Friendship recognizes faults in friends but does not speak of them.
True friendship acknowledges imperfections, accepts them as part of our individual makeup, and focuses on our positive aspects instead of expounding upon our faults. Your friends don’t like you to comment upon their failings any more than you like them to criticize you. When your friends are discouraged or disappointed in themselves, a word of encouragement will serve much better than a sermonette. To be the kind of friend you would like to have, be a good listener, offer advice when you are asked for it, and treasure the trust that your friends have placed in you. Praise them for their achievements and sympathize when they fall short, but avoid offering “constructive criticism” or playing devil’s advocate. Most of us expect more from ourselves than anyone else ever would, and we are painfully aware of our shortcomings. We don’t need to be reminded of them by our friends.
The quality and quantity of the service you render, plus the attitude with which you render it, determine the amount of pay you get and the sort of job you hold.
The people who are promoted to the best positions in the company are those who make it a practice to go the extra mile, to do more than they are paid to do, and to do it willingly and cheerfully. You take the first important step toward determining your own future when you make the conscious decision to approach every task with a positive outlook and to stick with the job until it is done. If you find this attitude difficult at first, you’ll discover it eventually becomes part of you. And after you begin to realize the benefits that accrue to you because you are known as someone who always gives a little extra, you wouldn’t consider doing things any other way.
Great achievement is born of a struggle.
Our strength grows out of our weakness, said Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Not until we are pricked and stung and sorely shot at, awakens the indignation which arms itself with secret forces.” Strife and struggle can inspire you to overcome adversity and to propel yourself to real achievement. View every struggle as an opportunity for personal growth. It is the struggle itself, not the result that builds character. If you know you are right, stay the course even though the whole world seems to be against you and everyone you know questions your judgment. When you prevail — and you eventually will if you stick to the job — they will all tell you that they knew all along you could do it.
You can always see in others whatever traits of character you are looking for.
Margaret Wolfe Hungerford said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It was her way of saying that we see what we wish to see in others. Every living human being is a complex combination of feelings, emotions, and thoughts — some good, some bad. Your impression of another depends far more upon you and your expectations of that person. If you believe someone is good, you will find good qualities. If you don’t, you won’t. When you are yourself a positive person, you tend to find positive qualities in others. As you work to develop good, constructive habits to improve yourself continually, make it a practice to look for those same qualities in others. It’s easy to spot another’s shortcomings, but when you identify the good in others and congratulate them upon their positive achievements, you will make friends on whom you can always depend — both in good times and bad.