TIME FOR THOUGHTFUL REFLECTION

"Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it."

Søren Kierkegaard, 19th century Danish philosopher/poet.

Very true and not just as it pertains to pleasure.

We hurry past way too much we should spend more time contemplating. 

Grief, love, happiness, relationships, challenges, successes, failures; all part of the one life we've all been blessed to live.

All worthy of thoughtful consideration before moving onto whatever is next.

Don't hurry past your life.

SELF-CONTROL: WORK AT IT!

"Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself."

Abraham Joshua Heschel, 20th century Polish born American rabbi

So true.

Who, if not you, should you look to for self-control.

One more thing you can work to change.

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

"Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections."

Saint Francis de Sales, Late 16th/early 17th century Catholic bishop

You need courage to consider your imperfections, even more to accept them, and a lot more to attempt to change them.

But that is what you should do.

MAN, WOMAN, BOY, GIRL . . . ALL OF US

"Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility in the realm of faith and morals."

Albert Schweitzer, 19th/20th century French/German philosopher/physician

Think how much better things would be if, starting today, we all took personal responsibility for our own circumstances?

This does not mean you solve your problems, I'll solve mine.

Only that all solutions for us both begin with each of us as individuals.

YOUR VALUE; NO MORE AND CERTAINLY NO LESS

"We are more prone to generalize the bad than the good. We assume that the bad is more potent and contagious."

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher/author.

Unless your ego is much greater than your ability (a reality for many) this applies to you.

We minimize our strengths while maximizing our weaknesses, to the point of missing opportunities for greater success.

Don't give yourself more credit than you deserve and certainly no less.

"HUMANITY" IS YOU!

"Humanity either makes, or breeds, or tolerates all its afflictions."

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

Replace "humanity" with "you" and you should understand this is really good news.

You are at the center of all your problems and so too is it true, you are at the center of all your problem's solutions.

YOU'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU?

"There is no person so severely punished as those who subject themselves to the whip of their own remorse."

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

Remorse, in moderation, is a good thing.

It directs us to what and who we should be away from what we shouldn't.

Acknowledge and learn from your failings and then move on. There's no value in continual self-condemnation.

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 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.

KNOW THYSELF

"What fugitive from his country can also escape from himself."

Horace (BC 65-8) Latin lyric poet

No one.

You are at the core of all your future successes and failures so know yourself well.

Change what you don't like, that which will prevent you from living to your greatest potential.

DELUSIONAL REALITY

"No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities."

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

Ok, but make sure you know which are delusions, which realities.

WHAT IS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE

"No one is worse, for knowing the worst of themselves."

Proverb

Because in knowing yourself you see what you might want to change.

GEORGE AND BOB KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKIN' ABOUT

"I tell you that as long as I can conceive something better than myself I cannot be easy unless I am striving to bring it into existence or clearing the way for it."

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish writer

About as good a description of the path to self improvement as I can imagine.

Strive to become, or make way for, what will be better.

And if you can't do either, as Bob Dylan suggested, take heed: 

"Your old road is rapidly agin', please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand for the times they are a-changin'."

WHO DO YOU TRUST?

"Self-trust is the essence of heroism."

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

Because most of us know our true limitations and add to that list many more we assume to be true.

Simply trusting ourselves as much as we willingly trust others, would elevate us in the eyes of the one person whose opinion of us matters the most.

Ourselves.

GOOD ENOUGH ISN'T

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States

Not necessarily the best there is but certainly the best you can be.

If You Can't Trust You . . .

"The easiest person to deceive is one's own self."

Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

19th century British politician, poet, critic

And we don't always know when we do either.

Just as it is a good idea to continually review your business plan assumptions, updating them as necessary, so too should you review what you assume to be true about you.

There is fact and fiction in all of it.

Do You Know What You Do Not Know?

"When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it--this is knowledge."

Confucius

5th century BC Chinese philosopher

How many of us do this enough of the time?

I allow I do not know.

Do You Know You?

"He knows the universe and does not know himself."

Jean de la Fontaine

17th century French poet

Business education teaches all you need to know to succeed in business . . .

. . . except who you are.

You need to know that or none of whatever else you know matters.

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.