Points to Ponder

In my collection of sayings, I came across the following excerpts I copied from an old Reader's Digest section called "Points to Ponder." Everyone of these were so good, I have kept them for years and have tried to incorporate their wisdom into my own life.

Lair Ribeiro: The secret to success on the job is to work as though you were working for yourself. Your company provides you with the work area, equipment and other benefits, but basically you know what has to get done and the best way to do it, so it's up to you to run your own show. -Success Is No Accident (St. Martin's Press)

David Owen: The popularity of video cameras arises from a simple misunderstanding. Somehow people have the idea that they won't mind being old if they can turn on the TV and see what they were like when they were young. This is not true.

The best memories are ones that have been allowed to evolve unhindered by documentary proof. I often cheer myself up by thinking back on my days as a football star.

These recollections would be less thrilling if they were accompanied by a video showing that I weighed 80 pounds and spent most of my time on the bench. Memory is better than a video because it's free and it doesn't work very well. -Atlantic Monthly

Gil Lahav: There are two ways to find something that is lost: by accident, or by swearing, grunting and tearing the house apart. Although far more time-consuming, the second method is much more satisfying. Searching long and hard for something creates a restless suspense, a tension that is wonderfully relieved when the lost item is finally found. Finding a lost object in this manner strengthens the belief that we are in control of our lives. -Ability

Dale Turner: The story is told of five men sitting around a potbellied stove, arguing about which is the "right" religion-which offers the greatest assurance of salvation. It was a fruitless discussion because no one could agree. Finally they turned to a wise old fellow who had been sitting in the corner, listening.

"Gentlemen," he said, "when the cotton is picked, there are several ways to get it to the gin. We can take the northern route-it's longer but the road is better. Or we can take the southern route, which is shorter but filled with chuckholes. Or we can go over the mountain, even though it's more perilous. When we reach the gin, though, the man doesn't ask which way we came. He simply asks, 'Brother, how good is your cotton?'"-Grateful Living (High Tide Press)

Barbara De Angelis: Something in our human nature longs for that experience of complete emotional absorption, that magical moment when we are swept away. It is passion that entertains us. When a book is written without passion, you lose interest. When a team plays without passion, the game becomes boring. "These guys are asleep," a fan complains.

To feed this appetite, we reward those who can stir our emotions to the greatest heights-actors, athletes and rock musicians make millions because they know how to turn on our passion.-Passion (Delacorte)

Elaine St. James: No one can maintain more than three priorities. If you have a job you care about, that's a priority. If you have a family, that's a priority. Which leaves one more. Maybe it's staying in shape, maybe it's volunteering at your church.

Most people understand this intuitively. But they keep overcommitting themselves and overcomplicating their lives. So my advice is simple: figure out what your priorities are, and say no to everything else.-Quoted by Michael Warshaw in Fast Company

John L. Mason: One of the best ways to persuade others is to listen to them. You'll find that a gossip talks to you about others, a bore talks to you about himself, and a brilliant conversationalist talks to you about yourself and then listens to your reply.-Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop (Insight International)