TO HAVE THE THIRD, YOU MUST HAVE THE FIRST TWO

"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor."

Aristotle, 3rd century BC Greek philosopher.

And from honor and courage comes self-respect.

Without the first two the third is impossible.

CENTER YOURSELF

"We must learn our limits. We are all something but none of us are everything."

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French mathematician, physicist and philosopher.

For some the problem is the opposite.

Those who believe they have little or no ability.

Both extremes are wrong.

Find your rational center between the two.

YOU CAN'T (AND DIDN'T) WIN THEM ALL

"There is the greatest practical benefit in making a few failures early in life."

Thomas H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist.

A foreign concept to the majority of parents who only expressed approval for their kid's achievements, both real and imagined.

No acknowledgement of failures they feared would stifle their children's self-esteem.

Too bad because it is the small, youthful defeats that prepares us for the inevitable more meaningful ones we will experience as adults.

POTENTIAL

"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you."

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

Something you may never experience.

Potential is only that; you have to do something to make it something.

WHEN YOU GOT NOTHING

"How many people make themselves abstract to appear profound. The most useful part of abstract terms are the shadows they create to hide a vacuum."

Joseph Joubert

18th/19th century French moralist

Better to acknowledge you don't know than to pretend you do.

WHAT YOU MAKE IS NOT WHO YOU ARE

"No man's fortune can be an end worthy of his being."

Francis Bacon

16th century British statesman/philosopher

It is a form of self imposed slavery to equate your self-worth to how much money you, or the company you work for, makes.

Your Own Worst Critic?

"I am a deeply superficial person."

Andy Warhol

20th century American artist

There's something to be said for knowing yourself, both the bad as well as the good.

What do you not like about yourself?

What are you doing to change it?

Seeing Through You

"Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth."

Aesop

6th century Greek fabulist

And sooner rather than later everyone will know which you are predominately.

It's Not My Fault I Have No Faults

"Our own self-love draws a thick veil between us and our faults."

Lord Chesterfield

18th century British statesman

Don't think this applies to you?

Take 60 seconds to list all the positive things about you.

Now take the next 60 seconds to list your faults.

If the first list is twice as long or longer than the second, you might want to rethink both lists.

How Much Are You Worth?

"He who does not think much of himself is much more esteemed than he imagines."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

18th century German poet

Some of the world's most successful business leaders are also egotists beyond anything the rest of us ever imagined.

Does success create that or are some of us naturally born to like ourselves more than will most?

Does not "thinking much of ourselves" necessarily imply we depreciate our worth?

Why (We Should) Do What We Do

"Glory ought to be the consequence, not the motive of our actions."

Anonymous

Who among us who comes up with a great idea, does not think a lot about it will mean to us personally?

But note the quote does not say we shouldn't do that, only that the inspiration for the idea should be the good it will do for our department or company.

How are you with that? And if you are a manager, do you care what motivates good ideas?

Managing Self-Worth: Can You, Should You?

"We all are something, but none of us are everything."

Blaise Pascal
17th century French Mathematician/Physicist

Self-worth is critical; without enough of it the individual's ability to contribute to what will ultimately be the accomplishments of the group, is limited.

But too much of it, which sometimes leads to the belief that one's contribution is more important than that coming from others, can be worse.

Do you attempt to manage self-worth among your direct reports?

Do you for yourself?