Over the years, I’ve observed a lot of people who, when things don’t go as they had planned, they become angry, upset or have a “melt-down.” During the process, they make themselves and those around them miserable. Hey, delays and interruptions are a part of life and it’s always been that way–to expect otherwise is to be grossly naive. …
Like many professional athletes, most of us have fallen into an occasional slump where we’re not performing at our usual level of effectiveness. A slump usually takes the form of a lengthy drought between successes. And, like professional athletes, many of us try to break out of our slump by working harder and longer. What…
I’ve always been fascinated with the phrase “pride goes before a fall” and I’ve always wondered why. A recent article by Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press provides us with some terrific insight. As it turns out, when many people experience success, it leads to overconfidence and excessive pride or arrogance–I’m the expert and I…
I was cleaning out some files the other day and came across a copy of Ann Landers’ Golden Rules for Living. They first appeared in her column in December, 1986. They’re still very applicable today, so I thought I’d pass them on to you. If you open it, close it. If you turn it on,…
A few weeks ago, I mentioned how Connecticut Attorney General and Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal lied about his military service record–he said he had served in Viet Nam when he hadn’t. When confronted with the truth he said he had misspoken about his military service. More recently, Illinois GOP Senate nominee, Mark Kirk, lied…
Recently, my wife observed two Great Blue Herons. One was standing in the middle of a swift flowing stream while the other stood safely on the bank. You can guess which one was catching fish–not the one standing on the bank. The same is true for people. If you expect to become successful, you have…
Ten years ago, my wife and I adopted a pair of stray six month old cats who had been living on the lam since shortly after they were born. These cats were very untrusting and extremely cautious. The only way we were able to get them in the house was to offer them food as…
Art Linkletter, popular television show host from the 1950’s and 60’s, died recently but he left us with some sound advice on how to live a long life and make our dreams come true. As Mr. Linkletter put it, “As early as possible in your life, find what you love to do and then do…
Often times, when we set goals for ourselves to do things like exercise more or lose weight, we start out with all kinds of enthusiasm and then back off or procrastinate when the going gets a little tough. At times like these, a gentle nudge of encouragement is all that is needed to keep us…
This is a very sound but seldom honored concept. Most success seekers are so taken with trying to make high-powered friends that they treat people in low places like they’re invisible. My wife recently attended a speech given by former Secretary of State, Colin Powell. During his speech, he mentioned that he always took the…