Tuesday, December 25, 2012

2012-51 - Incompetence behind authority

Jean was walking with his grandfather through a public square in Paris.

At a certain point, he saw a shoemaker being mistreated by a client, whose footwear showed a flaw. The shoemaker listened calmly to the complaint and apologized, promising to correct the error.

Jean and his grandfather stopped to have coffee at a bistro.

At the table next to them, the waiter asked a man to move his chair a little in order to make space. That man burst into a torrent of complaints and refused to move.

"Never forget what you have seen today," Jean's grandfather said, "the shoemaker accepted the complaint, while this man next to us didn't want to move.

"Useful men, who do useful things, don't mind being treated as useless.

"But the useless always judge themselves as being important and hide all their incompetence behind authority."

~ Paulo Coelho
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" We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done."

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

2012-50 - Well-founded confidence

How is it possible to move confidently toward the future after experiencing a disappointing setback? By learning from that disappointment, and knowing that you can adjust your approach accordingly.

If confidence resulted only from success, no one would ever have the confidence to reach success in the first place. In all confidence there is necessarily an element of faith.

Certainly past successes can add to your confidence, but past disappointments do not have to erode that confidence. Because you have the wonderful ability to improve with each effort. You can make adjustments and apply the lessons you've learned through experience. Those valuable lessons are yours to use in a positive way no matter what has happened before.

The powerful fact is that every experience can add to your confidence. The cheers and the sneers, the compliments and the complaints, the wins and the losses can all build confidence.

Take the best from what has happened and add the best of what can be. Move positively forward with a realistic, well-founded, ever-increasing confidence.

~ Ralph Marston
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" Humor comes from self-confidence."

~ Rita Mae Brown
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

2012-49 - Never Stop Learning

The one thing in life that can never be taken away from you is your education. You can lose your money, your home, your job, and even your family. You can never lose the things you learn.

Education is not just what you learn in school, not by a long shot. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of “finishing” their education when they graduate. And education is not just learning facts. Education is learning how to learn on a continuing basis.

It is more important than ever that you never stop learning. With the rapid advances in knowledge and technology, information quickly becomes obsolete. So you must learn not only the facts, but more importantly, how to find the information you need.

Computer technology is a powerful tool for learning. With computers, you can have access to a virtually unlimited supply of information. My two year old daughter, who already knows how to use a mouse to find what she wants, will probably have fingertip access to the entire world’s libraries by the time she learns to read.

If you are not continually updating your knowledge you will be left behind. You must always be looking for a better way to do something, for the knowledge that will make you more effective. Because you can be sure that your competition is doing just that.

~ Ralph Marston
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" All men who have turned out worth anything have had a chief hand in their own education."

~ Sir Walter Scott

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