• Question: You sound successful in your career, did you ever have a moto in life that motivated and encouraged you to want to push yourself?

    Asked by Hamza H on 10 Dec 2021.
    • Photo: Steve Bowes-Phipps

      Steve Bowes-Phipps answered on 19 Nov 2021:


      Great question! My motto, if you like, was to always keep learning throughout life – there was nothing I couldn’t be taught. We think we have all the answers when we’re young but we soon learn how much we don’t know. I was also rubbish at exams but didn’t let that hold me back.

    • Photo: Kamran Lateef

      Kamran Lateef answered on 19 Nov 2021: last edited 19 Nov 2021 10:47 am


      Great question. And yes – there’s one I often share with young people I have mentored:

      Do what you HAVE to do to do today… So you can do what you WANT to do tomorrow.

      Meaning what? Work backwards from where you want to be and identify what you have to do to get there. Take small consistent steps every day. If you have an off day, brush it off and carry on.

    • Photo: Scott McLauchlan

      Scott McLauchlan answered on 19 Nov 2021:


      ‘Try and make good decisions’ has always been my motto…..if you think about what you are doing and try and make the best decisions based on the information you have to hand and in line with your future goals, the right thing will generally happen. Sometimes, in hindsight, that decision may have been wrong but in my view it is better to make a decision than sit there and do nothing – if you don’t make the occasional mistake, how can you learn from them?

    • Photo: Amber Villegas - Williamson

      Amber Villegas - Williamson answered on 19 Nov 2021:


      My moto is “There is no such thing as a stupid question”

      Which basically means that even if you think it’s stupid, even if you are 99% sure of the answer ask the question. Guaranteed that someone else wants to ask the same thing but they think it’s “stupid”. I will say that there are probably silly questions and even sometimes annoying questions…but stupid questions don’t exist because asking questions is never a stupid thing.

    • Photo: Dave Horner

      Dave Horner answered on 19 Nov 2021:


      “Be prepared” which always for me translated into being curious about how things worked, and so drives and pushes me to research and learn about new things. If I’m going to get involved in something (either work related, or outside work) then I really enjoy learning as much as I can about that subject to be prepared, which in turn then helps me succeed better and develop new interests / pursuits I might not have realised I would get motivated to look into previously.

    • Photo: kristina kerwin

      kristina kerwin answered on 19 Nov 2021:


      I remember as a child, sometimes I felt like giving up on something when things didn’t work out, like getting a low mark for my homework, struggling to understand a topic in class, or finding it super frustrating when learning a new skill like sewing or trying to make something out of clay for the first time. So, whenever I felt like that, my mother would always quote an old proverb: “Where there is a will, there is a way”. Basically, it means that if you really want to achieve something, then don’t give up when things get a little tough – life is full of opportunities and the key is to keep learning new skills, improving existing ones and finding new ways to achieve your goals. I guess that proverb kind of stuck with me for life and keeps me going. And that’s my motto.

    • Photo: Femi Olushola

      Femi Olushola answered on 22 Nov 2021:


      Mottos are good, but I would add that the more personal the motto is, the better. Mottos are good for careers but even better with personal life and principles. At the same time, at different stages of life, people can have different mottos, because we need to be able to positively adapt to the challenges and competitions of life. “Be nice, stay positive, stay firm, keep on trying, but also take a step back to reassess for change, ask for help if you really need it, and then you eventually reach your goals”

    • Photo: Mo Shivji

      Mo Shivji answered on 22 Nov 2021:


      Not really. I have also been unsuccessful in my career at time.

      I guess my motto would be “just keep on trying, don’t be afraid to ask for help and always be a team player when required”.

    • Photo: John Odejobi

      John Odejobi answered on 22 Nov 2021:


      To be frank, nothing good comes easy but while you’re engaged in what you have passion for, even stress will be fun. Pick your interest and flow with the rhythm that plays after.

    • Photo: Paul Jones

      Paul Jones answered on 23 Nov 2021:


      I am naturally very competitive and also very curious, this helps motivate me. I also never listened to people tell me I couldn’t do this or do that, I believed I could anything I put my mind to.

    • Photo: Jack Bedell-Pearce

      Jack Bedell-Pearce answered on 24 Nov 2021:


      “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 identity.
      This is why habits are crucial. They cast repeated votes for being a certain type of person.”

      *James Clear*

Comments