The serious damage done to our economy, social institutions, and personal relationships by widespread cheating and dishonesty is bad enough. But widespread acceptance of such behavior as inevitable threatens to make our future a lot worse. In effect, our culture is being infected by a disease: the disease of low expectations.
Don’t live your life waiting for the storm to pass, Learn to dance in the rain.
Some people brighten a room when they enter it; Others, when they leave. Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?
An angry woman once approached me after a speech to tell me off. “It’s easy for you to talk about my responsibility to speak out or object to waste or wrongdoing,” she said, “but I’m a single mother and my highest duty is to keep my job. If that means occasionally looking the other way, so be it. You have …
“Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. You don’t need all you want to be happy, you only need to appreciate what you have.” – Michael Josephson
Find your inner dancer! Do what you want to do. Be who you want to be.
Are there people in your life who regularly cause you to feel bad about yourself? Most of us care what others think of us, so knowing that someone doesn’t like or approve of the judgments we’ve made or how we look can be hurtful.
“Be the reason someone smiles today. An extra smile, cheerful greeting, a kind word of appreciation or encouragement – It will cost you nothing and yet it can be a great gift.” – Michael Josephson
“Love cannot be caught like an unwilling butterfly. Nobody loves you just because you want them to. Nobody loves you just because you ask them to. When love comes, it comes on its own wings. Be patient.” – Michael Josephson
Reach for the stars. Pursue goals beyond your grasp. These are good life strategies. We never know how much we can accomplish until we try. But what happens when we’re told we must reach the stars or suffer consequences? A common workplace strategy to spur employee achievement is to set aggressive productivity objectives that, like mechanical rabbits that lead racing …
“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he’s working or …
“When you have the choice of whether to be right nor kind, be kind.” – Wayne Dyer
“Business ethics is grounded on a concept called stakeholders which describes all the various people/groups who are affected by a decision, thereby imposing responsibility on the stakeholder for the consequences of the decision. The below picture illustrates the concept in a way we can all identify with. This young boy’s decision to put his head in the opening of a …
“Earn Trust – be honest; don’t exaggerate, distort or deceive. Really Listen – you can’t change another’s opinion until you truly understand it. Be Open – if you want to
“Lately, all my friends are worried that they are turning into their fathers. I’m worried I’m not.” – Dan Zevin
There will come a time in your life when you realize that the true measure of your life is not success, but significance. Living a life that matters is about making a positive difference. It could be in the lives of those you love, in your workplace or community. You don’t have to be a selfless missionary to do this. …
Chris’s parents were proud of him when he graduated from college. But it’s been six months and he hasn’t gotten a job yet. In fact, he hasn’t looked seriously. He has no idea what he wants to do and he’s thinking of grad school. He’s living at home with his parents and things are getting tense, especially with his father, …
“Don’t underestimate yourself! You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” – Michael Josephson
“Great leaders earn, exude, and instill confidence without being arrogant. They empower their followers with confidence and pride in themselves.” – Michael Josephson
“Self-pity is a losing strategy. It repels others and weakens you. You’re entitled to be sad and to grieve, but don’t sabotage yourself or your relationships with negativity.” – Michael Josephson
A man and his companion lost their way in a forest. The companion despaired, but the man said maybe some good would come of it. They came upon a stranger who needed the man’s help. The stranger turned out to be a prince who gave the man a beautiful horse. His neighbors praised his good luck and said, “How blessed …
It’s a good day to turn your life around.
“Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.” – Jim Rohn. Don’t fritter away precious moments on petty things. Easier said than done. We live our lives daily, hour by …
Great leaders are teachers not tyrants. They help their followers see and understand more. They inspire them to become more and they motivate them to do more. – Michael Josephson
While teachers can have a lifelong effect on the way students think, psychologist Haim Ginott has focused on a more immediate aspect of impact: the creation of a positive or negative physical and emotional environment that can determine the quality of a child’s life. “I’ve come to a frightening conclusion,” he said. “I am the decisive element in the classroom. …
“One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.” – Lewis Carroll
Ethics are about the ought, not the is. Ethics are not about the way things are, but about the way they should be.
“I’m humbled to know I’m not all that I can or all that I want to be, but I’m proud that I’m better than I used to be and not as good as I will be. A good life is a journey not a destination.” – Michael Josephson
I want my kids to be smart and successful, but I also want them to be good. I want them to be the kind of people other parents would like to see their kids marry. I also want them to make sound, values-based decisions that will help them be safe and happy. So, like most parents, I spend lots time …
“He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” – Proverb “Forgiveness can be both an act of generosity and wisdom. It may release the person forgiven of guilt but it also releases the forgiver from chains of resentment. Forgiving is not condoning, but letting go.” – Michael Josephson
