“wife and two children on the spot of barren dirt that hours before had been his home and everything he owned, he spoke the words I will keep with me always. He said, “We have lost absolutely everything. We have nothing left other than the clothes on our backs.” Then, after a brief pause, he continued, “But I guess we are lucky since our whole family is safe and sound. We have everything important.” To have lost everything and still have everything seems contradictory, but it’s not. As I reflect on the lessons presented by the young father, I realize that we all spend a lot of time accumulating things that in the final”
―
Jim Stovall
“that we would receive the overwhelming message that the vast majority of adults feel they have no talent in these areas. On the other hand, if we were to conduct the same poll among 4-year-olds, we would find that virtually all of them are convinced they can sing, and virtually all of them have confidence in their ability to dance. Most of the 4-year-olds have little or no real talent, but, instead, they are endowed with incredible confidence in their own potential. This confidence, or certainty of success, is something we were all born with but we later traded in for a strong dose of what we call realism. Shortly after we reach school age, we are taught lessons about the world that revolve around us, limiting our vision and becoming realistic.”
―
Jim Stovall
“and better, makes us all proud. But let us never forget that, when you’ve lost everything that you own, but you still have your friends and family around you and the desire to go on, you still have everything.”
―
Jim Stovall
“Every day is a gift because it can either be the first day of the rest of our life or be our last day here on earth.”
―
Jim Stovall
“things in this life can be separated into two categories: Things that are valuable and things that matter.”
―
Jim Stovall
“The only way to truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away.”
―
Jim Stovall
“I defy you to find a statue or a monument ever erected to anyone because they were realistic. All dreamers, all achievers, all great people kept their child-like faith in their own dream and their ability to carry it out, and these great people had an inordinate gift to disregard the word's cries for reality.”
―
Jim Stovall
“write books, make speeches, produce movies, or even submit a weekly column with the thought of making people’s lives better, stand atop the giant shoulders of Napoleon Hill. Anyone who has written a self-help or personal-development book in the last 75 years enjoyed an advantage that Napoleon Hill never had. We have all benefited”
―
Jim Stovall
“Problems can only be avoided by exercising good judgment. Good judgment can only be gained by experiencing life’s problems.”
―
Jim Stovall
“Success lies in the balance between seeking and striving on one hand and being peaceful and content on the other.”
―
Jim Stovall
“The journey of life is a matter of traveling well rather than reaching a destination.”
―
Jim Stovall
“I finally know that joy does not come from avoiding a problem or having someone else deal with it for you. Joy comes from overcoming a problem or simply learning to live with it while being joyful.”
―
Jim Stovall
“It is impossible to experience fear, hate, or defeat when we are laughing.”
―
Jim Stovall
“Laughter is good medicine for the soul. Our world is desperately in need of more such medicine.”
―
Jim Stovall
“Pursue your dreams as if you will live forever, and consider your legacy as if this will be your final day.”
―
Jim Stovall
