The first and most provable difference between you and everyone else on the planet is that no one is constructed like you. Your body is different from anyone who has ever lived or will ever live – different on the inside and out.
No person on earth comprehends things like you do. No one ... Views: 2215
“What do you do that causes her to treat you that way?” was a question my counseling professor, Fr. Dr. Robert McEniry (Creighton University), taught his students to ask in a marriage counseling situation. The question presupposes that the responsibility for what happens between married partners ... Views: 1826
You were no accident. You’re not the descendent of an ape nor will you one day return to earth as a butterfly, a Billy goat, or a British Lord or Lady. You’re here at a specific time living in a specific place with a specific mission to accomplish. Your life has meaning – you are here for a ... Views: 1730
Smarmy quotes about friendship posted on Facebook walls do nothing to clarify the meaning of this serious human yearning. Friendship is experienced on at least five levels.
Passing friendship is the first level. The interesting person you sit next to on a long flight or the stranger who assists ... Views: 1439
Manners at the Airport and at 25,000 Feet
By Ron Ross
“Hi there!” a pretty lady said to me with a big smile, “I’m Julie and I am going to be your BFF for the next two hours!” We were flying from Denver to Chicago on a direct flight. I had the aisle seat and she was stuck in the center seat ... Views: 1035
By Ron Ross
Previously I described two ways to deal with anger, BLOW OUT and STRIKE OUT. Here are three other ways people deal with anger:
FAKE OUT! The FAKE OUT way of dealing with anger is used by people who think they have to be nice all the time, so they try to FAKE OUT others by ... Views: 1032
“Do not under any circumstances leave for Africa without sufficient funds raised to sustain you for at least three years.” That was the advice given me by a seasoned missionary as I considered taking my young family to Africa. It was good advice.
We saw how good it was when we arrived in Lusaka ... Views: 1026
Those stupid things you think about yourself pollute your mind, limit your achievements and corrupt your confidence. For some reason, the loudest voice you hear, the one that speaks with the most authority and does the most harm to you is not your mother’s voice, it is your own.
Here are ... Views: 996
You know the answer: you help yourself most when you help others succeed. But the easier thing to do is pull everyone down, or at least to continue to hang with those who refuse to do anything positive or take any affirmative action to improve their lives.
It is easy to find people with whom ... Views: 994
"Failure-ism" is a word I invented to describe the belief that everything you do ultimately fails. You can recognize this flawed belief system in a person when they say things like, "I'm just a loser" and "Nothing I try ever works."
Unfortunately, each of us has evidence to prove we fail. ... Views: 976
More often than I care to admit, I have quit. I have walked off of jobs, terminated projects, and submitted to the realities of more than one broken business model.
No doubt there were times when I quit too soon; if I would have persevered another day or week or month, I may have achieved my ... Views: 974
“Take out the garbage!” was a command my mother shouted at me when I was a kid. Today I stuff much of it down the garbage disposal; hit the “on” switch for a few seconds and it all goes down the drain. The rest I wrap tightly in a Walmart grocery bag, place it in the garbage can out back, and ... Views: 961
The first and most provable difference between you and everyone else on the planet is that no one is constructed like you. Your body is different from anyone who has ever lived or will ever live – different on the inside and out.
A whole new science called biometrics is dedicated to the ... Views: 957
Everyone endures bouts of loneliness from time to time. They are usually short-lived because the causes are either social (broke up with their girl/boyfriend, got a divorce, had a fight with their best friend, etc.), or geographical (moved to another job, town, school, etc.). Mentally healthy ... Views: 944
Spanish soccer player David Silva said, "Winners don't believe in fate like others do. They simply can't accept defeat." Mr. Silva would agree that fatalism is a bad idea you must lose if you want to win. If you believe in fate, you will never do the work that must be done to succeed at ... Views: 920
Twenty Tips for Lively Living
By Dr. Ron Ross
The following are ten of the Twenty Tips for Lively Living. Next week the final ten tips!
1. Clear the cobwebs. Sure you have heartaches, bad experiences and grief, but so does everyone else. If you dwell on the dark side of life you’ll ... Views: 907
What three qualities make for a great relationship? In nearly every survey one word will always appear: communication. Then why do so many couples make every effort to avoid talking with each other? Here are my top ten excuses men and women use to avoid meaningful personal interaction. The list ... Views: 907
Awkward, shy, indecisive. Do those words describe you? Do you often interpret non critical comments as critical? Are you perpetually pessimistic about people, places and events?
What you need is stronger self-confidence, a more honest sense of your own self-worth. Here are five quick steps ... Views: 905
Ninety-two percent of Americans believe in God. Why? Because the evidences of a Creator God are immediately available to anyone with an open mind willing to consider them.
Evidence 1: The intricacy of creation. Have you noticed that it appears that nearly everything on earth has a purpose? ... Views: 899
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: knowing when to ... Views: 897
Foul Language
By Ron Ross
“Please leave your profanity outside!” was a sign I saw on the door of a local restaurant. Seems to me we shouldn’t need such a sign in a public place. However we do live in a society where course talk is commonplace. Television shows and movies are increasingly ... Views: 896
This weekly column is a portion of a book soon to be published under the title, “Acquire Confidence: What Confident People Do That You Can Do Too!” When the book is complete it will have six sections with several of the columns as a part of each section.
The following is a ... Views: 895
Another significant reason that proceeding forward gives you the 5000+ Advantage is that motion attracts help, and as you go through life, there will be times when help is what you need.
Several years ago the Air Force Academy football program was highly rated with a great won/lost record and ... Views: 889
Terry Fox is a name millions of Canadians know well and Terry wasn’t even a hockey player – he was a runner – and he ran for miles and miles and miles – all with a prosthesis on his amputated leg.
At the age of 18 Terry was diagnosed with bone cancer in his right knee and lost his right leg ... Views: 886
Have you ever ridden in a multi-million dollar executive jet?
My brother has been a professional pilot all his life. I once flew with him from Colorado to Florida in one of the most technologically advanced executive jets ever built. He had been flying this magnificent airplane and his ... Views: 885
Doing nothing is the hardest work there is.
If you do physical work all day long you will come home tired. If you get up late and lay around the house all day in your pajamas, eat junk food, leave the dishes in the sink, let the yard go to seed and then moan and complain that all you have is ... Views: 885
Some years ago I had the privilege of being a judge at a regional Miss America pageant. You probably know that Miss America pageants are not just about beauty but also intellect. Besides the various beauty related events, the contestants were brought before the Judges one at a time to answer any ... Views: 879
“Would you like to know a quick and easy way to discern right from wrong?” I asked the students in a college class I was teaching. Every head bobbed enthusiastically up and down indicating they were interested.
“Before I tell you, let me say this.” I paused as the room went silent. The ... Views: 875
Respect the Elderly: Seven simple ways to be polite to your grandparents
By Ron Ross
Old people always think the children in their town are rude, smart-alecky and have no respect for their elders, and to some degree they are right. However, every generation makes the same claims so it is not a ... Views: 874
For review, here are the first four questions to ask yourself when thinking about your own personal success:
• Q1: Which is easier to accomplish: to make the world adjust to my particular needs or for me to adjust to the world as it is today?
• Q2: Who is best suited to fix my personal ... Views: 872
How you perceive yourself will contribute to or detract from your success and happiness in life.
Most people call this self-esteem. They suggest you need a vision of your life as you would like it to be so you can move toward success. They are right; however, consider with me another ... Views: 871
What is your definition of success?
There is nothing more personal than the definition of success. Quite honestly, the dictionary definition is inadequate, and though your mother’s opinion is probably still important, only you can define success for you! And that definition can change ... Views: 869
Your mind is the singularly most powerful tool for success that you own. It is powerful beyond measure and more valuable than the combined wealth you could ever earn in your lifetime. So, like anything of value, you must protect your mind.
But protect your mind from what? From the six ... Views: 868
Back in the 1950s my brother and I loved going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Thanksgiving Day. When I was ten years old we took one of those memorable trips from Norfolk, Nebraska to Julesburg, Colorado where Grandma and Grandpa lived in a small white house just catty-corner from City ... Views: 867
Sagging Trousers and PJs in Public
By Ron Ross
Trousers worn with the waistbands around the hips so the whole world sees your underpants: bad manners. It is a style overwhelmingly favored by young males and causes them to walk with a bizarre gait and constantly “hitch up” their trousers so ... Views: 866
When you were a kid were you afraid of ghosts, goblins, monsters and that big scary Bogeyman under your bed? Me too, but I got over it.
Would you like to shine the light on the ghosts of past mistakes and scare away the monsters of unforeseen obstacles? Would you like to blow off the menacing ... Views: 865
All holidays cause some insidious angst and distress in the hearts and lives of many people so I’m calling for their abolition.
I’m not the first person to notice the evil of holidays. Several years ago some private school in New York decided to exclude the celebration for ... Views: 863
Ignore Insults
By Dr. Ron Ross
There was a day when intelligent people could insult each other with some real class. The story is told that playwright George Bernard Shaw disliked Winston Churchill so he sent him an invitation to the opening night of his new play with this note: “I’m ... Views: 861
You are about to change the total direction of your life. You are going to move from a life of relative idleness to one of ambition and perhaps even sacrifice and the transition can be scary. You need to talk.
Some people will think you are nuts if you declare your intention to make a ... Views: 859
“Garage Sale of Biblical Proportions” was the sign our neighbors (Jeff & Marie) erected to announce their garage sale last weekend. The wife and I figured this was a real can’t miss event, so we ambled over to see what goodies they had that we couldn’t live without. Fortunately, there was no ... Views: 859
Would you like a simple definition of priorities? Here it is: The things that matter most. That may be far too simple a definition for a time management expert, but many books, blogs, songs and poems use that definition.
“First Things First” is a book about separating the urgent from the ... Views: 858
“How many hours must a flight student fly before he can solo?” I asked my flight-instructor brother.
“Around 17 hours of training and he or she must make at least 50 take-offs and landings.”
In other words, you do not learn how to fly by reading books and hanging out at the airport talking ... Views: 851
The sixth and best way to deal with anger is to SPEAK OUT. Previously I discussed S – Supervise yourself, P – Ponder appropriate responses. Now the E, A and K in the work SPEAK!
E - EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN HOW YOU FEEL.
Explaining how you feel is far different than screaming a stream of ... Views: 851
Last week I began listing the Top Ten Most Common Excuses for NOT Talking to Your Mate. Here is a brief review of Excuses 10 – 6:
Excuse # 10: The Smartphone. A text or phone call is allowed to interrupt anything.
Excuse # 9: The job. For some, the dirty little secret is that one partner ... Views: 845
Seven Sources of Self-Confidence
By Ron Ross
If God himself could give you a report on how much raw untapped talent lies within you, you would be embarrassed to ever whine or complain again.
No matter how stuck in the mud you may be today, you have the capacity to summon empowering ... Views: 842
Question 1: Which is easier to accomplish: to make the world adjust to my particular needs or for me to adjust to the world as it is today?
Singer/songwriter Lauryn Hill wrote, “That strong mother doesn’t tell her cub, Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you. She says, Toughen up, this is ... Views: 841
Eliminate the Twin Killers of Success Part 2
By Dr. Ron Ross
Many worthy goals, promising relationships, and terrific business ideas are ruined by the Twin Killers of Success: Speed and Greed. Last week the focus was on speed, this week on greed.
Let’s start with what greed is not. ... Views: 841
“Cassie won a full-ride scholarship to a Division One California University!” bragged my friend whose granddaughter is a star high-school track athlete.
“What is her best event?” I asked.
“The 100 meter hurdles,” he answered with a puffed up chest (he was a state high school championship ... Views: 840
By Ron Ross
jack-s-drive-innJack’s Drive-Inn in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1958 was not anything like the fancy diners and ice cream stores we now have. It was a large added on section of a house that stuck out into a parking lot that could hold not more than four or five cars.
Jack made ... Views: 840
There are an increasing number of people who think Washington DC has all the resources and all the wisdom necessary to solve their daily personal problems. This kind of thinking is music to the ears of professional politicians and government bureaucrats because they want as many people as ... Views: 838