10 Quotes to Motivate and Inspire You This Year

It’s a new year, and you’re pumped up and ready to go after your new goals. This year you will improve your cheer skills, your fitness, your health, and your grades. Maybe you aren’t actually as motivated as you’d like to be, or maybe you want to reinforce the motivation you already have or renew the motivation you had on January 1. Whatever the case, we’ve got you covered. We love goals, motivation, and inspiring people. So we’ve picked out 10 of our favorite quotes to get‚ or keep‚ you going on becoming an even better you this year. Read them, write them down, post them, print them, pin them‚ whatever you have to do to keep yourself inspired all year long! Know what counts. One of life’s biggest lessons is what is actually important and what is not. In both cheerleading and life, it’s not the failure that matters but how you react to it. Go for the real victories. Cheerleading isn’t about the trophies and medals or even the bragging rights. Those things are great, but it’s the experience that will really matter in the long run. The friends you make, the good habits you acquire, and the cheer stories you’ll be talking about for years are going to make you happier than the awards that will probably be lost in your parents’ attic in 10 years. Hard work is everything. Losing is no fun, but there’s a way to ensure you will never feel that disappointment again: Work as hard as you can. Seriously. If you go absolutely as hard as you can, you will never have anything to be ashamed of. You did all you could. Make sure that you can walk into the gym for a tryout or competition and know that not a single person in there worked as hard as you did. That is all you can ever ask of yourself. Get back to the basics. Somewhere along the line, cheerleading will begin to feel like a job. You will take it too seriously. It will stop being fun. When a sport comes with so much pressure, so little room for error, and so much of a time commitment, this burnout is almost inevitable. Luckily, it’s an easy fix. Take a deep breath and remember why you are there in the first place. Remind yourself how lucky you are to be doing what you love and doing it so well. Smile and go have fun! Keep it classy. Whether you win or lose is much less important than how you win and lose. Figure out how to reach your goal. Problems are going to arise, so it’s whether you get around them that matters. Understand that it’s not easy for anyone. Even the best cheerleader in the world wishes she could sit in bed and eat ice cream during cheer practice sometimes , but she doesn’t. You have to figure out how to get past injuries, fear, weaknesses, and just bad days. No one gets a pass on these things, and there’s no excuse to let them stop you. Ignore the haters. Even if you’re surrounded by supportive friends, family, and teammates, you’ll probably come across people who doubt your abilities. Ignore anyone who says you can’t do something. You will probably even have to ignore yourself at times. That’s OK. If people think you have an attitude problem because of this confidence, ignore them too. Confidence is not a problem. Do a gut check. How bad do you want it? Don’t expect to see results if you aren’t willing to put in the work. Be a champion. This doesn’t mean you bring home more trophies. Being a champion is a way of life, a way of conducting yourself as an athlete. Make a difference. Leaving your mark on your squad, school, and community is more important than perfect performances. Both are important, but it’s the giving back and being a good role model that make you truly successful. What motivates you? Share your favorite quotes or your own advice in the comments!