George Denis Patrick Carlin established himself as a stand-up comedian, social critic, actor, and author in his lifetime. Widely considered the dean of counterculture comedians, he was regarded among the most significant and influential stand-up comics ever. Born in 1937, Carlin attained widespread popularity, banking on his dark comedy and his work on politics, psychology, taboo subjects, religion, and the English language before he breathed his last in 2008 at the age of 71.
His comments on political issues and his satire on American culture caught the imagination of millions over the world. During many of his funny performances, Carlin said a lot of things that are now used by many as motivational and inspirational quotes. Below are five of his quotes that can be used for business.
“Don’t Sweat the Petty Things and Don’t Pet the Sweaty Things”
This inspirational quote from George Carlin suggests that you should always take things in your stride and not let petty things affect you. There are a lot of things in business that can trouble you. There are also multiple aspects of business that could rob you of your sleep. But if you keep worrying about every little thing in business, you will spend more time on them and forget to focus on the bigger picture. Your main priority should be taking your business to a new level and attaining success. Small obstacles are normal. So deal with them with enthusiasm and move on.
“Just Because You Got the Monkey Off Your Back Doesn’t Mean the Circus has Left Town”
Facing challenges is a part and parcel of business. When you come face to face with a challenge, you must deal with it as soon as possible and remove it from your path. Once you deal with a particularly challenging situation, it’s also important to make sure that such a situation doesn’t arise again. For that to happen, you need to come up with proper strategies and implement them when it’s required. You may have faced a challenge initially and have successfully mitigated it. However, that doesn’t imply that the challenge won’t pose problems for you later on. Preventive measures should always be in place so that hurdles don’t keep on coming back time and again.
“The Caterpillar Does All the Work, but the Butterfly Gets All the Publicity”
When it’s business, usually the boss, the manager, or the team leader gets the credit for any work. The fact that the rest of the team worked hard day and night to complete a project is overlooked. This happens often when the other members of the team have accomplished a lion’s share of the work. The team members are bound to feel undervalued and might be demotivated if they don’t get due recognition. If you want the team to stay motivated all round the clock and continue giving 100% to their work, you need to appreciate them and acknowledge their hard work.
“Some People See the Glass Half-Full, Others See it Half-Empty. I See a Glass That is Twice as Big as it Needs to Be”
This inspirational quote is about seeing things from a different perspective. When a group of people tries to look at the same situation, it’s normal for each person to have a different perspective of it. When you come to a standstill and have no idea how to take things forward, try to look at things from a different perspective. If you find it tough looking at things from a different perspective, consult with your team and ask what they feel about the situation. They may offer you a different approach to the situation that you might not have thought of.
“Have You Ever Noticed that Anybody Driving Slower than You is an Idiot, and Anyone Going Faster than You is a Maniac”
People tend to compare themselves to others and also rate their achievements and accomplishments accordingly. This quote warns of the failures that are attached to such comparisons. You always have the risk of thinking that you are always on the right path and others are on the wrong path. You might have noticed that people with such an attitude have the habit of mocking others who try to do good things in life. Just forget what others are saying or doing and concentrate on how to attain your goals in life.
George Carlin’s quotes are inspirational and give you an insight into a lot of aspects of running a business, and into other aspects of life as well.