Sep 16, 2012

QUARRELS AT THE OFFICE



Recently I had a discussion with a colleague about the performance of the branches under his supervision. As a result, he was so angry and upset that instead on focusing on the solution and/or explanation for such performance, he reacted taking the situation as a personal matter.  Furthermore, he started badmouthing and complaining with his peers about the situation instead of focusing on the solution.

To address such an inconvenient event, I looked for some quotes that can help me overcome and forget the whole situation and specially to be prepared for a similar situation in the near future. 

I think that the following quotes will be very useful for everybody in this aggressive business world.  I hope you enjoy them and learn from this experience.


The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. Oscar Wilde

Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause.
Victor Hugo

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.  Albert Einstein

When our hatred is too bitter it places us below those whom we hate. François de la Rochefoucauld

Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots. Unknown

False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. Socrates

No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong. François de la Rochefoucauld

If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. Albert Einstein

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world. Harold Kushner

Before you judge me, please make sure you are perfect. Unknown

In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.
Dalai Lama

We are so vain that we even care for the opinion of those we don't care for.  Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive. Alan Paton

Forget like a child any injury done by somebody immediately. Never keep it in the heart. It kindles hatred. Swami Sivananda

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you yourself also be like him. Proverbs 26:4

I don't want any "yes-men" around me. I want everybody to tell me the truth even if it costs him or her his or her jobs. Samuel Goldwyn

Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

A quarrel is quickly settled when deserted by one party; there is no battle unless there be two. Seneca

Whatever one of us blames in another, each one will find in his own heart. Seneca

It is a curious fact that people are never so trivial as when they take themselves seriously. Oscar Wilde

I rather bother anyone with the truth than to please with flatteries. Seneca

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often. Mark Twain

The well bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves. Oscar Wilde

Envy comes from people's ignorance of, or lack of belief in, their own gifts. Jean Vanier

It is not the same "to know the truth" and "to love the truth". Confucius

Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it.
Stan Smith

One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears - by listening to them.  Dean Rusk

Insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong. J.J. Rousseau

Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. Plato

A smart man only believes half of what he hears; a wise man knows which half. Unknown

What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness? J.J. Rousseau

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Mother Theresa

If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. Mother Theresa

The GREATEST and FASTEST pain reliever.... FORGIVENESS!!  Kimberly Jones

He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass. George Herbert

Forgive and forget. Sour grapes make for a lousy wine.  Unknown

Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. Harry Emerson Fosdick


Conclusion:  I must forgive him and don´t take anything personally as suggested by Don Miguel Ruiz in the “Four Agreements”.  I must listen and be slow to speak without raising the volume of my voice to make an argument.

I will only focus on what it is best for the company and always addressing the issues with strong numbers and facts:  Use soft words and hard arguments. English Proverb

In any case, sometimes is better to remain silent instead of engaging on an endless fight that does not benefit either the company or the individuals. 

The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.  Unknown.

When an argument flares up, the wise man quenches it with silence. Unknown

Choose your words carefully. They may come back to destroy you. Unknown

When you say something, make sure that your words are not worse than your silence. Unknown

Quarrels end, but words once spoken never die. African Proverb

Do not speak unless you can improve silence.
Jorge Luis Borges.

Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret. Dr. Laurence J. Peter

A final Word: Just ask God to direct your steps in every situation. God bless you and…..

Relate to others with warmth, human affection, honesty and compassion. Dalai Lama


Edgardo Mendoza V.

Sep 8, 2012

WEALTH AND HEALTH....

Wealth and riches are fine, a burden for those who must maintain them. With wealth comes great responsibility and accountability to God.  Unknown

Happiness, wealth, and success are by-products of goal setting; they cannot be the goal themselves. Denis Waitley

The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money, he who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. This also is futile.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth and turmoil with it. Proverbs 15:16

If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed. Unknown

A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth, good favor more than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1

Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame. Schopenhauer

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. 

Benjamin Franklin

Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health, and is as friendly to the mind as to the body. Joseph Addison.

He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he that loses his courage loses all. Miguel De Cervantes

Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away, but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich.  Proverbs 13:11

The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but whoever associates with prostitutes wastes his wealth. Proverbs 29:3

All wealth is the product of labor. John Locke

I have concluded that wealth is a state of mind, and that anyone can acquire a wealthy state of mind by thinking rich thoughts. Andrew Young

Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone's major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is almost impossible. Diane Khoo

Our own well-being is always the result of healthy decisions for ourselves coupled with disengagement from the choices of others.  Karen Casey

There is one who pretends to be rich and yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor and yet possesses great wealth.  Proverbs 13:7

For many men, the acquisition of wealth does not end their troubles, it only changes them. Seneca

One person is generous and yet grows more wealthy, but another withholds more than he should and comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24

A benevolent person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22

Wealth and want equally harden the human heart. Theodore Parker

In the house of the righteous is abundant wealth, but the income of the wicked brings trouble.  
Proverbs 15:6

Our true wealth is the good we do in the world.None of us has faith unless we desire for our neighbors what we desire for ourselves. Mohammed

Poverty is not derived from the decrease of the wealth, but rather from the multiplication of desires and needs. Plato

A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his Tools.   
Spanish Proverb

Happiness lies, first of all, in health. George William Curtis

The greatest of follies is to sacrifice health for any other kind of happiness. Schopenhauer

Doing good to others is not a duty. It is a joy, for it increases your own health and happiness.  Zoroaster

The greatest wealth is health. Virgil

Sep 1, 2012

ADVERSITY, DESPAIR, FRIENDSHIP AND GOD!

Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity. T. Carlyle

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. 
Abraham Lincoln

Adversity introduces a man to himself. Richard Nixon

Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; adversity not without many comforts and hopes. Sir Francis Bacon

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill



You have to know that every time adversity comes against you, it’s a setup for a comeback.  Joel Osteen

As a rule, adversity reveals genius and prosperity hides it. Horace



When the adversity calls to your door, the false friends are always sleeping. Unknown


If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. 
Anne Bradstreet


There is no education like adversity. Disraeli


Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity. Aristotle
People who drink to drown their sorrow should be told that sorrow knows how to swim. Ann Landers

Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men. Seneca.

The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man. Seneca.

Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity. Og Mandino

It is prosperity that gives us friends, adversity that proves them. 
German Proverb

A fall into a ditch makes you wiser. Chinese Proverb

We're born alone, live alone, die alone. Only through love/friendship, we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone. O. Welles


The worst solitude is to be destitute of sincere friendship. 
Francis Bacon, Sr.

Reach out to your friends intentionally. Don't wait for everyone to call you. A friendship is a two-way street.  Unknown

Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil.  
Baltasar Gracian

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.
Baltasar Gracian

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. 
K. Gibran

 Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. Dalai Lama

Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. Alexandre Dumas

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Martin Luther King Jr.

The truth is equally corrupted by lies or by silence. Cicero

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words. Elbert Hubbard



Despair is a tool that God sometime uses to make people come to Him.  Unknown

In every situation you are facing today, God is working for your good and His Glory. If you are having doubts, talk to a brother or sister in Christ but always ask God for help. Unknown

God never told you to figure everything out. He told you to trust Him. He's already got it figured out!  Unknown


If God brings you to it, He will help you through it. Unknown


Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22


Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9