35. Charisma
can kill. All through history, highly-evolved people have always been, at
the very least, misunderstood. They have been criticized and condemned and,
for the most part, have been killed.
36. Making
demands. If you ask something of someone and you are upset over his or her
response, then it wasn't a request, it was a demand.
37. Your
progress is hindered to the degree that you are upset about where you are. If
you’re in Chicago and want to get to LA, it does no good to be upset about
being in Chicago. In fact, it detracts from your ability to get to LA. What
is, is.
38. Do it
now! Ideas are worthless. Intentions have no power. Plans are nothing . .
. unless they are followed with action.
39. Spiritual
Principle is much like the wind. It is neither good nor bad and you must
know how to use it. You can be run aground or use it to move you where you
want to go.
40. Happiness
is a choice. You have a choice to be happy or unhappy. Since you must be
one or the other, why not choose happiness?
41. Art
Linkletter was right. Kids will say the darnedest things—and usually at
the darnedest time. Like when Will (five at the time) introduced me to
everyone in the supermarket checkout line and then announced to everyone in
the store that I had plastic teeth (my temporary bridge).
42. Today's
action becomes tomorrow's habit. Emerson was right (wasn’t he usually),
"Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit;
sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a
destiny."
43. Insanity
really is hereditary. You get it from your kids.
44. We
never do what we HAVE to do. We always do what we want to do. It just
SEEMS like we have to.
45. There
is a price for success. But there is also a price for failure. Given the
choice, the price of success clearly has the best return on investment.
46. Courage.
A person with some doubt but taking action is better than one with no
doubt taking no action.
47. There’s
no need to prove we’re valuable. We just are. We do not take action to
gain or prove we are valuable; we take action to gain results and discover
more of who we already are.
48. Everything
I do, I do to make my heart sing. OK, I haven’t always done this and I
don’t always do it now—but I try.
49. Leaders
are readers. It does not follow that all readers are leaders, but today,
all leaders must be readers. Reading can be a powerful catalyst for thinking;
it has the potential for stimulating wisdom.
50. Use
your head, but live in your heart. I’ve gotten into big trouble by going
with my head instead of listening to my heart. I’ve also mistaken my
emotions for my heart. But I’ve never, never been misled by my heart.
51. The
only way to truly have what you want is to give up having to have it. As
soon as you let go of HAVING to have something, it no longer is elusive but
rather seeks you out. There’s nothing wrong with wanting something, it’s
HAVING to have it that messes you up.
52. When
you learn something, share it with at least three people on different
occasions and it will be yours. It’s one of the great riches of life is
that you can give away all your knowledge and still keep it for yourself.
53. Questions
are the answers. Getting the right answers is only possible when you have
asked the right questions.
54. Get it
done. There are no honorariums for people to get up and tell how they
didn't do it.
55. Writing.
Good writing is clear thinking made visible.
56. Conquer
your fears. Otherwise, your fears will conquer you. Fear has killed more
dreams and sidetracked more success than anything else I know.
57. It’s
hard to be a prophet in your hometown. People expect an expert to get off
a plane. Heck, even Jesus had to get out of Nazareth.
58. Becoming.
It matters little what road we take. What’s really important is what we
become on the journey.
59. Happiness
is an inspiring goal. You can only be happy when you are in the process of
achieving a goal. Without a goal there can be no accomplishment. Without
accomplishment there is no meaning—no satisfaction. Humans were created for
accomplishment.
60. If I
can always find a way to survive, then I have the same skills it takes to
thrive. Once I realized this, my life started to get much better—and
easier. I started to apply my skills in a new direction.
61. It's
expensive to be a maverick. Starting new things, being the first to do
something or to do it in a new way takes time, patience and usually money.
62. Who
you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you say. It's not so much
what you say, but who you're being that communicates.
63. Be
practical. Some people are so heavenly minded, they’re no earthly good.
64. The
high road. Doing the right thing is seldom the easy thing.
65. When
raising kids, you have two choices: you can be popular or you can be a parent.
You can’t be both—at least not until they get older and wiser.
66. It
doesn’t take guts to quit. Anyone can quit—and most people do—on
their dreams and on themselves.
67. Winning
isn’t everything, but it’s close. And it’s definitely more fun.
68. Our
job is to decide; the Universe's job is to provide. The mere act of
getting clear on what we want initiates a whole string of events,
circumstances and ideas that never would have happened had we not decided. By
gaining clarity and choosing clearly what we want, we charge the Universe with
tasks, opportunities and situations that bring about what we desire. The world
manifests according to our request.
69. Marriage.
The decision to marry and the person you choose to marry is probably the
most important decision you will make in your entire life.
70. Money’s
good. Money isn’t everything but it sure beats NO money. Money’s not
evil, it’s the LOVE of money that’s evil. Use money and love people—never
the other way around.
71. Good
judgment comes from experience. Where does one gain experience? Yup, bad
judgment.
72. You
can be serious about something without being grim. Life’s too short and
too precious to spend it being grim.
73. TV is
both a blessing and a curse. It has the potential—and does in some
instances—of providing great value. But for the most part it’s an
incredible waste of time. I call TVs EIRs—Electronic Income Reducers.
74. If you’re
going to laugh about it later, you might as well laugh about it now. We
usually take our problems way too seriously. Most of the predicaments we get
into become stories we tell and laugh about for many years. So if we’ll find
it funny then, we might as well laugh about it now.
75. Life
is short. When you’re a kid, time flies when you’re having fun. When
you get older, time flies whether you’re having fun or not.
76. We can
achieve anything we want—we just can’t have EVERYTHING we want. It’s
too big a world, there’s too many things, too little time and not enough
energy to have everything we desire. We have to be selective.
77. To me,
mediocrity is failure. There’s no inspiration in being average. Average
is being the worst of the best or the best of the worst—otherwise known as
the cream of the crap.
78. Some
days you’re the bug. Some days you’re the windshield. Nobody’s ever
lead a perfect life. There are no bad days; some are just better than others.
Some days are sunny, some days are cloudy and some days you just have to
wonder. I like to think that any day above ground is a good day.
79. Regrets.
I have some regrets about some things I’ve done. But I have far more
regrets about things I DIDN’T do. Most people would describe me as a
risk-taker, but if I were to do it all over again, I’d spend even more time
between the trapezes.
80. It
only takes three points of view to create some reality. What someone
thinks of you isn’t that important. However, if one person calls you a
horse, you can ignore it. If two people call you a horse, you might want to
listen. If three people call you a horse, you’d better consider buying a
saddle.
81. Learning.
No one’s ever argued with me when I’ve quoted Bucky Fuller who said,
"You can’t learn less."
82. There
is no gravity, the earth just sucks. I saw this written on a bathroom wall
at UVM in 1981. I had to throw SOMETHING in here that wasn’t positive—or
even true. Besides, I wanted to get to 101.
83. We
must discover and live out the best that’s within us. I’m not sure who
wrote this, but I believe it. "If I bring forth what is inside me, what I
bring forth will save me. If I fail to bring forth what is inside me, what I
bring forth will destroy me."
84. You
find what you’re looking for. Whether you’re looking for something
good or bad, you usually find it. The Universe reveals to us what we focus
upon. Look for faults in others and you will surely find them. Look for the
good in others and you will see them. Look for excuses, you’ll find them.
Look for solutions and you will find THEM.
85. It’s
your attitude more than your aptitude that determines your altitude. This
is a Ziglarism—and one I believe in wholeheartedly.
86. Ride
the horse in the direction it’s going. I won’t say there’s never a
time to buck the trend and go a different way. However, I’ve found myself
swimming upstream unnecessarily a number of times. It’s easier to go with
the flow as long as you can be true to your values. On the other hand, to lead
a symphony, you must occasionally turn your back on the crowd.
87. It
rarely does any good to complain. When you complain, 90% of the people
don't care and 10% are glad. Whiners have mental BO. Remember, no statue has
ever been built of a critic.
88. An
upset is an opportunity to see the truth. I don’t always immediately
remember this when faced with an upset. But I do eventually look for what the
upset can reveal to me. It’s given me great insights.
89. We
teach people how to treat us. By accepting and tolerating the way others
treat us, we tell them it’s OK. When we no longer allow others to treat us
poorly, we have trained them and enhanced our standing—with them and
ourselves.
90. Nolo
Illegitimi Carborundum. Translation: don’t let the bastards get you
down. Everything sounds more profound if it’s in Latin. Listen to your heart—not
the fears, jealousies and limiting beliefs of others.
91. Correction
without invalidation. Being able to see ourselves clearly is a valuable
trait. Being able to look at what we’ve done and left undone and make
corrections without invalidating who we are is rare. A good question to ask
ourselves is, "What kind of a world would this world be if everyone in it
was just like me?"
92. When
who you are is what you do, then when you don't, you ain't. As a
hard-working entrepreneur, I’m still working on this one.
93. Failure
is feedback. And feedback is the breakfast of champions. And I’ve eaten
many breakfasts. They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I
complete my 50 circumnavigations of the sun much stronger indeed.
94. Dreams
are some of the most powerful things on the planet. They have overcome
great obstacles. They have inspired greatness in others. They make us stronger
and better people. They sustain our spirit. Happy are those who dream dreams
and are willing to pay the price to make them come true.
95. People
don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I’ve
wasted a lot of time and energy trying to learn more and teach more and
sometimes tried to impress people with what I know. But it’s caring that
makes the difference.
96. Facts
tell, stories sell. Teaching (or selling) by telling stories is the most
effective way to impart information. Jesus was a great storyteller. It’s
over 2,000 years after He shared His parables, and they’re still being told
today.
97. The
past does not equal the future. Most people operate out of their personal
history instead of living into the possibility of what they can imagine. What’s
behind us has only as much impact as we’re willing to let it. The hardest
thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn.
98. Mastery
is putting it all together. One who works with his hands is a laborer; one
who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman; one who works with his
hands, his head and his heart is a master.
99. In
order to avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing and be nothing. If you’re
going to accomplish anything in this world, you’ve got to be able to handle
the opinions of others. Dogs don't bark at parked cars. It’s a fact that
people who want the most approval get the least and people who need approval
the least get the most.
I love what
Lincoln wrote, "I do the best I know how, the very best I can; and I mean
to keep on doing it to the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is
said against me will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out all
wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."
100. "Anything
the human mind can conceive and believe, the human mind can achieve." This
was written by Napoleon Hill and it’s always stuck with me. If one person
has done it, so can you. If no one has done it you can be the first. If you
can conceive it and believe it you can achieve it.
101. Learning
goes both ways. I can learn as much from my children as I can teach them.
Probably more.
I think it
will be interesting to review this list 25 years from now—and hopefully 50
years from now. By then I’ll have even more to add. I end this writing with
one of my favorite quotes by Father Alfred D'Souza:
"For a
long time it has seemed to me that life was about to begin; Real life. But
there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first,
some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then
life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my
life."
Namasté
(the highest
in me salutes the highest in you).
