TOMORROW'S A NEW DAY . . . MAYBE

"All progress means war with society."

George Bernard Shaw

19th/20th century Irish writer

In general, but progress also redefines society.

What was unacceptable to society today (sometimes) becomes society tomorrow.

Just not always.

The trick is to learn what will when as well as what never will.

UNDERSTAND?

"He had a wonderful talent for packing thought close, and rendering it portable."

Thomas B. Macaulay

19th century English politician/essayist/poet

We often say more the less we say.

YOUR FAILURE IS NOT MY SUCCESS

"The unhappy derive comfort from the misfortunes of others."

Aesop

6th century BC Greek fabulist

Possibly excluding those misfortunes that fall on your competitors ("possibly" because their failure does not mean you've succeeded.)

True class does not require someone else to fail.

EMPLOYEES: THE COMPANY IMAGE

"Choose your wife as you wish your children to be."

Proverb

A slight but critical suggested edit, "Choose your wife or husband as you wish your children to be."

In business, choose your employees as you wish your company to be known.

There is no company beyond its employees.

MORE THAN EXPECTED

"The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does."

Napoleon Hill

Late 19th/early 20th centuryAmerican speaker/motivational writer

Unfortunately, not always.

However, fortunately, often enough to make it still one of the best ways to get ahead of those who don't.

IF WE COULD ONLY GO BACK?

"I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards."

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States

Learn from the past, don't attempt to revisit, or worse, return to it.

FAR, FAR MORE NUMEROUS. FAR FAR!

"Far more numerous are those as such who think too little and talk too much."

John Dryden 

17th century British poet/dramatist/critic

"Elevator pitch" what you say and write and you will communicate much more effectively.

EVEN THE DEAD CHANGE

"He who rejects change is the architect of decay.  The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."

Harold Wilson

Mid 20th century British prime minister

Most would agree with this.

The debate centers on what is and is not progress.

However, while we're at it, I would argue that even cemeteries change, but that's a topic for another day.

BFF (OR A DAY, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST)

"Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant."

Socrates

4th century BC Greek philosopher of Athens

Excellent advice in these Facebook days of "friends".

MORE THAN SAYING I'M SORRY, I REALLY AM

"The beginning of atonement is the sense of its necessity."

Lord Byron

Late 18th/early 19th century British poet

Apologizing has little value if you are not sorry for what you did or said.

You first need to know you were wrong.

OF THIS I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN

"The most learned are often the most narrow minded."

William Hazlitt

Late 18th/early 19th century British essayist

Certainly so the more we view our "knowledge" as irrefutable.

Be proud of what you know but do all you can to make sure you really do know it.

And even then, when you are certain, don't always attempt to force it on others.

YOU WILL BREAK, JUST NOT ALWAYS

"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places."

Ernest Hemingway

20th century American writer

He didn't say everyone all the time will be stronger, himself living testimony to that fact.

However you can come out stronger as a result of adversity.

If you want to improve the chance of that being true for you, start by assuming it will be.

I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH YOU

"There is no delight in owning anything unshared."

Seneca

1st century BC Roman philosopher/playwright

Yes there is for those things meaningful only to you.

However, in most cases, for most things, sharing, which takes many forms, will bring you greater reward.

And nowhere is this more true than when it comes to sharing your knowledge.

YOU CAN'T SLOW DOWN WITHOUT FIRST HAVING SPEEDED UP

"I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure."

John D Rockefeller

19th and 20th century American industrialist/philanthropist

You can't really appreciate the pleasure of doing nothing if you've only done nothing.

GO BIG OR GO HOME!

"A clever man commits no minor blunders."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Late 18th/early 19th century German poet/novelist/dramatist

I think this depends on how minor as well as what is blundered.

If you are going to make mistakes, which we all do, make them worthwhile. 

Something where success would have been more desirable than having never blundered in the first place.

Let everything else take care of itself.

WHAT YOU REALLY ARE MORE THAN WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO APPEAR TO BE

"Aspire rather to be a hero than merely appear one."

Baltasar Gracian

17th century Spanish philosopher/writer

Aspire to be smart, concerned, empathetic, engaged, etc. rather than aspiring to appear smart, concerned, empathetic, engaged, etc.

Appearances count, however ultimately, not for much.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING AND WAITING FOR

"Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very, very long time."

Chinese proverb

Some goals almost seemingly achieve themselves.

Very few, if any, worth being achieved, but there must be some, somewhere, some time.

Is that what you want?

THE EMPATHETIC MANAGER

"Nothing that grieves us can be called little: by the eternal laws of proportion a child's loss of a doll and a king's loss of a crown are events of the same size."

Mark Twain

19th century U.S. humorist/writer/lecturer

Recognizing and respecting the perspective of others is a talent critical to good management.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEED AND WANT

"He is not poor that hath not much, but he that craves much."

Thomas Fuller

17th century British clergyman/author

To a point.

I find having and attempting to achieve goals to be helpful keeping me moving forward.

But you have to find balance between what you have and what you'd like to have.

IT'S A MATTER OF CHOICE

"There's none so blind as they that won't see."

Jonathan Swift

Late 17th/early 18th century Irish-born English satirist

We (all too) often only understand what we choose to understand.

LIFE/WORK BALANCE

"No man tastes pleasures truly, who does not earn them by previous business; and few people do business well, who do nothing else."

Lord Chesterfield

18th century British statesman

Your title should be what you do, it is not who you are.

THE TRICK IS KNOWING WHICH IS WHICH

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Late 18th/early 19th century German poet/novelist/dramatist

For most of us most of the time what we worry about does matter least.

SO IT CAN'T BE DONE. HOW WILL WE DO IT?

"I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done."

Henry Ford

Late 19th/early 20th century American industrialist

While important, problem identification is only half of problem solution.

The smaller half.