OBSERVATION: Beware of emotional vampires.

Protect yourself from “emotional vampires,” people who suck you or the room dry of cheer or optimism.  Look out for workmates, family members, even friends who consistently bring you down or drain your energy with endless complaining or relentless criticism. Seek out the people who bring out the best in you and be sure that you are not someone else’s …

OBSERVATION: Whatever we are today has been influenced by scores of good teachers who taught us how to do things, filled our minds with information and ideas, shaped our attitudes and our deepest beliefs, inspired our ambitions and helped us form our self-image.

Image: Mr. Feeny of Boy Meets World Most of our teachers were not educators; they were our parents, grandparents, friends, coaches and others. Still, a great school teacher can have a great impact.  Many films and TV shows have centered on great teachers. Please look at the following list and tell us in the comments which is your favorite (and add …

OBSERVATION: Giving Advice

Observations about advice: 1) Proverb: “To be successful is to follow the advice you give to others.” Why are we so much smarter, more sensible, and stronger when we are dealing with problems of others? 2) Samuel Coleridge: “Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.”  Giving …

OBSERVATION: Carpe Diem!

Two thousand years ago, the Roman poet Horace advised his readers to “think of each day as if it were to be your last,” and to seize the day (Carpe Diem!) because you cannot trust what tomorrow will bring. His purpose was not to instill pessimism and fear but to urge us to find joy in each day and to …

OBSERVATION: Enjoy the struggle

F. Scott Fitzgerald said that the most profoundly redeeming qualities of life are found not in moments of pure happiness or pleasure, but in the deeper satisfactions that come out of struggle. The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard put it another way: “Life must be understood backward, but lived forward.” Thus, we need to regularly remind ourselves to learn from the …