Points to Ponder

Archive of the monthly newsletters for the year 2007

Every edition since its inception is included here and in the archive. You can read each one by either scrolling down the page or by clicking on the monthly links below.  

January 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The greatest happiness is to know the source of your unhappiness.

The only people who gain importance are those that crave it.

The idea is there, locked inside, and all you have to do is remove the excess stone.

I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.

To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.

Trust everybody - but cut the cards.

Large meetings are often used to share the blame.

Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.

The soul that is within me no man can degrade.

Character is doing the right thing when no one is watching.

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.

Every flower must grow through dirt.

Motivation will almost always beat mere talent.

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.

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February 2007

-MANAGEMENT-

(Taken from General George Patton)

Management by remote control is doomed to fail.

What a refreshing approach to management! The senior supervisor goes forward to visit front-line subordinates on the assumption that the front-line people are busier.

It takes courage and character to engage in a faltering project. It takes courage and character to be a leader.

A good manager questions the status quo, always looking for better, more efficient ways of doing the jobs that need to be done.

Charles Darwin explained what happens to animal species that fail to adapt to changing circumstances. They cease to be.

The biggest mistake is to never make a decision.

No business, firm or organization is better than the people who run it, who execute the directives of management.

An effective manager is a teacher, coach and mentor.

Value your veterans.

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

Train and prepare the members of your organization.

An effective leader is a catalyst who does not force change, but enables change in others.

Effective leaders identify and publicly credit exceptional achievement.

No management tool is more powerful than sincere personal praise delivered publicly and in a timely manner.

Select leaders for accomplishment and not for affection.

Do not confuse loyalty for friendship.

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March 2007

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whom-ever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital," he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "And by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.

I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So Iwent to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

"It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.

Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."

"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

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April 2007

MANAGEMENT

(Taken from General George Patton)

It is up to the manager to motivate his people, and the most important ingredient in motivation is knowledge of goals, objectives and purpose.

Communicate - don't just give pep talks. Define the mission, explain why it is important and get everyone behind it.

Information is all around us and it is the manager's job to collect what is useful, analyze it and make profitable use of it.

The law of diminishing returns - pushed beyond their limits, people work inefficiently, poorly, even counterproductively or destructively.

Effective managers use meetings to coordinate their organization, not merely to trade ideas or to review the past.

As a manager, one of your most important jobs is to provide inspiration.

You cannot afford to squander precious human resources on creating the mere appearance of nonstop productivity.

Include everyone in every accomplishment.

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May 2007

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

"We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl! When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.

Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless.

Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

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June 2007

Once there was a young lady waiting for her flight in the boarding room of a big airport. As she would have to be waiting many hours for her flight, she decided to buy a book to pass her time and she also bought a pack of cookies.

She sat down in the V.I.P. room of the airport to rest and read in peace. Beside the armchair where the pack of cookies lay, a man was seated and was reading his magazine. When she took out the first cookie, the man took one also. She was irritated, but said nothing. She just thought to herself, "What nerve. If I was in the mood, I would punch him for daring!"

For each cookie she took, the man took one also. This infuriated her, but she didn't want to cause a scene. When only one cookie remained, she wondered, 'Ah, what will this abusive man do now!?" The man reached down, picked up the cookie and breaking it in half, gave her one piece. This was too much for the woman now. In anger, she scooped up her belongings and stormed off to her boarding area.

When she reached her seat on the plane, she opened up her purse to get her eyeglasses and to her surprise, there in her purse was her packet of cookies, unopened and untouched. She was so ashamed; she realized that she was wrong and that she had kept her cookies there in her purse. The man had divided his cookies with her without feeling angered or bitter while she was angry because she thought she was dividing her cookies with him. And now he was gone, without her having a chance to explain herself or apologize.

There are four things you can't recover:
The stone, after the throw.
The word, after it is said.
The occasion, after the loss.
The time, after it is gone.

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July 2007

It's nice to be important, and it's more important to be nice.

Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.

Everyone can afford to give away a smile.

The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.

If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you don't want.

When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

The only way to have a friend is to be one.

Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.

Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.

Just when you think you've graduated from the school of experience, someone thinks up a new course.

The most flammable kind of wood is the chip on the shoulder.

Goals are dreams with deadlines.

Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.

Many of our fears are tissue paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.

Once you have them by the funny bone, their hearts and minds will follow.

Don't find fault. Find a remedy.

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August 2007

What Teachers Make

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."

To stress his point he said to another guest, "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?" (She paused for a second, and then began.)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I-Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

"I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I make my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life." (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make?"

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September 2007

It was one of those proverbial "dark and stormy nights." Through a hazy gale, a ship's captain spotted what looked like the lights of another ship, heading straight for him. He told his signalman to blink to the other ship: "Change your course 12 degrees north."

A response flashed back: "Change YOUR course 12 degrees north."

The ship's captain responded: "I am a captain. Change your course north."

The reply flashed back: "I am a seaman first class. Change YOUR course north."

The furious captain signaled back: "Dammit, change your course north. I'm on a battleship!"

To which the reply came back: "And I say change YOUR course north. I'm in a lighthouse."

WHEN THE FACTS CHANGE, BE PREPARED TO CHANGE COURSE.

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October 2007

The first rule for success? Show up.

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.

Nothing is easier than being busy, and nothing more difficult than being effective.

It's never too late to be who you might have been.

The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.

We're not born into leadership: we convert.

Why is thinking outside of the box so important? . Why have a box at all?

A hundred sage counsels are lost upon one who cannot take advice.

If you want a place in the sun, you have to expect a few blisters.

Victory has a hundred memories but defeat has amnesia.

Don't be afraid to go on an occasional wild goose chase. That's what wild geese are for.

We believe those we do not know, because they have never deceived us.

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November 2007

Good reminder of what matters - HAPPY THANKSGIVING

RED MARBLES

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?" asked Mr. Miller.
"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I got's my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it," said Miller.
"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmm mmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?" the store owner asked.
"Not zackley but almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble," Mr. Miller told the boy.
"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store."

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket.

Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes. Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

"Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about."

"They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size....they came to pay their debt."

"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho."

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.

The Moral : We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GATHER, BUT WHAT YOU SCATTER THAT TELLS WHAT KIND OF LIFE YOU HAVE LIVED

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December 2007

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

THE BLIND GIRL

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, "If I could only see the world, I will marry you."

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?" The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying, "Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine."

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life is a gift! Today before you say an unkind work, think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food, think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife, think of someone who's crying out for a companion. Today before you complain about life, think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children, think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep, think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive, think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job, think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down, put a smile on your face and thank GOD you're alive and still around.

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

-Charles Dickens

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