Category: Learning

Quote of the Week - November 4, 2013

11/6/2013

“No one limits your growth but you. If you want to earn more, learn more.” -- Tom Hopkins

In today's world where it seems many people want to blame others for their problems, Tom Hopkins brings up a great thought about one thing that we totally have control over. Our ability to choose to learn more can make all the difference in the world for not only ourselves but everyone that is around us too.

We tend to get in the way of ourselves a lot when it comes time to accomplishing things and growing in life; at least I know I do for sure. This whole mindset about we really do have control over so many things in our lives simply by the way we choose things and our ability to think and control our own minds - it's amazing when we really stop and think about it.

I've been listening to a lot of Napoleon Hill lately - by the way which I recommend getting some of his books and audio recordings that are out there for everyone. It is one of his central teaching points that we should work to have control over our own minds and the way we think because that connects to everything we do in our lives. We should look to learn everyday about things that interest us along with those new ideas and ways of thinking that can help us help others. Being a life-long learner is the way to go as I've figured out the learning never stops. As we get into the busy holiday season coming up - I will be trying to remember the fact that I need to continue to learn more, grow, get better and keep moving forward towards dreams and goals that I have along with helping those around me do the same. I don't want to get all caught up in blaming others for my lot in life.

Remember, earning is not just about money. It's about earning more relationships in life, earning more peace of mind, earning more positive energy, etc. What are your thoughts? Any to share with me and the world? I'm always looking to learn more from others as I know I don't know everything other than I know I need to be open to learning more to keep getting better and better in all I do.

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Quote of the Week, September 30, 2013

10/1/2013

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"Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday." - JOHN WAYNE

In the midst of our Spirit Week for Homecoming here at school and Monday was Wild Western day. What better symbol of the old West - John Wayne. Growing up and still today, I love watching his movies. His grit, courage, work ethic, not putting up with any crap, trying to do what was right, etc., all all things that we need today in this country. Now I know his characters that he played were the ones showing all of those traits, and he like everyone else, had problems in real life. We all do. I still admire him as an actor and a man. Always have. Always will.

When I saw his quote about our tomorrow's hope that we learned something from yesterday.... wow, that is truth right there. Think about it. When we get to our tomorrow, doesn't it make sense that we learned from our yesterday? It makes total sense to learn about the things that we struggled with and the things that went well for us too. That's the great thing about having a tomorrow, we get to start over again. Get better at those things that we didn't do to well and those things that we did do well, keep doing them and get even better at them. However, make sure you work hard at not taking your tomorrow's for granted. There will come a day when you won't have them, with those people that we care about and for ourselves too. It always comes back to the time factor. John Wayne always had a saying about getting up and getting going - he would always say "Let's go, we're burning daylight." So in order to have better tomorrows, I know I have to make my today's better, which will help make my yesterdays and tomorrows good too. What can you do with this statement from the Duke? Always enjoy hearing your thoughts and ideas. By the way - go watch "Rio Bravo" - one of John Wayne's best movies!

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Quote of the Week - August 26, 2013

8/26/2013

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"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." -Henry Ford

There was a little bit of a connection to this being a Monday and this wonderful quote from Henry Ford. When I saw it this morning I thought about the fact that I needed to reset and begin a few things again today, being the start of another week. This week is crucial leading up to the new school year and there are plenty of things I need to work on in a more intelligent way than I've done before.

This holds true with work things that we have to do, but more importantly it also has to do with life things too. The sooner we look at the difficulties in our lives, how did we arrive there, what things can we learn from those experiences, how can I make changes so it doesn't happen again; are just some of the things we need to think about. This of course is all wieved arround the fact that we can't let our own negative thinking get in the way of learning from our failures.

One thought I had when I read this over a few times this morning, was that all the things I've failed at throughout my life, I must not have learned much since some of the things I'm still struggling with. From there it might be a thought like, 'what makes you think this time will be any different?' Another one; 'who are you kidding, you know you'll end up right where you started as you have tried this so many times.'

A funny thing though. As I started running the usual negative thoughts in my head there was a little response, just a little voice that said - hey, this time can be different. It also said that 'you know you can do this', along with little pictures in my mind about me being successful and actually doing these things that I'm working on doing. The key is that over time (and for me it's been a long journey) I have learned little bits and pieces even if I wasn't successful at accomplishing things that I wanted to do, I still got just a tiny bit better than I was before.

There is the key! As long as you come coming back, struggle, try and do more, try and get better, keep trying to accomplish things in your life; this quote from Henry Ford will continue to hold truth for you. This is why it's important to continue to read and listen to things more than once. In fact it should be many times - some experts even say almost 20 times we need to read or listen to something for it really to become a habit, or it gets placed inside of us that we can draw on it any time we need it. What is it for you? What does Mr. Ford's quote mean to you? How do you connect to it? As always I invite you to share with me and others your thoughts and ideas about this quote, for there will be many other ideas and thoughts that can help me and others. It's always great to see someone's thoughts and opinions that can get us thinking differently. Seeing things from different points of view are always helpful.

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Quote of the Week - August 12, 2013

8/13/2013

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“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability. It’s an awesome responsibility” ~ Zig Ziglar

Zig strikes again! This idea I've heard from both Zig and Les Brown lately - and I'm sure many others have mentioned it too. I guess it's finally connected with me that I wanted to get this out and have hopefully some people take it in and think deeply about how true this statement really is. I guess getting older too helps open up my mind a little bit more to accept and think about new thoughts and ideas. Once again, sure would be nice to have that concept earlier, but I'm very happy I have it now.

How long will it take you to read over and think about this statement as to how much truth it really holds? As I think about it, my first thoughts about it for me tend to go towards the negative - I know, it's something I need to continue to work on. I will tell you that I am catching onto that fact that I realize my negative thinking comes on - this is happening faster and faster recently so that I can make a change or focus as to how my thoughts are affecting me. Now on that one. I'm proud of myself and looking to continue to get better. :-) Getting back to that point - I sometimes look first as to how I've dropped the ball on this "awesome responsibility" as Zig puts it. I do believe that I'm the only person that can take my abilities and use them for the good of helping others. For so long, I've really not taken this to the full extent that I know I can. I've done enough to be ok in many areas of teaching, coaching, being a dad, being a husband, a son, a friend, etc. But to say that I've always tried my hardest and done my best, well... that's where I know I have dropped the ball so to speak.

Again, I think the key is for me personally - is that I now realize that. Many times I would feel down on myself for realizing that fact and I am having a little more success in realizing that I can still change and get better. I am turning quicker from those feelings of sorrow on myself to knowing that I need to do something about it. We all must realize that if we don't act and do the things with our abilities that we know we have, we are really doing an injustice to so many people that we can help. I think the cost of us not learning about our abilities and talents that we can use to help others, is really something that will hurt us so much at the end of our lives. It is connected again with what Les Brown has said - that the most valuable piece of land or real estate is the graveyard. All the ideas, thoughts, plans, goals, dreams, etc,, that never were acted upon - all die with that person that had them inside of them. The other cost, probably a greater one is that the people we were supposed to help will never ever happen. There could be someone we help that in turn will help thousands or tens of thousands (or more) and without us doing what we should do - that person and all the ones after that will never know what they could do.

I don't know about you, but as I get started on my 25th year in education - I know that this quote among many others will help me probably more so this school year than any others in the past. With all the negativity and uneasiness in education and in life in general, I know the more people that listen to Zig and then listen to their hearts will help make a difference in so many ways. As I've told my students throughout the years - it's time for me to "shut up", because when I'm doing all the talking I'm not learning anything. What are your thoughts and ideas about this quote and any other quotes that I've posted. Me and so many others would appreciate your thoughts and ideas. I'm always interested... just let me know.

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Quote of the Week - August 5, 2013

8/5/2013

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"Life is way too short to spend another day at war with yourself." - unknown

This quote stuck out to me big time - I really think anyone of us could put their name after this one as being the author. It's been a rough week. A number of friends have lost someone this past week it seems and it also included finding out that one of my high school classmates passed away too.

So when I saw this quote, two things came into my mind really quick. The first was how so true the first part is: Life is way too short! That statement, the older I get, really is one of the all-time true statements. I think a huge key is for people to realize it early on in life so that things can be different in their lives. It's a wisdom thing I think and as we all know, wisdom comes with age and experience. So maybe it's not meant to be learned or understood at a young age?? But I think it should and I also think it's possible too. I know plenty of young people who do indeed seem to have this understood.

The second part that jumped out to me and once again - it either punched me real quick in the nose or at least slapped me across the face and got my attention was being at war with myself. This, more than any other problem probably that I have (and there are many it seems), is one that I know I've spent too much time on in my lifetime. There are so many great leadership & life teachers that mention this statement - we have to overcome ourselves before great things can happen. We must get out of our own way to go anywhere. Oh, how true it is.

As always, I love learning from others and their thoughts, ideas, and experiences. What lesson do you draw out of this statement? Have you ever thought about this fact? August is a great time to re-focus on things as summer winds down. Let me and others know what you think.

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Quote of the Week - July 15, 2013

7/17/2013

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"You build a successful career, regardless of your field or endeavor, by the dozens of little things you do on and off the job."- Zig Ziglar

Zig always had a way of connecting important parts of life to everyone's life so they could understand it. He had a way of really making connections with people. He's totally right about successful careers (really successful lives) being created by the little things we do, day in and day out.

So many little things add up to very big things. Those little things are so important and I think so many people, including myself many times, don't view them as making a big impact. But we all know they do. The little things - showing up on time, helping others, do what we say we are going to do, having a good attitude, etc., all lead to our future either being more positive with lot's of opportunities or maybe not so positive and the opportunities we have are not really the ones we wanted.

I also think the older we get the more we can see this quote as being very true. The key is for people to not wait until they get a little more life experience to see the truth, but to catch is early and make the adjustments necessary for it to become total truth in their lives. I know I am trying very hard to focus on the little things that I do... I'm not always successful, but I know I'm better off now than I was a few years ago. Tomorrow, I will be better than I was today. What about you? What little things are you doing now that you know will pay dividends in your future? Are there a few little things you need to change? I know I have to do just that. I'm always interested in finding out from others so maybe I can pick up a few points to not only help myself but others too.

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Quote of the Week - March 11, 2013

3/12/2013

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"The things which hurt, instruct." - Benjamin Franklin

I think the older you get the more this quote connects with you. They key is to have this (and other ideas like it) connect to you early in life rather than waiting for getting older to help you figure it out. I tell my students all the time, feel free to learn from me and others that are older than them so you don't take the time that we did to figure things out.

Learning more about Ben Franklin really shows me how smart he was. Those things that really matter in life, usually hurt us at some point in time and we have to learn from them. Life is full of teachable moments, we just have to look upon those moments as being able to learn from them rather than getting all upset and ticked off at those moments. Ben brings up so many important points about how we should live our lives. He learned many lessons himself about how he had to improve the way he did things. If you can find any of his writings, I suggest you take the time to read them.

So even if you don't like history, check out Ben Franklin. Not only is he a very wise man for the history of country, but he also learned some things about people and himself too. In life, improving ourselves and how we interact with others is one of the most important things we can deal with throughout our lifetime. What are your thoughts? Is Ben correct?

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Quote of the Week - March 4, 2013

3/6/2013

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“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.” – John Maynard Keynes

There is a lot of challenge from getting away from old ideas and old habits - for many like me it's a constant challenge to break out into having new ideas. The older we get, the more difficult it seems to be sometimes to developing new ideas. Difficult yes, impossible no.

Some of it depends I think on our dreams. We need to keep them alive and continually out in front of us. I try and get my students to understand that one. It's been said - "if you don't dream and think about it, it won't happen!" We will all end up somewhere in life. It might as well be someplace that we want to be. We need to break away from old ideas and have new ideas in our lives in order to help make that happen.

Another key in helping ourselves to have new ideas is to have good people around us encouraging us to go after our dreams and helping us think of new thoughts and ideas. We all know people that are helped by others to stay just where they are at. Association is a huge part of success as the people we hang around play a big part in us taking on new thoughts and ideas in our futures.

As always, I'm very interested in reading and responding to your thoughts. In fact, that helps me (and others) to develop new ideas and get away from old ones.

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Quote of the Week - February 18, 2013

2/21/2013

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"Remind yourself that you're bound to get better. Don't get down on yourself. Don't beat yourself up. It's the next opportunity that matters, not the last one." -- Jim Rohn

Jim must have had this one set up for me. This quote deals with something that I've had to try and deal with my whole life and I really only realized that fact probably a few years ago. It's been said many times, by many different people that we are our own worst enemy. Out of all the awful and negative things that others can say about us - what we say to ourselves can do so much more damage.

I've learned over the years how true this is. Recently I've been trying to change that in my life and I feel that it's starting to help. What I am thinking and saying to myself, does indeed make a difference. I guess I find myself reflecting on this more and more due to my age. I just turned 47 and there comes a time where you start looking back on your life and wonder about choices and decisions and how they affected how you got to where you are. I've done plenty of that for sure. But like the quote says - it's about the next opportunity, the next chance to do something great. So making that chang-over from living in the past, regreting things, etc., to LEARNING from the past I think is a huge deal.

Sticking to things, not quitting (which I've done plenty of in my life), finishing things off is all part of being ready for the next opportunity are the important points to focus on. What can I learn from your thoughts on this quote? How does this quote connect with you?

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Quote of the Week - February 4, 2013

2/4/2013

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"There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living" - Nelson Mandela

I guess many times in life it takes something that needs to happen to wake you up and help you focus in asking yourself, "how's my life going?" (The old, doing your homework connection) The current events going on around the state of Michigan and our country for that matter with education, has me thinking, a lot about my current profession as a high school teacher. I know I enjoy teaching and I am passionate about helping young people, but I am wondering about what else is out there for me? Being in my mid-40's might have a little something to do with it too.

At this point in my life I guess I am thinking about doing other things with my life. My two kids are getting older and there will be more time soon in my life to focus on my wife and myself more than I have been able to do in the past. Maybe I am also to look ahead for the next 10 to 15 years and see some other opportunities that I didn't have before. I'd like to think that I'm not ready to leave teaching, but I do wonder about what else I can do in education. This quote has me thinking about if I am just settling for things; and it connects with the reality that there is not a lot of time left in my working life if I do indeed want to explore what else is out there.

Like I said, sometimes it takes an outside factor or person or a group of people to help you along with this self-reflection of your life. I always tell my students about finding something they are passionate about in life and going after that. This statement can serve not only middle age people like myself, but I think it can ignite a great and wonderful life for teens that look for connections earlier in their lives than most adults did with theirs. What thoughts do you have about this? Have you found something passionate to connect yourself to in your life? I'm always interested in learning from others as teachers need to become a student again in so many instances. We need to realize that class is always in session throughout our lives.

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Quote of the Week - November 4, 2013

Quote of the Week, September 30, 2013

Quote of the Week - August 26, 2013

Quote of the Week - August 12, 2013

Quote of the Week - August 5, 2013

Quote of the Week - July 15, 2013

Quote of the Week - March 11, 2013

Quote of the Week - March 4, 2013

Quote of the Week - February 18, 2013

Quote of the Week - February 4, 2013

Coach John Daly

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