As we continue to bounce through turbulent economic times, we often need to be reminded that central to successfully leading and living above the line is deciding how to frame the adversity and challenges we face.

“In the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not the result of camp influences alone. Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him – mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp.”
Viktor Emil Frankl (1905 – 1997), Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and Holocaust survivor, Man’s Search for Meaning

“Consider these statements: ‘I have not done it’ or, ‘I don’t think they should do it’ or, ‘I don’t believe I could do it’ or, ‘I don’t want to do it.’ Each of these statements contains an element of personal responsibility that does not use what others have done as an excuse. Contrast those statements with: ‘They shouldn’t even try to participate in decisions’ or, ‘Nobody around here could ever do that’ or, ‘They would never let us get involved.’ These statements assign responsibility for actions to some higher authority…”
Geoffrey M. Bellman, Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge

“People with an external locus of control see the world as controlling them; they are subject to the forces of other people, chance, or of ‘fate.’ Obviously, both conditions exist at the same time; I determine if I will brush my teeth this morning or not, but I also recognize that there is precious little I can do about the Chinese government’s one-child policy or the weather. But the proportion of things which individuals put in each category can vary quite dramatically, and this factor has been shown to be related to a number of different aspects of health and stress.”
Daniel Moerman, Meaning, Medicine and the ‘Placebo Effect’

“God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference. Amen.”
Author Unknown