By Andy Wimberly
Delta Air Lines flight DL 2961 had just lifted off and we were on the way. Already bored after 12 minutes of the flight, I was looking through my carry-on for something to read or something to listen to. Or I needed someone to talk to. Christy was faking a nap so she wouldn’t have to listen to me ramble, so my options had narrowed.
I randomly reached for an old manila file folder stuck way in the back of the bag. In it were 30 or so old, wrinkled pages from some of my favorite folks—like my pal and associate, Martin Willoughby and my skinny, little friend and mentor, Bubba Cox. There were notes and articles, some from speakers, authors, politicians, friends, celebrities, and even some from plain ole, regular people.
Apparently, over the years I had collected some of their favorite one-liners. As I read through them on the plane, I found myself laughing out loud, recalling great, and not so great, childhood memories, thinking “I never thought of that,” or saying to myself, “Everybody knows that.”
So today, I am simply going to share some of them with you. I would really like to take credit for this article, but I cannot. All I’ve done is compiled a short list from that file folder where, frankly, I am not sure where all they originated. Maybe Will Rogers, Frank Pollard, Ronald Reagan, banker and friend Alon Bee, my brother Allen, some of the books I’ve read or some of the stories I’ve been told. Maybe I just dreamed some in one of my half-asleep/half-awake nights. Ever done that?
So, here is a list of 20 of my favorite quotes/thoughts/sayings. I hope you appreciate these Random Truths of Life as much as I do:
- It’s more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.
- Borrow money from a pessimist; they don’t expect you to pay them back.
- Instead of an email, send a personal note.
- One of life’s greatest challenges is picking the supermarket checkout line that will move the fastest.
- Never ruin an apology with an excuse.
- If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments.
- Buy an extra box of Girl Scout cookies.
- Money is not how you value yourself.
- The Bible is your guide—it is relevant today.
- Don’t worry about being humble and modest—you’re probably not that great anyway.
- Praise more; criticize les.
- Everything takes longer than you expect.
- Never buy a Rolex from someone who is out of breath.
- If you look like your passport picture, you need a trip.
- Instead of putting others in their place, try putting yourself in their place.
- Why do you press harder on the remote control when you know the battery is dead?
- Life consists not only of holding great cards, but also in playing very effectively the cards you’ve been dealt.
- Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
- Never trust a skinny cook.
- USE EVERYTHING AS IF IT BELONGS TO GOD—BECAUSE IT DOES!
Wimberly & Associates are executive coaches and financial advisors that use The Discovery Process™ to help individuals and businesses reach their full potential. beth@thediscoveryprocess.com
