“A true friend wants the best for you, brings the best out of you, and expects the best from you.” – Michael Josephson
Ethics are about the Ought
Ethics are about the ought, not the is. Ethics are not about the way things are, but about the way they should be.
Change It Up!
When is the last time you did something for the first time? Isn’t it about time?
Little Things Are Big Things
Enjoy and be grateful for the little things in life, for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.
Stay the Course
“It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
Good Ideas Without Action
“Good ideas without action are like beautifully gift wrapped boxes with nothing inside.” – Michael Josephson
COMMENTARY: Enough Is Enough
What does it take to make you happy? How much do you have to have to be grateful? To the barefoot man, happiness is a pair of old shoes.
COMMENTARY: Happiness and Purpose
As you celebrate the Fourth of July, please take time to discuss with your family the historical and spiritual significance of the Declaration of Independence and the 56 men who risked their lives issuing one of the great documents in human history. At the core of the Declaration is the profound assertion that each of us has an unalienable right …
COMMENTARY: Learning From Pigeons
During an experiment, pigeons were put in cages with one green and one red button. In one cage, if the birds pecked the green button they would get food every time. In the other, the green button yielded food erratically and the pigeons had to persist to get enough food. In both cases, pecking the red button did nothing. Both …
COMMENTARY: Being Decisive
Frank is a new supervisor who wants to do well. Maria consistently comes in late. When he confronts her, she makes a joke out of it. Hoping to win friendship and loyalty, Frank is painfully patient with her, but Pat, a conscientious employee, urges him to do more. Soon others begin to come in late, and Pat quits. Frank feels …
COMMENTARY: The Road to Significance & Success
The most traditional way to measure the quality of one’s life is to evaluate success by listing accolades, achievements, and acquisitions. After all, in its simplest terms, success is getting what we want and most people want wealth and status.
Love – Compassion – Respect
Let us hear and heed the better angels of our nature, the angels that call us to think and act beyond ourselves; to respect and care about the well-being of others in our human family; and to accept our moral duty to improve ourselves and the world.” – Michael Josephson
Admiration
“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel
Counterfeit Success
“Creating the illusion of success through false, exaggerated or misleading claims is a form of counterfeiting. You may get away with it for a while, but eventually reality will find its way to the light and whatever you acquired with false currency won’t be enough to comfort or protect you when you are revealed as a fraud.” – Michael Josephson …
COMMENTARY: Is Happiness Around the Corner?
For lots of people, happiness is just around the corner. They just need to get their degree, a particular job, a promotion, or a raise. Maybe they’re waiting to get married or have a child. Perhaps they will be happy when they retire.
A Good Life is A Journey, Not A Destination
“I’m humbled to know I’m not all that I can be or all that I ought to be. But I’m proud that I’m better than I used to be and not as good as I will be.” – Michael Josephson
The Formula For A Good Life
“What’s the use of a long life if it’s not a good life? The formula for a good life is to squeeze anxiety, jealousy, and resentment out of every day and squeeze in something to be grateful for and proud of.” – Michael Josephson
We Would Those We Love Best
“There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found while journeying east and west. The only folks we really wound are those we love the best. We flatter those we scarcely know. We please the fleeting guest. And deal full many a thoughtless blow to those who love us best.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
COMMENTARY: The Truth About Trust
Everyone seems to understand the importance of trust. No one seems to doubt the vital role that it plays in personal relationships, business and politics. We want to trust the people in our lives and we want them to trust us. Trust is so hard to earn and so easy to lose. So why do so many trust seekers resort …
Self-Pity
Self-pity is a losing strategy. It repels others and weakens you. You are entitled to be sad and to grieve, but don’t sabotage yourself or your relationships with negativity.
Captaining Life
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to steer my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
COMMENTARY: The Struggle Between Wants and Shoulds
As a full-time ethicist – can you believe there is such a thing? – I spend most of my time talking about right and wrong with parents and politicians, kids and corporate managers, journalists and generals. One thing I’ve learned is that ethics – being a good person and doing the right thing – is easier said than done. Ethics, …
SMALLEST GOOD DEED – grandest good intention
The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention.
Recipe for Success & Happiness
BELIEVE in what you are doing. KNOW what you are doing. LOVE what you are doing. – Brian Tracy
Father’s Day Poster & Quote
My Father Didn’t Tell Me How To Live; He Lived, And Let me Watch Him Do It. -Clarence Budington Kelland
Happy Father’s Day!!!
https://youtu.be/xT6S-YCagzQ
Greatest Quotations on Fathers and Fatherhood
— Compiled by Michael Josephson — About Being a Father — No word makes me happier than the word “daddy” uttered by one of my children.
Good Companions & True Friends
Good companions are people you spend them with when you want to have a good time. True friends are the ones you want to be with when you’ve had a bad time.
Face Your Fears
Face your fears and you will conquer them. You will be amazed to discover how strong you really are.
Cost & Value
It’s easy to find people who understand costs. The challenge is to find people who understand values. – Michael Josephson