As I ponder quietly observing another New Year push the past year into history, I find myself more deeply aware of the profound truths buried in all the clichés about the fleeting quality of time and the transitory nature of youth. It staggers my mind to realize I’m over 70, that none of my children are children anymore, and that, …
QUOTATION & POSTER: Don’t waste your time or sap your energy on worry.
Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. ~Leo Buscaglia Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. ~Glenn Turner
QUOTATION & IMAGE: Sometimes life doesn’t turn out how you had expected or hoped. That doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t be happy. If you don’t limit yourself to your first version of your life there is always a bright future ahead. If you believe that the best is yet to come you will be right. – Michael Josephson
As joyous as the Xmas season is for so many, it is an especially difficult time for many others who are suffering hardships or loss, feel lonely or disappointed, or have concluded that their dreams will never come true. If you know someone like that please try to include them in a meaningful way to show them they are valued. …
Memo From Michael: Getting the Most Out of Christmas
Though I am Jewish, I have always loved Christmas and what is commonly called the Christmas Spirit. Of course, I don’t mean the crassly commercialized version of the Christmas Spirit that stresses consumerism, but the spirit of love, forgiveness, family, friendship and — remember this phrase? — “Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men.” To those who celebrate Christmas, …
A Cost-Free Way to Help
Regular readers know that the Josephson Institute (my life’s work since 1987) is really struggling this year. A few of you have made donations and I am grateful. I hope more of you will, but there is another way you can help without depleting your wallet. The Institute’s creative director, Tony Baer, came up with a great way everyone can …
My Year-End Plea and an Update on Josephson Institute Activities
My Dear Readers: In this note I get to do two things — one I love to do, and another I’m not so crazy about. The part I love is to provide you with a brief summary of the Josephson Institute’s achievements in 2013. Some of you may not be aware of the Institute’s range of activities and achievements, and …
Reflections at 71: Life Expectancy, Life’s Expectancies and The Seven Biggest Truths I’ve Learned
(updated December 12, 2013) Where did the time go? I hate clichés like this, but among the things I’ve learned in my 71 years of lurching around life is that these pithy statements became clichés precisely because they are true. Often profoundly so. Looking through the rear view mirror of my life the past feels like a movie played a …
Learn to See Things Differently
Support Josephson Institute with a tax-deductible donation.
Michael Josephson turns 71 on December 10th. Please send him your personal greetings at Michaeljosephson@jiethics.org and make a tax-deductible donation to the Josephson Institute in gratitude for his work at charactercounts.org/donate
Here’s where you can make your tax-deductible donation: charactercounts.org/donate Thank you!
Memo From Michael: Nelson Mandela’s Inspiring Example
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” — Nelson Mandela, at Walter Sisulu’s 90th birthday celebration, Johannesburg, May 18, 2002 I am impressed and deeply moved by the universal wall-to-wall coverage of …
QUOTE & OBSERVATION: “To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.” – Confucius
Why is it so many of us seem to treasure our grudges? We cling to feelings of resentment and remind ourselves of the injury we suffered, playing a tape of our injury over and over our mind as if reviving the hurt will somehow cause us to feel better or punish the person who caused it. Grudges are like festering infections …
QUOTATION & POSTER: I Got Nothing I Asked For
I asked for STRENGTH – and I got difficulties to make me tough. I asked for COURAGE – and I got risks and hazards to make me brave. I asked for LOVE – and I discovered the pleasure of service. I asked for FAVORS – and I found opportunities to earn my own way. I asked for WEALTH – and …
Today Is A Gift
YESTERDAY is history. TOMORROW is a mystery. TODAY is as gift. That’s why it’s called the PRESENT.
COMMENTARY: Thanksgiving and Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Ever since my dad passed away, it’s been my holiday. I have nine brothers and sisters so we rent a tent for the backyard so we can feed our clan turkey, creamed corn, and my special onion-laced mashed potatoes.
Memo From Michael: Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
There is always, always something to be thankful about. Gratitude should be felt and experienced sincerely, expressed generously and received graciously. If you want to be on speaking terms with happiness, learn the language of gratitude.
QUOTE: Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it – William Arthur Ward.
With Thanksgiving coming up, this is the season for gratitude. Make your list now as to those who deserve your gratitude and find a way to express it. (I hope that includes the Institute.) Please help us make a more ethical society by giving whatever you can. You will certainly have our gratitude — and our commitment to work hard …
WORTH WATCHING: Ordinary people making extraordinary music. A metaphor for what society would look like if we worked together for common goals.
I hope you will watch this. What I love about this is the musicians are dressed so informally and are so diverse they seem like a random group of people. The concept of all these “ordinary people” coming together to make music is a beautiful metaphor. Or maybe I’m just a sap for this sort of thing.
Memo From Michael: A Pre-Thanksgiving Thanks to Our Supporters
As we head toward Thanksgiving, a holiday based on the concept of gratitude, I want to express my deep gratitude to those of you who have supported and encouraged my work for the Josephson Institute. Your letters, comments on our Facebook pages and blogs, and even the “likes” that affirm your appreciation for what we are doing — they all …
QUOTATION: Rules for the Boss #1: There are lots of things going on that you don’t know about — and lots of people who hope you won’t find out.
If you manage people, you need to remember that what you don’t know definitely can hurt you. Everyone says they have an open-door policy, but most employees believe no good comes to the bearer of bad news. Rightly or wrongly, they are likely to think there is a kill-the-messenger culture in your organization that gives them an excuse to
QUOTATION & OBSERVATION: “The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” — Malcolm Forbes
This observation is a critical one in today’s society, which is so torn by polarizing self-righteousness. In the recently released Model Standards for Academic, Social, Emotional and Character Development, the Josephson Institute included two unique educational outcomes on openness and intellectual humility. This isn’t just for children. Every person
QUOTATION: “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” — Henry Ford
Adopting a positive attitude toward failed attempts is an important quality of successful people. Successful people fail more often than unsuccessful people, but they treat each failure as a learning experience that takes them closer to success. This is called failing forward. — Michael Josephson
QUOTATION: From listening comes wisdom, and from speaking, repentance.
Applying this old proverb to your personal and workplace relationships can make a huge difference in your life. Listening doesn’t just mean silently waiting your turn to speak. It means being respectful and attentive to the words, tone and context of what another person is saying. And when it is time to speak, be aware of your own words, tone …
QUOTATION & POSTER: How will you be remembered?
In the end, what will matter is not our memories, but the memories of those we loved and those we helped. What will matter is how long we will be remembered, by whom, and for what. Live a life that matters. — Michael Josephson