Thankfulness The unthankful heart . . . discovers no mercies; but . . . the thankful heart will find some heavenly blessings! (Henry Ward Beecher, 19th century clergyman) He writes that “. . . as a magnet attracts iron, so the grateful heart, sweeping through the day,...
Know Yourself The key to human development is building on who you already are. (Tom Rath, consultant) He also argues, “You cannot be anything you want to be” in contrast to the often heard statement, “You can be anything you want to be, if you just try hard enough.”...
Hypocrisy The most virtuous are those who content themselves with being virtuous without seeking to appear so. (Plato, ancient Greek philosopher) Have you ever known someone who acted humble in public, but behind the scenes, you knew he or she was full of pride? Any...
Tomorrow Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy. (Wayne Gretzky, Canadian athlete) Or, as Victor Kiam said, “Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.” It’s a widespread “disease” among...
Friendship A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. (Donna Roberts) Sharing life with friends is one of life’s most enjoyable experiences. Long-time friendships are even more beneficial when we encounter the difficulties of aging....
Story-telling Share stories purposefully; stories stick; facts fade. (Craig Groeschel, leadership speaker) Of the innumerable lectures you’ve heard, how many do you remember? What is it you most likely remember—the history and the facts? Most of us recall the stories....
Practice Champions keep playing until they get it right. (Billie Jean King, retired tennis professional) What makes a champion? Well, a certain skill is essential, whether it’s in sports, drama, or art. Champions will tell you, no doubt, that it takes an enormous...
Answers [Pay] more intention to the question than to the answer and never [be] afraid to go in an opposite direction to find a solution. (Richard Saul Wurman, author) In the midst of a conversation, we are often so distracted with the answer we’re preparing to offer...
Growing You’ve got to continue to grow, or you’re just like last night’s corn bread—stale and dry. (Loretta Lynn, singer-songwriter) Children often “can’t wait” to grow up. Getting taller than someone else may be important to them. There comes a time, however, when...
Love We cannot love on our own, be gentle on our own, or bear our burdens alone. (Schultz & Estabrook, authors) We’d like to think that we are the “captain of our ship,” in full control of our emotions and our actions. We soon discover, however, that life includes...
Snowflakes No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible. (Voltaire, 18th century French writer) As I write this, I’m viewing a heavy snowfall through my window. The scene makes Voltaire’s picturesque allusion very real. I certainly don’t expect an avalanche in...
Simplicity Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated. (Confucius, 6th century B.C. Chinese philosopher) We might not agree that life is always simple, but we certainly recognize that we often make it pretty complicated. For example, trying to...