First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
–Epictetus, Greek Philosopher, 55 AD – 135 AD
Becoming Your Ideal Self
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Either Take Control, or Abdicate it to Outside Forces
The environment shapes people’s actions. — B.F. Skinner (Image Licensed by Penn Wealth Pub.) This is overwhelmingly true, but it is not a given. We control our actions, yet we decide—most of the...
The Nebulous Boundaries
The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? — Edgar Allan Poe (1849 daguerreotype; Public Domain)
The Virtue of Happiness
Happiness is a virtue, not its reward. — Baruch Spinoza, Age of Enlightenment philosopher (1665; Public Domain) We have the script completely backwards. We believe that if we achieve certain...
Humor Friday
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it. — W.C. Fields (1938, by CBS Radio; Public Domain)
Find Your Passion and Pursue it
The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice, love, and passion. — Nadia Boulanger (Image licensed by Penn Wealth Pub.) Under the rubric of these three simple words—choice, love,...
Be Bold! And the Tougher the Situation, the Bolder You Must Be!
To the timid and hesitating, everything is impossible because it seems so. — Walter Scott, author of Ivanhoe (1830, by Sir John Watson Gordon; Public Domain)
The Doorway Into the Light
Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. — Helen Keller (Image licensed by Penn Wealth Pub.)
Emotions, then Understanding, then Reason
All of our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason. — Immanuel Kant (1768, by Johann Gottlieb Becker; Public...
Humor Friday
Prediction is very difficult, especially if it is about the future. — Niels Bohr, Danish physicist (Image licensed by Penn Wealth Pub.)
With Mental Clarity, Find the Advantage in All Situations
No accidents are so unlucky but that the wise may draw some advantage from them; nor are there any so lucky but that the foolish may turn them to their own prejudice. — François de La...
Epicurus’s Pallet
It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble. — Epicurus (Public Domain) Here’s the challenge: We cannot always...
Find Your Passion
Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish. — Jean de La Fontaine (by Hyacinthe Rigaud; Public Domain)
The Foundation of Humility
Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. Do you plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first, then, the foundation of humility. — Saint Augustine, 354-430 AD (by Philippe de...
Go Into the New Year With Colossal Expectations…
When you expect things to happen—strangely enough—they do happen. — John Pierpont Morgan (Image Licensed by Penn Wealth Pub.) …and back up those expectations with constant, focused action towards...
Define Your Own Destiny, Then Do the Work to Get There
Destiny is no matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. — William Jennings Bryan (by Harris & Ewing Photography; Public Domain)
The Stoic Hands of Time
There are those who go boldly into the future, forging a path for others to follow; those who willingly take that path; and those who must be dragged forward by the stoic hands of time. Happiness...
Embrace This Mindset
There is no place and no time I would rather be in than right here and right now, under these precise circumstances. — M.S. Hazell (Image licensed by Penn Wealth) It is amazing how this simple...
Spiritual Wisdom from Saint Augustine
Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. — Saint Augustine, 354-430 AD (by Philippe de Champaigne; Public Domain)
What is Your Competitive Advantage? What Sets You Apart?
If the world operates as one big market, every employee will compete with every person anywhere in the world who is capable of doing the same job. There are lots of them, and many are hungry....
A Simple Equation for Happiness
He who is virtuous is wise; and he who is wise is good; and he who is good is happy. — Boethius (6th century Roman senator and philosopher; Public Domain)