This morning I read in the Wall St Journal that Exxon Mobile company made $74,000 and some change per minute last quarter. Wow!

"If football taught me anything about business, it is that you win the game one play at a time."

Fran Tarkenton
Football Player, Businessman and Author

"When we can begin to take our failures seriously, it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves."

Katherine Mansfield
1888-1923, Author

by Thomas Friedman of the NYTimes

Shanghai

You don't see this every day: A columnist for The China Daily wrote an essay last week proposing that the Chinese consider eating with their hands and abandon chopsticks. Why?
Because, Zou Hanru wrote, "we no longer have abundant forest cover, our land is no longer that green, our water tables are depleting and our numbers are expanding faster than ever. ... China itself uses 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks a year, or 1.66 million cubic meters of timber, or 25 million full-grown trees." The more affluent the Chinese become, he added, "the more the demand for bigger homes and a wide range of furniture. Newspapers get thicker in their bid to grab a bigger share of the advertising market."

"Any man's life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day."

Booker T. Washington
1856-1915, Educator and Author

"Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game." Tony Alessandra

"Although your customers won't love you if you give bad service, your competitors will." Kate Zabriskie

"Before you begin a thing remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead...You can only see one thing clearly, and that is your goal. Form a mental vision of that and cling to it through thick and thin."

Kathleen Norris
1880-1966, Novelist

"Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires...courage."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882, Poet and Essayist

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

Charles Dickens
1812-1870, Novelist

1 in 4 people are financially distressed
Americans are carrying three times the amount of credit card debt that they were a few years ago. Credit card debt can put a huge weight on our shoulders. And one in four people are in a financially stressed situation, according to one study. When that happens, it causes problems on the job. In addition, people develop insomnia, weight gain and high blood pressure among other things because of the stress. When we owe money, we’re weak and it takes its toll. When Clark owned his own business, he worried constantly about debts being paid and making a profit to cover the mortgage, utilities, etc. That was debt with a purpose. Clark knew he was going to make some money back on his expenditures. But what about people who carry debt with no purpose? It’s got to be even worse.
Source www.clarkhoward.com

"You will find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others?...Half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy."

Lydia M. Child
1802-1880, Abolitionist and Writer

"The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare."

Bobby Knight

"I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness."

Abraham Maslow
1908-1970, Psychologist