Categories Lessons in Life

Choose the short pain

Well done is quickly done. Augustus Caesar 63 B.C. – A.D. 14 Some time ago, I was at a business conference where the chairman of a hundred million dollar company was explaining a business principle. It’s a very valid concept and applies not only to business but to our everyday … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

Are you too busy to succeed?

It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about? Henry David Thoreau 1817 – 1862 We all have plans and dreams for a better, more fulfilling life. Yet study after study shows that only a small percent of people actually … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

The two minute warning

Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend. Theophrastus d. 278 B.C. American pro football is an exciting game to watch, as its many devoted fans can attest. Playable time is limited to sixty minutes, divided into two halves. As time starts winding down in each half, the … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

The law of diminishing intentions

If you let yourself be distracted by minor considerations, nothing important will ever get finished. Confucius 551 – 479 BC One of the rituals at our house is to go through the Sunday newspaper and pull out the manufacturer’s coupons for items we normally use; the coupons offer a discount … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Finding happiness

Too many choices

The nature of desire is not to be satisfied. Aristotle 384 – 322 B.C. Today, we’re faced with an increasing number of choices for every imaginable item in our lives. It’s truly amazing the number of options we have. Just think about the last time you went to the grocery; pick … [ 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 Motivating yourself

Teaching penguins to fly

You possess strengths you might not realize you have. Find the right one. Use it. Epictetus 55 – 135 A.D. There’s an interesting story about penguins that illustrates a profound lesson. As the story goes, a group of penguins got wind of the fact that inspirational and motivational speakers were … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Lessons in Life

What’s your Christmas wish?

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves. Eric Sevareid 1912 – 1992 This is the time of the year when the Christians of the world celebrate the birth of Christ. But … [ Continue Reading ]

Categories Success and failure

Are you a risk taker?

Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind. Leonardo da Vinci 1452 – 1519 How would you answer the question, “Are you a risk taker?” If you’re like most people, you probably want … [ Continue Reading ]