My Favourite Quote: Hemda Mizrahi, www.lifeandcareerchoices.com

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”
– Albert Camus


As a high schooler, I had a poster on my bedroom wall with this quote from Albert Camus. I love how these words evoke a warmth, brightness, and optimism that offer encouragement when times are dark and hard, especially during long stretches of turmoil or ambiguity. It’s a reminder that, beneath the stillness and heaviness of frozen ground, icy waters, and bare trees, vitality exists in the workings of nature. We are gifted with inner resources that are fertile if we decide to cultivate them. This is the underlying premise of coaching and consulting as I see it. The capability of an “invincible summer” exists and needs to be engaged, rather than created. 


I recently came across additional lines of this quote that were not included on my bedroom poster, which elaborate on Camus’s philosophy:

“And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
Source: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/508603-in-the-midst-of-winter-i-found-there-was-within

Camus was a French philosopher, author, and political journalist, as well as a producer of theater and a playwright. He was born in French Algeria in 1913 and later lived in France. He passed away in 1960, at the age of 46. 

Hemda Mizrahi is a transition, performance, and leadership coach to high-level performers, as well as a consultant to family-run and small to mid-sized businesses. Her clients include professional athletes in transition, and entrepreneur-athletes whose missions extend to philanthropy. Learn more at www.lifeandcareerchoices.com

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