God Speaks Daily

Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.

Colin Powell

This is one point Tim Ferris makes in a blog post about dealing with haters. The whole post is worth a read.

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. – Ann Landers.

Be a taker rather than a giver of status.

For years I gave people status based on their outward appearances. I think this is common.

Take, for example, blonde jokes. We tend to assign blonde women status based on their hair. We assume they’re not very smart.

On the other hand, a dark haired woman is assumed to be smart – especially if she’s wearing glasses and professional attire. (Think librarian.)

A good example of this is contrasting the roles of Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu in the Charlie’s Angel’s movies. It’s stereotyping.

I used to give people status. Because I gave status away, I assumed people should give me status.

I spent years learning not to give people status based on shallow observations. As I stopped giving away status I stopped looking to others for status.

The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. – Chinese proverb.

“If everyone is thinking the same thing, then someone isn’t thinking.”

George S. Patton