I saw the following quote on Facebook: “A mistake that makes you humble is better than an achievement that makes you arrogant.” All of us at one time or another have achieved something that we’re quite proud of. When this happens, the temptation to call attention to our achievement and to behave as if we’re somehow superior to those around may be present. Do not yield to this temptation because nobody likes arrogant people. On the other hand, no one can resist those who are humble.
Many people have a strong aversion to taking risks because they’re afraid they might fail, and they worry about what other people will think of them if they do. What they don’t realize is that failure is the most direct pathway to success. As Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda Motor Corporation put it: “Success is 99% failure.” Each time we fail, we learn something of value that assures our future success. Yes, people who avoid risk don’t experience much failure, but they don’t learn much either which means there’s is no future success on their horizon. This makes life a very boring enterprise with little excitement or fun. Actress, Geena Davis, captured this all- important connection between risk and success when she said: “By risking nothing, you risk everything.”
I saw this sign posted on Facebook last week and thought, “What an ingenious way of convincing people to engage in kind behavior.”
The sign tells customers that the deli is willing to tolerate unkind behavior, but it would be at a cost to the person engaging in that behavior. In other words, “If you make our day instead of making us miserable, we’ll make it worth your while.” According to the copy above the sign, this message had an immediate impact on customers’ behavior. There must be other nonthreatening ways that we can communicate to people that it’s in their best interest to engage in kind behavior. If any examples come to mind, please share them with me. Thank you.
If we want the world to be a better place, it’s up to us to set the example. We need to live our lives in such a manner that when others think of kindness, caring, fairness and integrity, they think of us. This begins with things that are simple and easy to do like: returning your shopping cart. Picking up a piece of trash that someone else left. Holding the door for someone behind you. Letting someone into your lane. Smiling at everyone including strangers. Paying someone a compliment. Listening when someone needs to talk. Tipping your server. Pushing your chair back when you get up from a table. Making sure your trash winds up in a trash receptacle. And if you smoke, make sure you put cigarette butts in an ash tray instead of throwing them out the car window. Each of these behaviors has a ripple effect which means that when people see you doing them, they will tend to copy you. This is how we make the world a better place. We have to be the change that we want to see!
Each day is a new beginning–a chance to start off fresh and new with a clean slate. Whatever happened yesterday is behind us and will stay there, but we have the opportunity to make today what it will become. What we make of each new day depends on our attitude which we get to choose. If we choose to greet each new day with a positive attitude; those days will be filled with exciting adventures and pleasant surprises. On the other hand, if we choose a negative attitude, the hills we have to climb will seem steep instead of gradual and the glasses set in front of us will seem half-empty rather than half-full. Each day we all wake up to the first day of the rest of our live. If we want to make the most out of each of these days, we need to greet them with a positive attitude.