Michael Josephson: 12 hard-won life changing insights

  Perhaps the only major advantage of getting older is the prospect of getting wiser. I think I’ve learned a great many things over the years but here are a dozen of my most treasured insights.

1) I am still a work in process; that as long as I can think I can learn.

2) I still have a lot to learn but if I keep learning I will get better; and the better I get, the happier I will be.

3) Trying to be a good person doesn’t get any easier and that being a good person often requires me to do the right thing even when it costs more than I want to pay.

4) Kindness is more important than cleverness and that carrying grudges is foolish and self-defeating.

5) My dad was right when he told me, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and that tenacity is more important to success than talent.

6) Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional and that I have a lot to say about my own happiness.

7) A life focused on fun and pleasure rarely leads to happiness or fulfillment.

8) In my personal relationships and in the workplace I’ve got to set limits because whatever I allow, I encourage.

9) The things I like to do least are often the things that need to be done most.

10) It’s easy to fall into self-righteousness and that neither the intensity of my feelings nor the certainty of my convictions is any assurance that I’m right.

11) Unless I translate my thoughts into actions, my great ideas and good intentions are like unlit candles.

12) I cannot lie myself out of a problem and that the problems I ignore don’t go away, they just grow bigger.

  About the author: Michael Josephson is one of the nation’s most sought-after and quoted ethicists. Founder and president of Josephson Institute and its CHARACTER COUNTS! project, he has conducted programs for more than 100,000 leaders in government, business, education, sports, law enforcement, journalism, law, and the military. Mr. Josephson is also an award-winning radio commentator.

  This article was published by the Josephson Institute.