Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Dale Carnegie on Happiness

Dale Carnegie finds happiness in the small things and in everyday. Here are some quotes from Dale Carnegie:

1. “Remember happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think.” (Carnegie 83)

2. “Many people think that if htey were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happisness out of what you are doing as you can and don’t put off being happy until some future date.” (Carnegie 87)

3. “Life truly is a boomerang. What you give, you get.” (Carnegie 88)

4. “I know men and women can banish worry, fear and various kinds of illnesses, and can transform their lives by changing their thoughts.” (Carnegie 89)

5. ” I know with a conviction beyon all doubt that the biggest problem you and I have to deal with- in fact, almost the only problem we have to deal with-is choosing the right thoughs. If we can do that, we will be one the highroad to solving all our problems.” (Carnegie 91).

6. “Obviously, circumstances alone do not make us happy or unhappy. It it the way we react to circumstances that determines our feeling.” (Carnegie 93)

7. “Am I advocating that we simply bow down to all the adversities that come our way? Not by a long shot! That is mere fatalism. As long as there is a chance that we can save a situation, let’s fight!” (Carnegie 92)

8. “The trouble with most of us i that we keep our eyes closed to opportunities that thrust themselves at us; and rare is the man who searches for his opportunity or sees one even when he stumbles over it.” (Carnegie 95)

9. ” As you and I march across the decades of time, we are going to meet a lot of unpleasant situations that are so. They cannot be otherwise. We have our choice. We can either accept them as inevitable and adjust ourselves to them, or we can ruin our lives with rebellion and maybe end up with a nervous breakdown.” (Carnegie 94).

10. ” When ill luck besets us, to ease the tension we have only to remember that happiness is relative. The next time you are tempted to grumble about what has happened to you, why not pause and be glad that it is no worse than it is.” (Carnegie 96)

11. “Here’s a though to carry with us: Let’s forget everything that aroused rancour, distrust and unkindness in our minds. At any time you can adopt the practice of forgetting a wrong.” (Carnegie 97)

12. ” If we think happy thoughts, we will be happy.” (Carnegie 98)

13. “It isn’t work that makes you tired, it’s your mental attitutude.” (Carnegie 99)

14. “By talking to yourself about things you have to be grateful for, you can fill your mind with thoughts that sing and soar.” (Carnegie 101)

15. “Do you know that you can be happy by just making up your mind-and sticking to it-that you are going to be happy?” (Carnegie 100)

16. ‘There is only one way on God’s green footstool that the past can be constructive; and taht is by calmly analyzing our past mistakes and profiting by them-and forgetting them.” (Carnegie 103)

17. “One of the most tragice thing I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living.” (Carnegie 107)

18. “Let’s be content to live the only time we can possible live: from now until bedtime.” ( Carnegie 108)

19. “Today is life-the only life you are sure of.” (Carnegie 111)

20. “This day is too precious to be corroded by acid worries and vitriolic regrets. Keep your chin high and your thoughts sparkling, a mountain brook leaping in the spring sunshine. Seize this day. It will never come again. (Carnegie 113)

Tip of the Week

Leaders must be determined to focus on their goal and to coach their employees to do the same. Here are some tips on coaching employees to persevere in the attainment of their goals:

  • Build rapport with your employees so that you have a good relationship from the start
  • Begin with praise and honest appreciation
  • Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly
  • Reassure employees and give the other person a fine reputation to live up to

Success Coach Says Take Steps to Delegate

Michael Crom, an executive vice president of Dale Carnegie Training, offers his advice for greater success at work…

Question: I have recently gotten a promotion at work and I am very excited about my new role with the company. With my new promotion comes a number of new responsibilities. In order for me to accomplish all of my tasks I will need to delegate a certain amount of work to other employees. Do you have any advice on the best ways to make use of delegating?

Answer: Delegation is not just about handing work out to the employees that work for you. There should be a purpose and meaning for all involved in the process. Here are some principles that will allow you to make effective use of delegation for all parties involved.

- Know the skills and abilities of your co-workers. You want to put the person who is helping you in the best position to succeed.

- Know the performance standards. Make sure expectations are clear so that there can be known success and improvement areas.

- Process is equitable. You want this to be a mutually beneficial job. The person should know that there is a reason why they are doing this job instead of someone else.

- Give sufficient authority. Make sure you give proper authority to the person so that they do not get push back from others.

- Show that help is available. Make yourself and all other resources available to the person, and let them know it.

Copyright 2009, Dale Carnegie & Associates Inc. All Rights Reserved