Bertolt Brecht

"It's alright to hesitate if you then go ahead."

— Bertolt Brecht

German Poet, Playwright

1898 - 1956

Making decisions is often difficult.  We hesitate, not sure if we are making the right decision.  Sometimes we need to trust ourselves and move ahead.  It is normal to second guess one's self — to question if one is doing the right thing.  But ultimately, one must stand up and be counted.  What decisions are you facing that you are uncertain about?  What decisions are you regretting having made?  What does your heart say?  Don't let your analytical mind win.  Trust your heart.

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Mary Frank

Photo by Kate Joyce

"Decisions are like butterflies.  Their tongues are like springs, coils.  Butterflies go from one flower to the next looking for nectar, extending their coils, testing every flower.  I'm looking for nectar, too."

—  Mary Frank

British Artist

1933 - 

Do you have decisions that you have delayed making?  Are you riding the fence, not sure which path to take?  Making decisions is rarely easy.  Most of us struggle to make the right decision.  Yet maybe, we should be like the butterfly, flitting from one flower to next, testing every decision and not worrying about whether we make the right one or not.  Every decision will take us somewhere; and I believe that no matter what decision we make, we arrive where we were meant to be.  So be off with you now.  Go seek the nectar of the flowers.

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Harry S. Truman

"I have never forced myself to think when my energy was low.  I simply will not tackle a problem involving an important decision until I feel completely relaxed."

—  Harry S. Truman

American Author/President

1884 - 1972

Do you know when you are the most creative?  Do you pay attention to your energy levels and when you work best?  For years my most creative time was in the morning and I would schedule my creative work during this time.  In recent years, I have found myself to be most creative in late afternoon or late evening.  As a creative leader, you should schedule your creative work during your best hours — when you have the most energy.

Harry S. Truman is one of my heroes.  Years ago, someone asked me who was President when I was born and I had no idea.  Once I discovered that it was Harry S. Truman, I began reading every book I could find on the man and he soon became my hero.  Here is a slide show I recently created to tell the love story of Harry and Bess.

The Power of Persistence

View more PowerPoint from Harley King

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J. K. Rowling

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

— J. K. Rowling

British Novelist

1965 - 

The choices we make help determine the person we become and what we accomplish.  Did you choose to write today or to watch TV?  Did you choose to help a stranger or did you buy something for yourself?  We make choices every minute of every day.  Did you choose to brush your teeth or comb your hair?  And these decisions impact our lives.  Some decisions have an impact immediately and others take years to materialize.  When I was in my 20's and 30's I played volleyball.  I was known for diving without knee pads on asphalt and hardwood floors to save a ball.  I felt very little pain at the time.  Now 30 years later those dives have come back to haunt my knees and me.  What choices are you making to day that will impact you tomorrow.  Again, I ask:  did you write or paint today?  Or did you go to a movie?  The choices we make tell us who we are, not whom we want to be.

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Peter Drucker

"Here I am, fifty-eight, and I still don't know what I'm going to be when I grow up."

— Peter Drucker

Austrian Writer/Management Consultant

1909 - 2005

We have all been asked the question:  "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  And we usually give the simple answers like teacher, nurse or fireman.  The first response that I remember making was architect.  My father was a general contractor and I was in the seventh grade.  

When I was a sophomore in high school I dedicated my life to the ministry.  By the time I was senior I had lost my faith.  While in college I decided I wanted to be a writer and I have spent more than thirty-five years writing.  And since life has a way of coming full circle, I also became a speaker.  Sometimes an audience member will tell me that I missed my calling — that I should have been a preacher.  I smile and in my heart I know that I have been a preacher, although I have no church and no gospel.

When I turned fifty, I wrote an article for my college alumni magazine entitled: What Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up? Or How I Found Myself!  I realized that I had grown up to be what I had wanted to be.  I had lived the life that I desired.  I had done what I wanted to do.  Here is a link to the article.

http://www.goshen.edu/news/bulletin/02march/what_do.php

Have you become the person you wanted to be?  Or are you still wandering through the forest of uncertainty, not knowing what you want to do with your life?

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Bernie Siegel

"Refusal to hope is nothing more than a decision to die."

— Bernie Siegel

American Author/Physician

1932 -

This week I received the latest issue of Poets & Writers magazine in the mail.  Inside, I found a story of Sam Savage who wrote for decades without publishing.  His debut novel was published when he was sixty-five.  Now he is an international best-selling author with his third novel being published.  There is always hope.  After writing for 36 years like I have, it is easy to settle for less than what one hoped for.  One convinces oneself to be satisfied with what he was given in life.  But there is always that slight sliver of hope that just maybe another opportunity lies just around the corner.   Choosing not to hope is a decision to give up — to die empty handed.  Don't give up on your dreams.  There is always hope no matter what your age.  

Listen to what Bernie Siegel has to say about play.

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Oprah Winfrey

"For all the major moves in my life — to Baltimore, to Chicago, to own my show, and to end it — I've trusted my instincts.  I take in all the information I can gather.  I listen to proposals, ideas, and advice.  Then  I go with my gut, what my heart feels most strongly."

— Oprah Winfrey

American Actress, Television Talk Show Host

1954 -

When making decisions, one should always gather the information and opinions available.  But in the end, when it is decision time, one should listen to one's gut.  One must learn to trust that quiet voice deep inside.  Listening to one's gut requires silence.  At some point, one must shut out the voices sharing their opinions and make up one's own mind.

As artists and writers, this is important advice.  We must learn to trust ourselves.  There are friends, teachers, critics and even strangers who are happy to share their opinions about our creative works.  While it is important that we listen to what they say, we must learn to sort through the garbage and find a few nuggets of truth.  And in the end, we must listen to our own quiet voice telling us what to paint or write.

Here is a short video biography of Oprah Winfrey.

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Eleanor Roosevelt

"Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."

— Eleanor Roosevelt

American Speaker, Author, Political Activist

1884 - 1962

In one sense, we all are artists.  We create the lives we lead.  While we may not have any control over what happens to us, we do have control how we respond to what happens to us.  And how we respond creates the person we become.  When you reach the end of the road one day and you look back at your life, what is the legacy you have left behind.  What kind of person have you become?  Will you be a grouchy, grumpy old drunk or a kind, caring matriarch?  Will you dance with laughter or worry and fret over the fact that your husband never puts down the toilet seat?  We all make choices in life and those choices create the lives we lead.  

Our lives are a work of art.  What color are your memories?  How many wrinkles line your dreams?  Do your hopes have arthritis?  What are you doing today that will create your legacy tomorrow?  What decisions are you making today that will form the core of your character tomorrow?  Life is about growth and change.  What lessons are you learning that will change your life?  Your life is a canvas.  Pick up your paint brush and start painting.  Live the life today that you will be proud of when you are 103.

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