When
asked what he thought about when he struck out,
Babe
Ruth said, "I think about hitting home runs."
____________________
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has
reached in life
as
by the obstacles that one has overcome while trying to succeed.
____________________
If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a
hundred
days of sorrow (Chinese Proverb)
____________________
The World's Shortest Sales Course:
#2.
Know your stuff.
____________________
Strange But True: Fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing.
____________________
There are many more people trying to meet the right person
than
to become the right person.
____________________
When Lou Little was coaching football at Georgetown, he had a player
who was definitely third rate but had so much spirit he was an inspiration
to the team. He rarely saw action except in the last few minutes of
a game that was already decided.
One
day news came that the boy's father had died. The youngster came to
Little and said: "Coach, I want to ask something of you that means an
awful lot to me. I want to start the game against Fordham. I think that's
what my father would have liked the most."
Little
hesitated a moment, then said: "Okay, son, you'll start, but you'll
only be in there for a play or two. You aren't quite good enough and
you know it."
The
boy started the game and played so well, Little never took him out.
His play inspired the team to victory.
Back
in the locker room Coach Little embraced the young man and said: "Son,
you were terrific. You never played that way before.what got into you?"The
boy answered: "Remember how my father and I used to walk around arm-in-arm?
There was something about him very few people knew - he was totally
blind. This afternoon was the first time my father ever saw me play."
As long as you're going to think anyway -- you might as well think
BIG! (Donald Trump)
____________________
Working together works.
____________________
The five-word weight-loss formula: Eat less and exercise more.
Top
of Newsletter Archive
February
2002
PLEASE
LISTEN
When
I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you have not
done what I asked.
When
I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel
that way, you are trampling on my feelings.
When
I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve
my problem, you have failed me, strange, as that may seem.
Listen! All I ask is that you listen.
Don't
talk or do - just hear me. Advice is cheap; 20 cents will get you both
Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself, I am not helpless. Maybe discouraged and faltering,
but not helpless. When you do something for me that I can and need to
do for myself, you contribute to my fear and inadequacy. But when you
accept as a simple fact that I feel what I feel, no matter how irrational,
and then I can stop trying to convince you and get about this business
of understanding what's behind this irrational feeling. And when that's
clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice. Irrational feelings
make sense when we understand what's behind them.
Perhaps
that's why prayer works, sometimes, for some people - because God is
mute, and he doesn't give advice or try to fix things. God just listens
and lets you work it out for yourself.
So
please listen, and just hear me.
And
if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn - and I will listen
to you.
Top
of Newsletter Archive
March
2002
You either control
your attitude or it controls you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A year from now
you may wish you had started today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's not how far
you fall, but how high you bounce.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A great leader
never sets him/herself above his/her followers, except in carrying responsibility.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some
men go just where they want and some men never go.
*************************************************
The
Muddy Road from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
by
Paul Reps
Once upon a time, two monks, Tanzan and Ekido, were traveling down a
muddy road. A heavy rain was falling. As they rounded a bend, they came
to a rushing stream. A young woman stood by the stream, afraid to cross
it.
"Come
on," said Tanzan, "I will help you." Lifting the girl in his arms, he
carried her over the water and then bid her farewell.
Later
that night when the two monks reached their destination, Ekido could
restrain himself no longer. Taking his friend by the arm, he said, "We
monks do not go near females, especially young and lovely ones. It is
dangerous. Why did you carry the girl to the other bank?"
"Why,
I left the girl there hours ago," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying
her?"
Top
of Newsletter Archive
April
2002
RISKING
Two
seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil.
The
first seed said, "I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into
the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth's crust
above me.I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce
the arrival of spring.I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face
and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!"
And
so she grew.
The second seed said, "I am afraid. If I send my roots into the ground
below, I don't know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my
way through the hard soil above me I may damage my delicate sprouts.what
if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were
to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No,
it is much better for me to wait until it is safe."
And
so she waited.
A
yard hen scratching around in the early spring ground for food found
the waiting seed and promptly ate it.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Those of us who refuse to risk
and grow get swallowed up by life.
-Patty Hansen
--------------------------------------------
"Chicken Soup For
The Soul," Written by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Top
of Newsletter Archive
May
2002
THE DILEMMA
To laugh is to risk appearing a fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out for another is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk rejection
To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure
But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk
nothing
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change,
grow or love. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave. He has forfeited
his freedom. Only a person who takes risks is free.
Top
of Newsletter Archive
June
2002
During my
second year of nursing school our professor gave us a pop quiz.
I breezed through the questions until I read the last one. "What
is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this
was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times,
but how would I know her name?
I handed
in the paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class
ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward
our grade.
"Absolutely,"
the professor said. "In your careers you will meet many people.
All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even
if all you do is smile and say hello."
I've never
forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Top
of Newsletter Archive
July
2002
On
the first day of school, a teacher was glancing over the roll
when she noticed a number after each student's name, such as 154,
136 or 142.
"Wow!
Look at these IQs," she said to herself. "What a terrific class."
The teacher promptly determined to work harder with this class
than with any other she ever had.
Throughout
the year, she came up with innovative lessons that she thought
would challenge the students, because she didn't want them to
get bored with work that was too easy.
Her
plan worked! The class outperformed all the other classes that
she taught in the usual way.
Then,
during the last quarter of the year, she discovered what those
numbers after the students' name really were: their locker numbers.
Top
of Newsletter Archive
August
2002
Courage
is daring to take that first step, or a different path. It is the
decision to place your dreams above your fears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Courage
does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end
of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
There
is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change
the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Trust
is the emotional glue that holds every team together . in times
of trial, it transforms a group of committed individuals into a
team of individuals committed to each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Passion
and Purpose lie behind the scenes of every great accomplishment;
they are the energizing force, which fuels human achievement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
There
is no limit to what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets
the credit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It
takes months to find a customer . and seconds to lose one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
If
we don't take care of the customer . somebody else will.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now
that we've exhausted all possibilities . let's get started.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Accept
the challenges . so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some
people dream of worthy accomplishments, while others stay awake
and do them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
best way to predict the future . is to create it.
Top
of Newsletter Archive
September 2002
An
organization that is committed to creative collaboration will ride
the wave of the future. They will go beyond the realm of assumptive
thinking and welcome the dawn of innovation . because there is nothing
more empowering than an idea whose time has come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
It
is our responsibility to shatter outdated thinking and explore the
realm of the untested; it is here that breakthrough opportunities
are waiting to be discovered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excellence
is the result of caring more than others think is wise; risking
more than others think is safe. Dreaming more than others think
is practical and expecting more than others think is possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
We
must adjust to an ever-changing road . while holding onto our unchanging
principles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those
who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They
are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its
flow . they have form but are formless. They are skilled in both
planning and adapting and need not fear the result of a thousand
battles; for they win in advance, defeating those that have already
lost. -
Sun Tzu, Chinese Warrior
~~~~~~~~~~~~
We
make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When
I run out of red, I use blue. - Pablo Picasso
Top
of Newsletter Archive
October 2002
A
CARROT, AN EGG OR A COFFEE BEAN
A
young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things
were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it
and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her
mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and
placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first,
she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she
placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying
a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished
the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it
in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you
see?"
"Carrots,
eggs, and coffee," she replied.
She
brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted
that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally,
she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its
rich aroma. The daughter then asked. "What does it mean, mother?" Her
mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity
- boiling water - but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong,
hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling
water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin
outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through
the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans
were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had
changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter.
"When
adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot,
an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think
of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain
and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I
the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial
hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does
my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with
a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The
bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings
the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better
and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and
trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level? How do you
handle adversity?
Are
you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Top
of Newsletter Archive
November
2002
The
most destructive habit ....Worry
The
greatest joy ....Giving
The
greatest loss ....Loss of self-respect
The
most satisfying work ....Helping others
The
ugliest personality trait ....Selfishness
The
most endangered species ....Dedicated leaders
Our
greatest natural resource ....Our youth
The
greatest "shot in the arm" ....Encouragement
The
greatest problem to overcome ....Fear
The
most effective sleeping pill ....Peace of mind
The
most crippling failure disease ....Excuses
The
most powerful force in life ....Love
The
most dangerous pariah ....A gossiper
The
world's most incredible computer ....The brain
The
worst thing to be without ....Hope
The
deadliest weapon ....The tongue
The
two most power-filled words ....."I Can"
The
greatest asset ....Faith
The
most worthless emotion ....Self-pity
The
most beautiful attire ....A SMILE!
The
most prized possession ....Integrity
The
most contagious spirit ....Enthusiasm
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To
the world, you may be one person; but to one person, you may be
the world."
Top
of Newsletter Archive
Oxymorons
| Civil
war |
British
fashion |
Death
benefits |
| Living
dead |
Freezer
burn |
Small
crowd |
| Gourmet
pizza |
Deafening
silence |
Jumbo
shrimp |
| Butt
head |
Original
copy |
Dry
wine |
| Terribly
pleased |
Sweet
sorrow |
Soft
rock |
| Childproof |
Military
intelligence |
"Now,
then." |
| Friendly
argument |
Synthetic
natural gas |
Guest
host |
Passive
aggression |
Live
recording |
Taped
live |
| Student
teacher |
Clearly
misunderstood |
Work
party |
| Peace
force |
Act
naturally |
New
classic |
| Found
missing |
Temporary
tax increase |
Resident
alien |
| Plastic
glasses |
Genuine
imitation |
Sure
bet |
| Airline
food |
Computer
security |
Good
grief |
| Political
science |
Same
difference |
Definite
maybe |
| Pretty
ugly |
Twelve-ounce
pound cake |
Rap
music |
| Almost
exactly |
Sanitary
landfill |
Diet
ice cream |
| Alone
together |
Government
organization |
Legally
drunk |
| Working
vacation |
Silent
scream |
Exact
estimate |
