One of the most important things I can communicate to you about character is this: Your character is not determined by whether or not you ever make a mistake, but by what you do about it. Let me say it again. Your character—or the character of your company or organization or family—is not determined by […]
Archive | Encouragement
Crazy Publishing Story
Back in 2006, my wife and I were discussing the idea of my attending a writers conference. We both agreed it would be a great way for me to meet some folks in the publishing industry and learn a bit about how it worked. So, when we noticed that I was booked to speak at […]
Some Kidding Aside – Are You Trying to Go Out of Business? (Take 2)
I know I picked on the Post Office a bit last month, and am about to again, but let me say before I get started that most postal carriers I know are hard-working folks with great attitudes. That said, it seems to me that a good portion of the Post Office leadership might be cut […]
Some Kidding Aside – Speaking of Failure
Failure is never kind, but it is always honest. It won’t spare your feelings or soothe your ego. It’s blunt, brutal, and hurtful. But it’s also the best friend you could have if you are willing to put away your bruised ego and humbly sit at its feet. I didn’t learn how to be a […]
Some Kidding Aside – Program Yourself to Innovate
When I was in second grade, my teacher assigned my class to create our own science project. Like most kids at that time, I went straight to the World Book Encyclopedia to search for ideas. After a while, I spotted a scale that looked like it was within my ability to build. My chief obstacle […]
Some Kidding Aside – Breaking News
I was riding the bike trails with my neighbor, Mike, at Fort Yargo State Park on a beautiful November afternoon in 2008. I hate to admit it, but Mike must have been in a lot better shape than I was, because after only five minutes of riding with him in the lead, I noticed that […]
Are You Trying to Go Out of Business?
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 […]
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 – 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 […]