i-TFTD #37

1. If things are not going well with you, begin your effort at correcting the situation by carefully examining the service you are rendering, and especially the spirit in which you are rendering it.

-Roger Babson

2. In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins -- not through strength but by perseverance.

-H. Jackson Brown

3. The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

-Alvin Toffler

_____
The concept of "servant leadership" has been gaining prominence with books and blogs dedicated to the subject. I believe Mahatma Gandhi proved that a different kind of leadership is possible and effective. Service orientation can be applied at many levels usefully.

Persistence, perseverance, stubbornness (in a positive sense)... key qualities that most of us can work to acquire and benefit from.

The last quote from Toffler, one of the few truly prophetic futurists, is profound. His books are difficult to read but have time and again predicted future trends in business and society. Learnability is the ultimate skill today, that usually tends to reduce with experience.

i-TFTD #9

#9-1. Do not confuse notoriety and fame with greatness... For you see, greatness is a measure of one's spirit, not a result of one's rank in human affairs.

-Sherman Finesilver

#9-2. Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.
-Robert Louis Stevenson

#9-3. Don't limit investing to the financial world. Invest something of yourself, and you will be richly rewarded.
-Charles Schwab

_____
Name and fame are results of our actions, which reflect our attitudes. They are indicators and are not worth pursuing by themselves.

We have to begin where we are -- where else?! Too often we ponder over the past, delaying the beginning of useful action. This quote also indicates we need to have a realistic assessment of where we are, not self-inflated opinions of it.

Once we know where we stand, and remove any confusion of our goals, we can begin investing -- of ourselves and in our selves.