The 20 Best Jordan Peterson Quotes That Apply to Business

Publish date: 2024-07-17

Jordan Peterson

Jordan Peterson is a clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. He was born in Edmonton, Canada, in 1962, and he is most famous for his views of cultural and political issues, which led to him receiving widespread attention from the 2010s. One of the greatest influencers of Peterson’s views and theories is Carl Jung. Many quotes from Jordan Peterson apply to business, and they are motivational, inspirational, and thought-provoking. Here are the 20 best Jordan Peterson quotes that apply to business.

20. On Learning from Your Experiences

“You can do an awful lot by writing down what happened to you and thinking it through.”

There are many ways of learning that can benefit you and your business. One that is often overlooked is learning from your experiences. While reading and courses are useful, there are some things that you cannot learn without doing them yourself. Both your positive and negative experiences are an essential part of the learning process.

19. On Taking Care of Yourself

“You should take care of, help, and be good to yourself the same way you would take care of, help, and be good to someone you loved and valued.”

People in business are often so taking care of their business that they forget to take care of themselves. Good physical and emotional wellbeing is vital if you want to run your business efficiently and successfully. It is crucial that you get enough sleep, enjoy time away from work, and eat a healthy and balanced diet. Doing so will help you to maintain your energy levels, motivation, and focus.

18. On Embracing the Possibilities

“The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities.”

Business is full of possibilities, and it is essential that you embrace these. Do not simply stick to the status quo without considering changes or something new, as this could lead to you missing out on fantastic opportunities that will enhance your business and improve your chances of success.

17. On What It Takes to Become Successful

“If you are going to be successful, you need to be smart, conscientious, and tough.”

There are many factors involved in becoming successful, including having the right idea, offering a product or service that consumers need, having the business skills to carry your business forward, and the market at any given time. As Peterson suggests in this quote, there are also personality traits that you need for success. Although there are many traits that can contribute to becoming successful, three of these are being smart, conscientious, and tough.

16. On Dealing with Challenges

“Face the demands of life voluntarily. Respond to a challenge, instead of bracing for catastrophe.”

The challenges that you face in business are often not as catastrophic as you originally feared. If you face the situation head-on and start looking for solutions straight away, you can often reduce the extremity of the situation and prevent it from becoming worse.

15. On Self-Improvement

“Humility is recognition of personal insufficiency and the willingness to learn.”

Nobody is perfect, and recognizing where your weaknesses lie is vital. Having weaknesses is not a bad thing if you are willing to learn and to work on improving in these areas. Devoting some time to self-improvement can benefit your business.

14. On Taking Action

“It is better to do something badly than to not do something at all.”

According to Awaken the Greatness Within, this is one of the best Jordan Peterson quotes that apply to business. In this quote, he talks about the importance of taking action, and this is relevant to business. You have a greater chance of business success if you are willing to try than if you do nothing at all. Even if you do it badly at first, you can simply put it down to experience and use it as a learning process.

13. On Recognizing Your Achievements

“Perhaps you are overvaluing what you don’t have and undervaluing what you do.”

A common mistake made by business people is to focus too much on what they might achieve in the future and not enough on the progress they have already made. By doing so, they give greater value to things that have yet to happen than they are to what they have already achieved.

12. On Increasing Your Knowledge

“So, listen, to yourself and to those with whom you are speaking. Your wisdom then consists not of knowledge you already have, but the continual search for knowledge, which is the highest form of wisdom.”

Knowledge in your field can take you a long way in business, so it is essential that you are constantly increasing your knowledge and learning new skills. It is particularly important to keep up to date with changes in your industry, new technologies, and the competition.

11. On Making Self-Improvements

“The better ambitions have to do with the development of character and ability, rather than status and power. Status, you can lose. You carry character with you wherever you go, and it allows you to prevail against adversity.”

Self-improvement is a process you go through that helps you to become the best person possible, and this can support your business endeavors and enhance your chances of fulfilling your potential. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is the first step of self-improvement. You can then put steps in place to work on improving your weaknesses.

10. On Having Respect for and Belief in Yourself

“We deserve some respect. You deserve some respect. You are important to other people, as much as to yourself. You have some vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world. “

Having self-respect and self-belief are vital if you want to become a success. They will help you to stay motivated and keep going no matter what happens. Also, if you do not have self-respect and self-belief, then other people are unlikely to respect or believe in you.

9. On Avoiding Repeating the Same Mistakes

“Faulty tools produce faulty results. Repeated use of the same faulty tools produces the same faulty results. It is in this manner that those who fail to learn from the past doom themselves to repeat it.”

This Jordan Peterson quote is included in a list on Bookroo. Everyone makes mistakes, but these are not failures if you do something about them. Worse than making a mistake is repeating the same mistake time and again. It is crucial that you learn from your mistakes and avoid repetitions of the same situations.

8. On Having Vision and Direction

“Don’t underestimate the power of vision and direction. These are irresistible forces, able to transform what might appear to be unconquerable obstacles into traversable pathways and expanding opportunities.”

You will find it difficult to succeed in business if you do not have vision and direction. You need to know what you want from life and how you are going to get there. If you are determined enough to succeed, major challenges will seem like minor obstacles, and any uncertainties you face will seem like exciting possibilities and opportunities.

7. On Facing Up to Your Fears

“You cannot be protected from the things that frighten you and hurt you, but if you identify with the part of your being that is responsible for your transformation, then you are always equal or more than the equal of the things that frighten you.”

Fears are something that everyone will experience at some point in their life. While some are minor and temporary, others are serious and long-standing. The unknown and failure are common fears in business, as is the fear of letting others down or embarrassing yourself. If you allow these fears to hold you back, you will have little chance of success. Therefore, you must face these fears and overcome them, or they will begin to dictate your life and prevent you from reaching your potential.

6. On Making the Most of Every Day

“If you fulfill your obligations every day, you don’t need to worry about the future.”

Listed by Mayo Oshin, this Jordan Peterson quote is about making the most of every day and not putting things off until a later date. Sometimes, it seems easier to put things off until another day. Doing so will mean that important tasks get missed, projects are delayed, and you may even prevent yourself from fulfilling your dreams. If there are things that you need to do, then get them done as soon as possible.

5. On Knowing What You Want and Making It Happen

“You must determine where you are going in your life because you cannot get there unless you move in that direction. Random wandering will not move you forward. It will instead disappoint and frustrate you and make you anxious and unhappy and hard to get along with (and then resentful, and then vengeful, and then worse).”

The first step towards success is knowing what you want from both your personal and professional life. Once you have decided this, you can start to work out what you need to do. If you have no idea what you want from life other than to know that you want to become successful, you will not know what steps to take to achieve this. If you know what you want and you achieve your dreams, you will lead a happier and more fulfilled life. People who only know they want more but do not have any idea of what will feel resentful.

4. On Working Hard

“Work as hard as you possibly can on at least one thing and see what happens.”

Very few people in business achieve great things without first putting in the work. If you want to launch a company, then prepare yourself for the hard work ahead. If you already have a business, then you will need to continue to put in the work to carry it forward. Those who are not willing to work hard, then you are limiting the chances of success.

3. On Building Resilience

“The way that you make most people resilient is by voluntarily exposing them to things that they are afraid of and that make them comfortable.”

Resilience is something that takes time to build, but it is a useful tool in business. You will gradually build resilience as you go through different experiences, such as challenges, failures, obstacles, confrontation, and making mistakes. Even though all these experiences seem negative at the time, they will help you to grow as a person, become stronger, and gain resilience. In turn, this will help you in a variety of business situations.

2. On Valuing Your Progress

“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”

If you spend all your time looking at what you want to achieve, it can make you feel like a failure as you are not there yet. Similarly, comparing yourself to successful people can leave you feeling as though you have failed in life. Instead of looking too far forward and comparing yourself to others, compare yourself now to where you started. Doing so will help you to feel more positive as you will realize the progress and achievements you have made. Feel proud of everything you have done.

1. On Getting on with Things

“Can you imagine yourself in 10 years if, instead of avoiding things you know you should do, you actually did them every single day? That’s powerful.”

According to Knowledge for Men, this is one of the best Jordan Peterson quotes that apply to business. There are many things in business that are boring or unpleasant, so many people tend to put these to one side and focus on the things they want to do, instead. Doing this is a mistake, as it can delay your progress. If you stop putting side the things that need doing, but you find it boring, you will make faster progress and have a greater chance of success.

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