NO ONE TO ANSWER TO BUT EVERYONE

"All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind."

Joseph Conrad, late 19th/early 20th century Polish-British writer.

If you couldn't care less about this, take heart; no one is policing how you conduct your life.

You can be as nasty and mean as you want.

However, while no one can stop you they can, as many will, shun you.

Life alone.

Think about it.

PATIENCE! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!

"All commend patience but none can endure to suffer."

Thomas Fuller, 17th century English historian.

Patience is but one of the virtues most of us do not have.

Just one of many we tell our kids they should have.

This applies to me too and starting today, no, right this minute, I'm going to learn to be patient.

No more delay, right NOW!

SO WHO ARE WE REALLY?

"We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them."

Abigail Adams (1744-1818) First Lady of the United States.

Many of the words you see in this photograph are carelessly strewn throughout the mission statements of so many companies.

What do they mean?

Simply saying them, putting them in a mission statement hung on the wall, telling employees "this is who we are", doesn't come close to making it so. 

WE ARE ALL SALESPEOPLE

"You can close more business in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get people interested in you."

Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) American writer.

This isn't just good advice for those selling goods and services.

It's for us all.

Regardless of what we do we all must sell. 

Our ideas, suggestions, thinking, in other words, us.

NOT HAPPY WITH YOURSELF?

"We continue to shape our personality all our life."

Albert Camus (1913-1960) French novelist/essayist/dramatist.

You continually change but how much of what you will be is up to you.

Don't leave you to chance, direct what you will become.

THE SOCIAL GAME

"There are people who, in spite of their merit, disgust us, and others who please us in spite of their faults."

François de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer.

You rightfully go to school to learn what you will do, not to be confused with who you will be. 

One is no less important than the other.

YOU MAYBE, NOT ME

"Every man, in his own opinion, forms an exception to the ordinary rules of morality."

William Hazlitt (1778-1830) British essayist.

The excuses we allow ourselves for being exceptions to rules we don't wish to follow.

Make no mistake about it, they are rules nevertheless.

WHICH ARE YOU?

"People are eternally divided into two classes, the believer, builder, and praiser, and the unbeliever, destroyer and critic."

John Ruskin (1819-1900) English art critic.

An overly simplified description of the human race, not far off truth.

We all belong in one or the other overly generalized categories; which are you?

It's never too late to change.

THE TRUE YOU

"Our lives teach us who we are."

Salman Rushdie (1948-?) Anglo-Indian novelist.

We do our best to project the person we want others to believe we are but it's what we do and say that decides that.

And I'm not so sure it does teach us regardless; the power of self deception is great.

IS THIS YOU IN THE CHAIR?

"The worst form of tyranny the world has ever known is the tyranny of the weak over the strong. It is the only tyranny that lasts."

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish poet and dramatist.

Good to remember if this is the tyranny you impose on others.

WE'LL FIND OUT

"Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him."

James Allen (1864-1912) British-born American essayist.

It is very difficult, often impossible, to forever hide what we really are, particularly during adversity.

Once tested our true selves become known.

ONE TRICK PONY SYNDROME

"People with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never."

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

"Never" seems a little absolute, however the overriding sentiment is valid.

Being really good at one or two things does often come at the expense of much else of importance.

Strive for balance.

IMPERFECT PERFECTIONISTS

"Have no fear of perfection-you'll never reach it."

Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) Spanish surrealist painter.

We refer to some as perfectionists and maybe you see yourself as one.

You're not, I'm certainly not, no one is, they don't exist.

A few of us strive for perfection but even in that we fall short.

That's ok; perfecting the continued attempt is more than most will ever accomplish.

MOST LIKELY TO . . . ?

"Popularity? It's glory's small change."

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French poet/dramatist/novelist.

Given a choice I think most of us would choose to be popular.

Just don't let that be the only thing you choose to be.

THE MANY OF US

"A man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him."

William James (1842-1910) American philosopher/psychologist

Appropriate to remember in this time of social networking that we are as many versions of ourselves as there are people passing judgement on who we are.

And they do that based on what we say and do.

Best to think about what you say and do before you say and do it.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

"Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it."

Horace Mann (1796-1859) U.S. educator

As true for the bad habits as it is the good ones.

Be careful what you weave.

(UN) MAKING AN ASS OF YOURSELF

"If an ass goes traveling it will not come home a horse."

Proverb

True, but unlike the ass who cannot change what he is, we humans can.

(I don't make these up but if I did, this would be near the top.)

The Complete Package

"Personality is everything in art and poetry."

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Late 18th early 19th century German poet

Another example of a thought that applies equally if not more so to business.

You have your MBA, 10+ years work experience, and still your career isn't going as well as you planned.

There's more to it than you might have understood.

How About You?

"Don't open a shop unless you like to smile."

Chinese proverb

"I wrote a book called "How To Get Along With Anyone".  Well, I didn't write it alone; I co-wrote it with this other jack-off a-hole."

Steve Martin

American comedian

When it comes to succeeding in business, it helps immensely to be a people-person, and this is not limited to just retail.

Thinking back, I believe that at least half the people I've encountered in business would have preferred to only deal with things rather than people.

What's your preference?

Our Work and Home Selves: One And The Same

"It's an illusion to think we can separate who we are at work from who we are at home--our patterns travel with us."

Silvia LaFair

Author/Consultant

Contributed by Winifred Wang, MBA

Human Resources Professional

Essentially, what you are is what you are no matter where you are.

If you are experiencing inexplicable difficulty in one part of your life, look to other parts for clues as to why.