FEAR NOT!

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the conquest of it."

Unknown

There is so much in life that could be feared, too much to actually fear it all.

The trick is to identify only that small portion worth addressing, leaving the rest to take care of itself.

Don't be afraid, you can do it.

HOW YOU ARE PERCEIVED, FOR NOW

"Reputation is only a candle, of wavering and uncertain flame, easily blown out. It is the light by which the world looks for and finds merit."

James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet/critic/editor.

"Finds merit?"

Well not always in all cases; one's reputation can also be bad.

And whatever your reputation today may not be what it is tomorrow.

Work to improve it if bad, to enhance it if good.

OF THIS I'M CERTAIN

"Doubt is not a pleasant mental state, but certainty is a ridiculous one."

Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer and historian.

I would have chosen an adjective other than "ridiculous"; one that doesn't leave you wondering why certainty is ridiculous.

It is because there is so little we can be certain about and being certain about uncertain things is extremely dangerous.

WHAT IS YOURS?

"How can we know ourselves? Never by reflection, but only through action. Begin at once to do your duty and immediately you will know what is inside you."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet/novelist/dramatist.

But what is your duty?

How sad if you can't answer that question.

The good news is we all have them, many in fact, ever changing throughout our lives.

They may be related to military service, but often not.

They are related to things and certainly people.

You just need to find yours.

THREAT MANAGEMENT

"Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them."

Seneca (4 BC-65) Roman philosopher/playwright.

Which isn't a good thing.

Feeling as though we are under constant threat can ultimately lead to accepting that as the new normal. 

However not all perceived threats are worth the time and effort to resolve.

Do your best to make sure the ones you attempt to address are.

COME ON, GIVE US A SMILE!

"So of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more it remains."

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S. poet, essayist and lecturer.

And if this weren't true, which it is, you have something to say about your attitude; why not display more of the positive than the negative?

MORE THAN YOU BORROW IS WHAT YOU WILL OWE

"Do not accustom yourself to consider debt only as an inconvenience. You will find it a calamity."

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) British author.

You know the saying, "You have to spend money to make money"?

True, but make sure it's your money you're spending.

(And yes I'm talking about you too government.)

SO OBVIOUS YOU MAY NOT HAVE SEEN IT

"Business is like a wheelbarrow--it stands still until someone pushes it."

Unknown

"Companies" and "businesses" don't exist without employees and without the effort of all nothing good happens.

If you're simply waiting for everyone else to do something, how do you know everyone else isn't doing the same?

And if they're not and you're not how far do you think your company "wheelbarrow" will go?

THE POWER OF EFFORT

"I am only an average man but, by George, I work harder at it than the average man."

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th president of the U.S.

Success is the product of many resources acting in concert with each other and none is more important than the effort you must expend to succeed.

GOOD ADVICE ASSUMING YOU TAKE IT

"If you wish information and improvement from the knowledge of others, and yet at the same time express yourself as firmly fix'd in your present opinions, modest, sensible men, who do not love disputation, will probably leave you undisturbed in the possession of your error."

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States

Paraphrasing: If you wish to learn how to improve yourself but are unwilling to change your ways, those you wish to learn from will quickly give up on you.

THE RIGHT ONE, NOT JUST ANY ONE

"The lonely one offers his hand too quickly to whomever he encounters."

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German-Swiss philosopher/writer.

Also true when job hunting.

Be available, responsive, but take the time necessary to insure you do only when you should.

You are not right for all jobs and all jobs are not right for you.

Accepting the wrong one often means you must look for another sooner than you'd like.

FUTURE BEGINNINGS REQUIRE RECENT ENDINGS

"You must give up the way it is... to have it the way you want it to be."

Unknown

Having your cake and eating it too just doesn't work.

I DIDN'T SAY IT, NATURE DID

"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is Nature's inexorable imperative."

H. G. Wells (1866-1946) British-born American author.

Ultimately we all do perish when we, our bodies and minds, are no longer able to adapt.

But you can do much to delay that inevitability in the meantime.

Accept that change is the norm and plan to be a part of it, not fight it.

THE PERILS OF UNCERTAINTY

"When we are not sure, we are alive."

Graham Greene (1904-1991) English writer.

The silver lining in an otherwise potentially dark cloud.

Why? Because we are more often not sure than sure.

So what to do?

Accept that is the case and plan accordingly.

WHAT'S YOUR CHOICE?

"We are all ready to be savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause."

William James (1842-1910) American philosopher/psychologist.

While it is good to be passionate about something, be very careful when it comes to choosing what that will be for you.

There may be no do overs.

UGLINESS TOO

"The beauty seen is partly in him who sees it."

Christian Nevell Bovee (1820-1904) American author/lawyer.

The next time you find yourself judging someone for what they are or are not, something you don't like, look to see how much of that is also you.

You may be a little surprised, disappointed in yourself, and hopefully more tolerant of the other person.

THE RETIRING LIFE

"Boredom: the desire for desires."

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian writer.

Planning for a time when we have nothing to do is the most important planning we all should (but don't all) do.

Left with nothing, you can best hope the time left to you is blessedly short.

TO ACHIEVE, SOMEONE'S HEART MUST BURN

"Every great achievement is the victory of a flaming heart."

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S. poet/essayist/lecturer.

Flaming heart: An apt description of how much commitment is necessary to achieve the things we'd all like to achieve.

Understand, much more than simply wanting something is necessary to have it; you must also have the knowledge, training, and plan to achieve your most significant goals

But it does start with with deep commitment to do whatever is necessary, including accepting the possibility of failure.

WHAT IS NOT WHAT YOU WISH WAS

"Everything you need you already have."

Wayne Dyer (1940-?) American psychotherapist/author/lecturer.

Worry about what you think you need and don't have when (if) the day comes when (if) you find you absolutely can do no more with only what you have.

And keep in mind, we're talking needs not wants.

YOU SHOULD BE ANGRY ABOUT THIS

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned."

Buddha (563 BC-483 BC) Founder of Buddhism.

What good has your anger done for you?

You don't consciously decide to become angry but you can work to lessen the negative from being so.

WHY YOUR PARENTS WANT YOU TO STAY IN SCHOOL

"No great intellectual thing was ever done by great effort."

John Ruskin (1819-1900) English art critic.

Effort, sure, but effort alone is rarely, if ever, enough to accomplish the most desirable and difficult goals.

Good that you're willing to work hard, just make sure your education is up to the task you're prepared to work hard to achieve.

THE JEALOUS KIND

"The disease of jealousy is so malignant that is converts all it takes into its own nourishment."

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist/poet/dramatist.

Disclaimer for me (you too): I am occasionally jealous of others. 

Being so is human.

But problems arise when we are too often; when we attempt to hurt those we are jealous of.