Right Attitudes

Ideas for Impact

Archives for April 2023

Inspirational Quotations #993

By

It is not a lucky word, this same impossible; no good comes of those that have it so often in their mouth.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Historian, Essayist)

When public men indulge themselves in abuse, when they deny others a fair trial, when they resort to innuendo and insinuation, to libel, scandal, and suspicion, then our democratic society is outraged, and democracy is baffled. It has no apparatus to deal with the boor, the liar, the lout, and the antidemocrat in general.
—J. William Fulbright (American Politician)

There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience, or none at all.
—Ogden Nash (American Comic Poet)

It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.
—Mary Wollstonecraft (English Writer, Feminist)

All those things [meaning works of art] have given me the greatest satisfaction and contentment because they are not only for the honor of God but are likewise for my own remembrance. For fifty years, I have done nothing else but earn money and spend money; and it became clear that spending money gives me greater pleasure than earning it.
—Cosimo de’ Medici (Florentine Statesman, Banker)

Without all doubt, charity to the poor is a direct and obligatory duty upon all Christians.
—Edmund Burke (British Philosopher, Statesman)

You should never ask anyone for anything. Never- and especially from those who are more powerful than yourself.
—Mikhail Bulgakov (Russian Novelist, Dramatist)

Falling in love was simple; one had only to yield. Digesting another person, however, and sustaining love, was bloody work, and not a soft job.
—Hanif Kureishi (British Novelist, Screenwriter)

If you have the words, there’s always a chance that you’ll find the way.
—Seamus Heaney (Irish Poet, Playwright)

I will go anywhere, provided it is forward.
—David Livingstone (Scottish Missionary, Explorer)

Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (American Physician, Essayist)

Love points the way. Desire is its ignorant advisor.
—Elfriede Jelinek (Austrian Author)

Avoid Being Money-Rich and Time-Poor: Summary of Ashley Whillans’s ‘Time Smart’

By Leave a Comment

Stress and life dissatisfaction are often caused by being chronically “time poor”—having too many things to do and not enough time to do them. We equate time poverty with success and pay the physical and emotional price of rushing around.

'Time Smart' by Ashley Whillans (ISBN 1633698351) Harvard academic Ashley Whillans’s Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life (2020) shows that people with more free time are happier, healthier, and more productive than people who work all the time and make more money.

The effects and costs of time poverty are so stark that researchers now compare it to a famine—a severe, drastic shortage of time affecting all of society—that carries many of the attendant negative consequences that a natural disaster produces. … No matter our age, education, or income, we share the same reality: none of us knows how much time we have left. One day, time runs out and tomorrow never comes. … Chasing money is valuable to a point, but it’s an infinite errand. You can always try to get more—and research shows people do that, no matter how much money they have already. Given how precious time is, we should put it first.

Idea for Impact: Develop a time-centric mindset and work fewer hours if necessary. Consider time as currency and become more purposeful, dodging mindless tasks and unfulfilling chores. Ask how much time you will give up for more money or productivity. Money is a powerful tool that can buy you time and amplify your freedom to pursue your values and priorities.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Challenge the Cult of Overzealous Time Management
  2. Yes, Money Can Buy Happiness
  3. How to … Overcome Impact Blindness and Make Decisions with Long-Term Clarity
  4. How to … Tame Your Calendar Before It Tames You
  5. Everything in Life Has an Opportunity Cost

What to Do When Your Boss Steals Your Best Ideas

By Leave a Comment

Be thankful that your boss is stealing your ideas or getting credit for your work because the best way to make your boss love you is to make her look good.

It’s surprising how well this ensures a steady and trusting working relationship. So suck it up, buttercup!

Your boss’s opinion counts more than anyone else’s in your career trajectory. So the last thing you want is to put yourself in an adverse situation with your boss.

Credit for ideas is way overrated, anyway. The core of your job isn’t to sit in a cubicle and think up ideas. It’s carrying out those ideas—that’s what you’ll list on your resume—projects done, money saved, marketing campaigns led–not your bright ideas.

Don’t go over your boss’s head and protest. Your boss’s boss doesn’t pay attention to who stole whose ideas. If your boss is mean and nasty, your boss’s boss will eventually figure it out without your help.

Idea for Impact: Is it that awful that your boss takes credit for your ideas? Think of it as unselfishly donating some ideas in exchange for a good relationship with your boss.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. How Not to Handle a Bad Boss
  2. Could Limiting Social Media Reduce Your Anxiety About Work?
  3. The High Cost of Winning a Small Argument
  4. Affection Is No Defense: Good Intentions Make Excellent Alibis
  5. No Amount of Shared Triumph Makes a Relationship Immune to Collapse

Inspirational Quotations #992

By

In charity there is no excess.
—Francis Bacon (English Philosopher)

Ah, great it is to believe the dream as we stand in youth by the starry stream; but a greater thing is to fight life through and say at the end, the dream is true!
—Edwin Markham (American Poet)

Film as dream, film as music. No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul. A little twitch in our optic nerve, a shock effect: twenty-four illuminated frames a second, darkness in between, the optic nerve incapable of registering darkness.
—Ingmar Bergman (Swedish Film and Stage Director)

Leadership is an intense journey into yourself. If you can go to bed feeling beaten up and rise the next morning ready to keep listening and learning, then I believe you can lead.
—Jeffrey Immelt (American Businessperson)

Nor is it wiser to weep a true occasion lost, but trim our sails, and let old bygones be.
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson (British Poet)

It would be naive to think that the problems plaguing mankind today can be solved with means and methods which were applied or seemed to work in the past.
—Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Head of State)

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
—The Holy Bible (Scripture in the Christian Faith)

Develop purity in yourself if you wish to encourage others to follow the path of purity. Discover real peace and harmony within yourself, and naturally this will overflow to benefit others.
—S. N. Goenka (Burmese Mediation Teacher)

Life is doubt, and faith without doubt is nothing but death.
—Miguel de Unamuno (Spanish Philosopher, Writer)

Nothing succeeds like success.
—Alexandre Dumas pere (French Novelist, Playwright)

All Presidents start out pretending to run a crusade but after a couple of years they find they are running something less heroic and much more intractable: namely, the presidency.
—Alistair Cooke (British-American Journalist)

If you come to a fork in the road, take it.
—Yogi Berra (American Sportsperson)

All of us are experts at practicing virtue at a distance.
—Theodore Hesburgh (American Catholic Educator)

Pity makes suffering contagious.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (German Philosopher, Scholar)

When Implementing Change, You’ll Encounter These Three Types Of People

By Leave a Comment

'Change is like a Slinky' by Hans Finzel (ISBN 1881273687) To successfully make changes in your workplace, you’ll need to have everyone on board. But don’t try to get them all to accept change at once. Not everyone responds to change similarly; some employees will not react well to it initially.

According to Hans Finzel’s Change is Like a Slinky Paperback (2004,) you must anticipate your allies and adversaries. Determine which of these three groups each of your employees belongs to and adapt.

  1. The Innovators and Early Adopters. Some people love the challenge of change for its excitement and the opportunity to spearhead change. These employees can research the topic, develop prototypes, and act as “change ambassadors” to motivate people further down the hierarchy.
  2. The Careful Majority. Most employees will support change once they’re reasonably confident it’ll succeed. Demonstrate to skeptics what the change will represent and how it will benefit them and the company. Acknowledge concerns—both the spoken and unspoken—and the discomfort of being in unfamiliar territory while focusing on what’s within their control. Eventually, the majority will follow the early adopters’ lead.
  3. The Holdouts. A few employees may resist—and even sabotage—change because they feel uncomfortable about it, don’t believe in it, or can’t see any benefits in it for themselves. If their contentions are worth the time and energy to debate and discuss, make a fair effort to gain alignment on perspective and resolution on position, but be firm with your strategic direction. Get key organizational leaders to give these dissenters reasons and opportunities to get on board, but let them know the price if they don’t accept change.

Idea for Impact: The best managers understand that each employee has different skills, sentiments, wants and needs—and work to put each employee in a position to feel valued and contribute.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Don’t Manage with Fear
  2. What Knowledge Workers Want Most: Management-by-Exception
  3. Why You Should Celebrate Small Wins
  4. Plan Your Week, Not Your Whole Life
  5. The Rule of Three

How to … Be More Confident at Work

By Leave a Comment

If a lack of confidence is a significant factor holding you back in your career,

  • Appreciate your qualities and personality. Often, a lack of confidence stems from an accurate self-appraisal. Don’t dwell on the negatives. Celebrate what you’re good at. Record your workplace wins to identify the areas you’re strong at. Find ways to develop them even further. Knowing your strengths is also a great asset when considering asking for a pay rise or promotion.
  • Develop your brand of confidence. Don’t compare yourself to other people. Don’t ruminate on what others do and say (if their criticisms are accurate, stop blowing them off and consider changing yourself.) If you’re struggling with personal roadblocks, whether managing clashing personalities or dealing with work-life balance, develop methods or tools for overcoming them.
  • Say ‘yes’ to new challenges; they’ll take you out of your comfort zone. Expect to meet with problems—it’s the only way to keep growing. When you fail, know that you’ll survive—just move on to another challenge. (Losers fear failure so much they don’t bother to try, ensuring they’re failures.) Learn to be patient and to just enjoy the journey.
  • Find positive role models and personal cheerleaders. Many employers offer networking mentorships—they are the perfect opportunities to ask questions and learn directly from people who understand your situation and want to help you develop. Seek a few-steps-ahead peer-mentor, somebody who’s approachable and has a tad more experience than you do.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Some Lessons Can Only Be Learned in the School of Life
  2. Five Ways … You Could Elevate Good to Great
  3. Risk More, Risk Earlier
  4. The Career-Altering Question: Generalist or Specialist?
  5. Before Jumping Ship, Consider This

Inspirational Quotations #991

By

The ghostly consciousness of wrong.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Historian, Essayist)

Now will I show myself to have more of the serpent than the dove; that is—more knave than fool.
—Christopher Marlowe (English Playwright)

No man can purchase his virtue too dear, for it is the only thing whose value must ever increase with the price it has cost us.
—Charles Caleb Colton (English Clergyman, Aphorist)

The happiest part of a man’s life is what he passes lying awake in bed in the morning.
—Samuel Johnson (British Essayist)

It is only the affirmation of the power of the mind which knows itself capable of conceiving the indefinite repetition of the same act when once this act is possible. The mind has a direct intuition of this power, and experience can only give occasion for using it and thereby becoming conscious of it.
—Henri Poincare (French Mathematician)

Anyone must be mainly ignorant or thoughtless, who is surprised at everything he sees; or wonderfully conceited who expects everything to conform to his standard of propriety.
—William Hazlitt (English Essayist)

Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower (American Head of State)

The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it.
—Diana Vreeland (American Fashion Editor)

More helpful than all wisdom is one draught of simple human pity that will not forsake us.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (English Novelist)

A writer without confidence is like a metaphor without something to compare itself to.
—Neil Simon (American Playwright)

Every person has a right to risk their own life for the preservation of it.
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau (French Philosopher)

When you suffer, think not on how you can escape suffering, but concentrate your efforts on what kind of inner moral and spiritual perfection this suffering requires.
—Leo Tolstoy (Russian Novelist)

I believe that my gift in this world is not that I’m smarter or more talented than anyone else: it’s that I had a singular goal. I don’t want other stuff: friends, kids, travel. What makes me happy is writing.
—Ann Patchett (American Novelist)