Opportunity The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. (Orison Swett Marden, 19th-20th century inspirational author) Marden continues, “It is not in your environment, it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone.” While...
Art It is art that makes life…makes interest…makes importance, and I know of no substitute for the force and beauty of its process. (Henry James, 19th-20th century novelist) All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, they say. Very likely, author James would say the...
Obedience Most of us know what we need to know, we just have an obedience deficit. (Jeremy Wike, pastor) Some people have learned to ignore their conscience—that “little inner voice” that brings conviction when we fail to do what we know is right. Usually, it isn’t...
Change There is nothing so stable as change. (Bob Dylan, songwriter) It’s something we’ve heard again and again. Yet, in this fast-moving day, it seems truer than ever before. Ask any elderly person, and he or she will acknowledge that months and years are speeding...
Generosity If you don't give when you don't have enough, you won't give when you have more than enough because it's a heart issue no matter how much you've got. (Mike Lee, pastor) Some generous people have been described as one who “would give you the shirt off his...
Practice The Best Teacher of the Game is to Play the Game. (Source unknown) You can do all the classroom teaching or locker room coaching possible, but there is no better place to learn than in the midst of the activity. Any teacher will testify that he or she really...
Pleasing Others [Stop]: trying to please everyone . . . [Stop] . . . making decisions based on what other people want. (Gene Chizik, football coach) Those are two of the five things Chizik says “you need to stop NOW.” How many times have you been disappointed when you...
Trust A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other. (Mike Linch, baseball coach) We’ve been reminded again and again that there is no “I” in “team.” Yes, it’s a group, but as Linch points out, it’s a group made up...
Assumptions We reveal our character in the assumptions we make about others. (Adam Grant, psychologist) Grant continues, “If you think people are dishonest and selfish, you might be dishonest and selfish. Those beliefs are self-fulfilling prophecies: expect the worst...
Your Name Here's what's cool: Learning and using people's names. (Warren Buffett, wealthy philanthropist) This is no. 2 in Buffett’s list of cool things. You might wonder how this business magnate accumulated his great wealth; maybe this is one of the factors in his...
Love vs. Hate I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) King also said, “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” What a terrible burden it is to carry hate in your heart. It affects your...
Confrontation Life without confrontation is directionless, aimless, passive. When unchallenged, human beings tend to drift, to wander, or to stagnate. Confrontation is a gift. (David Augsburger, author) Do you like confrontation? Many people try to avoid it at almost...