As Wise As An Owl

A wise old owl sat on an oak;
The more he saw, the less he spoke;
The less he spoke, the more he heard;
Why aren't we like that wise old bird?

-Edward H. Richards

Do The Impossible

There is no thrill in easy sailing
when skies are clear and blue;
There is no joy in merely doing things
that any man can do.
But there is some satisfaction
that is mighty sweet to take,
When you reach a destination
that you taught you would never make.

Do More...

Do more than exists - live.
Do more than hear - listen.
Do more than agree - cooperate.

Do more than talk - communicate.
Do more than grow - bloom.
Do more than spend - invest.

Do more than think - create.
Do more than work - excel.
Do more than share - give.

Do more than decide - discern.
Do more than consider - commit.
Do more than forgive - forget.

Do more than help - serve.
Do more than coexist - reconcile.
Do more than sing - worship.

Do more than think - plan.
Do more than dream - do.
Do more than see - perceive.

Do more than read - apply.
Do more than receive - reciprocate.
Do more than choose - focus.

Do more than wish - believe.
Do more than advise - help.
Do more than speak - impart.

Do more than encourage - inspire.
Do more than add - multiply.
Do more than change - improve.

Do more than reach - stretch.
Do more than ponder - pray.
Do more than just live - live for God.

Body Language

You tell what you are by the friends you seek,
By the very manner in which you speak,
By the way you employ your leisure time,
By the use you make of dollar and dime.

You tell what you are by the things you wear,
By the spirit in which you burdens bear,
By the kind of things at which you laugh,
By the records you play on your phonograph.

You tell what you are by the way you walk,
By the things of which you delight to talk,
By the manner in which you bear defeat,
By so simple a thing as how you eat.

By the books you choose from the well-filled shelf;
In these ways and more, you tell on yourself.

Procrastination

When duty comes a knocking at your gate,
Welcome him in; for if you bid him wait,
He will depart only to come once more,
And bring seven other duties to your door.

-Edwin Markum

The Well-Liked Man

There is a man in the world,
Who never gets turned down,
Wherever he chances to stray;
He gets the glad hand in the populous town,
Or out where the farmers make hay;
He is greeted with pleasure on deserts of sand,
And deep in the isles of the woods;
Wherever he goes there is a welcoming hand -
He's the man who deliver the goods.

- Walt Whitman

Silence is golden

Much talking is a source of danger,
Through silence misfortune is avoided,
The talkative parrot in a cage is shut,
While birds that cannot talk fly freely.

The Rules of Work

Some people seem to be just great at their job. They glide effortlessly onwards and upwards through all the politics, the back stabbing, the system, the nonsense that goes on. They always seem to say and do the right thing. Everybody likes them. They get pay rises and promotion. They get on with the boss. And somehow, they do all these without breaking much of a sweat or seeming to put in excess effort.Is there something they do that we don’t? Is it a natural ability or something we could all learn? The answer is a most definite and resounding yes. They know the 'Rules of Work'. These rules are about how you are seen to be doing your job – brilliantly and efficiently. They are about how you appear to others – successful and confident.

The Rules of Work takes simple information about how people relate to each other in a completely artificial environment - the workplace – and uses it to promote your rise up the ladder of success. This is the book for you if you want to get on and up without becoming ruthless or unpleasant. This is the book for you if you want to be successful and still be able to live with yourself, and be regarded as a thoroughly
decent person by your colleagues and bosses.

Rule 1: Walk Your Talk

1. Get your work noticed
2. Never stand still
3. Volunteer carefully
4. Carve out a niche for yourself
5. Under promise and over deliver
6. Know something the other's don't
7. Be 100% commited
8. Enjoy what you are doing
9. Develop the right attitude
10. Never let anyone know how hard you work

Rule 2: Know That You're Being Judged At All Times

1. Dress well
2. Cultivate a smile
3. No limp fish - develop the perfect handshake
4. Exude confidence and energy
5. Develop a style that gets you noticed
6. Pay attention to personal grooming
7. Be attractive
8. Be cool
9. Speak well
10. Write well

Rule 3: Have A Plan

1. Know what you want long term
2. Know what you want short term
3. Study the promotion system
4. Develop a game plan
5. Set objectives
6. Know your role
7. Know yourself - strengths and weaknesses
8. Identify key times and events
9. Anticipate threats
10. Look for opportunities

Rule 4: If You Can't Say Anything Nice - Shut Up

1. Don't gossip
2. Don't bitch
3. Stand up for others
4. Compliment people sincerely
5. Be cheerful and positive
6. Ask questions
7. Use 'please' and 'thank you'
8. Don't swear
9. Be a good listener
10. Only speak sense

Rule 5: Look After Yourself

1. Know the ethics of your industry
2. Know the legalities of your industry
3. Set personal standards
4. Never lie
5. Never cover up for anyone else
6. Keep records
7. Know the difference between the truth and the whole truth
8. Cultivate your support/contacts/friends
9. Understand others' motives
10. Assume everyone else is playing by different rules

Rule 6: Blend In

1. Know the corporate culture
2. Speak the language
3. Dress up or down accordingly
4. Be adaptable in your dealings with different people
5. Know where to hang out, and when
6. Understand the social protocols
7. Know the rules about authority
8. Know the rules about the office hierarchy
9. Never disapprove of others
10. Understand the herd mentality

Rule 7: Act One Step Ahead

1. Dress one step ahead
2. Talk one step ahead
3. Act one step ahead
4. Think one step ahead
5. Address corporate issues and problems
6. Talk of 'we' rather than 'I'
7. Walk the walk
8. Spend more time with senior staff
9. Get people to assume you have already made the step
10. Prepare for the step after next

Rule 8: Cultivate Diplomacy

1. Ask questions in times of conflict
2. Don't take sides
3. Know when to keep your opinions to yourself
4. Be conciliatory
5. Never lose your temper
6. Never get personal
7. Know how to handle other people's anger
8. Stand your ground
9. Be objective about the situation
10. Put things in perspective

Rule 9: Know the system - and milk it

1. Know all the unspoken rules of office life
2. Know what to call everyone
3. Know when to stay late and when to go early
4. Know the theft or perks rule
5. Identify the people who count
6. Be on the right side of the people who count
7. Be well up on new management techniques
8. Know the undercurrents and hidden agendas
9. Know the favourites and cultivate them
10. Know the mission statement and understand it

Rule 10: Handle The Opposition

1. Identify the opposition
2. Study them closely
3. Don’t back-stab
4. Know the psychology of promotion
5. Don’t give too much away
6. Keep your ear to the ground
7. Make the opposition seem irreplaceable
8. Don’t damn the opposition with faint praise
9. Capitalize on the career enhancing moments
10. Cultivate the friendship and approval of your colleagues

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won, had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

- Author Unknown

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost, 1916