There are respectful, considerate things that can be done in life that will be appreciated by the recipient, and only good things can result.

You will not find your passion in things and you will not find your passion in money. The more things and the more money you have, the more you will look around and use that as the metric and there will be someone with more.

Luck is indeed where preparation meets opportunity.

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.

Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I'm a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it 'the eaten by wolves factor.' If I do something, what's the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don't worry about, because I have a plan in place if they do.

One key factor in the downward spiral in our educational system is that there is too much stroking and too little real feedback.

When you do the right thing, good stuff has a way of happening.