“There is within you, waiting to be called, a great source of power. It’s called courage. Call on it and it will give you strength to overcome fear and uncertainty and the heart to continue with bold confidence, despite the pain of past tragedy or risk of future failure.” – Michael Josephson
COMMENTARY: If You Love Competition, You Never Lose
Suppose you’re an Olympic athlete and you hear that the only person who has a chance to beat you is ill and may have to withdraw. Are you overjoyed at your good luck or disappointed that you will not be able to compete against the very best? If you really love and understand sports, you ought to be disappointed. John …
What Costs Nothing and Means Everything?
“A loving touch, a caring hug and a kind word costs nothing but can mean everything. Be generous with kindness and encouragement.” – Michael Josephson
The Invisible Leader
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” – Lao Tzu
Doing and Liking
“Doing what you must is duty. Doing what you should is virtue. Doing what you can is service. Doing what you are afraid of is courage. Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.” – Author Unknown
Watch
Watch your thoughts, for they become WORDS. Watch your words, for they become ACTIONS. Watch your actions, for they become HABITS. Watch your habits, for they become CHARACTER. Watch your character, for it becomes DESTINY.
COMMENTARY 983.1: Seven Truths for Bosses
Here are seven truths I’ve discovered in my struggles to be an effective boss: It’s not what you say that matters; it’s what people hear. Just because you said it doesn’t mean they heard it. Just because you wrote it doesn’t mean they read it. Be sure your message is received and understood. There are lots of things you don’t know …
Can You Change Your Mind?
“If you can change your mind, you can change your life.” – William James, American philosopher and psychologist (1842-1910)
COMMENTARY: 982.5: How to Succeed by Failing Forward – Turning Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones
The best way to teach our children to succeed is to teach them to fail. After all, if getting everything you want on the first try is success, and everything else is failure, we all fail much more often than we succeed. People who learn how to grow from unsuccessful efforts succeed more often and at higher levels because they …
Doing What You…
Doing what you like is FUN. Doing what you love is HAPPINESS. Doing what you want is FREEDOM. Doing what you can is SERVICE. Doing what you must is DUTY. Doing what you should is CHARACTER.
COMMENTARY 982.4: Five Birds and Good Intentions
Five birds are sitting on a telephone wire. Two decide to fly south. How many are left? Most people would say three. Actually, all five are left. You see, deciding to fly isn’t the same as doing it. If a bird really wants to go somewhere, it’s got to point itself in the right direction, jump off the wire, flap …
Do Something You Haven’t Done…Get Something New
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Walsch If you want to get something you don’t have, you’ve got to do something you’ve not done.
Problems
“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.” – Theodore Rubin
COMMENTARY 982.3: Doing Sports Right
When I was a kid playing sports, there were no clubs, travel teams, or private coaches. Except for summer baseball leagues, the primary place to play was high school. When I was in the 10th grade, I wanted to play basketball in the worst way. Unfortunately, given my size and talent, that’s how I played. But in those days, sports …
Appreciate Your Loved Ones
“The deepest craving of human nature is to be appreciated.” – William James “Expressing appreciation with words, a smile, or a hug costs so little and means so much. If can make a day or even change a life.” – Michael Josephson
A Leader’s Vision
“Great leaders are both idealistic and realistic. They have a grand vision and great goals. They seek to close the gap between what is and what can be but they have no illusions that success is either certain or simple.” – Michael Josephson
Great Leaders
“Great leaders have great character.” – Eleanor Roosevelt “Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.” – Horace Greeley
COMMENTARY 982.2: The Yuppie Lifestyle and Satisfaction
T.S. Eliot said, “Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They do not mean to do harm … they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.” How do we feel important? Often, it’s by trying to obtain an image of success created by a …
Time is not something you FIND or MAKE
“Time is not something you FIND or MAKE – the clock and the calendar move on at their own pace. Your choice is how you USE IT.” – Michael Josephson
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
The Art of Living
You have mastered the art of living when you can face. 1. Trouble with courage 2. Disappointment with cheerfulness 3. Difficulties with determination 4. Success with humility 5. The future with optimism
Do More Than…
“Do more than care: HELP. Do more than believe: PRACTICE. Do more than belong: PARTICIPATE. Do more than be fair: BE KIND. Do more than forgive: FORGET. Do more than dream: WORK.” – William Arthur Ward (adapted)
Selflessness
“I don’t want to have lived in vain… I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!” – Anne Frank
Making Others Happy
Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it.
COMMENTARY 982.1: Do a Little More
In 1964, a young woman named Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death outside her apartment building in Queens, New York. She was attacked repeatedly over the course of an hour and despite her screams, none of the 38 neighbors intervened or called for help. Some were afraid. Some didn’t want to get involved. Some thought someone else would do it. …
Dodging Consequences
“It’s easy to dodge our responsibilities, But we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.” – Sir Josiah Stamp