Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own. Harold Coffin I recently read about an interesting psychological study and wanted to share the story with you. Researchers conducted a series of experiments where groups of two people were presented one hundred dollars to split … [ Continue Reading ]
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. Peter Drucker 1909 – 2005 In the excellent book Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott tells a story about her brother Sam. When he was a teen, Sam had a permanent chore: taking care of their … [ Continue Reading ]
Expectations are a form of first-class truth: If people believe it, it’s true. Bill Gates 1955 – In the mid 1960s, Dr. Robert Rosenthal, a Harvard psychologist, conducted a series of experiments involving children in grade school. At the beginning of the school year, all students at a certain grade … [ Continue Reading ]
The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self improvement, about being better than you were the day before. Steve Young 1961 – A few years back, our circle of friends was limited to individuals we had actually met. Thanks to the Internet and social media sites, my circle of … [ Continue Reading ]
What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. Pericles c. 495 – 429 B.C. I’m going to pose a few questions. Take a minute or two to look them over and see how many you can answer. … [ Continue Reading ]
A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with — a man is what he makes of himself. Alexander Graham Bell 1847 – 1922 When you look in the mirror, how do you view yourself? Do you see a person possessing limited resources and … [ Continue Reading ]
You have undertaken to cheat me. I won’t sue you, for the law is too slow. I’ll ruin you. Cornelius Vanderbilt 1794-1877 I know you’ve seen movies and TV shows where one person acts unjustly towards another. The victim is often shown glaring fiercely at the offender and saying, “I’ll … [ Continue Reading ]
We always have a choice about the content and character of our inner lives. Epictetus 55 – 135 A.D. I enjoy reading the comic strips in the newspaper. Frequently, they offer a bit of humor — a pleasant diversion in our troubling world. And sometimes they offer great insight into … [ Continue Reading ]
The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything. Warren Buffett 1930 – I don’t know about you, but for most of my life, people around me have often advised, “Don’t be a quitter.” Likewise, I can’t count the number … [ Continue Reading ]
Too much self-centered attitude, you see, brings isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering. Dalai Lama 1935 – In 1995, Robert Putnam, a Harvard Professor of Public Policy, wrote an article that he later expanded into the book Bowling Alone. One of the … [ Continue Reading ]