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This section simply strives to inspire you.
Maybe when you feel like quitting, there will be some words to keep you going...
Maybe when you are baffled as to why you don't achieve more, there will be words to move you forward...
However successful you are, maybe there will be words to help you to be more!

We have entered some that have inspired us over the years - now we await your contributions...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Words of Marianne Williamson used by Nelson Mandela

I've had a good idea - and I think it's a good idea...
I'd never forgive myself if I didn't have the courage to act on it, so I guess I'd better do something...
And if I'm going to do something, then I'd best do it to the best of my ability...
And that's all there is to it!

Do you often get frustrated by the service you get from other businesses?
Pushing buttons to get past automated switchboards, left on hold, listening to ghastly music?
Take heart! There's one obvious conclusion... If you want to be successful in business, there ain't much competition!!!

Chinese Proverb: A Good Fisherman Thinks Like A Fish.

(A good salesman thinks like the people they are trying to sell to...)

"I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand"
Confucius

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

"Genius is one percent inspiration, and 99 percent perspiration."

Thomas Edison

Failure can be a part of success:
Thomas Edison was a firm believer in the importance of failure. Failure was what led him to success. Once, when he was working on developing a better battery, a discouraged assistant came up to him and suggested that Mr. Edison must be ready to quit after having performed some 50,000 tests without success. "You must be pretty downhearted with the lack of progress", the assistant said. Edison replied, "Downhearted? We've made a lot of progress. At least we know 50,000 things that won't work!" In the end he developed a nickel-iron alkaline battery that became an industry standard and is still used today-more than 90 years later! If Edison had let the 50,000 failures get him down, we might not have that battery today.

It took more than 2,000 tests to find the right filament for the light bulb. We all use the light bulb; imagine if Edison had given up...

And after laboriously testing over 17,000 different plant species, Edison came up with a new synthetic rubber... That's persistence!

Abraham Lincoln Didn't Quit

Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham Lincoln.
If you want to learn about somebody who didn't quit, look no further.

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, twice failed in business and suffered a nervous breakdown.

He could have quit many times - but he didn't and because he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of the USA.

Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up.
Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House:

1816: His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.

1818: His mother died.

1831: Failed in business.

1832: Ran for state legislature - lost.

1832: Also lost his job - wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.

1833: Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.

1834: Ran for state legislature again - won.

1835: Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.

1836: Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.

1838: Sought to become speaker of the state legislature - defeated.

1840: Sought to become elector - defeated.

1843: Ran for Congress - lost.

1846: Ran for Congress again - this time he won - went to Washington and did a good job.

1848: Ran for re-election to Congress - lost.

1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state - rejected.

1854: Ran for Senate of the United States - lost.

1856: Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party’s national convention - got less than 100 votes.

1858: Ran for U.S. Senate again - again he lost.

1860: Elected president of the United States.

This list of 'failures' overlooks the many successes of Lincoln's life.
It is probably best to use it as an illustration of disappointments that he suffered along the way to success.

Jackson Brown originally wrote Life's Little Instruction book as a gift for his son who was leaving home to begin his freshman year in college:

Sample Entries

Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.

Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.

Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.

Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.

Never resist a generous impulse.

Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

Leave everything a little better than you found it.

"On the morning of my fifty-first birthday," Jackson writes, "I thought it would be interesting and maybe even enlightening to jot down a few things more than half a century of living had taught me." When a friend said he would contribute a few ideas of his own, Jackson decided to invite other friends and acquaintances to join the effort. Live And Learn And Pass It On contains the best of their answers, the combined wisdom of thousands of years of living.

Sample Entries

I've learned that a strong code of ethics is as reliable as a compass. -- Age 43

I've learned that you can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. -- Age 7

I've learned that if I eat donuts today I wear them tomorrow. -- Age 39

I've learned that goldfish don't like Jello. -- Age 5

I've learned that I don't feel my age as long as I focus on my dreams instead of my regrets. -- Age 83

I've learned that it's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble. -- Age 14

I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decisions. -- Age 66

I've learned that life is like a blind date. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith! -- Age 23

With thanks to InstructionBook.com

And a few more quotes that we unearthed:

Every once in a while, take the scenic route.

Be smarter than other people, just don't tell them so.

Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.

Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people's bad manners.

I never expect to lose. Even when I'm the underdog, I still prepare a victory speech.

If someone offers you a breath mint, accept it.

If you're doing your best, you won't have any time to worry about failure.

In business or in life, don't follow the wagon tracks too closely.

Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others.

Life doesn't require that we be the best, only that we try our best.

Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you.

Luck marches with those who give their very best.

Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.

Oh, the difference between nearly right and exactly right.

Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor.

Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.
Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.

Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates.
There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.

When you are angry or frustrated, what comes out?
Whatever it is, it's a good indication of what you're made of.

When you have nothing important or interesting to say, don't let anyone persuade you to say it.

You can always tell when a man's well informed. His views are pretty much like your own.

You can't hire someone to practice for you.

You either make dust or eat dust.

Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends.

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get.

Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.

Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own.

Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.

You must take action now that will move you towards your goals. Develop a sense of urgency in your life.

See Wikipaedia for further information about his life.

We happily acknowledge the Copyright 1998-2007 by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. for all materials here.

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