The Paradoxical Commandments When life throws you a curve, have the courage to keep on giving. By Kent M. Keith
1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the best you've got anyway.
The Seven Wonders of the World
A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids 2. Taj Mahal 3. Grand Canyon 4. Panama Canal 5. Empire State Building 6. St. Peter's Basilica 7. China's Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help. "The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:
1. To See 2. To Hear 3. To Touch
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh
Forget your distractions
Distractions can seriously erode our focus, and our ability to work effectively. Often, the distraction itself is not so bad. The real damage comes from the way we react to it. We tend to make distractions much worse by letting them get to us, and by worrying about them long after they're over.Though you can certainly take steps to minimize them, many distractions are unavoidable. Yet there's no reason for you to let them disrupt your focus.Keep in mind that you are in control of your thoughts. When a distraction comes along, take the steps necessary to end it as quickly as possible, and then forget about it. Find a way to dismiss it once and for all in your mind, such as saying to yourself "It doesn't matter" or "Isn't that silly."Get back to what you were doing with the full attention of your mind. It takes some intentional effort and practice, and the result will be a more focused, more effective you. Ralph Marston |