Perseverance It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up. (Vince Lombardi, famed football coach) Chinese philosopher Confucius put it this way, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Like a toddler learning...
Be a Friend You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes. (Winnie the Pooh, cartoon character) Some of us are not really out-going people. We like to stay in our “corner of the forest,” and we’re...
Accepting Advice No one is so successful that he or she no longer needs wise counsel. (Mike Lee, pastor) Have you ever known someone who seemed to know it all? At least, you got that impression if you offered an opinion or suggestion. Great leaders and thinkers...
Leadership III Most leadership lessons are learned from a failure or challenge of some kind. (James Emery White, Minister) White suggests what can be a positive result of such challenges: “You shoulder your way through it and, in hindsight, learn lessons you will...
Leadership II Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. (Peter Drucker, late management consultant) In an election year you hear a lot of political supporters spouting the attributes and...
Leadership I Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way. (General George Patton, WW II leader) If you’ve seen the movie, Patton, you can well imagine him bark the order, “get out of my way.” However, even though Patton didn't stand for any disobedience from his troops,...
Veterans Day As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. (John F. Kennedy, 35th US president) Words are so important and meaningful, but they can be easily and quickly forgotten. We may...
Patience The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second-best time is now. (Chinese proverb) We always seem to be in a hurry, and we want what we want right now. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but eventually we come to understand that little of value...
Reputation vs. Character Reputation is what you are supposed to be; Character is what you are. ( William Hershey Davis, professor) Davis continues: “Your Reputation is learned in an hour; your Character does not come to light for a year. A single newspaper report...
Arguments You don’t beat a thesis with an antithesis; you beat it with a better thesis. (Jack Kemp, late American politician) Kemp’s comment would seem to be so helpful in today’s difficult political scene. Instead of always trying to prove the other fellow wrong by a...
Principles When you base your life on principles, 99% of your decisions are already made. (Dave Ramsey, financial advisor) Too many of us today seem to live our lives on the basis of feelings, circumstances, a popular current blog, or podcast values. They change so...
More Than Words Words are only part of the way meaning is conveyed. There’s almost always more. (Brent Sandy, author) Do you remember what it was like to watch your children learn how to use words? We often marveled at how quickly their vocabulary grew. We soon...