Causing Change for the Better

Hello All,

This article was recently shared with me by a colleague. I believe in what it has to say and I am an active participant in the theory it holds. Please read it and see if you can find reasoning to practice the principles it shares and also learn how to teach it to the people whose lives you lead and affect......
ps.. Great video I posted at the bottom from one of my favorite speakers on Change!

Brian


A man walked into a psychiatrist’s office and said, “Doc, every time I see nickels, dimes, and quarters, I have a panic attack! What can the problem be?”

 “Oh that’s easy,” answered the doctor. “You’re just afraid of change.”

A majority of people go through life virtually paralyzed because they are afraid of change- afraid to try something new or different?

This fear limits our abilities and keeps us from expanding our growth, knowledge, and success in life. To break out of this vicious cycle of fear, we need to understand the meaning of fear in the true sense of the word.

FEAR really stands for:

False Expectations Appearing Real!

So how do we change? And how can we be a change-agent for others?

If a person is satisfied with his life, will he change?

No, a satisfied person will not be interested in changing because he is happy and content with his current situation. If satisfied with their lives, even people who are unfit, overweight, or unhealthy are still unlikely to change.

Most people have the ability to change the instant they become unhappy with their lives. Others have to wait for a stroke or another disaster before they realize the need to change. Where are you on the spectrum?

Somewhere in there, there is a happy medium for you. ActionCOACH’s simple change formula helps understand the process of change and what we can do to affect positive changes in ourselves and in others.

(D x V) F > R

('D' stands for Dissatisfaction, "V" stands for Vision, "F" stands for First Step and “R” stands for Resistance.)

To overcome the resistance to change, what needs to be greater? What can tip the scale to overcome our fear of change? Let’s take a closer look.

The “D” in the formula stands for Dissatisfaction. Before a person can change, he/she has to have a level of dissatisfaction in his/her current life-situation.

What builds dissatisfaction more than anything else? The answer is: “V” for Vision.

Let’s say that you are a kid living in an impoverished neighborhood. You don’t know any better life than that. Are you dissatisfied with your life? Not necessarily; you may be satisfied because you don’t know any better.
Why do people hire a business coach or have a mentor?

This formula applies to businesses and can explain why some businesses prosper and grow, while others remain at the same or lower level of performance.

They do so to help them expand their comfort zone and grow their vision. They need help in order to clearly look at what their next level is and what it can be. A business coach will also equip the business owner with a set of goals and hold him accountable to make the changes required to achieve those goals.

Dissatisfaction is based on a belief that there is something else out there. This applies to business owners because they have to make a choice to change and consider their own business.

One of the things a business coach will explore is the business owner’s level of dissatisfaction or discomfort, because without it you will not do the work required to change. Typically, people don’t like feeling dissatisfied and remain in their current state, instead of progressing.

This psychology applies to the average business owner, who, without a coach or a mentor, stays in his comfort zone, instead of taking his business to the next level.

Dissatisfaction is only the first step in the process of initiating the process of change. A business coach will then help a business owner develop his vision, and also a belief that this vision is possible to achieve.

Those kids living in the impoverished neighborhoods can watch television and they can see other places in the world, but they must also believe that a different life is possible for them.

At this point, a business owner is talking to a business coach because of a vision and a belief that he can have a better business. This meeting is a business owner’s “F”: First Step.

The question is, "How do we raise the dissatisfaction level of where you are now and how do we raise the vision of where you want to go?"

Most of us need both to overcome the “R” - resistance to change. Lee Iacocca, states that the discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.

Take the time to write out your dissatisfaction and your vision and what you will do first to get it. By doing so, you will begin to break through the barriers in your life and stretch your comfort zone to reach the level of success you have only dreamed about so far.

Use this formula not only to help facilitate change in your life but to be an agent of change in the life of others as well.  Help them understand and qualify their dissatisfaction. Help them build their vision for what they want to achieve, and finally give them the first steps to move toward that goal.

By following this simple formula, you can truly become an agent of change in your life as well as the lives of others, and take your business to the next level.

Nido Qubein Video on Change        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCtenQ-_8h4

Paul, Barnabas, Timothy A message revisited...

I just had coffee with a friend of mine the other day and she was telling me about a principle of life called the Paul, Barnabas, Timothy theory.....

Have you ever heard it???

This was a basically a questioning series that challenges people to look at their relationships in life in such a way to determine if they are being fulfilled and helping to fulfill others.

Although it is not my intention to teach a Sunday School class today I do want to explore the nature of these relationships in the way they are being studied in this series. That means I am going to share a little Bible history today so that you can understand the back ground of these three individuals.'.....

Paul was the leading apostle of the modern day church traveling from town to town to develop and support the structure of Christianity in the New Testament. Think of the list of individuals in the New Testament who were impacted by the apostle Paul.

Timothy, Titus, Onesimus, Luke, and Silas.

Did this take place in a formal classroom??? Probably not. Rather, their foundation was created as Paul led them through visiting and writing to support each of those in his charge.
Who is the Paul you are pursuing? Observation tells us that mentoring is not best accomplished through a formal program. Mentoring takes place best as the one desiring formation pursues what they want.

I am not sure that the question “Will you mentor me?” is the right question. It is not that it is bad but they cannot give it to you as much as if you are willing to take it from them. Mentoring takes place as we watch, listen, serve, follow, learn, read, glean, emulate.

Mentoring is not something someone does to someone else; it is the result of a diligent pursuit of another’s life and principles. So, pursue a Paul. Look around. Key in on someone you respect!!



Barnabas on the other hand was absolutely instrumental to the development of Paul. It is questionable if Paul would have ever succeeded had it not been for Barnabas who stood up for Paul to the other apostles stating that his transformation from being a persecutor of Christianity was a real one. Barnabas represents someone you can truly commune with. Those people you allow into your life who you can trust with those things that the outside world does not know. I think that most people do not only often miss out on these types of relationships I think they RUN from them. Our society today teaches us to always be "fine"

Question "How are you doing?"

Answer "Good and you"

Now I Remember one time a friend of mine told me that when he first came to the United States and had not really mastered the language he would get so confused because people would ask him "How's it going?" and he said I would get so confused because I would start to tell them and they would look at me like I was crazy! AND then even worse they usually walk away telling me they had to be somewhere. He said it was not until I understood that "they did not really care how I was doing" that this stopped frustrating me and I stopped answering.

Knowing that he realized that about our culture frustrates me now even as I recount that story.

Life is way too short to not allow people into your life. People inherently want to give and help others but there is not enough opportunity because everyone is "fine"!

How do we become support systems to each other in reaching our goals, changing our behaviors just simply becoming better people? Barnabas was that person to Paul and I think that the key is we need to have more people willing to be a Barnabas in this world and more people willing to allow a Barnabas into their life.

I watched recently as a MasterMind group I am in started to share their struggles through an email chain and then as soon as people expressed their challenges and hurts an outpouring from those around them took place. This outpouring was incredible for the person in need to see that they had people who honestly cared about them and at the same time it was awesome for those who were able to give and be a support for someone in need.

Just think about Christmas time; after the age of adolescence isn't there much more joy in giving to others as opposed to receiving a gift at Christmas?

This is one of the greatest callings in life is to learn to act as a Barnabas, A person others can really trust and be open and Honest with on an eye to eye level.

I sometimes wonder, Who really knows me, my feelings, my struggles, my failings?


Timothy represents an opportunity to use all that experience, failure, accomplishments, regrets and pride to help shape someones life. I have told many people many times that life to me is like a body of water which needs flowing water including an inlet and an outlet. We must have fresh sources that feed us in life like learning, relationships, role models, goals and this is like that inlet of water into your life. You must also have an outlet where you can give, share, lead and teach others so that you do not become stagnant.

No inlet you dry up.

No Outlet you stagnate.

The choice is yours......

There are Timothy's all around you just waiting for you to care. This relationship is often one sided when you carry that upper hand of giving with no expectation of return but simply a desire to give to these people in your life can be so awesome. In return I can speak from experience that I have taken on a lot of these relationships and there is a lot of satisfaction in just desiring to really help others!


Now lets get real... How does this apply to my life? I think that I have been able to do a great job at finding Timothy's through out my life to give to and I am very thankful to have had all the opportunities I have had and still have to this day. I think I have done well at finding some Pauls in my life by the definition here in this email. They are not typically people I can touch per say but they are real to me none the less. When read John Maxwell and of Sam Walton, Carnegie, Lincoln, Lee, Landry, Truman, Aristotle and the list goes on.... I see Paul's all over in my life and I am still looking for peoples talents I can emulate always!

There are some I knew personally and to this day they stand out in my mind the way they handled life and all that it encompassed.

My biggest Challenge is Barnabas... Not in Being Barnabas to others but rather allowing a Barnabas into my life. I have always been and am still happy to be a support system for people who may be Timothy's but also for people who I often commune with on eye to eye levels. My challenge is I do not open myself up enough to those around me allowing them a chance to give and I have been on this quest lately. Surprisingly the more I approach this direction of my life the more clarity I have. The more peace I find, The more PURPOSE I find.

I was talking with a friend of mine last night and he reminded me of a story I told him that happened a while back in my life..

In High School I had a Young Life leader (Christian group in many public Schools) who had decided to make me one of his Timothy's... I was probably not the easiest choice he ever made but he was relentless and to this day I would hold him as a Paul in my life.

This guy was so popular and well loved. He was the leader of all of the Young Life leaders for 3 states and eventually went on to run a large part of the organization in the United States. I saw people clammer to get close enough just to talk to him on every occasion I was with him.

He made this statement to me when I was 17 and I will never forget it. He said "When I die if I can fill up the fingers on one hand with people I can truly call friends I will consider myself to be very lucky"

I know today that he was talking about Barnabas relationships. People he had learned to commune with and trust.

I think this starts with giving and I encourage everyone of you to find your Paul's, I implore you all to know that you must find the Timothy's you can give to starting this Hour! Your life begins with your ability to give.

The biggest Challenge of all is allowing people to know you and become Barnabas in your life just as you desire to be that for them.

Look around you; Family, Friends, Team members, Other franchises, Patients... Life is full of them as soon as we are ready to make a change!

Be a Barnabas; Pursue a Paul; Train a Timothy


Here is a link to a teleconference I had done recently that entertains this subject... (fast forward about 10 minutes to cut off the silence)


www3.gotomeeting.com/register/160115966

Purpose versus Mechanics

Purpose versus Mechanics

I have spent the last week holding many meetings but the best of all was our Company leadership meeting. Regional Developers from all over the country flew in To Cleveland OH to discuss the next opportunities we have to keep moving our organization forward. We have had these meetings for years but this meeting was different and I started thinking about why?

As I was speaking on the first day of our meeting in the morning I was going to prepare everyone for our special guest who was going to be speaking most of the day. We had spent a large sum to fly in a consultant on company growth. He was going to spend the bulk of the day teaching us the Mechanics and Systems we should be entertaining to create a larger footprint on Chiropractic in order to reach more Doctors. I have already seen some of the results from his theories and I was excited for him to be able to speak to the ownership team.

I was also a little concerned that our entire meeting would be focused on the operations and I just wanted to make sure we got more from it on this occasion.

As I started speaking on Thursday morning I informed everyone in the room that 2011 was the very best year of my life. This year had given me so much reward personally because I found something different than I had been operating in personally this year. I began by telling some of the back story of where I was in 2010 very frustrated with the overwhelming paperwork, processes and tasks that came along with a growing company!






Do not get me wrong I am very thankful to have been a part of a company recognized by Inc 500, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine, Economic Report etc etc etc.........

The challenge has been that as things were changing (and they are ALWAYS changing) I was losing sight of what was important! I had become so caught up in the duties I had to get done that burn out was setting in quickly. I am fortunate enough that I have built up certain routines and systems in my personal life to keep feeding me ideas to prevent these occurrences so that even when I am in "TILT" mode I am still following a schedule that is sure to lead me out of my personal funk eventually because I have planned to remain open to hear.





Things we have on our personal calendars insure this like....

When do we read?
When do we recite personal affirmations?
When do we exercise?
When do we give to others?
When do we dream?
When do we journal?
When do we listen to great thinkers so we are educated?


ALL of these items must be placed on a calendar if you expect to accomplish them in the course of what is always a very busy life. It was in the course of me following my planned schedule that I started coming back to life. It was also in the course of reading when I found the next paragraph which quoted the founding President and COO of Ritz Carlton Hotels Mr. Horste Schultze.....

"You are nothing unless it comes from your heart. Passion, caring, really looking to create excellence. If you perform functions only and go to work only to do processes, then you are effectively retired. And it scares me - most people I see, by age 28 are retired!"

I realized I had been doing what I was doing to complete my task list and that is why I was getting so frustrated with my daily existence. It was also in a consult call where I was trying to help someone else that I realized my focus needed to be less about me and more about others I am talking to.

Amazing Realization??

I would not think so since I have heard Zig Ziglar say "You can have anything you want if you can help enough other people get what they want"

I would not think so since I have heard Jim Rohn say that "Giving is the beginning of all receiving"

We do not give to get but if you are not in an attitude of giving then you are not in a position of receiving. The more I determine what I should focus on to be giving with every waking moment of my life the more I am receiving without even thinking about it. My attitude has shifted so much in this year and my reward is already present in knowing that this is without any doubt the best year I have ever lived!!

It is amazing to me that I have spent so long looking for answers and the answers were always there and yet I still fell into so much frustration. Then it came to me that Frustration is a great thing. Frustration is an internal response to an external event. If it is an internal response it is a choice. That tells me in all reality Frustration is good because it is a sign that you need to make change in order to make the choices you should be making.

A choice? Then why on earth would I want to make a choice that would create negatives in my life?

It was earlier last week when I was listening to a CD by John Maxwell (Good personal calendar item would be listening to audio from positive achievers) and on this CD John quoted W. Clement Stone who gave the formula for success....

E + R = O

Event plus Response equals Outcome!

This was the same thing I had been thinking about this year when it came to my own frustrations was that it was only my internal response that counted. Events, Situations, Problems, Change, Opportunities..whatever you want to call them, they are going to happen until you die!!!

The only thing that matters is how we respond to them!!

In spite of the event that takes place have the fortitude to meet the circumstance with a deliberate and chosen response. If you choose the right response the outcome is sure to be favorable!!

This is where it took a great turn for me because all of the pieces started to come together when I realized the following.....

I want to do the right thing. I want to get the right result. I want to see the right outcome. So why do I not always have the right response?

The answer is I get away from doing the things that make me happiest and the things that keep feeding my desire to do whats right!

I started with 3 things to get back on track..

First I realized why I do what I do PURPOSE

I began to remember the opportunity I had to make a difference in the people around me. Sounds simple but it is a major motivator for me to concentrate on helping others learn what I am learning and share what I have had success with. My Purpose is to make a difference with each year I live in as many peoples lives as I can affect. 2011 brought great opportunity for me to do this the more I focused on fulfilling this desired obligation.

Second I followed the advice of Dr. John Demartini and many others who have advocated for us to list out the 4 THINGS we are really good at and enjoy doing!

Mine were to Lead, Communicate, Inspire and Create.

Anything on my Task list that did not center on Leading, Inspiring, Communicating and Creating needed to be delegated to someone else. Many have told me that you have many people working for you that you can "delegate" to. That may be so but every person has the opportunity to focus on their 4 major things and look for ways to stay inside their wheel house meaning their place of enjoyment. If we can all identify these areas and work inside of them our production is sure to go through the roof!!

Finally the best way I could find to remain conscious of my purpose was to follow a PERSONAL CALENDAR (road map) to make sure I do not lose sight of how to achieve success. If I preschedule the items in my life I know I need daily and are going to lead me to succeed I win.

I loved this meeting just as I have loved all of this year because once again served as a reminder that we do what we do to fulfill a purpose. We must know the why behind the what. Money/ Reward/ Outcome is the sum of an equation. If you want the sum of an equation to be higher then change the equation!!

Whatever we focus our lives on we are sure to see as a result. I want to focus on success and to me that is in helping other people achieve their goals. If I can do this well I can certainly be assured to achieve my goals in the process.

Action Steps;

Set specific Goals
Write the steps out to reach those goals
Use this as an affirmation that say to yourself TWICE each day
Build a Personal Calendar which feeds you
Follow that calendar
List your 4 Things you love to do
Concentrate your life around those 4 items and Delegate the rest!!

All dreams and goals are possible through discipline so lets choose to be disciplined and make a difference in the people around us today!!

After we remembered our Purpose and discussed these items we started our meeting with our Guest Speaker and it was a great two days as we stay focused on building something bigger!

If you want to share these excerpts with others I am now posting certain items to duggsblog.com for a continued outlet for success! Check out this link to Mr. Jim Rohn on standing guard for your mind..

http://youtu.be/rTG0FzBdTsA

Make the Most of Today!!!

Brian

AN ENTREPRENEUR’S THREE SECRETS TO SUCCESS

19 October 2011 by Cullen Roche  

David Gilmour, a serial entrepreneur, sat down with the Wall Street Journal to discuss his three secrets to success. Gilmour founded Fiji Water and Clairtone Sound Corporation Limited. In this interview he shares his insights on how to start a new business and his approach to success.
Some of his more valuable insights:

Be a leader and not a follower.
Men make money, but money doesn’t make men.
Make others rich and you’ll make yourself rich.
The true entrepreneur is a creator and not an opportunist.
Have a plan and perfect your plan before you launch.
Surround yourself with people who can be better than you.
Do what you love.

Great insight in His video interview linked below..

http://online.wsj.com/video/an-entrepreneur-three-secrets-to-success/76FAFABC-D7AE-45AE-B3F6-DEB1A0090CDF.html

(Thanks to Barry Ritholtz):
Source: WSJ

Learning to Trust can make a difference..

"Are you moving forward Full Blast?"

We talk allot about implementation, Drinking the kool-aid, etc... I believe the true question we have to ask ourself today is "Am I playing full out?" Unfortunately for so many of us we have learned in life to walk in distrust, cynicism or simply a "prove it to me first" approach to life. I was sharing with someone recently that the idea of sharing with a child is such a positive experience because of their ability to trust and accept what you tell them without questioning. The opposite frame of mind we are so often surrounded by is truly the product of a society that has learned to be careful due to what they have heard or feel they have learned. The reality is that in spite of the fact that many of us may feel as if we have been "burned" "taken advantage of" "exploited" or whatever phrase you wish to attach to it, we must either learn to trust or face a very difficult path. I can agree with many of you that we have good reasons established in our life that have created these feelings if you can consider that the idea of struggling to change our current reality is worth considering how we achieved these feelings to begin with. I am very fortunate to have lived the life I have, teaching and sharing with so many people that constantly forces me to be introspective. At times I have been accused by my wife of analyzing too much on some things but at this point I cannot help it( nor do I really want to ), it is simply ingrained in me. ;-)

The topic I want you to consider with me today is the one of why do some people succeed so fast at what they attempt  while others struggle constantly to create the same results.    I was speaking with a Doctor recently whom I have known for a number of years and I have been fortunate to see him do some fantastic things in his practice. I truly do respect what he has built in his practice and life and I would consider him to be one of the most virtuous people I have ever known. I have spent years discussing ideals and philosophies with him and if I am ever in need of examination or new ideals in my life I constantly go to him to discuss these issues. As much as I respect him I was recently thinking about why he has not applied many of the strategies in building his practice when I know that he knows them as well as I do. Now please do not get me wrong this man is a dear friend and an INCREDIBLE Doctor. His practice has been very successful and he has managed to save and invest several million dollars through his years of practice and create a very clear picture of how to maintain a very nice existence. My concern is when I think about his knowledge and what he could really have done with the information and talent that was given to him, I cannot help but find myself thinking of how much more he could have done if he chose to push his limit a little further with the knowledge I know he had. In my estimation this was an individual who with his knowledge and discipline should have been able to really change our industry and make a significant mark on Chiropractic as a whole. He has affected many patients lives, he has an incredible family, he is well respected by everyone in his community, I just know he could be even more than he is to so many others. As I take the time to think about the "Question behind the Question" (Book by John Miller) I am insightful enough to know that the primary reason he did not go even further than he did boils down to one thing, him!

It is the same discipline and diligence that made him great at what he does, that caused him to not trust in others enough to allow more opportunity in his life. There have been many years of him not trusting associates, consultants, staff, sales reps, MD's, other DC's and the list goes on forever. It is the fact that I know this that causes me to marvel at what he has created in spite of this weakness. I realize that the same weakness is also accented by incredible strength of discipline and work ethic that helped him create what he has. It is because he did not trust others as much as he trusted himself  he was driven to really make some great things happen because of his ingenuity to perform at a higher level revolving around him. (who loves irony?)

I was recently speaking to a new franchisee who had been in Chiropractic for many, many years. His pedigree as a professional created a very long list of experience, position and  knowledge. It was after speaking with him about how his practice had doubled within two months of joining HealthSource that I had to stop and think about what was it in him that made such a difference. I know that we all need a fresh pair of eyes that can often look into our world and give us their advice. We also need some people who can say we have taken the time to think through your situation and this is the quickest way to achieve your desired result. I know it really helps when those who have had so much experience in creating what we really want to create but what we need the very most is so much simpler, its TRUST!

As I continued speaking with this Doctor it was very revealing to me that with his background and knowledge he shared with me one simple fact that illustrates my point so well. One of the items that HS recommends that he use in his office, he believed that his own document was prepared  much better. Even one of his staff members brought the item to his attention and said I think our form will work better than the one HealthSource gave us. It was in his answer that I was so amazed. His response to his team member was that in all of his years of practicing he had not accomplished what HealthSource had been able to accomplish with their system. If that was what HealthSource said to use he was going to use every single item because he wanted to change his reality. The reason he is growing is simple it is in the fact that he was able to TRUST. At some point as individuals we have to be able to say I have made a decision and I am moving forward "Full Blast". For so many of you the decision was made at when you said you wanted to join HealthSource, take your new Job, enter into that relationship, you accepted this is what you wanted and you were going to take advantage and make it work. For so many others the decision was made but with reservations as you start the path of change, the direction that you are attempting to take, the system you are attempting to implement with, the task you decided to accept is still in a limbo stage.

It is the stage of I will make the most of this opportunity "IF"!

I will accomplish greatness "WHEN"

The people you allow in your life are critical to you achieving the results you want. The decisions you make to commit yourself to a task or opportunity should be made with intention to "just do it"! Make great choices based upon the results you see and the instincts you have, Surround yourself with people who are striving to create more with their lives. Always remain challenged but play full out! Do not walk to wards your commitments but rather RUN!!!

The decision to trust in the choices you make will make you more powerful in all you do. It takes overcoming fear and inhibitions. It takes vulnerability to let people in. It takes trusting others enough to let them really know you and hear you but your difference in life results will be worth all it takes.

Break down the walls, Remove the inhibitions, Learn to start trusting and start moving forward FULL BLAST!

And Last but not least If you are not currently getting the results you want, start asking the "Question behind the Question"  What do I need to do different to get the results I want? Do not confuse this question with What can others do different? or What can the government do different? or What can the whole world do different? but Instead...

What do I need to do different to get the results I want?

Words to Live in....

These are just a few Quotes that I like to go back and read from time to time and I wanted to share them today....



The ability to entertain thought without accepting it is the sign of an educated man... Aristotle

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence.
            -- Robert Frost

Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal.
            -- Mike Ditka


You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and
achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand.
            -- Woodrow Wilson

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.-- Will Rogers

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.- Theodore Roosevelt

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.- John F. Kennedy, speech prepared for delivery in Dallas the day of his assassination, November 22, 1963

You are young, my son, and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters.
 Plato, Dialogues, Theatetus

A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog. - Jack London

Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.
            Raymond Lindquist


My wish is to ride the tempest, tame the waves, kill the sharks. I will not resign myself...
            Trieu Thi Trinh

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.
            Harriet Beecher Stowe

One's first step in wisdom is to question everything - and one's last is to come to terms with everything.-- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.-- Mark Twain

Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.-- Arthur Rubinstein

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
            -- Thomas A. Edison

Never explain--your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.
-- Elbert Hubbard

Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality.-- Bertrand Russell

What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.-- Bob Dylan