The next two months will feature a different format. Rather than an article, I’ll be sharing some of my “isms.” I’ve called the list: “Food for Thought.” These are thoughts and observations from 30 years of working with clients and observing behavior.

I think of myself as a walking sound bite. When one of these thoughts comes to me, I write it down and file it away. Over the years, I have written down hundreds of these one- or two-sentence musings.   I’ll share 25 this month and 25 next month.

Enjoy.

1. If at first you don’t succeed-- so what?
   
   

2. Misery doesn’t love company. Misery doesn’t love anything.
   
   

3. Most people seem to be trying to slow down.  Did it ever occur to anyone to just not speed up?
   

4. Never underestimate the uselessness of a negative thought.
   

5. Who wants to be “normal”?  It’s already been done and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
   
   

6. Real change happens when you become sick and tired of being sick and tired.
   

7. Maybe you can and maybe you can’t—but never because someone else said so.
   
   

8. Wisdom is knowing the difference between “when in doubt do” and when in doubt don’t.”  

9. You can’t say “thank you” too much, but you can fail to say it enough.
   
   

10. Maturity is doing what you know you should do. Immaturity is doing what you want to do.
    
    

11. Beware of assumptions.  They cut off options.
    
    

12. When people call you an overachiever, all that means is they underestimated you.
    
    

13. Find something in this world that bothers you.  Go do something about it.  Anger can make you brave.
    
    

14. The younger you are the better you are at living in the present.
    
    

15. The next time you decide to worry—don’t.
    
    

16. Life is a roller coaster.  The question is: “Who picks your rides?”
    
    

17. Take what you believe in seriously. Never take yourself seriously.
    
    

18. Lying is not only wrong, it’s stupid.
    
    

19. Time is like air. Nobody has any. It’s just there.

  20.   The best reason (actually the only reason) to listen to someone is because they’re talking.

21. “I have too much to do” is an editorial comment, not a statement of fact.
    
    

22. Status quo is a lie.  Left uninterrupted, things deteriorate.
    
    

23. Being in a destructive relationship is like taking a tablespoon of arsenic a day.  It might not kill you right away but it will sure keep you plenty sick.
    
    

24. In life you get the answers to the questions you ask. Some people are very good at not asking questions.
    
    

25. There are three things people in organizations don’t do very well: hire, fire and manage. Other than that they do fine.