I love a good analogy.
Especially from people who have lived. One of my more recent favorites came from Jeff, who said that it’ll take you twice as long and cost you twice as much to get halfway through your worst case scenario.
So true.
To fill up my website with some more great analogies about life, I asked people at Terkel for their best life analogies. Here’s a few I enjoyed.
What Are Some Good Analogies About Life?
From “Life Is Like a Game of Chess” to “It's Hard to Steer a Parked Car” here are 10 answers to the question, "What are powerful analogies that you live by?"
- “Life Is Like a Game of Chess”
- “Never Half-Ass Two Things, Whole-Ass One Thing”
- Climbing Mountains Represents Reaching Goals
- “Life is Like a Print”
- The Butterfly Effect
- “Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover”
- “Mental Health is Like a Plant”
- Stained Glass Window
- “Life is a Journey”
- “It's Hard to Steer a Parked Car”
“Life Is Like a Game of Chess”
In chess, it's important to consider each move before making one. Similarly, in life, we should consider our decisions and the consequences they can have on our future. Also, in both games, there are limited resources and opportunities—if you don't plan wisely and take advantage of them now, you may not get another chance later.
Therefore, I recognize potential opportunities as something to leverage for long-term success and do my best to capitalize on them when available. I also try to remain mindful of risks that might impede or hinder progress toward achieving my goals.
Michael Alexis
CEO, Virtual Team Building
“Never Half-Ass Two Things, Whole-Ass One Thing”
Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation really hit the nail on the head with this one. While probably more crass than it needs to be, the basic idea is something that I've always aligned with.
You should always give your full and undivided attention to the thing you're doing right now—be in the moment rather than trying to multitask or plan something for the future.
Kate Kandefer
CEO, SEOwind
Climbing Mountains Represents Reaching Goals
Climbing mountains symbolizes perseverance, strength, and determination. Business success requires discipline, hard work, and a willingness to overcome obstacles, like mountain climbing.
We can't conquer everything at once. Break it down into manageable steps and focus on each step. Like climbers, we must prepare for setbacks, detours, and unexpected challenges.
Climbing a mountain requires having a goal. You can see the summit, and every step brings you closer to your goal. Even in uncertain times, a clear business goal can keep you focused and motivated.
Finally, the mountain analogy emphasizes teamwork. Mountain climbing requires teamwork. It takes a team of climbers with unique skills to achieve a goal.
David Reid
Sales Director, VEM-Tooling
“Life is Like a Print”
The analogy that I live by is that life is like a print. Each moment and experience is like a photographic shot, an image full of possibilities and potential. As we move through life, we take these prints and develop them into our own unique stories.
We can pick which moments are worthy of developing further and discard others or keep them for later use in the album of our lives. It's our job to curate our prints into this album and make sure it tells the story we want them to tell. The difference between living a good life and not lies in how well we create with our prints.
Finally, like any great work of art, the quality of our work can often be judged upon its presentation – how our album looks in its entirety will affect whether people choose to look at it or ignore it altogether.
Stephanie Jenkins
Founder, Stephanie Jenkins Photo
The Butterfly Effect
I firmly believe that even the smallest actions or decisions we make can have a significant impact on our lives and the world. Therefore, my favorite analogy, which I live by, is the Butterfly Effect. The concept that a slight change can cause a large ripple effect has always been inspiring to me.
It's a powerful reminder that every little thing we do, no matter how insignificant it may seem, can make a big difference in the long run. Whether it's taking a small step towards living a more sustainable lifestyle or empowering others with our words and actions, we all have the power to make a positive impact on the world.
Basana Saha
Founder, KidsCareIdeas
“Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover”
In my personal and professional life, reminding myself of this encourages me to come up with new ideas. Statistics can be manipulated to give a desired impression, appearances can be misleading, and any situation can unfold in a myriad of ways. When I'm unsure of what's beyond the obvious, it makes me stop to think and actively listen.
If more of us held back judgment and really tried to learn from every experience, be it personal or work-related, I think we'd grow as a society at a more sped-up rate.
How do we know what kind of person they are, which difficulties we share, and how much we can learn from them if we never go beyond our discomfort with superficial details?
This analogy helps me to ask many questions which I believe drive me to my best self: What else is there to know here? How can I do better? By challenging myself, I grow and become ever more able to add value to the people and organizations in my life. That, for me, is the path to happiness.
Lilia Koss
Community Manager, Facialteam
“Mental Health is Like a Plant”
Plants need the right amount of sunlight, water, and nutrients to grow and thrive. Similarly, we need to nourish and take care of our mental health. We can do this through positive experiences, a healthy lifestyle, self-care, and supportive relationships.
Emma Loker
Mental Health Specialist, Healthy Minded
Stained Glass Window
The stained-glass window, observed closely, provides only shiny colors and glints. However, when observed from a distance, it reveals a story, an image, or a vision.
Considerably too obsessed with resolving minor issues in order to compensate for the uncertainty of our age, we forget to admire the entire image. Returning to the perspective of the whole reminds us of the given and helps us move our focus.
Marco Genaro Palma
Co-founder, TechNews180
“Life is a Journey”
A powerful analogy that I live by is a journey. Life is like a journey, with twists and turns, and difficulties, but ultimately heading in the same direction. We should choose our path carefully and thoughtfully, taking time to appreciate the scenery we encounter along the way.
The most important thing to remember is that we will eventually reach our destination, no matter how long or difficult the journey may be.
Taking each step forward is what matters most in the end. We should strive to make progress and learn from our experiences so that we can arrive at our life's destination with a sense of fulfillment and joy.
Scott Orn
Chief Operating Officer, Kruze Consulting
“It's Hard to Steer a Parked Car”
I find this analogy useful in my personal and professional life. It's a reminder that you often need to act and not get stuck in paralysis by analysis.
In my business, it's a reminder to go out and try new ideas and approaches that look promising, and then use the data gained by actually informing further decisions. It's an analogy that encourages a bias toward action.
Temmo Kinoshita
Co-founder, Lindenwood Marketing
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