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 ]
Your mind is a magnet. You don’t attract what you need or what you want; you attract who you are. Carlos Santana 1947 – When I was a child, I remember learning about magnets in school. I was fascinated by the way they worked — positive and negative poles attracting … [ Continue Reading ]
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 ]
More information is always better than less. Simon Sinek 1973 – When you’re charged with a task, whether it’s at work, at home, or with friends, does the reason why matter? Does your manager try to motivate you by instilling a sense of purpose in your work? Do you try … [ Continue Reading ]
But I like not these great success of yours; for I know how jealous are the gods. Herodotus 484 BC -Â 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 perfectly … [ Continue Reading ]
There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare 1564 – 1616 In his book, Influence: Science and Practice, Robert Cialdini tells a story about a young girl away at college. She writes a letter to her parents, first apologizing for not having written sooner. She … [ Continue Reading ]
Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. George Washington Carver 1864 -1943 During the 2008 academic school year, there were five students in the State of Alabama that scored a perfect 2,400 on the SAT test. Lauren Faraino was one of them. … [ Continue Reading ]
For me, being memorable is more important than winning. Ricki Lake 1968 – Recently, writer Minerva Zimmerman shared a great story on Twitter about a chess game she’d agreed to play. Her opponent was a nationally ranked player; most would consider him an expert on the game. So she knew her … [ Continue Reading ]
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care, for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or evil. Buddha 563-483 B.C. When you were growing up, how many times did your mother tell you to watch your language? (If your childhood was anything like mine, … [ Continue Reading ]
I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. Thomas Jefferson 1746 – 1826 I’ve always believed that luck was totally random, not something you could control. But it seems I was wrong. Professor Richard Wiseman of the University of … [ Continue Reading ]