“How can we imagine what our lives should be without the illumination of the lives of others?” -James Salter, American novelist and short-story writer. Quote from his novel “Light Years.” It may be true that we can never know what it’s like to live another’s life, but striving to understand the lives of others can [...]
“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You [...]
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.” -Laozi, (also Lao-Tzu or Lao-Tze), ancient Chinese philosopher and writer An increasing amount of research suggests that success is not determined by natural genius or innate talent so much as it is grit, “positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual’s [...]
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials.” -Lin Yutang, Writer and translator The middle of the year is a good time to check-in with your goals and your habits to see where a course correction [...]
“The thing is, it’s very easy to be different, but very difficult to be better.” -Jony Ive. Chief Design Officer (CDO) of Apple Inc. Differentiation is a hot topic for agents who feel the pressure to stand out from competitors in their market. Gimmicks are commonplace, and sometimes the desire for differentiation is so strong [...]
“We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter.” -Denis Diderot, French philosopher, art critic, and writer. According to the Mayo Clinic, denial is “a coping mechanism that gives you time to adjust to distressing situations.” Short-term denial can cushion the blow, but [...]
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” -Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist. I love the insight in this Einstein quote. It so elegantly describes a common problem: People often evaluate others by the wrong [...]
“Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated.” Garretson Beekman “Garry” Trudeau American cartoonist, best known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Doonesbury comic strip May is a month filled with graduation ceremonies. While many a commencement speech is filled [...]
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” - William Faulkner American writer (1897 − 1962) When it comes to gratitude, it’s not just the thought that counts. Engaging, encouraging, thanking, and connecting with people depends upon acting on your gratitude. Unexpressed [...]
“It is so easy to be confrontational without being informative; indignant without being intelligent; impulsive without being insightful.” Neal A. Maxwell -Apostle of the LDS Church As our online and offline lives continue to merge in unexpected ways we face an interesting paradox: The more technology enables us to communicate, the more we feel pressure [...]
