Actions, not words, are the greatest means of self-praise.
There are times when you will be asked to put yourself forward, to compete for a position or a contract, and you will have to speak about your accomplishments. Naturally, you will want to put the best foot forward. Be certain, however, that when you do so, you are confident that honest inquiry will support what you say about yourself. If your actions have been wise and responsible, the record will show this. Leaders in any organization are those who say, “Let’s get going. Let’s do something rather than wait around to see what happens.” When your past actions demonstrate that you are a person who accepts responsibility and shows others the way, your career and relationships will benefit you accordingly.
If you really are smarter than others, show them with your actions.
It is a natural human reaction for you to wish to correct others when you see them making a mistake or doing something differently than you would have done it. It is far more difficult to control the impulse to show them how much more intelligent you are. The ability to recognize and control such impulses marks the beginning of the development of wisdom. A wise person knows that when he shows his intelligence with the actions he takes, others learn a far more valuable and lasting lesson. If you see someone who could benefit from your advice, you can gently lead him to a more appropriate conclusion by asking open-ended, nonjudgmental questions. Let others find the flaws in their reasoning by leading them logically through the process. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil.”
You can think your way into or out of almost any circumstance, good or bad.
No action takes place unless it is preceded by thought. If you’re unhappy with the circumstances in which you find yourself, you can improve your situation through the power of thought, just as surely as you can destroy a positive life with negative thinking. Success begins with an honest analysis of your present condition, acceptance of responsibility for your own life, and the development of a workable plan to achieve what you desire.
It is always better to imitate a successful man than to envy him.
Of all the negative emotions, envy is perhaps the most insidious. It is especially sinister because it destroys you from the inside by replacing all that is positive and productive with negative feelings of anger, jealousy, and despair. But when you congratulate others upon their successes and genuinely wish them well, not only do you give credit to those who deserve it, but you also feel better about yourself. Once you’ve overcome your envy, you may want to determine what specific actions the other person took to achieve success. Meanwhile, you will have strengthened your relationships by recognizing the achievements of others.