Loud Thinking

Archive for November, 2013

1. “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln
(1809-1865)

2. “Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward.”
Henry Ford
(1863-1947)
3. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
Mother Teresa
(1910-1997)

4. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Winston Churchill
(1874-1965)

5. “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”
Nelson Mandela
(1918 – )

6. “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal which is worthwhile.”
Vince Lombardi
(1913-1970)
7. “Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.”
George Washington
(1732-1799)

8. “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884-1962)

9. “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)

10. “The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty, and truth.”
Albert Einstein
(1879-1955)

11. “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”
Franklin Roosevelt
(1882-1945)

12. “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to evaporate.”
Albert Schweitzer
(1875-1965)

13. “I believe the unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929-1968)

14. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
Helen Keller
(1880-1968)

Overcoming is to prevail over a struggle or conflict.

“And one has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear, but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear.”

Paulo Coelho (born 1947);
poet, writer

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life.”

— Harvey Fierstein

Are Your Employees Happy?

Do you know how your employees feel about their jobs? Checking in with your team about their satisfaction can help you retain them. Book a recurring appointment every month or quarter to ask your direct reports whether they are happy at work and what you can do to make them happier. Don’t wait for the annual review to have this conversation, and don’t assume that you have all the information you need if you’ve asked once—circumstances change over time and feelings can evolve accordingly. These simple questions not only show your team that they have your support, but can boost their job performance and the fulfillment they get from it. Maintain open lines of communication so that you can address issues before they become full-blown problems.

Adapted by HBR from “Go Ahead: Ask Your Employees If They’re Happy,” by Allison Rimm.

“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite — only a sense of existence.”

— Henry David Thoreau

Live-Life is an ability to live your life to the fullest potential.

“Do the things you used to talk about doing but never did. Know when to let go and when to hold on tight. Stop rushing. Don’t be intimidated to say it like it is. Stop apologizing all the time. Learn to say no, so your yes has some oomph. Spend time with the friends who lift you up, and cut loose the ones who bring you down. Stop giving your power away. Be more concerned with being interested than being interesting. Be old enough to appreciate your freedom, and young enough to enjoy it. Finally know who you are.”

Kristin Armstrong –

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Unwell, due to influenza and fever, since morning.