- If we see or hear a particular phrase, or witness a particular event, we can't really know that we've understood its specific meaning until we've read it or view it in context. If we see a man running down the street we can't really understand the meaning of his action until we become aware of its context. He might be running from a mugger, or because he just stole someones purse, or because he saw someone being hit by a car and is running to get help.
- Understanding the power of context in any specific circumstance is one of the most profoundly important aspects of all human experience.
- Finding power in a situation where you feel you've lost all control is a paradox -- an apparently self-contradictory statement or situation, or two opposite truths that, rather than cancelling each other out, actually lead to a greater truth.
- By considering two apparently contradictory truths we can arrive at a higher or more meaningful kind of truth.
- Sometimes pain is a choice. The nature of the struggle is up to us. We don't have to let fear control us.
- Letting go of the illusion that we have complete control over our outcomes will free us from our fears, allow us to bring more of ourselves to the work we need to do, and enable us to find happiness and power no matter what life brings our way.
- Need for understanding is a fundamental component of the human condition.
- We are, in essence, who we tell ourselves we are. -Robert Walter
- It's possible for someone with a negative driving myth to believe in it so deeply, live it so compellingly, and espouse it so eloquently that he or she can influence others to adopt it as well.
- Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're right. -Henry Ford
- The fact is that we can never really know how anyone else feels and that our feelings are never exactly the same as anyone else.
- We can't give our opinions about anything without revealing a piece of ourselves. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
- How you see the world reflects who you are, and who you are determines how you see the world.
- Respond intelligently even to the unintelligent. - Lao-tzu
- The man who makes everything for happiness depend on himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for happiness. - Plato
- If you know yourself, commit yourself to understanding and managing yourself, and find the power within yourself to achieve the goals that will enhance and elevate the meaning of your life, you will find that your ability to influence others through your example will be exponentially enhanced.
- To know your job is, in effect, to know your place in the world at any point in time and in every place over time. And, if you don't have a clear idea of what your job is in any given, there's no way you can do that job well.
- The Four Rules of Engagement: 1) Everyone is always right. 2) Everybody's greatest desire is to be right. 3) You can't change another person's mind. 4) You can help people shift their perspectives.
- There is no knowledge without experience. -Einstein
- Counselors, psychologists, therapists, and social workers are quite familiar with the fact that, whether it is good for us or not, we will seek out those who will validate our myths and avoid those who contradict our myths.
- It's difficult to let go of anything we define as valuable.
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