I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.* – Stephen Covey
Sure, circumstances have an influence on what happens.
But such pales in comparison to the impact of your actions.
*****
And, not to second-guess Covey’s choice-of-words, while decisions are important, but you must act on those decisions. Ever hear the one about the five frogs on a log? There’s five frogs on a log. One decides to jump off. How many frogs are on the log? Five.
“Always desire to learn something useful.” – Sophocles Learning is vitally important these days. The willingness, and ability, to learn means we understand that the nature of things is change. That we cannot stand still if we want to useful, productive and happy. Learning though doesn’t need to be all about skills and competencies, it…
I just read an article about how a woman (after her children were grown) was questioning her choice to leave full-time work and be a Stay-at-Home-Mom. What I found interesting, was, not the social and cultural questions surrounding the topic specifically, but how it starkly illustrated something that shows up in many ways. Part of…
Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable. – Peter F. Drucker There’s a little saying that I like to remind myself of: How You Do One Thing Is How You Do Everything. Many may disagree, but it’s very useful for me. It reminds me that when I slack off, or do a…
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. – Marcel Proust Who reminds you of your the happiness within you? Notice I took slight issue with Proust’s words and didn’t say “makes us happy?” To really believe that is to give away your…
Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it. – Rene Descartes Anthony Robbins would call the above “chunking.” He would say we should chunk everything down to whatever size necessary to take action on something and complete it. There’s a lot to what he, and Descartes, say. *…
I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy. – Marie Curie Success is simple, but hard work. There are no over-night successes or easy paths to riches. Whether it’s the “larger” progress Curie speaks of, or personal success, the truth is that the time must be devoted and the price…