20 Bob Ross Quotes That Apply to Business
Bob Ross was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was born in Florida in 1942, and he died in 1995. He is best known as the creator and host of ‘The Joy of Painting’. This was an instructional television program that aired on PBS between 1983 and 1994. It was aired in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Latin America. Due to the success that this man achieved in his life, he is considered inspirational and his quotes are often used for motivational purposes. Here are 20 Bob Ross that apply to business.
20. On Recognizing the Talents of Your Team
“Don’t forget to make all these little things individuals- all of them special in their own way”.
According to this quote on Huffington Post, each of the people working within your team is an individual with their own strengths and weaknesses. It is vital that you take the time to assess the strengths of your team and utilize their talents to the best advantage for your business. This will make your team feel valued and as though they are making a contribution that is appreciated.
19. On Coping with Stress
“No pressure, just relax and watch it happen”.
There are many times as a business leader that you will feel under a lot of pressure and this can lead to stress. According to this Bob Ross quote, you should try not to let things get to you so much. There is nothing in business that should cause you so much pressure that your health begins to suffer. In most cases, if you take a step back and relax a bit, you will realize that the situation wasn’t worth stressing over in the first place.
18. On Having a Vision
“However you think it should be, that’s exactly how it should be”.
To become a success, then you should first have a vision of what you want to achieve. Once you have your vision, you should stick to it wherever possible and put strategies in place to make sure you get to where you want to be in your chosen timeframe.
17. On Adapting to Change
“Isn’t it fantastic that you can change your mind and create all these happy things?”.
Things are not always straightforward, and you may realize that you need to adopt a flexible approach to certain aspects of a project. Making changes is not always a bad thing, as you may find that making a change helps you to achieve something even better than you had originally planned.
16. On Rewarding Your Team
“Don’t forget to tell these special people in your life just how special they are to you”.
Unless you are a sole trader, it is not just you that has achieved your success. It is likely that you have had the support of a team that has each contributed something to your business. Make sure that your staff knows how much you value their contributions and support. If they feel appreciated, they are more likely to remain motivated and continue to support you in achieving business success.
15. On Challenging Yourself
“How do you make a round circle with a square knife? That’s your challenge for the day”.
You will only achieve great things if you are willing to challenge yourself. If you stick to what you know and don’t try anything new, you are likely to only achieve a mediocre level of success and your business may plateau rather than grow. Make sure you set yourself challenges to achieve something new and try new ways of thinking for your business to reach its potential.
14. On Not Following the Crowd
“They say everything looks better with odd numbers of things. But sometimes I put even numbers- just to upset the critics”.
Listed on Mental Floss, this Bob Ross quote highlights the importance of taking your own route in life rather than simply following the crowd. If you do everything the same way as everyone else, then you will only achieve the same level of success as the average person. If you want to ai higher and stand out from the crowd, then you must do something different.
13. On Taking Chances
“Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is”.
Your chances of achieving big things is greatly reduced if you are unwilling to take the occasional risk. Sometimes, you need to step outside your comfort zone if you want to progress your business. An unwillingness to take these risks can put a barrier between you and your potential to become a success.
12. On the Importance of Self Belief
“The secret to doing anything is believing that you can do it.”
If you do not believe in yourself, then you cannot expect others to believe in you either. The first step towards reaching your goals is to believe that you have what it takes to get where you want in life. This air of self-confidence will inspire others to also have confidence and belief in your abilities.
11. On the Importance of Learning
“Anytime you learn, you gain”.
Learning is a lifelong process, and this is relevant to business because you will continually learn as your business grows. Even if you have a lot of knowledge in your industry, this does not mean you know everything. There are always new processes, technologies, methods, mindsets, and strategies to learn. Some things you will learn as you go along, some from your mistakes, and some from other people.
10. On Learning from Your Mistakes
“There are no mistakes, there are just happy accidents”.
Bob Ross did not see making a mistake as a tragedy, he saw it as a happy accident. You can apply this quote to business by relating it to seeing a mistake as an opportunity to learn. Mistakes are an inevitable part of running a business, and you shouldn’t allow yourself to feel down or consider yourself a failure just because of a few simple mistakes. Pick yourself up and look at the positives you can take from the situation, such as what you have learned.
9. On Aiming High
“You can do anything you want. This is your world”.
The only person responsible for your destiny is you. If you decide that you want to do something, then it is up to you to make your dreams a reality. The only thing stopping you from achieving your dreams is the doubts and barriers you put in your own way. Stop thinking and start taking action, and you will get out of life what you put into it.
8. On Enhancing Your Strengths
“Talent is a pursued interest. Anything you’re willing to practice, you can do”.
An analysis of your strengths is possibly the reason why you chose your line of business, as it makes sense to utilize your strengths to your own advantage. Once you have identified your strengths and talents, you should work on them to enhance them. Likewise, you should also identify your weaknesses. Just because you have an area of weakness this does not mean you are at a disadvantage. Work on fixing your weaknesses wherever possible. If there are certain tasks that you cannot do, then learn how to do them and put in the practice. Alternatively, make sure that someone on your team has strengths in your areas of weakness.
7. On Creating Opportunities from Mistakes
“Ever made mistakes in life? Let’s make them birds. Yeah, they’re birds now”
Calm uses this quote to show how Bob Ross was the perfect example of someone who had a growth mindset. Instead of seeing the negatives in situations, he found ways to transform the negatives into opportunities. Although this quote relates to fixing the mistakes in a painting, it is just as easily applicable to a business setting. Learn from your mistakes, transform them into an opportunity, and move forwards with your business.
6. On Sharing Your Success
“There is nothing in the world that breeds success like success”.
You should share your success with the rest of your team as it is likely that they have made significant contributions to the success of your business. This quote also suggests that you should encourage your team to become as successful as they can in their roles, as this is beneficial to both them and to you.
5. On Riding the Highs and Lows of Business
“You need the dark in order to show the light”.
Business is filled with highs and lows. While you may want to experience more highs than lows, both the ups and the downs are important aspects of your business journey. Sometimes, it takes experiencing challenges and hurdles along the way to make you fully appreciate your successes and achievements.
4. On Analyzing Situations
“It’s hard to see when you are too close. Take a step back and look”.
When you are fully absorbed in a project, it is sometimes hard to see the bigger picture and you may have trouble identifying any potential problems. You may have a set idea in mind of how things should go, and not realize that things are possibly going wrong. Sometimes, you need to take a step back to assess progress, look at what is working well, and identify any areas that are potentially problematic. If necessary, get a work colleague to also take a look at the project as a pair of fresh eyes can bring a new perspective on a situation.
3. On Believing in Yourself
“You have unlimited power on this canvas- can literally, literally move mountains”.
Step one in becoming a success is believing in your own abilities. As the master of your own destiny, you are responsible for the actions you take, the decisions, you make, and for everything that you achieve. If you think that you have the capacity and potential to run a successful business, then you should go for it as nothing is standing in your way.
2. On Enjoying Your Work
“It’s so important to do something every day that will make you happy”.
No work is easy, and this is especially the case if you are trying to build, establish, or run a business. Accepting that you will have to put in time and effort is essential. However, it shouldn’t all be about work with no play. The first point to make in relation to this Bob Ross quote is that you should enjoy your time at work. It is vital that you do not feel miserable or it will become a long, hard slog. You should only do something while it is still something about which you are passionate. The second point to make is that it is important to maintain a good work-life balance. Although working hard is good, you will have more focus if you have time away from work.
1. On Creating Your Vision
“All you need to paint is a few tools, a little instruction, and a vision in your mind”.
Listed by Everyday Power, this Bob Ross quote was said in reference to painting, but it also applies to business. Simply replace the word ‘paint’ with the word ‘business’ and it begins to make sense. If you have a vision of what you want to achieve, the right resources, and some guidance from people with experience, then you can achieve anything you want to achieve in life. Think of your life as being the canvas and the painting you create on that canvas as being the life you want to lead. You are in control of the paintbrush and how the finished result looks. The resources do not necessarily need to refer to money or objects. Important resources in business can also refer to time, people, knowledge, and experience.
