A message from Terry:  The spoken word is little more than shaped air, and a thought is even less substantial than that. Nevertheless, the right thought or string of spoken words has the power to discourage, infuriate, delight or inspire us!

With just a little effort, we can harness the power of other people’s wit and wisdom and use it as fuel for our mental engine. But how?

Something as simple as a stack of blank index cards may be all that you need. Start a collection of quotations that encourage and invigorate you, and display them, one per day, in a prominent place where they will snag your gaze. In fact, I’ll give you a head start by suggesting a week’s worth of quotes to get you started, and I’ll send more your way, from time to time.

Quotes are like vitamin pills – you don’t gain much by consuming a lot of them, all at once. They do you the most good when you digest one a day, on a regular basis. And if you add your own quotes to the stack, and encourage other members of your team to do the same, you’ll soon have a thick stack of mental pick-me-ups that will give you something new to ponder, day after week after month.

So let’s get started!

WEEK 1:

“There are few – if any – jobs in which ability alone is sufficient. Needed also are loyalty, sincerity, enthusiasm and team play.”  William B. Given

“Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people.”  Nido Qubein

“Don’t find fault, find a remedy.”  Henry Ford

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”  Michelangelo

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”  Steve Jobs