More than Facts Don’t become a mere recorder of facts, but try to penetrate the mystery of their origin. (Ivan Pavlov, 19th & 20th century Russian physiologist) “Just give me the facts” was a frequent line in an old detective TV show. That would be important in...
Work Your Dream If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 20th century French writer) Sounds like...
Serving & Leading If serving is below you, leadership is beyond you. (Anonymous, quoted by Jed Record, marketing specialist) Societal values are changing. A good work ethic was very American for most of our country’s history. But now, a lot of people seem to think...
Character Talent without character is like a kite without a string... worthless! (Jamy Bechler, leadership trainer) Do you remember how frustrating it was when you lost your grip on your kite string? Or when you gave the baby a balloon and he or she almost immediately...
Human Nature You can learn more about human nature by reading the Bible than by living in New York. (William Lyon Phelps, 19th-20th century scholar, author, critic) With its broad spectrum of ethnic origins, levels of education, and social differences, you might think...
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...