Sparks from this book
The Vision
All 87 Sparks drawn from The Vision, in the order they appear in the book. Each one carries a walk-through.
Chapters 1–20
- 1A life without a vision is like a kite let loose; it is directed by the forces that be, never giving even the slightest of resistance to life's…
- 2The difficulties of life don't stop attacking your self-worth and self-confidence, you just have to repair and fortify every time.
- 2You are valuable; but you are worth as much as you think and make yourself out to be.
- 3To achieve something, action is needed; but thoughtful and calculated action is better.
- 4I do not wish for anyone's downfall. The world needs successful people. I just think of ways to add more value to myself, and wish that my…
- 5Moments of decisions are now chances to change my future; that is when destiny and I speak to each other.
- 5Knowledge of self is the most notable knowledge I pursue. By knowing myself, I avoided dead dreams and a meaningless life.
- 6Pressures of life don't always force you to act; they sometimes force you to a state of inaction.
- 6Rest is sweet after work, and work enjoyable after a good rest.
- 6We need work as much as we need rest; the two complement each other, one drawing power and enjoyability from the other. Rest is sweet after work, and…
- 7This is what scares me: failing to think for myself because of the comfort that comes from doing things in numbers (or following the crowd).
- 8You are never useless. You just need to find your place.
- 9Why harbor negative feelings when you can cherish positive ones? Why choose to hate someone when you can love life and live?
- 10You need to have the courage to look at yourself, and improve what you see.
- 10If I try my best each time, I get to be the best that I have ever been. The moment I try again, I create a new best for myself. So I don't do…
- 11You are not born with full knowledge of the abilities you have; a curious mind explores life and discovers them.
- 11When you know your role in life, living makes sense because of clarity, and the loads become enjoyable to carry.
- 12Understand what is important to do now and do it, before things change.
- 13There are great discoveries to be made in difficult times, because where problems abound, solutions are just around the corner.
- 13Choosing to find a way forward instead of just complaining about your problems changes your status, from victim to survivor.
- 14Money doesn't change you, it reveals you. Money is just an enabler, whatever a person chooses to do with it is a reflection of their character.
- 15The moment you make a decision on who you want to be, or what you want to do with your life, that idea infiltrates every part of your being.
- 16Problems come few and far between in the life of a proactive person.
- 17You only take what you don't want when you don't know what you really want.
- 17When all is said and done, it is not the options you have that ultimately determine who you are, but it is what you do with them; options you choose…
- 18If you look for them, you will find an endless list of reasons to worry and not be happy.
- 18Yes, it will all end one day; but today is worth living.
- 19You don't try your best when you have something to fall back on.
- 20Babies soon realize that talking is better than crying, and walking is better than crawling. They see a better way and reach out for it.
- 20Everyone influences someone. The power of influence does not diminish as we grow older. It just becomes complex, and we grow more selective.
Chapters 21–40
- 21There will be people who treat you like trash and people who treasure you, but how you treat yourself determines your value.
- 22All forms of cheating reflect weakness, an unwillingness to learn, grow or own up to the truth.
- 24Sometimes we blame people for making bad decisions when it is more appropriate to blame life for giving them bad options to choose from.
- 25Change is a friend to a life with a vision, but an enemy to an aimless person.
- 26Nobody alive today can tell me how much I am worth. I change that everyday. You are worth as much as you make yourself worth.
- 28There are many useful skills in life, and problem solving is a fundamentally important one. It is connected to a lot of other skills, and you can…
- 28Solving a smaller, less obvious problem sometimes eliminates your other problems, through domino effect.
- 30Deliberately choosing the hard way, even with an easy way within your reach, gives you a chance to benefit from the lessons that challenges teach…
- 31Your heart is your compass in the journey of life; follow it.
- 32It takes more to abstain than to err, more to avoid mistakes than to make mistakes; but the good thing is that it gets better with practice.
- 33Knowledge is power only when we choose to use it to our advantage.
- 34A poor plan or strategy that is perfectly executed is still a failure; and bad execution of an effective strategy still equates to failure.
- 34A problem or difficulty is only imposing when you sit around doing nothing about it, but when you stand up to it, its stature will be laughable.
- 35It takes perfect patience to turn your dreams into reality; and perfect patience is never quitting.
- 36Having skill and talent you cannot use to the fullest is painful; it's like a slow death.
- 38Beautiful moments don't exactly tap us on the shoulder, or shout out for attention. They are there, quiet, waiting to be discovered by those who stay…
- 39My idea of outliving is not living more years, but deeper moments. Seizing the moment and appreciating my freedom to live.
- 39It will be a shame to get lost in painting fine details of the wrong picture, using the wrong colors and brushes.
Chapters 41–60
- 41You don't wait for people to believe in you before pursuing your dreams. You believe in yourself first, and then everyone else may follow suit.
- 42There is no need to feel out of place. Just be yourself and live life, because no one knows with surety what we are doing here on Earth.
- 43Wanting more in life is only wrong when you are driven by avarice, and not a genuine and reasonable need to be comfortable.
- 44Don't judge advice by your opinion of its teller. Judge it by what it is worth.
- 45It's hard to accept less love than what you think you deserve, and it's also hard to love more than is deserved.
- 46You have to set, maintain and fight for your boundaries for people to respect them, and for you to gain self-worth.
- 47Aim for that peaceful state between love and hate, in which you don't like the person, but don't hate him or her either. It's better for your…
- 48It is not everything and everyone that deserves my patience. Patience is good, but selective patience is better.
- 49A promise you make to yourself is easier to keep when its trigger is still around, but once things change and a reason seems non-existent, it gets…
- 50We are evolving beings, and therefore cannot be defined by one absolute opinion by anyone.
- 51Why waste precious time feeling hate for a person? Life is hard enough as it is.
- 52Insults and setbacks should not get to you, and praise and happy moments should not blind you from making sensible decisions.
- 53You know what you are worth by seeking self-knowledge, and you protect that knowledge with pride.
- 54Even though I am constantly changing, I still know myself more than anyone can claim to know me.
- 55The limits of your environment appear imposing if you don't believe that you can change them, but they lose all their grip on you once you go about…
- 56You know that you're better than you were when you see the flaws of the old you. An inability to recognize your own flaws reveals that you are not…
- 57If it can't be solved, then it is not a problem, but it is a fact of life that I need to embrace or accept. It is stressful to try to solve or change…
- 58Given the choice to live a lie or to live a painful truth, I'll choose the latter because, to me, living a lie is more painful.
- 59The cost of loving your life is work, sacrifice and dedication. You love that which is worth something to you, that which you invest in.
- 60Just being there for someone when he or she needs you makes a lot of difference. It doesn't just add a smile to their face, but life to their heart…
Chapters 61–76
- 61Criticism should help you make better decisions, and not stop you from doing anything.
- 61Whatever you do, people will form opinions, and perhaps express them: some approving and some disapproving. Even dead people have critics.
- 62As still waters run deep, calm minds think deep too.
- 62I'm in love with peace of mind, and married to composure.
- 63Staying in touch with people who don't value you will affect your self-esteem and make it harder for you to enjoy life. You shouldn't be afraid to…
- 64The first step in changing your life's direction is to notice when you are going the wrong way, and stop.
- 66Happiness is not a stage in life that you get to, but it is a state of mind you maintain. So you can be happy, whatever stage of life you're at; even…
- 67It is misleading to assume that a person knows the same as you about anything in life.
- 68Wisdom is worth more when shared.
- 69Love reminds us that we are strong and weak, and hopelessly dependent, even in our self-sufficiency. It reminds us that we are human.
- 70I love only because I want to. That's why I don't blame or accredit anyone else for the outcome, good or bad.
- 71Hard work that doesn't pay off might hurt, but it makes you stronger and teaches you paths you ought to avoid in the future.
- 72We hate losing what we love, and love losing what we hate; by this, we know what we hold dear and what is of little value to us.
- 73Whenever I am not sure of whether I am working because I need money or because I want to, I just put money out of the equation. I ask myself if I…
- 74I want to be rich; not just to be wealthy but I want a rich life.
- 74I desire a life that makes me desire to live; a life with purpose and the right balance of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, so that I love what I…
- 75I will not lose myself to get money, neither will having money steal my self-knowledge.
- 76Creative genius is not a place you reach, but a state of mind you maintain.
- 76Failures are many, but losing love for your life is the ultimate failure.