Posts Tagged ‘success’
Quotes on patience
December 2nd, 2009
This hasn’t been the best year for many of us. Gas prices are up. Wages are down. Bank fees are up. Housing values are down. Expenses are up. Employment opportunities are down. If you have a job, no matter how unpleasant, you’re pretty much stuck with it until times improve. If you don’t … well, best of luck to you. And when we look for answers what’s the best anyone seems to provide?
Be patient.
TAGS: be patient, have hope, inspiration, motivation, patience, Quotations, quotes, Self-Improvement, success | 
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Write letters, change the world I
November 30th, 2009
Like most people, I sometimes get caught up in politics and want my voice to be heard. That was the case a few years ago when the U.S. Senate was preparing to vote on a controversial measure. I’d had some personal experience with the issue, and since one of our senators was still undecided, I wanted to tell him my story. Fortunately, I worked for an association that had a lobbying presence in Washington. With some well-placed phone calls, a few like-minded colleagues and I were able to arrange for our faxed letters to be hand-delivered to the senator prior to the vote. We confirmed that he received and read them before leaving his office for the Senate chambers. Then we anxiously huddled around a television in a conference room and waited for the outcome.
When they called our senator’s name, he voted against the measure—as we hoped he would.
Learn to picture success
November 28th, 2009
A few years ago, I lost my way while sightseeing in an unfamiliar city. Suddenly I was alone, on foot, in a deserted area with no map to guide me. Searching the skyline, I spotted the steeple of a famous church building and kept winding through the back streets toward it. As long as the destination was in my sights, I knew I’d get there eventually.
But what happens if you can’t visualize your goals? Usually, it’s failure—as American swimmer Florence Chadwick once learned the hard way.
Quotes on gratitude
November 25th, 2009
We may tell ourselves and everyone around us that Hey, we are positive, upbeat people who always see the world through rose-colored glasses! But in our private moments we still sometimes throw our own little Pity Parties.
My Pity Parties don’t occur when there’s really something to be upset about. No, during real crises, I’m usually too busy working the problem to have time for a Pity Party. I throw my best celebrations of misery when there’s nothing tangible to upset me. I throw them over the small things, the minor inconveniences and everyday disappointments that plague everyone.
So once a Pity Party begins, how can you turn out the lights and put yourself back into a rose-colored frame of mind? Try counting your blessings.
3 big communication mistakes
November 12th, 2009
Recently I attended a big celebratory gathering of more than 100 friends. After everyone enjoyed a huge potluck lunch
Of all the mothers and daughters I know, Sarah and Whitney are the duo that most remind me of the relationship
But relationships like Sarah and Whitney’s don’t just happen by magic or luck. They take a lot of work. Watching them through the years, I know Sarah directed much of her parenting effort the same way my mother did—toward effective communication. They approached parenting from different perspectives: My mother worked full-time outside the home while Sarah was a stay-at-home mom. Both also had many responsibilities on behalf of their extended families. But when their children needed to talk, they were there to listen.
Quotes on finding the funny thing
November 11th, 2009
When my nephew was a year old, my mom and I kept him while my brother and sister-in-law attended a wedding in another state. One night he got upset about having to go to bed at his usual bedtime and decided to hold his temper until around midnight when he suddenly started screaming loudly enough to wake the hounds of hell.
My mother was in the room next to his and frantically tried to quiet him. But he was red-faced, furious, and having none of it. So she brought the squalling little cuss to me.
Can you take criticism?
November 9th, 2009
When I was studying journalism in college, I had one instructor whose opinion mattered more to me than anyone else’s. He was a tremendously talented writing coach with a wry sense of humor—and he didn’t pull his punches.
Occasionally we’d wander to the restaurant across the street from the journalism department and grab a corner table. He’d light a cigarette, lean back, and start critiquing my articles. When he came across a passage that didn’t work, he’d read it aloud … and laugh at my goofy sentence construction. I’d grimace and writhe in my chair, and he’d laugh even harder because he knew I was fighting the urge to throw my drink at him. One day I asked, “Do you laugh like that at all your students?” “No,” he said, “only the ones that can take it.” Taking it wasn’t always easy. But the lessons stuck, and they made me a better writer.
Why try your best?
November 7th, 2009
Several years ago I worked with a woman who confided that every morning she drove into the parking lot, then sat in her car with her head on the steering wheel trying to will herself to go into the building. That’s how much she hated her job. And knowing her supervisor, I couldn’t blame her. But once she walked into her office, she always maintained her professionalism and did her job well.
At least once in our working lives, most of us will know what it’s like to be stuck in a job we loathe. And if that’s where you are right now, you probably wake up every morning wondering why you bother to put in so much effort for people who make your life miserable, who don’t pay half what you’re worth, or who can’t tell the difference between good work and crappy work anyway.
When you feel like that, just think about Mrs. Staples.
Don’t be afraid of your money
October 17th, 2009
You know you’re one of the recognized experts in your field when a) you’re being booked by everyone from the morning news shows to CNN’s Larry King
But if you think Orman was born with a gift for understanding and overcoming financial chaos, think again. Orman’s earliest relationship with money wasn’t built on know-how, but on fear.