20 Motivational Quotes to Fuel Your Career Transition

When I ask physicians what gets in the way of transitioning to a nonclinical career, one of the most common reasons shared is loss of motivation.

It can feel hard to find the motivation to continue on your search for the ideal nonclinical job when you’re not getting any response back on applications and dealing with multiple rejections.

The truth is that motivation comes from within. This is really good news because it means you have more control than you think. Motivation is generated by the thoughts you think. The problem is that many of those thoughts are unconscious and operating in the background of your life.

So now that you’re aware of where your motivation comes from, don’t sit around waiting for it to magically appear. Be proactive and fuel your motivation with these 20 inspiring quotes that are sure to spark positive thoughts.

1. The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward. — Amelia Earhart
   
   
2. There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.  — Nelson Mandela
   
   
3. When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it may be that they take better care of it there. — Cecil Selig
   
   
4. In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks. — Warren Buffet
   
   
5. The future depends on what you do today. — Mahatma Gandhi
   
   
6. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. — Milton Berle 
   
   
7. I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. — Steven Covey
   
   
8. Fear, uncertainty and discomfort are your compasses toward growth. — Celestine Chua
   
   
9. I've learned that "making a living" is not the same thing as "making a life". — Maya Angelou
   
   
10. Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. — Andre Gide
    
    
11. The best way to predict the future is to create it. — Abraham Lincoln
    
    
12. Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly. — Stephen R Covey
    
    
13. It is not as much about who you used to be, as it is about who you choose to be. — Sanhita Baruah 
    
    
14. The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. — Alice Walker
    
    
15. Opportunities don't happen, you create them. — Chris Grosser
    
    
16. Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible. — Francis of Assisi
    
    
17. Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning. — Gloria Steinem 
    
    
18. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. — Les Brown
    
    
19. I was once afraid of people saying ‘Who does she think she is?’ Now I have the courage to stand and say, ‘This is who I am.’ — Oprah Winfrey
    
    
20. When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. — Lao Tzu

Let me know which of these quotes most inspire you and if you have a suggested quote to add to the list, please share in the comments below or reach out to me directly, michell@drmichellebailey.com.