A Personal Reflection by Michael Josephson –
Perhaps the only major advantage of getting older (I just turned 74) is the prospect of getting wiser.
I think I’ve learned a great many things over the years but here are a dozen of my most treasured insights.
1. I am still a work in process; that as long as I can think I can learn.
2. I still have a lot to learn but if I keep learning I will get better; and the better I get, the happier I will be.
3. Trying to be a good person doesn’t get any easier and that being a good person often requires me to do the right thing even when it costs more than I want to pay.
4. Kindness is more important than cleverness and that carrying grudges is foolish and self-defeating.
5. My dad was right when he told me, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and that tenacity is more important to success than talent.
6. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional and that I have a lot to say about my own happiness.
7. A life focused on fun and pleasure rarely leads to happiness or fulfillment.
8. In my personal relationships and in the workplace I’ve got to set limits because whatever I allow, I encourage.
9. The things I like to do least are often the things that need to be done most.
10. It’s easy to fall into self-righteousness and that neither the intensity of my feelings nor the certainty of my convictions is any assurance that I’m right.
11. Unless I translate my thoughts into actions, my great ideas and good intentions are like unlit candles.
12. I cannot lie myself out of a problem and that the problems I ignore don’t go away, they just grow bigger.
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