• Be Brief, Be Remembered

    Speeches that are measured by the hour will die with the hour. – Thomas Jefferson Anything that takes too long to convey will be experienced as an ordeal. That which is delivered with relevance, wit and dispatch will be valued – and remembered. Be brief. Be complete. Be useful. It’s possible to do all three….

  • Dreaming and Looking Back

    I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. – Thomas Jefferson You should spend four times as much time dreaming as you do looking at the past. Really, it’s true, there have been numerous studies that have shown . . . . I’m kidding, there are no studies. And…

  • Learn to Count

    When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred. – Thomas Jefferson I love this. It reminds me of the following exchange between The Buddha and a young man: Young Man: Master how long will it take for me to achieve enlightenment? Gautama Buddha: It all depends on you…

  • You Must Tell Yourself The Truth

    Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. – Thomas Jefferson You must tell yourself the truth: About how you’ve succeeded. About the things you said you’d do, but haven’t. About the things you’ve done, but wish you hadn’t. About how you’ve “failed,” and that failure is a lie itself – everything creates results,…

  • The One Thing You CAN’T Have

    Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. – Thomas Jefferson I’ve blogged on this one before, but it bears repeating. To achieve a good attitude is necessary, but not sufficient. The wrong attitude however, will negate everything…

  • The Karma of Peale

    The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results. – Norman Vincent Peale Call it reciprocity, karma, whatever . . . what you put out into the world comes back to you. I can’t convince you if you aren’t convinced. But I’ll guarantee you: if…

  • Ambition is Neutral

    Ambition is at the very core of success and extraordinary achievement. Unlike greed, it’s a powerful, creative and constructive force. – Jim Rohn Some people view ambition in a negative light. They’ve seen people who are corrupt, unkind, or even criminal, who were “ambitious.” But that’s not what ambition is about. There are plenty of…