Publishers Letter
Principles For Living a Good Life
Dear Reader,
Last Friday I gave a workshop on how to start and run a successful business at the Entrepreneur’s School of Culver Academy in Culver, Indiana. In addition to addressing what it takes to be an entrepreneur, the presentation placed entrepreneurship in a larger context of principles for living a good life. For those who are interested, some of the key ones are listed below.
- Approach each day with excitement and curiosity. You’ll be interesting, vibrant and dynamic to those around you.
- Take good care of your mind by exercising it daily. Reading and lively conversations beyond shallow “what’s the weather” topics stimulate the brain.
- Keep your idealism as long as you can. The world already is full of jaded cynics.
- Embrace the spiritual side of your being. It can help you overlook other people’s failings and be a shelter in adverse times.
- Find nice things to say about the people in your orbit. My mom often said we know nothing of the burdens others have to carry, so why not give them a break.
- Keep your beliefs, core values, and integrity intact. At the end of the day, all you have is you.
- Do what you say you will do; it will inspire honesty in you and generate trust from others.
- Be a problem-solver not a complainer; isolate the issues and then address them.
- Pursue the things you like. To paraphrase that well-known song by Bill Staines, everyone has a place in the choir; we all have gifts that make us shine.
- Be persistent. Many people fail because they quit too soon.
- Take good care of your body with a healthy diet, regular activity, and sleep. You may need this earthly shell for a long time.
- Admire beauty but don’t be tricked by it. Surface beauty can blind you to inner, unseen brilliance.
- Be magnanimous in victory and generous with your blessings. Everyone loves a generous heart, so let people see and love you for the generous person you are.
Patrick J. Wood
Publisher