Random Thoughts

Self-confidence and ignorance may ensure fame but they won't create long-term success. One of my goals is to be an ambitious 85-year-old. Life is a series of continuing education classes. People who rail against the rich are as repulsive as those who rail against poor people and racial groups. A person who expects the world to be logical is bound to be disappointed. The study of religion and philosophy - however informal - increases with age. I wish I'd taken Geology in college. Our muck-raking culture causes many to be surprised when they learn that previous generations did a lot of things right. Helping others to succeed may or may not help you succeed but you should do it anyway. Beware of leaders who love the mirror. Read at least two excellent biographies a year. I suspect that most of us draw greater pleasure from the moments when we said "No" and stuck to it than from the times when we gave a reluctant "Yes." A key skill is being able to walk out of a meeting and know exactly what just took place. Another important skill is knowing whether to attend in the first place. Have you ever noticed that when political candidates decide to "act like regular folks" they behave like buffoons? The country would improve if men started wearing fedoras instead of baseball caps. Whenever confirmation of my pathetic handwriting skills is needed I read a letter by an ancestor. If you think it takes too much treasure and blood to keep the thugs from running the world then look at the areas they do control. Some people and books should be read more than once. There are leaders who stop being effective long before their expiration dates. Leadership and management are mainly responsibilities, not roles, but the dramatic arts can be useful. Life is not composed of neat boxes. Productive and worthless activities like to mingle. Never forget how easy it is to disguise a time-bomb as an opportunity. Methodical requires movement.