Commitment vs. Mood

It just occurred to me that maybe I’ve never really understood “motivation.” Oh sure, I’ve learned that it’s better to be inspired than motivated and better to motivated than coerced. But what is motivation, really? Motivation isn’t something real or actual. It’s a word that describes what happens when one puts a motive into action….

Be generous with kindly words, especially about those who are absent. – Goethe If you want to earn the trust and respect of those around you, be careful what you say about those who are absent. When you find ways to (truthfully and accurately) praise those who are not there, you build trust and gain…

That might seem like an odd title, or perhaps a not very helpful one. But it will soon make sense. A mentor of mine sent me a message that contained the following line: If I am on the wrong road it doesn’t matter how good I get at speeding down the road. It’s the wrong…

Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due. – William Ralph Inge To echo Inge’s brilliant sentiment, (I’ve often said:) worry is a prayer for what you don’t want. Focus on what you want. (Don’t know what you want? Figure it out. And then… yeah, you guessed it: focus on it.)

The key is not to prioritize what is on the schedule, but to schedule your priorities. – Stephen Covey You must take control of what you do. Until you get clear about what you want – and what you don’t – you can’t take control. But when you do take control, you can decide what’s…

While folding laundry just now I had a powerful thought. I realized – not for the first time, certainly – that one’s philosophy is so, so important to quality of life and results. In terms of “philosophy,” I am speaking of our personal philosophy: the set of beliefs we have about ourselves, others and what is possible….