988. "Better be wise by the misfortunes of others, than by your own."

"Better be wise by the misfortunes of others, than by your own." Aesop

In a past post I wrote about learning from your mistakes. The truth is that mistakes and misfortunes happen to everyone and you must learn from them to become better. However, you are not always required to be the one who makes the mistake. Many mistakes can be avoided by studying others. In school I was always told that we take History courses so we do not repeat the past. I believe this should relate to all aspects of life. If the mistake has been made, why not try to learn about it?

The only way you can learn from others mistakes is to either see it happen or read about it. This is why I encourage reading a lot of books, especially autobiographies and any book that the author gives insight about his trials and tribulations. Also mistakes are made everyday but many people, so be observant and you can avoid these same incidents.

Mistakes are part of life, and you will certainly make many in your life. The goal here is to avoid all that are possible, and by learning from others you will be more equipped to spot and avoid a mistake before it happens. So start reading about other people mistakes and start observing people as they make and recover from their misfortunes.

989. Jimmy Valvano Speech

Sometimes with my posts, I'm going to use some longer quotes, speeches or poems. This is one of them, and one of my favorite:

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."


Ever since I saw this speech, I have been changed. I truly try to do these three things everyday. Its been tough, especially since I was never really an emotional person. The laughing and the thinking came very natural and easy to me. The crying is difficult, and I still don't cry everyday. However, when the opportunity arises, i try not to hold it back. When you do all three of these things in a day, you'll be amazed at how full of a day it really is. Its something special. Below is the full video for those who want to watch and I encourage all to donate the Jimmy V foundation. It is definitely a worthy cause.

990. "A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval."

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." Mark Twain


I believe this goes with being comfortable and having confidence. If you're low in self confidence or uncomfortable with yourself, you will continue to lack confidence and be uncomfortable in life. What I encourage all to do, is try to improve yourself everyday. Set longterm goals and use everyday as a short-term approach. What I mean by that is set large objectives for yourself; lose 20 pounds, or be able to talk to women comfortably, or learn a new hobby. Then each day do something small to help towards these goals. Perhaps exercise or not eat dessert, maybe talk to the girl next to you when you're getting coffee or pumping your gas, and for a new hobby read a new article on the subject or ask someone about it. 

Each of these small tasks will eventually lead you to your ultimate goal. Remember my older post "Every artist was first an amateur." In order for someone to have lost weight, they had to have taken small steps. In order for someone to be a ladies man, they had to have started with small conversation. And in order for something to learn a new hobby, they must have started at the beginning. When you finally accomplish these goals, you'll be amazed at the self-confidence you receive and you will begin to become more comfortable with yourself. Setting goals, and accomplishing them is one of the greatest ways to build confidence, and when you're confidence you will certainly be comfortable with yourself. So start making that list of goals today.

991. "He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail."

"He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail." Abraham Maslow


This quote is about perspective. When you are a master of something, everything in the world appears to you in that context. For instance, if you're an artist you see all the world as an opportunity for a photograph or a painting. I think one of the greatest examples is show in the UPS commercial shown at the bottom of the page. Because the man works in logistics, he sees deeper into what Ben does. He isn't simply a UPS man, hes logistics.


While this is a great attribute to have, because it will make you a master in your field, it can also blind you to other perspectives. The artist does not see Ben in the commercial as logistics, but rather as a painting opportunity and vice versa. This narrow-perspectiveness often leads to disagreements on a simple subject. This is why I think it is important to have multiple things that you master. Sure you should master your career, but master hobbies as well. Soon you perspectives will begin to blend together and you will be a more well-rounded thinker. You can be the logistics man/artist/sports fanatic/human rights activist. That combination right there will enable you to see the world in many different ways, and your blind spots to certain aspects will begin to fade. So I encourage everyone to become masters of your career and masters of a few hobbies. Have a good weekend and ill be back on Monday.

992. "Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy."

"Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy." Lao Tzu


Think of this quote as a house, and the easy as the foundation. The foundation is the simplest part of a house, it is straight forward, without frills and designs, and rarely needs attention to small details. However, it is the most important part. If a strong, unanticipated wind blows, a loose foundationed house will fall, but if the foundation is in order, it has a greater chance at surviving.


The other day I had an interview. In the past certain questions had thrown me off, but that was due to lack of preparation. This time I managed what I could myself, and nailed the interview. I made sure I was well dress, well researched on the company and took an accurate assessment of my skills. I was asked many difficult questions, and ones I had definitely not prepared for, but because I have a great base of knowledge, I was able to roll with the punches and answer them well instead of searching for answers.


There are many things you can do in your life to be more prepared for the difficult. Make a to-do list, do your laundry, save a portion of your income, and I could go on and on. I have learned this through experience and it is true; if you are prepared, you will succeed. This doesn't mean knowing everything about everything, but have what you can control in order and you will be able to better roll when the difficult arises. 

993. "Every artist was first an amateur."

"Every artist was first an amateur." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Practice, Practice, Practice. Going off my last post about having role models and heroes, this post is about how to because others role models and heroes. At one point in time, every CEO was a high schooler, every MLB player struck out for the first, second, third time, etc, and every actor was in his first play. Not many people are born into the limelight (unless your Paris Hilton). 

To become famous, or enviable, you have to put in your time. The "Mona Lisa" wasn't Da Vinci's first attempt at art. His first ever drawing was probably just as bad as yours or mine (maybe a little better). If you have an interest, but think you won't be good at it, just try and keep at it. I'm not musically incline, so I didn't think I could play the harmonica, but now I can. If you want to be good at something, just keep practicing and hustling and you will be eventually. However, you have to start somewhere. Just thinking you would like to be good at something will get you nowhere. So act on you desires, act on your dreams and hustle and practice until you drop. Don't worry about failing and falling, pick yourself up and keep working. Eventually you'll succeed.

994. "As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary."

"As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary." Ernest Hemingway


Think back to when you were a kid. Most of us had heroes, idols, or role models. I know I had many. I idolized Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones. Every chance I had, I tried to emulate these guys. I had Griffey's swing down pat, and I batted righty. I also looked up to Shaq. Since I was taller than everyone in 7th grade, I beasted the boards. The fact is, I probably wouldn't have been as good of an athlete if I learned on my own, instead of emulating this guys. So why stop having role models and heroes when we grow up? It's important to look up to someone at any point in your life. 


People who we regard as heroes are almost always great at what they do. They reached this point not without making mistakes either. So if we aspire to be them, we can possibly avoid the mistakes they made in their life. I currently have taken on a new role model, Richard Branson. The way he puts the customer first in his business endeavors is something I aspire to do (his ability to always leave room for fun is also something I admire). 


Role models and heroes don't have to be in sports, or in business, they can be anyone in your family, Mother Theresa, Christopher Columbus, etc. No matter what age you are, I encourage everyone to always have a hero and aspire to emulate aspects of their life. This will always give you a goal and something to strive for.