Plura sunt quæ nos terrent, quam quæ premunt; et sæpius opinione quam re laboramus — “There are more things to alarm than to harm us, and we suffer much oftener in apprehension than reality.” – Horace Leadership requires a steadiness in the face of alarm, the ability to reassure in times of uncertainty and the …
"He who has self-respect has a fine contempt for whatever is low, petty, mean, or vulgar. He is like a modern elevator with an automatic safety clutch; if he does drop, he cannot fall far. He quickly stops himself. No matter what the provocation, how deep the cause for righteous anger, he will never humiliate …
A low pressure system moved through our area over the last few days and its attendant cold front finally moved through ushering in cold, strong, gusty winds. I checked the local airport's automated weather station and the winds we 22 gusting to 31 out of the west and the ceiling at the time was a …
"The Wright brothers flew through the smoke screen of impossibility." ~ Dorothea Brande There are a million and one reasons not to be a finisher of things - be it a simple task or a complicated project - but there is one in particular I wish to expose today for it has stopped a great …
"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty." ~ James Madison Seeing the images and videos of the various manifestations of rebellion known as the "Arab Spring" brings me back to the year of my high school graduation, 1989, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. As each piece of …
Being in the service industry, I can tell you that how a server maintains his self-composure in the face of self-obsessed patrons of his locale speaks volumes about the character of the individual. Over the years I’ve noticed that there are three common reactions: 1) the server maintains his calmness and equanimity all the way …
Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. ~ German Proverb No reasonable person would deny that there are dangerous elements in the world we inhabit. Whether part of the natural state or the product of having mismanaged the natural state over the ages, these perils are a regular part of everyday living. Children must …
It is not my usual custom to bang on sacred cows, but while we're on the topic of change and judgment, I thought I'd add another nickel to my earlier two cents. I'd like to look at why change is so difficult for people, but before I do so I feel it important to give …
I came across a scientific explanation why humanity progresses in fits and starts rather than on the basis of eternal progress. Apparently our brains are hard-wired with what is called "negativity bias," a trait that proved favorable as the process of natural selection worked its magic on our species. Negativity bias is the tendency to …
The key to change is to let go of fear. Far too often people will recognize the need for change and then sooner or later, fail to take the steps necessary to let the change manifest in its fulness. Some scupper change right at the "get-go," either out of a fear of failure or even of success, preferring instead the …
Continue reading The Fear of Change: Lessons from FDR and Benji
Gregory Hake 