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Wisdom

• Obedience can be forced, but loyalty must be earned.
• "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."
  old Chinese saying
• "If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there." Texas proverb
• Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get.
• No one can ruin your day without YOUR permission.
• Most people will be about as happy as they decide to be.
• Others can stop you temporarily, but only you can do it permanently.
• Whatever you are willing to put up with, is exactly what you will have.
• Success stops when you do.
• When your ship comes in, make sure you are willing to unload it.
• You will never "have it altogether."
• Life is a journey ... not a destination. Enjoy the trip!
• The biggest lie on the planet: "When I get what I want, I will be happy."
• The best way to escape your problem is to solve it.
• I've learned that ultimately, "takers" lose and "givers" win.
• Life's precious moments don't have value unless they are shared.
• If you don't start, it's certain you won't arrive
• We often fear the thing we want the most.
• He or she who laughs...lasts.
• Yesterday was the deadline for all complaints.
• Look for opportunities...not guarantees.
• Life is what's coming...not what was.
• Success is getting up one more time.
• Now is the most interesting time of all.
• When things go wrong...don't go with them.
• Pick your battles
• Don't confuse motion with action
• Forgive and remember
• We live in a universe of shades of grey
• Goals are the targets of life at which we aim
• Without goals we are like rudderless ships upon the ocean
• Progress toward goals is like the tide coming in, it will ebb and flow, but will gradually move forward
• Focus on what you can do, not on what you can't
• If work was fun all of the time, you'd have to pay to do it
• Don't send e-mail when you're mad
• Don't get in a pissing contest with a skunk
• You don't get a second chance to make a first impression
• It is what it is
• Life is a journey, not a destination
• Luck: when opportunity meets preparedness
• Turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones
• "No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." - Yoda
• People think it's hard to do the right thing. It's not hard to do the right thing. It's hard to know what the right thing is. But, once you know what is right, it is hard not to do it. - The Confession
• A good man is not without sin. He admits, and expiates his sin. - The Confession
• Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400, carries no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you have not used.
  ---What would you do?
  Draw out every cent of course!
  Well, every one has such a bank. It's name is TIME. Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it write off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries no balance. It allows no overdraft. Make the most of every precious moment.
• Opportunity is always present in the midst of crisis. Every crisis carries two elements, danger and opportunity. No matter the difficulty of the circumstances, no matter how dangerous the situation…at the heart of each crisis lies a tremendous opportunity. Great blessings lie ahead for the one who knows the secret of finding the opportunity within each crisis. - Chinese Proverb
• If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me.
• On Friendship:
  
  "True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known
  until it be lost." - Charles Caleb Colton
  
  "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."
  
  "Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not
  lead. Walk beside me and be my friend." - Albert Camus.
  
  "Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends
  listen to what you don't say."
  
  "We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a
  little of each other everywhere" - Tim McGraw
• On time management:
  
  A while back I was reading about an expert on the subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either. As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."
  
  Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. He produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"
  
  Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
  
  Then he said, "Really?"
  
  He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"
  
  By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered.
  
  "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
  
  Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
  
  "No!" the class shouted.
  
  Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"
  
  "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on
  this, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life or business?
  
  Then, put those in your jar first."
  
  
  • Justice - When you get what you deserve
  • Mercy - When you don't get what you deserve
  • Grace - When you get what you don't deserve
    
    
• The best executives pick good people to do what they want done and have enough self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it - Teddy Roosevelt
• On decisions:
  If you find yourself in a situation where you have two good choices, but find that you can't decide between them - flip a coin. Before you flip, tell yourself: if it's heads I'll choose (one of the options), if it's tails I'll choose (the other option). Then flip the coin. As the coin is in the air, you will find that you are really hoping that it lands in a certain way - that's the choice you should go with. If this doesn't happen, note your reaction the instant you see which way the coin landed - you'll either be excited or disappointed. If you're excited, go with the choice that the coin reflected, if you are disappointed, go with the choice reflected by the other side of the coin.
• Give a person a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a person to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.
• From "Everthing I really need to know I learned in kindergarten:
  
  • Share everything
  • Play fair.
  • Don't hit people.
  • Put things back where you found them.
  • Clean up your own mess.
  • Don't take things that aren't yours.
  • Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
  • Wash your hands before you eat.
  • Live a blanaced life.
  • Learn some and think some, and draw and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
  • Take a nap in the afternoon.
  • When you go into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
  • Be aware of wonder.
• You are responsible for all of the information that you receive. This includes all information from all sources. Assume that you will receive information only once, and that you may receive it in an informal manner. An on-the-fly mention of an upcoming meeting to which you respond by saying that you'll be there - is a confirmed agreement. Don't count on follow-ups or reminders. This also includes information that you should have received. If you miss a meeting that you were informed of, it is your responsibility to obtain the information from someone who did attend.
• Know the status of all of your projects and tasks at all times. Track all of your work in progress so that you know where you stand, can report to your manager or team lead, can alert affected parties well in advance if something needs to be changed, and can plan effectively when new work is assigned.
• Confirm and clarify all agreements. Both parties are responsible for making sure that there is a clear understanding and agreement as to specifically what has to be done and by when. When things are delegated or agreed to, both parties are responsible for making sure that they heard and understand the same thing, and are functioning under the same specific understanding regarding exactly what's to be done, by whom, by when, in what manner, etc.
• Do what you say you are going to do, and do it on time. If you can not get something done in the agreed upon time frame, inform all affected parties as far in advance as possible. While there are occasional circumstances in which an unavoidable delay is truly learned of at the last moment, in most cases, proper tracking would provide an opportunity to inform effected parties with ample notice.
• Try to solve issues and problems yourself first. If you do need to seek assistance, follow the chain of command and come prepared with potential solutions. Follow the chain of command, in both directions, even if you think that you could get faster results by skipping steps. Remember that part of the reason to follow the chain of command is to give the team leaders and first line managers the opportunity to develop their problem resolution skills. Come prepared with potential solution means think it through first. Be prepared to discuss the alternatives and potential ramifications of each.
• Adhere to agreements. Do not make changes to plans and projects without group approval. Function as a team. Do not unilaterally change an aspect of a plan or program that you are working on with others without bringing it to the group for approval."
• When I want to, I perform better than when I have to. I want to for me, I have to for you. - John Whitmore
• Be quick, but never hurry. - John Wooden
• A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week. - General George S. Patton
• Expect People to be better than they are; it helps them to become better.
  But don't be disappointed when they're not; it helps them to keep trying. - Merry Browne
• Customer Satisfaction = Results - Expectations
• I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. - Confucius
• The foolish person seeks happiness in the distance, the wise person grows it under his feet. - James Oppenheim
• When someone does something that seems wrong to you, start by asking them why they did it.  This initiates a dialog.  Either you will gain insight into the person's needs, and will be able to offer an alternative that meets their needs in a more acceptable manner, or you will be able to determine that their actions were inappropriate, and council them to modify their behavior in the future.  Either way, since you've initiated a dialog, you have a better chance for effective communication.
• "A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one at all would find fault with what he has done." - John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801 - 1890)
• "No one can go back and make a brand new start, my friend, but anyone can start from here and make a brand new end."
  - Anonymous
• If you pick a job you love, you never work a day in your life.
• The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do. - John W. Holt, Jr.
  

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