“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
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
The Many Mistakes of Highly Successful People
“Highly successful people make more mistakes than those they surpass. They succeed because they learn from every mistake and turn them into stepping stones.” – Michael Josephson
COMMENTARY: What Your Checkbook and Calendar Say About Your Values
If I wanted to check your credit worthiness, I’d look at your balance sheet — what you have and what you owe — and I’d want to know about your history of paying your debts. If I wanted to know your values, I’d look at your calendar and checkbook. How come? Well, the term “values” refers to core beliefs and convictions that drive …
8 THINGS HAPPY PEOPLE DO
I love the blooming flower images as well as the wisdom of this short video. This is beautiful. https://www.facebook.com/ViralVideosUS/videos/1197131057026417/
We Have All We Need To Do What Needs To Be Done If We Work Together
As I was in the throes of dismay at humanity and the seemingly insoluble problem of the cycle of hate revealed by the Florida massacre, I saw this video of regular folks working together brilliantly to save a stray dog. At first it seemed like it couldn’t be done but by holding hands and working together these strangers prove that …
COMMENTARY: A Person of Character
Let’s face it, it’s not easy to become a person of character. It takes a good heart, but it also requires wisdom to know right from wrong and the discipline to do right even when it’s costly, inconvenient or difficult. Becoming a person of character is a lifelong quest to be better. A person of character values honesty and integrity …
An Everyday Gift
YESTERDAY is history. TOMORROW is a mystery. TODAY is a gift. That’s why it’s called the PRESENT. LEARN from the past. PLAN for the future. LIVE in today.
STAND TOGETHER AGAINST HATE
Now is a time to be resolute, but wise. We must focus on our vulnerabilities, not our fears. Our solutions must be as intelligent, not instinctive. This is not a time for partisan advantage-seeking, it is a time to come together without concern for who gets the credit or blame. We must respond boldly and fearlessly, but not foolishly. Many …
COMMENTARY: Sharpen Your Ax
Ben was a new lumberjack who swung his ax with great power. He could fell a tree in 20 strokes, and in the first few days he produced twice as much lumber as anyone else. By week’s end, he was working even harder, but his lead was dwindling. One friend told him he had to swing harder. Another said he …
Are You Present?
Don’t look so hard at my past. I don’t live there anymore.
COMMENTARY: What I’ve Learned: The Perspective From 13-Year-Olds
A few years ago I got a note from Sam Rangel, an eighth-grade teacher in Corona, California. He distributed some of my commentaries on “What I’ve Learned” to his students and asked them to write down what they’d learned over the past year or in their lives. Here’s the world of growing wisdom from the 13-year-old perspective: * I’ve learned …
The First Step
“The most important reason to know who you are is that it’s the first step in becoming who you should be.” – Michael Josephson
You Have It All Within You
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman
Maintaining Humanity in the Face of Inhumanity
“The world will not get safer until it gets softer, yet the more dangerous the world becomes the more fear and prejudice make people harder. The responses to unspeakable violence must not be a demand to do whatever it takes to be safe because there is no real safety in such methods. Somehow we have to learn to live with …
COMMENTARY: Clichés and Milestones
One of the things I hate most about clichés is that whenever I experience milestone experiences, I have to admit they are true. There’s nothing unique or original about my feelings except that they are mine. So, when I witnessed my daughter Samara turn 18, my mind and heart flooded with trite and corny thoughts and emotions: “Where did the …