Lyle's blog

Getting To Outer Space

2012-01-28T04:54:00.000-08:00

Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards. - Fred Hoyle

The magnitude of any problem is dependent on your perspective.

Ideals

2012-01-27T04:54:00.000-08:00

Ideals are like stars: you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the ocean desert of waters, you choose them as your guides and following them you reach your destiny. - Carl Schultz

If you have no ideals you are adrift.

Source of Light

2012-01-26T04:54:00.000-08:00

All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. - Saint Francis of Assisi

You can't be seen in a dark world if you are not a source of light.

Ignoring Reality

2012-01-25T04:54:00.000-08:00

We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality. - Ayn Rand

Having your head in the sand doesn't protect you from the lion.

Beholder

2012-01-24T04:54:00.000-08:00

The Office does not sanctify the beholder of it. - Robert Heinlein

Just because somebody got there doesn't mean they deserve it.

Heart of Gold

2012-01-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg. - Unknown

People cannot see your heart.

Catching Confidence

2012-01-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

Self-confidence is something caught and not taught. And, risk-running and chance-taking are the only ways to catch it. - Arnold Schwarzenegger

When every kid gets a ribbon at the end of the race it breeds arrogance, not self-confidence.

Consequences

2012-01-21T04:54:00.000-08:00

Everything you do in life, every choice you make, has a consequence. When you do things without thinkin', then you ain't makin' the choice. The choice is makin' you. - Mark Steven Johnson

And you can never tell where you will end up.

Three Ingredients

2012-01-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

There are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning, and yearning. - Christopher Morley

In no particular order.

Looking at Friends

2012-01-19T04:54:00.000-08:00

When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends - Japanese Proverb

Look at your friends and see if they reveal what you think your character should be.

Obstacle Illusions

2012-01-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

Life is full of obstacle illusions. - Grant Frazier

Make sure obstacles are real before they stop your progress.

Knowing It All

2012-01-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

It is what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden

Actually after you realize that you never did know it all you are ready to learn.

Stork Theory

2012-01-17T04:54:00.000-08:00

If we are going to teach creation science as an alternative to evolution, then we should also teach the stork theory as an alternative to biological reproduction. - Judith Hayes

Schools should teach science; churches should teach religion.

Building Trust

2012-01-16T04:54:00.000-08:00

One of the most important ways to manifest integrity is to be loyal to those who are not present. In doing so, we build the trust of those who are present. - Stephen Covey

As long as you are being honest.

Solutions

2012-01-15T04:54:00.000-08:00

An undefined problem has an infinite number of solutions. - Robert A. Humphrey

A well defined problem's solution is close at hand.

Enemy of Truth

2012-01-14T04:54:00.000-08:00

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. - John F. Kennedy

Was he really a Catholic?

Dining Logistics

2012-01-13T04:54:00.000-08:00

A smiling face is half the meal. - Latvian Proverb

It's hard to see smiling faces when everyone is watching the TV. Dining room tables were invented to solve this problem.

Even a Blind.......

2012-01-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good. - Seneca

Me too.

Positive Opinions

2012-01-12T04:54:00.000-08:00

If you must tell me your opinions, tell me what you believe in. I have plenty of doubts of my own. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Talking negatives causes you to lose your audience. Thinking negatives causes you to lose your way.

Let's Go!

2012-01-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told, "I'm with you kid. Let's go." - Maya Angelou

No sense being gentle with life.

Investing in Politeness

2012-01-10T04:54:00.000-08:00

Politeness and consideration for others is like investing pennies and getting dollars back. - Thomas Sowell

Assume people are good, until you learn different.

Bad Manners

2012-01-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

Manners are just a way of showing other people that we have respect for them. - Bill KellyGood

Note that parents who do not teach their children manners end up with disrespectful kids.

Folowing Elephants

2012-01-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

You don't let the guy with the broom control how many elephants are in the parade. - Merlin Mann

Listen, but don't automatically act on others opinions.

Famous Martyrs

2012-01-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

Martyrdom is the only way in which a man can become famous without ability. - George Bernard Shaw

Give up the martyr attitude.

Getting There

2012-01-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

The saying "Getting there is half the fun." became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines. - Henry J. Tillman

Trains could make the saying true again if only they were run like a business.

Piling Up Tomorrows

2012-01-05T04:54:00.000-08:00

You pile up enough tomorrows and you'll be left with nothing but a bunch of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering. - Meredith Wilson

Some things shouldn't be procrastinated.

Notables Are Exceptional

2012-01-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

You either have to be first, best or different. - Loretta Lynn

Be sure to develop your talent first.

Errors Exposed

2012-01-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

The world always makes the assumption that the exposure of an error is identical with the discovery of truth - that the error and truth are simply opposite. They are nothing of the sort. What the world turns to, when it is cured of one error, is usually simply another error, and maybe one worse than the first one. - H. L. Mencken

Similarly the exposure of a fault does not ensure perfection.

Happening

2012-01-02T04:54:00.000-08:00

There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. to be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen. - James Lovell

Lead, follow, or get out of the way. Guess which one will get you success.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T04:54:00.000-08:00

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. - Oprah Winfrey

Why would you be doing it wrong in the first place?

Expected Excellence

2011-12-31T04:54:00.000-08:00

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected. - Steve Jobs

If your children are to do well then make your home the place where excellence is expected.

Gospel Flaw

2011-12-30T04:54:00.000-08:00

So much blood has been shed by the Church because of an omission from the Gospel: "Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbor's religion is." Not merely tolerant of it, but indifferent to it. Divinity is claimed for many religions; but no religion is great enough or divine enough to add that new law to its code. - Mark Twain

A theocracy will never foster freedom for its citizens.

Revealing Magic

2011-12-29T04:54:00.000-08:00

The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. - Eden Phillpotts

If you want to see magic encourage the young to sharpen their wits.

Keep Humanity Clean

2011-12-28T04:54:00.000-08:00

You must not loose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. - Mahatma Gandhi

Humanity, like the ocean, must continuously cleanse itself of the polluting drops.

What Kind of Change?

2011-12-27T04:54:00.000-08:00

To change and to change for the better are two different things. - German Proverb

If only the American voters understood.

Early To Bed.........

2011-12-26T04:54:00.000-08:00

Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something. - Robert Heinlein

But most of the work is done by the early risers. Each has their place.

The Meaning of Christmas

2011-12-25T04:54:00.000-08:00

Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa. - Matt Groening

Insure Your Principles

2011-12-24T04:54:00.000-08:00

Learn from the earliest days to insure your principles against the perils of ridicule; you can no more exercise your reason if you live in the constant dread of laughter, than you can enjoy your life if you are in the constant terror of death. - Sydney Smith

Treat ridicule like death - ignore it.

The Fuel

2011-12-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

It is not the horse that draws the cart, but the oats. - Russian Proverb

When you see power, look for the source.

The Easy Win

2011-12-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

To win without risk is to triumph without glory. - Pierre Corneille

There is always the risk of losing - unless there is no competition. Is it really "winning" if you're the only one in the game?

Prepare to Win

2011-12-21T04:54:00.000-08:00

It's not the will to win that matters...everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters. - Paul "Bear" Bryant

And the whole team must have the same will to prepare.

Simple Minded

2011-12-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

To doubt everything, or, to believe everything, are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection. - Henri Poincare

Both are a cop-out.

Keep The Trust

2011-12-19T04:54:00.000-08:00

The toughest thing about the power of trust is that it's very difficult to build and very easy to destroy. The essence of trust building is to emphasize the similarities between you and the customer. - Thomas J. Watson

Loss of trust, whether it be customer, friend or spouse, is to be avoided at all costs.

Smallest Minority

2011-12-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. - Ayn Rand

But they do. The question is how to change peoples opinion of them.

Keep the Fire Burning

2011-12-17T04:54:00.000-08:00

You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are. - Anna Quindlen

A fire will not burn with a single log.

Listening In Appearance Only

2011-12-16T04:54:00.000-08:00

A good listener is usually thinking about something else. - Kin Hubbard

Makes one wonder if there is such a thing as a good listener.

Regretable

2011-12-15T04:54:00.000-08:00

Regret doesn't remind us that we did badly, it reminds us we can do better. - Katheryn Schulz

We all do things we regret. It is how we deal with that regret that determines our stature.

Truth Is Truth

2011-12-14T04:54:00.000-08:00

Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance. - W. Clement Stone

Truth is the truth no matter what planet you are on.

Expecting Perfection

2011-12-13T04:54:00.000-08:00

Maybe the most any of us can expect of ourselves isn't perfection but progress. - Michelle Burford

I cannot expect perfection from you but you most certainly must expect perfection from yourself. Never accept mediocrity as a goal.

All Work

2011-12-12T04:54:00.000-08:00

You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are. - Anna Quindlen

Tunnel vision is not an asset for the traveler.

Results Rule

2011-12-11T04:54:00.000-08:00

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. - Sir Winston Churchill

Reality is the final word.

Real People

2011-12-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

My Father taught me how to be a man – and not by instilling in me a sense of machismo or an agenda of dominance. He taught me that a real man doesn’t take, he gives; he doesn’t use force, he uses logic; doesn't play the role of trouble-maker, but rather, trouble-shooter; and most importantly, a real man is defined by what’s in his heart, not his pants. - Kevin Smith

The same could be said about a real woman.

Explore Your Potential

2011-12-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

The idea of perfect closes your mind to new standards. When you drive hard toward one ideal, you miss opportunities and paths, not to mention hurting your confidence. Believe in your potential and then go out and explore it; don’t limit it. - John Eliot, Ph.D.

You have potential. It is up to you to explore it, not for someone else to discover.

Manipulation Prone

2011-12-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

There are habits and activities that leave people open to manipulation. I'm not saying they are wrong or right, just pointing out that these behaviors make you open to being manipulated... Here are a few general categories of behaviors that manipulators seek out:

Believing something because you heard someone say it on a news show on cable TV.

Being a child (or acting like one).

Buying penny stocks.

Repeating a mantra heard from a figurehead or leader of a tribe without considering whether it's true.

Trying to find a short cut to lose weight, make money or achieve some other long-term goal.

Ignoring the scientific method and embracing unexamined traditional methods instead.

Focusing on (and believing) easily gamed bestseller lists or crowds.

Inability to tolerate fear and uncertainty.

Focus on now at the expense of the long term.

Allowing the clothes of the messenger (a uniform, a suit and tie, a hat) to influence your perception of the information he delivers (add gender, fame, age and race to this too).

Reliance on repetition and frequency to decide what's true.

Desire to stick with previously made decisions because cognitive dissonance is strong.

Inability to ignore sunk costs.

Problem saying 'no' in social situations.

- Seth Godin

Add this to the mix of ideas to understand why the Doom-and-Gloom message is so effective.

Parents

2011-12-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it. - Haim Ginott

Never abdicate your responsibility as parent....no matter how tough it gets.

Ready to Leave the Nest

2011-12-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. - Denis Waitley

Gifts they are. They will cost you, but be invaluable to your child.

Doing It Wrong

2011-12-02T04:54:00.000-08:00

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. - Mae West

As long as you've done no harm, only you can say if your life was done wrong.

Fiction vs. Truth

2011-12-01T04:54:00.000-08:00

Men would rather believe than know. - E. O. Wilson

Words are often more influential than truth.

False Concept

2011-11-30T04:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a concept is baffling not because it is profound but because it is wrong. - E. O. Wilson

Just because someone said it does not make it true.

Superstition

2011-11-29T04:54:00.000-08:00

When the mind has once begun to yield to the weakness of superstition, trifles impress it with the force of conviction. - Ann Radcliffe

Don't even start down the path of superstition.

Gossip?

2011-11-24T04:34:00.000-08:00

You will never keep people from talking. But you can take actions to influence the content of what they say. - Seth Godin

Good or bad.

Graceful Understanding

2011-11-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

Gracefulness is to the body what understanding is to the mind. - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Beauty is graceful understanding.

Commander

2011-11-22T04:54:00.000-08:00

The American President resembles the commander of a ship at sea. He must have a helm to grasp, a course to steer, a port to seek. - Henry B. Adams

Presidents of the USA or of a business must have the same platform. Ascendancy; a plan; a goal.

High Sounding Words

2011-11-21T04:54:00.001-08:00

We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them. - Abigail Adams

Talk is cheap. Remember you get what you pay for.

Freedom From Bailouts

2011-11-21T04:54:00.000-08:00

Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. - Mahatma Gandhi

Who knew that Gandhi was opposed to bailouts! What a capitalist!

Living

2011-11-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present. - Lao Tzu

The tools we use to live may have changed but the way to live hasn't changed in the last few thousand years.

Successful Technology

2011-11-19T04:54:00.000-08:00

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled. - Richard Feynman

Word of mouth is unaffected by PR. (Word of Mouse as well).

Candle Power

2011-11-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. - Eleanor Roosevelt

Make it a rule: He that curses the darkness has to provide the candle.

River of Tears

2011-11-17T04:54:00.000-08:00

When someone hurts you; cry a river; build a bridge; and get over it! - Richard Middleton

The sooner the better.

Change Needed?

2011-11-16T04:54:00.000-08:00

The only people who can change the world are people who want to. And not everybody does - Hugh Macleod

Beware of those who want to change the world but cannot clearly define the root cause of the need.

Creative Play

2011-11-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play. - John Cleese

To have creative workers you need creative children. Give your kids time to play without input; be it audio, video or parental.

Everything From Anywhere

2011-11-14T04:54:00.000-08:00

If you would be known, and not know, vegetate in a village; If you would know, and not be known, live in a city. - Charles Caleb Colton (1780–1832)

The internet has changed everything.

Dealing With Anxiety

2011-11-13T04:54:00.000-08:00

Accusing someone else of having what you consider a negative personality trait can help you feel less anxious about having that trait yourself. Life can be stressful at times, and people sometimes need to find ways to cope with anxiety. Some will turn to drugs or alcohol. Others might shop compulsively or gamble. Some, however, may turn to more subtle habits such as being critical of everyone else. - Michael J. Hurd

Find a non-destructive way of dealing with your anxiety.

Knowing the Future

2011-11-12T09:47:00.001-08:00

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them. - Denis Watley

Define your mission.

Sound Volume

2011-11-11T04:54:00.000-08:00

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be sure your words match your actions.

Dinner Time?

2011-11-10T04:54:00.000-08:00

A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of anything than he does of his dinner - Samuel Johnson

Do you eat to live or live to eat?

Your Mission

2011-11-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

Plans are great. But missions are better. Missions survive when plans fail, and plans almost always fail. - Seth Godin

Perhaps you should pay more attention to Mission Statements than to Business Plans.

Light Stuck In Dark

2011-11-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in. - Arlo Guthrie

Your troubles always look better if you have something worse to compare.

Change

2011-11-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. - Charles R. Swindoll

Change "we" to "I"; change "our" to "my".

Rank

2011-11-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

Managers want authority. Leaders take responsibility. - Seth Godin

The difference between a Drill Sargent and a General.

The Worst Loneliness

2011-11-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself. - Mark Twain

You may not want to, and it may be difficult, but you can change yourself.

No Problem

2011-11-04T04:54:00.000-07:00

If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem, but a fact - not to be solved, but to be coped with over time. - Shimon Peres

O.K.

Honorable

2011-11-03T04:54:00.000-07:00

Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them. - Aristotle

Strive to be honorable, not honored.

Vacations

2011-11-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

Rest is valuable only so far as it is a contrast. Pursued as an end, it becomes a most pitiable condition. - David Swing

Think of this when planning for retirement.

His Choice

2011-11-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismograph. - Ken Kesey

A flash rather than grounded in bedrock.

Mistaking Words For Thoughts

2011-10-31T04:54:00.000-07:00

One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts. - Samuel Johnson

Make sure you are better able to discern the difference than those you are with, no matter the intoxicant.

Multiple Truths

2011-10-30T04:54:00.000-07:00

Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth.' - Kahlil Gibran

Each subject may have multiple truths, though they are never contradictory.

Educating Your Kids

2011-10-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time. - Rabbinical Saying

However it is your job as parent to make sure your children are educated about what has happened during your time.

Kindness

2011-10-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not. - Samuel Johnson

There is seldom a reason not to be kind to people, animals and things.

Treading

2011-10-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

When you tread water, you lift yourself up by pushing water down. Likewise, in any social hierarchy, people unsure of their own position will try to emphasize it by maltreating those they think rank below. I've read that this is why poor whites in the United States are the group most hostile to blacks. - Paul Graham

I've always felt people put others down in order to improve their status. Mr. Graham seems to think it is to maintain their position. Perhaps he is right.

Progress Profit

2011-10-26T04:54:00.000-07:00

Progress depends on people knowing they'll be able to profit from their ideas. - Deborah Neville

That's why socialist and communist countries make no progress.

Makin' It

2011-10-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything. - Edward J. Phelps

Don't dwell on mistakes other than to minimize their impact.

Mediocre Gratitude

2011-10-24T04:54:00.000-07:00

It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation. - Roberto Benigni

Don't be mediocre in anything you do.

Flawed

2011-10-23T04:54:00.000-07:00

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt

If you consent to feel inferior only you can remedy the flaw.

Want to Enjoyment

2011-10-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Life is a progress from want to want, not from enjoyment to enjoyment. - Samuel Johnson

Get enjoyment from satisfying your wants.

Educational Guidance

2011-10-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around. - Jim Rohn

Beware; So much "education' is really disguised propaganda. Education should teach you to research, rationally integrate ideas, and think. (i.e. reading, writing and mathematics).

Searching for Happiness

2011-10-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

The consuming desire of most human beings is deliberately to plant their whole life in the hands of some other person. I would describe this method of searching for happiness as immature. Development of character consists solely in moving toward self-sufficiency. - Quentin Crisp

Immature? He was so much gentler with words than I'll ever be!

Idea's Worth

2011-10-20T04:54:00.000-07:00

An idea isn't worth that much. It's the execution of the idea that has value. If you can't convince one other person that this is something to devote your life to, then it's not worth it. - Joel Spolsky

I agree with the second sentence but would ague with the rest.

Power Unbalanced

2011-10-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

Good ideas alter the power balance in relationships, that is why good ideas are always initially resisted. Good ideas come with a heavy burden. Which is why so few people have them. So few people can handle it. - Hugh Macleod

The easiest one to convince is the one who will most benefit from the shift of power.

Acting on Impulse

2011-10-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied. - Pearl S. Buck

Mistakes are what happens when you act on impulse.