a test..................

      No one else "makes us angry."  We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude.  What someone else may have done is irrelevant.  We choose, not they.  They merely put our attitude to a test.  If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test.  If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.

    If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings.  We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.

-Jim Rohn, The Five Major Pieces To The Life Puzzle

Swayed.................

 The most powerful word in negotiations is "Fair."  As human beings, we're mightily swayed by how much we feel we have been respected.  People comply with agreements if they feel they've been treated fairly and lash out if they don't.

-Chris Voss, Never Split The Difference:  Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Why forecasting is difficult..........

      The most common plot of economic history is the role of surprises. . . . Realizing the future might not look anything like the past is a special kind of skill that is not generally looked highly upon by the financial forecasting community.

-Morgan Housel, from here

Imagine..................

 more fun here

The more things change...................

      One of the things which surprised me was how thin most of the newspaper and magazine reporting of the period was, the degree to which journalists accepted the norms of the government and, particularly in the glamorous Kennedy era, the reputation of these new stars at face value.  Credit was given more readily for educational prowess and for academic achievement than for accomplishment in government.

-David Halberstam, The Best and The Brightest 

Acceptance.......................

 

Enough..........................

 ...................................yes, you are.

Here's an idea.........................

 The best way to live life is to combine a constant appreciation of the present moment, with a general program of consistent improvement. That way, you get to feel good about both the present and the future. 

-as cut-and-pasted from this blog post

The Futurelawyer chooses resilience..............

  Fate will do as it wills, and there is nothing any human can do about it. Flailing around trying to control outcomes is futile. We do what we can, and then we accept fate's results. Too often, when fate deals a blow, some of us spend days, months, or even years, allowing the memory to affect our lives. The key to Stoic reaction is resilience. We never give up. We never surrender. We find goodness and joy in every human experience, no matter how dire the experience looks or feels.

-Rick Georges, as extracted from here

The more things change.......................

  “The wise have always said the same things, and fools have always done just the opposite.”

-Arthur Schopenhauer, as quoted here

Andrew Munro...................................

 ............................has a book recommendation.

Thankfully.................................

 Gratitude has one of the strongest links to mental health and satisfaction with life of any personality trait—more so than even optimism, hope, or compassion. Grateful people experience higher levels of positive emotions such as joy, enthusiasm, love, happiness, and optimism, and gratitude as a discipline protects us from the destructive impulses of envy, resentment, greed, and bitterness. People who experience gratitude can cope more effectively with everyday stress, show increased resilience in the face of trauma-induced stress, recover more quickly from illness, and enjoy more robust physical health.

-Robert A. Emmons, as quoted here

The Wonderful World of ........................

 .....................................Ronald Searle illustrations:

Wisdom........................

 We’re all wired differently. Don’t despair if the conventional path isn’t for you.

-Tony Isola

Confusing times................................

 

Make no mistake: The Fed is having its intended impact -- at least on rental demand and rents. Rental demand started hot in 1st quarter and has been waning since 2nd quarter after the Fed's first rate hike in the second half of March. Month-over-month rent increases have followed suit, coming in far below the record hikes seen in 2021. Anyone suggesting otherwise is looking at lagging data. New lease rents are no longer a major driver of inflation.

Worry has a freezing effect on big decisions -- like signing a new lease. Worry encourages us to stay in place and to wait it out. That impacts demand for all types of housing.

-as culled from here