If anything can go wrong, it will. Murphy’s Law I was working with a businessman some time ago as he prepared a six-month plan for his company. We went over it and it looked good. Then I asked him this question: “What’s your back-up plan?” His reply was, “What do … [ Continue Reading ]
People only see what they are prepared to see. Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1852 Recently, I was on a conference call where business people discuss their ideas, situations and problems, with the goal of receiving feedback from other participants. One member, “Bill,” had just offered up his problem, and … [ Continue Reading ]
You always do what you want to do. This is true with every act. You may say that you had to do something, or that you were forced to, but actually, whatever you do, you do by choice. Only you have the power to choose for yourself. W. Clement Stone … [ Continue Reading ]
What you do not want done to yourself, do not to others. Confucius 551 – 479 BC Many years ago, I was at a birthday party for one of the younger children in our extended family. There were a couple of young girls, probably about five years old, and apparently … [ Continue Reading ]
Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. Viktor Frankl 1905 – 1997 Today in America, we celebrate Independence Day, which commemorates our independence from … [ Continue Reading ]
No one should be judge in his own case. Publilius Syrus 1st century B.C. When we see the words ‘judge’ and ‘case’ in the same sentence, our thoughts naturally turn to the legal system. In that context, it seems obvious that you shouldn’t be the judge for your own case. … [ Continue Reading ]
Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. George Washington Carver 1864 – 1943 Most of us know that the D-Day invasion was a pivotal turning point in World War II. It occurred on June 6, 1944 and involved nearly 4,000 ships, 11,000 … [ Continue Reading ]
When a thing is funny, search it for a hidden truth. George Bernard Shaw 1856 – 1950 For decades, I’ve enjoyed reading the Sunday comics in the newspaper. They usually spark some humor, and occasionally they contain profound wisdom. I’d like to share a story from The Family Circus that … [ Continue Reading ]
Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another. Marquis de Condorcet 1743 – 1794 One of the major threats to happiness today is our cultural mindset of competing and comparing. Most of us have fully adopted this way of thinking; we believe that life’s resources are scarce … [ Continue Reading ]
Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Proverbs 9:8 At a networking function a few years ago, the developer of a product related an incident where he was offered feedback. The person giving the feedback asked the developer if he … [ Continue Reading ]