We asked folks to tell us about their favorite quote or affirmation and to tell us what it means to them. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Ivey Smith | Founder of She Treks, Ltd.

“Go out in the woods, go out. If you don’t go out in the woods, nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin” -Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves Reading Estés book, WWRWW, was pivotal for me. She put into words a concept my heart had only just begun to whisper of. In order to know myself, in order to truly live, I needed to step into the unknown, embrace discomfort in a way I never had before, and walk the path less traveled. Read more>>

Colton Kooker | Comet Lenny

A quote that I find myself coming back to time and time again is “Don’t be a donkey.” If you’re unfamiliar it’s the story of a donkey who was very thirsty and very hungry and equidistance from a barrel of hay and a barrel of water; it couldn’t decide which to walk to first so it died. If the donkey had just made a decision it could have gone to the water first and then walked to the hay. My take away is that you shouldn’t be paralyzed by not knowing what to do next, just do something, because you can always do something else later. Read more>>

Shawna Gray | Digital Media Marketing Agent & Graphic Designer

“I’m going to make everything around me beautiful, that will be my life”-Elsie de Wolfe Beautiful means something different for everyone, but life is all about perspective and your surroundings which create that perspective.  What we choose to see, hear, and be surrounded by, especially in our own personal life, is usually entirely our choice. Beauty sparks inspiration and feelings of well-being, Read more>>

Ronni Knepp | Photographer & Photography Instructor

“If you’re going to fail, do it epically.” I started saying it in undergrad and grad school and now teach it to my students as well as my friends who are starting their own businesses. To me, it takes away that “fear of failure” that everyone goes through, or at least it minimizes it. It reminds us that there is opportunity for growth in our failures, and if we hit the bottom then there is only one way you can go, and that’s up. Also, it makes people smile and laugh a bit. Read more>>

Kylene Blossom | Artist , Sculptor & Citizen Scientist

“Hey, remember when. . . ?!” The situations this phrase has gotten me through seem almost endless. Both my partner and I are artists. There can be many down times that come along with being artists; struggling to find a voice, outlet, time, materials, money, or motivation among countless others. This partial phrase got me through times that just seem to have no escape. I like that I’m able to look back on something worse or more difficult than where I am or what I’m dealing with at the time. Read more>>

Drew Bott | Memorial Artist

“Don’t try to win the race to zero” I came up with this a few years ago when deciding what direction to take my company. I found that most entrepreneurs were so focused on snagging every client that they never considered if that focus was actually losing them money. If securing a job means dropping your price to match someone else’s, you’re on your way to failure. There will ALWAYS be someone who can do it for less! NEVER get involved in a ‘race to zero’ because win or lose, you lose. Read more>>