Categories Lessons in Life

The worst thing in life

I only regret in my chilled age, certain occasions and possibilities I didn’t embrace. Henry James 1843 – 1916 I’d like you to take a few moments and think about the worst thing that could happen in your life. Now, depending on where you are in life, that might vary … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Are you building walls or bridges?

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late, Before you are six or seven or eight, To hate all the people your relatives hate, You’ve got to be carefully taught! “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” From the 1949 musical South Pacific Rogers and Hammerstein I’d like you to … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Your fair share

Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them. Napoleon Bonaparte 1769 – 1821 Once, I was working with a couple of partners who owned and operated a small business. The partners were experiencing some friction and one called me to vent his frustration. His main complaint was that he … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Not a contest

When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. Dale Carnegie 1888 – 1955 I don’t know about you, but I can remember hearing parents tell kids to clean their plates because “children are starving in India”. (Africa was often cited as … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Don’t panic and drown

As every scuba diver knows, panic is your worst enemy: when it hits, your mind starts to thrash and you are likely to do something really stupid and self-destructive. Daniel Dennett 1942 – I grew up in a small town in east central Mississippi. In my high school years, I … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Jigsaw puzzles

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Confucius 551 – 479 B.C. I suspect that most of you have worked on a jigsaw puzzle at one time or another; I still do them occasionally to keep my mind active and agile. Many people consider the jigsaw puzzle a childhood game, … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Planning ahead

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. Tom Landry 1924 – 2000 Each morning, I read certain comic strips in the newspaper. I read the comics for two reasons: they provide a bit of … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

The Myth of Busyness

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882 These days, it feels like everyone is busy, jumping from one job to the next and forgoing sleep because we don’t have enough time for … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

The value of lessons

After crosses and losses, men grow humbler and wiser. Benjamin Franklin 1706 – 1790 Several years ago, I worked with a young man for a few months with the goal of teaching him better methods to market his services. I became quite frustrated because he didn’t seem to appreciate the … [ Continue Reading ]