Philosophy – Page 9 – Jane's Lessons Learned

Look Up

From Bert Jacobs, co-owner of Life is Good:

“That’s the great thing about optimism. You don’t start it or own it. You simply let it loose in the world and help it grow.”

“Don’t Be Stupid”

That’s it. That’s the other House Rule (see yesterday).

Barbara believes that most of life can be addressed with these two all-purpose rules. I am thinking this may be true.

What do you think?

Not So Special

This begins a string of lessons from Barbara. The first is “Don’t be thinking you’re special, ’cause you’re not”, which works for her!

This is one of two House Rules for Barbara. See tomorrow for the other.

“Just mind your own business”

Says Evan Lysacek: “My thought process was, ‘Just mind your own business.’ And I wrote it out on a little card, when I got here, and taped it up in my room. ”

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100219/SPORTS09/2190384/Evan-Lysacek-captures-figure-skating-gold-in-stunner#ixzz0g2Uja3lG

My colleague Danielle got this from a former colleague, Will, so it is multi-paraphrased but the idea is: A lot of people waste a lot of energy figuring out the other person’s intent and this is not productive. Focus on what to DO, instead.

Wow.

Still with the Procrastination?

In 1980, I sent for an application to the Procrastinators Club of America. They were real. They were based in the Philadelphia area. I still have the application, because I didn’t want to send it back too soon for fear that I would not be accepted. It has a logo of an hourglass with a rope knot tied around the middle.

What am I putting off saying here? That I have fallen way behind with my Lessons Learned. That I am learning that it would be much easier to just stay on top of this. And now I’m going to back-date the things I have learned in the past week, some that I squoze out of others. But I’m going to end up with one for each day. Yes I am.

Smile Already

Sally says that she’s learned that if you smile on the Green Line, people treat you differently. Someone even told her they liked her hat! (It is cute!)

Flex It

“Our real challenge is to make systems that change, not to make systems that will last”

Lynn Vogel, CIO of M D Anderson Cancer Center

Teens

My friend Donna, who should know after surviving four rounds, has learned this:

When kids get to be juniors or seniors in high school, sometimes it is better to just let them learn the hard way!

More So

Today I learned again/remembered that people don’t really change, unless they really really want to. Not if I really want them to – that doesn’t actually count.

Which reminds me of something I’ve heard someone say that their mothers alway said: “Be careful how you are, because when you are older you will be more so!” What a concept. Although this does contradict my first point, doesn’t it? if you can be careful then you can change, right?