Chopsticks
 
A woman who had worked all her life to bring about good was granted one wish: "Before I die let me visit both hell and heaven." Her wish was granted.
She was whisked off to a great banqueting hall. The tables were piled high with delicious food and drink. Around the tables sat miserable, starving people as wretched as could be. "Why are they like this?" she asked the angel who accompanied her. "Look at their arms," the angel replied. She looked and saw that attached to the people's arms were long chopsticks secured above the elbow. Unable to bend their elbows, the people aimed the chopsticks at the food, missed every time and sat hungry, frustrated and miserable. "Indeed, this is hell! Take me away from here!"
She was then whisked off to heaven. Again, she found herself in a great banqueting hall with tables piled high. Around the tables sat people laughing, contented, joyful. "No chopsticks I suppose," she said. "Oh yes there are. Look - just as in hell they are long and attached above the elbow but look... here people have learnt to feed one another".
 
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“Man’s greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done.” - Frederick Douglass
 
How can you improve the application of your talents to get things done? 

“If you make listening and observation your occupation, you will gain much more than you can by talk.” - Robert Baden-Powell
 
How can you improve your listening and observation skills? 

“Man’s greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done.” - Frederick Douglass
 
How can you improve the application of your talents to get things done? 

“Act as if what you do makes a difference…because it does.” - William James
 
How do you act so your life has meaning?

"Class" is an intangible quality that commands, rather than demands, the respect of others.
This is because those who have it are truly considerate of others, are courteous and polite without being subservient, are not disagreeable when they disagree, are good listeners, and are at peace with themselves because they do not knowingly do wrong.
In short, people with class might well be defined as those who practice 'The Golden Rule' in both their professional and personal life.

By John Wooden - Published in: Leadership...with a human touch, August 31, 1993, Page 18

“Opportunity does not knock. It presents itself when you beat down the door!” - Kyle Chandler
 
What doors are you beating on to find your purpose?

“Who hath not known ill fortune, never knew himself, or his own virtue.” - Mallett
 
How do you treat yourself and others in difficult times?

“Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed – there is so little competition.” - Elbert Hubbard
 
What effort are you putting toward your success?

Peace of Mind
 
 Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This was in the initial days. While they were traveling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples, “I am thirsty. Do get me some water from that lake there.”
The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water and, right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!” So, he came back and told Buddha, “The water in there is very muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink.”
After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the lake had absolutely clear water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So, he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.
Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, “See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be ... and the mud settled down on its own and you got clear water.” Your mind is also like that. When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.”
What did Buddha emphasize here? He said, “It is effortless.” Having 'peace of mind' is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process. When there is peace inside you, that peace permeates to the outside. It spreads around you and in the environment, such that people around start feeling that peace and grace.
 
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“If you are going through hell, keep going.” - Winston Churchill
 
How do you keep going when there seems like nowhere else to go? 

“Character is a diamond that scratches every other stone.” - Bartol
 
How does character touch the qualities of your life?
 

“A superior person is modest in speech, but exceeds in action.” - Confucius
 
What do your actions reveal about your intentions? 

“Wisdom is gained not in a moment but in an endless number of moments in which choices must be made.” - Erwin Raphael McManus
 
What are you learning from the choices you are making?