This week’s Reminder was sent in by a subscriber: “Taking responsibility for your attitude puts you in control of your feelings and thoughts. By expressing your positive attitude, you can make someone’s day, which will make you feel good as well. It’s a Win-Win situation. For example, I was visiting a friend in California last…
Some people attempt to get noticed by their boss by calling attention to themselves–things they’ve accomplished, places they’ve been, people the know and so forth. The problem with such behavior is that it makes you come across as self-centered, arrogant and/or competitive–you might as well hang a sign around your neck that screams: “I’m not…
This week’s Reminder is a success story from a subscriber in Monterrey, Mexico. It contains numerous lessons for achieving success in life and at work: “Hi Ross, Just wanted to let you know of my success story. I believe it is important for me, and it may serve somehow to you. I still remember your…
Many people have a strong aversion to taking risks because they’re afraid they might fail, and they worry about what other people will think of them if they do. What they don’t realize is that failure is the most direct pathway to success. As Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda Motor Corporation put it: “Success…
In a study reported in the Washington Post, 10 patients suffering from depression were injected with Botox (the drug that smooths out facial wrinkles) between their eyebrows. As a result, their facial muscles were unable to form a frown. Of these 10 patients, nine recovered from their depressive symptoms while the other patient, who suffered…
Persistence means to stay the course in pursuing your goals in spite of whatever difficulties or opposition you may run into. Stubbornness, on the other hand, is more along the lines of: “My mind is made up, so don’t confuse me with the facts.” When you’re persistent, you’re moving toward something. This means persistence leads…
Optimists are people with positive attitudes who expect favorable outcomes. When you expect things to work out, you take the necessary action to make sure they do. Being a pessimist is easy—not necessarily pleasant or fun, but easy—because you don’t have to do anything except let the world pass you by while you cling to…
Bestselling author and businessman, Harvey Mackay, wrote an excellent column dealing with risk taking and regret. According to Mr. Mackay, people rarely regret taking risks; what they do regret is not taking them sooner or not taking them at all. He goes on to say, “Afraid to try something new? Most of us are. But…
Sometimes we get into ruts when it comes to solving everyday problems. We turn to the same solutions over and over when a better solution could be ours for the asking. For example, my daughter has two children—a nine-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. She also has three chickens which keep the family supplied with…
Eric Weiner, a former NPR correspondent and author, travelled to a number of countries including Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland which were ranked high on happiness by the World Database of Happiness. His goal was to find out if the people living in these countries were as happy as the database claims and to learn…