Tag: quotes

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Quotes

Happy Birthday, Will Rogers!

Quote from Will Rogers: "Things ain't the way they used to be and never were."

Things ain’t what they used to be and never were.

Will Rogers

On November 4, 1879, a humorist and cowboy philosopher was born in Oklahoma, Indian Territory. He began his show business career as a trick roper, ended up in Vaudeville, movies, the newspapers, and radio. It wasn’t a bad career for a cowboy!

When I was in high school, a graphic artist-teacher introduced me to his humor. He thought I could relate to his wit and the way he could turn a phrase. Though he was right, it didn’t help my social standing much. Nothing stood out like a sore thumb more than an Indiana teen in the nineteen-eighties who was into Will Rogers! Throw in my love for Marx Brothers movies and I was an odd duck!

Photo of Will Rogers from Filmplay Journal. Public Domain.
Will Rogers in Filmplay Journal, January 1922 (Public Domain)

Will Rogers is worth remembering because his humor was not only witty but was for the most part kind. He didn’t have to tear somebody down to make a point. He could laugh at himself and shine a light on the absurdity of culture and politics. And he could make you think before you realized it.

The worst thing that happens to you may be the best thing for you if you don’t let it get the best of you.

Will Rogers

So happy birthday to Will Rogers! He’s a guy worth remembering today.

Categories
creativity

Is It Nonconformist or Not?

Quote from James Thurber: "Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?

Can somebody claim to be a nonconformist when they are doing what they feel is necessary to fit into a group of nonconformists?

I often thought of that when I took art classes, and later, worked in art departments. I loved to be creative. But it seemed to fit in, you had to have certain beliefs, dress a certain way, and behave in a certain manner. That wasn’t for me! I just wanted to create. I didn’t want to waste my creative energy on trying to fit in with this group or that.

I love Jame’s Thurber’s quote because it reminds me of that awkward feeling I had when I wasn’t quite fitting in with my art buddies, nor with my more conservative friends.

“Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?”

James Thurber

Culture ruins nonconformists. A musical band is considered a sell-out when its creativity hits the mainstream. Fashion trends are all the rage one year and totally faux pas the next. If one is wearing last year’s fashion trend, are they out of touch or are they cutting-edge nonconformists?

What is considered conformist in one group is considered shockingly out there in another. Perhaps the true gauge of who is a nonconformist is that they never quite fit in any group they are a part of. We are all unique individuals, after all.

Categories
motivation

Obstacles and Goals

Quote: Obstacles are what a person sees when he takes his eye off his goals." E. Joseph Cossman

There are obstacles, and there are goals. Obstacles are all around us and easy to spot.

  • They can be the construction zone that makes you late for work.
  • It can be a little virus that shuts down the world for a few months.
  • They can even be something good like kids or parents that need care or a challenge at work.

Nobody has a problem spotting obstacles.

Goals are harder to see. They require some trailblazing. Yes, may ask you to boldly go where no one has gone before. They can be part of a vision that is unique to you, your family, and your situation. Goals make us reach for something that may feel out of reach. And they may inspire you to go around, over, or through an obstacle.

We will always have obstacles. But not everyone has goals. We will always have things that frustrate us. But not everyone has a vision that will help them see beyond today.

Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eye off the goal.

E. Joseph Cossman

E. Joseph Cossman

Mr. Cossman was an interesting guy. He would see an opportunity, then act on it. He perfected mail-order marketing and pioneered infomercials. He sold such items as “shrunken heads,” spud guns, and ant farms. Later in life, he would teach and inspire others to sell and market their products.

He saw an opportunity where others saw obstacles. That’s what a goal will do for you and me. It’s too easy to see the problems and bad news in the world. You don’t even need to look for it. It will come to you. It takes special effort to define goals and look beyond the everyday obstacles of life.

Categories
motivation Quotes

Leading an Excellent Life

“One cannot lead a life that is truly excellent without feeling that one belongs to something greater and more permanent than oneself.”

MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI in Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Daniel Pink’s book, Drive, reminded me that all of us long for something more permanent and eternal. We know we are limited by our abilities and age. We can delude ourselves into thinking we are immortal, but deep down, we know we aren’t. If anything good can come from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that all of us are forced to face our mortality. This disease may not take us down. But sooner or later, something will.

Who or what do you belong to? Is it a firm foundation that will carry you through difficulties? Is it something that will last long after you are gone? Is it something that gives you hope and a future when everything else crumbles around you?

Businesses and organizations have life cycles just like people. Governments will rise and fall. The latest fad and fashion will look so dated in a few years. Where you put your faith will determine if and how you can lead a life of excellence.

Categories
motivation

The Cost of Negativity

Quote: "Negativity can keep us out of the Promised Land and cost us forty years." Mark Batterson

We all go through wilderness experiences. Everybody has gone through one in 2020. The pandemic has made that a virtual guarantee. Today’s quote by Mark Batterson reminds me we don’t have to stay there.

When things get rough, do you let negativity creep in? Do you feel a sense of entitlement and believe you are too good to have bad times? Perhaps you let despair make you believe that things will never change.

Don’t let negativity keep you in the wilderness! Yes, we all face hard times. There are events, circumstances, and people we’d all like to change. Start believing and claiming the positive by faith.

  • Things will change for the better eventually
  • You can walk by faith instead of fear
  • Temporary setbacks need not define you
  • Speak positive and encouraging words
  • The solution will come

Nobody wants to stay in the wilderness. Don’t let negativity keep you there.