Habits The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. (Samuel Johnson, 18th century English writer) How do habits begin? You were taught to brush your teeth regularly and it soon became a regular activity that you rarely think...
The Whisper Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled. (Charles Martin, author) In an emergency, shouting with a really loud voice is probably the best way to warn of impending danger or to cry for help. In public speaking, however, especially after a...
Legacy The most important thing you will leave behind when you die is your legacy. (Common counsel) What happens to all your “stuff” after you die? There are laws that determine how estates are to be distributed, so it’s wise to prepare legal documents to make your...
Living Right Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. (Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. president) Could these be the “5 rules for success”? It’s difficult to live simply in 21st century America. Life is so complicated, and it demands...
Victory Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat. (Malcolm Forbes, late American entrepreneur) Life does have its ups and downs, the mountaintop experiences and the valleys of depression. What helps an athlete get over an agonizing defeat is a later win. Once...
What Do You Have? The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. (Vince Lombardi, late football coach) An attractive outward appearance may win beauty contests, but it doesn’t tell you anything about who the person really is at heart. Someone who is not...
Work Our main secret is just to show up for work. (Chuck Swindoll, author) Songwriter Bill Gaither made a similar comment about work habits: “Just keep doing what you know to do and do it with all the energy you have.” Our work assignments aren’t always easy or...
Judgment Good judgment comes from experience, and most of that comes from bad judgment. (Kerr L White, MD, author) Our choices do make a significant impact on our lives, not only in the moment of choosing, but even more so further along in our lives. Bad judgments...
Truth I believe we need both the light of truth and the guidance of tradition now more than ever. (John Tang) Tradition alone does not determine what is true or false, but it does help in understanding the context in which it has been applied. When we want to know...
Excuses People are anxious to improve their circumstances but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. (James Allen, 19th - 20th century English writer) We often complain about our circumstances. We blame our failures on the weather, our...
Priorities Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important. (Charles E. Hummel, Tyranny of the Urgent) Further: “There is an insidious tendency to neglect important tasks that do not have to be done today—or even this week.” They say that the...
Aging You don’t get older, you get better. (Shirley Bassey, Welsh singer) Here’s a list of ideas to help us get better as we get older: Live realistically. Give generously. Adapt willingly. Trust fearlessly. Can we do all that? Certainly not unless we pay attention...