Categories Lessons in Life

The layaway plan

It is unreasonable to think that we can earn rewards without being willing to pay their true price. Epictetus 55 – 135 A.D. Do you remember when buying bigger, more expensive items on layaway was a common thing? At one time, most department stores offered a layaway plan. While a … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Where’s your focus?

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 ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Fighting moles

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 ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Expectations

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 ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Choices

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 ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Are you a quitter?

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 ]