It’s fun to fail … It’s part of being ambitious; it’s part of being creative. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.
Quotes
Quotes I have come across or read in books that inspire, interest and challenge me.
Quote: Friendship
“Psychologists have long described four major types of friendships: 1) The acquaintance, someone you’d chat with on the street or at a local café, who gives you a sense of belonging; 2) the casual friend, a ‘grab lunch’ pal who often serves a specific purpose, such as a tennis or running partner; 3) the close buddy, an intimate, trustworthy comrade you can say anything to; and 4) the lifer, who’s as deep and forever as family.” [Valerie] Frankel’s research found that women should have 3 to 5 lifers, 5 to 12 close friends, 10 to 50 casuals, and 10 to 100 acquaintances.
Quote: More
It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that if you have something you love or there’s something you want, you’ll be happier with more.
Quote: Looking
There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.
Quote: Twenties
Because our twenties are the capstone of this last critical period, they are, as one neurologist said, a time of “great risk and great opportunity.” … Never again will we be so quick to learn new things. Never again will it be so easy to become the people we hope to be. The risk is that we may not act now.
Quote: Quit
Quit Stuff …to give yourself room to grow and to give God room to work. The patterns of life can weigh down and hold back. Quitting things forces you forward to explore new opportunities, to try new things you wouldn’t have time for otherwise and to fill your life with things that are fresh, different and dangerous.
Bob Goff in a recent article in Relevant Magazine
I can’t quite decide what to think about this. Goff apparently goes to extreme measures and quits something every Thursday—leases, jobs, furniture, board positions, volunteering. While that’s a bit too much for me, I think there’s some wisdom behind this idea. In a lot of ways, that’s what happened when we moved. Is it time to quit something already?
Quote: Maximizers
Satisficers are those who make a decision or take action once their criteria are met. That doesn’t mean they’ll settle for mediocrity; their criteria can be very high, but as soon as they find the hotel, the pasta sauce, or the business card that has the qualities they want, they’re satisfied. Maximizers want to make the optimal decision. Even if they see a bicycle or a backpack that meets their requirements, they can’t make a decision until after they’ve examined every option, so they can make the best possible choice.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Recognize yourself in one of those? We are both maximizers to a “t” and reading it out loud was almost scary. It did explain our compulsive need to check reviews on even most mundane objects all the way up to the bigger decisions, like where to live.
Quote: Who I Am
I have an idea of who I wish I were, and that obscures my understanding of who I am actually am. Sometimes I pretend even to myself to enjoy activities that I don’t really enjoy, such as shopping, or to be interested in subjects that don’t much interest me, such as foreign policy. And worse, I ignore my true desires and interests.
Quote: Possessions
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.
Quote: Best Friend
[Tom] Rath’s research found that while only 30 percent of employees report having a best friend at work, most people would opt for an office bestie over a 10 percent raise. And the lucky employees who do have a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs.