Category: Reck, Ross; Dr.

Helen Gurley Brown once said, “The only thing that separates successful people from those that aren’t is the willingness to work very, very hard.” In other words, successful people persist–they stay the course in pursuing their goals long after most other people have given up and quit. What enables these people to persist is they know what it takes to succeed. They understand that failure, setbacks, and obstacles are all part of the process of succeeding. So, instead of becoming discouraged when such events occur, they learn from them which turns these negative experiences into forward progress toward their goal. As Thomas Edison put it: “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”

References:

• RossReck.com

An article in the New York Times by David Brooks points out that many of us have a strong reluctance to talk to strangers; especially in places like airplanes, commuter trains, airports or when we’re standing in line. Some of the reasons for this include that we think it will be awkward, dull, trying and not at all enjoyable. The reason we think this way is we tend to underestimate how much we will enjoy such encounters and how positively the stranger will respond. We tend to think that when a stranger is looking at us when we initiate a conversation that they’re assessing “our competence” as David Brooks writes. The reality is, they’re not assessing our competence at all. He writes, “They’re thinking about your warmth. Do you seem friendly, kind, and trustworthy? They just want to know you care.” Knowing this should remove some of our reluctance when it comes to talking with strangers which will make our lives richer and lots more fun.

One Sentence Wisdom

• “Good things happen when you meet strangers.” — Yo-Yo Ma
• “There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.” — William Butler Yeats

If you know of someone who you think would enjoy reading my Reminder, please forward it to them. Also, feel free to use this content in your own publications—newsletters, blogs, etc.

References

• RossReck.com

A study published in an online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides the first laboratory evidence of something many of us have known all along: acts of kindness are contagious. According to the article, when people experience acts of kindness, they “pay it forward” by being kind to others. This creates a cascade of kind acts which influences the behavior of dozens of others. This means kindness is a very powerful act. By performing only a few acts of kindness each day we can positively impact the lives of a fairly large number of people. As Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert put it, “Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

One Sentence Wisdom

• “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” — Mark Twain
• “The miracle of kindness is that it is contagious and something we should all want to pass on and spread to many others.” — Psychology Today

If you know of someone who you think would enjoy reading my Reminder, please forward it to them. Also, feel free to use this content in your own publications—newsletters, blogs, etc.