Dave Koz & Friends.....Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Life its ownself......................

..................................................................a full house.

On nonlinearities...........................

. . . even the simplest human events constitute complex systems ruled by nonlinearities.  Within such systems, teasing out a single episode and proclaiming it the prime mover makes as much sense as to pick a grain of sand and calling it "the beach."

-Martin Gurri,  The Revolt Of The Public:  And The Crisis Of Authority In The New Millennium

On action following principles.............

But the exhortation that all development discussions must lead within five minutes to a recommended philanthropic action inhibits clear thinking.  Actions follow principles and understanding. . . . There is a fear of inaction and indifference on the tragic problems of global poverty, which I share.  But wrong actions are equally a danger, and they may create more indifference and disillusionment when they fail.  It is critical to get the principles of action right before acting . . .

-William Easterly,  The Tyranny of Experts:  Economists, Dictators, and The Forgotten Rights Of The Poor

Criteria................................

The question before us is a relatively simple one: What would be the criteria for removing our remaining troops from the Iraqi, Syrian, and more general Middle Eastern conflicts? Or, for that matter, from Afghanistan, where we have been trapped for more than 17 long years of still open-ended occupation?

If the answer to that question is that only when each of these countries is a healthy pro-American democracy, and Islamist terrorism has ceased to be an “enduring” threat to the West, then the answer, as the old Bob Mankoff joke has it, is “How about never — is never good for you?”

-Andrew Sullivan, as he begins this essay

Fifty years ago......................

Spirit...........................................................................Taurus
(parts of this tune may sound familiar)

Unguarded..........................

"Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts, unguarded.  But once mastered, no one can help you as much, not even your father or your mother."

-Buddha, as copied from the epigraphs to this book

Arduous...........................

     What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.  This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness.  It is the harder because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better that you know it.  It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion;  it is easy in solitude to live after our own;  but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson, as culled from his Essay On Self-Reliance

One percent............................

It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis.   Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action.  Whether it is losing weight, building a business, writing a book, winning a championship, or achieving any other goal, we put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everybody will talk about.
     Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn't particularly notable - sometimes it isn't even noticeable - but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run.  The difference a tiny improvement can make overtime is astounding.

-James Clear, Atomic Habits:  Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results:  An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

If you doubt the truth of this...................

......ask an adult family member what they want for Christmas:

What do people want?

If you ask them, you probably won't find what you're looking for.  You certainly won't find a breakthrough.  It's our job to watch people, figure out what they dream of, and then create a transaction that can deliver that feeling.

-Seth Godin, as extracted from This Is Marketing:  You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn To See

And we weren't even consulted..........

"It is a big day when a person realizes that the world has its own set of rules."

-Michael Wade

David Sanborn.........................................Rain on Christmas

Benign..............................

“I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world.”

-Albert Camus

image via

Comedy for the ages....................

Abbott & Costello..............................................Who's On First

Spirit...........................

“The problem that we have with a victim mentality is that we forget to see the blessings of the day. Because of this, our spirit is poisoned instead of nourished.” 

-Steve Maraboli

Fifty years ago........................

Stevie Wonder............................................For Once In My Life

My Mom's favorite day of the year......

.......Starting tomorrow, daylight time starts increasing:

"In terms of daylight, this day is 5 hours, 50 minutes shorter than on June Solstice."

Fun with the language..........................

Lessons learned...................

"Never taunt your enemies; especially when they are more numerous and have been drinking."

-David Warren, from this post (in which he sent me scurrying to the dictionary, looking up the word usufructuary)

Mannheim Steamroller........................................Pat a Pan