Friday, January 09, 2009

Making Sense of This Nonsensical World

Several years ago when I was employed by Collin County Community College, my supervisor gave me Kent M. Keith's Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments. I thumbed through it but was consumed at that time with reading classic novels. Only recently did I pick it up again...and was amazed by its relevance on all levels: personally, professionally, emotionally and spiritually. Don't you love it when you are presented with a message that you really needed to hear? "Serendipity, baby", as I'm fond of saying.

I devoured the book in a couple of days and have recommended it to others. MANY others. (Thank you, Kathrine Swanson.) So here they are, the ten Paradoxical Commandments. Check out the book for more thorough explanations. It's a great read, and probably serendipitous for you, too.

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered...Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives...Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies...Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow...Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable...Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds...Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs...Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight...Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them...Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth...Give the world the best you have anyway.

1 comment:

Jon Bassinger-Flores said...

What a great list to live by! Thanks for sharing. I'm going out in search of this book today!