When it comes to working on our character it is never too late or too little. I don’t mean to imply you’re a bad person
Take Care of your Garden
“Kind hearts are the gardens. Kind thoughts are the roots. Kind words are the flowers. Kind deeds are the fruits Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds. Fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
COMMENTARY: What Makes Us Happy?
There is an ever-growing body of knowledge about the nature and causes of happiness. For one thing, it’s clear that happiness is a feeling, not a circumstance. Happiness is more than just fun or pleasure. It’s a more durable sense of well being.
COMMENTARY: Dying From the Cold Within
One of the great challenges to our humanity is acknowledging and overcoming our natural tendency to think less of and discriminate against people who are different from us racially, ethnically, religiously, or ideologically. Despite persistent rhetoric about prizing diversity, political debates often reflect disdain and contempt for those we disagree with, and prejudices of all sorts are more readily stated. …
COMMENTARY: Give Good Memories
In a society preoccupied with the quest for material possessions, it’s easy to overlook the fact that our most valuable possessions are our best memories. Good memories are a form
A Legacy for Our Children
There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: One is roots. The other is wings. – Hodding Carter, Jr.
Gandhi’s 7 Social Sins (English and Spanish)
The Seven Social Sins (Aqui esta en castellano) Wealth without work – Riqueza sin trabajo Pleasure without conscience – Placer sin conciencia. Knowledge without character – Conocimientos sin carácter Commerce without morality – Negocios sin moral Science without humanity – Ciencia sin amor a la humanidad Worship without sacrifice – Religiosidad sin sacrificio Politics without principle – Política sin principios …
COMMENTARY: Testing Your Integrity
In the past year, did you keep the money if a cashier gave you too much change? Did you lie to your boss, a customer, or a significant other? Did you use the Internet for personal reasons at work? Did you distort or conceal facts on a resumé or in a job interview? Did you inflate an expense or insurance …
COMMENTARY: Getting Through to Kids
A listener wrote to say she was selecting some of her favorite commentaries to put into a notebook for her 12-year-old son. She said she was going to underline portions she
COMMENTARY: Pounding In and Pulling Out Nails – Dealing With Hurtful Words
When one of my daughters was confronted with the fact that she had really hurt another child with a mean comment, she cried and immediately wanted to apologize. That was a good thing,
Before you Speak: THINK
Before you Speak… T-H-I-N-K Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?
COMMENTARY: What I Believe
Here’s a portion of my personal list of beliefs that you may want to pass on: I believe I’m a work-in-progress, and there will always be a gap between who I am and who I want to be. I believe every day brings opportunities to learn and do something meaningful. I believe the true test of my character is whether …
“The first duty of LOVE is to LISTEN.” -Paul Tillich
“The first duty of LOVE is to LISTEN.” -Paul Tillich. Listening doesn’t mean obeying, it means making a true effort to hear and understand what the other person is
Recipe for Trust by Michael Josephson
1.Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, even if it’s not what others want to hear. 2. When you make a mistake, admit it and make amends. 3. Say what you mean and do what you say, even when its costly or inconvenient.
COMMENTARY: One Way to Change Your Life – Change Your Expectations
Einstein said it’s a form of insanity to keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result. So, if you want something different, do something different, or change your expectations, or both. In my own life, I’ve found that adjusting my expectations has made a big difference in my ability to enjoy my life. Unmet expectations …
REAL FRIENDSHIP IS A BEAUTIFUL THING
Don’t worry about what others say, I think you’re beautiful just the way you are Real friendship is a beautiful thing!
COURAGE DOES NOT ALWAYS ROAR.
COURAGE DOES NOT ALWAYS ROAR. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” – Maryanne Radanbacher
KEEP GETTING BETTER…Even if you think you’re good enough.
BE HONEST – even when others aren’t and it may cost more than you want to pay. KEEP YOUR PROMISES – even when it’s costly or inconvenient. TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT – even if they don’t deserve it. FULFILL YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES – even if you could dodge them. DO WHAT’S RIGHT – even if you have a right to do …
LIBERATE YOUR INNER DANCER!
LIBERATE YOUR INNER DANCER!
How to live your life
“If you want to know how to live your life, think about what you’d like people to say about you after you die…then live backwards!” – Michael Josephson
COMMENTARY: The Cowboy Code
I grew up in much simpler times. Television was in its infancy, and the idea of a hero was exemplified by a white-hatted cowboy. There was a clarity and simplicity to this hero’s moral code that left no doubt there is a right and wrong. As I became more sophisticated, it was easy to ridicule these simplistic approaches to ethics …
“Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch. From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddld masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” – Emma Lazarus
“Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch. From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddld masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” – Emma Lazarus
COMMENTARY: Thanking Your Parents on Thanksgiving
As we approach Thanksgiving Day, I hope you will think about your parents with your most gentle and generous thoughts and be thankful. Even if you didn’t have ideal parents or a perfect home life, if either or both of your parents are still with you, make an effort to experience and express genuine gratitude. It’s natural to take for granted what …
COMMENTARY: Give Yourself the Gift of Gratitude
For some, Thanksgiving and the beginning of a holiday season filled with joy and happiness at the prospect of spending time with family. For others, it’s a sadder time blemished by bad memories or dread. Some people see their lives filled with abundant blessings and find thankfulness easy and natural; others are so pre-occupied with tending to past wounds or …
COMMENTARY: If You Can’t Say Anything Nice
Tragic stories and new data on the prevalence and harmfulness of bullying have made us all more sensitive to the ways our words can hurt others – merciless criticism, nasty sarcasm, hurtful nicknames, malicious rumors, and careless gossip. In Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, Joseph Telushkin writes about the moral implications of what we say. He points out that …