the future, still your mind and concentrate on your breath. Center yourself and be in the present moment. It’s the only time you have. 

8. Eliminate the need for perfection. Stop over-analyzing and over-thinking everything. Do your best and let the rest go. Too many inventions and products never come to fruition because they’re never good enough. Perfection doesn’t exist. 

9. Take regular breaks, get-aways and vacations. You can’t love life if it’s only filled with to-do lists and work. Don’t wait until someday. Schedule your free time and then take it.

10. Get a new perspective. Step outside. Take a walk. Move to another room. Sit in a different chair.  A different location brings clarity and a different perspective. Just move!

11. Make a list. Write down the thoughts that are filling your head. Write down what you need to do, want to do and should do. Write down good ideas and distracting thoughts. Go back to it later and cross out anything that’s not important or necessary.

12. Pamper yourself. When you meet your own needs with love, you’re less likely to feel run down and worn out. Make self-care a priority. You’ll feel good, look good and do good.

13. Make Sunday a fun day. Give yourself a full day for play and laughter. Recharge, rest and relax. Turn off your electronics.  Spend time with the people you care about. Give them your undivided attention.

14. Take one day at a time. Do what you can and forget the rest. Whatever it is that you’re struggling with, remember: this too shall pass. 

15. Get over feeling like everything is so important. When you stop overextending yourself, you feel less overwhelm. Give up control and go with the flow. 

16. Be mindful.  Notice when you are distracted. Let those things float out of your awareness like a passing cloud. Continue to focus on the task at hand.  Repeat, “There is nothing to fear.”

17. Believe in yourself. Keep a success journal. Note what you got right. Celebrate what goes right. Create a feeling of success. Visualize the end result that you want to see.

18. Manage your energy. Do your most difficult tasks when you have the most energy. Do the easiest when you have the lowest amount. 

19. Change your thoughts. Do these sound familiar?  I’ll never get everything finished. I’m not capable. What else can go wrong? I have too much on my plate. Change your self-defeating thoughts: I’ll finish one thing at a time. I’m good at this. Tomorrow is another day. Overwhelm comes from your thinking. Manage your thoughts and your feelings will change.

20. Don’t judge yourself. Let yourself off the hook. You’re only human. Don’t compare yourself to others. You usually don’t win. Own your strengths. Learn to think well of yourself. Tomorrow’s another day.

21. Do what brings you joy. Stop at your favorite coffee shop. Call your best friend. Spend time in nature. Get a massage. Take a long drive. Stop and enjoy life. 

22. Struggle is a choice. We create our lives. We decide what to do and when to do it. We choose to get support or go it alone. We decide when to hang on and when to let go. Overwhelm is an illusion and an addiction. It gives us an excuse.

23. Let go of the need to feel important. We are part of a culture that thrives on busy-ness. We live in a society that chases money and fame. We want to stand out and be noticed. Don’t fall into that rut. Enjoy now.

24. Live a life of gratitude. Appreciate everything about your life. Be grateful for who you are and accept where you are today. Make it a practice to count your blessings every evening. 

25. Find someone to help. Complaining about being overwhelmed is like being a victim. Poor me. It may even give us a sense of false importance. Find someone who is struggling and help them out. Really give of yourself, time and money. You’ll come away with a new perspective. Seriously.

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Everyone gets rejected, says the wrong things and experiences failure. When it happens to you, there is no reason to be so hard on yourself. 

You don’t have to be your own worst enemy. Beating up on yourself doesn’t get you anywhere. No matter what, you will always be a person of value! 

Instead, choose to change; create a new habit. Learn to treat yourself with compassion, forgiveness and grace. Choose to be gentle on yourself. 

Read on and discover how to lighten up and think well of yourself no matter what happens. 

Look for the 'blesson'. Look for the lesson. What went wrong? How can you do things differently next time? Choose to grow forward and learn from painful situations. When you do, your lesson becomes a blessing … or a 'blesson'. 

Make life a positive process. Believe in your worthiness and brilliance. Take small steps and go at your own pace. Forget about time, be patient and have faith. 

Change your approach.  Become aware of your self-talk and think before you speak to yourself. Quiet your inner critic with kind words and loving affirmations, sprinkled with understanding and compassion. 

Sit in stillness. Ask for guidance. Listen to your intuition. When you can remain calm, without judgment, you are ready to carry on. 

Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Beware of the temptation to make mountains out of molehills. Our egos like to make horror movies out of our errors. Ask yourself, “Will this matter six months or a year from now? Lighten up and go with the flow. 

Do the opposite. Reward yourself for trying. Spend time being creative. Do something interesting. Spend your energy focused on the important, wonderful and beautiful things in life. 

Get off the pity pot. Everybody has problems. Nobody wants to listen to you complain about yours. If you need to feel sorry for yourself, put a limit on it. Give yourself 24 hours to be miserable; then get up and try again. Count your blessings, not your troubles. 

Create a loving mantra. I am beautiful, kind and enough. Say it to yourself when you are down or when you feel rejected and defeated. Repeat it when you catch yourself falling back into self-criticism. Repeat it when you can’t sleep at night. Practice it every time you have to wait in line. 

Get excited about your future. Learn to expect the best. Remain positive. Refuse to give up. I'm on your side and I have all the faith in the world in you.

Please leave your thoughts below.

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We’re all inventors. We all have the power to create something bold, something new. We can choose to create something amazing, joyful and beautiful. We can birth something that will bring meaning into the world and enhance the lives of everyone. 

Yes, we have that much power. We are inventors. 

I’ve recently been inspired by my friend Jodi Chapman to create a new habit. In May, I’m going to begin each weekday with 90 minutes of writing. I’m crazy excited about the idea. 

I’ve also fallen in love with video-making. It’s a wonderful way to have fun, share, and connect with others on a deeper and more personal level. 

I challenge you to create something new. Invent for yourself and invent for others. Make your inventions inspiring, wild and creative. Make them simple, helpful and available. 

The sky’s the limit for our inventions. 

Don't allow your doubts, fears and failure stop you from taking action. If you don’t know where to begin or if you’ve been struck by inertia, help is available. 

The following tips are designed to help you take action and invent something new.

That is what we are supposed to do when we are at our best—make it all up—but make it up so truly that later it will happen that way. ~ Ernest Hemingway

1. Choose a project. What is one thing that would change your life? Make it something that lights your fire and keeps you awake at night. Make it useful and bold. This is your baby!

Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines. ~ Brian Tracy

2. Set a goal and make a plan. Create a vision. Define the end result. Make a plan. You need to know how you will do it, what it will take and the deadline that you’re aiming for. 

No dream can come true until you wake up and go to work. ~ Anonymous

3. Create action steps.  Working from your plan, write down actionable steps in chronological order. It’s essential that the steps are clear and you know exactly what needs to happen.

Fear is a great inventor. ~ Proverb

4. Flip the switch on your fears. Write down the fears that you have around this project. Use your personal power to shift your perception about each fear.  Decide how you can turn each fear into a motivating action.

A mantra can make the impossible possible. ~ Dr. Gautam Chatterjee

5. Create a mantra. Guy Kawasaki suggests we choose a 2-3 word mantra. Put it in your phone. Write it on a sticky note. Repeat it throughout the day. My mantra’s are “writing 90/5” and “videos are me.”

We were always dreaming of how it was going to be. ~ George Lucas 

6. Tell others.  Tell trustworthy family and friends about your dream. Ask for support.  Build an excitement and energy around it. Make it so amazing that they want to line up to help you.

The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.  ~ Abraham Maslow

7. Be single focused.  Do one thing at a time. If you want to write, write. If you want to read, read. If you want to study, study.  If you need to research, research. Give your full attention to the task at hand.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined. ~ Henry David Thoreau

8. Ignore the unimportant stuff. Don’t spend time playing games or watching mindless TV or videos. Don’t be distracted by constantly checking social media or email. You choose how to spend your time. Make everything count.

I use my mind to solve problems and invent things. ~ Temple Grandin

9. Focus on the positive. Make a mental movie of your desired result. Imagine yourself in the scene. Create a feeling of success and add it to the movie.  Dwell on the scene and feelings for a few minutes. Do this anytime you find yourself in a negative state.

If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.  ~ Thomas Edison

10. Clear your head. Still stuck? Change your energy. Go for a short walk or run. Listen to music. Meditate or write in your journal. Then get back to work.

The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it. ~ Elbert Hubbard

11. Track your success. Keep a daily action log. Use it to see what’s working and what’s not. At the end of every week, reward yourself for your progress.

Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward. ~ Thomas Edison

12. Plan to fail. Perfection isn’t an option. Failure is an opportunity to learn and grow. Once you reframe failure, you’re free to begin again.

I invented adventures for myself and made up a life, so as at least to live in some way. ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky 

13. Be you. Don’t chase fame. Don’t try to be someone else. Allow your uniqueness to shine. Celebrate who you are. Put your own spin on your creations. Be true to yourself.

We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down. ~ Kurt Vonnegut

14. Believe.  Is your faith in, “I can” or “I can’t?” Drop your disbelief and continue to move forward. Put your energy into expecting the best. If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anybody else?

I'm going to enjoy every second, and I'm going to know I'm enjoying it while I'm enjoying it. Most people don't live; they just race. They are trying to reach some goal far away on the horizon, and in the heat of the going they get so breathless and panting that they lose sight of the beautiful, tranquil country they are passing through; and then the first thing they know, they are old and worn out, and it doesn't make any difference whether they've reached the goal or not. ~ Jean Webster

15. Enjoy the journey. Success is found in the journey not the destination. Choose to feel good and do good every day. Appreciate the here and now. Count your blessings. Help others get what they want. It’s not all about you. It never was.

What are you inventing these days? Please share your thoughts below.

Please consider sharing the inspiration on Facebook and Twitter! I appreciate your support.