All good things must come to an end.Traditional proverb With my daughter’s help, I’ve been publishing Lessons in Life for a little over twenty years. I did the easy part: I wrote the first draft. She did the hard work of editing and publishing the Lessons. She was the one … [ Continue Reading ]
John Chancellor
Why we make bad decisions
What’s so curious about human beings is that we can look deeply into the future, foresee disaster, and still do nothing in the present to stop it. The majority of people on this planet, they’re overwhelmed with concerns about their immediate well being. Dan Gilbert 1957 – Most people understand … [ Continue Reading ]
It costs too much
What is a cynic? A man who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde 1854 – 1900 Some time ago, I was working with a client who wanted to improve his sales volume and net income by a substantial margin. After a few sessions with … [ Continue Reading ]
You win, I lose
But I like not these great success of yours; for I know how jealous are the gods. Herodotus 484 BC – 409 BC I’ve noticed a worrying trend lately among different people and groups: the habit of viewing another person’s victory as a personal defeat. Don’t get me wrong; it’s … [ Continue Reading ]
Working together
Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. Helen Keller 1880 – 1968 I grew up in Mississippi, and in the late 1950s, I attended a program called Boys State/Girls State. The program was held in the legislative offices of the state capitol, and each participant … [ Continue Reading ]
Paying too much for the whistle
Everything you want in life has a price connected to it. There’s a price to pay if you want to make things better, a price to pay just for leaving things as they are, a price for everything.Harry Browne1933 – 2006 Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to a friend, Madame … [ Continue Reading ]
What do you value?
The things that matter most must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least. Johann Goethe 1749 – 1832 How well do you know what you value? I want to give you a little test: write down the top ten things you value. I’m totally serious; if … [ Continue Reading ]
Growing good corn
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha The following story has been around for some time, but it contains a very valuable lesson that I believe is worth sharing. (All … [ Continue Reading ]
Boiled frog
How we live our days is how we live our life. Annie Dillard 1945 – I was recently thinking about an old adage regarding frogs and hot water. If you placed a live frog in a pot of boiling water, the frog would do everything it could to escape; it … [ Continue Reading ]
Do you want to improve morale?
Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal. Aristotle 384 B.C. – 322 B.C. Do you work in an office where morale is low? Is your home life … [ Continue Reading ]