Welcome to the Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.Today's quote comes from Tony Robbins, who said:"People are not lazy, they simply have impotent goals."Impotent goals. That's a strong word. But it's accurate.Robbins is saying something controversial: laziness isn't real. What we call laziness is actually a response to goals that don't inspire action.Think about it. Have you ever been "lazy" about something you truly cared about? About something that genuinely excited you? About something meaningful?No. When the goal matters, you find energy. You make time. You take action.But when the goal is weak – when it doesn't connect to anything you actually care about – you procrastinate. You avoid it. You lack motivation.And then you call yourself lazy.But you're not lazy. Your goal is impotent. It lacks power. It doesn't move you.An impotent goal sounds like: "I should lose weight." "I ought to start a business." "I need to save money."Should. Ought. Need. Those are obligation words. Not inspiration words.A powerful goal sounds different: "I want to have the energy to play with my grandkids." "I'm building a business that solves a problem I'm obsessed with." "I'm saving money to take my family on the trip we've dreamed about for years."Same activities. Different goals. Completely different emotional pull.Robbins is telling us: if you're not taking action, don't blame yourself. Look at your goal. Is it powerful enough to move you? Or is it just something you think you "should" do?So here's the question: What goal are you calling yourself lazy about? And what would happen if you rewrote that goal to connect to something you actually care about?Because you're not lazy. You just need a goal powerful enough to move you.Make it powerful. And watch yourself move.That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.

Welcome to the Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.Today's quote comes from Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor who gave us the telephone and revolutionized human communication.He said:"Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus."The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.Think about that. The sun is the most powerful force in our solar system. Incredibly powerful. Unimaginably hot.But spread across the sky? It just warms you up. It gives you a tan. It lights the day.Take that exact same power and bring it to a focus – through a magnifying glass – and suddenly it burns. It ignites. It creates fire from something that was already there.Nothing changed about the sun. The power was always there. What changed was the focus.Bell is telling us: you already have the power. The talent. The ability. The potential. It's already inside you.But without focus, that power just warms the room. It does a little of this, a little of that. It spreads itself thin across everything and ignites nothing.Bring that same power to a focus – concentrate all your thoughts on one thing – and suddenly you burn. You ignite. You create.Bell didn't invent the telephone by half-heartedly working on a dozen projects. He concentrated. He focused. He brought all of his mental power to a single point.And that focus turned his potential into one of the greatest inventions in history.The raw material was always there. The focus is what made it extraordinary.So here's the question: What are you spreading too thin right now? What would happen if you brought all your mental power to a single focus?Because the sun's rays are already powerful. They just need to be brought to a point.Concentrate. And watch yourself burn.That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.

Welcome to The Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.

Today's quote comes from Buddha, who said:
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."
Do not dwell. Do not dream. Concentrate.
Three directives. One target: the present moment.
Buddha understood something most people miss: the only moment where you have any power is right now. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Now.
When you dwell in the past, you're replaying something you can't change. You're giving your mental energy to moments that no longer exist.
When you dream of the future, you're imagining something that hasn't happened yet. You're spending your attention on possibilities instead of realities.
But when you concentrate on the present moment – this moment, right now – you're in the only place where action is possible. Where decisions happen. Where life actually occurs.
The past is a memory. The future is a prediction - an illusion really. The present is the only thing that's real.
Most people live everywhere except where they actually are. Their mind is in yesterday's argument or tomorrow's meeting. They're physically here but mentally somewhere else.
And they wonder why they feel powerless. Why they feel anxious. Why nothing changes.
Buddha's answer: because you're not actually present. You're dwelling or dreaming instead of concentrating on the only moment that matters.
This reminds me of something Dr. Benjamin Hardy writes about: we think the past determines the present and the present determines the future. How could it be otherwise... the events, circumstances and choices I've made created my present situation and what I do in the present shapes my future. Obviously - right?
But it's actually backwards.
It is true you can't change the past. Whether there was struggle, abuse, suffering. There is no way to go back in time and change anything. But in the present you can decide what those things mean. You decide how to perceive the past and it can hold you back or empower you forward. A failure becomes a lesson. A setback becomes a setup. Ok that makes sense but how is it possible that the future can determine your present.
Well, your future vision determines how you act in the present.
Here's what that means: when I decide what future I want, that decision changes what I do right now, in this present moment.
If my future vision is just more of the same boring stuff from the past, then how motivated will I be to take massive action in the present... not very. But if I have a compelling future to look forward to? If I set some impossible goals and believe that I can get there. Well that is a different story. If you have a compelling future you will be more motivated in the present.
Buddha's teaching us to concentrate on now. Hardy's showing us why: because the present moment is where you create a vision for the future and rewrite the meaning of the past.
All your power lives right here. Right now.
So here's the question: Where is your mind right now? Are you dwelling in the past? Dreaming of the future? Or are you actually here, in this moment, where your power lives?
Because this moment – right now – is the only place where anything can change. Whether you are changing the meaning of your past or creating a compelling future to make for yourself.
Concentrate on the here and now. Everything else follows.
That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.

Welcome to the Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.
Today's quote comes from William Morris, the 19th-century British designer, poet, and craftsman who believed that beauty and meaning could be found in everyday objects and moments.
He said:
"The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life."
All the details of daily life. Not just the big moments. The details.
Morris isn't talking about waiting for vacation or retirement or the next big milestone to be happy. He's saying happiness is hiding in plain sight – in the details you're ignoring right now.
Taking a genuine interest in people. Not just hearing them but actually listening. Not just seeing them but noticing them. Asking real questions. Caring about their answers.
Taking a genuine interest in places. Not just passing through but actually observing. The architecture. The light. The sounds. How a space feels. What makes it unique.
Taking a genuine interest in things. The objects around you. How they're made. Why they exist. The craft and care that went into them. Or the lack of it.
Taking a genuine interest in circumstances. Not just reacting to what happens but being curious about it. Why did this happen? What can I learn? What's interesting about this situation?
Most people sleepwalk through their days. They're physically present but mentally absent. Going through the motions. Waiting for something big to happen so they can finally pay attention.
But Morris understood: happiness doesn't come from the big moments. It comes from being genuinely interested in the small ones. The conversation with the barista. The way light hits your kitchen wall. The texture of your morning coffee cup. The reason your coworker seems distracted today.
Genuine interest transforms ordinary moments into meaningful ones. Not because the moments change. Because your attention changes.
So here's the question: What details of your daily life are you ignoring? What people, places, things, or circumstances could you take genuine interest in today?
Because Morris is right. Happiness isn't hiding in some future moment. It's hiding in the details you're rushing past right now.
That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.

Welcome to the Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.Today's quote comes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German writer and philosopher who's considered one of the greatest literary figures in Western history.He said:"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."Two statements. Same structure. Same truth.Knowing is not enough. Willing is not enough. Both require something more.Let's break this down.You can know everything about fitness – nutrition, exercise science, proper form. But if you don't apply that knowledge, if you don't actually go to the gym, you won't get fit. Knowing doesn't count.You can be willing to start a business. You can want it desperately. You can tell everyone about your intentions. But if you don't do it – if you don't register the company, create the product, make the sale – willing doesn't count.Goethe's drawing a line between two stages of achievement. The internal stage and the external stage.Knowing and willing? Those are internal. They happen in your head. They're important. They're necessary. But they're not sufficient.Applying and doing? Those are external. They happen in the world. They create results. They're where knowledge and willingness transform into actual outcomes.Most people get stuck in the first stage. They accumulate knowledge but never apply it. They develop willingness but never take action.And they wonder why nothing changes.Goethe's answer is simple: because knowing isn't enough. Because willing isn't enough. You have to cross the gap. You have to apply. You have to do.So here's the question: What do you know that you're not applying? What are you willing to do but haven't actually done?Because Goethe's right. Knowing isn't enough. Willing isn't enough. You have to apply. You have to do.That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.

Welcome to the Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.Today's quote comes from Irving Berlin, the legendary composer who wrote "White Christmas," "God Bless America," and hundreds of other American classics.He said:"Life is 10 percent what you make it, and 90 percent how you take it."Ten percent what you make it. Ninety percent how you take it.That ratio is important. Berlin's not saying what happens to you doesn't matter. That's the ten percent. It matters.But the ninety percent? That's entirely up to you. That's your response. Your interpretation. Your attitude toward what happened.Most people have this backwards. They think life is 90 percent circumstances and maybe 10 percent attitude. They believe their happiness depends almost entirely on external events.But Berlin lived through poverty, prejudice, and personal tragedy. He knew better. He knew that what happens to you is far less important than how you respond to what happens.Two people can experience the same setback. One person sees it as the end. The other sees it as a redirection. Same event. Ten percent. Different response. Ninety percent. Completely different outcome.You get rejected from a job. You can take it as "I'm not good enough" or "That wasn't the right fit." Same rejection. Different interpretation. Different future.You face a challenge. You can take it as "This is impossible" or "This is interesting." Same challenge. Different attitude. Different result.Berlin's showing us where our power actually lives. Not in controlling what happens – that's only ten percent. But in controlling how we respond – that's ninety percent.So here's the question: What's happening in your life right now that you're letting control your attitude?Remember – that's only ten percent. You get ninety percent. That's where your power is.How will you take it?That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.

Welcome to The Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.
Today's quote comes from Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher whose ideas still shape how we think about ethics, logic, and human nature.
He said:
"Say nothing. Do nothing. Be nothing. And no one will criticize you."
This might be the most brutally honest quote about criticism ever written.
Aristotle isn't giving advice here. He's stating a hard truth: if you want to avoid criticism, the solution is simple. Disappear. Say nothing. Do nothing. Be nothing.
And yeah, if you do that, no one will criticize you. You'll be completely safe from judgment.
You'll also be completely irrelevant.
Because here's what Aristotle understood 2,400 years ago: criticism is the price of participation. It's the cost of doing anything meaningful.
Say something bold? Someone will disagree. Do something different? Someone will say you're doing it wrong. Be someone who stands for something? Someone will tear you down.
That's not a bug. That's a feature of being alive and engaged in the world.
The only way to avoid criticism is to remove yourself from the arena entirely. To make yourself so small, so quiet, so invisible that there's nothing for anyone to criticize.
But most people don't actually choose that path consciously. They choose it by default. They avoid speaking up because someone might disagree. They avoid trying something new because someone might judge them. They avoid becoming who they want to be because someone might criticize them.
They think they're being smart. They think they're protecting themselves.
What they're actually doing is choosing to be nothing. And Aristotle's showing us what that costs.
So here's the question: What are you not saying, not doing, or not becoming because you're afraid of criticism?
Because if you want to avoid all criticism, Aristotle's formula works perfectly. Say nothing. Do nothing. Be nothing.
But if you want to actually live? Criticism comes with the territory.
That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.

Welcome to the Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.Today's quote comes from Kyle Chandler, Emmy Award-winning actor best known for his role in "Friday Night Lights."He said:"Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door."Think about the lie we've all been told: "Opportunity knocks."Just wait. Be patient. Be ready. And when opportunity gently knocks on your door, you'll be there to answer it.Chandler's calling that out. Opportunity doesn't knock. It doesn't politely wait for you to notice it. It doesn't come looking for you.You have to go find it. And when you find it, you have to beat down the door.Not ask nicely. Not wait your turn. Beat down the door.This isn't about being aggressive or rude. It's about being relentless. It's about refusing to wait for permission. It's about taking action so forceful that opportunity has no choice but to present itself.Most people wait. They polish their resume and wait for the perfect job posting. They practice their pitch and wait for the perfect investor. They develop their skills and wait for someone to notice.But the people who succeed? They don't wait. They reach out to the hiring manager directly. They show up at the investor's office. They create their own platform instead of waiting to be chosen.They beat down the door.Chandler didn't become a successful actor by waiting for opportunities to knock. He knocked down doors. He auditioned relentlessly. He took roles others passed on. He created his own opportunities through force of will.So here's the question: What opportunity are you waiting to knock? And what would happen if you stopped waiting and started beating down the door?Because opportunity isn't coming to find you. You have to go create it.That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.