The Road after Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is something we do for ourselves so we are free to find new roads to happiness.” – Michael Josephson  

I Will Never Be Perfect

I am not and never will be perfect. I am not always as honest, respectful, responsible, fair, or kind as I should be. All I can do is what I should do – Strive every day, with every decision, to be the best person I can be. I don’t expect to be perfect but I know I can be better.” …

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND SIGNIFICANCE.

“The happiest people in the world are not the richest, best looking or most powerful; they are people who find value, meaning and purpose in selfless service and making a positive difference in the lives of others.” -Michael Josephson  

Choose to be HAPPY!

“I have decided to be HAPPY because it is good for my health.” – Voltaire  

COMMENTARY: Box Full of Love

Todd was a sadly quiet eleven-year-old struggling to adjust to the death of his mother. His father left long ago and he was living with an aunt who made it

Use Things Not People

People are made to be loved and things are made to be used. Things begin to go wrong when things are being loved and people are being used.    

What Golfers and Leaders Have In Common

Just as good golfers know how to use an array of clubs to get them to the hole, good leaders know how to use an array of relationship styles and strategies to get them to their goal. But what makes the good golfer and the good leader great, is knowing which club to use.” – Michael Josephson  

COMMENTARY: Do I Have to Tell Everything?

Can a job applicant properly withhold information about a criminal record or being fired in a previous job? Can a woman who has just started dating properly say nothing about a previous marriage or abortion? These are problems of candor: When does an ethical person have a duty to reveal negative information about his past? First, let’s reinforce a basic …

COMMENTARY: Mental Sunshine and Flowers

Dave had to undergo painful throat surgery. Since he’s not a young man and makes his living as a professional speaker, the experience was frightening and traumatic. He told me his surgeon was skilled and the hospital workers were competent, but the cold indifference of the parade of nurses and doctors who came in and out of his room was …

Successful People

Successful people treat failure as an opportunity to TRY AGAIN, eager to use the new stepping stones discovered while failing. – Michael Josephson  

COMMENTARY: Using All Your Strength

A young boy was walking with his father along a country road. When they came across a very large tree branch the boy asked, “Do you think I could move that branch?” His father answered, “If you use all your strength, I’m sure you can.” So the boy tried mightily to lift, pull and push the branch but he couldn’t …

Independence Day and Courage

We celebrate this year’s Fourth of July holiday at a time when millions of people in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen are at various stages of their own struggle to replace dictators with some form of democracy. It’s a good reminder that the fight for liberty has always required courage. In our own case, 56 men we now …

WHAT DOES THE FLAG MEAN TO YOU?

See my previous comment on Flag Day https://whatwillmatter.com/2013/06/what-does-the-flag-mean-to-you-are-highest-noble-democratic-ideals-and-aspirations-embodied-in-our-founding-documents-infused-into-the-dna-of-the-american-flag/

Amazing Vintage Patriotic Photos & Postcards

Take a close look at these amazing photos of patriotic images consisting of nine to thirty thousands of soldiers taken in 1917 during WWI by Arthur Mole. Setting the photos up, dressing the men in the right colors and organizing them to stay put was incredible. But how did he get high enough to take the picture? There’s no Photoshop …

Happy 4th of July!!!!

“Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart, blushing, whispered the first word of love; It is the home that God has given you that by striving to perfect yourselves therein you may prepare to ascend to him.” – Giuseppe Mazzini

COMMENTARY: Four Exceptional Insights I Wish I Understood Long Ago

1) The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one. Russell Lynes. 2) People won’t remember everything you say or do but they always remember how you made them feel.- Maya Angelou 3) Feeling grateful and not expressing it is like …

COMMENTARY: The Greyhound Principle

Racing dogs are trained to chase a mechanical rabbit that always goes a little faster than the fleetest dog. This causes them to run faster than they otherwise would. Companies that annually set overly ambitious performance objectives for their employees employ this greyhound principle. To a point, it works. Most people achieve more when expectations are set high. The strategy …

Insignificant Success

“It is better to be unsuccessful pursuing a significant goal than being successful attaining an insignificant one.” – Michael Josephson    

Advice for Time

Invest time; don’t spend it. Save time; don’t waste it. Enjoy the time you have; don’t regret the time that’s gone.

Good Intentions Fall Short

“Good intentions are simply not enough. Our character is defined and our lives are determined not by what we want, say, or think, but by what we do.” – Michael Josephson  

Living At Its Best and Its Worst

“Life is never so bad at its worst that it is impossible to live; it is never so good at its best that it is easy to live.” – Gabriel Heatter  

The Best Is Yet To Come

“Sometimes life doesn’t turn out how you expected or hoped. That doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t be happy. If you don’t

Insanity

“Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result.”  – Albert Einstein