Maya Angelou was an American author, poet and civil rights activist who passed away recently at the age of 86. During her life time, she said many things worth quoting. In my mind, the one thing she said that stands above the rest is this: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people…
Recently I came across a post by Angel Chernoff on the blog Practical Tips for Productive Living. The post is titled: “10 Choices You Will Regret in 10 Years.” The first of these 10 choices hit me hard because I’ve seen so many people fall victim to it and have a miserable life. Therefore, I…
An article by Marlo Thomas which appeared in a recent issue of AARP Magazine, quoted actress Sarah Jessica Parker regarding her thoughts about seizing opportunities. She said, “There is a culture out there for free in this country; there are libraries and scholarships and arts programs and the theater in the park. Just because one…
Recently, I was flying back from Singapore on Philippine Airlines. I always try to demonstrate courtesy and kindness to flight attendants because their job is hard and often thankless. Whenever the flight attendant who was working my section of the cabin did something for me, I made sure I said “thank you” in a way…
When she was 89, Frances Fisher was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. According to an article by Eric Mungenast, which appeared in a recent issue of the East Valley Tribune, she was given two choices: go through six months of five days a week of intense chemo therapy and the pain it…
Alan Mulally took over as CEO of Ford Motor Company during the roughest stretch in the auto industry since the Great Depression and restored it to profitability without taking a government bailout. How did he do it? With some common sense ideas that are totally foreign to the Detroit auto industry. According to a recent…
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal written by Elizabeth Bernstein points out that we actually get nicer with age. Several large research studies show that as we get older our positive traits such as being polite, preferring cooperation over competition and feeling compassion for others tend to increase. At the same time our…
Recently my wife, who directs a foster care and adoption agency, was teaching a class to would be foster parents. She was discussing some of the challenges and difficulties that come with being a foster parent when one of the people attending the class raised her hand and said, “We do not want to…
A recent article in USA Today written by Nanci Hellmich discussed ways that people could enrich their lives during their retirement years. She said the key is to: “…get out and try new things.” I think she’s right on the money, but we don’t have to wait until we retire to take advantage of this idea.…
Lacey Holsworth, the eight year old girl with terminal cancer who developed a strong relationship with Adreian Payne, the star player of the Michigan State University men’s basketball team, became this year’s human interest story during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Why did the nation take such notice of her? Because she met the adversity…