My 90-year-old Uncle Bud reading his copy of my book: Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life. 

“A person’s life is only a vapor that vanishes in an instant. One should spend one’s life doing what one enjoys. As short as life is, it is foolish to spend it doing the things one hates.” - Yamamoto Trunetomo   
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How are you spending your brief existence?

“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” - Charles Darwin 
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How do you cooperate and contrive to reach your goals?

Love Stays
  
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. "Your son is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened. Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
 
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night, the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital – the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
 
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night. Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited. Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
 
"Who was that man?" he asked. The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
 
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
 
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
 
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."
 
The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
 
www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/stories.

“If you’re helping someone and expecting something in return, you’re doing business not kindness.” - Unknown 
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How do you determine if you are doing kindness or business?

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” - Nietzsche 
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How do you prevent becoming what you rail against?

“A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything. Rage is a powerful anesthetic!” - Zaeed Massani 
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How do you commit your very being to reaching your goals?

“When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you're great at something, they’ll tell you.” - Walter Payton 
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How do you determine greatness?

Two of my favorite nurses, Bri and Sara, who take excellent care of me at the University of Colorado Hospital Infusion Center. They were kind enough to purchase a copy of my book, Sustainable Excellence, which I signed for them yesterday.  

“There is no market for your emotions, so never advertise your feelings, just show your attitude.” - Unknown 
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How do you keep your emotions in check?

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” - Lao Tzu 
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How are your thoughts shaping your destiny?

“We would do well to keep in mind that although disappointment is inevitable, being discouraged is always a choice.” - Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries 
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How do you prevent your disappointments from making you discouraged?
 

The Pencil’s Purpose
 
 An old pencil maker took his newest pencil aside, just before he was about to pack him into a box. Imagining the little fellow as a person he recalled a few things about the pencil.
“There are five things you need to know,” he said to his pencil, “before I send you out into the world. Always remember these five things - never forget them - and you will become the best pencil you can be!
“The first thing is to remember that you will be able to do many great things, but only if you put yourself in someone else’s hands.
“From time to time you will experience a painful sharpening, but remember that this will make you a better pencil.
“Also, keep in mind that you will be able to correct any mistakes you might make along the way.
“And the most important part of you is what’s on the inside.
“And remember this, as well, upon every surface that you are used, you must leave your mark. No matter what else happens, you must continue to write.”
It seemed the pencil listened to him and promised he would remember these five things so that he could live his life with heart and purpose.
 
www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/stories.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality.” - Lao Tzu 
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How do you ebb and flow with the changes in your life?