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Never assume
“If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that sometimes our assumptions and preconceived notions are wrong, and therefore, our interpretation of events is incorrect. This causes us to overreact, to take things personally, or to judge people unfairly.” ~Elizabeth Thornton, Scottish author of historical fiction Things aren’t always as they seem. As every great magician knows, audiences interpret everything they see and hear through the filter of their own experience and beliefs. Sometimes they see and hear only what they wish to see and hear. It’s sobering, really, when you consider how easily any situation could be misjudged or misunderstood — or taken personally. For instance, you…
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Does character matter?
“We live in a culture that teaches us to promote and advertise ourselves and to master the skills required for success, but that gives little encouragement to humility, sympathy, and honest self-confrontation, which are necessary for building character.” ~ David Brooks, The Road to Character In yesterday’s post, I talked about how I struggled with promoting my work, early in my career. Today’s quote pushes beyond self-promotion and digs much deeper. David Brooks writes a lot about the importance of character. And I can’t help but wonder, given our country’s dubious political climate, if character matters as much to people now. Character matters to me — and it matters a lot.…
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A light on self-promotion
“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” ~Anne Lamott I’ve always been conflicted about self-promotion. As soon as Writing Home was published, I had to set aside any sense of modesty or humility to sell my book (and my brand) to a wider audience beyond my newspaper readership. It usually felt awkward. Over time, I’ve learned to borrow a page from the authors and entrepreneurs who grew up on social media platforms and enjoy putting themselves out there. But like most people my age, I was raised to think it’s not cool to toot your own horn, or talk about…
- Creativity and discovery, Dr. Seuss, Friendship and relationship advice, Personal growth, Photo stories
You can’t know it all
“It’s high time you were shown that you don’t really know all there is to be known.” ~Dr. Seuss Like most four-year-olds, our young grandson is an expert on a wide range of topics. Whenever we think we’re sharing something new with him, his typical response is, “I already knew that.” It cracks me up every time. I’m also very familiar with the adult know-it-all. You know the type: When you try to share fresh information or introduce an interesting topic, the know-it-all has already been there, seen it, or done that. You can’t possibly show or tell them anything new. And they’re always on the lookout for opportunities to…
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Glittering magical moments
“Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won’t happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live.” ~Anna Quindlen, A Short Guide to a Happy Life When we list the highlights summer, we might focus on the major milestones of the season — weddings, graduation parties, school reunions, or family vacations. Likewise, when we chronicle our whole lives in retrospect, we tend to list…
