It really isn’t what you say, but how you say it, isn’t it? I just received a letter from the Post Office notifying me that it is time to pay my annual bulk rate mailing dues. I was expecting the letter but what I wasn’t expecting was the verbiage it contained: Dear Charles Marshall, Your […]
Archive | Encouragement
Some Kidding Aside – Choose your family dynamic
Choose your family dynamic There is a little Mexican restaurant near my house that has a great all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch bar. So, the other day, right after church, I took my wife and kids over to see how much damage we could to the owner’s bottom line. As we ate our lunch, I noticed the […]
Some Kidding Aside – When a person chooses poorly, they are, in effect, choosing the bad consequences that come bundled with their decision
Quite often the easiest choice is the decision that is based on an emotional bias, rather than intellectual reasoning. Take a moment and think about all the bad decisions you have made in your life. Think about the wrong turns, the bad relationships, the money mismanaged and misspent. Is it not true that the great […]
Some Kidding Aside – There is no “happily ever after”, real life always continues and the story never ends
We all get one life and this is it. There is no “happily ever after.” Real life always continues and the story never ends. There never is a place in any life where all struggle stops and happiness is a perpetual state. Sometimes there are seasons of respite from struggle, but those are usually all […]
Some Kidding Aside – Rather than focusing on what is wrong, focus on what is right
By far, most people perform better if they are surrounded by people who believe in them rather than by people who are constantly pointing out their faults. Rather than focusing on what is wrong, focus on what is right. Remember that there is a tremendous difference in believing in a person and believing in a […]
Some Kidding Aside – Do not think of success as the realization of a level of material or emotional gain, but as progress
Fairy-tale thinking, its symptoms are fantasizing, irrational expectations, inactivity, and misplaced effort. It always results in frustration, confusion, anger, hopelessness, and ultimately, a wasted life. Fairy-tale thinking is the philosophical belief that someday, without doing anything, something wonderful is going to happen that will allow us to live happily ever after. The first step toward […]
Some Kidding Aside – I believe that we are capable of more than we know
I heard fitness expert Jillian Michaels once say that most people have no idea how much they are capable of because they don’t push themselves. It’s easy to apply this principle to personal development, but do any of us bother to apply it to our jobs and businesses? How far will you push yourself for […]
Some Kidding Aside – The Power of Failure
The Power of Failure. The mastery of this power is one of the principle differences between the successful and the mediocre. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like failing. No winner does. But people who are successful in their careers, relationships, and business ventures recognize failure for what it is: A stern tutor who raps […]
Some Kidding Aside – It only takes 4 steps to become a hero in your community
No one makes it to the top on their own. It’s impossible to name anyone who has been successful on their own. Heroes aren’t celebrities, movie stars, or professional athletes. In real life, real heroes are people who make a difference with their lives by investing in the lives of those around them. So how […]
Some Kidding Aside – The success journey is not for the faint of heart
In a world of people who run at the first sign of discomfort or inconvenience, courageous people are desperately needed. Most of them will never have a book written about them. Most of them will never have songs sung in their honor. Most of their names will never be known. But they are heroes nonetheless, […]