“Your past is important, but as important as it is, it is not nearly as important to your present as the way you see your future.”

Dr. Tony Campolo

I’ve Been Thinking. . . about the anticipation, excitement and mystery of moving into the unknown future.

If I read any comic strips, there are three that will get my quick attention. One is BC. I love the one with a cave man standing in front of a rock labeled “Exchanges.” He complained to the person in charge of exchanges, “My calendar watch won’t budge.”

The other man replied, “I don’t wonder. I’m not too choked up about moving into the next year myself.”

The end of one year and the dawning of a new year can be a daunting thought for some people. For others, it provides an excellent opportunity to wipe the slate clean and make a fresh start. Last year has no life. Next year is filled with life infused possibilities.

Remember the television series, The West Wing? Fictional president Josiah Bartlet regularly ended staff meetings with two words – “What’s next?”

This was his way of signaling that he was finished with the issue at hand and ready to move on to other concerns. The demands and pressures of the White House required that he not focus on what was in the rearview mirror -- he needed to concentrate on the “what next” priorities.

What’s next? The kind of future we see next week, next month or next year will shape how we live today. Sometimes the struggle to move into the future is because people are paralyzed by the past. The more time you spend looking backward, the less capable you will be of seeing ahead. It’s not possible to think clearly about the future (which is where you are going to live) if you’re obsessed with the past. As Ivern Ball advised, “The past should be a springboard, not a hammock.” Look at the past as just basic training for your future.

Choose to be forward-focused, not past-obsessed. No matter what your past has been, you have a spotless future. No matter what last year produced, the New Year is awaiting your arrival. What you invest into the next 365 days will determine, in large part, what those days give back to you. It is valuable to learn from past experiences, focus on the present and prepare yourself to move confidently into the future.

Here are a couple thoughts to ponder for the New Year. . .

1. You cannot erase the past but you can write the future.
2. The more you carry the past around, the less likely it is the present will improve.
3. If you truly ‘live’ in the present, you’ll build a road to the future.
4. You either create the future you want or endure the future you are given.

The well known preacher Henry Ward Beecher said: “We have passed through one more year. One more long stage in the journey of life, with its ascents and descents and dust and mud and rocks and thorns and burdens that wear the shoulders, is done. The old year is dead. Roll it away. Let it go. God, in His providence, has brought us out of it. It is gone; . . . its evil is gone; its good remains. The evil has perished, and the good survives.”

So. . . what’s next?

“If there is faith in the future, there is power in the present.”

John Maxwell

The Magic of Christmas

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”

Norman Vincent Peale

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about that magic wand Dr. Peale referred to.

A notice came in the mail the other day that I had a registered letter to be picked up at the post office. I arrived at the post office shortly after it opened, hoping to beat the Holiday rush. No such luck!

In line ahead of me was a woman with a sack full of Christmas Cards to be mailed. “I’d like 100 stamps,” she said to the clerk.

“What denomination would you like?” the postal employee asked in a friendly tone.

“Oh, good heavens! I can’t believe it has come to this,” the lady responded. “Well, give me 50 Catholic and 50 Lutheran ones.”

Apparently the magic wand hadn’t yet touched this lady. In fact, she was clueless. She’s probably not the only one.

We each hear different things during the Christmas season depending on our perspective, what we expect and our past experiences. The magic at Christmas isn’t necessarily present for everyone even though the gift of Christmas is available to everyone.

A little boy was reading his new book of Bible stories when his mother asked him what he was doing. The young lad quickly responded, “I’m watching Jesus being born!” That’s the magic of Christmas.

The world can be softer and more beautiful when we understand and embrace the power that came with this lowly birth. And there’s only one Baby Jesus.

Seven year old Nancy loved Christmas. She was reflecting on the lights, Christmas tree, the church program, and of course, the candy and gifts. With the spirit and innocence of a seven year old, Nancy exclaimed to her sister; “I sure hope Joseph and Mary have another baby.”

Not going to happen. We get one Jesus and he is enough for the world. But, don’t be fooled by that silent lowly birth. His presence and significance continue to be felt throughout the world.

Whatever your situation. Whatever your perspective. Whatever your take on Christmas. Whatever misgivings, hesitations, doubts or questions you have . . . I pray the magic wand of Christmas will touch your heart and life this year.

And she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21

Learn To Be Ignorant

“The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn.”

Alvin Toffler

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about learning to become more ignorant.

Learn to be ignorant? I’m serious. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it. Wouldn’t it be better to say, “Learn to be an expert”? Not really. Siegfried and Therese Engelmann said, “The human animal is the only one on earth so intelligent that it can actually learn to be stupid.” Ignorance and intelligence are actually interdependent.

I convinced myself very early in life that it was not much fun to appear stupid. I had an excellent seventh grade teacher with a passion for American History. Unfortunately, I didn’t share her enthusiasm, which affected my listening skills during her lectures. Every lecture concluded with an interactive discussion about the materials we had just covered. Whenever she asked a question, I would hesitate until another student raised their hand and then I would cautiously raise mine, hoping she would not call on me.

I didn’t want to appear stupid so I disguised my lack of eagerness to get involved by raising my hand only when I was relatively sure I wouldn’t get called on. I rarely knew the answers to her questions and feared appearing stupid.

It is almost anti-social to use the words, “I don’t know.” Only uninformed people admit to not having the answers. Right?

The world is full of people convinced they possess bountiful wisdom to share with the rest of us. They’ve read it all, done it all, succeeded at it, and are now ready to tell you about it. These are the people moving up the success ladder. Right? Not necessarily.

William James insisted, “If I see myself today as I was in the past, my past must resurrect itself and become my future.” In other words, today will be a repeat of the things I learned yesterday, and tomorrow will be the result of the things I think about day after day and year after year. That’s no way to move up the ladder unless it’s lying flat on the ground.

The unending road to becoming and remaining a cutting-edge expert is to become a relentless continual learner. Cultivate your innocent spirit of ignorance. It’s not what you don't know that can destroy you. You’ll learn it. It’s what you don’t know you don’t know that’s frightening. Discover it.

Columnist Sydney Harris remarked, “A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others; a loser wants to be considered an expert by others before he has learned enough to know how little he knows.”

I figure this puts us all in the same boat. Whether we think we know a lot or don’t, we all need to continually build on what we learned yesterday so we don’t fall into the trap of being comfortable with our present level of knowledge.

Here’s the irony. When you accelerate your desire to learn and reduce your ignorance, you’ll often discover how much more there is to learn. Interestingly enough, those with an insatiable desire to learn more develop an unlimited repertoire of possibilities.

Learning to be ignorant involves more than casual effort. It requires a fundamental change in mind-set and skill-set, our habits. Psychologist William James said that to change our habits, first we make a deep commitment to pay whatever price is necessary to change the habit; second, we grasp the first opportunity to use the new practice or skill; and third, we allow no exceptions until the new habit is firmly imbedded into our nature.

What new information have you discovered in the last week? How have you used that information? In what ways will this information afford you new opportunities?

“Unless you are willing to admit your ignorance, you will never be able to acquire knowledge.”

E.C. McKenzie

“Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.”

Will Durant

“To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.”

Benjamin Disraeli

Ain’t It Awful

“Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibilities.”

Albert Schweitzer

I’ve Been Thinking. . . a lot about the negative people I encounter and the potential impact or influence they have on my life. Let me tell you about one such experience.

"Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome aboard United Express Flight 5362 to Chicago. Before we take off, please make sure that your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position, and that your seat belts are securely fastened. This is a non-smoking flight and we remind you that smoking in the lavatories and tampering with smoke detectors is prohibited. Buckle up; have a pleasant trip and a nice day."

"They expect me to have a pleasant trip flying in this puddle-jumper?" the passenger next to me blurted.

"This plane is a sorry excuse for a jet," she continued. "I can't believe I paid to ride this thing just to spend a week with my mother-in-law. Oh well, we’ll probably never arrive anyway."

Biting my tongue, I smiled and nodded only to acknowledge I had heard her. I waited to suggest to my flying friend that her chances for having a super day were slim to none. Besides that, I sympathized with the mother-in-law having to endure her stay.

She continued entertaining me throughout the flight with everything that was wrong with her life. I just kept smiling and graciously nodding. When the plane landed, I assisted her with the luggage in the overhead compartment and struggled to restrain myself from giving her a bit of advice about life. Instead, I smiled and encouraged her to make it a great day.

I thought to myself walking through the terminal; “Could it be this person was not aware of her negativity? Was she really that fatalistic about her life? Surely she didn't intend to let this flight dictate the quality of her day.”

This lady was apparently unaware that she had given control of her day to an airplane she didn’t like.

A friend told me about a man who shouted the same three words each day from his street-corner newsstand. “Ain’t it awful!” he would say to each passersby while extending a newspaper. People bought a paper because they just had to know what terrible thing had occurred. People are attracted to, love to talk about and dwell on the “awful”.

Tragedy and dire predictions always make the front page, but if we become preoccupied with bad news, undesirable circumstances and unfortunate life events, we will succumb to a lifestyle of “awfulizing” – a pervasive pessimism that clouds every situation with gloom.

Charles Swindoll calls this “verbal pollution,” passed around by grumblers, complainers, and criticizers. “This poison of pessimism,” Swindoll writes, “creates an atmosphere of wholesale negativism where nothing but the bad side of everything is emphasized.”

In his classic book, Man's Search for Meaning, Dr. Viktor Von Frankl describes the incredible experience of surviving a Nazi concentration camp. He came to a sudden and dramatic conclusion that little would happen in this environment over which he had control. One thing Dr. Frankl knew: he wanted to live.

He learned to focus on small positive events. He savored them and let his mind dwell on their benefits. He took control of his responses to the brutal events and discovered that "one's ultimate freedom is the ability to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances."

The value of this principle for your life is phenomenal. Taking responsibility for your tomorrows is a life changing, awesome, exciting discovery.

In the absence of this decision, you are held prisoner to every situation, habit, experience, person, or environment which you encounter. Decide now not to let anyone or anything decide what your day will be like. Tell yourself this minute, “I will take 100% responsibility for the quality of my day no matter whom or what tries to influence me to become an “awfulizer”.


“The important and decisive factor in life is not what happens to us, but the attitude we take toward what happens. Circumstances and situations may color life, but by the grace of God, we have been given the power to choose what that color shall be.”

Charles R. Woodson

The First Step To Making Things Happen

“If you don’t make up your mind, then your unmade mind will unmake you.”

E. Stanley Jones

I’ve Been Thinking . . . and observing how difficult it is for some people to make a decision.

When its harvest time in Idaho, farmers turn their attention to tons and tons of potatoes. One farmer hired extra help to assist him in sorting a mountainous pile resulting from a bumper crop. He instructed his hired hand to divide the potatoes into two piles - the big ones in one pile and little ones in another.

The farmer returned from the field at noon to check on his helper’s progress and was astound to find not one potato had been moved all morning. Stunned by this evidence of laziness, the farmer asked the man why he had accomplished nothing. “Well,” the hired hand hesitantly replied, “I don’t mind working, but all of these decisions are driving me crazy.”

Some people find making decisions to be harder work than work itself. Unfortunately, their indecision usually produces inaction. It’s just not possible to ride the fence and produce any significant achievement. When loyalties are divided between decision and indecision there is inertia.

A comical story is told about a man whose acreage was located on the border that separated the North and the South during the Civil War. Unable to decide which side to support, he wore a Confederate Army jacket and Union Army pants. That indecisive action produced unusual results. The Union soldiers shot at his jacket and the Confederates shot him in the pants. Either way, he was under fire.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” Always remember that when you stall or refuse to make a decision, that, in itself is a critical decision. You are just as accountable for the consequences of indecision as you are for the results of making one. I’d rather take responsibility for something I decided to do than allow fate to run its’ course.

I am often at meetings where decisions need to be made. It’s incredible how strong the temptation is to spend time moaning, groaning, and whining about the issues needing to be addressed. The seemingly popular thing to do is complain and get everyone in the group caught up in negativity and crying on each others’ shoulder. Then people wonder why they dislike attending meetings.

I’ve often wondered what it would be like if every meeting chair took a pledge that read: “I hereby promise, as the leader of this group, to limit the conversation of all in attendance to three minutes discussing the issue. I will then turn their attention to generating and choosing options that will create positive outcomes.” I’m convinced people would not leave meetings cursing the waste of their time and energy as well as dreading the next meeting.

The same is true of personal indecision. Your success or failure will depend upon the decisions you make each day of your life. Bemoaning your situation, rather than making a decision to do something about it, snuffs out the spark of life. Remember the conviction of Wilfred A. Peterson; “Decision is the spark that ignites action. Until a decision is made, nothing happens.” Keep the spark alive. Decide to decide.

“The greatest difficulty in making decisions is not in knowing the right decision, but in making it.”

John Maxwell

What’s the Purpose?

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be ‘happy.’ I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is above all, to matter; to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”

Leo Calvin Rosten

I’ve Been Thinking. . . about the ideal Life. I must admit my perspective on the ‘ideal life’ has gone through some alteration over the years.

In my early years, happiness was certainly a pursuit. Then, I realized happiness was a fleeting emotion and frankly I was responsible for my level of happiness. Comfort. That was another priority for awhile. Boring! The desire for security slowly evolved into a willingness to explore new ideas, adventures and approaches. You get the idea.

Rosten’s quote speaks directly to my heart. I want to live in a way that counts; that stands for something, that makes some difference. I’ll admit I haven’t figured it all out but I know it will require a daily reigniting of commitment and energy to live above the daily grind, the ordinary.

What would your ideal life look like? What does your current life look like? How does it compare to the ideal? What are the gaps? How far apart is the ideal from the real?

Think about this – our life will become exactly what we decide it to be and we will experience what we want most. You might say, “Wait a minute. My life is nothing like I want it to be. In fact, I’m experiencing far from what I want and even farther from the ideal.”

I understand. And, I would respond, “If that is true, what action are you taking to close the gap between the real and the ideal? What is your vision for the future?” You show me your vision, and I can predict your future.

Listen (or read) carefully. There are people who are chained to their past and therefore never create a fresh outlook for the future. Other people are so caught up thinking about the future; they fail to take care of the present.

I’ve learned the past is a marvelous and sometimes painful teacher, the present is filled with opportunity and the future is not something to be feared but enthusiastically pursued.

Without a vision for the future, you will be trapped by the ensnarling enemy called “average” or “good enough.” Without a solid purpose, it is difficult to wrap your arms around a vision that makes sense. When you establish a purpose for your life, it will shape your vision for the future, give you a desire to make significant things happen in your life and instill a desire to change the way things are.

The ideal life is a life that evolves around a purpose. God is pleased when you are doing what He designed you to do. Take it from Bertrice Berry who said, “When you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny.”

Are you striving to just make it through each day? Are you dreaming about a different kind of life but don’t really have any direction? Are you unclear about the difference you can make in other people’s lives? Is there a reason for you to get up in the morning beyond the need to make a living?

If you want your life to be something different than it is, then you are going to have to do something different than you’ve ever done. It has been said that, “unhappiness is not knowing what we want and killing ourselves to get it.” The truth is, unhappy people don’t know what they want and so they don’t have a focus… a purpose that drives their life. Unfortunately, so many of these people desperately try to make sense out of life and wear themselves out without ever finding happiness or satisfaction.

Simply, their lives are purposeless.

My simple purpose in life is “to positively impact the lives of people.” I shutter to think of the number of times I’ve fallen short of this lofty ideal. But one thing I know, the more I fulfill that simple purpose, the closer my life gets to experiencing the ideal.

“You are here for a purpose. There is not a duplicate of you in the whole wide world; there never has been there never will be. You were brought here now to fill a certain need. Take time to think that over.”

Lou Austin

Get It Right The First Time

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

- Oprah Winfrey

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about how many things in life I take for granted. I fear the list of precious, promising, positive, pertinent overlooked good things in my life would be embarrassing. I would have to begin with a renewed thankfulness for the breath of life.

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, 47-year-old Randy Pausch returned to Carnegie Mellon University, where he taught computer science, to deliver a final lecture to colleagues. The professor hoped 150 people might show up. Instead, the 400 seat lecture auditorium was filled.

Randy Pausch’s “last lecture” was delivered in September 2007. The lecture began with him standing before a screen beaming down chilling CT images of tumors in his liver, under the title. . . The Elephant in the Room. He then stunned the audience with this announcement: “I have about six months to live. I’m in really good shape, probably better shape than most of you.” He then dropped to the floor to do push-ups.

Randy opened his heart to the audience in a humorous, insightful, and emotion packed farewell that was more focused on living than on his imminent death. He told his colleagues and students, “I’m dying and I’m having fun, and I’m going to keep having fun every day I have left.”

Within weeks, his videotaped lecture was seen by millions on the Internet and later became the material for a bestselling book. Randy Pausch was a dying man who taught those who listened how to live. Hi died on July 25, 2008 but his legacy, wisdom, wonderful outlook on life and passion remain a living inspiration to us all.

Isn’t it amazing how those facing death have an unusually clear perspective on what is truly important in life?

What about us?

What’s going right in your life today? What are you thankful for? What are you celebrating? What have you done to make this day the best one you’ve had in a long time? What relationships are blessing your life? Do you enjoy your work? Your coworkers (have you told them?)

You might have to look around – search a bit to find all of your blessings. I’m convinced there will be some you’ve overlooked since we have countless things in our lives to be thankful for. Here’s a practical example from my life.

In January 2009 and few couples traveled to New York City for our first time. We had a delightful long weekend celebrating the 60th birthday of a friend while seeing the sights and enjoying the sounds of the city. We boarded a flight at LaGuardia late Sunday afternoon and returned to Omaha with only minor glitches and delays in our travel.

A few weeks later, 155 people on US Airways Flight 1549 thought they were going to die. During takeoff from LaGuardia, their plane struck geese, disabling both engines. In a powerless glide, the captain miraculously maneuvered over the densely populated areas and then announced: “Brace yourself for impact.”

Less than 90 seconds later the disabled jet made a water landing in the frigid Hudson River. Boats and ferries quickly arrived to rescue the passengers and crew. Everyone survived. People appropriately named it the “miracle on the Hudson” and praised the pilot and crew.

During an interview, one passenger simply said, “We have a second chance in life.”

I was much more thankful in retrospect for our uneventful takeoff, flight and landing just a few weeks earlier. I normally take those safe flights for granted. Not anymore. I too was given a ‘second chance’ in life . . . without the drama of a landing in the Hudson River.

Several years ago actor Bill Murray starred in a movie called Ground Hog Day. In this comedy he had to keep re-living a particular day all over again until things came out right.

I’ve never been given the chance to relive a day in my life. If I had to do a day over again, I ‘m certain I wouldn’t take for granted everything I had the day before – or least I think I have enough common sense not to mess it up two days in a row – or maybe not.

Here’s an exercise for you. For the next three days keep a written list of everything you have the freedom to enjoy, every potential blessing in the day, every accomplishment, and every relationship that is enriching your life. That intense three day focus might just jumpstart a renewed appreciation for your life.

Get it right the first time. We don’t get a chance to do it over again.

“It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.”

- Bruce Springstein

Responsibility 101

People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.

Gloria Steinem

I’ve Been Thinking. . . about the relevance of a very old movie. Grab your TV Guide. Oh, that’s right, they quit making TV Guide. Okay, go to your local cable listing and hope you can find the next showing of Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front.

There’s a scene where an angry German soldier in a hospital ward smashes a bottle against the wall. An officer quickly comes storming into the room demanding to know who threw the bottle. “I did,” said Joseph Hamacher, even though he had nothing to do with the incident.

The angry officer takes down Hamacher’s name, informs him he’s in big trouble and then stamps out of the room. The other soldiers are curious. Why did Hamacher take the heat when he didn’t commit the crime? Hamacher grins and explains, “I got a crack in the head, and they presented me with a certificate to say that I was periodically not responsible for my actions. Ever since then I’ve had a grand time!”

Sound familiar? There are a lot of people walking around today declaring themselves temporarily not responsible for their actions.

Relinquish responsibility to someone else or an event and you become powerless as well as angry and resentful. Grant someone or something responsibility for the quality of your day and be assured the results will be undesirable. You’ll soon believe that you have no control over what happens to you. This is the fast track to becoming a helpless victim of the past, other people and life. Trapped.

When you consciously take responsibility for the outcomes in your life new possibilities and alternatives will surface. Responsible people see no reason to blame others or the world around them for how they feel, think, or act. Their approach is to face the facts, meet challenges, decide how to make changes, and actively plan how they will make a difference in their future.

Two questions will assist you in making this transition. What do I want? What am I willing to do to make it happen?

You possess all the necessary tools to determine what activities and thoughts to activate. Being clear about what you want and how you will achieve it provides fresh insight into desirable behaviors.

“Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility,” says Michael Korda. “In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have...is the ability to take on responsibility.”

Formulate a course of action to focus on who you want to be and how you want to feel.

“If you’re tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you.”

Zig Ziglar

Develop Your Talents

“If a man has talent and cannot use it, he has failed. If he has a talent and uses only half of it, he has partly failed. If he has a talent and learns somehow to use the whole of it, he has gloriously succeeded and won satisfaction and a triumph few men and women ever know.”

Thomas Wolfe

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about strengths.

No one has the ability to use their weaknesses to accomplish anything great. Building self-confidence is effectively achieved by managing your weaknesses and developing your strengths. In other words, do a lot of what you do well. And, quit doing, or at least reduce the frequency of doing, what restricts your confidence. . . what you don’t do so well.

As a little boy, he was unusually shy and noticeably thin. He wanted to be a tough guy, but no matter what he ate, he couldn’t gain a pound. To make matter’s worse, he was a minister’s son, and that certainly didn’t make him popular. The other members of his family were outgoing and endowed with public speaking ability. He wanted nothing to do with that kind of responsibility.

“I was shy and bashful,” he says, “and this self-image of inadequacy might have gone on indefinitely had it not been for something a professor said to me during my sophomore year in college. One day after I made a miserable showing, he told me to wait after class. ‘How long are you going to be bashful like this, a scared rabbit afraid of the sound of your voice?’ he demanded. ‘You’d better change the way you think about yourself, Peale, before it’s too late.’”

Norman Vincent Peale went on to become a world renowned speaker and author. The talent he possessed laid dormant because he was investing more time and energy dwelling on what he couldn’t do than exposing what he was capable of.

In his book Making The Most of Life, J.R. Miller told a heart-warming story about Leonardo da Vinci. While da Vinci was still a student, long before he became a renowned renaissance artist, his old and famous teacher asked him to finish a picture he had begun. The young student was in such awe of his teacher’s talent that he initially declined the request. His instructor would not accept no for an answer and handed da Vinci the brush, along with these encouraging words: “Do your best.”

DaVinci took the brush and his trembling hands began to stroke the canvas. He gradually gained confidence, his hand grew steady, and his eye “awoke with slumbering genius.” Soon he overcame his initial timidity and found himself engrossed in his work. When the painting was finished, the master teacher was brought into the studio to see it. Filled with pride over his student’s achievement, he embraced da Vinci and exclaimed, “My son, I paint no more!”

Leonardo da Vinci was a common person with an undeveloped talent. He became a master of his trade when he continually did the best with what he had. Henry Van Dyke once suggested, “Use that talent you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”

Da Vinci’s instructor had a keen sense of talent and an even wiser approach to surfacing talent in order to maximize da Vinci’s potential. As Peter Drucker believed, “To build on a person’s strengths, that is, to enable him to do what he can do, will make him effective . . . to try build on his weaknesses will be . . . frustrating and stultifying.”

What talents have you been timid with? What undeveloped abilities do you possess that are just waiting to blossom? Like Leonardo, your true abilities will surface when you do the best with what you have.

Start viewing yourself as a bundle of potential waiting to be opened - not a package of limitations. Listen to Malcolm Forbes: “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”

See yourself as endowed with a unique selection of talents, abilities and skills - not as one left with an empty bag when talents were distributed.

Begin seeing yourself as a person with an exciting future of successes, enjoyment, and opportunities to use what you’re good at.

Your self image rises when you use the gifts you’ve been given. Get started on your list.

“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.”

H. Jackson Brown

Happiness Is Living Every Moment

“To experience happiness we must train ourselves to live in this moment, to savor it for what it is, not running ahead in anticipation of some future date nor lagging behind in the paralysis of the past.”

Luci Swindoll

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about Happiness. Dennis Wholey, author of Are You Happy, reported that according to expert opinion, perhaps only 20 percent of Americans are happy. In another national survey, it was estimated that 29% of us are happy. That’s sad. I’m a pretty happy guy and find it difficult to accept this ‘happiness data.’

Regardless of the accuracy of these statistics, there is a pretty good indication that people want more in their lives. There is a hole somewhere waiting to be filled and thereby producing happiness. Actually, unhappy people simply have a gap between what they expect and what they are experiencing. That’s why happiness has very little to do with what we attain. The more we get, the higher our expectations and the more likely a larger gap will be created.

Unhappy people would probably agree with the wry definition of happiness offered by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, who said, “Happiness is an imaginary condition, formerly attributed by the living to the dead, now usually attributed by adults to children, and by children to adults.” According to this definition, happiness is anywhere we don’t happen to be.

Former child star Shirley Temple Black told a story about her husband, Charles, and his mother. When Charles was a boy, he asked his mother what the happiest moment of her life was.

“This moment--right now,” she responded.

“But what about all the other happy moments in your life?” he said, surprised. “What about when you were married?”

“My happiest moment then was then,” she answered. “My happiest moment now is now. You can only really live in the moment you’re in. So to me, that’s always the happiest moment.”

I love Mrs. Black’s perspective. Whenever you focus on the past you strip the present of it’s’ beauty. And, when you get caught up in the future, you rob the present of its’ potential.

Happiness seems so simple--and yet, so difficult to define. Norman Cousins, former editor of Saturday Review, wrote, “Happiness is probably the easiest emotion to feel, the most elusive to create deliberately, and the most difficult to define. It is experienced differently by different people.” I suggest, after considerable thought, that happiness is an existing state of joyful contentment, accompanied by a peace about the present and hope for the future. Happiness is a by-product experienced by looking at all the good and bad in any given moment and then choosing to focus on the good. Such an easy concept, but a difficult habit to acquire.

“A happy person,” said ABC’s Hugh Downs, “is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” Dr. Norman Vincent Peale agrees. “Happiness,” he said, “is not a matter of good fortune or worldly possessions. It’s a mental attitude. It comes from appreciating what we have, instead of being miserable about what we don’t have. It’s so simple--yet so hard for the human mind to comprehend.”

Here’s a little help in developing the attitudes that nurture the seeds of happiness.

Accept life’s difficulties. I know you know this but let me remind you that life will never be void of problems. Pain and difficulty are constantly perched at your back door. They are inevitable experiences of living in an imperfect world. A great starting point to happiness is to accept these unpleasantries as quickly as you do the joys. To be content in the ups and downs of life epitomizes a truly happy person.

Choose happiness now. Waiting for your life to be totally in order before experiencing happiness is an unrealistic dream. “If only” and “Someday I’ll” are detours to happiness. They snuff out contentment. The best part of your life is right now not some day in the past or future. Life may not be as good as you want or as good as you ought to try to make it. But, you really have it pretty good. Learn to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.

Learn to look for the good. Try looking for the positives in your job, relationships, community, church, and children. Guard against focusing on the negatives or things that fall short of your expectations. Identify the little things that bring you a sprinkle of happiness. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how developing a mindset that looks for the good will prepare you to deal more positively with the problems you encounter.

Help others experience happiness. Bertrand Russell once said, “If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have a paradise in a few years.” Let go of judging. Accept people where they are. Expect the best from others. Help people believe in themselves. Become an inverse paranoid. You read that right. Inverse paranoids are people who think everyone is out to make them happy. Just imagine everyone you meet wanting to bring happiness to your life. And then try to do the same for them.

Decide what you want in life. In the early 1980’s, two Harvard psychologists completed a study of people who called themselves happy. And what did happy people have in common? Money? Success? Power? Health? Love?

None of the above.

Happy people had only two things in common: They knew exactly what they wanted and they felt they were moving toward getting it. Dr. Benjamin Spock concurred. He said, “Happiness is mostly a by-product of doing what makes us feel fulfilled.” The ultimate in personal happiness is to be actively involved in something bigger than ourselves that causes us to stretch beyond where we are.

On the flip side, unhappiness can be experienced by not knowing what we want and working like crazy to get it. “Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness,” advised Helen Keller. “It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”

Sometimes I think we work far too hard at trying to be happy. The more we pursue happiness the more evasive it becomes. As Harold Kushner wrote in the best-selling book When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough, “Happiness is a butterfly--the more you chase it, the more it flies away from you and hides. But stop chasing it, put away your net and busy yourself with other, more productive things than the pursuit of happiness and it will sneak up on you from behind and perch on your shoulder.”

If you really want to be happy, the only person that can stop you is you. Don’t strive to be happy. Be Happy. Wake up each morning. Smile. Look for the good in the day. Choose to act happy. Find the good in others. Work toward something larger than yourself. Do the best you can in every endeavor.

Be encouraged by Denis Waitley’s insight on happiness. “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.”

“Just remember, happiness is having a poor memory about what happened yesterday.”

Lou Holtz

The Saga of Flight 6269

“Here is a simple but powerful rule – always give people more than what they expect.”
Nelson Boswell

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about the idea of exceeding expectations.

Our serving Value says: “We succeed by focusing our attention and energies on anticipating and exceeding people’s expectations. Our actions are driven by a ‘Yes, I Can’ attitude and the commitment that we are ‘Family Serving Family’.”

A recent personal experience might be the best way to explore the presence, or in this case, absence of this value.

Some people get stuck in long lines. . .

Some people get stuck on elevators. . .

Some people get stuck in traffic. . .

Not Glenn ----- It’s Sunday, 3:52p.m.

I (with my wife) get stuck in New York due to a one hour thunderstorm that kept the plane I was scheduled to fly from landing. Result – Flight Cancelled.

Panic! Run to the ticket counter. “I was scheduled on that cancelled….” Before I could finish my emotionally charged statement, the ticket agent pointed to a bank of phones. “Call the Help Line,” he said stoically and unapologetically.

I call the Help Line. (It should be renamed for obvious reasons) Next available flight ---- 5:15 p.m. Monday Evening. Booked. Pull our luggage. Done. Tried to book a flight to Des Moines and drive. Full. Attempted one more time to book a flight early in the morning. No luck. Kept the 5:15 flight.

Okay, take a deep breath, get your luggage and realize you are going to spend another fortune on taxi, meals and a hotel room in New York City.

My wife’s luggage is found. Mine doesn’t come. The baggage ‘guy’ finally tells me to visit with the Baggage Handling Department. “They’re expecting you,” he says. (That’s not a good sign)

Heard the wonderful news --- my luggage accidentally got loaded on a flight to Cincinnati and hopefully it will arrive in Omaha by late Monday night. Baggage Guy: “I’m sorry that happened. We goofed.” That’s it --- no offer for a hotel room, no taxi, no flight, no service, no NOTHING.

“I can’t do anything for you,” he says. “I’m just telling you what happened.” Exactly what I wanted to hear.

4 1/2 hours later Marty and I are in a taxi with a stressed out, irritated, angry at life cab driver who beats on the steering wheel, taps the windshield with his fingers and huffs and puffs at every car we tailgate, pass or nearly sideswipe. His right foot accelerates, decelerates, accelerates, etc. etc. Car sickness sets in. $42 later we are at the hotel.

Dion (nice guy) checks us in. Room 901. Elevators are stuck on the 18th Floor. The lobby is full of anxious, unhappy people. 27 minutes later we’re in the room.

A trip to the department store to buy a clean shirt and underwear for the morning, then over to the drug store to purchase essentials (you get the picture), a bite of dinner and we collapse in our room around 10:01 p.m. – just in time to record this saga before I crash.

You gotta love the Big Apple!

Monday – 7:17 a.m. - Personal Reflection - I was reminded again yesterday how little control I have over my life. Events I never expected, desired or previously encountered seem to surface without notice.

I came to a simple conclusion by the time the evening was over --- Suck it up… thank God you are safe (especially after that cab ride)… and realize there is a reason for every event in life. Check your attitude. Adjust it where necessary. Make the best of the situation. Move on.

(Besides, I bought new flashy (pricy) underwear and now own the most expensive toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant I’ve ever purchased. I’m good to go.)

Praying for smooth travel tonight……..

A continuation. . .

Monday – 4:37 p.m. – We board the overbooked plane for Omaha. They are begging for volunteers to give up their seats – for $10,000 I might have considered it. No such luck.

Monday – 7:16 p.m. – the plane has landed BUT the saga continues.

I hurriedly and anxiously make my way to the Delta Baggage Retrieval Office. (I really miss my dirty clothes, toiletries and New York street stained soles on my shoes). Finally, we’ll be reunited. Get out of my way people. Sheeesh they walk slow.

Shawna (baggage claim person) listens to my story. Smiles. Then she begins punching keys on her computer keyboard. She’s looking for the bag number in the computer. (Never throw away your bag receipt) I look around the room. I’m not seeing a piece of luggage that resembles mine. . . At this point I’m tempted to claim someone else’s. . .

Reminder: my bag traveled to Cincinnati last night in route to Omaha (or so I was told).

“I found the number,” she says. “The bag is being “expedited” from LaGuardia and a big sticker has been placed on it.”

Expedited – to speed up, accelerate, hurry up, rush.

From LaGuardia – the point at which it mistakenly left last night for Cincinnati and supposedly on to Omaha.

It’s now 27 hours later! Expedited????

What’s wrong with this picture?

“I’m sure it will be on this flight,” she assures me. (The one I was just on)

We both stare at the luggage carousel fully knowing what the final verdict will be. The baggage claim area and carousel are empty. . .

Well, I guess it didn’t make it,” Shawna profoundly exclaims.

I do the paperwork and she assures me they will call 4-6 hours before they deliver the bag to my home.

Antonym for “Expedite” – to impede --- the perfect definition for my luggage’s demise.

You know what hurts the worst. . . My luggage doesn’t care that it is lost. In fact, it doesn’t care if it ever comes home --- could it be that this is all a conspiracy between the airlines and my personal belongings to teach me about ‘separation anxiety’? - - - this whole thing is causing me to think strange thoughts.

There has GOT to be a better way…

“Please come home to me Dry Idea – New Formula – Antiperspirant……………………………………..”

The ‘Happy Traveler’

Tuesday update – 4:32 p.m. (49 hours and 15 minutes since my luggage went missing) – Called the Baggage Service Office.

Message: “This mailbox is full, please try again later.”

Should I be surprised at this continuation of pitiful service? They’ve sealed the deal – never will I fly with them again and I plan to tell my story every time I need an example about anticipating and exceeding the expectations of people. I’m sure that will scare them -----

8:16 p.m. – Happy days are here again. Luggage #DL202479 and the owner have been reunited.

Looking back. . .it is all rather anti-climatic. BUT ---

But the service experience is indelibly etched into my story telling memory.

Serving. . . focus our attention and energies on anticipating and exceeding people’s expectations with a ‘Yes, I Can’ attitude understanding we are family serving family.

Review the Saga of Flight 6269 – how many opportunities were lost by how many people to make our experience less dramatic, less painful and less irritating?

Now reflect on the past ‘8’ hours. How many opportunities have you overlooked to ‘live out’ the privilege of Serving?

“It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most.”
James C. Penney

Keep Yourself Well Tuned

“We can determine our optimum speed of living by trying various speeds and finding out which one is most agreeable.”

Hans Selye

I’ve been thinking . . . about what it takes to be at your ultimate level of performance, ready to capitalize on every opportunity that comes your way. How can you keep yourself well tuned to make sure you are always ready to maximize the value of each day?

How often do you service your car? The truth is many people regularly take better care of their car than of themselves. A scheduled oil change, grease job, and check of belts and filters will reduce the risk of an unexpected breakdown at an inopportune time.

When one of those little red lights starts flashing on the dashboard we are immediately aware that something isn’t right. Rarely do we hesitate to seek the advice of an expert who can help us eliminate the cause of that warning signal.

What about those tension headaches, uncontrollable mood swings, irritability, impatience, ulcers, and the like? They are your body’s red lights and signal that you are in need of specialized attention.

The Hopi Indians had an interesting word for which we have no equivalent in the English language -- koyaanisquatsi. The word is translated “life out of balance.” The Hopis are committed to living their lives in balance and remaining free from the dreaded condition known as koyaanisquatsi. This Hopi insight corresponds to our present day burnout, anxiety, stress, fatigue. At the heart of it all is the need to keep our lives well tuned.

Although I can lay no claim to fame on being a well tuned machine, here a few things I’ve noticed about those who are.

Learn to relax. A Time/CNN poll found that more than 66 percent of us would like to “slow down and live a more relaxed life,” in contrast to only 19 percent who say they would like to “live a more exciting, faster-paced life.”

Yet, there are those who say, “I don’t have time to relax.” Consider the words of Sydney Harris who said, “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” You work hard. You play hard. Sometimes you need to relax easy. Each of us is granted a certain number of units of energy to use each day. They cannot be carried over to the next day nor can you borrow from tomorrow. Be careful to invest yourself to burn the allotted energy.

I’m reminded of the lady stressed to the maximum with her three young children. She called the local taxi cab company who arrived shortly. She and her children went out to the vehicle. She strapped her children in the back seat and asked the driver to wait for her. Twenty minutes later she came out of the house and began removing her children from the car. “What are doing?” the driver queried. “I thought you called for a taxi.”

“I did,” the lady replied. “Thank you for coming and entertaining my children. I just needed some time for myself to relax.

Secondly, we never outgrow our need for recess. I can still recall those times when kickball, hopscotch, or an invigorating game of tag relieved the pressure of spelling tests, math drills, and history lessons.

Pick an exercise you enjoy. Make an appointment with yourself three times a week (minimum) to indulge for the pure joy of it. Exercise in surroundings you enjoy and pull up your favorite tunes to provide a little entertainment.

Maybe you feel a bit like Bill Cosby who reflected: “Every morning I get up and my mind sends a message to my body. It says: “Do ‘50 ’knee bends, ‘100’ push-ups and run ‘16’ miles. And every morning my body sends a message right back to my mind. It says: “Who? Me?”

Be reasonable with yourself. You’ll never feel like exercising less than when you need it most -- but do it anyway.

Build an energy reserve. We must get smarter about what we eat. Add fiber, fish, poultry, fresh fruit, and vegetables to your lifestyle buffet. Reduce the sugar, salt, and fatty food intake. Avoid self medication. You don’t have to be a health fanatic to build an energy reserve but you do need to evaluate the wisdom of your intake.

As Richard Armour believed, “When it comes to eating, you can sometimes help yourself more by helping yourself less.” Of course, the Muppets, Miss Piggy looked at things a little differently. She thought “The important question is how long you should go without exercising before eating.” Rather than being consumed with your eating, be moderate about what you consume.

Recognize and accept your limits. The cartoon said it all. Beneath a picture of a frustrated young man is this caption: “God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I’m so far behind I will never die.”

When you feel the world closing in on you, evaluate the expectations you’ve placed on your life. Eliminate unrealistic goals. Dreams, goals, and ambitions are fabulous motivators, UNLESS we set ourselves up attempting to achieve the impossible.

Refrain from perfectionism. This self-imposed condition is impossible to attain and ultimately sets us up to deal with unavoidable failure. “Why have kitchen floors you can eat off of when everyone prefers a table?” is a marvelous philosophy for the perfectionists of this world to ponder.

Admit you can’t do everything. Accept the fact that what you can do probably won’t be perfect but can be done to the best of your ability. Recognizing and accepting your limits will ward off the flashing red lights of feeling overworked, inadequate, and afraid of failure. It’s amazing what a little preventive adjustment will accomplish.

Find a release. Dr. Carl Menninger advised people whose lives were out of balance and stressed to “Find someone you can talk to who is non-judgmental.”

We all need that person who will accept us as we are, listen to our venting, and are willing to support us through the various trials we encounter. When you find that person, treat them carefully. They are as valuable to you as the earth’s finest commodity.

I can still vividly recall the White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He was always racing here and there, talking nonstop about how late he was and yet making very little progress. Well, as I watch people today, we’ve all become White Rabbits, dashing around trying to do more in less time; mindful of the impact this lifestyle has but doing little to remedy the situation.

To fully enjoy the present moment, we need to look ahead with positive anticipation and keep our lives in perspective. We would do well to:

** Learn how to relax
** Go out for recess
** Build an energy reserve
** Recognize and accept our limits
** Find someone who will serve as our release valve.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

Sir J. Lubbock

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment.”

Dr. Viktor Frankl

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about a recent conversation with someone who wasn’t sure they were in the right career. Their level of discontentment and unhappiness with life was troubling. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Gilford Highet in The Art of Teaching recalls the provocative and humorous story of the famous orchestra conductor Toscanini who once arrived on tour in a new city and took over an orchestra he had never conducted before. He started conducting and after a minute or two noticed that the first violin player looked odd. He was playing well enough, but his face was all distorted, and when he turned a page of the score, he grimaced as though he were in great pain.

Toscanini stopped the orchestra and said, “Concert-master! Are you ill?” The first violin’s face at once returned to normal.

“No, thank you,” he said, “I’m quite all right maestro. Please go on.”

“Very well, if you’re sure you’re fit,” Toscanini said. “Begin at D, please musicians.” And off they went again. But the next time Toscanini glanced at the first violin, he saw him looking worse than ever. His face was all drawn up to one side, his teeth were showing between wolfish lips, his brow was furrowed with deep clefts; he was sweating painfully, and breathing hard.

“One moment, please. Concert-master, you really look ill. Do you want to go home?”

“No, no, no Mr. Toscanini, please go ahead.”

“But I insist,” said Toscanini. “What’s wrong, are you having an attack, would you like to lie down awhile?”

“No, I’m not ill,” said the first violin.

“Well, what on earth is the matter?” said Toscanini. “You look awful, you have been making the most agonizing faces, you’re obviously suffering . . .”

“To be quite frank,” said the first violin, “I hate music.”

Imagine playing in an orchestra and not loving music. How absurd. Yet, everyday people are involved in jobs they don’t enjoy. Still others are engrossed in careers they don’t want. Work becomes an irritating necessity that strips them of professional adventure and satisfaction.

Remember as children how we sang over and over again the words of the famous song Row, Row, Row Your Boat? Let me refresh your memory:

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.

These lyrics contain a powerful message. Row, row, row whose boat? That’s right . . . YOUR boat. Not someone else’s boat or the boat someone told you to row. What boat (career) do you want to be in? Quite simply, if you hate music, then playing in the orchestra will not make work a dream. A nightmare would be more like it.

“Each one of us has some kind of vocation,” said Thomas Merton. “We are called by God to share in His life and in His kingdom. Each one of us is called to a special place in the kingdom. If we find that place we will be happy. If we do not find it, we can never be completely happy.”

Do you love your vocation? Do you go home from work feeling fulfilled and satisfied? Do you begin each day looking forward to the challenges awaiting you? Is there a sense of peace about this being the job you were specifically chosen to do?

If you answer “yes” to these questions, the chances are good you are rowing your boat, doing what you choose and love to do. If, on the other hand, you immediately answered “no,” I assure you, a better fit between you and what you do is possible.

Find your passion. Clarify what’s important to you. Never mind attempting to be like someone else. Know who you are and what you have a burning desire to do. Move in the direction of your niche and enjoy the journey as much as the ultimate destination. Begin rowing YOUR boat today and experience the achievement and satisfaction reserved for you.

“Many business people have mourned the death of the work ethic in America. But few of us have applauded the logic of the new value taking its place” ‘Work should be fun.’ That outrageous assertion is the value that fuels the most productive people and companies in this country.”

John Naisbitt

Focused on the Fundamentals

Let us spend one day as deliberately as nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that falls on the rails.

Henry David Thoreau

I’ve Been Thinking . . . about fundamentals.

I became interested in golf after graduating from college and marrying into a golf-playing family. Regrettably, I taught myself, and I might add, not very well. As my interest in the game grew, so did my performance expectations. Unfortunately, without learning the proper fundamentals, I found myself discovering undesirable locations on the golf course.

After a few years of playing the game, the acquisition of several bad habits, erratic inconsistency, and inflated scores, I sought the help of a professional. For the next year I had to unlearn everything I had taught myself. I was tempted more than once to return to my old swing. I was working so hard at the game but the improvements seemed minimal. Something wasn’t right.

Back to a professional I went. “I see some really good things in your swing,” he began. I knew I was going to love this guy. What an encourager. “But,” his voice registered with me again, “you have a few fundamental flaws.” I knew it. Thinking a few minor adjustments would perfect my swing was just too good to be true.

“Unless you have the right grip, set-up, and proper alignment it doesn’t matter how well you swing. These three golf fundamentals make it possible for your mind and body to hit the ball correctly.” I worked laboriously and am still working on those three fundamentals. His lesson stuck with me. Without the proper approach to the swing, I would continue to be frustrated with the results.

People unhappy with their present jobs, relationships, health, or status in life are unlikely to change their perceptions when their situation improves. They have conditioned themselves to focus on what they lack, life's unfairness, and their overwhelming circumstances. Their alignment is such that they consistently set themselves up for poor shots at life.

Every time I approach a golf ball, I think about grip, set-up and alignment -- getting myself focused. Life’s no different. Every event we encounter requires us to re-evaluate our focus. What are we looking for? Once focused, my behavior can become more consistently grooved to achieve desired outcomes.

At the end of his initial consultation with a client, the famous psychoanalyst Alfred Adler would ask this perceptive question: "What would you do if you were cured?" The patient would give an answer. Adler would listen carefully, contemplate the response, then get up, open the door, and reply, "Well, then, go and do it!"

The questions you ask amidst the circumstances of life will determine whether you remain under the control of circumstances or rise above them. When the undesirable (and even desirable) occurs, ask yourself:

"How can I use this situation to grow?"
"What action can I take?"
"How can I change my current situation to produce positive results?"
"What positive reactions do I choose?"

And then, as Alfred Adler would say, “go do it.”

A positive, expectant focus brings with it enthusiasm, hope, initiative, self-discipline, and new opportunities. In its absence, fear, worry, doubt, and irritability will prevail. Think about all of the positive possibilities and a "can-do" spirit will be activated.

Change habitual "Why me?" questions into empowering questions that promote action toward desirable outcomes. This change in focus will create the feelings and actions necessary for identifying the resources that will keep any situation from overwhelming you.

Whatever you focus on endures and expands. If you desire more crisis and negativity, focus on every intricate detail of unfairness. Dwelling on the negative will weaken you, while applying your emotional and physical energy toward solutions will identify what you're capable of achieving.

Focus on solutions, alternatives and opportunities.

“The turning point in your life comes when you begin to believe that you have within you that divine spark that can lead you to achieve anything that you want in life.”

Brian Tracy

A Winning Legend

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” - John Wooden

I’ve Been Thinking. . . about a winning legend who impacted countless lives.

Here’s a trivia question. What basketball coach won 10 March Madness national championships in 12 years; 7 national championships in a row; 23 Pacific-10 championships; an 88 game winning streak; 4 perfect 30-0 seasons; a 38-game winning streak in national championship tournament play; 12 Final Four appearances in 14 years?

The answer is the Wizard of Westwood – Coach John Wooden.

John Wooden was born in Indiana in 1910. Wooden was a good student and outstanding athlete, leading his high school basketball team to a state championship in 1927. He continued his athletic and academic success at Purdue University. It’s no surprise that he was named three times to the All-American team and in his senior year, led the Boilermakers to a national championship.

Wooden earned a masters degree at Indiana State Teachers College and then became a high school basketball coach in Kentucky and Indiana. His coaching career was interrupted by a stint in the military after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

His college coaching career began at Indiana State Teachers College where his teams achieved a 47 and 14 won-lost record. National recognition soon followed and he was eventually offered a position with the University of California—Los Angeles at its Westwood campus. This is where he began writing basketball history and where John Wooden became a coaching legend.

Coach Wooden died recently at the age of 99. With all due respect to every great basketball coach, in my heart Coach Wooden was the greatest coach in history. I grew up loving the game of basketball and Coach Wooden represented everything that was great about the game.

He was a fabulous leader, master team builder and maximizer of people potential. His winning record as a coach may never be matched and yet he never preached or talked about the need to win.

You would learn from coach Wooden’s website, PBS presentation and every book written about him that his number one priority was making the complete effort to do the best you are capable of doing. Coach Wooden believed each person’s effort to realize their potential counted first and foremost.

His standard appeals to me. Think how many games would be won, projects completed, books written, relationships built and achievements realized if people fervently pursued their best in every endeavor. There is no doubt Coach Wooden wanted to win but he never allowed the end result to be the ultimate measure. It was all about what his players became as a result of the experience.

This may all sound rather idealistic or it could appear to be a simple life endeavor. But think about it - Be the best you can be in every situation.

Mr. Wooden’s father frequently reminded him: “Never try to be better than somebody else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be. You have control over that. Not the other.” What a wonderful life lesson.

Wooden heeded his father’s advice and considered this a fundamental quality of success. His clear and practical life wisdom established personal characteristics and behavior standards that inspired people to go beyond who and what they were. Here are some of my favorite pieces of wisdom I’ve accumulated over several years of following John Wooden’s career:

1. How to behave when things don’t go your way – “Don’t whine. Don’t complain. Don’t make excuses.”

2. A person’s character was paramount to Coach Wooden. He frequently reminded his players: “What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.” He added: “Talent may get you to the top, but it takes character to stay there.” And ultimately; “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

3. Be enthusiastic about your work. “Without enthusiasm, you cannot work up to your fullest ability and potential; you’re just going through the motions.” Going through the motions certainly won’t bring about too many winning experiences.

4. How about failure? “If you are afraid to fail, you will never do the things you are capable of doing. If you have thoroughly prepared and are ready to give it all you’ve got, there is no shame if you fail – nothing to fear in failure.”


5. “Perfection is impossible, but we must constantly strive for less imperfection.” He also had this to say about perfection: “Perfection is impossible. Capitalizing on imperfection – mistakes – makes all the difference.”

6. How about teamwork? “Do nothing that will bring discredit to the team.” That is powerful.

7. Personal behavior. Coach Wooden wrote a preseason letter to his team each year. Here is an excerpt from his 1966 letter. “Accept the fact that neatness, cleanliness, politeness, and good manners are qualities that you should acquire and cultivate just as much as the ability to properly execute the fundamental of the game of basketball.”

8. Approach to life. “The past is for reference; the future for dreamers; the present moment is where you create success.” I love that quote. Wooden was an adamant believer that we can influence the future by what we do today and that the past cannot change what is to come. Powerful stuff!

9. Coach had strong feelings about how we should treat other people. Here’s a gem: “Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”

10. Here’s what it was all about for Mr. Wooden. “Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.” Amen!

“Be yourself – no posing or pretense; be comfortable in your own skin; avoid judging yourself in comparison to others; and hold fast to your principles and ideals.” - John Wooden

Sources: The Essential Wooden; http://www.coachwooden.com/; Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections; and Wooden on Leadership.

A Barbie I'm Not!

A Barbie I’m Not!

“My only regret in life is that I’m not someone else.”

Woody Allen

I’ve Been Thinking. . . about who I would like to be if I wasn’t me. I didn’t come to any startling conclusions. I must admit there have been times in my life when I wished I was someone else. Then, I return to reality and go on with the life and person I’ve been given.

I smiled to myself as I read the physical description of the newest Barbie being produced. In an attempt to represent all those people with less than fantasy figures, the giant toy maker Mattel is introducing a more realistic Barbie. A softer hairstyle, smaller bust line, larger waist and smaller hips will be featured on this special edition.

I smiled even more when the Wall Street Journal decided to herald Barbie’s changes on its front page. Maybe it says something about the fascination we have with glamour, physical perfection, and the human body. We must, or why would a Barbie sell every two seconds. The average American girl owns eight, and more than 1 billion have been sold since her birth in 1959. Multitudes of people still marvel at this icon’s distinctive shape.

This was a decade ago and in 2009 Barbie celebrated her 50th birthday (of course you will never notice). She’s the epitome of youth, perfection and attractiveness. I’m sure Mattel will continue to ensure Barbie’s avid fans the same perfect doll will be on the shelves for years to come.

How about a ‘real world’ application? Instead of comparing ourselves to a perfect specimen, plastic or not, we should view ourselves in terms of our own abilities, special attributes and even our less than perfect characteristics. To admire and fantasize about perfection is an exhausting activity not even capable of producing microscopic change.

The magazine cover featured a picture of Michele Pfeiffer and the caption read, “What Michele Pfeiffer Needs Is...Absolutely Nothing!” Oh really?

It was later discovered that Michele Pfeiffer did need a little help to appear perfect on the magazine’s cover. She needed over $1500 worth of touch-up work on that cover photo. From the touch-up artist’s bill, here is a partial list of things that were done to make Michele Pfeiffer look beautiful:

Clean up complexion, soften eye lines, soften smile line, add color to lips, trim chin, remove neck lines, soften line under earlobe, add highlights to earrings, add blush to cheek, clean up neckline, remove stray hair, remove hair strands on dress, adjust color and add hair on top of head, add dress on side to create better line, add forehead, add dress on shoulder, soften neck muscle a bit, clean up and smooth dress folds under arm, and create one seam on image on right side.

That bit of nothing cost $1525.00. Even my photos could look decent with a fifteen hundred dollar touch up. (I said decent, not perfect.)

How easy it is to compare ourselves with the media stars, Barbie, or even Mary or Jim down the street who appear to be the perfect specimens of humankind. Consider this thought: each of us is perfect because we were created to look like we do. And yes, in the eyes of the world, some people are more blessed than others. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Self -acceptance makes it possible for you to feel comfortable with the reality that you project on the outside what you feel on the inside. Accepting who you are right now sets the stage for you to upgrade those areas needing a bit of attention. Without acceptance, self-pity and a defeatist attitude will permeate our lives and make personal development virtually impossible.

I’m all for growing, improving, and upgrading our lives. But, only from a realistic starting point of who we are, not what we wish we could be based on someone else’s specifications, or even our own unrealistic expectations.

Denis Waitley says, “It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you’re not.”

Think about it.

“Self-esteem can be compared to a stack of poker chips. Those with the most chips play aggressively. Less chips, less risks.”

Jack Canfield

Ecstasy Of Excellence

Ecstasy of Excellence

“When you have a true passion for excellence, and when you act on it, you stand straighter. You will look people in the eye. You will see things happen. You will see heroes created, watch ideas unfold and take shape.”

Tom Peters

“I’ve been thinking recently…” about excellence. The older I get, the more passionate I’ve become about the pursuit of excellence. I’m talking hard core, non-complacent, rattle the status quo kind of quest for excellence.

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyewski said, “My hunger is not for success, it is for excellence. Because when you attain excellence, success just naturally follows.” I LOVE that comment.

The opposite pursuit would be mediocrity (the best of the worst or the worst of the best) and I’m becoming increasingly discontent with that outcome. In fact, anything less than excellent should be proclaimed unacceptable, an enemy, an outrage. Mediocrity in business, personal interests, social life, physical health and spiritual well-being should be abhorred. Good enough no longer is.

Think about this. . . Average, mediocrity or good enough is as close to the bottom and it is to the top. Scary isn’t it.

H.L. Mencken, the long-time editor of the famous American Mercury magazine, entered the office and shouted to his employees, “It’s coming in the doors!” Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked quizzically at their boss.

“It’s up to the bottom of the desk! It’s up to the seats of our chairs.”

“What are you talking about?” asked one of his confused colleagues.

“It’s all around us. Now, it’s to the top of our desks,” shouted Mencken as he jumped to the top of his desk.

“What do you mean?” inquired the newsroom staff.

“Mediocrity. We’re drowning in mediocrity?” Mencken shouted as he jumped from his desk and exited never to return.

Eccentric? Maybe. Overly critical? Possibly. Is there a message? Definitely!

Ask yourself this question: In what areas of my life have I accepted less than excellent outcomes? Don’t sugarcoat your response. Be honest. Where have I taken shortcuts that resulted in less than excellent performance and done nothing to improve upon the results? Have I been content with low standards? What would happen if you committed yourself to constant and never-ending improvement in all areas of your life?

A.W. Tozer offered a valuable antidote to mediocrity when he said, “let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average.” We normally get what we are willing to accept. Tozer’s admonition to “let your heart soar” sets the stage for performance and results that extend well beyond mediocrity. If you don’t set a minimum standard for what you’ll accept in life, you’ll find it’s easy to slip into a lifestyle and attitudes far below what you deserve or desire.

Entertain these enduring excellence entities to enter the ecstasy of excellence (sorry, I got carried away with the ‘e’ words):

1. Commit Yourself to a Lifestyle of Excellence

“The quality of a person’s life,” said Vince Lombardi, “is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” Seek to excel yourself. Compete today with what you accomplished yesterday. Even if something isn’t broken, keep working on it to make it better. Never stop developing…growing…learning…improving. Never excuse yourself from pursuing a higher standard than anyone expects of you. When you feel a compelling, constant, intense desire to do everything in your life as well as it can be done, you will touch the borders of excellence.

2. Be Willing to Pay the Price

Excellence in any endeavor is not automatic. As Dr. Stephen Covey says, “real excellence does not come cheaply. A certain price must be paid in terms of practice, patience and persistence – natural ability not withstanding.” Excellence will no doubt require you to go far beyond the call of duty. Set a higher standard and never waver in your pursuit to attain it. That is what excellence is all about. You’ll never excel by taking shortcuts or doing only what is required. The demanding price paid is well worth the results experienced.

3. Exceed Expectations

Somebody once said the key to avoiding disappointment is to set low expectations. There’s a profound thought for you. A culture of mediocrity is quickly created by those who excuse themselves for expecting and giving less than their best.

Don’t settle for average. Challenge yourself to exceed self-imposed and other-imposed limitations. Go a step beyond the customary or ordinary. Bishop Gore said: “God does not want us to do extraordinary things; he wants us to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” Excellence can simply be doing your very best. In everything. In everyway. In every situation.

I understand that Smuckers, the jelly and jam maker, has a policy of filling its containers with more product than the official weight indicates. It doesn’t matter whether the consumer weighs their jar of jam or not. What is important is that Smuckers is committed to do more than they are required to do.

4. Never Settle for Good Enough

Former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, asked an aid to prepare a report. The aid worked day and night to analyze the information and complete his report. Shortly after receiving the finished product, Mr. Kissinger returned it to his aid with a note: Redo it.”

The aid diligently went about his task, turned it in and again was told to redo it.

After the third time the aid asked to see Kissinger. “I have completed this report three times,” he said, “and this is the best job I can do.”

Kissinger replied, “In that case, I’ll read it now.”

The rising tide of mediocrity (settling for good enough) threatens personal and organizational performance. In fact, most ailing and failing organizations have developed a functional blindness to mediocrity. If you can’t see it, you can deny that it was ever there. On the other hand, optimum performers live, breathe and exude a message of continual improvement day in and day out. They may be touched by the rising tide but never consumed by it.

As you pursue the ecstasy of excellence, let Walt Disney’s thoughts challenge you every day. He said, “Do what you so well that those who see you do what you do are going to come back to see you do it again and tell others that they should see what you do.”

Excellence has nothing to do with talent, personality, conditions or luck. Excellence is a choice; a conscious decision to create your own daily “Wows”. Wow yourself.

Check For Loose Connections

Check For Loose Connections

“Accept the full gift of this moment-you deserve it. Take hold of today. Use it, enjoy it in the most exciting, creative way you can. This is a day for you to do the things that are most important to you. This is a day to know how good it is to be alive.”
Dru Scott

I’ve Been Thinking . . . how my experiences in young life have affected me in mid-life.

I worked several summers through high school and college as a landscaper and sod buster. The company I worked for was well known for less than adequate equipment. Let’s just say mediocrity, not excellence, was the standard.

One summer I was assigned to a truck that wouldn’t start unless it was pushed. Every trip required an extra effort to find a hill I could park on or be forced to leave the engine running. I used this ingenious approach for weeks and ultimately this nagging irritant became a minor inconvenience.

Half way through the summer a new landscaper was hired. He was assigned to ride with me. This “mechanic type” employee frequently asked about my strange parking tactics and seemed to accept our demise.

One morning as I arrived to work, I found my co-worker under the hood of our truck. I secretly hoped he was only checking the oil and not attempting to overhaul this outdated piece of junk.

“Good Morning,” he said as I approached the truck.

“Good morning,” I replied. “What are you looking for under the hood?”

“I believe I’ve identified the truck’s problem,” he responded. “The battery cable was loose.”

Sure enough. We pushed the truck to get it running and once the battery recharged itself, the need to park on downhill slopes or receive a push to get started was no longer necessary.

As I reflect on that situation today I’m a bit embarrassed that I allowed a needless trouble to determine my routine. The power was there all the time but with a loose connection the power could not be supplied to the engine.

It has been said that “In the journey of life most people stop.” A challenge or obstacle appears on the path and people become obsessed with it rather than with living. What irritants, problems, or challenges are keeping you from connecting to your power source?

There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played.
He never risked, he never tried,
He never sang or prayed.
And when he one day passed away,
His insurance was denied.
For since he never really lived,
They claimed he never died.

One of the major keys to living is to keep moving forward on the journey, making the best of the obstacles and problems that appear, turning adversity into an opportunity to make sure our power source is connected. Otherwise, it might be declared that we never really lived.

Isabel Moore aptly stated, “Life is a one-way street. No matter how many detours you take, none of them leads back. And once you know and accept that, life becomes much simpler.”


“Never try to solve all the problems all at once - make them line up for you one-by-one. Whether you face three problems, thirty, or three hundred...make them stand in single file so you face only one at a time.”

Richard Sloma

Challenge the Comfort Zone

Challenging The Comfort Zone

"If I see myself today as I was in the past, my past must resurrect itself and become my future."

William James

I’m Still Thinking. . . about the lure of the comfort zone. I navigated toward several such zones this past week. They were so comfy. Safe. Easy. And yes, I must admit they were a bit boring and proved to be fruitless. A dead end.

To experience a brighter future void of comfort zone mentality, consider saturating your mind and life today with the following fundamentals. They will assist you in overcoming fears, inhibitions, doubts and negative attitudes that restrict life-enhancing adventures.

1. Commit Yourself To Newness

“No man need live a minute longer as he is because the creator endowed him with the ability to change himself.”

J.C. Penney

Make a commitment to new skills, new feelings, new discoveries, new insights, a new way of looking at life. This commitment is the beginning to a new lifestyle. Until there is commitment, there is hesitancy, a tendency to fall back into the comfort zone.
What you commit yourself to will change what you are and what you experience. Committed people accept no excuses and produce the results they want.

Here's the payoff. The more committed you are to something, the less difficult it will ultimately appear. Obstacles, hurdles, and setbacks become temporary inconveniences or even opportunities to be pursued.

2. Stop Doing What You Are Doing

“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”

Max DePree

Stop something you are presently doing that is not enriching your life. Let go of those actions and inactions that show stagnation. Remember, if you keep doing what you're doing, you will keep getting what you are getting.

Sometimes, the most difficult step toward growth is simply stopping what isn't working or getting in your way. It's difficult to exit the ruts that have provided comfort and security. Routines that inhibit fullness of life will need corrective measures.

Stop being negative. Stop criticizing others. Stop complaining about your work, marriage, other people, or life in general. Stop procrastinating. Stop telling yourself you can't do it. Stop blaming others or circumstances. Stop giving others control of your life. Stop settling for mediocrity.

3. Take A Risk.

"There is nothing in this world that's worth doing that isn't going to scare you."
Barbara Sher
“Wishcraft”

Tremendous opportunities await you. But first, you must overcome the fear of stepping into the unknown. Fear is the greatest single obstacle to success and imprisons people from possibilities. The fear of letting go of what we have in pursuit of something more can be paralyzing.

People avoid taking new risks because of the perceived degree of effort and displeasure required to leave their comfort zone and the fear of failure. But, without risk, the achievement of even the greatest endeavor will seem dull and routine.

The next time you are confronted with the choices of challenge or comfort, risk the former and explore new territories. Plan to live without unnecessary limitations. Live with and enjoy uncertainties. Be different from the masses. Invest the time and effort needed to excel beyond mediocrity. Play the game...the whole game. And play it with an agenda of uncompromised excellence.

4. Master The Principle Of Momentum

“It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast.”
Lewis Carroll

Realizing how quickly the future becomes the past, the present takes on a whole new urgency. There are multitudes of people who crave the best now but few do what they know needs to be done. What you do in the "here and now" is what makes the difference.

Make your move now by creating momentum through action. Please understand - you don't prepare to exit the comfort zone. You take a giant leap and work out the details later. Waiting to get everything "just right" will stymie action.

It's possible to spend an eternity getting ready for something without ever taking the necessary action to realize it. Preparation can become a stall tactic. Momentum is crucial. Trust your instincts and go for it.

A life filled with meaningful activity and the pursuit of compelling dreams insures the maintenance of momentum. You have to move out into the wide expanse of life and investigate what's there. Develop and nurture small wins. Build on minute advances. Celebrate persistence. Join the welcoming committee to fight redundant procedures and outcomes. You may initially feel like a fish out of water but you'll enjoy the expanded wall of comfort.

Seize the opportunity to take the seemingly insignificant steps to innovate, cultivate and create fresh prospects on the canvas of each new day.

“There occurs at breathtaking moments in history an exhilarating burst of energy and motivation, of hope and zest and imagination, and a severing of the bonds that normally hold in check the full release of human possibilities. A door is opened and the caged eagle soars.”

John Gardner

Welcome to the Comfort Zone

Welcome to the Comfort Zone

“Sad is the day for any person, when they become absolutely satisfied with the life they are living, the thoughts they are thinking, and the deeds they are doing. When there ceases to be forever beating at the doors of their soul, a desire to do something larger which they seek and know they were meant and intended to do.”

Author Unknown

I’ve Been Thinking. . . How does a fish know it is wet? Think about it! The fish spends all its life in water - it knows no other alternative.

Are you pursuing a lifestyle or goal that defies the tested and true customary condition? If so, great! If not, this may be the time to move beyond the attitudes, that strap you to the past.

Like fish, we tend to be drawn toward what we've always experienced. It's called the "comfort zone." Once caught in its snares, the zone inhibits our ability to break free from the restrictive parables of the past that limit us from achieving increased fulfillment and satisfaction in our lives.

The comfort zone involves those feelings, experiences, and thoughts that you feel comfortable with. Everything outside the parameter of the comfort zone is considered undesirable.

Whenever you consider thinking or acting contrary to this internal monitor, a stress signal sounds, warning you to pull back into your comfort zone. This natural impulse becomes more complicated. Even though venturing outside present boundaries may produce excitement, satisfaction, and to some degree a personal victory, most people refuse to do it unless they are forced.

There is a story of two caterpillars crawling across the grass. When a beautiful butterfly flies over, one caterpillar nudges the other and comments, "You couldn't get me up in one of those things for a million dollars!"

The caterpillar didn't understand the excitement of growth. How many times do we limit our achievement, not realizing the potential for much more? Personal growth transforms life through the development of resources not yet recognized.

Life enrichment, idea development, product improvement, personal growth, and professional advancement all require movement beyond the habitual way of doing things in the direction of expanded experiences.

“If you want to succeed,” said John D. Rockefeller Jr., “you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.”

Mustering up the courage is no small matter because the possibility of discomfort, failure, or negative exposure is reason enough for not moving. If, by chance, you move outside of your present zone, a new comfort zone will quickly be created that resembles the one you just left. This internal modem desires to keep you the way you've always been.

A music instructor asked a young girl, "Can you play the Saxophone?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I haven't tried yet."

In a sense, you're just like that little girl. You don't know either what you can do or become. Don't sell your potential short. Refuse to accept self-imposed limitations.


“If in the last few years you haven’t discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead.”

Gelett Burgess

A Price To Be Paid

A Price To Be Paid

“There are only three things to know about how to get what you want. One, decide what you want. Two, decide what you are willing to give up to get it. Three, go for it.”

H.L. Hunt

I’ve been thinking . . . about all the people who desire better results in their life.

Have you ever noticed how much you can learn by watching people? I’ve been privileged to travel around the country speaking to associations and organizations as well as attending conventions and conferences to learn about leadership, team building, change, stress, and personal success. It seems that more often than not, I encounter people and situations that provide marvelous illustrations to support the life principles I’m learning or teaching. A flight home from New Jersey was no different.

Two men made their way down the aisle of the 737 displaying behaviors common to people not accustomed to flying. They struggled to find their correct seats and nervously asked a flight attendant for assistance as they neared my row.

One man was dressed in a tee shirt with a picture of a fish spreading from his plump stomach over his right shoulder to the middle of his back. The shirt was about three inches too short (you get the picture). His face hadn’t been shaved for several days and neither had he taken the time to wash and comb his hair or wash his jeans.

His buddy was dressed in a black and red wool coat, complimented by a green and brown camouflage cap. His blackened teeth, greasy hair and significant body odor led me to think he was not well versed in appropriate personal hygiene.

The men seated themselves across the aisle and a few rows ahead of me. I found myself watching them and their insistence on leaning over each other and the woman in the window seat so they could see out the window. Suddenly, both men jumped up and moved to the row behind them -- one in the window seat, the other on the aisle. Thirty seconds later, the man in the plaid coat quickly made a dash to the window seat in the row behind him, now directly across from me.

The flight attendants began their pre-flight safety instructions. One of them asked the man who had just moved to the window seat if he was aware that he was seated in an exit row. “Are you capable of performing the duties required of you in the improbable event of a crash?” the flight attendant asked.

“What responsibilities?” he responded with surprise in his voice.

“You must be able to remove the exit door so passengers can escape,” she replied matter-of-factly.

A startled look came across the man’s face as he quickly replied, “No way, I don’t want that kind of responsibility!” He jumped out of the exit row and situated himself in an aisle seat.

I thought to myself, as I watched him settle in for the nearly 3-hour flight: “This is so indicative of people naive about what it takes to get what they want. Rarely are they willing to assume the responsibility that goes with the privilege. Success in any endeavor demands more than a casual investment.

H.L. Hunt made it quite clear that, to get what you want, you must decide what you are willing to give up and then go for it. Successful people “give up” the convenience of doing only what they want to do when they want to do it. Be prepared every day to do something you don’t want to do but know you should do to achieve what you want. It’s a price every winner knows they have to pay. Zig Ziglar confirmed this prerequisite for success when he said: “When you do the things you ought to do when you ought to do them, the day will come when you will do the things you want to do when you want to do them.”

The next time you are tempted to move into the exit row aisle seat (or any other desired position in life), decide first if you are willing to accept the responsibility it requires. There is a price to be paid.

“To succeed. . . you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.”

Tony Dorsett