Tag: jeff noel

Toughest Thing About Being A Success?

“The toughest thing about being a success is that you’ve got to keep being a success”. — Irving Berlin

Most people go through their life and never comprehend what Irving Berlin is saying here.  It is what it is.

Here’s the thing though.  What do you say?  What do you think?

Do you ever get tired of criticizing other people?  Or does it somehow, foolishly, elevate your life past mediocrity?

These are things that run through my head every single day.  Thought I’d attempt to challenge your thinking.

Oh wait, maybe you want to criticize that.  Hey, at least I’m trying. What are you doing right now that focuses on challenging your status quo?

Take Your Time, But Hurry Up

“You no longer spend your life hurrying around the corner for something which is never there”. — Rex Harrison

If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times.  There is no guarantee in life, except that we will die.

There seems to be a delicate balance between hurrying and not hurrying. We shouldn’t rush blindly through life, bypassing life’s simple pleasures.

But then again, we can’t spend too much time doing what pleases us, because in the end, there really is much work to be done.  Our: mind, body, spirit, money, community, job, sleep, errands, chores, etc.

If we take our cue from nature, animals are constantly trying to survive. There is always the threat of danger lurking somewhere.  In nature the saying goes, “Survival of the fittest”. I’m not talking physically, I’m talking comprehensively.

Ya with me, comprehensively.  This means your day will be really busy. Or not.

Despair Is The Price

“Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim”. — Graham Greene

Wow. Then what does it mean, “If your goal isn’t impossible, you’re not reaching high enough”?

Simply this:  You can set the bar low and reach a goal, and then wonder if you could have done better, eventually living with a certain degree of regret for not trying harder.

Or, you can set the bar impossibly high, give it your absolute best, fail, yet live with the satisfaction and peace that you left nothing on the table.

There are no guarantees in life.  But you already knew that, right?

The Real Problem With Leisure?

“The real problem of your leisure is how to keep other people from using it”. — Anonymous

Ain’t it the truth? Most of it is our own fault though. It is for me anyway.

Always trying to do better.  Always trying to please others.  Never satisfied with the status quo. Over-achiever. Workaholic. Can’t say no.  The list goes on and on.

Here’s another truth, that no one wants to admit. We control our choices.  Not the outcomes, but our choices.

While the outcomes are in the hands of a power we can’t begin to imagine, our choices are not.  Our choices are ours.

You’d think we would have this figured out by mid life.  Why is this so difficult to remember?

It Begins With The Father

“It is said to begin with the Father”. — Maxine Kumin

Our models are our parents.  And for boys, this is primarily the Father. And if the Father is absent, well, the Father is still the model.

And even when the Father is present, he might still be absent.  This makes a compelling case for being a great Father.  BFO, right?

And yet, I don’t really recall when my Dad actually sat me down to teach me important stuff.

Maybe Maxine is full of misguided notions.  Maybe she’s right on target. This confuses me, scares me, and motivates me.  What about you?